I know there are some threads out there where people post these parts and people give their opinions....well im turning this around. I want you, the [H]ard ass gamers out there to give me your full, creative opinion on a brand new desktop system (including monitor). Just totally whip out what you think with todays market would be the best bad ass sytem for gaming. Just name the components, you dont have to go into exact specs of it but give me the component name and company. SATA drives are a definant positive thing so put out your thoughts for configuration too!!! Rock on folks and open your minds. (ps. if you have links to the items online, that would be super!)
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Creative Minds...check this out
- Thread starter CoolEthan
- Start date
I think that a truly 'bad-ass' game machine would be one that's also affordable.
I'm writing this because so many companies (like Alienware) are just buying the most expensive hardware that's out there, putting it in custom black so it all matches, and then thinking these 'ultimate' rigs, by virtue of having the fastest hardware and biggest monitors, are what a game machine is.
You know what? I'm a gamer and I sure as hell don't have the best of every component in my system. The majority of gamers aren't rich, we have a budget. Yes, that ultimate machine plays games, but it's not a gaming system. It's a lesson in extravagance. It's like saying a Rolls Royce is a sports-car, because it's what's most expensive.
Because of this, a bad-ass gaming system would be one that comes remarkably close to that 'ultimate' system in performance, but at a significant price reduction to those systems.
It would do so by using what gamers have used forever --overclocked and well-cooled CPU's and very carefully tweaked parts, with a nicely performance-tweaked version of Windows XP.
It wouldn't be a gaming system by virtue of bludgeoning games into submission, it would be a gaming system by virtue of finesse.
The above philosophy is how I've always built systems for myself and for clients (though some clients opt out of the overclocking
), and it's why they're impressed when I sell them a system that does so much more than a system they could buy elsewhere for the same price.
Erik
I'm writing this because so many companies (like Alienware) are just buying the most expensive hardware that's out there, putting it in custom black so it all matches, and then thinking these 'ultimate' rigs, by virtue of having the fastest hardware and biggest monitors, are what a game machine is.
You know what? I'm a gamer and I sure as hell don't have the best of every component in my system. The majority of gamers aren't rich, we have a budget. Yes, that ultimate machine plays games, but it's not a gaming system. It's a lesson in extravagance. It's like saying a Rolls Royce is a sports-car, because it's what's most expensive.
Because of this, a bad-ass gaming system would be one that comes remarkably close to that 'ultimate' system in performance, but at a significant price reduction to those systems.
It would do so by using what gamers have used forever --overclocked and well-cooled CPU's and very carefully tweaked parts, with a nicely performance-tweaked version of Windows XP.
It wouldn't be a gaming system by virtue of bludgeoning games into submission, it would be a gaming system by virtue of finesse.
The above philosophy is how I've always built systems for myself and for clients (though some clients opt out of the overclocking
), and it's why they're impressed when I sell them a system that does so much more than a system they could buy elsewhere for the same price.Erik
Duly noted, i defintley agree with your statement. When i posted what i posted, i also meant that as well, not just the most expensive hardware, what do you see as the best overclosing cpu/motherboard? how about cooling system, what is your personal...configuration that you would like to have? Thanks for posting!
Little Grabbi
Gawd
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2003
- Messages
- 565
Dem, you speak the truth, and nothing but. You could put a dual-hammer system with what, 4 gigs of BH%-chip RAM here, but who is going to pay for that?
My ultimate gaming system is actually what I have right now, I'm happy with it.
AMD Athlon XP 2400+ @ 2266 mhz
1 GB Mushkin LEvel 2 RAM
ATI RAdeon 9800 XT (affected by FSB overclock)
1 WD CAviar 45 GB (system)
2 Seagate (forgot model) 120 GB Udma 100 drives (games n shit)
Soundblaster Audigy 1
15" Flat panel monitor
Soundproofed case
Arctic Cooling copper Silent TC (Thermal control) HS
Fanbus, made out of six linear potentiometers ripped from an old audio mixer.
4 Fans total (wewt for me)
And I do hae _one_ badass component... The Audio system:
2x 400W _tube_ amplifier
1 20" Sub
2 80w rms 3-way speakers
You won't believe the sound that shit makes... badass.
Well, this is, for me, the ideal gaming rig. Not because it's cool or whatever, but because it lets me play Splinter CEll 2 @ 1280x1024 w/ 2x Antialiasing. Fluid as hell.
My ultimate gaming system is actually what I have right now, I'm happy with it.
AMD Athlon XP 2400+ @ 2266 mhz
1 GB Mushkin LEvel 2 RAM
ATI RAdeon 9800 XT (affected by FSB overclock)
1 WD CAviar 45 GB (system)
2 Seagate (forgot model) 120 GB Udma 100 drives (games n shit)
Soundblaster Audigy 1
15" Flat panel monitor
Soundproofed case
Arctic Cooling copper Silent TC (Thermal control) HS
Fanbus, made out of six linear potentiometers ripped from an old audio mixer.
4 Fans total (wewt for me)
And I do hae _one_ badass component... The Audio system:
2x 400W _tube_ amplifier
1 20" Sub
2 80w rms 3-way speakers
You won't believe the sound that shit makes... badass.
Well, this is, for me, the ideal gaming rig. Not because it's cool or whatever, but because it lets me play Splinter CEll 2 @ 1280x1024 w/ 2x Antialiasing. Fluid as hell.
Mobile 2400+ overclocked to... Well, whatever you can get out of it.
SP-97 for cooling, plus a 92mm panaflo fan (or tornado, if you don't value your ears)
Radeon 9800 pro, overclocked, of course.
Two 80 giggers in RAID 0 (any good motherboard has built in RAID, so there's really no extra cost for most people to go raid 0. Cheaper than a raptor anyway)
Or, an overclocked 3.0C with an SP-94 would be another good way to go, IMO.
I agree with the idea that a gaming system should have price as a factor. I could have just listed a Pentium 4 3.4 ghZ, with a Pommie Mach II for CPU cooling, and watercooling for northbrige/video and an sp-94 on the south bridge (Why not?), but price is something that most all people have to take as the main factor in a gaming rig, so bang-for-the-buck is the way to think...
SP-97 for cooling, plus a 92mm panaflo fan (or tornado, if you don't value your ears)
Radeon 9800 pro, overclocked, of course.
Two 80 giggers in RAID 0 (any good motherboard has built in RAID, so there's really no extra cost for most people to go raid 0. Cheaper than a raptor anyway)
Or, an overclocked 3.0C with an SP-94 would be another good way to go, IMO.
I agree with the idea that a gaming system should have price as a factor. I could have just listed a Pentium 4 3.4 ghZ, with a Pommie Mach II for CPU cooling, and watercooling for northbrige/video and an sp-94 on the south bridge (Why not?
), but price is something that most all people have to take as the main factor in a gaming rig, so bang-for-the-buck is the way to think...I agree with most of you. The best system to have is a system that you feel good about, and price usually plays a huge role in this. I know that if I was to spend about $5000 on a system, I would not feel that great in the end because of the price I paid for it. Anyone can just slap together a system using the latest parts, but where is the fun in that.
It gets fun and rewarding when you setup a system that has a very nice budget and when you benchmark your baby to say that $5000, the performance is about the same, this is where Overclocking and modding comes in very handy.
That feeling of having a kick ass system for half the price is prolly the best feeling when it comes down to setting up a new rig.
And as for the Gaming Rig, here is what I have to offer.
Right now since the parts are going to come in pretty soon, I say you get something that is 3/4 to greatness. Meaning, don't get the best hardware that is out, but the 2nd best.
P4 2.4C OCed to 3.0GHZ with 250FSB ($160)
ASUS or ABIT Motherboard that has the 865PE or 875 chipset. ($160)
1024 (2X512MB) PC3200 Mushkin, Corsair, Crucial, or Kingston running Dual Channel with a 5:4 divider. ($190)
120GB Seagate Cuda HD ($100)
Sound Blaster Audigy Series SC ($80)
Sapphire Branded ATI Radeon Card ($200)
Lite-On DVD Burner ($100)
Antec Sonata ($110)
It gets fun and rewarding when you setup a system that has a very nice budget and when you benchmark your baby to say that $5000, the performance is about the same, this is where Overclocking and modding comes in very handy.
That feeling of having a kick ass system for half the price is prolly the best feeling when it comes down to setting up a new rig.
And as for the Gaming Rig, here is what I have to offer.
Right now since the parts are going to come in pretty soon, I say you get something that is 3/4 to greatness. Meaning, don't get the best hardware that is out, but the 2nd best.
P4 2.4C OCed to 3.0GHZ with 250FSB ($160)
ASUS or ABIT Motherboard that has the 865PE or 875 chipset. ($160)
1024 (2X512MB) PC3200 Mushkin, Corsair, Crucial, or Kingston running Dual Channel with a 5:4 divider. ($190)
120GB Seagate Cuda HD ($100)
Sound Blaster Audigy Series SC ($80)
Sapphire Branded ATI Radeon Card ($200)
Lite-On DVD Burner ($100)
Antec Sonata ($110)
I would go for a A64 system, a ATI 9800 card, a motherboard with SATA raid so I could use some "not the fastest" drives but some quiter ones and RAID them to get back the performance. I would get around 1GB of RAM so I wouldn't have to worry about it again later. Basicaly, I would want good performance without all the darn noise that went with it which would probably mean no overclocking. <ducks to avoid all the crap flying my way>
If i were putting a machine together for myself, today, i would use,
A duron 1.8 ghz, unlocked the l2 cache to mod it to an athlon, then o/c'ed to 2.4 or so ghz (proably more like 2.2 or 2.3, but hey..its a realistic goal)
A 9800se moded,
80 gig 8mb wd hdd.
Probably most any nf2 ultra board.
512 ddr 2700 (order 4 dollar ram sinks with the mem and use them on the video card)
Any cheap ass cooler that can cool a 3000+
Then use a socket a cooler on the rad 9800se
Now of course that requires that the duron will be able to do the whole cache (it would probably do at least 128) And the 9800se would do a real 9800.
No this wouldnt be the fastest computer, but ideally i think it would be the most bang for the buck.
A duron 1.8 ghz, unlocked the l2 cache to mod it to an athlon, then o/c'ed to 2.4 or so ghz (proably more like 2.2 or 2.3, but hey..its a realistic goal)
A 9800se moded,
80 gig 8mb wd hdd.
Probably most any nf2 ultra board.
512 ddr 2700 (order 4 dollar ram sinks with the mem and use them on the video card)
Any cheap ass cooler that can cool a 3000+
Then use a socket a cooler on the rad 9800se
Now of course that requires that the duron will be able to do the whole cache (it would probably do at least 128) And the 9800se would do a real 9800.
No this wouldnt be the fastest computer, but ideally i think it would be the most bang for the buck.