I've been working on computers for 25 years now. But the more I read, the more I find I really just don't know. It's true: the advances and changes in the micro systems scene are so rapid that I almost would have to spend several hours a week keeping up.
Simply put -- I need advice. I've got (+/-) a $600 approved budget from the wife to get a new gaming rig (or the core of one).
I really need to do some gaming...I have the urge, and I will not be stopped. My goal is that by mid-December, I'll be knee-deep in some BF2142 action. With that being said, my main goal is just that -- mid to High Level Game play - meaning, I don't want to be anywhere near the low or low-medium end of the performance curve. If that means I need to spend more, then I need to know that. I don't expect to be at the top of the performance curve either -- I know the prices on the 8800GTX, and I ain't going there bubba!
I will undoubtedly do other things with the system, but here are the things I'm *not* worried about at all: PSU, Case, Optical drives, keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc. I have all that, and I don't need advice on those. Unless you feel like dishing it out.
Ok, so here's what I need to know: What is the BEST combination of CPU/MOBO/VIDEO/MEMORY for the money that would, without a problem, play BF2, Doom3, Quake 4, Halflife 2, Far Cry, UT2004 -- and then DECENTLY play BF2142?
My video platform is a 19" average LCD. I will, however, be (hopefully) going to a projector platform (WUXGA or better) by the end of the year, so that's a consideration too. My optimal (likely) resolution range will be 1280x1024 (average) -> 1600x1200 (max).
[*]Motherboard issues: I really don't expect, but I would like decent integrated sound. I'm not worried about anything more than excellent two-channel sound. I know that if I do the HTPC, I'll upgrade to a better sound platform in the PC anyway, so that's a moot point for now, and all I need is a gaming-compatible/friendly soundcard.
[*]Chip Issues: I'm at your mercy. I last left off in P4 and/or Duron land. I'm far behind, I know. Shoot me, or give me good advice.
[*]Memory Issues: I'm really needing to get up to speed. Last I remember, DDR was king, and RAMBUS was the corrupt politician. Does that make sense? Well, not to me either, but hey, here's what's important: I'd like no less than 1GB and obviously I'd really prefer 2GB. I don't know if modern games can take advantage of higher system memories, but I do know if I have 2GB I can probably forego using a pagefile altogether.
[*]Disk Issues: Again, I'm probably going to get a pair of SATA-3.0gbps drives and stripe them for performance. I'll handle the drive side, but the mobo should support RAID 0 if possible and SATA 2 obviuosly.
[*]Case, PSU, extras: I can handle. That's the tough part, right? (har har)
[*]Video Card: I'm completely at your mercy. My last (good) card was a RADEON 9800 AIW 128. I loved that baby, still do. Now-a-days, it's complete science: pixel shaders, pipelines, burstable DDR3 memory (I'm making half of this stuff up). Please, just read my game list and resolution ideals above, and know that if anything studders, I'm going to shoot myself. seriously. No, reallly.
Ok, I joke on the shooting part -- I will adjust the resolution and color depth and ansitropic anti-aliasing down to levels that allow for non-stuttering, but please -- can a guy who USED to know how to build PC's just get some advice on a new gaming rig that can at least tolerate 30FPS in most games at decent resolutions, color depths and graphical configurations?
I mean, over the past 7 years, I've built 2 or 3 systems that have been HORRIBLE because for one reason or another, some minor, obscure technical incompatibility or driver version or voltage difference has literally made the system perform like a 80486-DX4 with a 2MB video card. I've been so mad at the systems I've actually 'drop-tested' them a few times. Stupid, I know, but it made me feel better at the time.
Anyway -- thanks for reading this far. In return, I have about a gad-zillion gmail account invites I can share (lol).
Simply put -- I need advice. I've got (+/-) a $600 approved budget from the wife to get a new gaming rig (or the core of one).
I really need to do some gaming...I have the urge, and I will not be stopped. My goal is that by mid-December, I'll be knee-deep in some BF2142 action. With that being said, my main goal is just that -- mid to High Level Game play - meaning, I don't want to be anywhere near the low or low-medium end of the performance curve. If that means I need to spend more, then I need to know that. I don't expect to be at the top of the performance curve either -- I know the prices on the 8800GTX, and I ain't going there bubba!
I will undoubtedly do other things with the system, but here are the things I'm *not* worried about at all: PSU, Case, Optical drives, keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc. I have all that, and I don't need advice on those. Unless you feel like dishing it out.
Ok, so here's what I need to know: What is the BEST combination of CPU/MOBO/VIDEO/MEMORY for the money that would, without a problem, play BF2, Doom3, Quake 4, Halflife 2, Far Cry, UT2004 -- and then DECENTLY play BF2142?
My video platform is a 19" average LCD. I will, however, be (hopefully) going to a projector platform (WUXGA or better) by the end of the year, so that's a consideration too. My optimal (likely) resolution range will be 1280x1024 (average) -> 1600x1200 (max).
[*]Motherboard issues: I really don't expect, but I would like decent integrated sound. I'm not worried about anything more than excellent two-channel sound. I know that if I do the HTPC, I'll upgrade to a better sound platform in the PC anyway, so that's a moot point for now, and all I need is a gaming-compatible/friendly soundcard.
[*]Chip Issues: I'm at your mercy. I last left off in P4 and/or Duron land. I'm far behind, I know. Shoot me, or give me good advice.
[*]Memory Issues: I'm really needing to get up to speed. Last I remember, DDR was king, and RAMBUS was the corrupt politician. Does that make sense? Well, not to me either, but hey, here's what's important: I'd like no less than 1GB and obviously I'd really prefer 2GB. I don't know if modern games can take advantage of higher system memories, but I do know if I have 2GB I can probably forego using a pagefile altogether.
[*]Disk Issues: Again, I'm probably going to get a pair of SATA-3.0gbps drives and stripe them for performance. I'll handle the drive side, but the mobo should support RAID 0 if possible and SATA 2 obviuosly.
[*]Case, PSU, extras: I can handle. That's the tough part, right? (har har)
[*]Video Card: I'm completely at your mercy. My last (good) card was a RADEON 9800 AIW 128. I loved that baby, still do. Now-a-days, it's complete science: pixel shaders, pipelines, burstable DDR3 memory (I'm making half of this stuff up). Please, just read my game list and resolution ideals above, and know that if anything studders, I'm going to shoot myself. seriously. No, reallly.
Ok, I joke on the shooting part -- I will adjust the resolution and color depth and ansitropic anti-aliasing down to levels that allow for non-stuttering, but please -- can a guy who USED to know how to build PC's just get some advice on a new gaming rig that can at least tolerate 30FPS in most games at decent resolutions, color depths and graphical configurations?
I mean, over the past 7 years, I've built 2 or 3 systems that have been HORRIBLE because for one reason or another, some minor, obscure technical incompatibility or driver version or voltage difference has literally made the system perform like a 80486-DX4 with a 2MB video card. I've been so mad at the systems I've actually 'drop-tested' them a few times. Stupid, I know, but it made me feel better at the time.
Anyway -- thanks for reading this far. In return, I have about a gad-zillion gmail account invites I can share (lol).