Written by Patrick Mulhern  on July 24, 2008

Specials: 8-cylinders of power with only 4-cylinders firing.

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Optical Drive (Samsung SATA 20X DVD+-R - $30.99)

Since these puppies are barely used relative to the rest of the system, they do not pose a large threat to the Polar bears of the Arctic circle.а If there is a single part you can reuse the easiest from an older computer, this would be it.а However just in case you need a new one we will try to help you find yourself a good drive that isn't a hog for no reason.а Seeing as the faster you finish your burn or loading your game the faster you can shut down your box, we focused one drives with quick burn speeds and speedy access rates.а There is actually no clear cut winner in straight up day to day green usage in this category so feel free to pick your favorite brand but the Samsung drive highlighted does win out on a few secondary categories such as Dual Layer burning and access times, and it is cheap to boot.

Case (COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 - $249.99)

Your case is an important part to your computers ecosystem and often one of the most overlooked and under budgeted features for rookie system builders.а First and foremost, a general rule of thumb is that if it comes with a Power Supply Unit AND is under $100, it probably isn't the greatest case or even a good one.а Another rule of thumb is your case can actually be a giant heat-sync if you purchase the right material, so stay away from plastics and stick to Aluminum or other metals.а Plus, they are more natural and easier to recycle than oil-based plastics.а

Aside from its composition it is a good idea to go with a larger case, for later expandability and better airflow, which means a cooler and better performing system overall.а On top of that I also would recommend a side fan along with the standard front and back fans.а The side panel fan, hopefully properly located directly over the processor, can allow processor heat to escape much quicker than if it had to exit the exhaust, keeping the overall system cooler.а The selected COOLER MASTER box can support various motherboard standards, a slue of drivers including seven 3.5" form factor HDDs with tool-free design and has all the front ports you could want, USB, FireWire and Audio.а Not exactly a steal at $249.99 but it is what we were looking for and then some.



Power Supply Unit (XIGMATEK MC NRP-MC651 650W - $109.99)

This is another product that we can't really try to be too green on.а The needs of the system dictate exactly what we are obligated to purchase.а It is always a good idea to get a higher wattage PSU than you may think is recommended, just in case.а Thankfully, even if you do over shoot your projected power resources and get a 1kilowatt PSU when your box only needs 500watts, their is no waste in wattage, just in dollars on the one time purchase.аа Keeping that in mind, we went with an 80-plus certified energy efficient model from XIGMATEK
that pushed 650W with CrossFire support and plenty of connections.

Monitor

Pick your own here but remember that LCDs are far greener than Plasmas as far as power usage is concerned.а On top of that the two technologies are still basically equal overall.а For gaming purposes, pick up a monitor that supports at least 1920x1200 resolution with a fast refresh rate (5ms or lower).а I would also reccomend at least a 20 inch screen.


Accessories

You can pretty much pick up any headphones, mouse, or keyboards you want for this setup.а We have all the needed jacks and do-hiccies already in there.а Pretty much, whatever floats your boat, just make sure anything that needs batteries has a Lithium-Ion pack inside, or grab yourself some of those nifty rechargeable AA battery packs.а Should you buy other HDDs, make sure that they are SATA, the connecting cables (which you may need to purchase separately) offer much better airflow over IDE cables.

Damage to your green = $1199.89 or $1209.89 (depending on your video card selection)

Don't forget, that this is just the box itself, you will still need the monitor (should run around $200-$300 if you follow the recommendations and various accessories which will run about $100.а Grand total you are looking at something like $1500-$1600 for a solid machine with low carbon emissions!

Political stance?

Frankly, I do not give a damn about your stance on global warming, the state of the environment or even any impact on the economy changes in the weather could have.а Agree with Al Gore or Leonardo Dicaprio or Michael Crichton, it really doesn't matter.а The bottom line is that there is no reason to waste resources and as you can see in this one small example, the idea of "being more green" and still getting what you want is NOT mutually exclusive.а The above box will perform solidly for 90% of the titles available or coming out this year.а To top it off, it is also fairly likely that it is more energy efficient and recyclable than the box you probably have right now.а And for god's sake, turn of your computer when you aren't using it.а No one cares what your away message says, seriously.

There are a few other things to think about though.а For instance, not all the companies on the planet really care about it.а So although they may offer a fairly green product at a good price their manufacturing process could be polluting the crap out of some third world nation, while at the same time, abusing its workforce.а These issues are outside the scope of this article, but perhaps the governments of the world will begin to mandate corporate responsibilities so these become a none issue altogether.

Full Disclosure:а GamingTarget.com requires and Patrick agrees, that you should all be aware that he owns stock in AMD (who owns ATi) and Intel, two companies discussed in this article.