OT: PC Gaming Hardware Thread

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 11:33 am

I'm pretty sure the 8800 GTS requires at least a 400 watt power supply, and that setup only comes with a 350 watt PSU.

http://reviews.cnet.com/graphics-cards/ ... 43069.html

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 6:52 pm

I've had problems with my current rig overheating (using an AMD Athlon64 4000 CPU that's a couple of years old) in a little Shuttle case. My wife recently got hooked on Lord of the Rings Online, so it was time for buying a second computer. We had a limited budget but ended up ordering this...I haven't looked in so long it looks pretty close to what db was recommending so I went with it (thanks, Scott):

CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 2.4GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM (667MHz and not the 800mhz as some other things I saw, but I figure it wouldn't make that big of a difference)
768MB GeForce8800 GTX

Tossed in a 250GB HDD and kind of filled the rest out on the fly. The big 3 I was concerned with were always CPU, RAM, and vidcard so I grabbed the best vidcard I could grab. The only concern I have at the moment is I've used an AMD processor and ATI graphics cards for so long I'm not sure how the comparisons work. My current rig which still works fine (other than the overheating, which lends more weight to db's mention of the Intels running cooler, imo) is the aforementioned AMD Athlon64 4000, 2GB of RAM and a Radeon X800. As long as it's better than that, that's all I'm really looking for. So maybe some of the more up-to-date tech heads can give me a verdict on it, if possible?

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 7:24 pm

TCrouch wrote:I've had problems with my current rig overheating (using an AMD Athlon64 4000 CPU that's a couple of years old) in a little Shuttle case. My wife recently got hooked on Lord of the Rings Online, so it was time for buying a second computer. We had a limited budget but ended up ordering this...I haven't looked in so long it looks pretty close to what db was recommending so I went with it (thanks, Scott):

CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 2.4GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM (667MHz and not the 800mhz as some other things I saw, but I figure it wouldn't make that big of a difference)
768MB GeForce8800 GTX

Tossed in a 250GB HDD and kind of filled the rest out on the fly. The big 3 I was concerned with were always CPU, RAM, and vidcard so I grabbed the best vidcard I could grab. The only concern I have at the moment is I've used an AMD processor and ATI graphics cards for so long I'm not sure how the comparisons work. My current rig which still works fine (other than the overheating, which lends more weight to db's mention of the Intels running cooler, imo) is the aforementioned AMD Athlon64 4000, 2GB of RAM and a Radeon X800. As long as it's better than that, that's all I'm really looking for. So maybe some of the more up-to-date tech heads can give me a verdict on it, if possible?

Terry - where did you buy from? Are you just replacing your current cpu/mobo and vid card or did u get a whole new system? I would like to replace my cpu/mobo but am a little intimidated at doing this much myself. I have never done anything more than video cards, cd roms,
memory, before.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 7:29 pm

I bought the whole thing. I know you can save a lot of money by just getting pieces, but I'm the type that would rather just pay more money and get the whole thing put together and have people that I can say "here, fix it" and whatnot than the constant hair-pulling I always had when ordering parts, having one show up DOA, swapping out, testing, etc. I've been there and done that, and I'd rather pay somebody else to do it now

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 7:39 pm

TCrouch wrote:My current rig which still works fine (other than the overheating, which lends more weight to db's mention of the Intels running cooler, imo) is the aforementioned AMD Athlon64 4000, 2GB of RAM and a Radeon X800. As long as it's better than that, that's all I'm really looking for.

Your current rig will kick the crap out of the one mentioned above. Seriously...the best way I can describe it, is to put in Tiger Woods 07. My old PC (Athlon 64 3500+, 2gb Ram and an X800 pro) would run it at about 15fps on max res and max details. The new rig can run it at about 60fps...and I don't even have as good of a video card as you do w/ the 8800GTS 640mb (but have slightly better ram, 800mhz). So you're doing JUST fine. There is a really big difference. Hell, you've got two CPUs now instead of one...just running slightly slower per core.

It's funny how both of our PCs are/were pretty damn similar. The two have really been the sweet spot in the last three years.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 7:41 pm

And BTW Terry...those little shuttles have caused a lot of problems in terms of heat. What you can do, just take the cover off of it and get a little desk fan...just blow some air across it...it'll work fine. My buddy has been running his for the past 2 years like that. Sure, looks like crap, but you don't have to worry about overheating.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 7:45 pm

Yep, that's what I've discovered as well. I have one of those little "tower" fans that I laid on its side and it blows right into it, haven't had an overheat since. Thanks for the info, though, now I feel relieved. I had just placed the order (got the ok from my wife and she called it "Father's Day/Birthday", despite the fact that I know she wants me to get a 2nd one so she can play on her own now), and I just wasn't really sure if it was a huge upgrade over the current one I have or not. I'll probably have it by the end of the month either way.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 11:45 pm

Are those Shuttles quiet as advertised though, even with a beefy card inside?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 12:09 am

wco81 wrote:Are those Shuttles quiet as advertised though, even with a beefy card inside?

You can't put beefy cards in them usually...especially the 8800 series. Those things are huge.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 12:47 am

wco81 wrote:Are those Shuttles quiet as advertised though, even with a beefy card inside?

No, it sounds like the Space Shuttle sitting on my desk (no pun intended).

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:55 pm

I started buying parts for a new PC nearly 2 years ago and the enthusiasm to build my first one subsided. I'm getting that it again and want to finish what I started. While originally I was going to go AMD, I now want to go with the Intel Dual Core Duo. Can anyone recommend a good mobo for about 120 bucks?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811144168

Here's the case I bought nearly 2 years ago. Nice case with 450w PSU and plenty of room to work with. I sold off a few parts I had gotten on ebay including my HDD, DFI Lanparty mobo, OCZ memory. Now I have to buy it again...lol.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:09 pm

SoMisss2000 wrote:Can anyone recommend a good mobo for about 120 bucks?

Here's the one I bought and use with my e6600 Core Duo. It seems to be one of the most popular boards if you look at Anandtech or the other hardware related sites. It's funny, I bought it before I did a ton of research and it turns out I made a wise decision. That particular model only has 80 reviews on Newegg...but the previous version has like 650 or so. A lot of damn people roll with that board.

http://e3wwwtest.newegg.com/product/pro ... 6813128042

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:19 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:
SoMisss2000 wrote:Can anyone recommend a good mobo for about 120 bucks?
Here's the one I bought and use with my e6600 Core Duo. It seems to be one of the most popular boards if you look at Anandtech or the other hardware related sites. It's funny, I bought it before I did a ton of research and it turns out I made a wise decision. That particular model only has 80 reviews on Newegg...but the previous version has like 650 or so. A lot of damn people roll with that board.

http://e3wwwtest.newegg.com/product/pro ... 6813128042

which one is it? the link takes me to several boards.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 1:36 am

The top one...version 1.3...it's just the updated DS3 board.

Just search the item #...

N82E16813128042

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:42 am

Changed the name of this thread.....might be a good one to keep around as a pc gaming catch all thread.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 10:04 pm

Memory Question....

My wife's 'puter has 2 memory slots and will take a max of 2Gb.
She currently has it like this:

Slot #1 - 512 Mb PC 2700
Slot #2 - 512 Mb PC 2700

Can I replace one of the 512's with a 1 Gb stick (making a total of 1.5 Gb Ram) or do I have to replace both (total = 2 Gb)?

Also, should I use PC 3200 instead of PC 2700 and if so, can I mix or do I need to change both out? Thanks.

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 10:42 pm

It's been almost two years since i built my last rig and I had intended to build a new one about this time. All this talk about building new rigs has fired me up so i've begun the slow process of purchasing all the parts. Just ordered 4 gigs of Corsair ram today. They make great ram and have a lifetime warranty. They have great customer service as well.

I'll be going with an Asus P5K mobo, a Corsair 620w power supply and an Antec P182 Case. I'm leaning toward an 8800gts but i'm hoping prices might drop on the gtx by the time I am ready for that purchase. I'm also hoping the price cuts on the quad core 6600 come soon so I can get that instead of the regular e6600.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 11:07 pm

Is it really a good time?

Intel typically releases a new set of CPUs and chipsets before the Holidays and you figure ATI and nVidia will have new products for the fall/winter as well.

Seems like a game that pushes the technology would also drive major hardware revisions.

When is Crysis due?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:05 am

LAking wrote:All this talk about building new rigs has fired me up so i've begun the slow process of purchasing all the parts. Just ordered 4 gigs of Corsair ram today.

Being that you're a gamer, I doubt you'll go with Vista. If that's the case, then you're wasting money buying 4 gigs of ram. XP can't address more than 3gb...

Same goes for quad cores. Hardly any software at all takes advantage dual cores...so going quad right now is a waste of money. The only way it would make sense is if you are going to keep it for like 5 years.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:22 am

LAking wrote:I'm also hoping the price cuts on the quad core 6600 come soon so I can get that instead of the regular e6600.

Intel announced price cuts of up to 50% on Core2 Duo and other multi-core processors coming in July...

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 9:03 am

Does anyone just order custom ones!

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:27 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:
LAking wrote:All this talk about building new rigs has fired me up so i've begun the slow process of purchasing all the parts. Just ordered 4 gigs of Corsair ram today.
Being that you're a gamer, I doubt you'll go with Vista. If that's the case, then you're wasting money buying 4 gigs of ram. XP can't address more than 3gb...

Same goes for quad cores. Hardly any software at all takes advantage dual cores...so going quad right now is a waste of money. The only way it would make sense is if you are going to keep it for like 5 years.

I'm actually leaning towards Vista and i figure why not get a quad core if it's gonna be so cheap in a month or so. It will make sure the PC can still handle the best games at full detail in a couple years with only GPU upgrade somewhere down the line. Of course nothing is final yet. I still may settle on dual core and just upgrade to quad when they are even cheaper.

I can get Vista Business edition for free so that's not an issue. I would also like Directx 10 for games like crysis.

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:29 pm

wco81 wrote:Is it really a good time?

Intel typically releases a new set of CPUs and chipsets before the Holidays and you figure ATI and nVidia will have new products for the fall/winter as well.

Seems like a game that pushes the technology would also drive major hardware revisions.

When is Crysis due?

That's why there will be price cuts on intel chips next month. I'm not going to wait for the next line of quad cores that will cost me an arm and a leg. I can always upgrade in a year or so when those chips are MUCH cheaper.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:07 am

I don't know about timing or price cuts or any of that crap.

All I do know is that my new system showed up today and I immediately fired up Lord of the Rings Online and cranked it up to 1600x1050, 16x AF, slid every slider as far up as I could and set everything to "Ultra High" and it absolutely plays butter-smooth. I've never in my life been this happy with a new rig. It's unbelievable. I can say without a doubt that a Core 2 Duo E6600 with 2GB of RAM and a 768MB GeForce8800GTX is THE SH*T for me personally...

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:34 am

TCrouch wrote:I can say without a doubt that a Core 2 Duo E6600 with 2GB of RAM and a 768MB GeForce8800GTX is THE SH*T for me personally...

Told ya. Glad you're happy with the rig. It's a mighty fine machine.