Today I’m going to show you how to build a powerful gaming PC that won’t blast a hole in your pocket. I chose all high quality parts that easily rival top gaming computer builds from companies such as Alienware and Dell, for nearly half the price. The end product is pure gaming power for budget gamers.

Before we being, let me say that this do-it-yourself guide is meant for those who have at least some knowledge of the inside of a computer, however if you’re a hardware noob with half a brain and a little patients, you should be able to able to swing it.

For reliability, convenience, and a great price I purchased all my parts online through Newegg.com. Here’s what I chose…

Processor
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor (Retail)

Video Card
EVGA NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express SLI Supported Video Card (Retail)

Motherboard
EVGA NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI ATX Intel Motherboard (Retail)

Memory (RAM)
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Memory (Retail)

Hard Drive (Storage)
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive (OEM)

CD / DVD Drive
LITE-ON SATA CD/DVD Burner with LightScribe (Retail)

Wireless Card
LINKSYS WMP54G IEEE 802.11b/g, Wireless-G Adapter (Retail)

Case
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Retail)

Power Supply
Antec True Power Trio 650W Power Supply (Retail)

CPU Cooling
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler (Retail)

From the time I placed my order it took about 5 days to get everything. All my parts arrived together in one box except the case, which arrived a day later separately. I opened the box containing all the interior parts and everything was there, so now it was time to build.

Tools

All I needed for this project was a phillips head screwdriver and a pair of scissors.

Step 1: Find a Clean Workspace

I have a large kitchen counter so I decided to build there. I had plenty of room to lay out my parts in and orderly fashion to make the build go smoothly.

Step 2: Open the Case and Install the Power Supply

I pulled my Antec ATX case out of the box and placed it on the counter standing up. I unscrewed both side panels from the back of the case (thumbscrews - no tools needed) and placed them aside till completion. I then pulled out my Antec 650w power supply and placed it in the bottom of the case and screwed it in. Make sure the fan side of the power supply is facing upwards or it kinda defeats the purpose. There are a bunch of wires that come out of the back of the power supply, just let them run outside the case to the side so they aren’t in your way. Pretty easy so far.

Step 3: Install the Motherboard

Before installing the motherboard we have to replace the I/O panel on the back of the computer case. This is the panel with all of the holes that line up with the USB ports and such. Pop out the one that comes with the Antec case and replace it with the one that comes in the box with the motherboard. There are some small tabs over some of the holes of the I/O panel, make sure to bend those inwards so you have access to the ports once the motherboard is in place.

Now lay the case on its side, with the opening facing upwards.

The motherboard stands on small screws called standoffs on the side of the case that is now laying on the counter. The standoffs screw into the case on one side and have holes on the other for you to screw your motherboard into. Hold your motherboard over the case to see where the holes align to the standoffs. Move and add standoffs as needed, extra ones come with the case. Make sure there is support for the motherboard in the middle and on the sides. Once you have the standoffs in place, put the motherboard on top. Make sure that everything is lined up properly and screw in your motherboard. I used the screws that came with the Antec case along with the cardboard washers to avoid metal contact with the screws and motherboard. Make sure all screws are secure before moving on to the next step.

Step 4: Install the CD Drive

Now turn the case back upright.

I chose to install the Lite-On CD / DVD burner at the top slot of the case. First pop off the front panel for that drive bay then slide the CD drive into place so the holes on the side of the drive line up with the holes on the side of the drive bay cage. Take the screws that came with the CD drive and screw them in. Booya! It’s that easy.

Step 5: Install the Hard Drive

I chose to install the Seagate hard drive in the very bottom bay. One reason is because the bottom and middle bays are the right size for hard drives. Second is that by leaving the center bays empty it allows for better airflow from the fans at the front of the case.

For this part of the installation we need to unscrew the thumbscrews on the sides of the case that hold this cage in place. Once that’s done you can slide the whole cage out of the front of the computer. Then take your hard drive and slide it into the bottom bay of the cage we just removed. Make sure the label on the hard drive is facing up and line up the holes of the drive to those of the cage.

Since this is an OEM hard drive it doesn’t come with any screws or cables, but that’s ok, we have all we need already. Take the long screws that came with the case and screw the drive into place. Now slide the cage back into the front of the computer and replace the thumbscrews to secure the cage.

Step 6: Install the Processor

So far things are coming together nicely. Now it’s time to start adding things to our motherboard. First is our Intel processor. Remove the process from the box. Ignore the fan that comes with it, we won’t be using that one.

Again lay the case on its side.

On the motherboard there is a square cage that holds the processor. Use the handle to pop open the cage, remove any protective plastic pieces and place the processor in the slot. If you’re not sure which way it goes in consult the documentation that comes with the processor. It’s not a good idea to screw this part up.

Once the processor is in you can close the cage and lock the top on with the handle on the side of the square cage. It takes a little force to get it to close properly but don’t be alarmed, this is so the processor stays securely in place.

Step 7: Install the CPU Cooler

We won’t be using the Heatsink / Fan that comes with the Intel processor. We’ll be using the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler. Remove the cooler from the box and inspect to make sure it looks like all the pieces are in working order. There are four plastic pins along with knobs on the top to lock the pins in place. Play with these for a minute to get a feel for how they work.

Remove any protective pieces and place the square part over the processor with the fan facing the front of the case. Line up the plastic pins with the holes on the motherboard around the processor. Push each pin in and turn the knob on top of each to lock them into place. This was the trickiest part of the installation for me, it may take you a few tries to make sure all the pins are locked down and secure.

Lastly plug the wire coming out of the fan into the 3 pins right next to the processor on the edge of the motherboard. This is to supply power to the fan.

Step 8: Install the Memory

We have two 1 GB memory chips that we need to install. On the motherboard there are four long slots right next to where we installed the processor. The memory only fits in one way, match up the bottom of the chips to the memory slot, it’s easy enough to figure out. Slide the memory into place and lock it in with the handles on the sides of the slots. I left one slot empty between the chips, for some breathing room I guess.

Step 9: Install the Video Card

The video card we chose for this project is the EVGA NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express with SLI support. This thing is a beast to say the least. This was about 1/3 the cost of our parts, but we’re building a bad-ass gaming PC, so it was well worth it.

We’re going to install this card in the PCI Express slot closest to the processor. This thing takes up two back slots so we have to remove two of the panels on the back of the case. With this case at first glace it looks like we need to remove the very end panel, but actually we’ll be removing the two right next to it. They are each held in with a single screw and easy to remove. Once removed, plug the card in and replace the two screws to hold the back panel of the video card to the case.

Step 10: Install the Wireless Card

This part is cake. Find another slot next to the video card. Line up the bottom of the Linksys wireless card with a slot that it fits into. Remove another panel from the back of the case. Plug the card in. Replace the screw to hold the card in place. Now screw the antenna that comes with the wireless card into the back of the card on the outside of the case.

Step 11: Break Time

If you haven’t already it’s time to take a break. Installing all of this delicate equipment can be a bit stressful, especially if you don’t do it often or if it’s your first time.

Step 12: OMG Wires!

Now we come to the fun part! All our hardware should be in place and we have a bunch of wires that we need to connect to various devices to supply power and allow them to communicate. It’s a good idea to consult your documentation on this part but I’ll just give you a brief overview. I’ve also made a diagram. A picture is worth a 1000 words! Especially true in this case.

Before we start consider the airflow of the case and try to keep the wires organized as not to disrupt this airflow.

This case has wires that control the power button, reset button, and HDD LED lights. Some cases also have a Power LED wire, but this one doesn’t. Right next to the memory chip slots on the motherboard, towards the front of the case, there are 8 pins that are home to these wires. Plug each wire into the set of pins that it’s labeled for. Like I said, you should consult the documentation while doing this. I referenced the booklet that came with the Antec case and also the online documentation for the motherboard at the EVGA website.

This case also has wires to connect the extra USB, Firewire, and HD Audio ports on the top of the case. The USB pins are located towards the bottom right side of the motherboard (blue backing). The Firewire (IEEE 1394) pins are right next to the mid PCI Express slot (red backing). The HD Audio pins are at the edge of the motherboard right next to the power supply.

Now we move on to the wires coming out of the back of the power supply. We won’t be using all of them. First the solo big fat wire is our main power to the motherboard. This plugs in on the edge of the motherboard right next to the memory slots.

There are three 6-pin power cables with yellow & black mesh around the wires. One of these goes up at the top corner of the motherboard, next to the back and top case fans. The other two plug into our video card right on the top back.

There is also a blue & black wire that regulates fan speed. I plugged this into a 3-pin fan port right at the bottom edge of the motherboard.

Next we need to supply power to our CD drive and hard drive. Since these are both SATA power configurations we’ll use the wires with the thin edges that fit right into the back of each drive. Pretty simple to match them up.

Next we need to connect the CD drive and the hard drive to the motherboard. The CD drive comes with a red SATA cable, the OEM hard drive doesn’t come with any cables. That’s ok though because the motherboard comes with two extra black SATA cables. Doesn’t matter which ones you use. Plug one end of a cable into the CD drive, and the other into a SATA port on the motherboard. The SATA ports are right next to the memory slots towards the front edge of the motherboard. Do the same for the hard drive.

Lastly we need to power the various fans on the case. These plug into the large 4-pin power connector cables. This power supply has plenty of these connectors to work with.

Ok now all of our wires should be plugged in. Double-check your connections to make sure they’re all nice and snug. There are a couple wire-ties included in the case that you can use to secure large batches of wires to maximize airflow.

Step 13: Close the Case & Power Up

Stand the case upright and replace the side panels. Screw them in with the thumbscrews provided and we’re ready to power ‘er up. Plug the black power cable into the back of the power supply. Make sure the switch on the back of the power supply is in the ON position. You shouldn’t have to use the power switch in the future for daily use purposes. Now plug the cable into a power outlet (I recommend something surge-protected).

Next plug in your monitor. I already had one so I didn’t purchase one for this project. Plug your monitor into the port on the video card on the back of the computer. The video card comes with two adaptors in case your monitor cable doesn’t fit into the port, which mine didn’t.

Now hit the power button on the top of your case. If all went well your computer should load up like any computer would that doesn’t have an operating system. You can enter the BIOS setup to make sure everything is configured properly. View the motherboard online documentation for detailed BIOS instructions. Only thing I had to change was to remove the 3 ¼” Floppy on drive A: that the BIOS mistakenly thought I had.

After that I placed my Windows XP CD into the drive, continued to partition the hard drive, and setup Windows.

Total cost for this project was about $1600. If you build a similar gaming PC with a name-brand company such as Alienware or Dell you could easily be paying twice as much. In this instance it definitely pays to do-it-yourself.

Well that’s it. I’m now writing this article on the very computer that I described being built. If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them here!