PC Gaming Rigs

[Vodstok]

Okay, this is more for the hardcore PC Game nerds around here. Console players, feel free to start your own threads. This is for the Elite :D

Okay, for starters, is anyoneplanning on getting a new rig this year, to be able to play the newer titles like Bioshock and Crysis? I am thinking about it. Thje key for me is to not annoy my wife with it since she accidentally planted the seed last night that we may be able to make out lives easier by buying laptops ($3000 budget, and she just wants something for music and photo editing.... drool.)

so i looekd this morning, and found an alienware system that covers all of my bases. Would i get it if i won the lottery? Of course not, but for a 2 thousand dollar budget, it is a beauty:
here are the specs from my shopping cart (wishlist....):

[1] Area-51® m5750

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5600 1.83GHz 2MB Cache 667MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 - Free Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium! - Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Display: Alienware® m5750 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 512MB
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 120GB Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 5,400 RPM w/ 8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB ATI Mobility™ Radeon® X1800
Sound Card: Intel® 7.1 High-Definition Audio
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® PRO Wireless 3945 a/b/g Mini-Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Alienware Mouse Pad: Alienware® Mousepad

[newb]

Waiting for Vista to come out. My budget is about 1,500 for just the computer....no monitor needed.Tell me what I need Vod and if that will cover it.I'm a bit rusty as far as buying a computer and what I need to run the newer games. Its been about 3 years since I bought one.Been mostly into console games lately.

[Vodstok]

why certainly! :)

I will look around and see what kind of specs will be needed for the biggies coming out (i bet my top 3 will provide a good across-the-board standard), and will probably smoke on anything older.

to be continued....

Actually, do you have speakers, mouse, keyboard, etc and are just looking for a new tower? that would change things a bit... Also, how much stoprage are you looking for? Aside from that, i will look into performance vs cost for the rest.

AND, are you looking to have one built for you, or are you looking to get the parts and build it yourself (or get a friend to)?

[noctuary]

Vod - Just a word of advice for you: avoid Alienware. They are now owned by Dell, and I think everyone knows about Dell's use of substandard components. If you have the know-how (and seriously, it's not all that hard) I would highly recommend building your own rig. I've been doing it for my last two PCs, and I've never had any problems. If you do choose to build it yourself, you can save a TON of money, and have a better system overall.

My current specs (two year old system):
ASUS motherboard with AMD 3000+ processor at 2.2 gHz
Crucial RAM 1.5 GB
Western Digital Hard Drive 120 GB
ATI Radeon x1300 256 MB video card

For the next gen of games, you WILL need more RAM than is listed in your setup. I'd recommend at least 2 GB. Technically, you may be able to run new games on less, but the results likely wouldn't be pretty.

Oh, and yes, I'm planning to start work on a new system this year.

[The Mothman]

Okay, this is more for the hardcore PC Game nerds around here. This is for the Elite :D



that would be me:D

I got an okay Rig right now. Its got a GeForce 6800 in it, it runs stuff pretty well, im probably gonna stick with this for a while. IDK if its gonna be able to run crysis though.


Vodstok, do you still play Half Life 2 DM? I got it working again.

[Vodstok]

Okay, Alienware has a nice system for under $1500:
http://alienware.com/Configurator_Pages/area-51_5500_r5.aspx?SysCode=PC-AREA51-5500-R5&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT

if you remove the LCD screen monitor option, the price drops to $1469. I had an alienware for 5 years and loved it, i would go with them again in a heartbeat (and i plan to)

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Playing games with a keyboard and mouse... how primitive. ;)

[Vodstok]

Playing games with a few buttons and a little joystick, how childish ;)

i think that was how the australopithecus played games... with sticks.... :)

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Playing games with a few buttons and a little joystick, how childish ;)

i think that was how the australopithecus played games... with sticks.... :)

The best games in the world are played with sticks.

I used to have the high score in "Beat vodstok with a stick"

[Vodstok]

:p no one puts baby in the corner, and no one beats vod with a stick.

Anyway, Dell lets you comer in way under budget:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DXCWNF1&s=dhs
\
I was able to configure a super fast machine for $1289

Be cautious with the big names though, a lot of times they use proprietary hardware, so rather than upgrading at a later date, you have to buy a whole new PC.


Stay away from Compaq, in my experience they are crap.

In my travels so far, i have found that most (if not all) companies that build computers these days are making them Vista capable, AND offering free upgrades from Xp to Vista, which is HUGE.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

:p no one puts baby in the corner, and no one beats vod with a stick.

Anyway, Dell lets you comer in way under budget:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DXCWNF1&s=dhs
\
I was able to configure a super fast machine for $1289

Be cautious with the big names though, a lot of times they use proprietary hardware, so rather than upgrading at a later date, you have to buy a whole new PC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQqjqfA6G34

[Vodstok]

gateway looks pretty good too, but their site's interface sucks. Dell and Alienware are the easiest to use so far.

[Vodstok]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQqjqfA6G34

HAHA!

See? how many people get to play with themsleves to an Xbox or Wii? PCs beat the snot out of anything else.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

HAHA!

See? how many people get to play with themsleves to an Xbox or Wii? PCs beat the snot out of anything else.

http://sam.zoy.org/blog/20061217-wiibrator.png
http://www.dansblog.com/uploaded_images/Ron%20Jeremy%20Super%20Mario4-717393.jpg


I just wanted an excuse to post that Ron Jeremy picture.

[Spec7ral]

ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ATX S939 NFORCE4 SLI DDR 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E 3PCI SATA RAID Sound GBLAN Motherboard

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2Ghz 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box

EVGA E-GEFORCE 6800GT 256M PCI-E DVI TV-OUT Video Card *Lifetime MFR Warranty*

WESTERN DIGITAL RAPTOR 36GB SATA 10000RPM 8MB 5.2MS HARD DRIVE 5YEARS MFR WARRANTY

WESTERN DIGITAL RAPTOR 36GB SATA 10000RPM 8MB 5.2MS HARD DRIVE 5YEARS MFR WARRANTY

MAXTOR DiamondMax 10 200GB SATA 7200RPM 16MB 9MS FDB RoHS HARD DRIVE 3YEARS MFR WARRANTY

OCZ EL Platinum PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL2-3-2-5 184PIN Pin Dual Channel Memory Kit /W Ramsink

THERMALTAKE VA8000 ARMOR SUPER TOWER CASE BLACK 10X5.25 2X3.5 6X3.5INT W/ WINDOW

Antec True Control 2.0 550W ATX12V V2.0 Power Supply W/ Control Panel & 120MM Fan

that's my rig. its a year old now. i dunno about running any new games but it runs FEAR, Q4, BF2 etc... great. all i have to do is just pull out the 6800 at some point and slap in a couple new vid cards to bring it back up to snuff when needed.

[Vodstok]

I started doing some homework on the system i was eyeballing and it seems the video card doesnt support directx10. may require some reconsidering...

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I started doing some homework on the system i was eyeballing and it seems the video card doesnt support directx10. may require some reconsidering...

Don't worry, Vodstok. I went and found you a rig that will run everything under the sun.

http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061116/061116_xbox_hmed_8p.hmedium.jpg

[ManchestrMorgue]

I started doing some homework on the system i was eyeballing and it seems the video card doesnt support directx10. may require some reconsidering...

Aren't the 8800 gtx/gts the only DirectX 10 cards available at the moment? Although ATI's offering is coming soon.

[Geddy]

I'm going to be getting a pc soon.I already have one now but it can't play very many games,so I wanna get a new one.I'm no good with computers though so can someone maybe point me in the right direction.I wanna be able to play games like bioshock,and crysis and ones like that,and go on the internet to,without lagging.Any good ones,and what would they cost?Thanks.

[Despare]

One computer builder told me that while the Duo was better for multitasking it wasn't as good as a single hyperthreading processor for games.
*shrug*

[Phalanx]

I never really buy top of the range...of course, I never have quite the fastest/best pc...I'm more the kind've guy that buys an upgrade or two only when a couple or more games I really want won't play, or something fucks up. Still being mainly a student, a gaming monster just isn't a viable option to me.
Although, I have to say that as nice a pc as 3G would throw together, I'm not sure I'd spend that much, simply because in a matter of a couple of months, what you spend 3 on, is now worth 2, likewise if you were to wait a little while, even though there WOULD be better pc's out by then, you'd essentially get it cheaper. In terms of graphics cards, the ball rolls even faster.
I'd only personally go up to about $1500AUD...but that (here) would buy a pretty damn good pc that would play anything on the market pretty much flawlessly...yes of course if I wanted to have the extreme highest of the high graphics/sound settings, I could spend more, but really...if a game doesn't run good enough generally I just wait for my next upgrade. $1G would suit me fine. I'm trying to work it so that I buy a new pc (or yknow massive upgrades) per year at this point...I don't mind being a little bit behind with certain titles, it's just my situation, and I'm cool with it...when I think about it, I don't mind at all, since when I DO get around to upgrading, then I have all the games I was unable to run last time lined up at cheaper prices, minus the hype...I can be truly selective, buy more games, and yeah, they'll pretty much run flawlessly by the time I get around to them.
Why, just now I can run quake 1 like a dream JK hAHahAhaHAHa....HL2 and call of duty era stuff runs ok, but that's pretty much as far as it goes.

[Geddy]

I decided not to buy a new computer,cos I wanna build one.Does anyone know what the specs will be for bioshock?

[Phalanx]

If you're building from the ground up, looks like at this point one of the better graphics cards, and quite a bit of memory...those are the primary things when it comes to games. Memory upgrades are pretty cheap, graphics cards not so much so...I wouldn't ever reccomend getting THE best one (for reasons I stated in the post above yours) but for THAT game, sure looks like you'll need one of the better ones.

[newb]

Aren't the 8800 gtx/gts the only DirectX 10 cards available at the moment? Although ATI's offering is coming soon.

I believe that is correct. And at a very steep cost.About $599/$459

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I believe that is correct. And at a very steep cost.About $599/$459

:eek:

pure insanity.

wait until these new games come out before spending that much money... They might just be pretty games that aren't fun at all. :) Besides they're bound to come out with a bunch of cards in all price ranges that can play the game.

[ManicOne]

I'm a complete hardware/gaming whore, so dropping money on upgrades is a fairly regular event. Bioshock is being made by the creators of System Shock, one of the greatest games of all time, so that one should be in the fairly safe basket. As for Crysis, the level of interactivity (everything destructible) promises to revolutionise gaming. You can actually re-enact the famous Predator minigun tree destruction scene!

Geddy: the specs for Bioshock will be pretty high. Basically X360 equivalent (X1900/7900s up) to make it run in full glory. A good dualcore cpu as well as 2gigs (or more if Vista-ing) of ram would definitely help too.

[Geddy]

Here's what I plan on getting
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6400
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2x512MB DDR2 667
GFX: eVGA 8800GTS
PSU: Sunbeam NUUO 550w SLI
Case: Gigabyte 3D Aurora
HDD: Western Digital 320GB SATA II
Optix: NEC 7170A
Monitor:Acer AL1917WAbd Black 19" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 I

[newb]

Here's what I plan on getting
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6400
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2x512MB DDR2 667
GFX: eVGA 8800GTS
PSU: Sunbeam NUUO 550w SLI
Case: Gigabyte 3D Aurora
HDD: Western Digital 320GB SATA II
Optix: NEC 7170A
Monitor:Acer AL1917WAbd Black 19" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 I

Done any number crunching?...whats it gonna cost you?

Wouldn't it be worth it to spend the x-tra $150 on the GTX card. The GTS is suppose to be 20% slower.

[urgeok]

my computer is for communications, information and, aahhh - acumulation.

even if i did still play games i far prefer the idea of an x-box or playstation rather than shit up my computer with some resource grubbing program.

i used to think otherwise ... but once you have a gaming system ...
naw .. leave my PC alone.

[Geddy]

Done any number crunching?...whats it gonna cost you?

Wouldn't it be worth it to spend the x-tra $150 on the GTX card. The GTS is suppose to be 20% slower.

It's gonna cost me $1673.77.I guess I will ge t the gtx.Thanks.

[Spec7ral]

if you get an SLI mobo you can run dual vid cards, 4 sticks or ram etc.. and pull and plug new components later on pretty easily. i would reccomend buying an nice mobo and processor and then spending just what youll need to run the games smooth as far as vid card and ram is concerned.then you can just add onto them later on if needed i know when i got mine the double raptors was a big reccomendation by the guy who helped me build mine, they run faster as a pair. dunno if that helps at all.

[Vodstok]

After talking it over with my wife, we determined there was no real need for us to get laptops. I will be getting ashiny new dell, and i will be refurbing my box for her (instal windows media edition, add a new fan, wipe the hard drives)

here is the dell's specs:
XPS 410 Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6400 (2MB L2 Cache,2.13GHz,1066 FSB)
Operating System Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition with re-installation CD
Memory 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs
Keyboard Dell USB Keyboard
Monitor 19 inch E197FP Analog Flat Panel
Video Card 256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro
Hard Drive 250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Floppy Drive and Media Reader No Floppy Drive Included
Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable
Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Speakers Dell AS501PA 10W Flat Panel Attached Spkrs for Analog Flat Panels
Office Software (not included in Windows XP) No productivity suite- Includes Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
Security Software Norton Internet Security™ 2006 Edition 15-months
Warranty and Service 1Yr Ltd Warranty and At-Home Service
Internet Access Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
Upgrade to Windows Vista Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium from XP Media Center Edition
Dell Digital Entertainment Trial pack- Basic and trial products from Corel and Yahoo
Labels Windows Vista™ Capable


Might have to wait for some directx10 cards, but after doing some homework, it looks like bioshock and hellgate:london will run with dx 9 cards, and i will be buying a second radeon x1300 and running them with crossfire, wich is essentially ATI's version of SLI. This wil be a monster gaming rig, and then both me and the wife will have 19" lcd monitors :)

I can not WAIT!

[urgeok]

NERDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/Lucky17_photos/yeah.jpg

[ManchestrMorgue]

My rig:

Core2Duo E6600
Asus P5B Deluxe mobo
2 gigs Geil Ultra 800mhz RAM 4-4-4-12
8800GTX
Soundblaster Audigy2
Thermaltake Armor case
Thermaltake Toughpower 750W PSU
Razer Copperhead mouse
Microsoft ergonomic 4000 keyboard

[Vodstok]

8800GTX? Didi you sdeel your first born?


Nice rig, btw. I am not that ambitious. if i win the lottery though, i am getting an ALX system from alienware....

[ShankS]

8800GTX? Didi you sdeel your first born?


if i win the lottery though, i am getting an ALX system from alienware....

no no no don't get from them, get this...

- Intel Core 2 Quadro Extreme QX6700 2.66GHz processor
- Intel Approved Cooler
- EVGA 680 nForce SLi (Socket LGA775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
- Corsair 2GB PC2-8500 1066MHz (2x1GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit
- 2 x Western Digital RaptorX 150GB 16MB cache SATA Hard Drives configured in RAID 0
- GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 AVIVO HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) (SLI Configured)
- GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 AVIVO HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) (SLI Configured)
- NEC 7170A 18x DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black)
- Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS Sound Card
- Sony Black Floppy Drive
- Antec NINE HUNDRED Gamers ATX Case (200mm fan)
- Enermax Galaxy 1000W Next Generation ATX PSU

for just $6,896.98 :D

[Vodstok]

no no no don't get from them, get this...

- Intel Core 2 Quadro Extreme QX6700 2.66GHz processor
- Intel Approved Cooler
- EVGA 680 nForce SLi (Socket LGA775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
- Corsair 2GB PC2-8500 1066MHz (2x1GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit
- 2 x Western Digital RaptorX 150GB 16MB cache SATA Hard Drives configured in RAID 0
- GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 AVIVO HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) (SLI Configured)
- GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 AVIVO HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) (SLI Configured)
- NEC 7170A 18x DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black)
- Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS Sound Card
- Sony Black Floppy Drive
- Antec NINE HUNDRED Gamers ATX Case (200mm fan)
- Enermax Galaxy 1000W Next Generation ATX PSU

for just $6,896.98 :D

Nice but it doesnt come with the chilled-liquid cooling system, to make sure everything runs ice cold :)

Alienware has my loyalty, i had a grey that lasted me for years, and i beat the shit out of that poor thing.

[ShankS]

Nice but it doesnt come with the chilled-liquid cooling system, to make sure everything runs ice cold :)



For a little bit more, it can do my friend :)


One thing that bothers me with these higher end systems, is the 1000w power supply. Playing HL2, Crysis etc for a few hours would be like leaving the iron on for ages. The dual cores and sli graphics cards would draw loads of power. Think of the electricity bill! :eek:

[Vodstok]

For a little bit more, it can do my friend :)


One thing that bothers me with these higher end systems, is the 1000w power supply. Playing HL2, Crysis etc for a few hours would be like leaving the iron on for ages. The dual cores and sli graphics cards would draw loads of power. Think of the electricity bill! :eek:

Believe it or not though, i was readin this weekend that the dual core systems are actually a bit more energy efficient, at least the processor is. Im sure it is relative, but it beats having 2 actual procs.



Its getting to the point that you need to make a gaming/media pc and use it for all of your needs so that you dont go poor just playing with it. Of course, the peopel that can afford a $7000 system can usually foot a few extra hundred a month in power bills.

[ManchestrMorgue]

Believe it or not though, i was readin this weekend that the dual core systems are actually a bit more energy efficient, at least the processor is. Im sure it is relative, but it beats having 2 actual procs.



Yeah it's true. My C2D idles at about 33-35 degrees C. And that is just with the stock intel cooler.

I do have a big case with good airflow, but on the other hand there is the graphics card sitting not too far away, and it generates a fair amount of heat.