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NosferaDrew
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Los Angeles
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2004-11-08, 22:36

Quote:
Originally Posted by Akumulator
I do really want to play HL2 and MOA: Pacific Assault, so maybe I need to spend more...
Here's the uber gaming rig I built last March:
MSI K8T Neo-FIS2R (overclock within windows. Yay!)
AMD Athlon 64 3400+
Corsair TwinX1024-3200LLPro (1 Gig)
2 Western Digital SATA Raptor's (74 Gigs each, 10000rpm)
Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro sound card
Plextor PX-708A DVD burner
Cooler Master Wave Master case
ATi 9800 Pro (Upgraded to a GeForce 6800GT)

That was about $2000. You don't need all of that though.

For a solid gaming rig (if that's the main purpose of the machine) you'll spend most of your budget on the proc, RAM and video card.

You can definitely build a damn good gaming machine for $800.

Here's just a suggestion:
  • Athlon64 2800+ = $130
  • ASUS K8N nForce3 mobo = $86
  • Antec True380 Power Supply = $60
  • SAPPHIRE ATI Radeon 9800Pro = $203
  • Corsair Value Select DDR PC-3200 (1Gig) =$157
  • SAMSUNG 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive = $61
  • Thermalright Heatsink Model "XP-90" = $40
  • (3) Vantec Stealth 80mm fans = $25
  • Generic Mid-tower case (no PS) = $35
  • Generic CD-R = $26
  • Generic Floppy = $7

That's about $830 + tax for the hardware - then, of course, you'll have to buy XP Home ($91) or XP Professional ($146) unless you already have a copy.

I wouldn't spend much money on the case. Just as long as it's well made and allows you to cool the CPU properly.
My first PC gaming rig I built was a generic desktop case - small and unobtrusive. Just make sure you get one without a power supply since you'll be buying a much better quality one.
Also, get a nice heatsink/heatpipe so that you can run quiet, efficient fans (like the Vantec Stealths). Having a quiet gaming rig will make you much happier in the long run.
I swear by Asus mobos. Solid well made with tons of features.
The reason my current gaming rig doesn't have an Asus in it is because I pretty much copied The ScreenSavers Ultimate Gaming Rig 8.0 (R.I.P TechTV!)
I'm building three dual Xeon PCs now (two done, one to go) all with Asus PC-DL mobos - they are rock solid.

I've got a Belkin OmniView KVM. Works great with my G5 and many PCs, but I couldn't use it on my gaming machine because whichever keys that I had mapped for my movement in the game, it wouldn't "read" that I had it pressed down. In other words, it would register when I'd press the forward key, but then I'd stop. The KVM wanted me to keep tapping the key in order to move in any direction.
That pretty much made the KVM unusable for gaming.

Not sure if that was my particular KVM, if it was a software/firmware/hardware issue etc.
I just needed to game, so I never pursued it.

Anyway, good luck with your future PC building. You'll have fun doing it.

Last edited by NosferaDrew : 2004-11-08 at 22:44.
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