Challenge: $1000 on Gaming/entertainment... from scratch?

[SquirrelPants]

Step 1. Build/Order a computer that is better than my current one for ~$600
Step 2. StarCraft 2
Step 3. Steam deals and snacks

Would you assemble or get a ready built PC? But what if your hypothetical insurance company says:

"we will only refund bills for electronics Hardware; not games, music, movies, subscriptions... nor snacks :'( "

So you don't so much have $1000 to spend mostly on hardware... more this insurance company will cover $1000 of bills as long as it is hardware. What other hardware would you get for the last $400?

Remember you won't have a Screen, Mouse, Keyboard, Gamepad... not even a mousepad. Your home is practically Amish, just clothes, furniture and cooking utensils; no TV, not even a clock radio.

I mean, I'm not too keen on the specifics of constructing computers, but I'd probably just grab something from Alienware and be done with it. Probably a package that comes with a monitor, for a grand total of $1000 including shipping costs. I don't need super powerful great keyboards or anything, but if there was anything left over(say the computer was only maybe $400 total, approximately what the one I built and am using now cost) I'd probably get one of those nice Logitech G15 keyboards, the ones with the little screens built-in. Uh...Hmm, other than that, I don't really know. I'd probably look around for a pretty nice mouse, and grab a cheap mousepad and some nice speakers, as well as a microphone. So far as specifics go, I'm a bit too busy to actually look for specific things right now, so I'm not entirely sure.

 

[aLivingPheonix]

Hm...

TV, 37 inch - around $500
Xbox 360 - around $199
A nice chair - $30

Voila. Still got around 200 left.

 

[veloper]

So a 1000 budget for all your electronic entertainment, excluding the internet provider + router already payed for?

Easy.

A PC + periphials for 1000.

Well, maybe a little less (800?) to allow for some games, but with a tight budget you can get alot of mileage out of demos, freeware, browser games and online vids. Not sure about that, but it would all be for the PC anyway.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

My budget.

£600 max - Lowish spec gaming PC with a monitor.
£40 - Decent Sennheiser Headphones.
£50 - MP3 player.
£25 - Video capture card for digital tv and consoles.
£50 max - Used PS2.

That leaves me with some left over.

 

[similar.squirrel]

150 Euro on a decent monitor, 600 on a computer. Spend the rest on books, travel and so on.

 

[Wolfram23]

I'd go the PC route. Granted, I just built one in April and I've now racked up the cost to something like $2200 lol (soon to be $2300 if I get another 4gb RAM ><) but that's a top end PC...

For $1000 I'd get, say:

Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition +
BIOSTAR TA890GXE AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Combo deal $269.98
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.456495

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 RAM $89.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145278&cm_re=dual_channel_ddr3-_-20-145-278-_-Product

Corsair 550VX PSU $99.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004&Tpk=550vx

Antec 300 case $54.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-066-_-Product

Western Digital 500GB HDD $54.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136497

Philips 19" LCD Monitor 1440x900 $114.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824133039

Cyber Acoustics 2.1 speakers $39.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836150086

ASUS DirectCU TOP GTX 460 768mb $214.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121390&cm_re=gtx_460-_-14-121-390-_-Product

Cheap keyboard $12.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823107128

Cheap laser mouse $19.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826193039

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R Lightscribe $23.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118040

Grand total: $995.89 (Canadian)

This would do everything... watch TV online, movies, game, internet, play music etc etc (and it's actually a really good PC!)

 

[Akihiko]

Could easily build a gaming standard computer(Won't have all the latest parts but would run all games being released this year, and probably the next few years) for £500(Would be even cheaper if I lived in America, as parts are far cheaper there, but such is life). £15 on a cheap but decent mouse and keyboard. £80 for a decent monitor. £20 on your first month of Internet which includes a free router. Last of all, the final £185 being spent on one of those new model Xbox 360 250GBs.

That would pretty much have me covered. The monitor won't be amazing, and the mouse and keyboard won't be gaming standard but when you're budgeting, you have to make some compromises, and I don't mind compromising in those areas.

 

[ItsAPaul]

I would call bullshit on that insurance check is what I would do. Granted the only somewhat expensive thing I own is my computer since you idiots pay for new gen consoles when pc versions of games are always better and cheaper, and trust me when I say getting my computer up to speed wasn't expensive at all (and it really shouldn't run this good tbh).

 

[Tharwen]

I'd get a cheap phone (as long as it had 3G and browser capabilities) and a cheap contract which I'd hardly use, then spend the rest on a gaming PC just like everyone else.

 

[Chamale]

I think I'd be better off with a $1000 desktop computer. TV sets are expensive, and I don't watch TV. My dad buys the televisions that I use to play games. If he's not paying for this one, I'd rather get a fairly good desktop with a respectable monitor.

 

[Xiorell]

I could easily spend $1250 on just a PC, so this is very limiting, especially since a monitor would cost me another $150, and thats on the cheaper end. I wouldnt spend less than $1000 on a gaming PC.

I do agree, my gaming rig, well both of them, cost waaaaaaaay more to build BUT, you could get a half decent "off the shelf" deal that would run most games "well enough", coem with monitor etc hence...

Gaming
Steam TV/Movies
DVD player
Music
PROPPER internet access
Porn

So you'd be set till you found the cash to replace all the other junk.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

I would sell my furniture and buy a good gaming PC

Thank the lawd for steam.

 

[Zacharine]

Let's see, with actual prices from online stores.

Do bear in mind that this was done with approx 30min of research and you can likely save 100-250$ by optimizing the setup and finding better offers.

Nokia 2760 cellphone, ~65$ with postal http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4831707&SRCCODE=PRICEGRABBER&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCVybgwTyz__wyCjCVqHCjCdwwp&cpncode=19-46747548-2

+20$ for a starter 'pre-paid' connection (includes SIM-card). At least where I live.

eMachines E202HDbmd 20" Widescreen, 110$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824114002

COOLER MASTER Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Computer Case , 60$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196

ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard , 60$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157176

Antec EA650 650W PSU (80+ certified), 70$ with rebates http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

keyboard mouse combo, 68$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.458390

SATA dvd-driver/burner 20$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

2x2Gb DDR3 1333MHz RAM, 70$ with rebates http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227583

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready, 90$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871

250Gb SATA internal HDD, 47$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136161

AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE (triple-core 2,8GHz), 100$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103652&Tpk=phenom%20ii%20x3%20720%20black%20edition

KWORLD ATSC TV Stick USB2.0, 30$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815260023

OS: Linux, downloaded free with a friends computer (for example, Ubuntu-linux).

Total money used: 810$ x1.22 for VAT = 988$. (as I wasn't sure if VAT was included in NewEgg prices, so I took the safe route.)

You get a 20" widescreen LCD, triple-core 2.8GHz (that is easily overclocked what with the unlocked multiplier of the Black Edition), 4Gb of DDR3 RAM, ability to watch TV and DVDs and play games at decent settings. You also get a functional cellphone.

Or, if you wish to get nitpicky, save 20-30 dollars from the cellphone and another 20-30 dollars by searching for better deals on components, and you can buy a basic TV-antenna as well as pay for postal service.