MaDPaT January 14, 2007 Share MaDPaT Member January 14, 2007 I like playing ut2004. I get killed about as much as I kill normal players. Advanced players like bushwack, flitter, and Ebits my kill/ be killed falls significantly. I feel my system is limiting me. These are good players, but I feel simetimes I am moving in slow motion during gaming and not because of ping. I currently have a 5 year old pentium 4 2.4 ghz system. I upgraded the video card to NVidea 6200 and ram and notices improvements, but system is agp. Cannot use the agp Nvidea 7800gs due to 400 watt requirement my system only 250 watt. Not cost effective to upgrade card, powersource, etc. Time to buy a new computer. There are alot of gaming machines out there like gateway (fx530) , dell (xps710), and velocity micro (velocity raptor), but I am confused on some of the different system aspects. (I will also get a new monitor with first two 20"vs24" wides screen) Larger monitor means larger things to aim and shoot at. I know direct X10 graphic will be in future gaming systems and NVidea newest graphics cards are well suited. I wonder about the radeon 1950x crossfire. From what I have read, it cannot do x10 graphics but is comparible to Nvidea 8800gtx. The radeon had better benchmarks than the Nvidea. Can this graphics card work with games like ut2007 without X10 graphics? Also, some chips can be overclocked. Dell can take a x6800 chip and factory overclock to 3.47 Ghz. What are the real benefits? Making something work harder I feel not good. Higher heat and more power consumption required? Lastly, dual whatever. Dual graphics cards and dual processors? I know 2 are better than one when software designed for dual chips but should I stick with one card for graphics? I remember reading about a quad 2.93 Ghx system for 710 xps for only about $700 dollars more. Quad means 4 processor chips? I do not see software developers developing software to single, dual, and quad processors soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln6 January 14, 2007 Share Lincoln6 Member January 14, 2007 Hey buddy whats up. For starters I don't believe you are using a 250 what PS in that thing. Anyway, since you are going bigger on monitor also I would suggest looking around until you find the best deal. Shelf PC's can suprise you but i think I would go build on this one. There are several places to look at, New Egg, Tigerdirect, Zip Zoom Fly, and so on. You can even get a few idea's and then look at Price Watch to see how they fare in what you are looking for. To basics, I would look into at least a dual core CPU. If you go AMD start with the an AM2 socket with maybe a 4200 dual core--- http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...&CatId=2320 Not to mention it is SLI ready for when your ready. Oh and pay no attention to Wentz telling you to stay away from tigerdirect. You have to take into cosideration tha AMD has purchased ATI so you might want to keep an eye out for new video cards to come from them. Word is that they are working on some amazing stuff due out soon. Power is a key factor in my opinion, ergo---the more the better This is pretty nice and I like the power distribution it has---http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1273341&CatId=1483 Make sure you get a dependible HDD. The Raptor drives are nice but still a little pricey.--http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2368632&CatId=0 Video cards are coming down in price which is nice. You can get aN Nvidea 7950gtOc for about 280 now. My older brother just bought one and gets between 150 and 200 fps in Counter-Strike but averages about 125 all around. Got it for about $280. Anyway, something to think about, remember if you are looking at Dell and Gateway or whatever just remember where you stand without a Vid card, you always will have to upgrade there. You got it about right though, figure on about $700 to $800 for a good system. Hope I helped. Just did a fresh format, guess I'm gonna have to reload UT, pretty rusty though, will probably be doing a lot of dying-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tek-Almighty January 15, 2007 Share Tek-Almighty Member January 15, 2007 Ummm...the 1950 XTX gets spanked by the 8800 GTX...which is the ONLY DX10 compatible GPU out there now (and it's little brother the 8800GTS). If I were you, and you are on limited budget, I would build a ground up system... Check the new issue of MaximumPC magazine. They build a next gen gaming rig (with a 8800GTS) for $1500... If you can, tough it out until ATI launches their DX10 stuff, B/C prices will go down...What you can build today for $1500, you will be able to build for $1100 in 3 months. I would suggest a middle of the road Core 2 duo (they overclock like crazy and beat the AMD's), 600W PSU (Antec is good and usually cheap), 2 GB DDR2, 400GB western Digital 16mb buffer 7200rpm SATA hard drive, Asus or eVGA motherboard, and a DX10 compatible ATI or equivalent nVidia graphics card. Check the hardware forum, b/c there have been a lot of recent discussion of graphics cards for the money. check this link to see the 8800GTX stomp on all kinds of other cards (esp. at high resolutions) http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/391/18/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaDPaT January 15, 2007 Author Share MaDPaT Member January 15, 2007 Unfortunately, I am a computer user and not a computer builder. I have no experience beyond putting in additional ram into a computer. Opening the chassis scares the hell out of me. I will wait to see how the future graphics cards start to appear. I am leaning toward the dell xps for around $4000 with Quad core 2.66 Ghz, 8800 gtx, 2 mg ram, and 1 kilowatt of power. Surprise that their normal $4000 system gets only 750 watt but $2000 model customized to $4000 gets you a 1 kilowatt. Only one less year in warranty. Warranty increase costs less then price of better power source. Go figure? Thanks for info. You did give me alot to think about guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flitterkill January 15, 2007 Share Flitterkill GC Board Member January 15, 2007 You realise after what you just said, GC members who *do* build on the side will be assaulting you for the opportunity to build you your dream machine for a hell of a lot less than four large. Just sayin... -Fk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 15, 2007 Share dragonfly Member January 15, 2007 MadPat! Always a pleasure to frag you in 2k4 Flitter has a very valid point. Dont throw your money away! I used to be afraid of openning my case too, but it's not that scary anymore. I built my first pc ever this fall, so i know how you feel a bit. All you need to do is do a little reading about compatability, and building instructions and you can save yourself $2000 off of that $4000 machine! I'm not much of an overclocker, but I put my s939 X2 4200 to 4.2 ghz right away, no troubles at all. Rock solid. I have a 7900gtx, and you can use it for 2k7 w/ dx9, but why bother when you can get the 8800 and dx10? Like already stated, wait a little bit longer and ati will put something out that will blow the 8800 out of the water. For building the computer, each part comes with its own instructions, adn if you really get stuck, just google it. All answers to anythign are online. Once you build,you'll never buy a built system again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon_Fodder January 15, 2007 Share Cannon_Fodder Member January 15, 2007 The hard part with building a scratch PC is not the physical building and connecting especially in these days of Windows XP. The hard part is all of the decisions on what's compatible with what, and what's the best bang for the buck, etc... Fortunately, I've got several good friends that live and breath this stuff. I often wait to see what they do and when the dust settles just duplicate their systems. I suspect there is that kind of expertise floating around on GC... Personally, I favor NewEgg for components followed by Mwave. Tiger Direct is OK but it's saying something that I get little from them even though they have a direct outlet about 40 minutes away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leveller January 16, 2007 Share Leveller Member January 16, 2007 (edited) If you do want to buy "built", Alienware have a deal on for PCGamer readers, very nearly the exact spec of the Dell you have above (with the 1KW power supply comes out to about $3500): Alienware PCG Edited January 16, 2007 by Leveller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaftiel January 16, 2007 Share shaftiel Member January 16, 2007 (edited) I don't know alot about building computers, but I gave it a try about 5 months ago, and I couldn't have made a better choice. I was able to create a system that normaly would have cost around 2400 to buy, for only 1580. I searched the web and found sales, used instant rebates and bought components from Mwave, Newegg, PCclub (ick, but had the best price on a sale), Best Buy (same reason as PCclub), anywhere that I could reasonably trust that had the best price. I also tried to buy most items from somewhere I could go pick it up. Shipping is a hidden cost that can build up to a substantial amount. Took me about 3 weeks to get all the buying done. Saved around 900 over buying it pre-packaged. Time well spent. I was really worried when it came down to building the system. One thing that I messed up on was posting the motherboard. Didn't know I need to do that. Luckaly I followed the directions and didn't over tighten the screws, so no damage was done (Thank Goodness). The directions are soo easy I was done in about 40 minutes. Up and running without a hitch. I would suggest trying to build it yourself. You will save lots of money, you will know your machine inside and out, and have the pride of a job well done. e6600 Core 2 Duo Nvidia 7950 1 gig 2 gig Kingston HyperX Dual Channel Kit 19" LCD monitor Asus P5N32-SLI PRE/WIFI-AP Centurion 5 mid tower (kinda tight in this case, need to get a bigger one when I get the Nvidia 8800) DVD Dual Double layer rewritable drive Apex 600w powersupply Sata 250 gig 16 meg 7200 hard drive 120 gig backup drive Saitek illuminated keyboard Some sorta gaming mouse.. forget what it is exactly Assorted other things.... lights, fans * Most of the items above have come down in cost... so I could probably get this same setup for even less now. Ah well Shaftiel Edited January 16, 2007 by shaftiel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tek-Almighty January 16, 2007 Share Tek-Almighty Member January 16, 2007 Unfortunately, I am a computer user and not a computer builder. I have no experience beyond putting in additional ram into a computer. Opening the chassis scares the hell out of me. I will wait to see how the future graphics cards start to appear. I am leaning toward the dell xps for around $4000 with Quad core 2.66 Ghz, 8800 gtx, 2 mg ram, and 1 kilowatt of power. Surprise that their normal $4000 system gets only 750 watt but $2000 model customized to $4000 gets you a 1 kilowatt. Only one less year in warranty. Warranty increase costs less then price of better power source. Go figure? Thanks for info. You did give me alot to think about guys. Come to FF early with all your new hardware/software, and we will build it on the spot and having in running like a greased kitten on crack in 4 hours... Given enough beer, I could shorten that to 2 hours... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaDPaT January 18, 2007 Author Share MaDPaT Member January 18, 2007 If you do want to buy "built", Alienware have a deal on for PCGamer readers, very nearly the exact spec of the Dell you have above (with the 1KW power supply comes out to about $3500): Alienware PCG Does that Alien setup include a 20" monitor. I figure a slightly bigger monitor will make flitter, bushwack, etc a little bigger for my long range attacks. (I dodge about as well as a monkey with one foot nailed to ground.) Unfortunately, I am a computer user and not a computer builder. I have no experience beyond putting in additional ram into a computer. Opening the chassis scares the hell out of me. I will wait to see how the future graphics cards start to appear. I am leaning toward the dell xps for around $4000 with Quad core 2.66 Ghz, 8800 gtx, 2 mg ram, and 1 kilowatt of power. Surprise that their normal $4000 system gets only 750 watt but $2000 model customized to $4000 gets you a 1 kilowatt. Only one less year in warranty. Warranty increase costs less then price of better power source. Go figure? Thanks for info. You did give me alot to think about guys. Come to FF early with all your new hardware/software, and we will build it on the spot and having in running like a greased kitten on crack in 4 hours... Given enough beer, I could shorten that to 2 hours... Where and what is FF? The hard part with building a scratch PC is not the physical building and connecting especially in these days of Windows XP. The hard part is all of the decisions on what's compatible with what, and what's the best bang for the buck, etc... Fortunately, I've got several good friends that live and breath this stuff. I often wait to see what they do and when the dust settles just duplicate their systems. I suspect there is that kind of expertise floating around on GC... Personally, I favor NewEgg for components followed by Mwave. Tiger Direct is OK but it's saying something that I get little from them even though they have a direct outlet about 40 minutes away. Nice to have experienced friends to learn from. Any forums or texts to help with pc building like " Computer building for dummies"? I am not that technically savy electronically and would need to justify the expense to build one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penty January 18, 2007 Share Penty Member January 18, 2007 (edited) try these guides at ArsTechnica http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/system-guide-200612.ars or these from ExtremeTech http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,1695,644478,00.asp Edited January 18, 2007 by Penty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 18, 2007 Share dragonfly Member January 18, 2007 I have a 24" widescreen, and to some degree the opponents are larger, but when you bump up the resolution it's not as large as you were expecting. And when you have 2million pixels to process, you have to have a good setup for it, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wentz January 18, 2007 Share Wentz Member January 18, 2007 (edited) doesn't matter how big bushwack is.. ever try to shoot a fat person that just drank 9 cups of coffee? Me neither, but that's pretty funny right Edited January 18, 2007 by Wentz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 18, 2007 Share dragonfly Member January 18, 2007 lol! I LOVE THAT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaDPaT January 19, 2007 Author Share MaDPaT Member January 19, 2007 try these guides at ArsTechnica http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/system-guide-200612.ars or these from ExtremeTech http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,1695,644478,00.asp I need a tech dictionary to understand it or a weekend. Nice sites nonetheless. I like the god rig. Unfortunately, at 12,000 a little high for me. The gaming rig is cheaper than my current system (5years old) cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 19, 2007 Share dragonfly Member January 19, 2007 (edited) "Quad processors are unheard of..." lol Hot Rod looks pretty good. Just upgrade taht a little bit and you're laughing! Edited January 19, 2007 by DarkArchon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaDPaT January 19, 2007 Author Share MaDPaT Member January 19, 2007 "Quad processors are unheard of..." lol Hot Rod looks pretty good. Just upgrade taht a little bit and you're laughing! THe hot rod rig. My mistake calling it the wrong name. I like the duo processors but wonder if I will be able to upgrade to a quad core with same hardware? I think I will build one. Have to get some more tech info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tek-Almighty January 20, 2007 Share Tek-Almighty Member January 20, 2007 MP...FF is FragFest in the great state of Ohio...or some such other country bumpkinville... Check the fragfest threads... Wait for another few mos. and you can buy some serious hardware for half of that $4000 the boutique builders want to charge you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 20, 2007 Share dragonfly Member January 20, 2007 "Quad processors are unheard of..." lol Hot Rod looks pretty good. Just upgrade taht a little bit and you're laughing! THe hot rod rig. My mistake calling it the wrong name. I like the duo processors but wonder if I will be able to upgrade to a quad core with same hardware? I think I will build one. Have to get some more tech info. Each mobo will have within its own specs as to whether or not it will support quad core. Just check the specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaDPaT January 21, 2007 Author Share MaDPaT Member January 21, 2007 "Quad processors are unheard of..." lol Hot Rod looks pretty good. Just upgrade taht a little bit and you're laughing! THe hot rod rig. My mistake calling it the wrong name. I like the duo processors but wonder if I will be able to upgrade to a quad core with same hardware? I think I will build one. Have to get some more tech info. Each mobo will have within its own specs as to whether or not it will support quad core. Just check the specs. I am looking at a mobo (motherboard) that has sli and can handle duo and quad core chips. Can handle two 8800 gts graphics but only use one to cut down on overall price. The system I got on line costs about 3600 but has really high end stuff. I can cut is down to about 2600 which is what I want to spend. No dual graphics or 24 in monitor. I will wait for ut2007 before I build. On another note, what case types are you choice in building. Small cases more compact but chance of cramping of equipment, etc. Large cases easier to build in but LARGE and tend to be frumpy looking. I do not necessarily want something that looks like a small fridge next to my desk. Thanks for input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 22, 2007 Share dragonfly Member January 22, 2007 (edited) I have a Thermaltake Armour (black, metal), and I like it a lot. Most hardcore gamers swear by their Cooler Master Stacker's though. Tt Armour CM Stacker Middle of the road and cheap XION 2 My roommate has a XION 2, and I just picked one up for $60 They're a decent case, nice and cheap, not too too cramped, and fairly sturdy. A full-size tower is pretty big. First time I saw mine I thought it was HUGE, but I got used to it right away, and could never go back. If you want lots of room and tonnes of expandability, go full-tower. If you want regularish sized, go mid. As far as mobo's, I got SLI but now realize that I dont really need it. You'll always be able to buy a card that can handle the games without going sli. On the flipside, it's pretty much impossible to find boards with all the nice features that DONT have sli! lol they're just gonna get you either way Either way, the tower wont go 'out of style', so you could always get that first if you're impatient like me lol Edited January 22, 2007 by DarkArchon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaDPaT January 22, 2007 Author Share MaDPaT Member January 22, 2007 I have a Thermaltake Armour (black, metal), and I like it a lot. Most hardcore gamers swear by their Cooler Master Stacker's though. Tt Armour CM Stacker Middle of the road and cheap XION 2 My roommate has a XION 2, and I just picked one up for $60 They're a decent case, nice and cheap, not too too cramped, and fairly sturdy. A full-size tower is pretty big. First time I saw mine I thought it was HUGE, but I got used to it right away, and could never go back. If you want lots of room and tonnes of expandability, go full-tower. If you want regularish sized, go mid. As far as mobo's, I got SLI but now realize that I dont really need it. You'll always be able to buy a card that can handle the games without going sli. On the flipside, it's pretty much impossible to find boards with all the nice features that DONT have sli! lol they're just gonna get you either way Either way, the tower wont go 'out of style', so you could always get that first if you're impatient like me lol I like the Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case. Not too expensive at 150. The xion looks a little small. The Thermaltake has better reviews. Thanks for your input on SLI mobo. The best features due seem to come with sli. I only want one graphics card. Like the option of a second at a later date and the option of including a quad core chip when price drops. The ram for the moberboard I am looking at is clocked at about 1000 mhz. If I am getting speed right. http://www.tweaktown.com/guides/1006/1/pag...tion/index.html This is the site I am looking at. System includes a 24 inch monitor that would help my photoshop work and give me a 20% increase in target size in Ut2004 over my current 19" monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 22, 2007 Share dragonfly Member January 22, 2007 I just looked at the cpu/ram/gup and... Others may have a different opinion, but I'd - go for an 8800gtx over a gts, change the processor to a 6600 (cheaper, same cache) - get a Thermaltake Big Typhoon over the Fatal1ty HS - get an Enermax Galaxy PSU (1000 watt) :D - get some good ol' ddr2-800 ram That's the sweet mobo though fo sho And yeah, the XION is just your run-of-the-mill size case. I like the bigger ones and with the price of the Armour you cant go wrong! If you're going to be moving it lots, get the silver one though. The black one weighs lots since it's steel. 24" widescreen is a nice thing for sure. It's the exact one (dell) that i have. I love it. It definitely increased my accuracy ingame when i switched from my 19" NEC. However, you run at high resolutions then, so things seem smaller again. I guess technically they're about the same size, but there's more to fit on the screen (sort of). I run games at 1680x1050 resolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaDPaT January 22, 2007 Author Share MaDPaT Member January 22, 2007 I just looked at the cpu/ram/gup and... Others may have a different opinion, but I'd - go for an 8800gtx over a gts, change the processor to a 6600 (cheaper, same cache) - get a Thermaltake Big Typhoon over the Fatal1ty HS - get an Enermax Galaxy PSU (1000 watt) :D - get some good ol' ddr2-800 ram That's the sweet mobo though fo sho And yeah, the XION is just your run-of-the-mill size case. I like the bigger ones and with the price of the Armour you cant go wrong! If you're going to be moving it lots, get the silver one though. The black one weighs lots since it's steel. 24" widescreen is a nice thing for sure. It's the exact one (dell) that i have. I love it. It definitely increased my accuracy ingame when i switched from my 19" NEC. However, you run at high resolutions then, so things seem smaller again. I guess technically they're about the same size, but there's more to fit on the screen (sort of). I run games at 1680x1050 resolution. I agree with power source. Power consumption is on the rise and to increase longevity I would like a 1000 watt ps. I was looking to initially to upgrade to 770 watt ps. The 6600 is I believe 2.16 ghz. I could be wrong. My current system and software runs on 2.4 ghz. Dual core won't help with software made to use one chip. If 6600 is 2.4 ghz I will not mind. Will have same performance with my older software. I will take your word on cpu fan. For longevity, would not ram ddr2-1066 ram be better than ddr2-800? Alot to think about but have time. Ut2007 is not scheduled to arrive until about June. Will have to struggle by with my 2.4 ghz and NVidea 6200 oc graphics card. Look forward to seeing you on Nepenthe & SCK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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