Gaming PC - What are your recommendations?

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uncmil

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#10641 2-Dec-2006 21:51

So, I'm on the lookout for a good gaming PC, and I thought here would be one of the best places to come for advice.

I'm looking for either soemthing pre-built or for recommendations on customizable PCs or for recommendations on DIY PCs.

Here's what I need/want:
A good game for base specs is Medieval Total War II. At least 2 gig CPU, tons of RAM, good graphics, etc.

The computer needs to be powerful enough to game one and good enough to run Vista Ultimate.

Anyone have any ideas about something from Alienware/Dell or HP/VooDoo and those sorts?
A Mac running Windows as a gaming computer? (Ability to run OS X would be good)
What about going down the route of DIY?

tonyhughes

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#54521 2-Dec-2006 22:58

id say if you were able to DIY a top end gaming rig, you wouldnt be posting here asking if that was an option (honestly - no offence) - if you can, you can though - dont let me naysay!! If you havent DIYed before - start with an older machine and pull apart, investigate etc, or DIY a typical home internet/email machine. Before you buy parts for a DIY machine, may pay to check here, or with the supplier of the parts as to whether they are all compatible.

im no gamer, but hear good things about alienware - why not buy the top alienware rig you can, get some RAID lovin going on (for performance, not redundancy), and put as much RAM as possible in (2GB - 4GB).

Google your games of choice along with the words "specs" , "specifications", "graphics card" etc, and look what other people are talking about in relation to the software...

Should be a good start

Mutly

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#54581 4-Dec-2006 10:43

If you are looking to run Vista, be sure to invest in a DirectX10 compatible graphics card.

I can't brain today. I have the dumb.

bradstewart

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#54587 4-Dec-2006 11:21

Why? Vista runs fine on older cards. We won't be seeing DX10 games etc for quite a while. The only DX10 card is the 8800 and there are no DX10 or Vista drivers for it yet. From what I've seen its not a very good card at all.

Mutly

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#54615 4-Dec-2006 15:57

bradstewart: Why? Vista runs fine on older cards.

Future proofing (well, as much as you can with computers ;). Directx 9 is emulated in Vista. Having a native directx 10 card will significantly improve gaming performance.

I can't brain today. I have the dumb.

bradstewart

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#54619 4-Dec-2006 16:08

Best not to future proof yourself with a bad card. Best to wait a couple of months before looking at DirectX 10 cards. The first cards of a new series are usually not that great and that problem is amplified with a new DX version.

The companies cannot even write decent drivers fo DX9 on Vista... Give it time.

I would recommend specs of:

Intel Core Duo 2.6Ghz+
2Gb DDR2 RAM
2x 160Gb HDD
2x Geforce 7950 would be the ultimate...

Mutly

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#54624 4-Dec-2006 16:23

bradstewart:
2x Geforce 7950 would be the ultimate...

Ok, you win! *tries to stop drooling*

I can't brain today. I have the dumb.

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Fraktul

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#55158 10-Dec-2006 15:38

Wait till end of Jan when the ATI r600 is released, you will get perhaps the option of a better card and also see pricing drops in the 8800 series. I have a sneaking suspicion the r600 is going to spank the g80 quite nicely with its memory architecture.

Artik2

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#56679 31-Dec-2006 20:59

2 x 8800gtx??? ;)

FaNToM

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#57318 9-Jan-2007 11:34

bradstewart: Best not to future proof yourself with a bad card. Best to wait a couple of months before looking at DirectX 10 cards. The first cards of a new series are usually not that great and that problem is amplified with a new DX version.

The companies cannot even write decent drivers fo DX9 on Vista... Give it time.

I would recommend specs of:

Intel Core Duo 2.6Ghz+
2Gb DDR2 RAM
2x 160Gb HDD
2xGeforce 7950 would be the ultimate...

mate, i dont know why you think the 8800 series is bad. Sure, we will soon see ATI's R600 card on the market, which may prove to be a better DX10 graphics card. but you should really read the specs mate before you start saying nvidia's top-of-the-line video card series is 'bad'.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce_7950.html

http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce_8800.html

after reading these spec sheets my friend, you will see what i mean.

One 8800GTX can shift more memory bandwidth than a 7950GX2, and thats only one factor. The 8800GTX kicks any single 7950GT in the arse. And even a 7950GX2 cant keep up with it. And we're talkin real-world performance here, not the irrelevant 3D Mark.

so your 'ultimate' cards have just been beaten by a single 8800GTX. ouch.

and no im not a fanboy, I have an ATI card.

please backup your statement about good things being bad before saying it.

[Moderator edit (bradstewart): Hyperlinked]

bradstewart

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#57335 9-Jan-2007 15:08

I have read the specs and seen the card in action. I wasn't impressed. There are no DX10 drivers for it yet, which is pathetic for the highly touted first DX10 card. Until the drivers come out of beta the 7950 will be a much better card.

Seriously, who releases a card without drivers? Ridiculous.

FaNToM

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#57339 9-Jan-2007 15:34

yeah, right you are there. and yes the full potential of the Geforce 8 series will not yet be known until some safe and fully tested DX10 drivers come from nvidia, however the card itself is nvidias flagship chip G80 and is really quite powerful. A 384-bit memory interface on a single card really helps shift all of that memory bandwidth and will really help in future DX10 games when texture sizes start shooting up. But yes at the moment any top Geforce 7 series would suit anyones needs quite nicely, they are still very good powerful cards. I personally cannot wait until the mid-range 8 series cards hit the shelves, the 8600GS/GT, and even the upper high-end 8900GTX and 8950GT. Exciting stuff!

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bradstewart

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#57341 9-Jan-2007 15:43

Nvidia have just released their Vista RTM drivers for the Geforce cards, but still no DX10/Vista drivers for the 8800. When they come out the card will be awesome.

Fraktul

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#57377 9-Jan-2007 19:19

Awesome, then we can run all those DX10 applications and games out there!

Oh wait hold on...