Custom Gaming Rig

[Kushin]

Hey guys, I'm trying to find a good custom rig to get later on this year. I dont mind making it myself so long as the actual components are good. I'm aiming for it to be capable of handling new spec games without lagging me to high heaven.

At the moment, I'm looking at the following basic specs:-
Processor: Quad Core Intel
MB: Undecided
RAM: 4GB of DDR2
Video: Double GeForce 9500 1GB
Hard Drive: 80GB SATA Drive
Data Hard Drive: 1TB Drive
Disc Drive: 2 x DVD+/-RW Drives

I'd like to hear your opinions on it and possibly some suggestions about particular components that are worth looking into.

Thanks.

 

[LoopyDood]

I'd recommend a single ATI 4870 512MB or a Nvidia GTS 250 512MB (Both ~$150ish, however the 4870 is the better performer.) over the dual 9500s. A single card runs cooler, more efficient, and more reliable (SLI and Crossfire aren't guaranteed to work in every game) than dual cards. It would perform better at about the same price, and you have an extra PCI-E slot open in case you actually want to add another card.

Remember, when shopping for video cards, look at the second number before the first. The first is just the series; the second is actually what tells you the kind of performance you should expect. The 9500 performs about the same as the 8600 from what I've read.

 

[Laughing Man]

Three posts in four days and each of them have had the same thing in it.

Do not waste money on Sli or Crossfire.

Sli / Crossfire is for high res and offers little if any noticeable improvement at standard resolutions. Dump the 2 x 9500 1Gig and use the cash to buy a much better single card solution. For the price of the two 9500, if I am right it's about £100. You could buy one of the entry level 250s which will do the job for most games much much better. For £20 more you could get an entry level 260GTX which would blow two 9500s away.

 

[SilentHunter7]

This guide I wrote last month might help
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.115115

I wouldn't go for dual 9500s. I think you'd be better served by getting a single 9800GT, an 8800GT, or something in the GTX 200 series. Of course that's just my opinion, and you should do what you will.

 

[LoopyDood]

Heh, don't forget about ATI's cards. The 4800 series is very comparable to Nvidia's 200 series, and a bit cheaper as well.

 

[Nimbus]

I have a query about your choice of hard drive setup. What's up with that? 80GB for your OS and 1TB for Data? What's the point? I mean, were it a solid state drive I could understand, but this seems kind of pointless.

 

[LoopyDood]

I have a query about your choice of hard drive setup. What's up with that? 80GB for your OS and 1TB for Data? What's the point? I mean, were it a solid state drive I could understand, but this seems kind of pointless.

That way, if you ever need to reformat your HD because of an error in the OS, you don't have to reinstall all of your games and programs.

 

[Nimbus]

I have a query about your choice of hard drive setup. What's up with that? 80GB for your OS and 1TB for Data? What's the point? I mean, were it a solid state drive I could understand, but this seems kind of pointless.

That way, if you ever need to reformat your HD because of an error in the OS, you don't have to reinstall all of your games and programs.

That only works for steam games. ANy game you have to install uses the registry, which is located on the OS HDD. Also, wouldn't it be easier (and cheaper) to just get one drive and partition it?

 

[Mackinator]

You're looking pretty good right now. Personally, I just built a new system very recently and decided to go with a duo-core processor, which runs everything at current very smoothly. If your budget isn't vital[/b] then stick with what you have. You should be pleased with it.
The motherboard you get - you might want to buy one with DDR3 capability and get some DDR3 RAM as I find a computer with this runs any number of things at once with complete smoothness and perfection. Also, I myself have a Nvidia 9800 GT which was relatively cheap and works amzingly good. The graphics are in my opinion fantastic and this would not be a bad card to get. There are multiple versions of this card however and some are better than others.

 

[Kushin]

I have a query about your choice of hard drive setup. What's up with that? 80GB for your OS and 1TB for Data? What's the point? I mean, were it a solid state drive I could understand, but this seems kind of pointless.

Actually, I have to say I thought SATA was representative of Solid State. THat is what I meant. 80GB Solid State and 1TB Normal.