Best $2000 Gaming PC Build in December 2022 (4K & VR Ready)
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Best Gaming PC Under $2000
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Our best gaming PC for under $2000 is more than capable of handling 4K gaming and Virtual Reality. Both the AMD and Intel build paths will produce a high-end gaming PC that is ready to smash through your favorite games and more.
The $2000 build is our best gaming PC recommendation to date and comes packed with a powerful CPU and GPU combination. For the price, this custom PC has fantastic gaming ability and will stand the test of time.
With a $2,000 price tag, there are no compromises. You get a top-of-the-line gaming PC with a premium gaming experience, rendering performance, and streaming capabilities.
Holiday gaming PC deals for Christmas
- Skytech EclipseRTX 4080 gaming PC – was
$3,299.99, NOW $2,999.99 - iBUYPOWER TraceMR RTX 3080 gaming PC – was
$1,849. 99, NOW $1,649.99 - iBUYPOWER TraceMR RTX 3070 gaming PC – was
$1,449.99, NOW $1,249.99 - ASUS ROG Strix G10 RTX 3060 gaming PC – was
$1,449.99, NOW $1,056 - iBUYPOWER SlateMR RTX 3050 gaming PC – was
$979.99, NOW $879.99 - iBUYPOWER SlateMR GTX 1650 gaming PC – was
$779.99, NOW $679.99
What You Get For Your $2000
At the $2000 mark, you are in the high-end of the gaming PC spectrum and can ensure your new build comes packed with premium features. Along with strong processors, you get the powerful GPU from Nvidia with unrivaled gaming performance. In this price bracket, you will need a strong motherboard to handle any expansion and overclocking needs you may have, so we have included robust and reliable motherboard options for both builds.
Performance
As mentioned, our build comes with a powerful graphics card. When it comes to gaming performance, these GPUs will handle any game you throw at them, even in ultra settings! This build supports NVIDIA’s Ray-Tracing technology and will deliver for 4K and VR gaming with ease.
The AMD Ryzen CPU will make the PC feel very snappy and responsive, while also delivering better performance for those CPU-heavy games and tasks.
AMD Vs. Intel
Overall, we recommend our AMD build as the best option for those looking to build a strong gaming PC at this price point. With both the AMD and Intel builds, we see excellent CPU performance for both gaming and your general multitasking. Of course, the AMD processor smashes the Intel CPU in the workstation department and with AMD closing the gap on single-core performance, there is no better chip for this build.
How We Choose
Our team has years of experience behind them building PCs for a range of needs and budgets. All this knowledge combined with hours of research, user feedback, and onsite benchmarking is what goes into choosing the best components for our builds.
We look for value for money, how the components perform together and focus on gamer’s needs to make sure our builds are the best your budget can buy.
We build all these PCs ourselves, in-house, so trust us when we say we want to make them as good as possible. We actually use all these builds ourselves day-to-day in the WePC offices.
How We Test
We build each of our selected PC’s from scratch to make sure all the parts we recommend work well together, fit into the selected case, and provide the best performance possible for the price range.
Once built, the PCs are used in the office for everyday work as well as a range of games from light to heavy-duty. While we test, we also run benchmarking tests to see how well our builds perform, all while keeping an eye on the temperature of the components themselves.
We know how much some of our readers enjoy overclocking their PCs, so we made sure to test that out too. So, you can feel safe knowing that these machines can be pushed beyond their basic capabilities. But, please make sure you know how to overclock before trying to over-task your builds.
Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
For the less experienced builders out there, building a high-end gaming PC can be a daunting task. The last thing you want to do is break an expensive component by installing it incorrectly. Here at WePC, we encourage you to build your own PC as we feel it is the best for you, your games, and let’s face it, your wallet. For further information on the companies behind these prebuilt gaming PCs, we have listed the best custom PC builders currently in the market.
Because of this, some people prefer to order a pre-built PC instead. Here are some prebuilt gaming PCs with similar specs for under $2000:
The Skytech Blaze Gaming PC is one of the best deals on offer right now, but be fast as they’re selling quickly! It comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and RTX 3070, delivering some of the best gaming performance money can buy.
iBUYPOWER Pro Gaming PC SlateMono 237i
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Our Recommended Custom Build Details
- Last Updated — Dec 2, 2022
This high-end gaming PC is a powerhouse. We have tried to ensure this machine gives you the best results while gaming and all for around $2000!
Our Best Gaming PC Build Under $2000
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Our $2000 gaming PC build is fully in the high-end of the gaming PC spectrum and comes packed with premium features. Along with a strong AMD processor, you get a powerful GPU from Nvidia with unrivaled gaming performance in every game and setting.
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
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With excellent single-core performance and top multithreading abilities, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is one of the best CPUs money can buy. With an impressive 8 cores and 16 threads, this CPU is ready to handle anything you throw its way.
This powerful Ryzen 7000 chip features a base clock of 4. 5GHz and a max boost speed of 5.4GHz.
ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-Plus WiFi
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With great overclocking capabilities and room for expansion, the Asus TUF Gaming X670E-Plus is the perfect motherboard to accompany the Ryzen 7 7700X. The board comes with PCIe 5 support, fast RAM support, and Wi-Fi6E. With this product from Asus, you are getting a reliable and sturdy board that oozes quality.
Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB
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Cooler Masters ML240 AIO is a high-quality cooling solution that fits this build perfectly. This cooler is more than enough to handle the heat of the AMD CPU and features a 240mm radiator that will help keep your temperatures low and your system quiet.
Kingston Fury Beast RGB 16GB (2x8GB)
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This 16GB memory kit from Kingston offers more than enough in terms of capacity and speed for gaming. With this kit, you can be sure there is no compromise when multitasking. In addition to the large capacity of this RAM, we have also ensured we include fast-acting clock speeds of 5600MHz.
With this speed, you are guaranteed never to be bottlenecked by your RAM, even when running RAM-hungry applications.
MSI Gaming RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G LHR
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The RTX 3080 is one of the best graphics cards on the market and prices are finally returning to normal. To put it simply, this card is one of the highest performing GPUs to ever grace the benchmarks and will handle any game you throw at it, with incredible performance across the board.
You can expect stable frames, in max settings, while playing in 4K. Everything below 4K is a breeze for this GPU.
WD BLACK 1TB SN770
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We’ve decided to go for WDs 1TB NVMe SSD for this build as it offers lightning-quick load times and comes to shelves at an extremely affordable price point.
With speeds of up to 5,150MBs, this M.2 drive is one of the fastest on the market. With a hefty 1TB of storage capacity, this SSD is the perfect pairing for this already impressive build.
Corsair 4000D Airflow
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To keep all your components safe and looking stylish, we have selected the Corsair 4000D Airflow PC case. This mid-tower case comes with two preinstalled 120mm fans, delivering decent airflow out of the box.
Your gaming PC will be running at low temperatures, even with the most demanding of games. The 4000D Airflow comes with a stylish design and a tempered glass panel to keep your overall build looking sharp.
EVGA 750 BQ
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Every high-end build needs a solid and reliable power supply to keep things ticking over. While some may think more watts are better, 750W is more than powerful enough to supply this gaming rig with all the juice it needs. While you may not need the most efficient PSU out there, the bronze level of efficiency for this power supply is one of good quality.
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Corsair Hydro Series h200i Pro RGB
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Operating System & Peripherals
This section is separate from the $2000 PC build since we only factor in the cost of the base hardware and most people already have their own peripherals laying around.
If you don’t, though, that’s fine- we’re still here for you
Note: These will raise the price of the build!
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When building a PC, you need to handle it with care. This is especially true if this is the first PC you’ve ever built; definitely read various online tips to clear up any questions you have before starting.
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Best prebuilt gaming PC under $2000 in 2022
We look for the best prebuilt gaming computers for under $2000
Updated: Dec 2, 2022 12:00 pm
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The team here at WePC is dedicated to helping our readers build their very own gaming PCs regardless of what budget they set but we understand that sometimes people just want to get a prebuilt gaming PC. To assist, we have been searching the web to find the very best prebuilt gaming PC under $2000, ensuring you get a high-quality product and the most out of your money.
We already have an article recommending the best custom gaming PC for under $2000, so have spent some time finding five high-end prebuilt alternatives for those out there that don’t want to build or simply just don’t have the time. While reviewing each of our selections we will also talk through what makes them one of the best along with a few key areas you need to consider before making that all-important purchase.
Let’s see what we have.
Holiday gaming PC deals for Christmas
- Skytech EclipseRTX 4080 gaming PC – was
$3,299.99, NOW $2,999.99 - iBUYPOWER TraceMR RTX 3080 gaming PC – was
$1,849.99, NOW $1,649.99 - iBUYPOWER TraceMR RTX 3070 gaming PC – was
$1,449.99, NOW $1,249.99 - ASUS ROG Strix G10 RTX 3060 gaming PC – was
$1,449.99, NOW $1,056 - iBUYPOWER SlateMR RTX 3050 gaming PC – was
$979.99, NOW $879.99 - iBUYPOWER SlateMR GTX 1650 gaming PC – was
$779.99, NOW $679.99
Our Top Picks
01
The Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
Skytech Blaze 3.0 (3070)
02
The Next Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
SkyTech Shadow 3. 0 (RTX 3060)
03
Another Solid Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
CUK Aegis R Gaming Desktop
How We Choose
We scoured popular and reputable prebuilt gaming PC manufacturers such as SkyTech, MSI, iBuyPower, CyberPowerPC, and even the latest prebuilt gaming desktop PCs from companies that specialize in upgrades and customizations such as CUK.
After an extensive search, we came up with a long list of potential candidates, we then: examined the specs, compared them, and came up with the five best gaming PCs under $2000.
How We Test
A computer that costs $2000 will be able to handle almost anything without breaking a sweat. It’s time to up your expectations! We’re testing these PCs at 2K (1440p) and even 4K resolutions, to give you realistic performance results.
To give you an idea of how well the best prebuilt gaming PCs under $2000 perform, tests were made and benchmark results were recorded across a number of different games and platforms. We specifically picked popular games to give you an up-to-date reference.
NOTE: Due to the ongoing effects of the global coronavirus pandemic, some retailers are experiencing stock issues. WePC constantly updates our pages to reflect current availability, so if the PC or part you want shows as out of stock, check back later.
Things To Consider
If you aren’t quite up to the challenge of building a custom gaming PC for under $2000, then one of our top prebuilt selections are a great alternative. That being said, it doesn’t matter if you are building a new PC or not, there are still several key considerations to make before buying.
In this section below, we are going to be going over these areas in detail to ensure you make the correct choice and buy a product that is suited to your individual gaming needs.
Budget
Whenever we are recommending prebuilt computers or custom builds, we separate them into different price categories to help different readers with varied budgets. It is always beneficial to set yourself a budget as it can be incredibly easy to spend more than you were originally planning.
When it comes to prebuilt gaming PCs under $2000, there are no compromises. You can be sure you are getting a very high-end computer capable of playing the latest games in the highest settings possible, while also obtaining high counts of FPS. At $2000, you will have a PC that can also handle 4K gaming but if you don’t have a monitor or the desire to play in 4K, you may want to check out our $1500 prebuilt instead, saving yourself some money in the process.
$2000 Prebuilt Gaming PC Vs. Custom
We always recommend that you build your own computer here at WePC and that is for one simple reason – value. It is no secret that you can squeeze in better hardware for your cash when building your own system, with the markup on prebuilt computers usually costing the same amount as an entire component ($100-$300).
Performance
While the performance of these prebuilt gaming PCs under 2000 is great, when building your own you could in theory include a better CPU or GPU into your computer without spending more. This means you could get even better performance for your hard-earned cash, get better in-game results, and future proof your investment for longer.
Convenience
The main selling point behind a prebuilt is it saves you the hassle. We understand that not everyone knows how to build a computer and may not even have the time to learn this new skill, so the convenience of a prebuilt makes a lot of sense. Of course, there are many more benefits to buying a prebuilt gaming PC from manufacturers, obviously, it takes the stresses away from finding all the compatible components, while also preventing damage to said components when the time comes to build it.
With a prebuilt gaming PC, you are going to be able to send it back to the manufacturer if anything goes wrong. Furthermore, if you feel you need an upgrade, suppliers will often do this for you or at least insist you send it to them for an upgrade. Manufacturers will also dish out a warranty, usually covering parts and labor for around a year but some companies offer impressive warranties and you can always spend extra on insurance, giving you a lengthy/ lifetime warranty.
A prebuilt from the biggest manufacturers around the world aren’t just packaged nicely for you either, they normally stress test the system to ensure the components are working before shipping and that it performs as it should. You will also receive your system with software, usually with Windows and drivers pre-installed, so you can simply plug it in and start downloading games.
Other Features And Freebies
You will often find most prebuilt gaming PCs ship with a free keyboard and mouse. Don’t get too excited, these are usually low-quality peripherals but good enough to get you playing games quickly. We advise you to invest in better quality peripherals down the line but hey who doesn’t love free stuff?
The The Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs Under $2000
01
Skytech Blaze 3.0 (3070)
02
SkyTech Shadow 3.0 (RTX 3060)
03
CUK Aegis R Gaming Desktop
04
Skytech Chronos Gaming PC Desktop (RTX 3070)
05
iBUYPOWER Gaming PC Computer Desktop 1000iV2
In-depth Review
01
The Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
Skytech Blaze 3. 0 (3070)
- Features strong gaming components
- Comes with Windows 10
- Comes with 16GB of optimal memory for the Intel CPU
- Wi-Fi
The Skytech Azure prebuilt gaming PC is our top contender when it comes to computers under the $2000 mark thanks to its high performance and reasonable value. You can rest assured that a PC of this quality will handle any game you throw its way in a variety of resolutions and refresh rates.
Inside, we have a Ryzen 5 3500X, a CPU that delivers in every area. This processor features strong single-core performance and ships with 6 cores and 12 threads running at a base speed of 3.7GHz and a boost potential of up to 4.6GHz. The CPU combines with one of Nvidia’s latest graphics cards – the RTX 3070. The RTX 3070 offers stunning value, with similar in-game performance as the monster RTX 2080 Ti.
This build features 16GB of 3000MHz RAM, which is going to bolster the performance of your system across the board. There is also a 1TB NVME SSD, giving you plenty of room for your favorite games and applications.
02
The Next Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
SkyTech Shadow 3.0 (RTX 3060)
- Great gaming performance
- very stylish case
- Multithreaded
- Wi-Fi 6
- Slightly over budget
This PC is one of the more stylish on the list and there are no compromises in terms of performance either. With exceptional gaming ability and proven multitasking capabilities, this prebuilt gaming PC covers almost anything you throw its way.
Powering this gaming PC is a gaming stalwart- the AMD Ryzen 5 3600. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is an excellent all-around CPU, showing decent results in gaming benchmarks and, of course, features great multitasking ability. This CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads running at a base clock speed of 3.6GHz that can be boosted up to 4.2Ghz. Backing up the CPU is one of Nvidia’s latest GPUs – the RTX 3070. This graphics card matches the performance of the impressive RTX 2080 Ti, meaning you can play whatever, whenever.
This prebuilt for under $2000 also features 16GB of 3000MHz RAM, Windows 10, and a 1TB SSD. The case also features three RGB fans, giving you everything you need to play your favorite titles with a bang.
03
Another Solid Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
CUK Aegis R Gaming Desktop
- Amazing aesthetics
- Excellent performance
- 1TB of fast storage
- Fast RAM
Visually, the CUK Aegis Gaming PC will look superb in anyone’s setup and this has the specifications to back up those aesthetics.
The components involved with this one are, firstly, the Intel Core i9-10900KF CPU, a fast processor for gaming. This CPU comes with proven ability for both gaming and CPU-intensive tasks, with the 10 cores and 20 threads running at a base clock speed of 3.7GHz and a max boost clock of up to 5.3GHz. Supporting the CPU is the RTX 3070, one of Nvidia’s latest 30-series GPUs. The card is top drawer for gaming, with similar levels of performance to the fabled RTX 2080 Ti, making playing games in high settings a walk in the park.
You also get 32GB of fast RAM in this build, which is more than enough. This prebuilt also comes with Windows 10, a 1TB SSD, and a 2TB HDD.
04
A High Performing Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
Skytech Chronos Gaming PC Desktop (RTX 3070)
- Offers the best performance in this roundup
- Excellent airflow
The SkyTech Chronos is one of the best prebuilt gaming PCs under $2000 thanks to its stunning aesthetics and the high-performance components inside.
At the center of this gaming computer sits an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X CPU. This CPU is a very powerful multithreaded component to have and gives this build much more than just gaming performance. The 3700X comes with a total of 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock speed of 3.6GHz or a max boost of up to 4.4GHz. With this amount of cores and threads, you could easily render videos or stream with this gaming PC. Along with the CPU, we see Nvidias RTX 3070, a powerful graphics card that can produce similar results to the older RTX 2080 Ti.
Other excellent specs of this gaming pc consist of 16GB of fast (3600MHz) RAM, a great size for gaming, and solid speed for this CPU, along with Windows 10 and a 1TB NVME SSD, which is more than enough storage for your games and media.
05
The Best Budget Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
iBUYPOWER Gaming PC Computer Desktop 1000iV2
- Great CPU for gaming
- Powerful GPU
- 16GB of RAM
- Only 480GB of SSD space
The iBUYPOWER 1000iV2 Prebuilt Gaming PC comes in way under $2000 but is still a powerful machine in its own right. It may not share the same graphical power as the others on this list but for the price, this affordable gaming PC is still going to give you a worthy experience.
We have Intel’s 10th-gen i7-10700F at the center of this PC, which features strong single-core performance, and comes with 8 cores / 16 threads running at a base speed of 2. 9GHz and a boost potential of up to 4.8GHz. The CPU combines with Nvidia’s powerful 20-series RTX 2060, a GPU that doesn’t compete with the RTX 3070 but can still bring excellent gaming results.
With this, you are also going to get 16GB of RAM, a great amount for gaming. Unfortunately, you are only getting 480GB of SSD space which could fill up very quickly but to back it up there is an additional 2TB of HDD space. The case also comes with RGB fans and this PC features Wi-Fi, giving you everything you need to kickstart your gaming.
Final Word
It isn’t particularly hard to find the best prebuilt gaming PC under $2000 when you know what to look for but you can rest assured knowing that every recommendation in this roundup has been hand-picked based on performance, reliability, quality, and value. A $2000 gaming PC is going to give you an unbelievable gaming experience for years to come and which of the five products above you choose is largely down to your gaming needs and budget. Start your gaming off with a high-end bang!
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Top PC review 2002/2003
February 16, 2013, Saturday
05:38
Sailor Venus
[
]
for section
Blogs
This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded.
SO THERE IS NO CONFUSION WITH THE HISTORY — VIDYAKHA TOP 2002, PROCESSOR TOP 2003
this story began with the fact that I needed a computer for old games that categorically refused to run on modern hardware. ati radeon 9 just came to hand700pro, the top video card of 2002 with directx9 support. I remembered the card well — it was the absolute top of its time
the card is very small — to understand how much I put it in the box from ge force gtx680
vidyashka has as many as 107 million transistors, produced according to a 0.15 micron process, and also has a 256-bit memory bus (despite the fact that the memory is 128 mb) and requires not 6 or 8 pin power, but a 4-pin (like a floppy- drive)
no temperature sensor
it remains to find a worthy shelter for it — after looking for almost a month, I suddenly came across a message about the sale of pentium 4 exreme edition — the top processor of 2003 (along with amd fx-51)
http://www.ixbt.com/cpu/pentium4-32ghz-ee.shtml
this is not just 4 stumps but a renamed xeon with 2 mb L3 cache and a different socket (478 instead of 603)
the processor has 170 million transistors, which is almost 100 million more than the usual 4 stumps. Thermal package -92 watts (maximum 109)
I actually found the motherboard (they gave it away with the case with all the cases) the asus p4p800 motherboard is an ordinary, in general, motherboard of 2003 on an 865 chipset with agp 8x
RAM was-2 512 MB sticks
hard drive I had — WD2500AAKX which is more than enough.
case and power supply were of course horrendous:
everything is very noisy and the CPU under the linpack warmed up to 55 degrees. so the case went to the trash along with the block. I found the case cooler master 690 — a good case (I have 912+ on my main computer) and an aerocool strike-x 500 power supply (more than enough for such a system) I have a lot of fans, it turned out pretty nice:
oh yes, with a good heat pack, so I took the last cooler supporting 478 socket — this is Scythe Mugen 2. We actually finished the assembly, let’s move on to the tests, I’ll start with the link:
I had 7 Windows on that disk 1 test on it (with an old cooler)
and on xp (on which all further tests will be)
temperature maximum 32 degrees, which is 7 degrees higher than room temperature, in games it is not higher than 29
tests aida64
3dmark 2001 se(1280-1024)
3d mark 2003
3d mark 2006
h364 hd bench 5. 0.1 (part — since part 2 will be rendered under 3 hours)
moving on to games:
TEST SYSTEM:
processor: intel pentium 4 exreme edition 3200 mgh
RAM-2×512 MB ddr400/3-3-3-8
hard drive — wd2500aakx
graphics card — ati radeon 9700pro 297/533.256bit
power supply-aerocool strike-x 500
monitor-viewsonic vp930(1280-1024@75Hz)
video card drivers — the latest for it in 2009
windows xp 32-bit
*ULTRA* THIS IS 1280-1024 WITH MAXIMUM SETTINGS AND SMOOTHING
oh yes, since much more depends on the video card than on the processor, and in 2002 there were already 4 pentiums with ht and a frequency of 3066 MHz, even so, we can assume that the computer was 2002 (in 2003, the top video was ati radeon 9800xt 256mb)
It is quite logical that the top video game should pull the games of its time and a year or two after. Well, let’s check:
(ALL SCREENS CAN BE OPENED BY CLICKING *OPEN IMAGE* ON THEM)
GAMES OF 2002
https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=n3rzuDANyMY
alien versus predator 2 primal hunt(fantastic addition to avp 2)everything goes to full maximum without the slightest problem
no one lives forever 2 (monolith spy thriller, games with amazing graphics for its time) still goes on ultra without problems
The Thing (or something) a game based on a movie, horror FPS there are a lot
the elder scrolls 3 morrowind
unreal tournament 2003 (the first game on the unreal engine 2, runs on ultra without problems)
medal of honor allied assault (forerunner of call of duty, based on quake 3 engine)
2003 GAMES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd7_F3hMEZQ
halo (port with x-box, goes on ultra)
chaser (a game with a very good picture for its time, goes on ultra)
xiii (cartoon shooter comic on unreal engine 1, runs fine on ultra)
red faction 2 (game with impressive destructibility)
unreal 2 (the most technologically advanced game of 2003, all on ultra)
tron 2. 0
max payne 2
call of duty
chrome (game from Techland studio (who made dead island and call of juarez)
bloodrayne (wonderful slasher, everything goes to the maximum)
firestarter (game from gsc, fps is very high)
tom clancy’s splinter cell (very impressive graphics and shadows for its time)
2004 GAMES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3B9lyqipc0
half-life 2 (well, probably everyone knows it. everyone is on ultra without problems)
farcry (all on ultra no problem)
painkiller
unreal tournament 2004 (series continuation, still no problem)
doom 3
2005 GAMES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL8jlqUcAkM
xenus: boiling point
eastern front: unknown war
vivisector (almost *our game* is a good shooter, everything is at the maximum)
area51 (good shooter, everything is at the maximum)
BloodRayne 2 (like the first one goes without problems on ultra)
f. e.ar (the most technological game at that time, went to 800-600 with medium-high graphics)
quake 4
2006 GAMES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAUyy1ZtiI
prey (also on the doom3 engine, goes to 800-600 with high settings)
dark messiah of might and magic
half-life 2 episode 1
tomb raider legend
f.e.a.r extraction point
the elder scrolls 4 oblivion
2007 GAMES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzOMKoDk_Kc
s.t.a.l.k.e.r
half-life 2 episode two
portal (amateur mod for half-life 2, eventually becoming a full-fledged game, goes on ultra)
call of duty 4 modern warfare (goes to 1024-768 with high settings)
crysis
f.e.a.r perseus mandate
penumbra overture
GAMES OF 2008
left 4 dead
s.t.al.k.e.r clear sky
penumbra black plague
2009 GAMES
https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=yZHzP6FbUaA
here only 1 game went — 2 addition to the stalker-call of Pripyat. went to 800-600 at the minimum
2010 GAMES
amnesia: the dark descent continuation of penumbra goes to 800-600 with medium settings
9
many thanks to Ashtone for help in editing the video and preparing the material
separate video links:
games 2002
games 2003
games 2004
games 2005
games 2006
games 2007
games 2008
games 2009
games 2010
thanks for your attention
discussion also here
https://forums. overclockers.ru
This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen or telegram channel @overclockers_news — these are convenient ways to follow new materials on the site. With pictures, extended descriptions and no ads.
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Retro computer 2000.
In search of a better Pentium 3. Part one / Sudo Null IT News0001
Having got myself two retro-computers (laptop on Pentium-120 and 486DX2-66 with VLB-bus), I decided to build a third one in order to close all periods of interest to me.
I wanted something from the times of Windows 98 and the beginning of the era of Windows XP. For myself, I decided to use the term «Retro Computer 2000» — it’s just a beautiful date. Like many, I first decided to build the system on the Tualatin-1400 — as the latest and fastest Pentium3.
At first I thought about assembling with an emphasis on compactness, I even got a Dell desktop for this case. But in the process, I also wanted to have ISA in order to be able to install some old sound system. Or in general any ISA’ equipment. This somewhat changed the concept, the 815 chipset no longer suits. It was necessary to choose between 440BX and Via Apollo Pro. I did not want the first one because of the potential instability on the 133 bus, while the second one was characterized by increased buggy. But on the other hand, it had an ISA bus. As a result, I began to look for an ApolloPro motherboard with Tualatin support.
The next time I looked at flea markets, I saw the Gigabyte 7IXE4 motherboard for Socket A. It was the motherboard of the first computer that I assembled completely by myself — with my own money and from what I wanted, and not from what turned up at hand. Accordingly, the concept has changed again — what for this Pentium3, if you can build a computer on Athlon’e? Because retro computers are still primarily not about performance, but about emotional response.
As a result, I decided to build a computer based on Gigabyte 7IXE4 with an Athlon Thunderbird processor. After assembly, I wondered if it was better or worse than the Pentium 3 Tualatin-1400S. Well, for the heap, I decided to check a couple more current configurations of the same time — Ahtlon XP 1700+ (which worked at almost the same frequency as P3 — 1466) and Pentium 4 Northwood, which was released simultaneously with Tualatin 1400. Well, figure out who here is the best Pentium 3.
First, I will describe the main «applicant» — given that this is a relative «dream computer», you can say a lot about it by going through all the components. Then I will describe the competitors, and then I will run different tests.
Motherboard
I’ll start with the board, since it inspired me to abandon the P3. Gigabyte 7IXE4 is a SocketA board based on the AMD 750 Irongate chipset, an approximate analog of the Intel 440BX. Synchronous, bus frequency 100MHz, AGP 2x (3.3V only), PC100 memory, UDMA66. When I bought this motherboard somewhere in the first half of 2001, it was already on the verge of obsolescence. VIA KT133 had AGP 4x, support for up to 1.5 gigabytes of RAM, built-in sound. But, as I already said, the glory of the glucodrome stretched behind VIA chipsets, plus I was a poor student, so I was financially constrained and it was always nice to save a dozen or two bucks, and motherboards based on AMD750 were cheaper. Since then, saving on motherboards has haunted me more than once, but that’s another story.
Advantages of 7IXE4 for a retro computer:
- Absolutely oak and stable. I don’t remember ever having any problems with her.
- As many as 2 ISAs.
Disadvantages:
- Three-volt AGP. You can not install the latest video cards that need 1.5V.
- The maximum amount of memory is 768 megabytes.
- 100 MHz bus frequency and support for processors up to Athlon Thuderbird only. AthlonXP and the corresponding Durons will not fully work here.
The first shortcoming is in the time period that interests me, and not a shortcoming at all. Pure 1.5V boards appeared much later. But if you assemble the most universal system, then you need to take AGP «universal».
The second one wasn’t a big problem nowadays, but today if you try to run Windows XP SP3, you won’t have enough memory. On the other hand, the 815 chipset can only be installed with 512 megabytes, and BX, although it supports up to a gigabyte, is very capricious about memory and it can be quite difficult to gain this gigabyte. Therefore, if you seriously want to have more memory on s370 or SocketA, then you should look at VIA’s chipsets.
The third can be a problem when running games and programs that require SSE. Although, according to rumors, there were BIOS patches that added support for processors with SSE, at my leisure I want to look in this direction.
Processor
At that time, I had AMD Duron on this motherboard (it was bought with Duron 700, but at the end of its “life” it was already 1200).
The top Athlon Thunderbird was 1400MHz, but top retro processors are rare and expensive nowadays, so it’s usually much easier and cheaper to take a pre-top one, which I did.
Athlon Thunderbird 1300B. Base frequency 100MHz, multiplier 13, cache size 2 levels — 256 kilobytes, voltage 1. 75V, TDP 70W.
Disadvantages:
- No SSE support. Only MMX and 3D Now! At the current time, it was not particularly important, but now even a browser without SSE cannot be launched.
- Large power consumption, and on the 5V line. Modern 5V power supplies give out a maximum of 20A, or even less — regardless of power. That is, it turns out somewhere around 100 watts (ideally, no one canceled the efficiency), of which about 70 will be taken by the processor, and everything else will be a penny. The issue is solved by the ancient PSU, where it used to be 30-35A at five volts.
As I wrote above, I want to dig into the BIOS for support for newer processors, maybe I can plug in something less chewy and have SSE. I’m looking at Duron Applebred.
RAM
As a result, of course, I will put 3*256MB PC133 SDRAM here, but for now, for the duration of the tests, it will be 512 — so that it is the same everywhere.
Video card
I decided to use the Geforce4 4200 as the «basic» video card. Although I can choose Geforce3, Voodoo4 or even Matrox G400 according to my mood. Although, of course, it would be necessary to get something like a Radeon 8500 for the collection. Radeon 9I have 200, but it’s somewhat different.
Sound card
The sound card can also be changed according to your mood, but I chose the Audigy 2 Platinum as the main one — with a socket in a five-inch bay.
Diamond Monster Sound MX300 for A3D, Yamaha 754 for nostalgia and XG-Midi and AWE64 as ISA boards are left in the back.
Hard Drive
When it comes to storage media, I’m primarily about convenience, not authenticity. I don’t like the noise of ancient hard drives at all, so I installed the SSD through an IDE-SATA adapter. The volume would be best in the region of 60-80, but I didn’t have anything smaller than 120 at hand.
Optical drive
Here I wanted something outwardly interesting. I went through different options and eventually settled on the Philips DVDR1640. It has a rather non-standard front panel, plus an interesting activity indicator. He’s a couple of years younger than the rest.
Case
If we are to be completely nostalgic, then we also wanted the same case — Inwin A500.
Oddly enough, he is still quite popular. From the side — the usual ATX with a vertical PSU. But with one feature — a retractable tray for the motherboard, on which you can assemble the entire system, and then stick it into the case and connect the cables.
Of course, more modern cases with a horizontal PSU that does not cover the motherboard are convenient without such a tray. But in those days, such a solution seemed better than removing the power supply to access the processor. Although here the case design will not allow you to get to the processor even with the PSU removed.
In general, the solution is interesting, but the practicality turned out to be less than it seemed at first. Therefore, at one time, without unpleasant emotions, I moved to the Linkworld’s case with a power supply unit above the motherboard. Let it be more cardboard, but it was more convenient to dig, you didn’t have to pull out the cable once again. But the power supply, of course, rearranged from inwin’a. Then I bought the Chieftec Dragon — there was both normal steel and comfortable insides. And the computer in the A500 worked for me for some time as a home server.
The rest
A disk drive is not that necessary, but at that time it was still mandatory.
USB2 controller — these are additional ports, and already a more or less decent data transfer rate relative to USB1.
Network card — eternal realtek. They just work. Or, they don’t work. Although I can try 3com 905 if it starts.
That’s all for now. In the next part, I will briefly describe other tested platforms, since only processors and motherboards will change there.