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I was wondering for gaming what would be a really good setup. I know a little about hardware but not so much so I need some advice. I don't know if getting some things is too much for example to 6800 nvidia's running on one machine with a fx-f3 processor. I want to build a desktop that is around 2,000. Can someone create the specs for a excellent gaming machine for me? Thanks again.
Have a look on Tom's Hardware Guide and Sharky Extreme.
My machine is about 1000 euro:
AMD Athlon 64
1GB RAM
160GB SATA HD
MSI mainboard
Asus N6600GT
The gaming computer I just built cost me only $818.64 USD
Specs are:
P4 3.0 ghz (HT) 800 fsb
1 gig dual channel ram pc3200
xfx 6600gt
80 gig HDD 100 ata (Hope to upgrade to sata soon)
MSI mobo (I forgot the chip set, i'll look later lol)
400 watt PSU
CD-RW/DVD-R
It's a good system, pretty cheap, and plays doom 3 great :D, What more can you ask for??
Since you got a good budget to work with, I can put together a great machine for you. I just need some time...
As of now, I got a dentist appointment :(
I subscribe to this magazine
It is specifically for those who want to get the most cycles for cash that they can .....
They have a 'Readers Drives' :) section where readers PC's are checked out, with a full list of specs ................
You could then cost this up, as you know they are compatible .............
luck to you
LUCK !! .......... $2000 = MASSIVE choice
ENJOY
Gaming Machine...a hot looking machine with the goods under the hood. Let's see what I can price at the 'egg for you...
Let's start with some powerful stuff that is useful no matter what we choose:
- PSU - Antec NeoPower 480watt - Reliable Modular PSU
$116- Case (Option 1) - Thermaltake Tsunami - Looks Nice
$102- Case (Option 2) - Thermaltake Shark - Not Bad
$145- HDD (Operating System / Program Installs) - Western Digital Raptor 10K RPM 74GB
$186- HDD (File Storage Disk) - Seagate Barracuda 7.2K RPM 300GB
$169- RAM (Option 1) - Corsair XMS 1GB (2x512MB) TCCD - The Best RAM, no LEDs
$190- RAM (Option 2) - Corsair XMS 1GB (2x512MB) TCCD "Pro" - The Best RAM, even has LED Activity Monitor Cool++
$218- CD/DVD Burner - Lite-On Drive - Reliable Company that other companies rebrand and resell
$50
Alright, that comes out to $813 to $884, depending on which options you went with. Pretty pricey. We went for some high end HDD's, top of the line RAM, and a spendy computer case. You could easily save a lot of money if you went for slower drives, more conservative RAM, and went for a cheaper computer case. But assuming you can afford that stuff, it is pretty much top-of-the-line.
Now take this time to remember you are going to need a Monitor, a Keyboard, a Mouse, and a set of headphones or speakers.
Now we will look at the Motherboard and the CPU. For gaming, you can't beat AMD's Athlon64 line of processors. Any of them would be good. We will try not to spend too much here (probably a lie :D)...
- AMD Athlon64 3700+ San Diego Core - Good CPU, capable of good overclocking
$325- DFI LanParty UT NF4 SLI-D - Lots of features. 2x PCI-Express incase you want to do SLI video cards
$169
That was $494...
From a $2000 budget you would now have between $622 to $693 to spend on the Video Card, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, and Headphones/Speakers.
Note: You could free up $49 to $77 if you got some lower rated Corsair RAM. $141 for a non-TCCD XMS Kit.
Hopefully this gets you started. Hopefully you can stretch that last $600 to $700 across the video card, monitor, keyboard, mouse, headphones/speakers, etc. I did go for high quality parts all around to prevent headaches. And boy is it easy to spend another person's money doing that, lol.
Be sure to report back after your purchase so we can make sure everything is running like it should.
And remember -- everything goes in with no-force, especially the CPU. If you have to use force, you're putting the part in wrong. Take it out and reread the instructions. Cheers & good luck.
No reason to pay freakin 500 dollars for a video card in my opinion. I would just get one that can play the currect games while also giving you money to spare to upgrade as technology changes. I would really consider the sapphire x800 (pci-express)for, which happens to be about 180 dollars at newegg. Although i've never used this card myself, i heard it gets great fps in the most current games. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102529 a link :D
there is also a 256mb one that is 249 on newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102465
both got very good ratings
Gl on your pc :D
Well... Ram is the only thing that kind of requires a little force... depending on the motherboard... but luckily ram is pretty durable for that reason...
Hey Hey,
Seeing all your sytems really depresses me... I feel like I've wasted money
I've got:
AMD XP 2500+ on an ASUS A7V8X-X
768MB of DDR333
205GB of HDD Space (3 Drives, 1 45GB 7200RPM, 1 80GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache, 1 80GB 7200 RPM External)
52x32x52x16 CD-RW/DVD Combo
8X Sony DVD+-RW (External)
100MB Zip Disk Drive
2 NICs
128MB GeForce FX5200 w/ 21" Hitachi Monitor
SB Live! 5.1 w/ Logitech Z-640 6 spk system
Wireless Keyboard/Mouse (backup wired always connected as well)
Toys: Logitech Wingman Rumblepad, Logitech MoMo Forcefeedback Steering Wheel, Logitech QuickCam Zoom, Wireless Headphones, Boom Mic, JamStudio Graphics Tablet, ATI TV Wonder VE w/ Remote
The total cost was $1400 USD... but that was 18 months ago... still seems like a total waste compared to your sytems..
Since that cost me $1400 18 months ago, I'd have to say that you can pretty much build yourself a dream system with $2000 right about now...
The bigger question about how far you can go with the money is if you're shopping at local stores, or if you can spend it online... If you can shop online and hit up places like TigerDirect.com and NCIX.com then you'll be laughing.
Anyways,
Peace
HT
HTRegz - I might as well spill my system specs. :D
~$660 for a Dual CPU Workstation (Not the best gaming machine, but not bad either) with these prices that I recall (may be cheaper now):
Gigabyte GA-7DPXDW-P - Dual AthlonMP Workstation Motherboard - $230
2x Athlon XP-Mobile (35 watt) 2400+ - Good overclocking processor - $90 each
512MB Kingston PC3200 ValueRam - Will be run at PC2100 speeds - $90 (ouch - summer DRAM "shortage" inflated this cheap RAM to insane prices)
Vantec "Stealth" 520watt PSU - decent PSU, high-end price market - $100 (vs $150 initial retail)
Vantec "Aeroflow" Heatsink - I needed something small - $30 each
Now, the processor isn't actually supported by the motherboard (and will infact be underclocked a lot when you try to use it). But that's why I bought it...
After some pin-modifications and other work I have both processors running at a stable 2.43GHz.
There is only one system configuration that comes close to this cost vs performance ratio. And those days are nearly gone. Imagine setting up a Dual Xeon system running at 2.8 - 3.4 GHz for $650. Used to be possible, and infact you might be able to do so. But it isn't as easy as it once was... :(
Htregz Don't worry man, your system isn't to far from the rest of ours, all you really need to do is upgrade your ram to a gig, the 5200 is still a good card, although it MIGHT need an upgrade soon...
The only reason mine stayed low to around 800 bucks is because I already had a keyboard mouse and monitor, and GREAT speakers with a great subwoofer...
Hey Hey,Quote:
Originally posted here by The Duck
Htregz Don't worry man, your system isn't to far from the rest of ours, all you really need to do is upgrade your ram to a gig, the 5200 is still a good card, although it MIGHT need an upgrade soon...
The only reason mine stayed low to around 800 bucks is because I already had a keyboard mouse and monitor, and GREAT speakers with a great subwoofer...
The gig of RAM is definately coming.... as soon as I get some money I'll stick in another 512MB stick.. my VMs really lag with that 768...
The rest of it holds up considering I don't game.... The only game played on this system is Day of Defeat.. and that's maybe an hour every month... It's sad... I've got this system, a PS2, a gamecube, a sega, a nintendo, a super nintendo, an atari and a nintendo64 and I spent 20 minutes yesterday playing WWF Super Wrestlemania on the genesis.. only because I wanted to be the Ultimate Warrior.. other than that.. I haven't touched a game in month..
I won't upgrade the system again... as far as I'm concerned, PC gaming is dead... the console is the way to go... especially with the upcoming PS3 (which I will definately be buying)...
We were actually talking the other day about buying a stack of PS3s (the computing power seems pretty ridiculous) and installing the PS3 Linux that's coming out and setting up a password cracking cluster on them. :)
Peace,
HT
What gave you that idea?Quote:
PC gaming is dead
I think it's all a matter of personal preference. Battleground 2 on the PC is gonna seriously kick ass. PC has some other great games... Far Cry, Doom 3, ages of empires 3 is coming out, the CS and Tribes games, Guild wars is gonna kick ass, star wars galaxies... the list goes on, I think your underestimating the PC's ability :D. But PS3 does look simply amazing... I think I will have to purchase a PS3 as well... my first PS purchase ever...
Hey Hey,Quote:
Originally posted here by The Duck
What gave you that idea?
I think it's all a matter of personal preference. Battleground 2 on the PC is gonna seriously kick ass. PC has some other great games... Far Cry, Doom 3, ages of empires 3 is coming out, the CS and Tribes games, Guild wars is gonna kick ass, star wars galaxies... the list goes on, I think your underestimating the PC's ability :D. But PS3 does look simply amazing... I think I will have to purchase a PS3 as well... my first PS purchase ever...
I'm not underestingmating the PC's ability... I know quite well what it can do... I just think the PC is too limited... it's a single player gaming environment... It appeals to the socially inept.. They claim to "play with others" but others could be saying their 15 years old and is really a 40 year old with no life... Consoles give you this option, but with support for multiple gamepads and the size of TVs, it's a much cheaper and easier way to play multiplayer games and be social at the same time... LAN Parties the only way to accomplish this with a PC and they're the epitome of geekdom. Sure PC gaming is huge... but that's going to start dying off, especially with the availability of new systems... PC Gaming appeals to the 13-20 year old guy with no real social skills or no "real" friends... Console gaming appeals to everyone... I have a 9 year old cousin who loves console gaming... you think she'd sit at a computer all day? My girlfriend loves to sit and play GTA San Andreas... I've offered to get it for her for PC and all she says is ewww no... I'd have to sit in front of a monitor... with the console she can sprawl on the couch and relax... With the console, I can have friends over... we can crack a few beers and spread out on the floor, couch, chairs, wherever and play, play play... we can hook up to the VDP (this used to be our nightly passtime) and play 4 player games like Super Smash Bros. each players screen is 32"+ and it can be turned into a drinking game, or a great way to socialize and have fun.
Console gaming used to be popular and then PC gaming came into play and it far exceeded anything you could do on a console... now the tables are turned... the consoles are becoming more powerful, allow for more possibilities and provide a way to interact with others in person... perhaps the statement PC Gaming is dead was incorrect... it should have been PC Gaming is dying.. Console gamers outnumber PC Gamers and with the Xbox 360 and PS3 coming, along with the recent release of the DS and the PSP the interest and popularity is just increasing..
But hey... that's just my opinion.
Peace,
HT
...are you implying something towards me...?? :p :D... Well, I recently just got into PC gaming a couple monthes ago... I sure hope I don't turn into what your describing lol...Quote:
PC Gaming appeals to the 13-20 year old guy with no real social skills or no "real" friends
Hey Hey,Quote:
Originally posted here by The Duck
...are you implying something towards me...?? :p :D... Well, I recently just got into PC gaming a couple monthes ago... I sure hope I don't turn into what your describing lol...
I don't know anything about you or your age, so I guess I could be...
I look at myself when I started high school.. Duke 3D was huge and I was one of the few people that had a PC that could play it with any decent frame rate.. I was addicted... You had to dial up the other user... Enter the phone number, dial... their Duke3D accepted and then the two of you could play eachother.. My buddy and I would play for 6 or 7 hours a night (minimum) by the end we could tell where the other person was by the sounds the game was making.... and then it lost all meaning.. it was't a challenge anymore.. heh..
I also look at the people in my college program that still game.. the social ineptitude (is that a word?) still applies to them... they game during class, after class and on weekends... They never come out with the rest of us and they never even come to our study sessions, gaming is all that matters.. and some of them invest a lot of money in it..
I just can't see spending money on things like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy or Everquest... a monthly fee to play a game (on top of buying the game) seems quite ridiculous... and I figure other gamers aren't far off from those people...
That's why I like console games... I can still be addicted (if I start playing Final Fantasy X, I'll play for an entire night)... but I can avoid it or have friends over and play multiplayer games with them... but I can still have the latest and greatest without spending a grand on a new PC every 6 months.. :)
Peace,
HT
hi
i am 40 yrs old and i do have life and i play games probably 2-3 hours every day on pc(cable)on weekend probably few hours more.i can not say that my wife is totaly over the moon abut this but it is definitelly entertaining for me(missing on playing when i was small sindrome).
i have great job and social skills and 2 kids which is probably why i am on pc-they hold their consoles on x-box like their life depend on it/so i come probably with second best.
spreading on a couch with friends is definitelly appealing together with big screen and so on.
my personal opinion is that on pc i feel like i am close into the game.recent study shows the biggest gamers are the grope from 30 -40 yrs old(suprise suprise)
well who have money nowdays 13 yrs old or 40 yrs old giving 100dollars for a game is small fortune for a kids.for me any game i am interested i buy next day it comes out.
ok getting back to gaming system
i am seriously considering building new system even my current is very good.
i was acctually looking today all parts and came with a very good system for around aus1400 without monitor.
so you have good budget there and its probably personal preference which parts you will pick.most gamers i know opt for amd cpu i believe because they are cheaper (consider spending little more on fans as they run hot when gaming).
well i tell you that i built a first"GAMING" system 2 years ago and spent 1600 dollars.
since then with upgrading little bit and getting hooked little bit and upgrading little bit and getting hooled little bit more and now only thing which is left on it from original system is floopy drive:)NOTHING ELSE.all the orther parts are new everything.
so bear in mind that pc nowdays are moving forward very fast and games are getting more and more realistic and pc demanding dont get gaming bug because you will start doing like most of us upgrading and upgrading and this doesnt have an end
.good luck.