Want to build a gaming pc,where to start?

[tunk]

Hello everyone,

My computer from 1998 is becoming increasing obsolete. I'd like to see if it will be worthwhile to build a PC for my gaming needs.

What will I need to keep up with, and stay ahead of today's increased gaming demands?

TUNK

[XRayGoGGleMan]

What is your budget?

And check out newegg.com

[i3OSS]

BUDGET?
AMD or INTEL?

Happy Holidays

[tunk]

less than $1500, Intel.
I don't need a monitor

[Cricket]

Hi tunk,

For a gaming system, the video card is what you want to concentrate on and configure your system around. Currently, the ATI 9700 Pro and the NVidia Ti 4600 are the fastest video cards available (for now...both have newer faster graphics chips almost ready for release).

I'd recommend you start with a good case with a good power supply, then get a good ASUS motherboard, whatever DDR RAM it supports, a fast hard drive or two, a good sound card and speakers (sorry I'm not mentioning brands and models, but I don't game and I don't know what to recommend).

Pick out a fairly speedy P4 (doesn't have to be the fastest one available...anything over 1.8GHz is plenty fast).

Cricket

[minsonngo]

NewEgg.com or TigerDirect.com are good places to start. I built a nice gaming computer for someone for about 1100 dollars including a five piece speaker set and a 17 inch flat screen monitor. Here are the specs:

+ Chieftec Extreme Gamer Case _ Mars Red Color, Keyboard and Mouse $99.99 @ TigerDirect.com
+ Pentium 4 2.4BGHz 512K 533MHz Processor $189.99 @ NewEgg
+ MSI 6566E 845E Max Motherboard $89.00 @ NewEgg
+ 512MB 266MHz DDR PC2100 DIMM CL2 $148.00 @ Kingston.com
+ WESTERN DIGITAL HARDDRIVE 60GB $91.00 @ NewEgg
+ Lite-On 16x DVD Model LTD-166 Black $38.99 @ NewEgg
+ Optorite Black 48x16x48 IDE/ATAPI CD-RW $50.00 @ NewEgg
+ MITSUMI BLACK FDD 1.44MB 3.5INCH $11.00 @ NewEgg
+ POWERCOLOR ATI RADEON 9000 64MB DDR Video Card $72.00 @ NewEgg
+ VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH SANTA CRUZ Sound Card $62.00 @ NewEgg
+ Enermax Whispersys System Exhaust Blower $5.00 @ NewEgg
+ Two 80x25mm Red Quad LED Fans $5.49 Each @ SvCompuCycle.com

You might want to get a better heatsink and fan combo. I just used the stock one that came with the processor I ordered. Be sure that you tie all loose cables into neat groups and use enough heat sink compund for the processor. My processor runs at about 36 to 42 degrees C and my motherboard runs at about 26 to 31 degress C. This is before and after a couple or hours of gaming. Excess heat can shorten the life span of some computer components like your processor. Especially if you plan to overclock your system. So try to have enough cooling in the case. What I suggested is fine.

[Markoman01027]

The AMD Athlon XP's also run good in games..So if you want to save some money, buy yourself an AMD Athlon XP for half the cost of a P4..

[morriswindgate]

All Prices are Newegg.com

System 1 AMD based;

Enermax, CS-3171L-S3A. SILVER, "Rainbow Light''. Aluminum Silver and Plastic Front Panel with Acrylic Cover. 10-Bay, Enermax Logo side Window, Sound Sensitive Neon Light. 2 x USB, 1 x MIC, 1 x headphone ports at front. POWERUP 350W P-4 power supply, Mid ATX Tower Case ATX. 4 X 5.25" Bays, 2 X 3.5" Bays, 4 X 3.5" Hidden. Dimensions: 486 x 200 x 427mm Please see images. Retail. $83.00 1 $83.00

Enermax Adjustable 8CM cooling fan (BLUE). Manual adjustable fan speed, 1000 RPM ~ 3000 RPM. 2-ball-bearing clear fan, chromed fan guard, 3pin to 4pin adaptor. Retail Box. Please see images. $7.00 1 $7.00

Enermax Adjustable 12CM cooling fan (BLUE). Manual adjustable fan speed, 1500 RPM ~ 2300 RPM. 2-ball-bearing clear fan, chromed fan guard, 3pin to 4pin adaptor. Retail Box. Please see images. $13.00 1 $13.00

Asus VIA A7V333 KT333 Chipset ATX Motherboard Retail Boxed
AMD Athlon XP Ready, C-Media CMI-8738 6-Channel Speaker Onboard Sound. ASUS C.O.P. (CPU Overheating Protection), Support DDR333 (PC2700) **ATA133** USB 2.0 Ready, Asus Q-FAN (Variable Fan Speed Control) 5 x PCI 1 x AGP4X 3 x DDR DIMM Sockets. Max 3GB PC2700/PC2100/PC1600 DDR, **NO RAID
$103.00 1 $103.00

GAINWARD/CARDEXPERT GeForce 4 Ti 4200, 4ns, 128MB DDR, Power Pack Golden Sample,
Specifications:
GPU: Geforce4 Ti-4200
MEM:128MB DDR (4ns)
Fill Rate: 4 Billion AA Samples/Sec.
Operations per Second: 1.03 Trillion
Memory Bandwidth: up to 8GB/Sec.
Integrated 32-bit color and 32-bit Z/Stencil Buffer.
Ports: 1 CRT + TV out, (No DVI, or TV-In),
Overclocking enhanced mode, DVD player software. Retail. (comes with Software and Svideo-RCA cable See pic) . P/N: VGF4TI4200T $163.00 1 $163.00

ENERMAX EG365P-VE(FM). 350W Power supply for AMD K7 & Pentium4. Meet ATX 2.03 & ATX +12V 1.1 Version. Pentium 4 supported ! Compliant with AMD K7. Gold plated connectors provide perfect conduction. Dual fan design of E type PSU and all with thermal control function. +5Vsb output current 2.2A output. Cable tube tied design for neatness. Noiseless & High MTBF. Retail box. $47.00 1 $47.00

AMD ATHLON XP 2400 /266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU- OEM
Specifications:
CPU: 2.0 GHz
Type: XP 2400 Thoroughbred
Cache: 256K
BUS: 266MHz
Socket A
OEM (Processor Only) $175.00 1 $175.00

MITSUMI D359M3 BLACK FDD 1.44MB 3.5INCH - OEM
Specifications:
Connector: 34-pin Floppy cable Standard Connector.
Modes: HD(1.44MB) Supports: Dos, Windows 3.1, 95/98 NT3.51 and 4.0
2DD(720kb) Supports: Dos, Windows 3.1, 95/98 NT3.51 and 4.0 $11.00 1 $11.00

►Year End Blow Out: WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD800JB - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Size: 80 Gigabytes
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Seek time: 8.9ms
RPM:7200
Cache 8MB
OEM(Drive alone) 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty --* Works With PC & Mac *-- $107.99 1 $107.99

Logitech Cordless Elite Duo - RETAIL Delivers maximum freedom, performance & value. Combines an ultra-flat cordless 0-Degree Tilt keyboard with the high-performance Cordless MouseMan Optical. Enhanced Function key commands simplify the things you do most often. Gain one-touch access to your email, instant messenger and webcam. Easily control your multimedia experience. Quickly access your files, pictures, music, and the Web. Quickly navigate documents, Web sites and applications. $77.00 1 $77.00

►Hot Item! Lite On 48x24x48 CDRW Model LTR-48246SBlack OEMBuffer underrun error free & automatically adjust writing strategy plus running OPC to meet various burning condition.
Specifications:
Speed : Recording 48Xmax CAV Re-writing 24X High-Speed CLV Reading 48Xmax CAV
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE, support up to Ultra-DMA Mode2 33.3MB/sec
Access Time : 80ms (typical)
Buffer Memory Size: 2MB
Operating System : Windows 95/98/NT/XP/2000/ME
MTBF : 70'000 Power On Hours with 25% Duty
OEM (Comes with Software, Manual and Audio cable.) $67.99 1 $67.99

Teac DV516E000 Internal Black IDE/ATAPI Internal 16X DVD-ROM - OEM Version - DRIVE ONLY!
Specifications:
Speed VD-ROM 16X (6.4X~16X) - CD-ROM 48X (20X~48X)
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE
Sustained Transfer Rate : Support up to Ultra-DMA/33 33.3MB/sec
Burst Transfer Rate : Support up to Ultra-DMA/33 33.3MB/sec
Access Time : 120ms (typical)
MTBF : 70'000 Power On Hours with 20% Duty
OEM (Drive Only) $52.00 1 $52.00

Guillemot Hercules Gaming Theater XP 7.1 - RETAIL
Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound
7.1 channel surround sound with the new generation of Dolby Digital EX
DTS technology, via the digital outputs (coaxial et optical)
Sleek external rack for ultra simplicity, maximum flexibility and optimum audio fidelity
Data Transfer: PCI 2.1 bus
Audio Processor (DSP): Crystal CS4624
Audio Converters: 18-bit ADC/20-bit DAC for high audio quality at sampling rates of up to 48kHz
Bundled software: PowerDVD PRO EX, Acid Xpress, Hercules Mediastation II, and Yamaha XG Player $90.00 1 $90.00

Thermaltake VOLCANO 9 CoolMod, Copper base inserted, SMART & SILENT. Retail. For AMD Athlon XP up to 2800+ and Intel Socket 370 & AMD Socket 462. 80x80x25 mm fan. Heat sink 80x80mm & 77.3mm tall. Air Flow: 20.55 CFM at 1300rpm & 75.7 CFM at 4800rpm. Instructions for Installation MUST be followed correctly. Mfr's P/N: A1455 $28.00 1 $28.00

Altec Lansing 251 5.1 Amplified 6-Piece Speaker System - RETAIL
90 Watts of Total System Power.
45 Watts RMS.
Deep-Bass, Compact Subwoofer.
Performance Drivers.
Built-In Controls.
Headphone Jack.
Distinctive, All-Decor Styling.
Total Connectivity.
Dual Mode Selector.
Color-Coded Cables.
Shielded satellites. $68.00 1 $68.00

Subtotal:
$ 1,092.98
Tax:
$79.24
Shipping and Handling charge*:
$49.30
Total:
$1,221.53

Intel P4 System

Enermax, CS-3171L-S3A. SILVER, "Rainbow Light''. Aluminum Silver and Plastic Front Panel with Acrylic Cover. 10-Bay, Enermax Logo side Window, Sound Sensitive Neon Light. 2 x USB, 1 x MIC, 1 x headphone ports at front. POWERUP 350W P-4 power supply, Mid ATX Tower Case ATX. 4 X 5.25" Bays, 2 X 3.5" Bays, 4 X 3.5" Hidden. Dimensions: 486 x 200 x 427mm Please see images. Retail. $83.00 1 $83.00

Enermax Adjustable 8CM cooling fan (BLUE). Manual adjustable fan speed, 1000 RPM ~ 3000 RPM. 2-ball-bearing clear fan, chromed fan guard, 3pin to 4pin adaptor. Retail Box. Please see images. $7.00 1 $7.00

Enermax Adjustable 12CM cooling fan (BLUE). Manual adjustable fan speed, 1500 RPM ~ 2300 RPM. 2-ball-bearing clear fan, chromed fan guard, 3pin to 4pin adaptor. Retail Box. Please see images. $13.00 1 $13.00

Shuttle Motherboard for Intel Pentium 4 / Celeron Processor Model# AS45GT
Specifications:
CPU Supported: 478-pin Intel Pentium 4 / Celeron
Chipset: SIS 648
FSB: 400/533 MHz
RAM: 3x 184-pin DDR SDRAM, 3GB Max
IDE: 2x UltraDMA100/133 Bus Master IDE SiS963
Slots: 1x AGP, 5x PCI(32-bit) BUS Master slots
Ports: 2x Serial, 1x Parallel, 1x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse, 2x USB, 1x FDD
Onboard Audio: AC 97 Audio
Model# AS45GT **NO RAID Support** $107.00 1 $107.00

GAINWARD/CARDEXPERT GeForce 4 Ti 4200, 4ns, 128MB DDR, Power Pack Golden Sample,
Specifications:
GPU: Geforce4 Ti-4200
MEM:128MB DDR (4ns)
Fill Rate: 4 Billion AA Samples/Sec.
Operations per Second: 1.03 Trillion
Memory Bandwidth: up to 8GB/Sec.
Integrated 32-bit color and 32-bit Z/Stencil Buffer.
Ports: 1 CRT + TV out, (No DVI, or TV-In),
Overclocking enhanced mode, DVD player software. Retail. (comes with Software and Svideo-RCA cable See pic) . P/N: VGF4TI4200T $163.00 1 $163.00

ENERMAX EG365P-VE(FM). 350W Power supply for AMD K7 & Pentium4. Meet ATX 2.03 & ATX +12V 1.1 Version. Pentium 4 supported ! Compliant with AMD K7. Gold plated connectors provide perfect conduction. Dual fan design of E type PSU and all with thermal control function. +5Vsb output current 2.2A output. Cable tube tied design for neatness. Noiseless & High MTBF. Retail box. $47.00 1 $47.00

Intel Pentium 4 / 2.4BGHz Northwood 512K Socket 478 Processor 533MHz Processor Bus OEM
Specifications:
CPU: 2.4 GHz
Type: Pentium 4
Cache: 512K
BUS: 533MHz
Socket: 478 OEM (Processor Only) -(CPU ONLY NO RAMBUS RAM)
$185.00 1 $185.00

MITSUMI D359M3 BLACK FDD 1.44MB 3.5INCH - OEM
Specifications:
Connector: 34-pin Floppy cable Standard Connector.
Modes: HD(1.44MB) Supports: Dos, Windows 3.1, 95/98 NT3.51 and 4.0
2DD(720kb) Supports: Dos, Windows 3.1, 95/98 NT3.51 and 4.0 $11.00 1 $11.00

►Year End Blow Out: WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD800JB - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Size: 80 Gigabytes
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Seek time: 8.9ms
RPM:7200
Cache 8MB
OEM(Drive alone) 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty --* Works With PC & Mac *-- $107.99 1 $107.99

Logitech Cordless Elite Duo - RETAIL Delivers maximum freedom, performance & value. Combines an ultra-flat cordless 0-Degree Tilt keyboard with the high-performance Cordless MouseMan Optical. Enhanced Function key commands simplify the things you do most often. Gain one-touch access to your email, instant messenger and webcam. Easily control your multimedia experience. Quickly access your files, pictures, music, and the Web. Quickly navigate documents, Web sites and applications. $77.00 1 $77.00

►Hot Item! Lite On 48x24x48 CDRW Model LTR-48246SBlack OEMBuffer underrun error free & automatically adjust writing strategy plus running OPC to meet various burning condition.
Specifications:
Speed : Recording 48Xmax CAV Re-writing 24X High-Speed CLV Reading 48Xmax CAV
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE, support up to Ultra-DMA Mode2 33.3MB/sec
Access Time : 80ms (typical)
Buffer Memory Size: 2MB
Operating System : Windows 95/98/NT/XP/2000/ME
MTBF : 70'000 Power On Hours with 25% Duty
OEM (Comes with Software, Manual and Audio cable.) $67.99 1 $67.99

Teac DV516E000 Internal Black IDE/ATAPI Internal 16X DVD-ROM - OEM Version - DRIVE ONLY!
Specifications:
Speed VD-ROM 16X (6.4X~16X) - CD-ROM 48X (20X~48X)
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE
Sustained Transfer Rate : Support up to Ultra-DMA/33 33.3MB/sec
Burst Transfer Rate : Support up to Ultra-DMA/33 33.3MB/sec
Access Time : 120ms (typical)
MTBF : 70'000 Power On Hours with 20% Duty
OEM (Drive Only) $52.00 1 $52.00

Guillemot Hercules Gaming Theater XP 7.1 - RETAIL
Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound
7.1 channel surround sound with the new generation of Dolby Digital EX
DTS technology, via the digital outputs (coaxial et optical)
Sleek external rack for ultra simplicity, maximum flexibility and optimum audio fidelity
Data Transfer: PCI 2.1 bus
Audio Processor (DSP): Crystal CS4624
Audio Converters: 18-bit ADC/20-bit DAC for high audio quality at sampling rates of up to 48kHz
Bundled software: PowerDVD PRO EX, Acid Xpress, Hercules Mediastation II, and Yamaha XG Player $90.00 1 $90.00

Thermaltake VOLCANO 9 CoolMod, Copper base inserted, SMART & SILENT. Retail. For AMD Athlon XP up to 2800+ and Intel Socket 370 & AMD Socket 462. 80x80x25 mm fan. Heat sink 80x80mm & 77.3mm tall. Air Flow: 20.55 CFM at 1300rpm & 75.7 CFM at 4800rpm. Instructions for Installation MUST be followed correctly. Mfr's P/N: A1455 $28.00 1 $28.00

Altec Lansing 251 5.1 Amplified 6-Piece Speaker System - RETAIL
90 Watts of Total System Power.
45 Watts RMS.
Deep-Bass, Compact Subwoofer.
Performance Drivers.
Built-In Controls.
Headphone Jack.
Distinctive, All-Decor Styling.
Total Connectivity.
Dual Mode Selector.
Color-Coded Cables.
Shielded satellites. $68.00 1 $68.00

Subtotal:
$ 1,106.98
Tax:
$80.26
Shipping and Handling charge*:
$49.37
Total:
$1,236.61

[minsonngo]

morriswindgate forgot to include memory in the specs. Also I would go with the VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH SANTA CRUZ Sound Card $62.00 @ NewEgg and the Chieftec Extreme Gamer Case _ Mars Red Color, Keyboard and Mouse $99.99 @ TigerDirect.com. The sound card is probably the best out there and the case is similar to the alienware one but with a window on the side of the case.

[morriswindgate]

I have to disagree on the TB Santa Cruz, A couple of years ago it was a great sound card at a reasonable price and I bought one and liked the performance. But the company that produces them tends to be into other products and does not update their cards, so at this time the Santa Cruz has fallen behing. On the other hand the Hercules Game Theater 9On my main system) has evolved into a sound system to rival the Creative Audigy Platinum at less cost. It is also a much more powerful card than the TB.
And cases are like women, some like em skinny some like em big. I just put the case on their to reflect the average cost. And yes I did forget the DDR.

[Furius92]

Uhhh whoa. He said he wanted Intel. How is it we decide to give him specs for an AMD computer? Wasn't the policy of these forums that if someone asks for information on an Intel build, you give them that and not AMD? I can remember an innumerable number of posts in which this has been stated, how do we forget it so easily?

[i3OSS]

if YOU actually read the whole thread you would know that he gave a AMD build and a PENTIUM build, please get your facts straight before you poin any fingers, morris is a nice guy and spent a lot of time making him a build, so dont be so POd about him giving a AMD ***AND*** INTEL build.

happy holidays
i3oss

[morriswindgate]

No matter wheather they say AMD or Intel, if they are in the above $1000.00 budget I try to present both. Not that I am trying to make a decision for them, instead I am trying to show them the two different but equal systems.
What I have seen in the past is people want Intel first, but then will post wanting suggestions for AMD. Posting both at once just let's them know that when the systems are equal in spec, they are pretty much equal in price.

[tunk]

morriswingate: on your list for intel; doesn't the case already come with a power supply and for the memory what do you recommend? Kingston?
Thank you.
You guys have convinced me to build my own system.

[Alienware_Dude]

I'm not MWG, but that case comes with a Power-Up PSU, and don't be fooled, it's not an Enermax. Kingston is good for memory, as are Crucial, Corsair, Mushkin, etc.

[morriswindgate]

I primarily put the case and power supply in just to fill in the average price that you will pay for a good one. Cases are like women, you probably don't have the same taste I have, but if you add up the price of the case and PSU you will probably still be within that range with the one you like.
I try and buy cases without the power supply, since most of them are garbage units. But if I have to buy the case with the PSU, I will replace it with an Enermax or Sparkle. Then I strip the OEM PSU for the fans and the leads, the rest goes in the garbage.

[Nelreem]

Um, Morris, one quick question about the intel build. Why did you suggest a shuttle mobo with an SIS chipset? I thought that intel chipsets were the standard for stability.