OT: PC Gaming Hardware Thread

[fsquid]

I'm thinking about adding more RAM, I have only 2GB in a CPU that is around 4 years old but still works very well. My question is should I just buy 4GB of matching RAM and toss the existing RAM away. Also, is it just plug it in and it works or do you have to do some sort of installation within windows? I'll hang up and listen.

[dbdynsty25]

What Operating System are you running? If it's Windows XP, it's a waste as it can only recognize and use 3GB of ram in the first place. Also, the bottleneck in a 4 year old machine is more likely the processor than the ram itself. If it's Windows Vista (god help you) or Windows 7, then it would be a good upgrade.

A better option would be to actually re-install windows from scratch (or the system restore assuming it's a Dell/Gateway/HP/etc.). You'll get a huge boost in performance after getting rid of the junk that just accumulates in a Windows machine after it's been used for so long.

In fact, even if you did go from 2gb to 4gb, I would recommend re-installing Windows anyway. I never recommend adding or changing hardware in a computer without reinstalling Windows because you may run into issues down the road that you can't explain and a lot of times it can be traced back to the upgrade of hardware.

[fsquid]

I just did a fresh install of Windows 7 last month.

[dbdynsty25]

If you're using windows 7...get two 2gb sticks of ram (totally 4gb) and then wipe and re-install again. Best bet right there.

This is assuming your motherboard can handle the 4GB (which it probably can). Given that ram is so cheap, 8gb is an option as well (again, assuming your board supports it). Seeing as how it's 4 years old, it may not.

[fsquid]

It has four slots.

[dbdynsty25]

It has four slots.

That means nothing really. Could only accept a maximum of 1gb per slot, or 2gb per slot or even up to 4gb per. Check the manufacturer's manual to know the size and speed of the ram it accepts. Then make the decision.

[fsquid]

Do they make laptops that will run games like NBA2k, pro evo, etc. At decent detail?

[Rodster]

Do they make laptops that will run games like NBA2k, pro evo, etc. At decent detail?

They make laptops that can run Crysis 2, Starcraft II and pretty much any current game. The question is how much do you want to spend?

ASUS, Alienware, Sager, Toshiba Qosmio are geared for gamers.

[fsquid]

when I do get a new CPU, wife wants a laptop to "save room". didn't know if there were any laptops that can run that stuff.

[Rodster]

when I do get a new CPU, wife wants a laptop to "save room". didn't know if there were any laptops that can run that stuff.

Alienware and others make 13" gaming laptops.

[Naples39]

You can definitely get quite powerful gaming laptops. Personally I wasn't willing to pay that much to get a real "gaming" laptop.

I got a new laptop in January 2010, and paid roughly $900 for a 14inch Sony with a decent video card. I used this site for reference on video cards when I was shopping around;
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison ... 130.0.html

With my gt330m I could play iRacing no sweat with fairly high settings, though some other games would require me to turn down all the settings no doubt.

[fsquid]

Would this config be ok for football manager, NBA 2k12, and Pro Evo Soccer? I would put it in a docking station when I game.

PROCESSOR 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M 3GB graphics with Optimus
MEMORY 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
BATTERY OPTIONS 90 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
HARD DRIVE 1.0TB 500GB 7.2k HDD x 2
HD DISPLAY 17.3" FHD (1080p) with 2.0MP HD Webcam
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
WIRELESS + BLUETOOTH Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000
SOUND OPTIONS JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support

[dbdynsty25]

That would be plenty...

[fsquid]

thank you

[Rodster]

DB what's a solid mobo to pair with the new i7 2700K? Also can you recommend some memory for it? I'm thinking a 750W PSU should handle the above with no problem.

[dbdynsty25]

DB what's a solid mobo to pair with the new i7 2700K? Also can you recommend some memory for it? I'm thinking a 750W PSU should handle the above with no problem.

No idea. Not up on computer hardware. I get into it hardcore every three years or so when I upgrade my rig, but I haven't been on any of the research boards recently at all. Bad person to ask at this moment. Check with me in another year...I'll be ready by then.

[dbdynsty25]

Okay so it clearly wasn't a year before I had the upgrade bug. With Diablo 3 coming out this week and Max Payne 3 in a few weeks, I simply had to upgrade the PC. I spent more than I wanted to overall, but I'm still extremely happy with the new rig and damn is it sweet. It plays every game at 1920x1200 w all of the anti-aliasing and other graphic enhancements maxed out. And I'm ready to use multi-monitors when I get around to it. I'd like to run three 24" monitors, so that's the next upgrade for me. After doing the research for the last month and with the release of the ivy bridge intel's, I was ready to leap in.

Intel i7 3770k 3.6ghz processor ($340)
MSI Z77A-G45 Motherboard ($140)
AMD Radeon 7970 3gb graphics card ($470)
16gb Corsair XMS3 PC1600 ram ($160)
256gb Corsair M4 SSD ($240)
Antec Earthwatts 600 watt power supply (not sure how much I like this yet) ($70)
Mionix Zibal 60 Cherry Black Mechanical Keyboard ($130)
Mionix Naos 5000 Gaming Mouse ($80)

So I also already had my 2TB Storage Raid Array, my Blu Ray Burner and my Lian Li aluminum case that everything went into, so I didn't have that cost on top of it. Total outlay was a little over $1600 if you count tax on some of the items that I bought locally. I sold my old rig components for a little over 400 bucks, so it that helped offset the video card at least. LOL. I was basically looking to make my rig as good as possible before my little one comes this summer and ruins my disposable income allowance. If you had some manufacturer price this rig out for you it would clear 3k easily. Markup is a b*tch and with components being so plug and play friendly these days I definitely recommend just putting it together yourself.

To save a few hundred bucks, I can definitely recommend a few lesser products that will probably give you 90% of this performance for the most part. The processor (i5 3570k is awesome) and video cards have better options when it comes to bang for the buck, but with the video card in particular, I'm a way bigger fan of AMD/ATI than I am for nVidia which is why I went Radeon. With the release of the new nVidia GTX 670 for $400...it's a steal of a video card at that price (even though that's still damn expensive).

So there you have it...if you need a blueprint on a higher end PC...get after it.

[MizzouRah]

The 240 GB Corsair FS3 SSD is $199 after rebate, probably the next purchase for my aging desktop pc.

Hell of a rig you got there db.

[dbdynsty25]

The 240 GB Corsair FS3 SSD is $199 after rebate, probably the next purchase for my aging desktop pc.

Hell of a rig you got there db.

There is no bigger upgrade performance wise than going w/ an SSD. It's such a good investment.

[MizzouRah]

The 240 GB Corsair FS3 SSD is $199 after rebate, probably the next purchase for my aging desktop pc.

Hell of a rig you got there db.

There is no bigger upgrade performance wise than going w/ an SSD. It's such a good investment.

I agree.. I'm going to put W7 on it and my games and then use my SATA HD for pictures, music, etc..

[MizzouRah]

Speaking of replacing my SATA HD with an SSD HD, I'm assuming it's pretty straight forward? I would make an image backup of my HD on to an external HD using the W7 create a system image program, install the SSD drive and the restore the image to it?

Any settings in BIOS I need to change? My pc is about 4 years old.

Thanks!

[dbdynsty25]

Speaking of replacing my SATA HD with an SSD HD, I'm assuming it's pretty straight forward? I would make an image backup of my HD on to an external HD using the W7 create a system image program, install the SSD drive and the restore the image to it?

Any settings in BIOS I need to change? My pc is about 4 years old.

Thanks!

As long as you're using a SATA regular HD right now, changing to the SSD is a piece of cake. You may have enable AHCI...and here's how and the reasoning:

http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State ... td-p/57078

As I have mentioned numerous times in this thread tho...I ALWAYS reinstall windows after changing hardware components. The reason is simple...any error message or blue screen you get from here on out COULD be attributed to the new hardware in an old Windows install.

Now...are you using Windows 7 or something older? If it's Windows 7, Trim is already supported...if an older OS, you may have to find a way to enable that as well. Depending on the drive manufacturer, they will have a utility to do that most likely.

[MizzouRah]

I'm using Windows 7, a friend of mine did the image restore and hasn't had any issues, that's why I was thinking about doing it.. plus, it will take hours to get everything installed/setup again.

I don't see AHCI in my BIOS, but I think it's already enabled on my pc, I need to do a bit more research on that though.. thanks!

[dbdynsty25]

I'm using Windows 7, a friend of mine did the image restore and hasn't had any issues, that's why I was thinking about doing it.. plus, it will take hours to get everything installed/setup again.

I don't see AHCI in my BIOS, but I think it's already enabled on my pc, I need to do a bit more research on that though.. thanks!

Quite true...it takes hours to rebuild. Just remember in the future you did this and when you run into issues just jump right to the reformat step. Don't waste your time. Lol. I'd rather spend that time up front than to try to troubleshoot another problem down the road. Guess ive just become really jaded when it comes to pc hardware and windows. I've built around 25 pcs in my time and random issues can be fixed with clean installs so that's now my motto. Even if it's something as simple as adding ram or changing a power supply. Just gotta do it.

[MizzouRah]

I'm using Windows 7, a friend of mine did the image restore and hasn't had any issues, that's why I was thinking about doing it.. plus, it will take hours to get everything installed/setup again.

I don't see AHCI in my BIOS, but I think it's already enabled on my pc, I need to do a bit more research on that though.. thanks!

Quite true...it takes hours to rebuild. Just remember in the future you did this and when you run into issues just jump right to the reformat step. Don't waste your time. Lol. I'd rather spend that time up front than to try to troubleshoot another problem down the road. Guess ive just become really jaded when it comes to pc hardware and windows. I've built around 25 pcs in my time and random issues can be fixed with clean installs so that's now my motto. Even if it's something as simple as adding ram or changing a power supply. Just gotta do it.

I have NEVER did anything pc related without redoing the whole windows installation, but I thought I would try it first and keep my current HD installed to backup important data just in case I need to go that route. I did find an updated BIOS that crucial had a link to for my system and one person said it worked like a charm. Now I just need to decided on my drive (reading tom's hw now) and get this thing ordered tonight.