Help Me Plan My New Gaming Rig.

Jump · 10:34 AM

Looks like I am going to get a nice windfall this summer. Let's just say there has been a Class action suite against my employer for 7 years now over lunch time violations and a settlement has been agread upon.

So once I get my check I am going to build a new box and then I can finally start gaming again. The problem is, it's been so long now since I built my last one (5 years) that I am completely out of touch on what the latest goodies are. So how about you geeks giving me some suggestions and ideas for the gaming rig of tommorrow.

My List So Far:

Abit IN9 32X-MAX - Price: $300 - $350

ELPIRATA

Im actually out of the loop with the present dual core versions which both intel and Amd have (though I blindly would go for Amd). Also, Im not in the high end market either, I usually buy stuff that allows me to run CounterStrike or Jumpgate, so Im pretty much.... behind

I can tell you one thing... I thought you wanted to build a ****pit thingie

and I happen to have many links to many versions of these (which I hope Im not the only one).

ELP

GrimGriz

Intel finally made a chip better than AMD, but I hate them so i'd still buy AMD. Also, think SLI and hope the games catch up.

Jump

I'm an Intel guy so I will be building a system based one of theirs.

So does anyone have any suggestions on what's out there now or coming in the next few months that is must have?

Jump

I have been doing searches and I can see the world has changed since I last built my system. Dual Graphics cards plus physics cards? wowsers.

GrimGriz

That was the SLI i mentioned. Forgot about the physics cards.

Jump

I like what I see in that Intel Core Duo Extreme.

The nice thing about planning months in advance is it will only get cheaper.

It seems to me that we are reaching critical mass when it comes to computer power. I mean, how much more do you need?

Jump

I have always been a big fan of Abit mother boards. I think this one would do nicely. Abit IN9 32X-MAX

That's som kick ass specs there. *drools*

Radi

Hmm what is comming up? AMD is switching to 65nm CPU's. Sometime this year (H2 of 2007), AMD will introduce "native" quad-core (read: not glued two-core like Intel). Either way, wait and see. Prices will most likely flactuate for a while.

WileE

The 680i chipset is definately a great chipset. While I still like the 965/975 if you don't require SLI (or prefer Crossfire). nVidia fixed alot of issues with the 6 series.

As far as processors are concerned, I advise everyone to go with the E6600. It has the 4MB of shared cache, and is smoking fast while having a great pricepoint. You can go with the more fancy chips (the Q6700 quadcore), but I don't think you gain enough performance to justify the price premium. The intel quadcores will be worth buying in 2H'07 when the actual quad-cores are released (as they are now, the Q6700 is just two E6600's stuck together).

I would recomend a couple WD2500KS HDD's in RAID for performance. You can go with a larger drive if you want, but I recommend the KS series from Western Digital. They are enterprise drives with 5-year warranties. We sell a ton of them at the shop with very few problems.

I recommend Muskin ram. We started selling it at the shop, and the stuff is top notch. One of our techs was talking to one of the Asus level 3 techs, and he said that they recommend (unofficially) either Super Talent, AData, Mushkin, and Kingston for RAM. We started carrying Mushkin, as they would work with us (we are a smaller shop). Their performance is great, and the prices are good too. We use the High Performance DDR2 (the model is HP2-6400) for our performance builds. A couple gigs in dual-channel will rock the house.

We are currently going with Thermaltake Toughpower 700W Modular power supplies. It is approved by both ATI and nVidia for Crossfire and SLI use. The model is W0106RU. It is pricey, but it is a first-rate power supply with plenty of power and 4 12v rails.

As far as video cards go, if you are looking at upgrading in the future to SLI, but running one card for now, you have some options. I am really, really impressed with the 8800GTX video card. It is amazingly fast (we picked up around 800 points in 3dMark 06 over the same system with an X1950XTX. The catch is, the card is HUGE and requires ALOT of power (~360W). It has two PCI-6 plugs for power on it. Also, the price is a little steep, but you are set for the next generation of games that will be coming out in DX10 in 2H'07 and beyond. You only other option worth considering is the 7950GT, which is a great card with an attractive price point. The other downside of the 8800GTX is, if you want to run it in SLI, you need a power supply between 1kW and 1200W of power, which will cost you about $400-500.

Cases are really personal preference. I love the new Antec Nine Hundred. It comes with 4 120mm fans (2 in the front, 1 in the side and 1 in the back) and a 200mm fan in the top. The P180 is nice, but hard to build in if you go with an 8800 due to the size.

If you have any questions, just let me know. I am the purchaser for our shop, so I spend alot of time doing research on components.

Jump

Thanks for all that info WileE. I have a long time before this will take place so I'm sure I will change my mind a million times. I am looking at the quad core processor. It may not make a difference in gaming but I am sure it will in many other apps I have to run as a programmer.

Gent30

I heard the next major of DX will bring in new generation graphic cards, my advice, dont invest heavily into one.

I now run a E6400 with dual RAID (80gb each) and 1Gb 800Hz Memory, on a MSI Neo-F P965 with MSI RX1650 256mb.

In short, awesome, not expensive, Extreme upgradable.

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	Jump Big Daddy Pilot Name: JumpDemon Faction: Solrain Joystick: MS FF2 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Tracy, Ca. Posts: 6,938	Help Me Plan My New Gaming Rig. Looks like I am going to get a nice windfall this summer. Let's just say there has been a Class action suite against my employer for 7 years now over lunch time violations and a settlement has been agread upon. So once I get my check I am going to build a new box and then I can finally start gaming again. The problem is, it's been so long now since I built my last one (5 years) that I am completely out of touch on what the latest goodies are. So how about you geeks giving me some suggestions and ideas for the gaming rig of tommorrow. My List So Far: Abit IN9 32X-MAX - Price: $300 - $350
		__________________ Currently working hard to break the server... >> Help support JSR through our Amazon store Last edited by Jump; 01-28-2007 at 10:34 AM.


	ELPIRATA Moderator Pilot Name: ELPIRATA Faction: non-aligned Joystick: Saitek X45 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Carolina, PR Posts: 1,420	Im actually out of the loop with the present dual core versions which both intel and Amd have (though I blindly would go for Amd). Also, Im not in the high end market either, I usually buy stuff that allows me to run CounterStrike or Jumpgate, so Im pretty much.... behind I can tell you one thing... I thought you wanted to build a ****pit thingie and I happen to have many links to many versions of these (which I hope Im not the only one). ELP


	GrimGriz Highest Order Hypocrite Faction: non-aligned Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Portland Posts: 2,621	Intel finally made a chip better than AMD, but I hate them so i'd still buy AMD. Also, think SLI and hope the games catch up.


	Radi Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 616	Hmm what is comming up? AMD is switching to 65nm CPU's. Sometime this year (H2 of 2007), AMD will introduce "native" quad-core (read: not glued two-core like Intel). Either way, wait and see. Prices will most likely flactuate for a while.


	WileE Member Pilot Name: WileE Joystick: MS FF2 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Baton Rouge, LA Posts: 252	The 680i chipset is definately a great chipset. While I still like the 965/975 if you don't require SLI (or prefer Crossfire). nVidia fixed alot of issues with the 6 series. As far as processors are concerned, I advise everyone to go with the E6600. It has the 4MB of shared cache, and is smoking fast while having a great pricepoint. You can go with the more fancy chips (the Q6700 quadcore), but I don't think you gain enough performance to justify the price premium. The intel quadcores will be worth buying in 2H'07 when the actual quad-cores are released (as they are now, the Q6700 is just two E6600's stuck together). I would recomend a couple WD2500KS HDD's in RAID for performance. You can go with a larger drive if you want, but I recommend the KS series from Western Digital. They are enterprise drives with 5-year warranties. We sell a ton of them at the shop with very few problems. I recommend Muskin ram. We started selling it at the shop, and the stuff is top notch. One of our techs was talking to one of the Asus level 3 techs, and he said that they recommend (unofficially) either Super Talent, AData, Mushkin, and Kingston for RAM. We started carrying Mushkin, as they would work with us (we are a smaller shop). Their performance is great, and the prices are good too. We use the High Performance DDR2 (the model is HP2-6400) for our performance builds. A couple gigs in dual-channel will rock the house. We are currently going with Thermaltake Toughpower 700W Modular power supplies. It is approved by both ATI and nVidia for Crossfire and SLI use. The model is W0106RU. It is pricey, but it is a first-rate power supply with plenty of power and 4 12v rails. As far as video cards go, if you are looking at upgrading in the future to SLI, but running one card for now, you have some options. I am really, really impressed with the 8800GTX video card. It is amazingly fast (we picked up around 800 points in 3dMark 06 over the same system with an X1950XTX. The catch is, the card is HUGE and requires ALOT of power (~360W). It has two PCI-6 plugs for power on it. Also, the price is a little steep, but you are set for the next generation of games that will be coming out in DX10 in 2H'07 and beyond. You only other option worth considering is the 7950GT, which is a great card with an attractive price point. The other downside of the 8800GTX is, if you want to run it in SLI, you need a power supply between 1kW and 1200W of power, which will cost you about $400-500. Cases are really personal preference. I love the new Antec Nine Hundred. It comes with 4 120mm fans (2 in the front, 1 in the side and 1 in the back) and a 200mm fan in the top. The P180 is nice, but hard to build in if you go with an 8800 due to the size. If you have any questions, just let me know. I am the purchaser for our shop, so I spend alot of time doing research on components.


	Gent30 Cadet Pilot Name: -Gent30- Joystick: Cyborg EVO Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: France Posts: 61	I heard the next major of DX will bring in new generation graphic cards, my advice, dont invest heavily into one. I now run a E6400 with dual RAID (80gb each) and 1Gb 800Hz Memory, on a MSI Neo-F P965 with MSI RX1650 256mb. In short, awesome, not expensive, Extreme upgradable.