27-11-2006, 03:53 PM
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Big Geek
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Planning for new gaming PC - advice needed
Well, last time I didn't go forward with my purchase after all, and decided to upgrade instead. Today I'm kind of glad I did... but my current box won't last much longer than another year I'm afraid.
This machine will be mainly, and purely, a gaming machine. Since I will get nearly nothing in return for my current machine, and it still works great, I'm going to continue to use Linux on it and use it as my "work/serious" PC. I am looking at a complete system + accessoires (LCD screen, sound card, boxes, ...). Today this means I am looking at a system of about/over €2000. The games I play the *most* are adventure games. Dreamfall, Secret Files Tunguska, Broken Sword IV, ... these are the types of games I play and enjoy the most, they make up the largest part of my collection. Next are RPG's, in the style of Oblivion, Gothic 3, etc. Also I like Indie Games like Laxius Power series, where specs aren't really important. Other genres I enjoy are strategy games, stealth games (such as Splinter Cell), and online RPG's such as guild wars (I have a Guild Wars account and I *might* check out Age of Conan). I would prefer not to upgrade to Vista for the time being. I am uncomfortable with its new EULA/licensing terms, and with installing Linux on my other box I can transfer my XP license to my new system, saving some money. It will have to have possibility for lots of future expansions. The case has to look good too. I'd rather spend a little more money now in order to have an easier time upgrading later. As for brands: - the graphics card has to be nVidia, a single powerful card with the option of adding a future card in SLI mode. Meaning: SLI-capable motherboard as well, and a heavy PSU. - I am partial to AMD, but if Intel gets me more "bang for the buck" then it's no problem going Intel. Processor has to be dual-core, since my type of computer usage is such that I could really benefit from a dual core system. Not sure if I really need 64-bit, but I hear it's the way of the future? - Motherboard: no preference - Case: has to be very roomy, but preferrably not a "monster"... does have to have a clean layout, lots of room for expansion, and be relatively cool&quiet. I am partial to some of the cases of Coolermaster, especially the Coolermaster Wavemaster, but I worry if it will not get too hot e.g. when putting in another card in SLI. - Ram: no preference, 2GB of Ram... I read low-latency RAM is great, but I'm not sure if I need that for the types of games I'm most likely to play. Perhaps this is a part I could save some money on (by not picking the *very* best) - Hard drive: was thinking, of using a 36GB WD Raptor as a system drive, and a 250-400GB harddrive with 7200rpm and 16mb as a "data/games" drive - DVD-writer: thinking about getting a Lightscribe DVD re/writer. Lightscribe not a necessity though/ - Sound card: want to get a Creative X-Fi Xtreme music, but I noticed most shops do not sell it any longer, they start with the "Platinum" or "Fatality" edition instead - Boxes: 5.1/7.1 surround boxes. Cables would be an annoyance, so the Logitech Z-5450 Wireless boxes look pretty good. Maybe headphones an option? - LCD screen: Most of my games (including adventure games) would benefit from a big screen. Right now I have a 19" screen (a crappy one I'm afraid), but I think a nice 21" screen will be perfect for my intended use. With native resolution either 1600*1200 or above. Of course the entire system would have to be capable of running games at this resolution (at full details, and the most demanding games at 1280*1024 Full Details). - Power Supply: has to be able to support all kinds of future expansions. - Cooling: actually, I have no idea... other than that I want a pretty silent and cool box (sound & heat barely noticeable). --------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- What I have got up to now: Case Coolermaster TAC-T01 Wavemaster Case Yellow €140,95 PSU OCZ GameXStream SLI/Active 700W €137,95 Motherboard MSI AMD AM2 K9N SLI-2F €97,50 Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ BOX (SAM2) €187,00 Ram Corsair 2048MB DDR2 6400PRO Matched pair CL4 €399,00 Disk WD 74GB Raptor SATA 16Mb WD740ADFD €151,95 Samsung 400gb sata II 16mb €149,50 1.44Mb Floppy Disk Drive Zwart €12,50 Samsung SH-S182M LightScibe Zwart Bulk €32,50 Sound Creative SB X-FI Platinum €157 Logitech Z-5450 Wireless boxes €287 Video XFX MSI 640Mb 8800GTS PCI-E €445 Samsung SyncMaster 225BW €414 Cooling ?? I'm considering waiting 6 months for prices to come down, and be able to pick up a system similar to this (minus LCD screen and boxes) for about €2000. And then pick up some of the top games of today (e.g. Gothic 3) out of the garbage bin. I would appreciate any advice people can give me. The most important aspects I'm looking for: - can run about anything at least at a resolution of 1280*1024 - great sound - big screen with no noticeable ghosting or other artifacts - upgradable (room for expansion, 'durable' components e.g. 700W PSU) - relatively cool & silent - case looks good and isn't a "monster" size - around €2000 (minus LCD and boxes)
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Last edited by Wouter; 27-11-2006 at 03:59 PM. |
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27-11-2006, 04:14 PM
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#2 (permalink) Top |
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HWF Godfather
 
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For the Athlon 64, timings don't matter quite as much, so I probably wouldn't pay out the nose for ultra-low timings. Also, having a higher speed grade of RAM should allow you to run tighter timings at a lower speed.
The whole setup looks nice so far. OCZ is a great choice for PSU's, so while there's other excellent brands, I don't see a good reason to recommend something else. Video card: obviously, the GeForce 8800's are the best out there. However, right now, for what you want a GeForce 7900GS or Radeon X1950Pro will allow you to do 1280x1024 quite comfortably, and even 1600x1200 in some cases. Now, Oblivion is a sole exception because if set right, you can have it make SLI and Crossfire setups cry. I can do 1600x1200 in FEAR with an average FPS in the 50's with a 7900GS. Of course, feel free to go with something faster, but given your budget, this would be where I'd start. Core 2 Duo really packs a wallop, and if you check out reviews, you'll see it's low-end E6300 and E6400 bring it to the FX-60. AMD has slashed prices on the FX-55 recently. It was inevitable, but the FX line is the top-end from AMD, and that's where Intel is starting. I like AMD too, but right now, Intel has taken back the performance crown with the C2D. |
 
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27-11-2006, 07:10 PM
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Big Geek
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First, thanks for your reply.
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And what about the heat&cooling, and room for expansion? Will this setup be cool enough by its own, or do I need extra fans or ... ?
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Last edited by Wouter; 27-11-2006 at 07:13 PM. |
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27-11-2006, 07:18 PM
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Big Geek
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About the processor:
this one is a little bit cheaper than the AMD X2 4200+ I chose above: - Intel Core 2 Duo Allendale E6300 1,86GHz 2Mb 775 €187 So you're saying this is a cheaper, and better, processor than the X2 4200+?
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27-11-2006, 07:29 PM
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HWF Godfather
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The Core 2 Duo starts out with the E6300, followed by the E6400, E6600, E6700 and then goes to the X6800, which includes a hefty price jump. I think you'll find the E6400 or E6600 to be in best price:performance ratio. The X line is the Extreme versions with extra cache and a hefty price jump. The Core 2's run pretty cool, and AMD isn't having heat issues. Unless you're looking for a custom cooling solution, then the stock cooling (I'm assuming you'll purchase the retail CPU's) that comes with retail CPUs will be fine. If you would intend to overclock, then you should consider something a little heftier. Same thing if you're looking for quiet.
If you're interested in quiet computing, you may want to check out a PSU by Seasonic. Their S12 and M12 (the M's are modular variants of the S-series) are quiet. I haven't had one, but from what I've gathered, these are pretty quiet. If you're not playing FPS games, in general, games outside of that genre aren't the most graphically intense. The only two non-FPS games I can think of are Oblivion and Need For Speed: Carbon, but there are probably a few others that are actually graphically intense outside FPS games. I do think some of the complaints about Oblivion are overrated, but that would depend on the settings that affect outdoor views more. I haven't played it, but I do think that some of the reviews don't actually play the games as much as bench them and call it good. |
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27-11-2006, 07:33 PM
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Big Geek
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"Carbon, but there are probably a few others that are actually graphically intense outside FPS games."
Yeah, I liked Medieval: Total War a lot... and certainly other games outside of FPS genre will come on the market with higher requirements soon... just look at Oblivion and Gothic 3... "If you're interested in quiet computing, you may want to check out a PSU by Seasonic." Well, my PSU is actually pretty loud... but possibly this is because of a combination of my case (big old iron case) and the 'fan' on my PSU (or how do you call it) set at the highest position. And I don't have the nerve to open my case, so no overclocking for me x|
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Last edited by Wouter; 27-11-2006 at 07:36 PM. |
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27-11-2006, 07:34 PM
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HWF Godfather
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27-11-2006, 07:43 PM
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Big Geek
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"It's a completely different design, and probably closer in spirit to the Pentium 3's than the P4's."
Now that's a funny thing to say... hmm, Pentium III... But if I can buy a processor better and cheaper than the one I planned, why the heck not?  Also, do you think it is useful to wait for a few more months or not? I really *do* want a really nice game system, but I can wait a little for it. I upgraded but I regret a little I did... I hoped to gain a little extra use out of my current computer for gaming, by upgrading it slightly, but it seems like I would've been better off if I had just gotten a completely new system and upgraded some core parts after 3-4 years. That's why things like case, PSU, RAM, motherboard, ... are very important to me. When upgrading, I would like to replace as little of them as possible. For example put in a new processor and a new/extra (SLI) graphics card without a change of case and PSU and/or motherboard.
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27-11-2006, 10:49 PM
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Big Geek
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Go for it now, in my opinion. If you decide to "wait" for something, by the time it comes out there will be something else to wait for.
Computer technology moves so quickly that there is always something new and improved coming out.
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Current Rig Intel Pentium D 805 ASUS P5LD2 Deluxe 2GB Kingston ValueRAM DDR2 667 Palit 7900GS Seagate 250GB HDD 7200RPM Hiper 480W Type-M |
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28-11-2006, 09:10 AM
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Big Geek
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Here's my new configuration, after reading the advice. Since they're such an expensive part of the system, I put the boxes and screen in a seperate section.
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28-11-2006, 02:11 PM
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HWF Godfather
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There's always something bigger and better around the corner, so while, yes prices drop, I don't foresee any major cuts for awhile. AMD will be making changes sure, but it's a little early to tell if they've got a revolutionary new CPU that will bump off Core 2.
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28-11-2006, 03:11 PM
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#12 (permalink) Top | |
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Big Geek
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Anyhow, I don't care about "bigger and better" now, or tomorrow, I care the most about being able to upgrade to something that will run the games of that time without much problems. But if that means I'm obliged to upgrade just about *everything*, then I could just buy a plain case with a weak(er) PSU...
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Last edited by Wouter; 28-11-2006 at 03:15 PM. |
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28-11-2006, 08:48 PM
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Big Geek
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What about the motherboard? Is it a good choice?
In a computer magazine, I read they recommended the "Asus P5N32-SLI Premium Wifi" motherboard, also with future upgrades in mind. Of course, *they* were building a killer system... best among the best (their system was over > €3000).
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28-11-2006, 10:42 PM
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#14 (permalink) Top |
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HWF Godfather
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If your not planning or at least wanting the SLI option, then no. I really haven't seen any reviews on that board, so I don't know. Typically, Asus is pretty good (save their slow-ass website), but I read around a little. The the nForce 680i motherboards might be an option if they're available to you. However, they are high-end chipsets, much like the i975X. There's no motherboard that has no problems. Reading up on it around the web will give you a feel for what are the major issues, how the board acts and what components work best with it. Specifically, I'm talking about the RAM, but there may be some other issues you'll want to be familiar with. This is with any board, not just because I'm unsure.
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29-11-2006, 08:40 AM
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Big Geek
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Yes, it seems like that more expensive Asus board is a better pick for me anyway, since the other one 'only' supports DDR2 Ram up to speeds of 667Mhz, and I want to pick Ram with a higher speed (800Mhz), either now or later.
That's at least one catch I found. Plus it has integrated WIFI, which is always nice, since I'm running a Wireless home network.
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