Gaming/PC Setups

[Stu]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

A little embarrassed after seeing Kash's rig but here's what I ended up going with. Just placed the order today:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P
SAPPHIRE 100243-1GTXSR Radeon HD 4870 1GB
G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA
Rosewill Wind Ryder RZLS142A-P BK

Priced out at about $675. Newegg has a great deal right now on the 1GB Sapphire Radeon Toxic edition for $220.

[Phobia]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

A little embarrassed after seeing Kash's rig but here's what I ended up going with. Just placed the order today:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P
SAPPHIRE 100243-1GTXSR Radeon HD 4870 1GB
G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA
Rosewill Wind Ryder RZLS142A-P BK

Priced out at about $675. Newegg has a great deal right now on the 1GB Sapphire Radeon Toxic edition for $220.

Can I ask why you went with a dual core and not a quad? The quads are pretty cheap right now

[fistofrage]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

I have a question about the i7. They have the 2.66 version whhcih is about $300 less than the 2.93 ghz version.

So my question is would I be better off getting a 2.66ghz i-7 vs. a faster intel quad core or duo core processor or an AMD Phenom II?

How much difference is there really between the 2.66 and the 2.93 i-7's.

Looking for a fast gaming computer that can handle Empire Total War on highest settings and won't get outdated quickly while still staying relatively inexpensive.

[Stu]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

Can I ask why you went with a dual core and not a quad? The quads are pretty cheap right now

I'm no expert but the two main reasons were the higher clock speed and the fact that most games don't use quads yet. I was torn (and still am) between the e8500 and the q6600. I might still decide to exchange them since the q6600 is only $10 more.

[eDotd]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

Should've just got the Q6600 and OC'd it.

fistof, if your just looking to game then you'll be fine with that. If you have the money then I'd say get the 2.93, but i doubt you will see a quantum leap in fps. What video card do you have?

Not entirely sure on this one but I think the Phenom II basically matches an OC'd 920 in terms of peformance. There are some games that are just intel friendly though (such as Far Cry 2). An OC'd 920 destroys FC2 on max. There was a comparison between the 920, 940, and Phenom II I was reading a while ago, I'll see if I can find it.

[fistofrage]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

Should've just got the Q6600 and OC'd it.

fistof, if your just looking to game then you'll be fine with that. If you have the money then I'd say get the 2.93, but i doubt you will see a quantum leap in fps. What video card do you have?

Not entirely sure on this one but I think the Phenom II basically matches an OC'd 920 in terms of peformance. There are some games that are just intel friendly though (such as Far Cry 2). An OC'd 920 destroys FC2 on max. There was a comparison between the 920, 940, and Phenom II I was reading a while ago, I'll see if I can find it.

I'm looking at getting at minimum a 9800 GTX+ 1GB card and at most the 260.

Any good recommendations for a 24"+ Monitor. What resolution should I be looking to buy. I also want to use this for my Blu-Ray player?

Is Cyberpower a pretty good website to buy a system from?

[Stu]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

Should've just got the Q6600 and OC'd it.

I've never actually OC'd. I know it's supposed to be extremely easy with current components but wouldn't really know where to start.

[Kashanova]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

A little embarrassed after seeing Kash's rig but here's what I ended up going with. Just placed the order today:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P
SAPPHIRE 100243-1GTXSR Radeon HD 4870 1GB
G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA
Rosewill Wind Ryder RZLS142A-P BK

Priced out at about $675. Newegg has a great deal right now on the 1GB Sapphire Radeon Toxic edition for $220.

Actually the rig you have is pretty good I love your mobo, If i were you see if you could talk with new egg try to swap your dual for a quad and your set, Also your video card is pretty solid the toxic edition from Sapphire has a really nice cooling system for the card which keeps it cooler than most of the 4870's

[Kashanova]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

I'm looking at getting at minimum a 9800 GTX+ 1GB card and at most the 260.

Any good recommendations for a 24"+ Monitor. What resolution should I be looking to buy. I also want to use this for my Blu-Ray player?

Is Cyberpower a pretty good website to buy a system from?

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-7345#reviews

[Kashanova]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

also camulos is your case big enough to take a Toxic editon 4870? Those cards are pretty big, if it does down the line crossfire those cards 2gb GDDR5

[fistofrage]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...0-7345#reviews

Thanks man.

If I get the TV Tuner add-on to my computer, I can also watch TV through this correct?

I was thinking of getting a bluray player add-on to the computer so I'd be all set to watch Blu-ray movies as well correct?

[fistofrage]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

This is the rig I am considering ordering.....What are yor thoughts. $1400 delivered.


CASE: CoolerMaster Centurion 590 RC-590 Mid-Tower 420W Case
Neon Light Upgrade: NONE
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: 800 Watts Power Supplies (CyberPowerPC XF800S Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
COOLING FAN : Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) GigaByte GA-EX58-UD4P Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Ultra Durable™3 Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA, Dual GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394a, & 7.1Audio
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Triple Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
FREEBIES: None
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX260 CORE 216 896MB 16X PCI Express (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO CARD 2: NONE
VIDEO CARD 3: NONE
MULTIPLE VIDEO CARD SETTINGS: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
LCD Monitor: NONE
2nd Monitor: NONE
HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: NONE
USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE
Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: Sony Optiarc BR-5100S 2X Blu-Ray Player (Black Color)
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
MODEM: NONE
KEYBOARD: Logitech Deluxe 250 USB Keyboard (Black Color)
MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
Extra Thermal Display : NONE
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE
Flash Media Reader/Writer: None
Cable Wiring: None
Rounded Cable: None
VIDEO CAMERA: NONE
PRINTER: None
PRINTER CABLE: None
IEEE CARD: NONE
USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
FLOPPY: NONE
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
FREEBIES: None
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: TV Tuner with FM Stereo + Remote Control (watch and record TV on your PC)
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
RUSH SERVICE: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

Take a look at this right here for anyone that needs ideas

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewf...0c4b21bce4ef29

Dude...this is sick:
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewt...p?f=28&t=10163

[Stu]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

Actually the rig you have is pretty good I love your mobo, If i were you see if you could talk with new egg try to swap your dual for a quad and your set, Also your video card is pretty solid the toxic edition from Sapphire has a really nice cooling system for the card which keeps it cooler than most of the 4870's

I'm still on the fence with the quad. As I mentioned earlier I don't have much experience with overclocking. The higher clock speed is more important than the extra cores since I don't do much multitasking or use any apps that require a quad. I also think by the time games start taking advantage of quads, I'll be ready to upgrade again. I guess my question is, why get a quad if I don't use anything that takes advantage of it?

also camulos is your case big enough to take a Toxic editon 4870? Those cards are pretty big, if it does down the line crossfire those cards 2gb GDDR5

I think so. I got the Rosewill Wind Ryder that Tom's Hardware recommended in their latest System Builder Marathon. Either way, it was a cheap case ($30) so I'm sure new egg will take an exchange if I can't fit the card. My current case never would have fit it.

[eDotd]

Re: Gaming/PC Setups

fistof..that's a solid rig. Only thing I would suggest (if your budget allows it) would be to invest in a VelociRaptor as a boot drive. I think the 150GB is ~150, 300GB ~250.

Nothing wrong with the drive you have now but I just like my boot drives to be very speedy. Not sure what you think but that's the only improvement I can think of, everything else looks good. Good luck bro.