Help! Gaming PC:Where To Start

sergiogarcia9 · 06 Jan 2010

delilah95 said:

sergiogarcia9 said:

I just got a pretty good deal from Computer Supplies and PC Components from Novatech which is located in the UK

This is without a gfx card though, and you will probably need a better PSU

1 x BB-6204G Novatech Barebone Bundle - AMD II X4 620 Quad Core - 4GB DDR2 800Mhz - Nvidia MCP61P Motherboard - 4 Bay ATX Tower Case & PSU
@ GBP 182.60 each (Ex Vat)

1 x SAM-S222A Samsung S222A 22x DVD+/-RW 8x Dual Layer DVD-RAM IDE Black - OEM
@ GBP 19.57 each (Ex Vat)

2 x CAB-SATA Novatech SATA Cable - 46cm
@ GBP 3.40 each (Ex Vat)

1 x WD-5AAKS Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16MB Cache Hard Drive SATAII 300MB/s <8.9ms 7200rpm - OEM
@ GBP 34.03 each (Ex Vat)

Total cost of Products in your Basket...... 243.00
Total cost of Delivery..................... 16.00
Total amount of VAT........................ 45.34

============================================================
TOTAL AMOUNT OF YOUR ORDER (GBP) 304.34
============================================================

Not too bad at all... I mean with an graphics card and a better power supply the most added on to the price will be 150GBP? Although at I'm not sure I'd use all 4 cores and whether the DDR2 would be too slow, I guess it wouldbe sufficient. Thanks for the list of components...
is there intergrated sound on the motherboard?

Yes it does.

Audio Chip integrated by VIA 1708B - Supports 5.1 Channel HD Audio :)

Here's the pc, it's a barebone, which i part build: Novatech : BB-6204G Novatech Barebone Bundle - AMD II X4 620 Quad Core - 4GB DDR2 800Mhz - Nvidia MCP61P Motherboard - 4 Bay ATX Tower Case & PSU : novatech.co.uk

delilah95 · 06 Jan 2010

sergiogarcia9 said:

delilah95 said:

sergiogarcia9 said:

I just got a pretty good deal from Computer Supplies and PC Components from Novatech which is located in the UK

This is without a gfx card though, and you will probably need a better PSU

1 x BB-6204G Novatech Barebone Bundle - AMD II X4 620 Quad Core - 4GB DDR2 800Mhz - Nvidia MCP61P Motherboard - 4 Bay ATX Tower Case & PSU
@ GBP 182.60 each (Ex Vat)

1 x SAM-S222A Samsung S222A 22x DVD+/-RW 8x Dual Layer DVD-RAM IDE Black - OEM
@ GBP 19.57 each (Ex Vat)

2 x CAB-SATA Novatech SATA Cable - 46cm
@ GBP 3.40 each (Ex Vat)

1 x WD-5AAKS Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16MB Cache Hard Drive SATAII 300MB/s <8.9ms 7200rpm - OEM
@ GBP 34.03 each (Ex Vat)

Total cost of Products in your Basket...... 243.00
Total cost of Delivery..................... 16.00
Total amount of VAT........................ 45.34

============================================================
TOTAL AMOUNT OF YOUR ORDER (GBP) 304.34
============================================================

Not too bad at all... I mean with an graphics card and a better power supply the most added on to the price will be 150GBP? Although at I'm not sure I'd use all 4 cores and whether the DDR2 would be too slow, I guess it wouldbe sufficient. Thanks for the list of components...
is there intergrated sound on the motherboard?

Yes it does.

Audio Chip integrated by VIA 1708B - Supports 5.1 Channel HD Audio :)

Here's the pc, it's a barebone, which i part build: Novatech : BB-6204G Novatech Barebone Bundle - AMD II X4 620 Quad Core - 4GB DDR2 800Mhz - Nvidia MCP61P Motherboard - 4 Bay ATX Tower Case & PSU : novatech.co.uk

Thanks and the 5.1 support should give me a nice sound :) The barebone looks pretty good now its just a matter of finding the best components from everyone suggestion (lol) and making sure compatibility won't be an issue!

Thanks again for the help everyone :)

stormy13 · 06 Jan 2010

One major problem with that barebones setup, the Nvidia based motherboard. the problem is that it is the nforce/geforce 6100/430 based, and does not now and never will have any Windows 7 support due to Nvidia declaring pretty much everything below the NF5 as legacy. If you're OK with the idea of only using the drivers that come with Windows 7 then it can be a consideration, but I wouldn't go for it due to there never being any more support for it.

Coolness · 07 Jan 2010

delilah95 said:

Coolness said:

delilah95 said:

Right, this makes sense because I've heard of many games not supporting even dual-core, for example my copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator X seems to utilise only one core. So AMD is still my best bet but I should stick with a dual or single core, something along the lines of the spec listed in your gaming rig. DDR3 is an essential I've heard of but I guess this will get used more so on x64 systems (is that right?). As for the intergrated back up graphics card...is that a real essential considering that if the card goes bust I could just buy a cheap temporary replacement... I mean how likely is a malfunction?
Thanks for the advice :)

First off: Almost all new games support multiple cores, but i agree, for gaming you only need a dual core since most of the work is done by the GPU
Number two: Graphics cards always have a high chance of malfunction. It is recommended that you have a backup as an intergated. Also, 64-bit OS's support 4gb+ RAM, while 32-bits only -4gb. DDR3 is how fast the RAM is, measured in Mhz

With data being transferred 64 bits at a time per memory module, DDR3 SDRAM gives a transfer rate of (memory clock rate) × 4 (for bus clock multiplier) × 2 (for data rate) × 64 (number of bits transferred) / 8 (number of bits/byte). Thus with a memory clock frequency of 100 MHz, DDR3 SDRAM gives a maximum transfer rate of 6400 MB/s.

DDR3 SDRAM - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hmmm.. right so the OS won't be a factor in that situation. Thanks for the help...I understand that an intergrated backed up graphics card is a good idea, thats interesting but means that some of the specs in mind will have to go down obviously as the motehrboard will cost more...in terms of motherboards with decent processors on AND intergrated graphics card where do they stand because for example a hardcore gamer probably won't be interested in an intergrates graphics card...or will they?

No, youre right, gamers wont be doing anything with that integrated one, but if something fails, you will need to be able to actually open the computer and check settings in BIOS or Windows. This is not possible without a screen. So think of it as an insurance, its costs you, but when something fails, you get re-funded by not having to go out and buy a new graphics card.

Frostmourne · 07 Jan 2010

You are buying oboslete technology - I would reconsider the RAM, Quad, case, and chipset.

Coolness · 08 Jan 2010

Frostmourne said:

You are buying oboslete technology - I would reconsider the RAM, Quad, case, and chipset.

What do you mean? I think he should not get a quad, or too much RAM, since its useless for gaming.

Frostmourne · 08 Jan 2010

Nvidia chipset is obsolete as is DDR2 RAM - and as for the case and PSU I would recommend an Antec Two Hundred if you want to save cash and a PSU that is 80% efficient as a minimum with the right voltage and ripple/noise on each of the lines - something from Xigmatek, Corsair, or Seasonic. The case has to have good cooling and the PSU must be stable.

TaraSWinTeam · 08 Jan 2010

Try the Windows PC Scout, you can specify what you are looking for in a computer: Shop - Microsoft Windows.

Cheers,
Tara
Windows Outreach Team

Wishmaster · 08 Jan 2010

I would go with a quad if you can swing it. theres a few games that support multi-threading now, and more to come.

Although a dual core will be fine as well for gaming, Quad Core optimized gaming is picking up pace.

A few current games that support Quad cores are: (may be more)
Alanwake
Bioshock
Company of Heros
Dragon Age Origins
Far Cry 2
Half Life 2-Ep 2
Hellgate London
Lost Planet
Ms Flight Sim X
Portal
Rainbow Six Vegas
Stalker
Stranglehold
Supreme Commander
Unreal Tourn. 3
Source Engine
Unreal Engine 3

So if any of these you play, a quad will benefit you. As well as future multi-threaded games.
Still, a dual will be fine for gaming.

Memory Speed itself doesnt have a great impact on gaming. DDR2 will be just as good as DDR3.

However, since building a new machine, DDR3 would be best the way to go.
DDR2 only makes sense if you have a good board that uses it atm and upgrading it a bit. For a new build id stay away from it.
As Frostmourne pointed out, its dying off fast.

youll find you can get DDR3 for the same price as DDR2 now, or cheaper. DDR2 prices have jumped a good deal.

Frostmourne · 08 Jan 2010

Wishmaster said:

I would go with a quad if you can swing it. theres a few games that support multi-threading now, and more to come.

Although a dual core will be fine as well for gaming, Quad Core optimized gaming is picking up pace.

A few current games that support Quad cores are: (may be more)
Alanwake
Bioshock
Company of Heros
Dragon Age Origins
Far Cry 2
Half Life 2-Ep 2
Hellgate London
Lost Planet
Ms Flight Sim X
Portal
Rainbow Six Vegas
Stalker
Stranglehold
Supreme Commander
Unreal Tourn. 3
Source Engine
Unreal Engine 3

So if any of these you play, a quad will benefit you. As well as future multi-threaded games.
Still, a dual will be fine for gaming.

Memory Speed itself doesnt have a great impact on gaming. DDR2 will be just as good as DDR3.

However, since building a new machine, DDR3 would be best the way to go.
DDR2 only makes sense if you have a good board that uses it atm and upgrading it a bit. For a new build id stay away from it.
As Frostmourne pointed out, its dying off fast.

youll find you can get DDR3 for the same price as DDR2 now, or cheaper. DDR2 prices have jumped a good deal.

Bioshock's readme states its optimized for dual-core.