- Best Gaming Computer -

[ShaunMood]

Im recieving a check for completing my advanced training in the US NAVY and among other things like buying a car... im building a very impressive gaming system...But i dont know where to start

So what do you reccomend?Im looking for reccommendations all the way to the power supply...

-CPU
-HD
-MOBO

Also... how do you compare amd to pentium - what is equal to what?

Thanks in advance!

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, you can't especially compare AMD's and Intel's anymore when it comes to gaming, but you can just look at the ratings. Like an Athlon 64 3400 is comparible to a P4 3.4GHz. That's not exact, but it's the best way to look at it.

Now onto the specs...

CPU: I'd recommend an AMD for sure, somewhere around an Athlon 64 3500.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-463&depa=1

Hard Drive: I'd go with around a 120GB 7200RPM, probably a Seagate would be your best bet.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-022&depa=1

Motherboard: I'd go with a higher end board, like an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-130-468&depa=1

And even though you didn't ask for it:
Video Card: GeForce 6800GT, no doubt
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-203&depa=1

PSU: a 480W will do you good, and this is a great one.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-007&depa=1

RAM: I'd go with 1GB of some good RAM, and I've heard some good things about this stuff.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-220-033&depa=1

Sound Card: Onboard sound would do you OK, but if you want a good sound card, look no further than this one.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=29-102-179&depa=1

Speakers: Depending on what you really want to spend, here's a good set of 5.1CH speakers. If you want something better, there are better choices, but these would be one of my top choices:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-121-121&depa=1


A couple of those items from NewEgg are out of stock because of the holidays, but check back there later or go to http://www.pricewatch.com and check around there for a good price.
Hope that helps ya out!

[sell2ucheap]

MB__ASUS
CPU__AMD64
PERIOD

[ShaunMood]

:eek: I did not expect such a greatly detailed response like that at all... thanks alot! that helped!... but i still am up for more suggestions

[sell2ucheap]

people here know very much...thats why i come here every day just about and look at all fourms...and most all go above and beyond when you ask a question or have a problem

[ShaunMood]

Keep in mind im looking to make this run games like doom 3 top knotch with no problem... So keep it comming like jediofdarkeness did. List everything you think would make a killer comp...

Dont forget the cd/dvd...drives... cooling fans etc...

Every last part it would take to make a top gaming pc... list it!

Thanks alot!

[ShaunMood]

Originally posted by sell2ucheap
people here know very much...thats why i come here every day just about and look at all fourms...and most all go above and beyond when you ask a question or have a problem

Yeah no joke... I wasnt expecting help... i was expecting a smart *** answer... Im really happy with the results!

[MJCfromCT]

If money is *almost* no object, what about a SLI setup?

[sell2ucheap]

SLI?..not sure i know what that means

[MJCfromCT]

SLI = multiple video cards.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20041123/

[ShaunMood]

What about a monitor?

[MJCfromCT]

Originally posted by ShaunMood
What about a monitor?

I'd say the biggest and baddest CRT monitor you can afford, perfect for a gaming computer:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-116-234&depa=0

[sell2ucheap]

most will say a crt is the way to go but i use a sony 20.1" flat screen and i love it in all games...no problem here

[sell2ucheap]

have you ever seen a 22" crt..they are huge heavy and take up a load of space...but are nice also if you got the space and are cheaper that lcd's

[ShaunMood]

Well from a source of mine im told that playing a game over 1600x1200 is useless... is this true?

[MJCfromCT]

I guess that depends on what you define as "useless"...if you have a small monitor, playing at 1600 (if your system can even run at that setting) is relatively pointless because everything would look so small...on a 22" CRT, however, the results would be quite different.

And yes, a giant CRT is just that, giant...big and bulky, but will produce a great image for gaming.

[ShaunMood]

Sounds good... Now what OS... and and any important software i should need?

[JediOfDarkness]

Since it's a gaming system, I would go with a CRT all the way. LCD's have to slow of responce time and that will cause "ghosting".

As for playing a game over 16x12, it depends on more than just if your system can play the game that high. You need to have a big enough moniter or it'll look way too small.

I'd say this moniter will be best:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-133-117&depa=1

Fans:
80mm~~
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-999-111&depa=1
I have three of these in my case and I love them.
92mm~~
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-999-613&depa=1
This is one of the best fans you can buy, period. Be sure to get a nice fan controller to go with it however, like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-251&depa=1
Allows for up to 6 fans to be controlled at once, and also has that cool look that will make people drool when they see it ;)

DVDRW: Plextor makes some of the best DVDRW's out there, and here's pretty much the fastest you can get, which will be good for burning CDs/DVDs.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-131-338&depa=1

[MJCfromCT]

Originally posted by ShaunMood
Sounds good... Now what OS... and and any important software i should need?

I'd recommend XP Professional.

[ShaunMood]

So i guess everyone is satisfied with jedis set up suggestion?

No Objections at all? Different MoBo or Cpu? His Set up is Top Knotch?

What about a case?

[MJCfromCT]

Well, there are higher-performance configurations out there. I guess a good place to go from here would be to throw out some numbers as to how much you are actually going to spend on the whole computer.

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, if you're willing to go all out and spare no expense:

CPU: Athlon 64 FX-55
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-496&depa=1
Alternative: Athlon 64 4000
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-497&depa=1

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-523&depa=1

Hdd: 160GB Seagate 7200RPM
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-025&depa=1

Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-143-021&depa=1
OR
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-142-031&depa=1


Everything else I would say stick with. If you don't want to spend all this money, go with my first system.

[MJCfromCT]

Originally posted by JediOfDarkness
Well, if you're willing to go all out and spare no expense:

CPU: Athlon 64 FX-55
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-496&depa=1
Alternative: Athlon 64 4000
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-497&depa=1

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-523&depa=1

Hdd: 160GB Seagate 7200RPM
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-025&depa=1

Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-143-021&depa=1
OR
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-142-031&depa=1


Now we're talkin! :D

[ShaunMood]

Well Price isnt really a priority... But if i can get away with spending under 2000 and having a really nice system than im all for it...

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, I guess if this is "spare NO expense":

CPU: Opteron 250 x2
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-456&depa=1

Motherboard: Tyan Thunder K8W
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-151-120&depa=1

RAM: 2GB Corsair XMS Registered
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-509&depa=1

:D :D :D

[JediOfDarkness]

Originally posted by ShaunMood
Well Price isnt really a priority... But if i can get away with spending under 2000 and having a really nice system than im all for it...

You can build my first system and you'll be more than happy with it. If you want a killer gaming system, protested by no other, then go with my second suggestion or my dual Opteron for the ultimate system. It's just up to how much you want to spend. Remember, you can always upgrade. If you find yuorself not liking the Athlon 64 3500, and you want something faster, you can always OC it or buy an FX-55. Graphics card getting a little too slow? Buy you the latest card. Another thing is that if you are wanting the best of the best, you should wait for the nForce4 chipset to come out so that you can build an SLI system with an AMD CPU. If you're not wanting the best of the best, or you don't want to wait, just go with something now.

[ShaunMood]

OkOk... i retract my previous statement... i dont wanna spend an arm and a leg... i think im gunna set a 1500 dollar cap. A realistic System is what im looking for lol... not something to power nasa lol. Something Sensible but keeping it amazing at the same time. I dont want more than enough... but i dont want Just enough ya get me? Like something thatll last me a year before upgrading. Like the first system.

[JediOfDarkness]

...and throw in one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-133-132&depa=1

[tweakerpc]

Woo the Jedi of Darkness has come through again great job, those are so great deals, now i like Seagate harddrives and Western digital, Proccessor i like the new P4s with 1066 front side bus, I do not have one even close but they look like good gameing machines

[JediOfDarkness]

Wow, didn't know it but Asus already has an SLI board out:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-517&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

[ShaunMood]

Whats the purpose of SLI? isnt that a bit much?

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, the best thing about SLI is that you don't have toh ave two cards. You can add another one later if you need more speed.
For instance, right now a GF6800GT runs $400, once that card starts to become out of date it'll be around $200. So you buy that $200 card and SLI it with your current card, and for $200 you've got a top end system again. Sweet, aye?

[ShaunMood]

Originally posted by JediOfDarkness
Well, the best thing about SLI is that you don't have toh ave two cards. You can add another one later if you need more speed.
For instance, right now a GF6800GT runs $400, once that card starts to become out of date it'll be around $200. So you buy that $200 card and SLI it with your current card, and for $200 you've got a top end system again. Sweet, aye?

wow that does sound like a really really smart idea...
Im def gunna go with that...

What about gaming notebooks? are they a waste of money?

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, with the new Go6800's coming out, Laptops have defiantly become a gaming option now. A laptop with a good CPU and a Go6800 can best a desktop system with an X700XT/6800 Standard.

[ShaunMood]

but they are extremely pricey right? I have money... but i just dont wanna throw it at a computer...


Also... SLI is strictly nVidia?

[JediOfDarkness]

Go6800 laptops are pretty pricey right now, yes. Soon they may come down in price, but right now expect to pay $3k+.

And yes, SLI is strictly nVidia. Right now PCI-Express nVidia cards are kinda pricey, but I would definantly say it's worth it so that you can go SLI later.

[ShaunMood]

But i bet its more worth it to go with a desktop... Now would the first system you listed be able to run doom 3 at full throttle? Like everything All the way up?





Lol off topic but... one of your favorite songs (GodSmack - Alive)
Is the US Navys theme song for commercials and promotional use lol... I looked at your hompage

[JediOfDarkness]

Here's the cheapest 6800GT PCI-Express that I can find:
http://www.gameve.com/gve/Store/ProductDetails.aspx?sku=VC-XFX-034

And I've purchased from Gameve before with no problems.

[ShaunMood]

I mean im not basing this system soley on doom 3... but that game is needy when it comes to power and performance... i was playing it today at a friends house with an nvidia fx5600xt... a 2.4 ghz processor p4... 512 gb of ram and a nice monitor and that game lagged rediculous like... i had to lower all of the settings/// i know it isnt a great pc... but its decent

[JediOfDarkness]

Yes, the first system would easily play Doom 3 at full detail levels (1600x1200, 4/8xAA, 8xAF)

And yeah, I know, my dad is retired Air Force and they used it for the Air Force commercials too. They also used it in Ford commercials... I love that song, so I threw it up there. Actually haven't updated that site in a long time as I've been working on my other sites and helping to build others, so been a little busy with designing. But glad ya like it.

[ShaunMood]

well im gunna go ahead and say going with a SLI ready board is more worth it in the long run... even though the x800 is better... being that i can just upgrade with an identical vid card

[JediOfDarkness]

To give you a reference, my system (Athlon XP 2400 @2.2GHz, GeForce 6800GT @ 410/1100, 512mb DDR400) plays Doom 3 at 1600x1200 2xAA/8xAF at 48fps. I don't play on any higher AA because it's so dark in the game that you don't really notice the difference. Also, I haven't benched it yet, buy HL2 plays at 4xAA (haven't tried 8xAA) and 16xAF with no problems either.

[ShaunMood]

Well do you know of any games comming up in the near future that will be more demanding than doom 3?

[JediOfDarkness]

OK, new system:

CPU: Athlon 64 3500
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-463&depa=1

Motherboard: Asus A8N SLI Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-517&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

RAM: 1GB Patriot 2-2-2-5
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-220-033&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

Hdd: 120GB Seagate 7200 RPM 8MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-022&depa=1

Video Card: GeForce 6800GT PCI-E
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=14-150-081&depa=1

PSU: 480W TT Silent PurePower
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-007&depa=1


The other stuff you can pick out to your liking. Good Luck!

[JediOfDarkness]

Two that I can think of off the top of my head would be Quake 4 and F.E.A.R.

[JediOfDarkness]

Doom 3 SLI benchmark:
http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=612

That'll show ya the preformance increase you can expect in GPU demanding games.

[ShaunMood]

Wow youve been such a great help!

Now ontop of the system...

I wanna go more into detail about the monitor,Speakers,sound card

[JediOfDarkness]

Moniter: I'd go with a 21" CRT, like I said. I don't like the "ghosting" effect that LCD's give, especially when gaming. Depending on what you want to spend on one, you can go for a higher quality:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-116-229&depa=1
Or a lower quality:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-133-117&depa=1

Sound Card: Like I said before, look no further than this one:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=29-102-179&depa=1

Speakers: I've heard good things about these, and they're cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-121-118&depa=1

[ShaunMood]

That basically covers everything i believe... unless any one has anything else to add?

[ShaunMood]

Ohh... how bout the maxtor Hds? They run at 133 right?

So what about lets say a 300 gb maxtor HD?

[JediOfDarkness]

Maxtor makes good hard drives, so if you want to go with a Maxtor, that's fine. and if you mean 133 to mean SATA133/ATA133, it depends on the drive.

This drive is SATA150:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-359&depa=1
This one is ATA133:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-140-154&depa=1

Both are 300GB 7200 RPM with 16MB Buffer

[ShaunMood]

whats ATA and SATA? whats better?

[Vitalka]

SATA is the new standard. It gives higher speed, but since hard drive you'll be buying is 7200 rpm there is no benefit in speed. SATA wireing looks better inside a case so if you want your insides look nice go with SATA. Overall, we're all moving slowly towards SATA. :t

[JediOfDarkness]

Yes, if your mobo has a SATA controller, which the Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe does, then it's best to go with SATA.

[Vitalka]

Ya you're right.
Also, I think all latest high end motherboards have SATA controller on board. Since he is going to buy high end components i assumed that his mother board will have SATA. :)

[ShaunMood]

How bout an already built PC... I mean im most likely just gunna build one... but i wanna keep my options open... know of any Sick well priced systems available? Im not looking for any brand name specifically... or even one at all... Just a really good gaming system...

[JediOfDarkness]

http://www.ibuypower.com
http://www.cyberpowerinc.com

Both have good prices, and don't use crappy parts like Dell or HP.

[MJCfromCT]

http://www.alienware.com/main.aspx

http://www.falcon-nw.com/

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, he said he wants to keep it under $1500 now, so both Alienware and F-NW are out.

[ShaunMood]

Originally posted by JediOfDarkness
Well, he said he wants to keep it under $1500 now, so both Alienware and F-NW are out.

Well ... im open to all suggestions and to spending more cash. But if i can get the same parts/performance cheaper than ill go else where..

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, if you're still willing to spend more money:
http://www.voodoopc.com

[ShaunMood]

Bang for the Buck is the key phrase here...

If i can get a system that is just as good as an ALienware but it costs 1000 bux less than im definitely gunna go that route.

[ShaunMood]

What is a RAID controller? and do i need it?

[MJCfromCT]

RAID is useful for big servers and such, completely not needed for desktop gaming machines.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAID.html

[ShaunMood]

What im really planning to do... is to set up a serious gaming rig for my self... and a few decent ones too create a nice lan site...

I leave for the Navy in 13 days... and im just taking notes now... so when i get home april and i get my check im going to build everything... Its the only real way to keep in touch with my family and friends... through the gaming world...

Now back on topic...

I was told today that liquid cooling for AMD cpus is very important... is this correct?

[MJCfromCT]

Originally posted by ShaunMood
I was told today that liquid cooling for AMD cpus is very important... is this correct?

Not really, unless you are overclocking a system majorly. However with a high end system, you wouldn't need to overclock, and could get by with stock cooling just fine.

[ShaunMood]

Now whats involved in over clocking... i have a pretty good idea what it means... but what do you need to do in order to overclock a cpu?

[JediOfDarkness]

Basicly OCing is done in two major ways:
1) lowering the multiplier and raising the FSB
2) Raising the multiplier and lowering the FSB.
These are both done via the system BIOS. They can also be done through programs in Windows, but they can be highly unstable.

You normaly want to use good air cooling when you start to OC. First start off with a good, high quality copper heatsink and then buy a powerful fan to use on it. Water cooling is only needed if you want a quite system or you want to OC even higher that you can on air. Water cooling can also be dangerous. If the water leeks onto your system, say goodbye to it. So unless you really need water cooling, it's not worth switching to it.

[ShaunMood]

Does the romm tempature help?

Because the room my comp is in is always 45o F in the summer

and 38o in the winter...


OCing - i have a p4 2.0ghz cpu... how high can that be overclocked?

[ShaunMood]

Well no matter what... Im going to buy the best processor... amd 64 fx-55 i presume?

[JediOfDarkness]

Room temperature does matter, and the cooler the better.
And yes, the FX-55 would be the best CPU you can buy right now.

Edit: I've seen a P4 2GHz hit 2.7-2.8GHz. Might go higher, but I haven't seen one go any higher. But any way you look at it, it would be in no way comparable to an FX-55.

[ShaunMood]

Is there a thread here that will show me how to overclock? Ive searched and am not comming up with results

[ShadeZeRO]

There is no EXACT thread that will tell you howto OC a computer, because its different for all types of machines.

www.buyxg.com their full systems are decent.

Dont forget the keyboard and mouse
Logitech MX-1000 Mouse is AwSoMe:r

dont forget about ati, rumor is their developing their own version of SLI, i forgot the acronym they made for it.

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, it's not going to be "SLI" but rather dual-core chips. Alienware came out with a device that allowed them to "SLI" both nVidia and ATI cards, though the preformance gain wasn't near as good as it should have been if I remember correctly.

[JediOfDarkness]

Scratch that, I guess ATI is trying to come out with a dual card solution, called Multi Rendering. But from what I've read, you'll have to have a special motherboard made from ATI with an ATI made chipset. I'd rather use a single card than have to use an ATI made board.

[ShaunMood]

Oh for the mouse and keyboard...

Im using a standard microsoft ps/2 keyboard like the old one from i guess Win98 and a Regular Microsoft Scroll 2 button ball mouse

A I recommend a simple 4 dollar ball mouse for all FPS'... its so much more precise and it doesnt skip... All it needs is alittle TLC and cleaning... mine has lasted me for about 3 years with no problem... and i used an optic mouse for CS before and i hated it... Ball Mouse and Old Standard Keyboard all the way

[JediOfDarkness]

If you want precision, a high dpi optical mouse is far more precise than a ball mouse. I would go with a Logitech MX510 if you want a good mouse. The MX1000 is one of the best out there, and a price tag to match, because it's a laser mouse, not optical. As for the keyboard, any that will let you press more than 3 keys at once is good enough.

[ShadeZeRO]

I use an old school logitech mouse, its rock solid, i mean, its the rollerball version of the MX1000 pretty much, same exact layout and all, except its white and no scrolly thingy. Same shape is what i mean.

As for a keyboard, i use an old m$ wired keyboard, im soon to get a logitech one because this m$ one kinda locks up and there's all sorta gunky and nasty stuff in the keys....ewww:p

actually, i stick by logitech and M$ keyboards

[ShaunMood]

Laser? More precision than ball? How so? It doesnt skip or move when you lift the mouse? Because i hate that about optic mice.

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/10076-done.jpg

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/key12.jpg

[ShaunMood]

These are exactly My mouse and keyboard... a black Dell/Microsft sk-8110 keyboard and a regualr white microsoft mouse... i wouldnt trade them in for any high tech mumbo jumbo... unless that laser mouse proves to be better.

[Vitalka]

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=004

This is the mouse i'm using. I never will go back to rollerball mouse. I had it for two years now and never had a problem.

I've heard about skipping, but that occures only if it is pluged into PS2 port insead of USB.

[MJCfromCT]

http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/mx1000/

There's a good review on the MX1000, unfortunately it doesn't compare it to a traditional mouse.

[ShaunMood]

Originally posted by Vitalka
[url]
I've heard about skipping, but that occures only if it is pluged into PS2 port insead of USB.

Yeah that sounds about right... thats what kind of optic mouse i was using i believe... but im a big cs player and i never was able to get headshots on command like i can with a ball mouse...

[Vitalka]

My brother is using the same mouse and he plays CS a lot. No problem with heashots there, only makes me mad that i can't win him any more.

[ShaunMood]

Originally posted by MJCfromCT
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/mx1000/

There's a good review on the MX1000, unfortunately it doesn't compare it to a traditional mouse.

Im really likin this mouse... only thing is the button on the thumb side of the mouse... i hate those... hopefully those buttons can be disabled... because i will definitely be clicking that button because of the way i hold the mouse.

[ShaunMood]

One of the reviews for the mx1000 on newegg.com

This mouse has an incredible feel and a multitude of options due to the number of buttons. Mine does skip slightly when it is lifted, but it's something I'm getting used to. The MX1000 with the fuNc pad is an exceptional combo. Recommended.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=26-104-158&depa=0

I think no matter what... unless you play with your mouse on the perfect surface its gunna skip... and unless you play with unlimited room and never have to lift it... its gunna constantly read your movement because I lift the mouse about a 1/4 of an inch up and that was a major problem i had with optic mice.

[MJCfromCT]

Very true...

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=016

That is what i'm currently using. I'm a big CS player, and don't have a ton of deskspace to move the mouse around, and i've gotten quite used to this mouse. I also don't notice this "skip" which is being mentioned. The battery life on that mouse/keyboard combo is very good as well. I have the side button on the mouse configured to use the mic in-game, but it can be disabled as well AFAIK.

[ShaunMood]

by "skip" i mean when the mouse doesnt read the surface... I use my desk i dont use a mouse pad and it wasnt reading my movement all the time... I love my keyboard,,, and its so easy to maintain. You split the keyboard in half and rinse the keys off in the sink and in seconds... wallah... New Clean Keyboard

[ShaunMood]

What about software? Like anti virus programs and Spyware finders... and anything that will maintain my system and keeping it at top knotch speed

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, I've always used McAfee, and I'm getting tired of it honestly. I'm about to go buy Norton SystemWorks and try that for a change of pace. McAfee is good and all, detects a lot of viruses, but it's slow as heck at scanning. My system lags horribly when I have it on, and so I always have to shut it off while gaming.

[MJCfromCT]

Originally posted by ShaunMood
What about software? Like anti virus programs and Spyware finders... and anything that will maintain my system and keeping it at top knotch speed

Luckily you don't have to spend a dime on that. My gaming machine is protected by AVG Antivirus, and spyware prevention from Spywareblaster, Adaware SE, and Spybot 1.3...in addition to Microsoft's new free AntiSpyware tool

[ShaunMood]

Oh nice... But one thing about the internet... whats the best Internet Program to use? I use explorer and i dont really like it.
I had Mozilla Firefox but i didnt like that either.

[MJCfromCT]

I'd recommend taking a second look at Firefox, version 1.0 is really nice. Other that, Opera is a good browser, anything but IE basically.

[ShaunMood]

Wow new firefox is nice...

How do i get rid of IE now?

[JediOfDarkness]

I use FireFox, and even though there's a couple things I don't like about it, I like it better than IE. Opera I find is too slow to start up and such, and I don't really like the layout of it. Another option would be Netscape.

[JediOfDarkness]

You don't need to get rid of IE, just set Firefox as your defualt browser. Some programs will stop working correctly if you just delete IE right out.

[MJCfromCT]

With Windows XP, you can't really "get rid of IE" seeing as it is so integrated into the OS itself. Just making Firefox your default browser as Jedi mentioned is all you need to do.

[ShaunMood]

what OS do you reccommend?

[JediOfDarkness]

Linux Redhat :p

But if you must go with Windows, XP Pro.

[MJCfromCT]

Windows XP Professional

[ShaunMood]

Heres what im going with so far

AMD Athlon 64 fx-55 Processor

1gb of Patriot Ram

Asus A8N SLI Deluxe mother board

1GB Patriot 2-2-2-5 DDR Ram

GeForce 6800GT Video card
(Dont know whether i should go AGP or PCI Express)

480W TT Silent PurePower

I want to get a huge HD like around a 300
and i was gunna go with maxtor but ive been told here and other places that Maxtor is straight up garbage.


Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value Sound Card

Im gunna stick with the dell keyboard
im gunna get a ball mouse and the MX1000... see what i like better...

Logitech Z-5300e 5.1 THX Certified Speaker System

ViewSonic G220fb 21" PerfectFlat CRT Monitor

What else do i need?

[MJCfromCT]

CD Drive, DVD drive, floppy drive (if you want one), and a Case.

[ShadeZeRO]

DVD get a Lite-on (if ur on budget, and dont wanna spend much on it)

or Sony/Plextor...actually either one is good.

Make sure to get a big buffer on the cdrw.

Sony
Plextor are your best name brands in my opinin (IMO)

[tweakerpc]

i am wondering what is a "big buffer on CD-rw?

[JediOfDarkness]

Most have a 2MB buffer, but you can get as high as 8MB. I'm not sure if there's any higher, but if there is I haven't ever seen one.

[ShadeZeRO]

i know some hd's have 16mb buffer, but big buffer, i was emplying the 8mb, not the 2mb.

[JediOfDarkness]

lol, I like your avatar Shade, when did you put that one up?

[ShadeZeRO]

earlier today, hmmm around 1:30 EST

[ShaunMood]

Wow this computer is gunna be off the hook... i cant wait to build it.

[JediOfDarkness]

Yup, it will. I'm actually planning on building a simular system here soon. I've already got my GPU (6800GT) and so I'm gonna buy me a 3000 939 and OC it with a TT heatpipe heatsink and a TT UFO fan. I might opt out for a 3500, but they OC about the same, so I'm still trying to deside if the extra $100 is worth it or not.

[ShaunMood]

Wow... I had a suprise party tonight and just counted up all the money i was given for a gift... i made 1700 even tonight...

How bout that... so basically this computer is free... hehehe... Man am i gunna have fun with this ;)

[ShaunMood]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=52475&item=5154016681&rd=1

[ShaunMood]

video card - agp or pci express

[ShadeZeRO]

the ram could be alot better, and the windows xp home seems fishy, it might be pirated...just be carefull on ebay...

PCI Express is for the Future, AGP is actually running better than it currently.

[ShaunMood]

Yeah im building mine from scratch... im not gunna cheese out on myself here...

Im splurging ;)

Well should i get the 6800gt pci or the agp?

Because im going with SLI unless theres a similar ati board running around i thought i heard about

[ShaunMood]

Actually better yet... I have 1900 to spend... Put everything like jedi did and if I like it ill build it asap... you guys got only 6 days though... i leave monday for bootcamp...

I know i asked this already and it was already done... but this is it... this is for all the beans... 1900 dollar budget...

And the Gaming PC that suits me the best... i will come to your house personally and LAN with you with the new comp if you are in 100 Miles of where im stationed... (Most likely Virginia... ) with your game of choice...
and ill buy both copies... unless you have it already... Any game... Not a collectors set for like 100 bux though... lol

Just the exact part name and what ever else is important to find it...

Just to start you guys off...

For now im going with the 3500+

I want a SLI board and something that can handle an fx-55

Im def getting the 6800gt (be specific)

450-500 watt PSU

dont worry about the mouse or keyboard

the fans and fan controls and a case and LEDs... (Red/Blue Or Purple)

a monitor (21" CRT)

The Hard Drive (I wont accept anything under 250gb)

Im going with DVD +/- RW drive

Any perticulur cables i need...

Basically build me a cyber computer...

List every single part to build a computer... No more suggestions...

I want blueprints...

[ShadeZeRO]

AMD Athlon64 3500+ 939 - Retail (its $3 more then OEM) $270
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-463&depa=0

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe with Nforce4 Chipset $269
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-517&depa=1

Corsair XMS 1GB (2x512MB) CAS2: 2-2-5
$243.27
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-146-355&depa=1

Gainward GeForce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 256-bit Golden Sample
$429
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-128-195&depa=1

Thermal Take Tsunami Case
$105 (1 day sale 1/11)
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=11-133-132&DEPA=1

Thermal Take Butterfly 480W power supply
$76
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-012&depa=0

Viewsonic 21'" CRT .25dp Diagnal
$372
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-116-179&depa=1

Hitachi (probly darkstar) 250GB 8mb cache HD - SATA 150
$131.69
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-145-071&depa=1

NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive Black
$64.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-152-035&depa=1

Grand Total:
$1895.96

[ShaunMood]

Nice Job Shade... Any body have a rebuttal?

I dunno shades system looks top knotch

But you forgot the OS and the cables... which is another 150... so your grand total is... over 2000

[ShaunMood]

LOL changed my mind...

Now getting the x800

this is so effin tough

[ShaunMood]

How is this memory?

Anybody know?

http://www.crucial.com/ballistix/

[MJCfromCT]

Crucial Ballistix is good high-performance RAM. If you wanted to save money on Shade's system, skimp on the case, you can get a decent one for about half that price.

[ShadeZeRO]

AMD Athlon64 3500+ 939 - Retail (its $3 more then OEM) $270
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-463&depa=0

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe with Nforce4 Chipset $269
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-517&depa=1

Corsair XMS 1GB (2x512MB) CAS2: 3-3-6
$198.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=20-145-450&DEPA=1

MSI Radeon X800-Pro, 256mb, 256-bit, PCI-Express
$399
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-127-155&depa=0

Thermal Take Tsunami Case
$105 (1 day sale 1/11)
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=11-133-132&DEPA=1

Thermal Take Butterfly 480W power supply
$76
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-012&depa=0

Viewsonic 21'" CRT .25dp Diagnal
$372
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-116-179&depa=1

Hitachi (probly darkstar) 250GB 8mb cache HD - SATA 150
$131.69
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-145-071&depa=1

NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive Black
$64.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-152-035&depa=1

Windows XP Home Edition - OEM
$89
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=37-102-151&DEPA=0

...
The asus board comes with most of the cables you need, you have slim chance that you'll need a power adapter for the SATA drive, but the TT Butterfly is a pretty new PSU so it mabey has it. It goes for like $5 at a retail store.

----

If you could tell me what you prefer less of, i could adjust it, i got cheaper ram, but the SLI mobo, and the monitor drag the price up ALOT

[ShaunMood]

Well tigerdirect.com has that mobo for 199

[Andrew_Carr]

Depending on how much hard drive space you'll need, you could got for a raptor or cheetah.(western digital afaik, and seagate respectively)
They're each like ~73gb

the raptor is 10k rpm, vs the 7200rpm you'll find on most current hard drives.

the cheetah is 15k rpm, but prolly not worth it for the system you want.

Price wise, i believe you'll find raptors for like 173$ apiece, and ~300$ apiece for the cheetahs.

So if you are pretty conservative with disk space, then one of these should give you better performance for about the same cost as one of the huge hard drives everyone likes to get.

If you need the space though, then these hard drives are too expensive imo, especially with your budget.

Oh, and if you feel like risking a rebate at tigerdirect, you could go with a 3400 and either an asus board, or abit board. costs are 299 or 269$ after a 100$ rebate, which is a steal imo. This could leave you with more money for your video card and ram, or it could hurt you if you want to go with a 3500 or something like that.

[pandaz3]

Originally posted by ShaunMood
Well tigerdirect.com has that mobo for 199

If rebates are involved.... a lot of people complain about Tiger...... If they are not involved.... people seem satisfied with Tiger

[JediOfDarkness]

Sorry, been a while since I've been able to post on here. I would go with the system that Shade put together, except I wouldn't go with a X800 Pro if it was the last card on earth... Either an X800XT or nothing when it comes to the new X series. I'd go with a PCI 6800GT for the $400 price range, or the X800XT for the $500+ price range. Everything else though is top notch, except if you're wanting to put the FX-55 in there:
http://www.futurepowerpc.com/scripts/details.asp?PRDCODE=CPAM-RFX55AS&REFID=PW
$880, cheapest I could find at a good reseller.

[radlad]

I think that the most important parts of the gaming rig is video card and gamong gear. As for me i use Radeon 9600 and Steelpad4D with MX510.

[tweakerpc]

That proceesor costs $800:eek: :eek: :eek: I thnik i will just stick with the Normal Amd Athon Xp for now:D

[JediOfDarkness]

Tweaker, an Athlon XP pales in comparison to an Athlon 64, and even if you're going to build a budget system, you can build a better 64 system for only a few bucks more than an XP system.

And radlad, that's not true. Many things come into play when gaming, like the CPU, Video Card, RAM, ect. You can't have a PII 500 and a GeForce 6800 Ultra and play games well, same as having an FX-55 and a MX200 32mb PCI card, you have to have a balanced system. But yes, a good mouse definiantly helps while playing FPS'ers, that's why we've recomended the MX1000, as it's a laser mouse, and not optical.

And as for the CPU being $880, you get what you pay for, and he said he wanted the highest end, so was just letting him know what to expect to pay. The best option, however, is to go with the 3500, or a 4000 for high end.

Athlon 64 4000, 2.4GHz 1MB L2 (basicly the same CPU as the FX-53) $720
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-497&depa=1

[pandaz3]

I am building one last socket A machine....I am doing that because of a web of lies I told myself.

First I borked an sweet little MSI and XP1700 that was very good to me. My fault, so I thought I would just get another socket A board..... I ordered the EPoX as it had one of the latest NF2 chipsets...

Second.... then I got to thinking why not upgrade to a better vid card, 9.0 Direct X compliant or better so I got a 9550SE

Third.... Better get a more capable CPU ..... a 2600 Mobile

Fourth ..... decided I needed a new Sata drive for it.

Borked that board too

Now both the MSI and the EPoX are tracking to the house on their return from RMA.

I know what I have done wrong (Choked the Bios on both) so I won't do than again.

I will have my EPoX up and running

but then I still have a video card, 1700 CPU, and a good MSI board...

I could have had a 939 2800 A64 by now for less money!

[ConfusedAlien]

www.go-l.com

[bwjohnson88]

Im recieving a check for completing my advanced training in the US NAVY and among other things like buying a car... im building a very impressive gaming system...But i dont know where to start

So what do you reccomend?Im looking for reccommendations all the way to the power supply...

-CPU
-HD
-MOBO

Also... how do you compare amd to pentium - what is equal to what?

Thanks in advance!

Yo what up, I hope all is well over where ever u are. Lemme just ******** a few things. NEVER BUY AMD they suck. I bought a computer with it and it crashes all the time. People say u can overclock it to add up to a pentium but thats for stupid computer geeks. If you want something that is up and running and u dont gotta worry about anything get PENTIUM 4 WITH HYPER THREADING TECHNOLOGY!!! THEY ARE FREAKIN AMAZING. get one that has at least 2.4 gHz. Also, if your willing to pay a 'little' lot for a graphics card get either the radeon 9800 pro or radeon X700 or X800 but make sure your motherboard has a PCI -EXPRESS SLOT. Get 1024 MB of ram. Get at least a 120 GB hard drive. Well i gtta go but go to this site and you will be amazed at how cheap some of this stuff is!! www.newegg.com << GO THERE

[MJCfromCT]

Yo what up, I hope all is well over where ever u are. Lemme just ******** a few things. NEVER BUY AMD they suck. I bought a computer with it and it crashes all the time. People say u can overclock it to add up to a pentium but thats for stupid computer geeks. If you want something that is up and running and u dont gotta worry about anything get PENTIUM 4 WITH HYPER THREADING TECHNOLOGY!!! THEY ARE FREAKIN AMAZING. get one that has at least 2.4 gHz. Also, if your willing to pay a 'little' lot for a graphics card get either the radeon 9800 pro or radeon X700 or X800 but make sure your motherboard has a PCI -EXPRESS SLOT. Get 1024 MB of ram. Get at least a 120 GB hard drive. Well i gtta go but go to this site and you will be amazed at how cheap some of this stuff is!! www.newegg.com << GO THERE[

This post made a lot of sense. You do realize that AMD 64s are superior to P4s when it comes to gaming, don't you ? Also, you recommend that he get a 9800 Pro, and at the same time a PCI-Express motherboard. :rolleyes: Also if you took the time to read the entire thread, you'd see that basically every piece of hardware going into the computer has already been discussed and debated.

[pandaz3]

bwjohnson 88... I have three Intel machines, a Pentium I-166, III-750, and IV-2.4. I have 7 AMD's, a K62-366 (Which was a store bought Hewett-Packard pile of junk, Hewett Packard's fault, not AMD's) a 1400 Tbird, very nice, a 1700XP, 2100XP, 2800 Sempron, 2600XP, 2600XP Mobile, and a 3500 A64.

I do not think I'll buy another Intel solution in a good while, they run at very high temperatures, right now, and still come in second place!

[MagiKazoc]

He's got that right. An FX-53 without overclocking ($700) is significantly more powerful than a 3.4 ghz Extreme ($900), not to mention that it runs cooler and can be overclocked without any special tools or skills. And they can support Sli.

The Athlon's only downfall is that it doesn't support DDR2 memory. But then again, most applications don't support DDR2 anyways!

Which is more important in RAM, the speed or the latency?

IE is PC3700 at 3-3-3 better than PC3200 at 2-2-2? Sure costs more!

[pandaz3]

And DDR2 is faster rated not necessarily faster in real time.