buying a new PC

Tyguy

Tyguy

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alright.....i need to know what to get to get great performance in games like hl2 and battlefield 2.........

so I guess im just asking your opinions as to the best possible machine.....Im not looking to spend more than 3,000 on it either......

So, should I go with something like p4, 2.0 ghz, 160GB, over a gig of ram?

discuss
 
ya, but it was more than enough in '02 when i got the pc.....just didnt feel like upgrading :dozey: anyways.....what should I get for specs?
 
Man, if you're looking to spend around $3K the computer parts world is your oyster..
These days you'd be lookinga at an AMD FX-57 processor, 2 gigs of dual channel RAM, and a 7800gtx (the very top of the range vid card atm). THen you could still get an awesome case, a good LCD screen, and good cooling for all that stuff.
btw- hard-drive you should go SATA (of course!) and get a couple, to set up a RAID array- will work much much faster.

Even if your budget is around the $2K mark you'll be able to get something much better than what you suggested, provided you go to the right places.
 
If your going to build it urself u will spend way under 3 grand, but if ur lazy like me and want someone else to build it, i got my alienware for 3 grand, specs are listed below. I love this thing, im running hl2 at the Res that says LCD (i forgot what one it was exactly) and all the filtering and details to their max and the fps are always above like 80. but again, if u can make one urself u can save a lot of money.

click the link to see it along with my hl2 shrine :)
 
BrimStone04 said:
If your going to build it urself u will spend way under 3 grand, but if ur lazy like me and want someone else to build it, i got my alienware for 3 grand, specs are listed below. I love this thing, im running hl2 at the Res that says LCD (i forgot what one it was exactly) and all the filtering and details to their max and the fps are always above like 80. but again, if u can make one urself u can save a lot of money.

click the link to see it along with my hl2 shrine :)
Click to expand...

dude you got a sick setup, sick truck...

those are heavy :D

do you live in california?
 
I come to boards like this and the obsession with ultra-fast powerful "gaming rigs" (they are COMPUTERS, people) just frankly bewilders me. Why do you have to waste so much money on things like this?

My PC spec is AMD Athlon XP 1600+, 512Mb RAM, 90Gb HD, with GeForce FX 5200.

Old, yes, but frankly it ran HL2 perfectly fine at default settings for me, and I liked it a lot. Doom 3 also runs fine at default settings. I get the impression you lot are not happy until you've squeezed every possible frame per second out of your equipment, until you've reached "real-life" smoothness.

I used to be like you too, but now I realised the thousands upon thousands of pounds I've spent over the last 10 years and it boggles my mind. I wish I'd bought a console instead. The machines might be lamer, but they're CHEAPER.

One last thing - why do you all have to post your PC specs? It's like one-upmanship to me, like you're trying to outdo each other in power. God, it's a repeat of the old "my computer's better than yours" in the 1980s! Some bad things will never disappear.
 
e-penis will never be extinguished, especially on forums like this.
I bought my computer to run HL2, and it did taht very well- now ive got a computer that runs bf2 smoothly, ran Rome Total War very well indeed, and it shouldn't have any problems with AOE3. That's all I care about frankly.
Foebane, im sure you can see that with computer technology moving so quickly there are people that want to stay on top, that is just how some people are- I know I have a good computer, but the urge to get better (if i could afford it, which i cant :)) is always there.
 
my computer rather sucks..granted Processor is around 3 ghz..but the video card is old nad starting to date. :( Poor 9600XT. I need somethign new, but so many bills + my RX-7 Damn
 
well, right now i have a 2.0ghz, 512RAM, 80 GB, radeon 9600, and it ran half life 2 PERFECT....now after reformating my damn computer, it drops to about 5 FPS in certain places....and no one on the entire world has any idea why.......the only suggestion i get is to add more ram....but why would I go to the trouble of spending allllll that cash when i dont even know if its going to fix the problem..........this is my last resort, I have to either figure out why its not running like it used to, or pretty much buy a new pc.........btw, how do i update my chipset drivers?
 
Foebane said:
My PC spec is AMD Athlon XP 1600+, 512Mb RAM, 90Gb HD, with GeForce FX 5200.

Old, yes, but frankly it ran HL2 perfectly fine at default settings for me, and I liked it a lot. Doom 3 also runs fine at default settings.
Click to expand...

Default settings may be fine with you, but many people including myself like being able to play games while cranking up anisotropic filtering, anti aliasing and high resolutions.

I guess it all depends on what is acceptable in terms of speed and visual quality - and how much money your willing to spend to get it :)

Tyguy, find out what chipset your motherboard uses, SiSoft Sandra will give you that info and then visit the manufacturers website for the drivers.
 
Foebane said:
I come to boards like this and the obsession with ultra-fast powerful "gaming rigs" (they are COMPUTERS, people) just frankly bewilders me. Why do you have to waste so much money on things like this?

My PC spec is AMD Athlon XP 1600+, 512Mb RAM, 90Gb HD, with GeForce FX 5200.

Old, yes, but frankly it ran HL2 perfectly fine at default settings for me, and I liked it a lot. Doom 3 also runs fine at default settings. I get the impression you lot are not happy until you've squeezed every possible frame per second out of your equipment, until you've reached "real-life" smoothness.

I used to be like you too, but now I realised the thousands upon thousands of pounds I've spent over the last 10 years and it boggles my mind. I wish I'd bought a console instead. The machines might be lamer, but they're CHEAPER.

One last thing - why do you all have to post your PC specs? It's like one-upmanship to me, like you're trying to outdo each other in power. God, it's a repeat of the old "my computer's better than yours" in the 1980s! Some bad things will never disappear.
Click to expand...

Thats cool man, if ur fine playing it at lower settings nothing wrong with that, i just prefer to play these games how they were ment to be played, with booming 7.1 high def surround, and easy on th eyes. Whats funny is i only bough it cuz i had a part time job, money just sat in my account, did nothing, so i put it to somehting i would use all the time. i mean we all play games, thats why were here, unless your just here to talk about what this guy did and be jealous of people with gaming machines, hes an exception.
 
my evesham pc cost £2500 i think ish ( most of which i spent on a flashy computer case a 19 inch moniter and a flashy surround sound system, so u can get the same for alot less, specs below i can play hl2 on max settings and hoping to do the same with the lost coast and aftermath when they finally make an apearance

AMD Athlon 64 processor 3800+
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Edition
1GB dual channel DDR RAM (PC3200) 400MHz (2x512MB)
250GB SATA 7200rpm Hard Drive with 16Mb Cache
2 x 256MB DDR3 NVIDIA 6800GT PCI Express Graphics
19" Viewsonic (cant remeber number)(Black / Silver) DVI TFT
Decimator case
DVD-ROM (16x) / CD-RW (52x32x52) Drive
Multi Format 16x Dual layer DVD re-writer
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
Altec Lansing 5100 5.1 Speakers
Floppy Drive with 7-in-1 Card Reader
 
Take a look at this. I doubt you'll want a P4 now.

For gaming, you'll want to put your money into an A64 system. For the best bang for your buck, get an A64 3000+ Winchester or Venice, an nVidia GeForce 6600 GT, and 2x512MB Corsair Value Select PC3200. For a more powerful system, bump up the CPU a bit and get an X800 XL or 6800 GT (the X800 will be better for HL2) or beyond. BF2 likes RAM, so go for 2x1GB if you can afford it. HL2 will also show slight benefits from having 2GBs.
 
Are able to build your own?

I recommend it, if you can.

In that case, here's what I'd recommend ($3000 is a lot to spend on a new pc :)):

1. AMD Athlon 64 X2 Here
2. 2x512mb ram (1gb) here
3. Either gf 7800gtx or ati x850xt PE (Or wait for ati's new card)

That's all the nice stuff that I'd probably go with..... and then psu, drives etc. and a nice casae... definately won't go over 3000... That's almost hard to do...
 
giant384 said:
is .com a word lol and y would u ever want to spend that much on a pc when u can build ur own for cheap
Click to expand...

you CAN build your own from alienware.com.
 
xzeox said:
you CAN build your own from alienware.com.
Click to expand...

fine umm u can pay 3000 for it
and i mean buy the parts ur self its so much cheaper
 
is ti hard to build your own, how do i start....im not a complete idiot, like i can figure shit out, but do I need to know a ton about building them to do it?
 
Tyguy said:
is ti hard to build your own, how do i start....im a complete idiot, like i can't figure shit out, but do I need to know a ton about building them to do it?
Click to expand...

You're a complete idiot? Then you're in luck. Building PC's is childsplay.

If you can put card A into slot B, then you can build a PC.

Check out the thread at the top of this forum for more details.

Anyway, you guys are silly. With money like that, he NEEDS higher specs than a wimpy 3800+.

CPU: A64 4200+ 482 USD
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 7800gtx 559 USD
Ram: 2 x 1gig PC3200 OCZ Titanium 325 USD
Motherboard: DFI Lanparty SLI-DR 167 USD
HDD(s): 4 x WDC Raptor's 732 USD
PSU: Zippy 600w 186 USD
HSF: Thermalright XP-120 and a 120mm Antec fan 71 USD
OS: An OEM copy of XP-PRO 146 USD
Case: (picked based on my preference) Lian Li V2000 238 USD

Total: 2,582 USD

And you've still got MORE than enough money to pick out a kickass monitor and a mouse/keyboard based on your taste.

Cheers bro! I've not had that much fun picking out PC parts in a while :thumbs:
 
i dont think he has trouble picking parts its just he has no idea how to build one
 
sinkoman said:
You're a complete idiot? Then you're in luck. Building PC's is childsplay.

If you can put card A into slot B, then you can build a PC.

Check out the thread at the top of this forum for more details.

Anyway, you guys are silly. With money like that, he NEEDS higher specs than a wimpy 3800+.

CPU: A64 4200+ 482 USD
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 7800gtx 559 USD
Ram: 2 x 1gig PC3200 OCZ Titanium 325 USD
Motherboard: DFI Lanparty SLI-DR 167 USD
HDD(s): 4 x WDC Raptor's 732 USD
PSU: Zippy 600w 186 USD
HSF: Thermalright XP-120 and a 120mm Antec fan 71 USD
OS: An OEM copy of XP-PRO 146 USD
Case: (picked based on my preference) Lian Li V2000 238 USD

Total: 2,582 USD

And you've still got MORE than enough money to pick out a kickass monitor and a mouse/keyboard based on your taste.

Cheers bro! I've not had that much fun picking out PC parts in a while :thumbs:
Click to expand...

I'd rather pick a cheaper msi 7800gtx, they still overclock well.
 
ok, so i can just take my case i have now, strip it :).....get all those parts, put them in, and im set....haha, minus all the installing and stuff...is that pretty much the idea?

cause im def. starting to want to build it rather than get screwed from gateway or something........
 
u can just use your old case but it depends if its an Matx form factor or ATX usually in a matx case u will have 3 pci slots on ur motherboard
 
I think its an ATX....and its a few years old, does that mean that I would have to get a new case or will the new hardware be able to fit? I am wanting to put in 2 gigs of ram.....
 
Tyguy said:
ok, so i can just take my case i have now, strip it :).....get all those parts, put them in, and im set....haha, minus all the installing and stuff...is that pretty much the idea?

cause im def. starting to want to build it rather than get screwed from gateway or something........
Click to expand...

Its pretty damn easy to build a comp, but theres a few things you should know. Theres little plastic step-off brackets that go between the mobo and the case, if the mobo is touching the case, thats really bad and it'll most definately fry. Before you turn it on you should double check all the cord conections to your mobo to see if you have em plugged in corectly.

P.S. dont bend the pins on your CPU, i did that with the first computer i built by accident and there a bitch to fix :(
 
Da-Muffin-Man said:
Its pretty damn easy to build a comp, but theres a few things you should know. Theres little plastic step-off brackets that go between the mobo and the case, if the mobo is touching the case, thats really bad and it'll most definately fry. Before you turn it on you should double check all the cord conections to your mobo to see if you have em plugged in corectly.

P.S. dont bend the pins on your CPU, i did that with the first computer i built by accident and there a bitch to fix :(
Click to expand...

Blah, bent CPU pins can't be THAT hard to fix. Just take a .5 pencil, empty out the lead, and use it to bend the pin back. I've never had to do it (bet I just bachied myself) but i've used the technique to fix S-Video cables, and it's hella easy.

As I said, I bet I just bachied myself :(
 
Da-Muffin-Man said:
Its pretty damn easy to build a comp, but theres a few things you should know. Theres little plastic step-off brackets that go between the mobo and the case, if the mobo is touching the case, thats really bad and it'll most definately fry. Before you turn it on you should double check all the cord conections to your mobo to see if you have em plugged in corectly.

P.S. dont bend the pins on your CPU, i did that with the first computer i built by accident and there a bitch to fix :(
Click to expand...

Who uses plastic standoffs? They break so easily, especially when you have heavy hardware. My friend used plastic standoffs and his mobo fell off when he turned on his computer.
 
thats never good........i just cleaned my fan and removed all the hardware and put it back and my pc is running better, would alot of dust slow it down that much?
 
holydeadpenguins said:
Who uses plastic standoffs? They break so easily, especially when you have heavy hardware. My friend used plastic standoffs and his mobo fell off when he turned on his computer.
Click to expand...

They must have been cheapo shitty ones that came with the case. Mine work fine, i have 4 of em holding the mobo and everything up. No screws
 
Da-Muffin-Man said:
They must have been cheapo shitty ones that came with the case. Mine work fine, i have 4 of em holding the mobo and everything up. No screws
Click to expand...
All plastic standoffs are cheapo shitty ones. :farmer:, you must have shit hardware.:rolling: Also, brass standoffs dont cause any grounding problems, they are easier to take off, and you'll see that many people do not reccomend the plastic variety.
 
Tyguy said:
so where do i get standoff's? :)
Click to expand...

It would come with the case if you bought one.

So you should just have to use the ones in your current case.
 
:LOL: I'm glad I'm fine PC wise. (Looking to upgrade video card in year or two, but until then i'm set. :naughty: )
 
I always use metal standoffs for 6 of the holes. I use plastic standoffs on the very edge close to the front of the case. It's good to have the motherboard grounded IMO. All plastic standoffs might increase the risk of the board building a static charge and getting zapped.

There is metal around those holes so it's not the same as if the board itself rested on the case while on. That would be bad. lol
 
Asus said:
.. so it's not the same as if the board itself rested on the case while on. That would be bad. lol
Click to expand...

One of my mates did that, almost fried his CPU apparently. He took it to a pc repair place because he couldnt find the problem.
 
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