India Broadband Forum

Evander Leopold

A Gaming PC is necessarily a PC which integrates the best hardwares in both audio and video processing (now physics processing too) to ensure the highest quality outcome. So, a gaming PC would be a powerful multimedia capable PC which is good at all the other jobs a pc can do.

Now, we all know that the more money we spend, the better our PC will become. This is partially true. We can ,however build a quite good gaming rig by applying our thoughts well rather than spending a fortune on it. There are a few points we need to keep in mind to get a Gaming PC at relatively lower cost.

1.Processor : A processor is the heart of a PC. Doesnt matter how little u spend on the other parts, always try to get a decent processor. Now prices have fallen so much that dual-core and quad-core processors have become quite affordable. Its best if u can manage to buy a 2.44-3.00 GHz quad core processor either from AMD or INTEL. It would give your PC a cutting edge in speed.
Many people think that just by buying a good graphics card they can fill up the gap of a good processor. This is a wrong idea. With the graphics rendering techniques available today, still game engines rely half the time on processors. I mean, a game like crysis will run very smoothly on a quad-core with a mid-range card but it will give hiccups on a costly card along with low power processor.
If its hard for you to buy a quad-core, dont worry, get a 2.66-3.00 GHz core 2 duo from INTEL or dual core from AMD.


2.Motherboard : It houses all the major parts so, better be carefull with it. The basic points while choosing a mobo are as follows --

i) Get a mobo which has 4 ram slots, this will come in handy in the future.
ii) Not everybody can afford a Striker-extreme II, but at least we can make sure that our board is of a n-force chipset stable. That way we will get more flexibility later.
iii) If the board has a decent on-board sound processing unit, its an added bonus.
iv) ASUS M2NE board for AMD processors is the example of a low cost mobo with the best features. It even has a copper heat-pipe . Try to look for a board with similar capabilities because cooling is a major issue. Try to use an extra fan inside if u can but my advice is to stay away from third party processor fans and pastes. its a good idea to use the one provided with the processor.
v) The more sata ports, the better. Look for a board with a good number of usb ports. But these are side issues.


3. RAM modules : Try to get one with heat sink. they are costly though. If not possible to buy them, go for cheaper modules from the BEST BRANDS like CORSAIR. never ever buy third grade chinese modules for saving 100 bucks. Even the cheapest corsair rams have good latency values and memory-timings and cost almost the same as those third grade RAMs.


Some known Issues:

Single GPU or SLI ???? ***********
If u can buy two high end gpu for making sli connection, go right ahead. but if ur budget is low and u are going to make a sli connection with two mid/low level cards like 8600/9600gt, DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.
Go buy a single powerful card instead, like 8800gt.

This brings us to another fine point : if u are sure that u cant afford two high end cards, DONT BUY SLI mobo. save some bucks there.

High speed HDD: The better the HDD the faster data fetching from it is possible. So try to buy two HDDs. A larger one of lower make for storage and a smaller one with faster speed for OS installation and game installation.
This is the common rule followed by gamers worldwide.

DX10 : Since its the latest craze around, its better to stay updated with the latest OS ( Vista ) and GPU ( Nvidia 8+ series). For general purposes I prefer XP service pack 2 but it lacks DX10 features, so........

This brings me to my last point, Now I m not going to compare charts or take sides on the point of buying a processor. There are many scientific explanations describing why INTEL is better than AMD and vice versa. But what I know is that AMD is cheaper. This small info comes in handy when u are short of money.

SO, happy hunting friends.

sb21pro

very nice info leo, i apply as soon as i can afford it
but really nice.

newprouser

good post leo

Is there any good in using dual core GPU's instead of SLi ?

I want to add some points here :

1. It will help to have a separate OS meant for gaming without having AV or any other major s/w installed so that you can get the max juice of your high end system, and it also to keep annoying s/w problems from interfering with your gaming.

2. It pays to have special gaming h/w , IF, you are a hardcore gamer. Specially laser mice and joy stick can increase your accuracy in games.

3. Keeping your drivers uptodate ensures that your system will be more compatible with games and also that you can get the most out of your h/w.

gastly

Excellent post, thanks alot for that

Evander Leopold

Its better to use a single powerful graphics card rather than two mid-level cards in SLI. And as for dual core GPUs, there are none available so far. All we have is multi(2) gpu based cards like 9800GX2.

GeForce 9800GX2

There is a problem with such cards though, they are extremely costly since they integrate two graphics processors rather than one. And secondly they require a huge amount of electricity and generate much heat. A proper cooling system or cold environment is a must if u dont want to lose ur 35k priced possession.
on the other hand a GTX280 gives the same performance without much hassle.

GeForce GTX280

Having said all these, proper dual/quad core GPUs ( all cores integrated into one, unlike current multi GPUs) are the future of gaming. GPU processors still have far to go to reach the horizon common processors have already reached.

Attached Images

	GeForce_9800_GX2_3qtr_low.png (94.0 KB, 35 views)
	GeForce_GTX_280_low_3qtr.png (86.0 KB, 35 views)

ShAdOwCoN

Nvidia has only one multi GPu up till now which is the 9800GX2.

IMO
Priority of components for a Gaming PC

1. Mother board
This will decide how quickly your PC is outdated . And whether you can use functions like SLI and crossfire

2. Graphic card
Graphic cards have their own graphic processors and ram for doing Graphics calculation . So your Graphics quality will depend almost entirely on your GPU

3.Monitor
This will decide the Resolution at which you can play without a lag .

4. Ram
This will decide your game loading times and other in game time based factors

5. Processors
The Processor does all the physical calculations in the game which can also be performed by the Graphic processor .In games it acts as an assistant to the Graphics processors for these physical effects calculation .

6. Hard Drive

7. PC Cabinet [for looks]

Last point is an excellent point !

about the first point

I personally feel that it is an Overkill to have a seperate OS for gaming .... IF you do then you ll have to invest on a new Hard drive .... Rather than that just buy some new ram and it ll speed up your system and is much cheaper !

In order to reduce the system load

-->Uninstall all the softwares that you do not use anymore

-->Go to start-->run and type msconfig ..... Here disable all startup items that you do not need like Instant messengers , Adobe pdf reader , Open Office/MS office etc etc
This will reduce the load on your ram
The only side effect is that the s/w which you disabled will take longer time to open

Bring up the Task manager using [ctrl+shift+Esc] and then click on the Process tab and see how much of your ram is being used by startup items .

-->If possible diable or disconnect internet while playing Single player offline games

-->Use an anti virus that does nt pop up notifications frequently .
If notifications pop up during playing a game , simply minimise the game [use the windows button] attend to the notification and then continue .
Even Comodo firewall does not give you unnecessary notifications during game play

Dragon

nice thread leo.. got to know so many new things

Repo for you mate