About once every 9–12 months, when major changes to the best PC hardware become available, we spec out our recommended ExtremeTech Killer Gaming Rig. The idea is simple—make you salivate over a really high-end rig that costs more than a decent used car.
Okay, the goal is a little more broad than that. Not only is this recommended configuration a good starting point for building your own uber-machine (perhaps stepping down a step or two on a couple of key components to lower the cost), but it's also a great way to see where the industry is.
Our goal isn't to simply throw money at the problem. We avoid building a system that might push the thermal envelope too hard, or that requires a kilowatt power supply. What we want is a highly reliable, high performance rig that will run any game on the market at high detail levels, without being a noisy beast that can heat a small house.
Building a super-rig is expensive to say the least. Our system last May cost over $6,000 for the base system, and about $1,900 for monitor and peripherals. We managed to bring the price down quite a bit this year, with a core system under $4,500 (the other stuff still pushes that $2,000 mark, but the equipment is better). Still, that's a huge chunk of change. What kind of monster can you build for six grand?
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