new pc

[EagleClaw4]

hey guys

I've been getting alot of info between buying a desktop and buying a laptop. I will be using it mostly for making games with programs like OpenGL, Blender as well as playing high end games.

People have suggested a destop and I think I'm gonna go with that.

I still have some questions though that arent getting addressed.

1. Im looking to putting in the Ageia PhysX card into a new desktop but dont know which online stores offer it in a computer that has swapouts available.

2. Would you guys reccomend me putting the PhysX card into a new pc for reasons that it might be to expensive and if the card is even neccesary for drastic improvement in gaming and the game design I mentioned? If you dont think its necessary could you guys at least tell me some good stores online that offer a pc with swapouts.

3. What is a good flat monitor to get? I might have the budget for one with an hd signal.

thanks

 

[Ridlyn]

1) They are only released in select pre-built systems from makers such as dell, alienware, voodoo, etc.

2)No, not yet. Right now they have to get alot of the bugs worked out and there not performing to well at the moment. But that will get better with time and when more games/programs start supporting it.

3) The Viewsonic VX922 19" 2ms

By the way in order to give a build, we have to see a budget first.

 

[EagleClaw4]

thanks Ridlyn

I guess my budget right now is somewhere in the 2,000 to maybe 2,500 range.

By the way do you know any good online stores for desktops that have swapouts?

So I guess then stay away from PhsyX at the moment?

Also in the future if I get a PhysX card will I be able to add something like this to a pc with swapouts?

By the way I might be wrong but I heard Vista was out and I want to play a game called FEAR as well as some newer titles that only support such operating systems like win xp and 2000. Will these games be compatible with vista or how does something like this work?

thankyou very much

 

[Inferno]

I dont think you will have too much trouble building a system for that much money, let the real techies tell ya what to do though.

 

[LU4sTrooper]

Right that is a pretty uber budget.

First things first about the physX card, I think it's all hype personally, its taking up valuable space in a PC and costs alot of money which could go towards other parts, plus it's very buggy at the moment.

It seems your graphics needs are going to be pretty heavy, so GPU wise i'd reccommend the eVGA 7900GT, or if you feel like a step above that: the 7900 GTX 512mb/ATI x1900xtx (although a simple 7900GT can OC like ****). I wouldn't waste any money on SLI.

CPU, dual-core is where it's at, if you plan on overclocking, check out the Opteron 175, if you don't then an X2 4400 will do nicely. I wouldn't really recommend intel at this time for High-end gaming.

RAM: 2x 1gig Dual channel, don't buy 4gigs or a single 2gig stick, 2x 1gig stick will give you the best performance on windows XP. Just go for bog standard RAM unless you plan on overclocking.

Monitors: LCDs are now becoming a viable option, i'm not sure on exact brand names, but if you want to minimize ghosting go for something with <10ms pixel response times; also watch out for the native resolution, e.g. if you have a choice between a 17" and a 19" but they both have a native of 1280x1024 go for the smaller monitor, as the larger will just appear stretched, or of course you could go for a larger monitor with a higher native res.

Of course this is all based on the fact that you want to build now, you could of course wait for the release of the G80s and Conroe and build a direct X10 ready system (for new games next year running special effects).

 

[cwiz]

they physx card is alot of hype right now, especially since we're on the advent of a major breakthru in GPU tech. i wouldnt worry about a phyx card right now.

i like the Benq 20.1" widescreen... i'm pretty sure it is the same one dell sells, its just $120 cheaper cuz it doesnt have their name on it!

 

[Inferno]

Can you guys tell me what the PhysX card is, never heard anything of it, thanks

 

[JoshSB]

I would NOT get a 7900GTX, since the G80 is suppose to be coming out soon, and I would also think about waiting for the price drop to get the 4400x2, or maybe get a 3800X2, in all truth there is not much difference between the two, other than money.

I massively suggest keeping the 7900GT though considering the G80 is coming out soon and a GTX is pretty much a waste of extra cash considering the fact a G80 is suppose to rip them into shreds. And also, stay away from SLI, waste of money with the G80s coming out soon.

Also, with the PhysX card, I am not so sure about this, my understanding is that it is a PCI (I do not think PCI-E) card that just does the physics for you and is really buggy at the moment, If it goes into PCI you can always buy one later and install it, however, if it goes into PCI-E, it would require you to buy a SLI board and then if you ever wanted to get SLI video cards you would have to junk the PhysX card.

 

[reckliss]

Computer

OS: Microsoft Windows XP Pro $134
Power Supply: HIPER 580W Power Supply $99.99
MotherBoard: DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR AMD Motherboard $186
CPU: AMD Opteron 165 Denmark Dual Core Processor $327
CPU Cooling: Zalman 9500 $63.99
RAM: G.SKILL Extreme Series 2 x 1GB DDR 500 $179
Video Card: eVGA Geforce 7900GTX 512MB $444.99(AR)
VGA Cooling: ZALMAN VF900 – CU $38.99
Hard Drive 1: Western Digital Raptor 74GB $139.99(AR)
Hard Drive 2: Western Digital Raptor 74GB (RAID 0) $139.99(AR)
Hard Drive 3: Western Digital Caviar 250GB $79.99(AR)
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic $86.99(AR)
Network card: On Board $0.00
Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black DVD Burner W/ LightScribe $47.99
Case: Antec Performance I P180B Black ATX Mid Tower $129.99
Case Fans: MassCool Fans

Base Total: $2098.90

Peripherals

Monitor: BenQ FP72G+S Silver 17" 8ms $179.99
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker $263.99
Mouse: Logitech G5 Laser Laser Mouse $44.99
Keyboard: Rosewill RK500 Black Keyboard $19.99

Peripherals Total: $508.96

Total: $2607.86

It could have been a different build invlovling AM2. There is lots of new technology coming out or came out such as AM2 Conroe G80 so your decision.


lol sorry im over budget i would modify it but i have to go

 

[EagleClaw4]

thankyou guys so very much

I personally dont have any clue as to where people get the time to respond to other peoples post, but you guys rock. haha

Someone used the term swapouts on another board and said it was something to keep in mind when your going to buy a computer. I guess they were reffering to how much you could customize a desktop; like if you could swapout parts from your case in the future if you decide to upgrade to better parts. Does this make since and is it something I should keep in mind since I don't know to much about this stuff and comp. terminology.

As far as my budget go I dont really know how much I can afford actually because you see it's money my mom has saves and it quite alot so I just wantot to go with what can get me good game playing and developing performance but not get the absolute best of everything.


I want to play a game called FEAR and this is both the required and reccomended hardware from their site, and I would probably lean towards reccomended if the performance quality is drastic.



System Requirements & Supported Chipsets

Solution:
In order to install and play F.E.A.R., your system must meet or exceed
the following minimum system requirements:

Minimum:

•Windows(R) XP, x64 or 2000 with latest service pack installed
•DirectX(R) 9.0c August Edition (Included) or higher
•Pentium(R) 4 1.7 GHz or equivalent processor
•512MB RAM or more
•64MB GeForce(TM) 4 Ti or Radeon(R) 9000 video card
•Monitor that can display in 4:3 aspect ratio
•5.0 GB free hard drive space for installation
•Additional hard drive space for a swap files and saved game files
•4x CD-ROM drive (DVD-ROM drive for Director’s Edition)
•16-bit DirectX(R) 9.0 compliant sound card with support for EAX(TM) 2.0
•Broadband or LAN connection for multiplayer games
•Mouse
•Keyboard

Recommended Specifications:

•Pentium(R) 4 3.0 GHz or equivalent processor
•1 GB RAM
•256 MB Radeon(R) 9800 Pro, GeForce(TM) 6600 or equivalent DirectX(R) 9
compliant video card with hardware T&L and pixel shader 2.0 support
•Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi(TM) series sound card

Supported Video Card Chipsets with the latest Driver Version Info:

ATI

Catalyst(TM) Drivers (Windows(R) 2000/XP): v5.8

Radeon(R) 9000 Series
Radeon(R) 9500 Series
Radeon(R) 9600 Series
Radeon(R) 9700 Series
Radeon(R) 9800 Series
Radeon(R) X600 Series
Radeon(R) X700 Series
Radeon(R) X800 Series
Radeon(R) X850 Series

NVIDIA

ForceWare(TM) Drivers (Windows(R) 2000/XP): v77.77

GeForce(TM) 4 Ti Series
GeForce(TM) FX 5900 Series
GeForce(TM) 6600 Series
GeForce(TM) 6800 Series
GeForce(TM) 7800 Series




So then I want to play games like Fear and other current games that require lots of hardware support.

By the way when it comes to online stores, do these places let you choose your parts for your desktop and do you guys know any reputable stores?


Well guys thanks again and be safe.