I want a Gaming Rig

[Broomjockey]

As MadMike asked for help in putting together a new media centre pc, I'm going to ask for help piecing together a gaming rig. (Summary at bottom for the ADD crowd )

This is gonna be my first custom-built system, so I wanna do it right. Not that I'm knocking pre-built machines. I got one from Dell (Don't hurt me! *cowers*) for Christmas 2004ish, and I only ever had to get some more RAM, otherwise it's all OEM. It's getting on in years though, so new pc time, as a quick glance around the parts store showed me my current case isn't gonna be able to handle the new stuff I'd like to get.

So, I'd like to hear from you guys what I should put in this system, and also whether or not it would be a good idea to get Vista installed, since it's a gaming machine.

I figure I can keep my old DVD drive, and then get a DVD-RW to replace my CD-RW drive, and I picked up a Geforce 8800 GTS (or something like that, don't have the box in front of me) recently for a good price, so there's the launch point. I'd like to balance price vs. performance, with a slight bias to performance.

Okay, to summarize: want a custom built gaming, already have a new video card, so I need the rest, ranging from case to sound card, etc, and should I get Vista now rather than later, as it's for gaming. Thanks in advance all!

[JustADude]

First thing, I'd wait a few months to see how AMD's new Phenom line of processors stack up to the Intel Core-2 line. AMD generally gives you a lot more bang for your buck than Intel, and Core-2 was released in a response to the dual-core Athlon processors, so AMD is going to be returning fire with something that should smack Intel down as hard as the Core-2 hit AMD.

There are a few things you should go for that are often overlooked, but will have a big impact in the long run:

*Round Cables: Stylish, only slightly more expensive, and they take up less room, giving better air-flow.

*Modular PSU: Again, not having unneeded cables frees up air-flow space, and they're not really any more expensive per watt.

*Thermal Paste: A thin coat between the CPU and the heat-sink will be a huge help in keeping heat down. A tube with enough for several installs is like $5.

*Case Design: Read the reviews, check the specs, and pick a tower or mid-tower that is good quality, has sufficient cooling fans, and has the external features you want (Integrated USB ports, speaker jacks, etc)

*Case-mod: Not actually a high-impact item, but if you go for a case with a side-window you can get LED-lit fans and LED clusters to make the inside glow, with a total price difference of less than a stick of RAM. Looks particularly snazzy when combined with properly color-coordinated sheathed round cables.


Beyond that, I'd recommend going for high quality RAM and a top-of-the-line MoBo even if it means dropping your processor speed down a level or two. A 2.8GHz processor with crappy RAM and bus-speeds will perform worse for gaming than a 2.5GHz with great support behind it.

I'll throw in more specific advice if you want to go with an Intel system, but since the Phenom isn't out yet, I can't point you towards a specific configuration for my top recommendation.

[Broomjockey]

Hmm. Well, I'm not thrilled about the idea of waiting a couple months, and I'm almost a total hardware newbie, so honestly, I don't know. Are the Core-2s fairly stable? Any recurring issues cropping up around them? I didn't even know they'd gotten to core-2 yet >_<

So, assuming the stability of the Core-2, I'd probably go with that, as I'm an impatient SOB Thanks

[JustADude]

So, assuming the stability of the Core-2, I'd probably go with that, as I'm an impatient SOB Thanks

Yeah, the Core-2-Duo is the dominant desktop processor line on the market right now. They have different types of core (actual design of chip), but if you want a good cost/benefit balance I'd recommend the following guts for your tower:

CPU: Conroe-core 2.66GHz This is the best before the price:speed ratio starts going to shit.
MoBo: ASUS P5K-VM Stable, good over-clocking ability if you want to try your hand at it later, and it's in the pack holding the fastest bus-speeds on the market.
RAM: 2x CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) RAM for a total of 4GB. It matches the native memory speed on the MoBo, which is good, and Corsair is head-and-shoulders the best brand on the market. If you don't want to drop the green for 4GB of RAM, get one pack and be sure to place them in alternating slots.
Sound: Creative X-Fi Xtremegamer The "Platinum" and "Fatal1ty" ones aren't really useful unless you want the control plate that mounts in one of your DVD drive slots.
Case: Thermaltake Armor Series It might be overkill, but that's my personal choice, since it's the best on the market for under $200, and you won't need any extra cooling fans beyond one for the CPU.

[lordlundar]

This is going to get very expensive:

Things to consider:

Processor: Dual core and Core-2 are the standard, and anything short of 2.8GHz is not worth it in a gaming rig. Physics processing is becoming a big factor in the future, and these chips are best suited for it if you aren't going for a seperate PPU

Ram: 2GB min DDR2 is your best bet.

Sound card: go for a SoundBlaster. There are some better ones but are not designed for gaming.

Hard Drive: Go Serial ATA, as big as you can afford and I recommend two. One for OS and installed apps, ones for non-recoverable files (documents, save games, created images, etc)

Power Supply: more power is always better, especially with a 8800. Minimum 600W is recommended, 750W+ is recommended for futureproofing. Modular is ideal, but if you don't want to play with the connectors, one that has all types is a good choice.

MBoard: In addition to accommodating the above, you also want to consider an SLI board, and the max upgrade level for your RAM. Go with an ATX form, as it can handle the gear the best. If your keeping your optical drive, odds are it isn't a SATA connection, so having an IDE connection is also a requirement. The higher quality MBoards also have a heat dispersion system on the board to aid the heatsink.

Case: DO NOT GET A SLIM CASE! Trust me on this. Consider what bays you want for it and what connectors you want as well. Something minor to consider is the securing system. A few cases have what's called "zero screw" mechanisms, which use plastic locking systems.

Bells and whistles: These are little things. Media card bays, Displays, etc. Nothing needed for immediate use, but if you want one down the road, keeping bays open for them is something to consider.

[Mr. Rager!]

So, assuming the stability of the Core-2, I'd probably go with that, as I'm an impatient SOB Thanks

Personally, I think the Duo Core 2s are phenomenal!!! You're not going to try and over clock it, are you? If not, I wouldn't worry one bit about the Duo Core 2.

(Personally, for me... I'm a laptop person and I wouldn't touch a laptop unless it had a Centrino processor in it.)


Hit the RAM hard... don't skimp out at all on the RAM. Also, make sure that you get a good solid graphics card, research the games that you want to play and see what people say for graphics cards. I think DVD drives now are cheap enough to where you shouldn't worry about using your old one. Just get a new one...

[lordlundar]

Also, make sure that you get a good solid graphics card, research the games that you want to play and see what people say for graphics cards.

He has a Nvidia 8800. One of the top of the line.

[Broomjockey]

Lundlar, you mentioned a seperate physics processing unit. Is that a card, or a chip for the mobo, or...? I probably won't get one at first, but I'll need to leave a spot for it in the case (not slim, got ya )

Otherwise, I think I've now got the basics. I'll do a little looking around for price, and then put up the specs of what I'm considering, so you guys can tell me what I missed

[Mr. Rager!]

He has a Nvidia 8800. One of the top of the line.

I skipped right over that

[Geek King]

I'll just add that Gamespot (www.gamespot.com) has some good reviews on graphic cards for all price ranges, and will tell you how a medium-cost card stacks up against the top-of-the-line. Look in the hardware archives.

[Broomjockey]

Okay, this is the big question, that I expect more than a little debate on. This is a gaming rig, meaning I have to conform to the specs they say, meaning Vista.

Do I get it? Hold off? Upgrade later? Not going to need it? If I do need it, what version?

[lordlundar]

Lundlar, you mentioned a seperate physics processing unit. Is that a card, or a chip for the mobo, or...?

At current, it's a separate card like a video card, though the upcoming quad core processors are (supposedly) going to be able to do it as well.

Right now, it's only one manufacturer of the chips for it and this is their website.

For those of you wondering, I do have one and though the support is pretty small, it makes a world of difference.

As for your other question, with vista, odds are you can hold off. Most parts for custom machines will run in an XP environment and unless you're planning on playing Halo 2 or ShadowRun, you don't need Vista.

[Shabo]

Vista? Get it? I'm afraid that I can't give you an unbiased opinion of that. I would recommend waiting on it though, simply because I have heard people have problems with that operating system and older games. You need to do some research on the games that you want to play in order to determine whether or not you need XP or Vista. If you do decide to go with XP, get the pro edition. If you want Vista, don't get the home premium.

Find someone near you that's built a computer before. It's a little challenging to set up your first computer because you should apply your own thermal paste to the cpu rather than use the stock paste that's applied on the case fan. Also, you need to plug your case into the mobo, and that can be a little difficult too if you haven't done it before and the case's wire labels don't match up with the mobo instructions.

I shop at Newegg for all my stuffs because they usually have the best deal on everything, plus a ton of customer reviews that you can use to help you decide what model of whatever to go with. You can also check out Zipzoomfly.com for deals (usually have free shipping!), but the problem with them is that they have not so pretty of a website and no customer reviews.

I personally am an AMD fan, but I have nothing against Intel's Core 2 Duos. There are more motherboards made for Intel since they have the overwhelming majority of market share, but AMD has fantastic customer support . Definitely get a good processor, nothing below 3 ghz, and a dual core all the way. You are going to want to get at least 2 gigs of dual channel DDR2 ram, and a good size hard drive. I would recommend splurging on the hard drive, too. Get yourself a SATA 3.0 gb/s 10,000+ rpm drive. You'll appreciate it, trust me.

For the case, get something that has 120mm fans. The 80mms are noisy. Even if they don't come with the fans, they are cheap enough to add a few in to install while installing everything else. Ummm... Sound card was never important to me as I only have 2.1 channel speakers (I've got a really small room) so I just use what was on mobo with no issues. As to whether or not you want that, that's up to your sound preferences. The physics game card is nice, but only if you're going to be playing really high end games with demanding graphics. For something like WOW it's not going to make a difference. So that's something that if you want to build the best gaming rig available, go for it, but if you don't want to spend the money on it now, leave a slot open to install it later.

I think that's everything I wanted to say...

[Broomjockey]

Okay, so it sounds like stick with XP for now, and maybe set up a dual boot later, and I'm taking a really good look at that case JustADude showed me, as it's got 120 fans, and a ton of extra slots that I can use to upgrade later (as I'll probably wait to get the physics card, and maybe a second video card if I'm ever that rich ).

I was wondering, my old hard drive, would it be okay to take it and use it as a slave drive in my new machine, so that I don't have to try and move all the data over (I really don't wanna try and move all my music and such), or would it be better to use it for the main drive?

On the plus side, I've got a guy who's said he'll help me put it together once I have all the parts, so I'm not likely to blow anything up

[Shabo]

Fantastic! Glad you have someone who can give you a hand. Trust me, you'll appreciate it when it comes time, even if you pretty much know what you're doing.

You can use your current drive as either slave or master, but keep your games on a separate drive. Might not be a bad idea to also back up your important documents and photos, etc. on the second drive as well just to make sure you have them safe in case one of your drives fails.

If you put together a list of components that you are looking to purchase, post it here and we can critique you on it. I would say go with a standard ATX mobo as it will allow you more room to move around in the case, and also get at least a mid size tower. If you aren't going to be moving it around too much, a full size will give you the most space, but they're also rather large. Mid size will give you enough room without being too large, but sometimes they can be cramped with the way they are set up, so make sure you look in reviews for people to say that it's a nice roomy case.

If you really care, too, you can get the heatsinks on your ram. It's not a terrible idea, but not really necessary if you're going to have a ton of case fans to keep everything cool.