Halo 1 & 2 for PC
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Subject: How much would it cost to build my own gaming rig?
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Building a Gaming Rig eh? It's gonna cost you an arm, a leg, your ass, and your manhood.

jk

Hmm. You should read PC Gamer. They have a great guide on building a Gaming rif for under $1k. However, I would'nt advise that. Who want's to spend a grand? I could build one for under $700. Still a bit costly, but affordable.

  • 09.23.2006 6:31 PM PDT
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aka lino4

Most of the PC issues posted here are the result of PEBKAC.

I'm building mine for $1200 as soon as I get it. It'll have the Radeon X1950 in it, so that's all I'll need. I'm thinking of Crossfiring those things. Definitely experiment with Crossfire.

  • 09.23.2006 8:40 PM PDT

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Posted by: Iggwilv

*hands Kim a crowbar*
Here you will need this to help you get your foot out of the back of your throat, looks llike its in there pretty deep. And what is that on your face? Egg?! *hands Kim a washcloth*

Posted by: vincent5
I'm building mine for $1200 as soon as I get it. It'll have the Radeon X1950 in it, so that's all I'll need. I'm thinking of Crossfiring those things. Definitely experiment with Crossfire.


what a waste crossfiring x1950s, forget about those and wait for a dx10 card.

  • 09.23.2006 8:46 PM PDT
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Posted by: staticx576
what a waste crossfiring x1950s, forget about those and wait for a dx10 card.

That's why I bought a Geforce 7300, a great budget card to tide me over untill DX10.

  • 09.23.2006 9:34 PM PDT
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Honestly, if you really know what you're doing, and what you're going for, you can get a good machine, (not including a box) for around $700. I'm real tired right now and the morpine's telling me to go to bed, so I really can't give a great explanation, but unless it's been said, go to Newegg.com, they've got some cool stuff, with decent prices, that's where I went.

  • 09.23.2006 11:24 PM PDT
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First of all, if you build your own you will save loads of money. Period. It's not going to cost you any more than $2,000 even if you go all out.

Second, Alienware is no better than any other pre built from any other company. They're just horribly overpriced, and when you buy an Alienware - you aren't buying a better computer, you're just buying a name.

  • 09.24.2006 10:41 AM PDT
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Well I'm not looking to go over 900 bucks so...

  • 09.24.2006 10:46 AM PDT
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I'll echo what most people have said, which is build your own.

Dont be fooled, its easy.

A few things. Either intel or AMD is a safe bet at the moment. But if AMD, make sure you get an AM2 processor (and obviously motherboard).

Reason:
Its going to be very upgradable, and at the moment the prices are not a lot more than the other sockets.

Obviously get dual core.

Reason:
The prices are so low at the moment, and dispite people saying dual is pointless, its not. You can actually allocate programs (and therefore games) to use certain cores. So best practice is, to run windows and small programs, such as winamp, media player, fraps etc on the first core, and games on the next.

Make sure the motherboard has PCI e.

Reason:
No brainer really. Its the latest port for graphics cards. That said, youd be extremely hard pressed to get anything other than PCIe now.

Integrated sound - the arguments.
As a long user of integrated sound, I say if you can be bothered to spend a little extra on a sound card, do it. Mostly because Ive had small niggles with every single onboard sound Ive used (and thats a lot).

Monitor. A 19" one with decent resolutions and at most a 8MS response time. A DVI port would be good too. This isnt as expensive as it sounds, I got one exactly like that for £120 odd (thats £s remember).

Memory
If your going for a newish processor, your going to have to get the new type anyways. Just check what you need on the mobo. As for amount, 2 gig would be good vista ready.

Hard drives.
7200 spin at least. Obviously sata. Just go for one with the size you need, and make sure its got good reviews. A second drive could be a good idea, as backup.

Optical drive.
Get a DVD writer, cheap as chips and can read DVDs and normal cds. Note tho, look for users comments on getting a quiet one. Nothing worse than a bloody hurricane starting when you put a DVD in.

Case.
Theres plenty of uberbent neon arse window flashing things out there. Get them if you want. Just make sure it doesnt come with a PSU, you want to choose that yourself.

PSU.
Makes sure its a decent one over 400Watts, and again, find some reviews on it. Bear in mind you need the newset connectors, so this PSU is going to cost a bit.

Speakers
Just look for ones with good reviews, they dont have to be an expensive brand make. And only go for surround sound (5.1 or greater) if you can actually set it up. If you cant get the speakers in the right places, due to your room etc, its going to sound like crap.

Power protection.
Once you get this computer, make sure you buy an anti surge plug adaptor. I got one for £5 with an insurance gurantee, so its worth it. You could go one better and get a UPS, but thats hardcore.

A card reader is always good, an internal one. One of those that does all the cards. Dead cheap, but make sure it matches your case.

Graphics card.
Ok. You DONT need crossfire, or SLI. Anyone telling you that you do, either has a monitor over 25" with a stupid resolution, or is talking utter bull. Doesnt really matter who you go for, Nvidea or ATI, just get the most expensive card you can go for. Although getting the very topend is usually pointless.

The various fanboys will try and convince you one is better than the other, but when your buying highend, it doesnt matter.

Hope this helps.

  • 09.24.2006 10:57 AM PDT
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Posted by: Minjita
I'll echo what most people have said, which is build your own.

Dont be fooled, its easy.

A few things. Either intel or AMD is a safe bet at the moment. But if AMD, make sure you get an AM2 processor (and obviously motherboard).

Reason:
Its going to be very upgradable, and at the moment the prices are not a lot more than the other sockets.

Obviously get dual core.

Reason:
The prices are so low at the moment, and dispite people saying dual is pointless, its not. You can actually allocate programs (and therefore games) to use certain cores. So best practice is, to run windows and small programs, such as winamp, media player, fraps etc on the first core, and games on the next.

Make sure the motherboard has PCI e.

Reason:
No brainer really. Its the latest port for graphics cards. That said, youd be extremely hard pressed to get anything other than PCIe now.

Integrated sound - the arguments.
As a long user of integrated sound, I say if you can be bothered to spend a little extra on a sound card, do it. Mostly because Ive had small niggles with every single onboard sound Ive used (and thats a lot).

Monitor. A 19" one with decent resolutions and at most a 8MS response time. A DVI port would be good too. This isnt as expensive as it sounds, I got one exactly like that for £120 odd (thats £s remember).

Memory
If your going for a newish processor, your going to have to get the new type anyways. Just check what you need on the mobo. As for amount, 2 gig would be good vista ready.

Hard drives.
7200 spin at least. Obviously sata. Just go for one with the size you need, and make sure its got good reviews. A second drive could be a good idea, as backup.

Optical drive.
Get a DVD writer, cheap as chips and can read DVDs and normal cds. Note tho, look for users comments on getting a quiet one. Nothing worse than a bloody hurricane starting when you put a DVD in.

Case.
Theres plenty of uberbent neon arse window flashing things out there. Get them if you want. Just make sure it doesnt come with a PSU, you want to choose that yourself.

PSU.
Makes sure its a decent one over 400Watts, and again, find some reviews on it. Bear in mind you need the newset connectors, so this PSU is going to cost a bit.

Speakers
Just look for ones with good reviews, they dont have to be an expensive brand make. And only go for surround sound (5.1 or greater) if you can actually set it up. If you cant get the speakers in the right places, due to your room etc, its going to sound like crap.

Power protection.
Once you get this computer, make sure you buy an anti surge plug adaptor. I got one for £5 with an insurance gurantee, so its worth it. You could go one better and get a UPS, but thats hardcore.

A card reader is always good, an internal one. One of those that does all the cards. Dead cheap, but make sure it matches your case.

Graphics card.
Ok. You DONT need crossfire, or SLI. Anyone telling you that you do, either has a monitor over 25" with a stupid resolution, or is talking utter bull. Doesnt really matter who you go for, Nvidea or ATI, just get the most expensive card you can go for. Although getting the very topend is usually pointless.

The various fanboys will try and convince you one is better than the other, but when your buying highend, it doesnt matter.

Hope this helps.



Hurray for an intelligent post!

  • 09.24.2006 11:56 AM PDT

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Look... I'm on bungiepedia!

Hey, my Birthday is coming up, so I was thinking of just getting money for my bday from my parents and family, to save up to about 600.

I have a little over 500, so I don't know how I couldl build my own High-end PC for that price, I totalled just over 950 just for the main parts, without a Monitor and Case..

I was thinking of buying the Power Gaming Machine from ASB Computers. Here are the Specs:

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Power Gaming Machine
- AMD Dual Core Technology
- NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Chipset
- NVIDIA GeForce™ 7900 GT/GTX
Graphics Available
- SATA II Hard Drives up to
1.5 Terabytes storage
- 16x Dual Layer DVD±RW w/
Lightscribe option
- Optional X-Fi Sound Card
- Gigabit Ethernet

Processor:
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 3800+
(Dual Core, 2.0GHz, 2 x 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939)

Operating System:
Microsoft®Windows® XP Home Edition

Memory:
1GB Corsair XMS DDR400 (PC-3200)
with Heat Spreader

Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce™ 7600GT 256MB
(GDDR3 w/ HDTV/S-Video Out / DVI PCI Express x16)

Hard Drive:
200GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache SATA
*Free Upgrade to 320GB SATA2 Hard Drive w/ purchase of 200GB Seagate Hard Drive!

Optical Drives:
16X Dual-layer DVD±RW
*Free Upgrade to DVD±RW Lightscribe burner w/ purchase of NEC DVD burner

Sound Card:
Realtek ALC850 8-Channel CODEC

Special offers:
FREE
Lightscribe DVD Burner ($20 Value)
FREE Far Cry 64-bit Edition ($50 Value)
FREE ABS Graphic T-Shirt ($20 Value)



The PC Games I'm looking to get (And run so they look very good) are as follows:
1. Crysis
2. F.E.A.R.
3. Halo: Combat Evolved
4. Halo 2 Vista (Whenever I can get Vista)
5. Halo Custom Edition
6. Battlefield 2142
7. Far Cry (Which comes with the Gaming PC, but I was wondering..is the PC version "good"? Cause I hated the story in the Xbox versions..)


The Speaker system I'm getting..
Creative Inspire P5800 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers


Alternates to gaming that I'll be using my PC for..
1. Photoshop
2. Internet (Bungie, Myspace, Music)
3. Writing my Novel
4. Designing Graphics for my TV Productions classes

I'll be getting a KB/M as well, but I'll be able to use my 360 Controller for any type of gaming on the PC...right?


[Edited on 9/24/2006]

  • 09.24.2006 12:28 PM PDT
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Well I think I have some good ideas now.

Do you guys know anything about actually building it because in that field, my friends, I am a complete and total noob. I'm not even going to pretend I know much about it because I don't. I have some friends that are into that kind of thing but I will need more help than just them most likely.

>>EDIT<<
I am not going to be getting a printer and I'm not getting speakers because I already have some extra ones.

[Edited on 9/24/2006]

  • 09.24.2006 12:37 PM PDT
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Posted by: Covenant Force
Well I think I have some good ideas now.

Do you guys know anything about actually building it because in that field, my friends, I am a complete and total noob. I'm not even going to pretend I know much about it because I don't. I have some friends that are into that kind of thing but I will need more help than just them most likely.

>>EDIT<<
I am not going to be getting a printer and I'm not getting speakers because I already have some extra ones.


It's really not that hard at all... just like legos... except.. well

There are only like 10 pieces, and each is worth hundreds of dollars...

Check out this for a step by step guide: Clicky

  • 09.24.2006 12:54 PM PDT
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your all wrong yes i said it with all due respect i have arig with way enough power to play and do just about anything it only cost around 600 bucks specs you ask ok:AMD ATALON X2 Dual core cpu,ATi (better than nvidia for power and price) redeon x1600 512mb graphics card,2 gigs of ram and 160 gigs on my hard drive i built it from mainly an emachines.

  • 09.24.2006 1:51 PM PDT
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I think now I would like to spend 600 to 900 bucks.
That one website was very helpful. If you know of any more like it please post them. It is like $1,000 dollar legos!

  • 09.24.2006 3:10 PM PDT
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Posted by: ODSTMendoza
your all wrong yes i said it with all due respect i have arig with way enough power to play and do just about anything it only cost around 600 bucks specs you ask ok:AMD ATALON X2 Dual core cpu,ATi (better than nvidia for power and price) redeon x1600 512mb graphics card,2 gigs of ram and 160 gigs on my hard drive i built it from mainly an emachines.



You just shattered my BS meter. You might have that, but you certainly didn't get it all for a total of $600.

  • 09.24.2006 4:53 PM PDT
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haha mendoza, you really don't know how to balance a comp. First you disguise your poor processor by not posting its specs. 2nd, your "better" Ati card is worse than the nvidia equal. 3rd, your radeon has 512 MB, while only being an x1600, a huge waste and bottleneck. 4th, 2 gigs was a poor option when you should've gotten a better processor/card. 5th, i doubt you have low latency ram from emachines.

Also, while those 4 components may be ~$600, you got it from emachines parts, and the PSU, and case, not to mention motherboard, OS, and sound card, are missing.

Furthermore, building no longer has an advantage. you can buy from places like cyberpower for cheaper than if you built separately. I'm not advocating against, building, I did it, and it was a great learning experience, I know that everything was done correctly, and I can fix up my comp on my own. But, with the beauty of bulk ordering, cyberpower, ibuypower, and other such sites allow you to buy components for a comp at a cheaper price. And don't go alienware...that is all.


MLG Cheewawa, that is a good balance. but what is the PSU? that would be good to know for future upgrades. Also, next thing you should consider is upping that ram, as well as processor. the vid card is mid-high, and should serve for now.

[Edited on 9/24/2006]

  • 09.24.2006 5:22 PM PDT
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Posted by: staticx576
Posted by: xTRIGGER092x
Posted by: SuperSnorky
Well, for windows Vista, im getting the Microsoft Hugu mouse. And maybe a XPS. XPS's are fine for gaming and are ready for Vista, i cant wait for Vista omg!


Don't get an XPS man, the guy from Dell said the XPS series is really just the name and its design. I mean, I totaled up a price for an XPS laptop, and it came up with $4400. When I totaled up a price for an Inspiron, with BETTER specs, It came up with $2050.00. And it's Vista Compat. Sure to run Vista Ultimate. Trust me, just don't get an XPS.


what in the world did you put in the laptop? i am calling BS right here. besides a 17" and a 12" are NOT comparable.


Do you always have to criticize me?

Anyway, compare:

XPS:
XP Home Edition SP2
2.16 GHz Centrino Duo
4 GB RAM
GeForce 7400 TC
80 GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
12" Regular Monitor

Total:$4400(Not Counting Tax), $4600(Couting Tax)

Inspiron:
XP Home Edition SP2
2.16 GHz Centrino Duo
2 GB RAM
GeForce 7900 GS Go
80 GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
17" HD TrueLife Monitor

Total:$1895(Not Counting Tax), $2050(Counting Tax)

I got the Inspiron. It definitely the best one, even though I had to sacrifice 2 GB of RAM.

And how can I not compare 12" and 17"? Last time I checked they had the same type of measurement.

  • 09.24.2006 5:28 PM PDT

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME GROUP INVITATIONS

The Halo REACH Script (post thoughts in thread)

Writing Lead of Whisper Studios. Check out Heron!

Look... I'm on bungiepedia!

Posted by: Pet0sh
MLG Cheewawa, that is a good balance. but what is the PSU? that would be good to know for future upgrades. Also, next thing you should consider is upping that ram, as well as processor. the vid card is mid-high, and should serve for now.
Antec 500W Power Supply SmartPower 2.0 is standard, for an extra $55, I can get a Antec 550W Power Supply True Power 2.0

Yeah, I need some more RAM..I'm thinking 2gb would be nice?
QUANTITY 2 OF CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 X 512MB) DDR400 TIMING 2-3-3-6 (Total 2GB) for $211...

I'm going to look into that cyber site you just talked about, I'll compare it to Abs..w00t.

  • 09.24.2006 5:48 PM PDT
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cyberpowersystems used to be good...i've been hearing some...not so good remarks lately.

ibuypower is a nice site too. 500 watts is enough, not sure about antec, but you should be fine if they go through standard burn-in tests. Also, I think there is an AGP version of the 7600, make sure it's PCI-e. (probably is since default is 7900GTX).

[Edited on 9/24/2006]

  • 09.24.2006 5:53 PM PDT

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME GROUP INVITATIONS

The Halo REACH Script (post thoughts in thread)

Writing Lead of Whisper Studios. Check out Heron!

Look... I'm on bungiepedia!

Sorry for posting all this stuff..but I'm pretty new to computers, and I'm going to get one..the grand total for this is $1549, and I was wondering if you think it's a good price? I need to knock it down by $300 to $400.It's from iBUYPOWER, by the way.


Case
NZXT Trinity ATX Mid-Tower Case w/400W Power Supply - Black


Case Lighting
None


Operating System
MS Windows XP Home Edition w/Service Pack-2


Power protection
None
...or...
Opti-UPS SS1200-AVR Mighty Voltage Regulator [+ $20]


PSU
Enermax EG565P 535 Watt Power Supply [SLI-Ready]


Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6400 (2x 2.13GHz/2MB L2 Cache/1066FSB)


Free Games
World of Warcraft
Hero


Processor Cooling
Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink + 2 Extra Color Lighting Case Fans


Motherboard
** iBUYPOWER Recommended ** ECS 965T-A P965 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, USB 2.0 PCI-E MB


RAM
1024MB [512MB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module
...or
2048MB [1024MB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand More Options [+ $180]


Video Card
Nvidia Geforce 6200 with TurboCache Supporting 256MB w/ DVI + TV out video
...or...
Nvidia Geforce 6600 256MB w/ DVI + TV output video [+ $32]


Physics Processing Unit
Asus PhysX P1 Card powered by Ageia PhysX processor 128MB PCI Card [+ $295]


Hard Drive
250 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache]


2nd Hard Drive
None


Raid Configuration
Raid-0 [Data Striping] With 2X Hard Drives [Free]
...or...
Raid-1 [Data Mirroring] With 2X Hard Drives [Free]


CD/DVD Drive
[Special] 16X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black


CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive
None


Sound Card
3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard [Free]
...or...
Dolby Digital Surround 7.1 Sound Card [+ $29]


Speaker System
[Black] Logitech X-530 5.1 Surround Speakers + Subwoofer


Fax Modem
None


Network Card
Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)


Floppy Drive
Mitsumi 1.44 MB Internal Floppy Drive - Black


Monitor
[Special] 17" High Resoluation 1280x1024 TFT LCD Monitor [Silver/Black 2-Tone] [+ $159]


2nd Monitor
None


Keyboard
Logitech Deluxe Keyboard - Black [+ $9]


Mouse
Logitech Optical Internet Mouse - Black [Free]

  • 09.24.2006 6:46 PM PDT
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Thankyou NihilisticAC.

I notice that someone might be getting a physics card. Seriously, dont. Not yet. Its just not worth it.

And if they are telling you that a high resolution is 1280x1024, thats BS. Thats bog standard.

And lightscribe DVD drives suck. You seen how much the DVDs cost for that?

  • 09.25.2006 2:39 AM PDT
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More than it's worth.

  • 09.25.2006 4:09 AM PDT

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME GROUP INVITATIONS

The Halo REACH Script (post thoughts in thread)

Writing Lead of Whisper Studios. Check out Heron!

Look... I'm on bungiepedia!

I really want that Physics card..have you seen CellFactor? Lol..

  • 09.25.2006 5:09 AM PDT

you may know me as X[IGN]

Posted by: Iggwilv

*hands Kim a crowbar*
Here you will need this to help you get your foot out of the back of your throat, looks llike its in there pretty deep. And what is that on your face? Egg?! *hands Kim a washcloth*

Posted by: MLG Cheehwawa
I really want that Physics card..have you seen CellFactor? Lol..


you dont need a physics card to run cell factor. the point remains that there is minimal performance gains with it and sometimes the performance goes the other way. dont bother with one yet. no to mention I can count on one hand the games that take advantage of it.

  • 09.25.2006 11:45 AM PDT

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