Re: Building Gaming Computer- need ideas!

"Mick" <[email hidden]> schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:[email hidden]... Hi! > I'm getting ready to build a computer, for gaming. (Nascar 4, GPL, > etc.) I really need some input on a Mobo/RAM/Video Card combination that > rocks!! All that I've decided on so far is a 1 gig AMD Athlon CPU.. > Everything else is up in the air.. Opinions, ideas, websites, newsgroup > recommendations all welcome! I really appreciate it! http://www.tomshardware.com This should fit most of your needs ;). Regards Crash

Hey, I'm getting ready to build a computer, for gaming. (Nascar 4, GPL, etc.) I really need some input on a Mobo/RAM/Video Card combination that rocks!! All that I've decided on so far is a 1 gig AMD Athlon CPU.. Everything else is up in the air.. Opinions, ideas, websites, newsgroup recommendations all welcome! I really appreciate it! Mick

On Sat, 21 Oct 2000 16:52:16 GMT, Mick <[email hidden]> wrote: > I'm getting ready to build a computer, for gaming. (Nascar 4, GPL, >etc.) I really need some input on a Mobo/RAM/Video Card combination that >rocks!! All that I've decided on so far is a 1 gig AMD Athlon CPU.. >Everything else is up in the air.. Opinions, ideas, websites, newsgroup >recommendations all welcome! I really appreciate it! I too am heading towards buying, or building my own, Ninja PC. You didn't specify what sort of budget you're on, but considering that you're thinking of buying a 1GHz Athlon, I imagine you're will to dish out quite a bit, to keep the performance levels at maximum. The sort of system I'm thinking of buying/building for myself would be as follows: MOTHERBOARD Asus K7v VIA KX133 CPU AMD K7/1GHz Athlon MEMORY 512MB RDRAM GRAPHICS 3Dfx Voodoo 6 (for maximum compatability) HARD DRIVE 74GB DVD-ROM Pioneer DVD-ROM 104 Dual (10xDVD and 40xCD) MONITOR 24" Triniton AUDIO Creative SoundBlaster Live Who needs sleep, with a system like this?

I've got a 933Mhz PIII system from Falcon NW, and it runs like a champ! I did have to wait about 2-3 weeks longer than they originally told me it would take to get the system, and have had to argue a bit with Matt from their tech support line at times to get assistance, but it does come with a emergency recovery CD that returns the system to the exact state it was in when it arrives on your doorstep! I've had to use it once already, due to my own stupidity ;-) It wasn't cheap however, but... I didn't have to go through all the hassles of building my own system, running into incompatibly problems, searching for driver updates, etc, etc.... And basically when I unpacked it, I was up and running in a matter of 15 mins! If your deadset on building your own, be careful where you get your parts! I've got a friend who bought RAM through a place he found on pricewatch.com and it turned out to be bad, then the place apparently went out of business/disappeared when he attempted to contact them to get a replacement! Jay J Moon-Watcher <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> On Sat, 21 Oct 2000 16:52:16 GMT, Mick <[email hidden]> wrote: > > > I'm getting ready to build a computer, for gaming. (Nascar 4, GPL, > >etc.) I really need some input on a Mobo/RAM/Video Card combination that > >rocks!! All that I've decided on so far is a 1 gig AMD Athlon CPU.. > >Everything else is up in the air.. Opinions, ideas, websites, newsgroup > >recommendations all welcome! I really appreciate it! > > I too am heading towards buying, or building my own, Ninja PC. > > You didn't specify what sort of budget you're on, but considering that

you're thinking of buying a 1GHz Athlon, I > imagine you're will to dish out quite a bit, to keep the performancelevels at maximum. > > The sort of system I'm thinking of buying/building for myself would be asfollows:

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> > MOTHERBOARD Asus K7v VIA KX133 > CPU AMD K7/1GHz Athlon > MEMORY 512MB RDRAM > GRAPHICS 3Dfx Voodoo 6 (for maximum compatability) > HARD DRIVE 74GB > DVD-ROM Pioneer DVD-ROM 104 Dual (10xDVD and 40xCD) > MONITOR 24" Triniton > AUDIO Creative SoundBlaster Live > > Who needs sleep, with a system like this?

Why waste 512 Mb of RAM on a windows 9x machine? you won't see any improvement over 128 meg. "Moon-Watcher" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> On Sat, 21 Oct 2000 16:52:16 GMT, Mick <[email hidden]> wrote: > > > I'm getting ready to build a computer, for gaming. (Nascar 4, GPL, > >etc.) I really need some input on a Mobo/RAM/Video Card combination that > >rocks!! All that I've decided on so far is a 1 gig AMD Athlon CPU.. > >Everything else is up in the air.. Opinions, ideas, websites, newsgroup > >recommendations all welcome! I really appreciate it! > > I too am heading towards buying, or building my own, Ninja PC. > > You didn't specify what sort of budget you're on, but considering that

you're thinking of buying a 1GHz Athlon, I > imagine you're will to dish out quite a bit, to keep the performancelevels at maximum. > > The sort of system I'm thinking of buying/building for myself would be asfollows:

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> > MOTHERBOARD Asus K7v VIA KX133 > CPU AMD K7/1GHz Athlon > MEMORY 512MB RDRAM > GRAPHICS 3Dfx Voodoo 6 (for maximum compatability) > HARD DRIVE 74GB > DVD-ROM Pioneer DVD-ROM 104 Dual (10xDVD and 40xCD) > MONITOR 24" Triniton > AUDIO Creative SoundBlaster Live > > Who needs sleep, with a system like this?

In article <1pCI5.2974$[email hidden]>, "Jay J" <[email hidden]> writes: >When they built my "Mach-V" machine they let me pick from a PIII or AMD >processor, which motherboard you want, how much ram, which video card, which >HD, Monitor, etc, etc, etc... >Hell I even sent them a copy of my favorite racing game which they preloaded >on the PC, and test for me! Hmm, that's interesting. I've never heard of a company 'pre-testing' desired applications before. Of course, you're subject to their definition of 'acceptable' frame rates... Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

On Sat, 21 Oct 2000 22:42:58 GMT, "Jay J" <[email hidden]> wrote: >It wasn't cheap however, but... I didn't have to go through all the hassles >of building my own system, running into incompatibly problems, searching for >driver updates, etc, etc.... And basically when I unpacked it, I was up and >running in a matter of 15 mins! No system that you can buy from a computer shop, such as PC World, or Time, will ever been as good (in both quality, parts and speed) as a system you build yourself. That's because the company will choose the crucial parts, not you, and they will often sacrifice one thing for another. For example, it may have great processor speed, but have a poor quality monitor. The closest thing to building your own is to buy from a mail order company, such as Dell. Their web site offers you the option of choosing most of the important parts, such as the processor, memory and hard disk space, but you will still not be able to get as close to knowing the ins and outs of your system as you would if you built your own. >If your deadset on building your own, be careful where you get your parts! >I've got a friend who bought RAM through a place he found on pricewatch.com >and it turned out to be bad, then the place apparently went out of >business/disappeared when he attempted to contact them to get a replacement! Incompatability, driver issues, and BIOS tweaking is what turns most people away from the idea of building their own PC. And I would certainly agree that bulding one yourself is not the best idea for many people. Most of you will be better off buying a ready made system, which you can use out of the box. But, for those of us who demand the most from our desktop systems, nothing can beat choosing every single component inside your PC. Having the control to buy what you want, rather than what a manufacturer tells you you want is superb, and once you've done it once you'll never look at ready-made systems the same way again.

On Sat, 21 Oct 2000 22:43:47 GMT, "Russell D. Laughlin Jr." <[email hidden]> wrote: >Why waste 512 Mb of RAM on a windows 9x machine? you won't see any >improvement over 128 meg. Of course you will. But, as with most things PC, the performance difference you notice will depend on what you use your system for. Casual computer users, who might write a letter in Microsoft Word, or browse the internet from time-to-time, will be perfectly content with a Pentium 2 at 350MHz with 64MB of RAM. Casual gamers, a Pentium 3 550MHz with 128MB of RAM. Hardcore gamers, a Pentium 3/Athlon K7 at 800MHz+, with 256MB of RAM. Graphics designers (such as Photoshop users), and those of us who demand the highest games performance, an AMD K7 at 1GHz with 512MB will do nicely.

Not trying to be a spokesperson for Falcon-NW, but they are a specialty company that builds gaming computers using the highest quality parts, which YOU request! When they built my "Mach-V" machine they let me pick from a PIII or AMD processor, which motherboard you want, how much ram, which video card, which HD, Monitor, etc, etc, etc... Hell I even sent them a copy of my favorite racing game which they preloaded on the PC, and test for me! Check out www.falcon-nw.com to see what I'm talking about... They, and Alienware are probably the top two gaming computer companies on the market, at least those two advertise the most in the computer gaming magazines, get written up the most on hardware reviews, and are the most well known in the industry. Jay J PS: Granted I could have probably saved $500-$750 building my own, but price wasn't the only consideration in my decision to have them put a system, time, hassles/headaches and their tech support/recovery CD system also played a part. Moon-Watcher <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > On Sat, 21 Oct 2000 22:42:58 GMT, "Jay J" <[email hidden]>wrote: > > >It wasn't cheap however, but... I didn't have to go through all thehassles > >of building my own system, running into incompatibly problems, searchingfor > >driver updates, etc, etc.... And basically when I unpacked it, I was upand > >running in a matter of 15 mins! > > No system that you can buy from a computer shop, such as PC World, orTime, will ever been as good (in both quality, > parts and speed) as a system you build yourself. That's because thecompany will choose the crucial parts, not you, and > they will often sacrifice one thing for another. For example, it may havegreat processor speed, but have a poor quality > monitor. > > The closest thing to building your own is to buy from a mail ordercompany, such as Dell. Their web site offers you the > option of choosing most of the important parts, such as the processor,memory and hard disk space, but you will still > not be able to get as close to knowing the ins and outs of your system asyou would if you built your own. > > >If your deadset on building your own, be careful where you get yourparts! > >I've got a friend who bought RAM through a place he found onpricewatch.com > >and it turned out to be bad, then the place apparently went out of > >business/disappeared when he attempted to contact them to get areplacement! > > Incompatability, driver issues, and BIOS tweaking is what turns mostpeople away from the idea of building their own PC. > And I would certainly agree that bulding one yourself is not the best ideafor many people. Most of you will be better > off buying a ready made system, which you can use out of the box. But, forthose of us who demand the most from our > desktop systems, nothing can beat choosing every single component insideyour PC. Having the control to buy what you > want, rather than what a manufacturer tells you you want is superb, andonce you've done it once you'll never look at > ready-made systems the same way again.

I've just noticed that AMD has out another processor.. The Thunderbird.. What are the differences between these and the Athlon's? Will I be better off getting a thunderbird instead of the Athlon? (1 ghz) Also, I'm not looking to break the bank on my new machine, but I'm not cutting many corners either.. I have about a $3,000 budget. And that will have to include the monitor, sound system, and everything else.. I don't think I'll have any problem building the system. I've had some pc tech background, but the last time I built a system, it was a "Top of the Line" 100 mhz system ;-) So the technology is my biggest problem! Thanks for all your responses thus far! Keep the ideas coming! Sincerely, Mick

Jay J wrote: > > PS: Granted I could have probably saved $500-$750 building my own, but price > wasn't the only consideration in my decision to have them put a system... Boy, have I got a sim-racing seat for YOU! ;) Just a little joke there, Jay... BB

Sharky Extreme: http://www.sharkyextreme.com highly recommends the AMD T-bird for gaming... Mick wrote: > > I've just noticed that AMD has out another processor.. The Thunderbird.. > What are the differences between these and the Athlon's?

Also... Check out www.anandtech.com They are VERY, VERY through and professional with their hardware reviews! And are less biased than Toms or Sharky's IMO Jay J Barton Brown <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Sharky Extreme: > > http://www.sharkyextreme.com > > highly recommends the AMD T-bird for gaming... > > Mick wrote: > > > > I've just noticed that AMD has out another processor.. The Thunderbird.. > > What are the differences between these and the Athlon's?

Actually, I saw a WAAAY COOL racing seat/car simulator recently in one of the "dream homes" that they had on parade to tour through in the Dallas/Plano TX area recently. Check out http://www.hyperstim.com/ Found out they have a local (Ft Worth) outlet too! Prices range from $750-$20,000 (the 20K is for an actual Indycar showcar, turned into a simulator!) Problem is... I've got no room for it in my home Well that, and convincing my Wife... gulp! That wouldn't be easy... JJ Barton Brown <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Jay J wrote: > > > > PS: Granted I could have probably saved $500-$750 building my own, butprice > > wasn't the only consideration in my decision to have them put asystem... > > Boy, have I got a sim-racing seat for YOU! ;) > > Just a little joke there, Jay... > > BB

"> >Hell I even sent them a copy of my favorite racing game which they preloaded > >on the PC, and test for me! > > Hmm, that's interesting. I've never heard of a company 'pre-testing'desired > applications before. Of course, you're subject to their definition of > 'acceptable' frame rates... > > Eldred Standard procedure with Falcon NW. And with thier systems, acceptable frame-rates are rarely a problem. dave henrie

Jay J wrote: > > Actually, I saw a WAAAY COOL racing seat/car simulator recently The HyperStim stuff is very nice -- I'm sure *my* wife would let me get one ... if I didn't mind living by myself in a refrigerator box down by the railroad overpass. I think the RaceBase stuff is nicely designed, and you can get a set of full-size plans and all the hardware from them for $US55 delivered -- then you just get some MDF, trace the plans on it, get out your trusty scroll saw and spray paint, and there you go: http://www.racebasecockpit.com BTW, thanks for the AnandTech reminder -- couldn't remember the name of that site, now I've got it bookmarked again. BB

"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:f_MI5.8894$[email hidden]...

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> > "> >Hell I even sent them a copy of my favorite racing game which they > preloaded > > >on the PC, and test for me! > > > > Hmm, that's interesting. I've never heard of a company 'pre-testing' > desired > > applications before. Of course, you're subject to their definition of > > 'acceptable' frame rates... > > > > Eldred > Standard procedure with Falcon NW. And with thier systems, acceptable > frame-rates are rarely a problem. > dave henrie

That's cool for people that would be scared by just changing out a vid card, but if your comfortable with that, buiding you own is really the only way to go, if it's your second or later system as you can use so much of what you already have. -- Don Burnette Dburn in N3 and Legends ICQ# 74084566

For speakers get Klipsch v2-400's. Look on Ebay for them. There is no comparison for Sound Quality or volume! "Mick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Hey, > I'm getting ready to build a computer, for gaming. (Nascar 4, GPL, > etc.) I really need some input on a Mobo/RAM/Video Card combination that > rocks!! All that I've decided on so far is a 1 gig AMD Athlon CPU.. > Everything else is up in the air.. Opinions, ideas, websites, newsgroup > recommendations all welcome! I really appreciate it! > Mick >

I recommend AMD's Duron 650 for �60 ! it runs happily @ 950mHz @ 49Degrees on an Asus a7v m/b. I'm using a geforce2mx for �85 and the performance is super even at high resolutions. The Thunderbird is 10% quicker than the Duron but hardly worth the extra - The Duron's maths power is basically the same. Mick <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> I've just noticed that AMD has out another processor.. The Thunderbird.. > What are the differences between these and the Athlon's? Will I be > better off getting a thunderbird instead of the Athlon? (1 ghz) Also, > I'm not looking to break the bank on my new machine, but I'm not cutting > many corners either.. I have about a $3,000 budget. And that will have > to include the monitor, sound system, and everything else.. > I don't think I'll have any problem building the system. I've had some > pc tech background, but the last time I built a system, it was a "Top of > the Line" > 100 mhz system ;-) So the technology is my biggest problem! > Thanks for all your responses thus far! Keep the ideas coming! > Sincerely, > Mick

In article <f_MI5.8894$[email hidden]>, "Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> writes:

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>> Hmm, that's interesting. I've never heard of a company 'pre-testing' >desired >> applications before. Of course, you're subject to their definition of >> 'acceptable' frame rates... >> >> Eldred > Standard procedure with Falcon NW. And with thier systems, acceptable >frame-rates are rarely a problem. >dave henrie >

But coming up with the FINANCES for their systems certainly IS a problem... :( Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL hcp. +49.67 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.