Support NeoGAF

[Smokey]

I...what.

Go get a steam account and play TrackMania Nations (It's free). Go online and go play some maps on a server.

Used to be big into the FPS scene on PC (Counter-Strike, BF, Quake 3 etc). Stopped for some reason and just went to consoles. I used to do the majority of my gaming on PC. Gonna make a thread asking for suggestions on where to start. I need my mind to be blown.

 

[Hawk269]

Haven't installed any games, hell I don't even have a Steam account. I haven't played a PC game since Battlefield 1942

But for general use like web browsing and other OS related tasks it's fast as fuck.

Smokey, my man. Go get your Steam account pronto and get a game or two. And get ready to be blown away!

If you like RPG's and want something that is going to look just sick on your rig, next tuesday go out and get "Witcher 2". From all the videos/screenshots, this game is going to be the poster child for PC Gaming.

 

[Saren is Bad]

Alright, thanks for the reply Hawk! So, I am not going for a multi-screen set up, and I don't care much for 3-d. I will be using this pc for gaming exclusively! Existing laptop for browsing and etc. just like you mentioned. So yea, there we go, I really don't think I would need a monitor. So now my budget can go completely towards the everything else minus monitor. Wow where to start.....so I guess I can go all out on the CPU and GPU huh?

I just built a 1500 system and had the following
- Intel 2600K CPU
- EVGA GTX 580
- ASUS P6P67 PRO
- Ripjaw 8gb RAM
- Corsair 850HX PSU
- Crucial 128GB C300 SSD
- WD 1TB Caviar Black HD
- CM Hyper 212+ CPU cooler
- Corsair 600T SE case
- Samsung Bluray drive

 

[Hawk269]

Used to be big into the FPS scene on PC (Counter-Strike, BF, Quake 3 etc). Stopped for some reason and just went to consoles. I used to do the majority of my gaming on PC. Gonna make a thread asking for suggestions on where to start. I need my mind to be blown.

What kind of games were you playing on console? And a few more questions:

1) Which console were you playing recently?
2) What kind of set up did you have...ie. HDTV etc?
3) What have been some of your recent console games?

 

[Hazaro]

Used to be big into the FPS scene on PC (Counter-Strike, BF, Quake 3 etc). Stopped for some reason and just went to consoles. I used to do the majority of my gaming on PC. Gonna make a thread asking for suggestions on where to start. I need my mind to be blown.

Don't make a new thread. We have literally 15 of them for people with new PC's.

I'd start with this: http://store.steampowered.com/app/11020/?snr=1_7_7_230_13
Get that running, crank up all your settings, view its smooth glory as you do crazy loops at 200mph.

 

[Nabs]

Haven't installed any games, hell I don't even have a Steam account. I haven't played a PC game since Battlefield 1942

But for general use like web browsing and other OS related tasks it's fast as fuck.

1) Congrats on the build. Glad everything worked out in the end.
2) Steampowered.com - Get yourself setup with an account. Remember not to buy too many games at full price, just the ones you need to play now. I'm betting there will be a massive sale soon.

 

[Hawk269]

I just built a 1500 system and had the following
- Intel 2600K CPU
- EVGA GTX 580
- ASUS P6P67 PRO
- Ripjaw 8gb RAM
- Corsair 850HX PSU
- Crucial 128GB C300 SSD
- WD 1TB Caviar Black HD
- CM Hyper 212+ CPU cooler
- Corsair 600T SE case
- Samsung Bluray drive

Nice man! We need to know if the guy asking wants to go SSD or not as well. But your build is really close to the one I am building for a friend, minus the SSD and a Blu Ray Drive. Outside of that, I think it is identical...went with a 2500k instead as well.

 

[Kalnos]

I'm betting there will be a massive sale soon.

It's called the steam summer sale, and your wallet is not ready.

 

[Hazaro]

It's called the steam summer sale, and your wallet is not ready.

Yeah exactly.

Save ALL your money for this sale. All of it.

 

[Hawk269]

It's called the steam summer sale, and your wallet is not ready.

When is the sale?

And Smokey and others, take the advise Haz had, you can get big games for such a cheap price if you wait a bit for sales. For example, I thought I made a killing on Mass Effect 2 from the EA Store for $13.00, then a 2 weeks later steam or some other place had it for $7.50. There are just some great deals for PC gamers.

 

[Smokey]

Just so I won't derail thread I opened a new thread asking on where to start:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=27756638&postcount=1

Any help would be greatly appreciated! My mind needs to be blown


edit:

Don't make a new thread. We have literally 15 of them for people with new PC's.

I'd start with this: http://store.steampowered.com/app/11020/?snr=1_7_7_230_13
Get that running, crank up all your settings, view its smooth glory as you do crazy loops at 200mph.

ahhhh I already made a new thread

 

[Hazaro]

When is the sale?

And Smokey and others, take the advise Haz had, you can get big games for such a cheap price if you wait a bit for sales. For example, I thought I made a killing on Mass Effect 2 from the EA Store for $13.00, then a 2 weeks later steam or some other place had it for $7.50. There are just some great deals for PC gamers.

Late June most likely.

Current stuff: http://www.steamgamesales.com/

 

[chaosblade]

I do not think I will need a monitor since I have a 1080p Panasonic plasma that I could use.

I highly, highly recommend against using a plasma TV as a monitor. Unless you only turn on the PC/TV to play games, you can expect frequent image retention due to the nature of the plasma tech. Personally, I have my PC connected to two monitors and my TV (also a Panny plasma), and I only switch to the TV for gaming.

Anyway, if you aren't interested in 3D, multiple monitors, or anything beyond gaming $1500 is excessive. You could build an awesome machine for sure, but it's not going to be a great value.

For a gaming specific machine, I'd recommend a 2500k over the 2600k, the hyperthreading just isn't worth the cost in this case. You may want to wait for Bulldozer and see how that turns out, but the 2500k will be plenty good for a while. Of course if you would prefer the 2600k, hey, it's your money ;D

As for the GPU, do you already know the benefits and downsides of SLI/Crossfire? On games where it's supported well the performance is worth it (near 100% scaling with modern cards), but not all games support it well and you get microstutter as well as a variety of other issues that can pop up.

 

[black_vegeta]

Smokey Smokey...smh

 

[MikeE21286]

Just installed a Seasonic X-750 power supply. Awesome upgrade. Unbelievably quiet.

SeaSonic X750 750W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply $120 + Free Shipping

 

[Cardigan]

My parts finally arrived today and I got the build done pretty quick. I was pretty surprised that it booted for me on the first try and everything worked fine. The only problem now is my network connection. My PC is connected via Ethernet to a Linksys router in my room that is bridged to another router downstairs. My speeds are topping out at around 100 KB/s while I can usually download over 2MB/s on my laptop.
Does anyone have a recommendation for wireless on a desktop machine? Should I go with an internal PCI wireless card or USB?

 

[Relax.MX]

Looking for a graphics card (my 9800GT died)

I live in Tijuana, Mexico (and here there are only antiquated and expensive cards), but I can cross the border, but only I know Best Buy as the unique store to buy graphics cards

other stores? there are good prices but only online ...

And if it is the unique ... help me make the right decisions I have budget of 120 dlls(was not expecting such a sudden death of my card: ()

 

[Cardigan]

Looking for a graphics card (my 9800GT died)

I live in Tijuana, Mexico (and here there are only antiquated and expensive cards), but I can cross the border, but only I know Best Buy as the unique store to buy graphics cards

other stores? there are good prices but only online ...

And if it is the unique ... help me make the right decisions I have budget of 120 dlls(was not expecting such a sudden death of my card: ()

You could give Fry's a shot. I've never been to one but I saw one once when I was in California.

 

[commissar]

Hey guys,

I've settled on the following set up:

Asus P8P67 Motherboard, Socket 1155, Intel P67 Express
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3 GHz, Socket 1155, Retail pack with fan, Sandy Bridge
Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW080G3K5 Solid State Drive, 80GB
LG Electronics BH10LS30 Blu-ray writer
Corsair XMS3, CMX6GX3M3A1600C9, 3x2GB, DDR3-1600, PC3-12800, CL9, DIMM
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Video Card, Radeon HD 6950, 2048MB
Seasonic M12D, 750W ATX PSU
Scythe Ninja 3 Heatpipe, CPU Cooler, 120mm

Any bottlenecks you guys can think of, or other recommendations?
Pending on the blu ray writer, so might end up with some more money to upgrade some other parts (GPU?), but am not concerned about the size of the HDD listed so don't worry about that.

750Watts should be enough for this system even when OC'd?

 

[AliceInJam]

Nice man! We need to know if the guy asking wants to go SSD or not as well. But your build is really close to the one I am building for a friend, minus the SSD and a Blu Ray Drive. Outside of that, I think it is identical...went with a 2500k instead as well.

I don't think I need to go SSD or the blu ray drive. I like that build a lot, but I might need to scale back a little now to make some room for a monitor....from what I am hearing....

 

[black_vegeta]

You could give Fry's a shot. I've never been to one but I saw one once when I was in California.

The closes Fry's location from Tijuana is located in Mission Valley (off North Interstate 15 & Aero Drive).

 

[Saren is Bad]

Hey guys,

I've settled on the following set up:

Asus P8P67 Motherboard, Socket 1155, Intel P67 Express
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3 GHz, Socket 1155, Retail pack with fan, Sandy Bridge
Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW080G3K5 Solid State Drive, 80GB
LG Electronics BH10LS30 Blu-ray writer
Corsair XMS3, CMX6GX3M3A1600C9, 3x2GB, DDR3-1600, PC3-12800, CL9, DIMM
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Video Card, Radeon HD 6950, 2048MB
Seasonic M12D, 750W ATX PSU
Scythe Ninja 3 Heatpipe, CPU Cooler, 120mm

Any bottlenecks you guys can think of, or other recommendations?
Pending on the blu ray writer, so might end up with some more money to upgrade some other parts (GPU?), but am not concerned about the size of the HDD listed so don't worry about that.

750Watts should be enough for this system even when OC'd?

I would pass on the Blu-ray writer (unless of course you plan on burning shit) but that's just me. I would also go with 6970, but I like excessive GPUs.

I don't think I need to go SSD or the blu ray drive. I like that build a lot, but I might need to scale back a little now to make some room for a monitor....from what I am hearing....

If you want to scale back, obviously go with 2500k, probably GTX 570 (I recommend the ASUS), and don't get the Bluray drive or SSD. Should have a boatload of money to invest in a nice monitor.

 

[Hawk269]

I don't think I need to go SSD or the blu ray drive. I like that build a lot, but I might need to scale back a little now to make some room for a monitor....from what I am hearing....

That's understandable. Well, you can scale back on alot of stuff, but GPU and CPU are the two biggest parts and you do not want to scale back too much on those since they are the heart and brains of the whole thing.

 

[momolicious]

What is the best 1080p gaming monitor (around 23'') for the buck right now? Is LED backlit worth getting over regular right now? Im looking at this at newegg and it has pretty good reviews. any suggestions?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=100&IsFeedbackTab=true&rdm=43#scrollHelpful1

thanks

 

[opticalmace]

Hey guys,

I've settled on the following set up:

Asus P8P67 Motherboard, Socket 1155, Intel P67 Express
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3 GHz, Socket 1155, Retail pack with fan, Sandy Bridge
Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW080G3K5 Solid State Drive, 80GB
LG Electronics BH10LS30 Blu-ray writer
Corsair XMS3, CMX6GX3M3A1600C9, 3x2GB, DDR3-1600, PC3-12800, CL9, DIMM
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Video Card, Radeon HD 6950, 2048MB
Seasonic M12D, 750W ATX PSU
Scythe Ninja 3 Heatpipe, CPU Cooler, 120mm

Any bottlenecks you guys can think of, or other recommendations?
Pending on the blu ray writer, so might end up with some more money to upgrade some other parts (GPU?), but am not concerned about the size of the HDD listed so don't worry about that.

750Watts should be enough for this system even when OC'd?

750W will be fine.

 

[TheExodu5]

What is the best 1080p gaming monitor (around 23'') for the buck right now? Is LED backlit worth getting over regular right now? Im looking at this at newegg and it has pretty good reviews. any suggestions?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=100&IsFeedbackTab=true&rdm=43#scrollHelpful1

thanks

LED backlighting is not worth it. In fact, it makes the picture worse.

The Asus monitors are very hard to beat, for the price. They're definitely the monitors I recommend when going for a cheap TN panel.

 

[commissar]

I would pass on the Blu-ray writer (unless of course you plan on burning shit) but that's just me. I would also go with 6970, but I like excessive GPUs.

The monitor I have is only 1680x1050, do you think going for a 6970 would be worth the extra outlay long term?

Getting an i7 for gaming would be overkill right? Thinking BF3 here.

Thanks for your help (you too opticalmace!)

 

[Guileless]

Yes, wireless mouse and keyboard. Have a wireless 360 controller for games that use it. Works out great. Have the system hooked up via HDMI to the TV, then sound through my A/V Receiver. So I get to play all my PC games in Dolby Digitial or DTS 5.1 on a 55" Screen from my comfy sofa. Internet is wired since my Router sits on top of one of my front speakers and the PC is next to this speaker.

Nice. I'd like to go in that direction because my special lady has an ipad now so she won't care if I completely appropriate the PC. Do you play RTS games that way? Is your mouse/keyboard on a coffee table or what? I've just never seen a setup like that in person, and I'm having trouble visualizing it.

 

[opticalmace]

The monitor I have is only 1680x1050, do you think going for a 6970 would be worth the extra outlay long term?

Getting an i7 for gaming would be overkill right? Thinking BF3 here.

Thanks for your help (you too opticalmace!)

6970 is huge overkill at that resolution.

If it were me I would go i5-2500K/6950 and be set for a long time (even with a monitor upgrade). Only go for the 6970 if you plan on getting a new 2560x1600 (or 1440) monitor, the 6950 will be more than enough at 1080p.

 

[Sanjay]

You're probably right, but, source?

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2010/08/12/silverstone-ft02r-w-review/2
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2010/07/26/cooler-master-haf-x-review/2
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2010/09/23/corsair-graphite-600t-review/2
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=19661&page=5
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=24552&page=5

When deciding which case to to get for air cooling rig I did loads of research and here's a few links above that I checked out. I did not even end up buying a Silverstone FT02 as it was to expensive, ended up with a Coolmaster Haf X which was cheaper but preformed well too.

The Silverstone FT02 coming with 3 of these at the bottom is no doubt what makes it preform so well.

Air Penetrator AP121 demonstration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m8fC809TK0

I heard that this is far from optimal.

Did you hear this from TheExodu5?

Do not image your HDD onto your SSD. SSD installations need to be properly aligned...W7 install will do this, but if you image a misaligned W7 installation to an SSD, your performance will plummet.

A good guide on how to do it
http://sonic-media.dk/?p=103

From the comments
Shawn
Hello Sonic,
Do i need to set alignment on the X25-M if i wanna clone from my velociraptor HDD to the X25-M?
Thanks
Sonic
December 12th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
No, Windows 7 own disk image tool will set the correct allignment. I tested this, and it works perfect.


Another good guide:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wu95L0LHW4

The results:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhYYx9ckR4Y&annotation_id=annotation_542232&feature=iv

wouldnt a windows repair right after the image transfer fix this issue? not only will it realign the OS but also enable TRIM if available?

Yep.

Haven't installed any games, hell I don't even have a Steam account. I haven't played a PC game since Battlefield 1942

Come play BC2 with us one day, http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=400951&page=183

 

[chaosblade]

For AliceInJam, forgot to mention that.

I threw this together kind of quick. $1050 after rebates. Needs an SSD and monitor, I'm not really well-versed there and can't really make recommendations.

Hyper 212+ from Amazon would bring it up to about $1077, unless there is a more ideal price/performance cooler these days. Could also move up to something better if you have room after the SSD + monitor.

Went with a Power PC&Cooling PSU over Corsair due to the combo, they have a good rep and some people I know swear by them, so I don't think it's an issue.

 

[Hawk269]

Nice. I'd like to go in that direction because my special lady has an ipad now so she won't care if I completely appropriate the PC. Do you play RTS games that way? Is your mouse/keyboard on a coffee table or what? I've just never seen a setup like that in person, and I'm having trouble visualizing it.

No I dont play RTS's, but I plan too. I just have the KB in my lap, mouse on the sofa cusion. Now, I dont play alot of FPS and the ones I do I use my 360 controller. So for precision/fast timing etc, probably a lap table or something would work. For me, though it has not been an issue so far and evertyhing works/plays great.

 

[Coldsnap]

Gonna ask this for the third time and hope someone knows; How do i get windows 7 to recognize my receiver as a 5.1? Under sound devices my receiver cannot be changed out of stereo so a stereo signal is being sent to my receiver and then my receiver is turning it into 5.1 causing the mix to be wrong; people can sneak up on me and conversations are center channel when they should be off right ect.

 

[momolicious]

LED backlighting is not worth it. In fact, it makes the picture worse.

The Asus monitors are very hard to beat, for the price. They're definitely the monitors I recommend when going for a cheap TN panel.

so this monitor at 2ms(GTG) has no ghosting problems and good picture?

 

[commissar]

Thanks guys, I've gone for the 6970, as I can hopefuly use that extra juice to fancy things up down the line.

 

[Paches]

So with OCZ's announcement of the Agility and Solid 3's, why are they currently being shown with the same price by news outlets of the Agility has better speeds across the board? Am I missing something here?

Also, I am really looking in to getting an SSD (for serious this time!). I only have SATA II ports and a budget of about $200, but wouldn't mind doing $250 if it meant a bang for the buck. Any quick recommendations?

 

[knitoe]

Thanks guys, I've gone for the 6970, as I can hopefuly use that extra juice to fancy things up down the line.

I went with 6970 then added 6950 for crossfire, but if I had to do again, I would have gotten 2 6950 and unlock the shaders + overclock to 6970 specs instead.

 

[mrklaw]

Gonna ask this for the third time and hope someone knows; How do i get windows 7 to recognize my receiver as a 5.1? Under sound devices my receiver cannot be changed out of stereo so a stereo signal is being sent to my receiver and then my receiver is turning it into 5.1 causing the mix to be wrong; people can sneak up on me and conversations are center channel when they should be off right ect.

what are you connecting up to your receiver with?

if its 5.1 analog outs, you shouldn't need to set anything up in windows, but make sure to set your receiver to the correct input

if its optical out on your motherboard then you'll only get 5.1 in DVDs and videos with a 5.1 soundtrack. Games probably won't be surround unless you have a dolby digital live supporting motherboard (most aren't). In that case you'll need a soundcard with it built in, or use another connection method

if its HDMI out, it should send multichannel LPCM

 

[Coldsnap]

what are you connecting up to your receiver with?

if its 5.1 analog outs, you shouldn't need to set anything up in windows, but make sure to set your receiver to the correct input

if its optical out on your motherboard then you'll only get 5.1 in DVDs and videos with a 5.1 soundtrack. Games probably won't be surround unless you have a dolby digital live supporting motherboard (most aren't). In that case you'll need a soundcard with it built in, or use another connection method

if its HDMI out, it should send multichannel LPCM

It's Mini HDMI to HDMI from my GTX 560, Receiver is set to HDMI as sound. How do I set it to multichannel LPCM?

 

[Teknopathetic]

Good choice on the Silverstone FT02.

Absolutely adore mine.

 

[ombz]

I was wondering something. On average how long after you build your first pc do you have to start from scratch again to keep up with the most current games.

 

[Hazaro]

I was wondering something. On average how long after you build your first pc do you have to start from scratch again to keep up with the most current games.

Depends on what you build and how much you spend. I'd say 2-3 years comfortably.

SeaSonic X750 750W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply $120 + Free Shipping

If anyone is building soon. Buy this.
...I bought one.
I want some wattage overhead on my now overclocked i5+295 system. It's running a bit close under FURMark.

Now I just have to sell my HX520

 

[ithorien]

LED backlighting is not worth it. In fact, it makes the picture worse.

The Asus monitors are very hard to beat, for the price. They're definitely the monitors I recommend when going for a cheap TN panel.

LED is just the worst. Worst color reproduction, really hard to calibrate. I went through 3 before I went for an LCD and stuck to it.

 

[Zeliard]

How are IPS panels with the response times these days?

 

[chaosblade]

I was wondering something. On average how long after you build your first pc do you have to start from scratch again to keep up with the most current games.

That entirely depends on what choices you make when you build it. If you get a powerful PSU that will run anything you throw at it and a good case with a nice fan setup to keep things cool, those should last you a long time.

A combination of planning ahead and luck with tech advancements could last for 4+ years with just a few upgrades here and there. With older quad cores still performing admirably in most games, people who invested in things like the Q6600 were set for a while.

A poorly planned or budget build would probably last 2-3 years, and replacing the whole thing would probably be easier than trying to upgrade it.


Edit: And how did I miss that deal on the Seasonic PSU. If I had the money right now I would totally jump on that. I agree with the others, it expires at midnight so jump on that ASAP.

 

[Kalnos]

If anyone is building soon. Buy this.
...I bought one.

Yep. Seconded.

Except now I have to sell a TX650.

 

[bananaman1234]

BSOD in Furmark after 5min. Non-overclocked gtx560 ti. Should I be worried?

 

[Kalnos]

BSOD in Furmark after 5min. Non-overclocked gtx560 ti. Should I be worried?

What was the message?

 

[equap]

can I use my 9800GT as a PhysX card when I get a new card? either nvidia or radeon

 

[momolicious]

LED is just the worst. Worst color reproduction, really hard to calibrate. I went through 3 before I went for an LCD and stuck to it.

ok, im giong to avoid LED then. Saw a deal on newegg for asus LED