I want a computer just for gaming...

[TheMojoPin]

...and I want it NOW!

I've seen people here talking about such things, and I desperately want one. Thing is, I know zilch about computers, so does anyone know what I should be looking for, and how much I can save money-wise and still get a quality computer?

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[HBox]

Well, if you aren't going to build it yourself, and money is no object, go to Alienware or more preferably (and more expensive) Falcon Northwest. Falcon Northwest in particular has some sick Case designs, but both companies give you some decent flexibility in customizing your system's parts.

Now, if you are going to build it yourself, and even if you aren't, it's all about the Athlon 64. AMD chips are cheaper, but if you're going for a gaming machine, they consitently beat Pentiums. The best deal, IMO is for the AMD Athlon 64 3000+. You can get that one for under $200.

A side note on Athlon 64 processors. there are currently two different Sockets for Athlon 64's, 754 and 939. For now, stick with the Socket 754. The cheapest 939 is the Athlon 64 3500+, which is faster, but is over $350. Whatever you choose, just be aware of it when choosing your CPU and motherboard.

I'll update this later. I love this stuff.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[fluffernutter]

You mean like sitting in front of the computer for hours on end doing nothing productive with your life while falling into world of meaningless contact with strangers kind of gaming? I do that kind of thing all the time and you could probably find something relatively cheap at Best Buy or something like that with a pretty decent video card in it. I'm not as much of a tech-geek as some of the others here but I got mine at Wal-Mart in one of those All-in One packages for $600 or so and it does suffice. If I use it JUST for gaming it works fine. I save my good computer for all my artwork and internet activity.

http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=fluffernutter

This message was edited by fluffernutter on 8-18-04 @ 6:21 PM

[TheMojoPin]

What about these? (http://www.jscustompcs.com/JSC_X2200S.php)

Like fluff said, this would really JUST be for gaming. The computer I have now is perfect for my work, writing and internet stuff.

Like, even if I went with Dell, what would I want to make sure I had in my system to optimize my gaming? Y'know, so I can play these things with all the details and graphics and such turned up to "full," and have a bunch of games loaded on there at once.

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

This message was edited by TheMojoPin on 8-18-04 @ 6:23 PM

[HBox]

None of those computers would suffice, only due to the shitty videocards. Tt's ALL about the videocards, and to a lesser extent RAM. Make sure you have at least a Gig of RAM.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[McNabbShouldDie]

Alienware, Alienware, Alienware (http://www.alienware.com/main_gaming.aspx)

Thats all I've got to say.

<center><img src=http://members.aol.com/mcnabbshoulddie/myhomepage/rfnetmcnabbshoulddie.gif?mtbrand=AOL_US>
I guess ill just never get over this sig.</center>

[monsterone]

expect to spend atleast $1500.

<center><img border=1 src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=monsterone01"><br></center>

<center>

<font color="green" size="1">sit your five-dollar ass down before i make change.
</font>

</center>
<font color= "red" size="6">

[TheMojoPin]

I can spend up to $2000...I've set aside about $1200 for this specifically over the last year, and should be up around 2 grand ater Xmas, so I'll do it! I want the ultimate gaming experience!

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[ADF]

Alienware, Falcon Northwest, or build your own. Get the best video card and memory you can afford.

You'll spend a lot more to get a pre-built system ($3-4k), but they've been optimized to work as fast as possible with the hardware you've chosen.

Personally, I'd build my own system.

<center><a href="http://somesuch.org" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.somesuch.org/sigpics/heroine.gif"></a><i><br><br><b>Roses are red... Violets are blue... All of my base... Are belong to you.</i></b></center>

[fluffernutter]

I would also recommend Dungeons & Dragons. I dedicate about 12 hours to that a week and there is nothing like slaying my enemies with my broadsword! I have the POWER and MIGHT and the Manowar soundtrack! I am a MASTER!

http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=fluffernutter

[TheMojoPin]

Between comic books and video games, I think my geek quota is already on overload.

So if I want to build my own PC, what sites do people reccomend me using to get this done? Where am I going to get the most bang for my buck?

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[HBox]

The most reliable site on the Internet BY FAR is Newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com). Their prices are decent. If you want get the absolute lowest prices, go to Resellerratings.com (http://www.resellerratings.com). They'll give you a roundup of the lowest prices on the net and they have user ratings for most sites, so you can know who to trust.


http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[ADF]

Anandtech.com (http://anandtech.com) has some great guides on what sort of equipment is recommended for various levels of computer needs. Pricewatch (http://pricewatch.com) is a good place to get an idea on price. I do most of my shopping at the aforementioned Newegg.com.

<center><a href="http://somesuch.org" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.somesuch.org/sigpics/heroine.gif"></a><i><br><br><b>Roses are red... Violets are blue... All of my base... Are belong to you.</i></b></center>

[Zipgun]

http://www.imsai.net/images/war_image/wopr.jpg

<img src=http://atamichimpo.50megs.com/images/drunkmonkeysig.jpg>
it's like wiping my ass with Jesus. - Poot

[color=White]

[cheezeemee]

I was afraid to build my own pc but when Just Jon told me that there was no soldering involved I chose to build my own. Make sure you have an anti-static wristband and a cordless drill (lots of screws).

In my PC I have:

AMD Athlon XP 3000 ($300)
1GB Geil Ram ($500)
Radeon 9800 Pro video card ($300)
2 Seagate Serial ATA HD 160 GB = 320 GB ($240)
Windows XP Home Edition (oem $80)
RedHat Linux ($40)
Chieftec Dragon Case w/ top & side window and fan holes
(purchased at Crazy PC $120)
Lite-On DVD Player ($50)
Lite-ON DVD Burner 12X ($80)
Neon Lighting ($200)

It's easy and cheaper to build your own
Customize
Good Luck Mojo if you have any questions PM me

EDIT: Most of these items were purchased on ebay and I used pricegrabber.com for searching the cheapest prices. The prices listed are just the retail prices not what I actually paid.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6pk84/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/gsbh1.jpg
i am a poltergeist

This message was edited by cheezeemee on 8-18-04 @ 7:46 PM

[HBox]

I just put this together on Newegg. It should meet your needs:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ Retail $295
MSI K8N-Neo FSR Nvidia NForce 3 Motherboard $109
Corsair Value Select Memory 1GB DDR PC-3200 $255
Connect3D ATI Radeon X800Pro 256MB $439
Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM SATA HD $95
Sony DVD+RW/-RW Drive, Model DWU18A Black $63
ENERMAX CS-56881LBFS-D7 (GREEN) ATX 10-BAY MID-TOWER CASE with 400W Power Supply $59
Windows XP Home Edition OEM $90

All prices are from Newegg.com. All together it comes to $1404. That would leave over $500 for a monitor if you need one.

Make sure you pick up Doom 3 with your new computer so you can show it off, too.

As an aside, when you buy your processor, make sure to buy the Retail verison, and not the OEM version. The retail version comes with a fan and heatsink.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

This message was edited by HBox on 8-18-04 @ 7:51 PM

[TheMojoPin]

I really appreciate the help, everyone...and thanks for the product listing examples/pricing, cheez and HBox. Like I said, I'm clueless when it comes to this, so you're all really saving my ass here.

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[cheezeemee]

When it comes to monitors mine is the best
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/sc/21193365-2-300-overview-1.gif
nothing else comes close
nothing
and it was $500 at best buy
BTW my PC is 2 years old
and still kicking
just waiting for the next Pentium

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6pk84/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/gsbh1.jpg
i am a poltergeist

[JustJon]

Like, even if I went with Dell, what would I want to make sure I had in my system to optimize my gaming? Y'know, so I can play these things with all the details and graphics and such turned up to "full," and have a bunch of games loaded on there at once.
Dell recently introduced a line of gaming pcs.



Windows XP Home Edition OEM $90
Home is crippled. Spend a few extra bucks and get Professional.

Pick up an issue of Maximum PC from your bookstore. You'll get a good education there, and not written in alot of techspeak.

<img src="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com/bans/rfjustjon11.gif"><BR><A href="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com">Chaotic Concepts</a>

[Mike Teacher]

get a HAL-9000 series computer

<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/miketeachr/anisig3">

[ADF]

Gamers prefer CRT's to LCD's. Don't forget a cool keyboard, mouse, and joystick. That can add a couple hunnerd.

<center><a href="http://somesuch.org" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.somesuch.org/sigpics/heroine.gif"></a><i><br><br><b>Roses are red... Violets are blue... All of my base... Are belong to you.</i></b></center>

[reeshy]

First comic books...now gaming computers.....I'm moving to Australia!!!!!!!

[center]<IMG SRC="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=reeshy">
[center]

[schmega]

i highly recommend you get a dual layer burner to make perfect backups of your dvd movies. so get the DW-D18A instead.

dont pay for windows home, i'll bet you can get xp pro for significantly less, nudge nudge wink wink.

you dont need to get a retail version of the cpu, because the heatsink and fan that comes with it is ass. since you're building it yourself, you should opt for better versions of both. i'll point you to them if you wanna.

http://gilseed.home.acedsl.com/spsig.jpg

[TheMojoPin]

Please do.

I'm going top of the line!

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[HBox]

Don't listen to the fan Nazis. Unless you are gonna overclock, the fans that come with the processors are fine, and they will cost you a fraction of the cost of another fan.

But they are probably right about Win XP Pro. You should probably get that instead of Home edition.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[ADF]

You can always upgrade the fan later if overclocking is something you decide to get into.

<center><a href="http://somesuch.org" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.somesuch.org/sigpics/heroine.gif"></a><i><br><br><b>Roses are red... Violets are blue... All of my base... Are belong to you.</i></b></center>

[schmega]

Don't listen to the fan Nazis. Unless you are gonna overclock, the fans that come with the processors are fine, and they will cost you a fraction of the cost of another fan.

yeah whatever. $6 for a fan will kill his budget, sure. and you seem to forget about the heatsink. your recommended retail sink is as shitty as a single layer burner.

anyway mojo, if you like to keep your cpu cool, and therefore stable, as well as quiet, then get the Thermalright SLK-948U from svc (http://www.svc.com), and a matching 92mm fan from Panaflo for a wallet-busting $5.99.

http://gilseed.home.acedsl.com/spsig.jpg

[HBox]

If you are not going to overclock, the stock heat sink and fan are fine. I have yet to meet or talk to one person who has had a problem with a stock heatsink and fan who wasn't overclocking. If money is no object, fine. But the 40 bucks spent for the heatsink and fan could be better spent elsewhere.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[JustJon]

and no one has suggested water cooling yet?

<img src="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com/bans/rfjustjon11.gif"><BR><A href="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com">Chaotic Concepts</a>

[monsterone]

::siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh:: <i>my cpu is in a walk in freezer</i> ::siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh::

<center><img border=1 src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=monsterone01"><br></center>

<center>

<font color="green" size="1">sit your five-dollar ass down before i make change.
</font>

</center>
<font color= "red" size="6">

[HBox]

and no one has suggested water cooling yet?

No, but may I present the completely silent, fan-free computer case:

http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/detail_hires/cas-208.jpg

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[monsterone]

mojo will be having the best/ longest internet porn sessions e-v-e-r. spend the xtra $200 and get your keyboard & monitor teflon coated.

<center><img border=1 src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=monsterone01"><br></center>

<center>

<font color="green" size="1">sit your five-dollar ass down before i make change.
</font>

</center>
<font color= "red" size="6">

[Reephdweller]

My website (http://www.osirusonline.com/shop-computers.html) has a whole section with links to many many computer manufacturers as well as their technical support. (Not to spam the board with this, but I do have many links to them). As well as retailers and distributors websites which you can use to compare.

As mentioned Alienware (http://www.alienware.com/),

Falcon Northwest (http://www.falcon-nw.com/), Polywell (http://www.polywell.com/), VooDoo (http://www.voodoopc.com/), and Velocity Micro (http://www.velocitymicro.com/) are all good places to go when looking for a solid gaming system that's relatively affordable, and they should all have something for you in your price range.

<center><IMG SRC="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com/randomizer/random.php?uid=3">
Reefy's website... (http://www.osirusonline.com/)</center>
<font size="1" color="red">
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<marquee behavior=alternate bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right now you could care less about me...
but soon enough you will care, by the time I'm done</marquee> </font>

[Mike Teacher]

I'll update this later. I love this stuff.


Sheeesh Where was this thread when I needed Tech Support on my laptop. You all rule! I had about 15 Qs ready to go for you guys, but for now:

Q1: I run 'msconfig' all the fucking time because every time this thing plays a QuickTime Clip or Real Player Clip; the next time I look, there it is, pinned to the toolbar. I'm assuming thats eating up my RAM, even if it's not fuck them, why do I have to keep running msconfig to get these fuckers out of my msconfig 'Startup Item' list permanently?

Q2: Speaking of said Startup Item list; I cant tell what the fuck I require and don't require. Obviously, I'm not pinning Office, AOL, etc to it, but what about all the weird named ones?

Its a Toshiba A75 series Laptop:

tfswctrl
Atiptaxx
Ltmoh
Apoint
TPTTray
pinger
NAMBLA

Ok that last one I threw in to keep people on their toes, but anyway; can I disable these?

Q3: Speaking of Configuration; I try [try hear = fail]to maximize the performance, balancing speed with visuals. The only gaming I do on any computer involves Freecell, so graphics I can do without; I use it mostly for Sound:

Cubase
Korg Legacy VST Synthesizer
Sonic Foundry Sound Forge

ASIO Drivers and all that: Gaming is fast and Eats memory; Some of these Audio programs make the games look like Anorexics; trying to record/play 8 tracks of simultaneous 24bit/48kHz sound will eat that fucking Ram and your HD too quick enough, I guess.

SO: Indexing, caching, how XP behaves: animations , shadows, etc. How do you configure personally? And what are the blatantly obviously things I should do that I am just too stupid to miss?

=

Yes, yes I know the solution is not to rely on a laptop buy a tower coz its a component thing, anywho...

<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/miketeachr/anisig3">

[fiestygal]

my friend and i WERE big time SIMS players

however it slows your computer down

we were discussing this not too long ago just HOW COOL it would be if we could get a computer and put all the SIMS games on it

<IMG SRC="http://tenbatsuzen.homestead.com/files/fiestysig1.jpg">

AIM- yelowrose1981

Its time to party.... Italian Style

[JPMNICK]

one HUGELY important question -


how much ram on the laptop.

another HUGE problem with the laptop is hard drive rotational speed. most laptops to conserve power only have a 4200rpm hard drive. Compared this to a 7200RPM hard drive and you can see why it would be harder to muli task stuff, especially shit that requires a lot of writes to the hrad drive.

setting the caching to happen on the hard drive is not goign to help.


You could probably see a nice boost in speed by hooking an external 7200RPM drive up to your computer Via the Firewire or if need be, USB 2.0 port.

Still will not solve the RAM issue, which for you I would think 512 would be the min, and 1 gig would def. be better off.

http://home.comcast.net/~nickcontardo/a_schilling_ft1.jpg
Thanks to Monsterone for my first sig.

[JPMNICK]

tfswctrl - I think this is for your drive letter assignment, not sure. KEEP IT. It is an XP thing so you can write information to a cd-rw drive.


Atiptaxx - graphics driver, NEED it

Ltmoh - This is your network driver, I think, NEED it

Apoint - NEED this, this is yor track pad driver for your laptop

TPTTray - not sure, never seen it

pinger - is the resident program for Toshiba upgrades. YOu may be able to do with out


NAMBLA _ get rid of this one

http://home.comcast.net/~nickcontardo/a_schilling_ft1.jpg
Thanks to Monsterone for my first sig.

This message was edited by JPMNICK on 8-19-04 @ 9:25 AM

[Mike Teacher]

RAM = 512+256, soon to be a Gig.

Yep, you're right, the achilles heel is the HD speed; all those progs I mentioned 'prefer' a 7200rpm Drive, which the laptop aint. So, I do what I can, like doing said Configuring.

It works great actually. The Korg Legacy is a computer Virtual Synthesizer that emulates those old Moog and Korg synths and the weird sounds they got. Those were analog; real filters and resistors and oscillators, no computer emulations came close.

So the computer guys said, instead of trying to emulate the Sound, emulate the physical Synth. So they fucking Computer Modeled the behavior of each pieace of electronics in the actual synth, down to the resistors, and patch cords. And it's un-fucking real how close it is.

Edit-o-Rama: Speaking of which, why do I feel it necesary to tell the world i'm editing when snyone can dame well see? Go Figure.

Grab a pair of GOOD Headphones if you dont have a kick ass soundsystem, the Korg Synth above has a site with all the explanations for the computer-fans, and Tons of mp3's of some of the weirdest sounds you havent heard since the MimiMoog.

A great place to learn the state-of the art in what the computer musicians are doing these days.


Korg Legacy Synth: Specs and Sounds and Shit (http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?A_PROD_NO=Legacy)


<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/miketeachr/anisig3">

This message was edited by Mike Teacher on 8-19-04 @ 10:14 AM

[Mike Teacher]

Oh and thanx on the Startup ones. Damn so far I'm guessing right with the frigging filenames.


<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/miketeachr/anisig3">

This message was edited by Mike Teacher on 8-19-04 @ 10:07 AM

[JPMNICK]

mizzle -

i forgot to answer the first question.

msconfig keeps it from starting into the tray. once you run a clip that uses the program, it will automatically put itself in the tray for the remainder of the time that you session is open. then after a restart it should be gone.

http://home.comcast.net/~nickcontardo/a_schilling_ft1.jpg
Thanks to Monsterone for my first sig.

[SatCam]

Mojo, I have to say that when you're on a limited budget, it's a lot funner trying to find work-arounds for your cooling, proccessor speed, fsb speed, etc. But then again, you're wroking with $2000 max which is more than enough for even the gamingist of gaming computers (but ofcourse there's alienware, which brings computers to a new level).

I strongly suggest you build your computer. It's a fun experience and you can show off your pimped out case with its neon lights and all that fun stuff.

Check out this 1337 water cooling (http://www.xoxide.com/watcoolkit.html)

<marquee>Beware, this is a scrolling marquee. ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿThis Marquee scrolls. WATCH OUT! ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿWatch your ass for the scrolling marquee!!!!</marquee>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/SatCam/mariosig.jpg" align="right" alt="Still taking a shit" /><a href="http://www.satelitecam.tk">Ron and Fez Drops and Bits</a>

50%[color=white]

[TheMojoPin]

Water cooling?!?

That thing better be able to talk to me if it needs THAT!

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[HBox]

Unless you are going to be doing some MAJOR overclocking you don't need water cooling.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[TheMojoPin]

What is this "overclocking" everyone is speaking of?

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[SatCam]

Overclocking is when you "trick" your proccessor into thinking that it's FSB speed or its voltage is higher than it actually is.

This comes into play because CPU Speed GHz = FSB x Clock Speed.

Overclocking will make your proccessor run faster, but it will also run hotter, void your warrenty and it mostlikely shorten its lifespan. People do it because it saves them money from buying a faster proccessor.

You can also overclock your videocard and RAM.

<marquee>Beware, this is a scrolling marquee. ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿThis Marquee scrolls. WATCH OUT! ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿWatch your ass for the scrolling marquee!!!!</marquee>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/SatCam/mariosig.jpg" align="right" alt="Still taking a shit" /><a href="http://www.satelitecam.tk">Ron and Fez Drops and Bits</a>

50%[color=white]

[HBox]

Yeah, overclocking is something that you REALLY need to study about before trying. Even if you do it the right way you will shorten the lifespan of your processor. And, depending on the speed of your RAM, you may have to overclock that too. You'll have to add a bunch of fans into your system, and it'll end up sounding like a jet engine.

Just leave it alone.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[TheMojoPin]

I'm terrified now.

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[HBox]

I also forgot to mention that if you do it wrong your CD drive will eat your balls.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[FMJeff]

You shouldn't have to spend more than a 1000 bucks on a complete system.

IM me and I'll help you build one.

Moreover, I have half the parts you need to build a dynamite pc so you can save money.

Jeff

<center><img src="http://thereisnogod.faithweb.com/images/fmjeff.gif">
<br>
It made my heart sing.

[cheezeemee]

i highly recommend you get a dual layer burner to make perfect backups of your dvd movies. so get the DW-D18A instead.


I'd love to get one but aren't those discs 7-9 bucks each?
And where can I get XP pro for less than $90?
I've looked and no luck.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6pk84/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/gsbh1.jpg
i am a poltergeist

[Reephdweller]

And where can I get XP pro for less than $90?
I've looked and no luck.


Usenet. There's CD images posted all over it. Just look in the warez groups.

<center><IMG SRC="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com/randomizer/random.php?uid=3">
Reefy's website... (http://www.osirusonline.com/)</center>
<font size="1" color="red">
<center>Check out The Ron and Fez Show Logs...UPDATED!!!!! (http://www.osirusonline.com/ronfez.htm)</center>
<marquee behavior=alternate bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Right now you could care less about me...
but soon enough you will care, by the time I'm done</marquee> </font>

[JPMNICK]

MoJo -

Over clocking does reduce the lifespan of a processor, but the average life span of a processor is like 17 years, so i think you will be ok.

Also, different processors even of the same speed can have very different abilities to over clock. It all depends on the silicon that the yielded it from. 2 different 3.4Ghz Proc from intel might have a big difference in over clocking ability.

I would not recomend overclocking. As some one else said, you need a lot of fans and its hot and noisy. I do not know if some one has suggested and AMD 64 chip yet, but you should look into that.

http://home.comcast.net/~nickcontardo/a_schilling_ft1.jpg
Thanks to Monsterone for my first sig.

[TheMojoPin]

What does the AMD 64 chip do for me?

And so I take it from all of this that Pentium is out the window, right?

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[HBox]

Pentium 4 CPUs are more expensive. If you're building a computer just for gaming, AMD Athlon 64 CPUS are the way to go. In addition to being cheaper, they perform better when playing games. In other areas Pentium CPUs perform better, but if its a straight gaming PC, there is no question you go with Athlon 64.

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[TheMojoPin]

OK, now I'm clearer.

I'm a-learnin'!

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1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[SatCam]

Intel is alright, but you get a lot more for your money from AMD.

AMD Athlon 64 is the newest chip from AMD and probably the best out there. In some cases, it can cost hundreds of dollars less than Intel's Pentium 4 w/ Hyperthreading.

The only time I'd invest in Intel would probably be for a rack-mounted server, with one of their XEON proccessors. Other than that, you should go AMD.

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[schmega]

even if you're not overclocking, you're already looking at a loud system with 5-6 fans, which is why i recommended a better heatsink/fan for your cpu in the first place. if you want to further reduce the noise and overall temperature, i'll gladly recommend a different motherboard and video card.

http://gilseed.home.acedsl.com/spsig.jpg

[TheMojoPin]

I'd to keep the noise down. My roommate's CPU has a fan system that's as loud as fuck, and it annoys me constantly.

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1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[grlNIN]

Shall we play a game?

<img src=http://www-public.rz.uni-duesseldorf.de/~ritterd/wargames/image25.jpg width=230>

<br>
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<br>Take me out tonight because I want to see people and I want to see life</center>

[schmega]

the video card to get from newegg is the HIS Excalibur RADEON X800 PRO IceQ II. its got the best air cooler. not only does it cool your card quietly, it also cools the case.

as for the motherboard, the one recommended earlier is fine. i thought it had a fan, but it didnt. the only problem is that its using an older chipset which will limit your options later on if you choose to upgrade the cpu. if.

the other fans that can grow to be annoying will be your case and power supply fans. i wouldnt recommend touching the power supply fan until you're more comfortable with computer hardware. but your case fans can be silenced(and still effective) with a simple power adaptor. you should choose a case you really like first, since that sorta thing matters a lot to some people, considering you'll be staring at it every time you use it.

http://gilseed.home.acedsl.com/spsig.jpg

[cheezeemee]

you should choose a case you really like first, since that sorta thing matters a lot to some people, considering you'll be staring at it every time you use it.


That's what they make monitors for tool
and thanks for the 411 reefness

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i am a poltergeist

This message was edited by cheezeemee on 8-22-04 @ 6:27 PM

[ADF]

With cases you can ran the gamut from something inexpensive but neat looking for fifty bucks or go quality like Lian Li and spend over one hundred. A lot of the power supplies in cases that already include them are of lower quality.

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[TheKnicks23]

I'm still shaky recommending a gaming PC with consoles being so cheap. Mojo- I would be 100% sure that there are a TON of games that you are dying to play before you lay out the cash. However, thats another discussion.

I personally wouldn't recommend anything above a 9800XT. Unless Mojo gets an amazing monitor thats going to be running at 1600x1200, its not needed. I'd spend more on the processor and stick with a 9800XT. Reports are coming in that video cards have spiked and games will become more processor intensive.

Also, if you're content with spending $1500 thats fine. But, I could easily put together a parts list for around $700 that would be more than sufficent. An extra $200-$300 for a brand new video card and processor is pointless.





<center><img src="http://theknicks23.8k.com/images/HaloSig.jpg"></center>

[TheMojoPin]

A list like that would be great, TK. PM to me, if you don't mind.

Like you said, I have the $2000 to spend, but if I can get a great set for less, even better.


<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[HBox]

I really have to disagree with TK. An ATI Radeon X800 Pro costs only $100 more than a Radeon 9800XT, but on Doom 3 benchmarks offers literally twice the performance. Here:

http://www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1090364971VEVx7HppJJ_3_4.gif
http://www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1090364971VEVx7HppJJ_4_2.gif

The X800 Pro will last you longer. You can get one for just over $400. The most important place to invest your money in a gaming PC is a video card.

You might be wondering about the other cards in those benchmarks. Well, the top two are ridiculously expensive and hard to find. As for the nVidia cards, they are outperforming ATI's cards in Doom 3, but for other games ATI does better, as in Far Cry and the upcoming Half-Life 2. I recommend ATI because I have had great experience with their cards. Other people will tell you nVidia cards are better. You won't go wrong either way, so don't go crazy. Stay with the X800 Pro or the nVidia 6800 GT.

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[SatCam]

Doom 3 shouldn't be a benchpoint for your videocard. The requirements for Doom 3 are really unrealistic are won't be easy to find for another six months or so.

Fans- To reduce the amount of fan noise, especially when you're not using your computer, you should buy a controller.

http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/13-999-503-05.JPG

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-503&depa=1

and don't forget one of these:
CPU Tachometer (http://www.xoxide.com/pctachometer1.html)

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[HBox]

The requirements for Doom 3 are really unrealistic are won't be easy to find for another six months or so.

That's not true. I have an ATI Radeon 9500 Pro. It runs the game fine on low settings. If you have a 2Ghz processor, 512Mb of RAM, and a semi-decent videocard, you can run Doom 3. And I think it a perfect example of a benchmark. You wan to know how your new PC will handle the most advanced games on the market. Doom 3 is THE most advanced game.

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This message was edited by HBox on 8-22-04 @ 8:44 PM

[SatCam]

That's not true. I have an ATI Radeon 9500 Pro. It runs the game fine on low settings. If you have a 2Ghz processor, 512Mb of RAM, and a semi-decent videocard, you can run Doom 3.

I understand that Doom 3 can run on older and less expensive computers on lower settings, but what about max settings?

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[HBox]

So what? For just about every game that comes out you need the absolute best cards to run max settings. My biggest point was that for only $100 more, you can get twice the power. That holds up in other games as well, like Far Cry.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[TheMojoPin]

Well, I'm usually behind on the games, so I'm not worried about running Doom 3.

Basically, I wanna play all the WW2 shooters from the last two years, GTA 3 and Vice City, the Hitman games...and that's about it.

I mean, I have plenty of others, but those are the ones that I've consistently run into the most trouble playing on my current system, so I'm clearly WAY behind a lot of the tech you guys are talking about here.

I mean, I want something that'll last me at least five years like my current CPU has, since of course I will be buying games down the line, but I'm not picking up stuff of Doom 3-level just yet.

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1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."

[TheKnicks23]

NOTHING will last you 5 years for high-end gaming.

Hbox makes some really good points, but I would keep the money aside and spend a little less now. This way in a year or so you can tweak the system a bit.

Thats always my philosophy.

<center><img src="http://theknicks23.8k.com/images/HaloSig.jpg"></center>

[HBox]

If those are the games you will be playing right away, you don't even really need the Radeon 9800XT. You could get by with a Radeon 9800Pro, which you can get for under $200. However, you will need to upgrade it in a year or two.

http://www.myimgs.com/random/hbox/sig

[JustJon]

Basically, I wanna play all the WW2 shooters from the last two years, GTA 3 and Vice City, the Hitman games...and that's about it.
Some of the WW2s, all GTAs and Hitman games are on PS2 for $150.

<img src="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com/bans/rfjustjon11.gif"><BR><A href="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com">Chaotic Concepts</a>

[TheMojoPin]

I prefer the PC versions.

<img src="http://scripts.cgispy.com/image.cgi?u=TheMojoPin">
1979 << December boys got it BAD >> "You can tell some lies about the good times we've had, but I've kissed your mother twice...and now I'm working on your dad..."