

Gamers, Upgrade your Systems 383
jbischof writes "Looking to upgrade your aging PC? Ace's Hardware has a new upgrade guide tailored specifically to gamers. The data shows exactly which upgrades - processor, motherboard, gfx card, or combination of the three - will give the best performance boost on all the latest and most popular games (according to their recent poll)."
Go Go CowboyNeal Upgrade! (Score:2, Funny)
Games? (Score:5, Funny)
results are from a poll eh... (Score:5, Insightful)
useless
Re:results are from a poll eh... (Score:5, Funny)
Video Card Upgrade:
We upgrade the Geforce 2 Ti 200 to more trendy video cards, such as the Geforce 4 MX 440, Geforce 4 Ti 4200/4600 and Radeon 9700 Pro (Tyan Tachyon G9700). We also check with a Geforce 3 Ti 200 and Radeon 8500, as both videoards featured an excellent price/performance ratio and have been very popular.
Aww, come on. You mean to tell me you don't buy parts based on how "trendy" they are?
Re:results are from a poll eh... (Score:2, Informative)
No they're not. The recommendations are from benchmarks. The base hardware they picked for their tests is what a poll had a large part of their readership running.
Anyway, don't knock polls. I was very relieved when a poll at HardOCP showed that I'm far from the oldest reader they have. (I was expecting something more like when Freeze [freezeonline.com] sent me a reader survey card with questions like "How old are you?: a) 8-12 b) 12-15 c) 16-7 d) 18 and up" and "How much money do your parents make?")
The funny thing about this, (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The funny thing about this, (Score:5, Funny)
Glad I live in Canada...
Re:The funny thing about this, (Score:4, Funny)
Bad guide... (Score:5, Informative)
Missing the point... building vs upgrading (Score:2)
Blah (Score:5, Insightful)
How did the tech industry manage to convince everyone that they absolutely need the latest and greatest bullshit? The machine they were 'upgrading' from is perfectly adequate to play every game they benchmarked.
1600x1200 with FSAA and AF is nice, but it doesnt make the games any funner.
Here's my upgrade guide. I wait until I want to play a particular game, and if I absolutely cant, I upgrade. And I double my current specs.
Unreal 2 is a bore, BTW, for those looking for a review.
Re:Blah (Score:2, Insightful)
Thats why you're seeing all these digital media hub features... that turn PCs into PVRs.
Re:Blah (Score:2)
[...] new HD. And I didnt spring for the absolutely necessary 8meg cache version either.
Then you're probably missing out on the three year warrany which goes with that option. Now, as long as that's a choice you've made, then it's no problem, I'm just saying that chosing to pay (the rather small premium IMO) for 8MB cache isn't always done solely for performance reasons.
Yeah, but... (Score:2)
Re:Blah (Score:2)
I just built a Lan-partymachine it's a athalon 1100, 256 meg of ram with a Radeon 7500 dual head. Why? because that is the ONLY card that is less than 3 inches tall to fit in my super small case. I can easily carry my small but fast 15 inch flat panel monitor , computer, cables, keyboard, mouse, headphones, software copies all in a small catalog case. I walk in and register, setup and get gaming in 5 minutes.. the morons with the 4 processor Athalon 3900+ with 22 terebytes of ram and a 7 drive raid array in the tower with wheels think they have it good, but I'm gaming for at least an hour more than they do, I still get 70-80 Fps in all the games and kick their butts while running at 800X600 and none of that silly eye-candy.
if a game NEEDS all that eye-candy to sell then gameplay sucks.
it's about fun, not how difficult your life can be trying to get around.
Re:Blah (Score:2)
Interactive gameplay > flashy graphics.
Re:Blah (Score:2)
What it will do in a properly equipped system is shave a 0.25 seconds of the level loading time.
Re:Blah (Score:2)
Video games generally get loaded into RAM. When you're playing a game and you hear a lot of HD trashing (aka swapping), it means that you are in desperate need of more RAM, not a faster HDD.
The only think for games that a faster HDD will do is slightly improve load times and for that extra money it just isn't worth it yet.
The fanboys just want to be cutting edge for the sake of being cutting edge.
Re:Blah (Score:5, Interesting)
For example, my machine with 512 meg of RAM has an OS footprint of about 89 meg with XP installed. That leaves me with over 400 meg of physical RAM free. But when I run a game that uses up 100 meg of that RAM, 60 meg ends up in the page file. There's no good reason for it to do so that I know of, but it happens anyway. I almost never hit the limit of my physical RAM but I'm still stuck with that page file and the thrashing that goes with it.
I've found that turning it off in Windows performance settings can get a temporary boost but long before I hit the ceiling I start getting "low on memory" errors. If the OS would utilize the RAM to its full potential first, I'd be much happier. Otherwise why do I have 512 meg in my machine?
Re:Blah (Score:2)
Re:Blah (Score:4, Interesting)
I've completely disabled virtual memory on a few Winboxes, and the performance (and often stability) increase is astounding! We have a P2/400 hooked up to the home theatre for DivX, MP3, etc. It used to play DivX horribly slow off the network, stuttering, skipping, and freezing all over the place. We found out it was buffering it in swap... turned off virtual memory, BANG, played without missing a frame.
Unfortunately, a number of apps and games seem to be designed to specifically use VM, and won't work with it turned off, so I always end up having to turn it back on.
Conspiracy to convince people they need ever faster machines? Who knows.
Re:Blah --- look for page faults (Score:3, Informative)
Dont be concerned with pagefile size as much as with page faults. Run the performance monitor, select Process (and choose your game process), then select page faults/sec to look at the rate of page faults as you play.
"Page Faults/sec is the rate Page Faults occur in the threads executing in this process. A page fault occurs when a thread refers to a virtual memory page that is not in its working set in main memory. This will not cause the page to be fetched from disk if it is on the standby list and hence already in main memory, or if it is in use by another process with whom the page is shared."... these page faults are costly reads from disk
Registry Hacking Coming Right Up! (Score:4, Informative)
Use msconfig to edit your System.ini file. "In the System.ini tab, highlight [386enh] and click New to add a new line beneath this branch. Type
ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1
in the empty box that appears, then click Apply and restart your PC. We found that this helped clean up game jerkiness because it reduces the background file swapping that causes video hiccups and pauses."
This tip was for XP, by the way. I tried this on my machine (512MB), and the swapping that started during UT2K3 sessions has stopped. Maybe it will work for you.
Happy Tweaking!
Gamecube? (Score:2, Insightful)
Most PC's cost nearly $2x10^3 for a real gaming strenth system ---- plus the games cost $59 each and that's at a cheap place like circuit city.
Re:Gamecube? (Score:2)
I got tired of having to update drivers and install service packs just to play the new games coming out. Installing updated drivers and service packs is like playing russian roulette with your system. I get the Gamecube and I know any game I buy for it will run right out of the box.
I'm very happy with my Gamecube, sure I can't run the very latest PC games but who cares. It's all about entertainment right? Just like gaming under Linux, just because I can't run Dungeon Siege under Linux, doesn't mean I can't still be entertained by Falcons eye or Frozen Bubble. Just because I can't play (natively at least) Civilization III under Linux doesn't mean I won't enjoy playing FreeCiv.
It's the same with the Gamecube, just because I can't play Quake3 on the GC doesn't mean that Metroid Prime is any less fun and just because my wife can't play The Sims on the GC doesn't mean she doesn't sit for hours playing Animal Crossing and enjoy every minute of it. Heck, she sent me an email asking what Tom Nook is buying Turnips at today.
I don't need a 2gHz processor to write PHP or ASP code, and I certainly don't need an ATI Radion 9700 to lay out graphics in Paint Shop Pro.
Re:Gamecube? (Score:3, Informative)
007 Nightfire for GCN: $49.99
007 Nightfire for PC: $19.99
at ebgames [ebgames.com]
You will find that's similar for a lot of games on both platforms. Ghost Recon? $49.99 GCN, $39.99 PC (GOTY edition even, for the PC).
Re:Gamecube? (Score:2)
007 Nightfire for PC: $19.99
Local warez D00D: Pricless
Re:Gamecube? (Score:3, Insightful)
I can't rent the PC version of Nightfire.
PS, the Nightfire PC demo ran like crap on my system. I'm able to run UT2003 with no problems. On the GC, Nightfire ran smoothly.
Just buy a console! (Score:5, Insightful)
The bottom line is that the PC tech race has lost all purpose, except to stroke the ego of hardware fanboys. And, man, do those guys need the ego stroking.
Re:Just buy a console! (Score:5, Insightful)
Todays "cutting edge" games are designed to play on 3 or 4 year old hardware - because the publishers want to sell it to more than the 2% who runs out to buy the latest videocard.
I always think Simpsons when another gamer-tech review comes out. "It's slightly faster... TO THE MAX!"
Re:Just buy a console! (Score:3, Insightful)
Bwhahaha, I'd love to see you run Comanche 4 or BF1942 at 1600x1200x32 with all the settings on max on 3-4 year old hardware. Even with settings turned down it isn't exactly going to be smooth. People have be using this same bullshit argument for years. Just because you can get a game to run playably on 2 year old hardware suddenly OMFG GAMES ARE DESIGNED TO RUN ON ANCIENT HARDWARE YOU ARE WASTING YOUR MONEY IF YOU'RE RUNNING EVEN REMOTELY NEW HARDWARE. BULLSHIT, just because games have adjustable graphics settings so you can play on older hardware doesn't mean getting new hardware gets you nothing. Try running BF1942 on a GF1 then run it on a 9700, the GF1 will look like absolute ass once you've seen what it looks like on the 9700 with all the settings cranked. People have better hardware than you, get over it and stop spouting bullshit about penis extentions and the like.
Parent has a point. (Score:5, Insightful)
Three years worth of upgrades (and often less) seems to kill most of the games I have. (Save Quake and it's kin.)
Compare that to the consoles. All of my old Playstation games still work (save the one I ran over with my chair, but that's my fault). Some of those games were made in 1996/1997. Most games for the PC from those days no longer work.
Is that a "So what? Thems is old games!" I hear? Bite me. I spent money on those games and it annoys the hell out of me that this sad state of affairs has come to pass.
Re:Parent has a point. (Score:2)
The only game I miss that I can't play now is the orignal TIE fighter. I have a game from '94 that still works fine though.
Re:Parent has a point. (Score:3, Interesting)
I chimed in on another gaming-related theme a little while back to ask Why... and how... these guys justify spending so much money on what I consider to be only marginally superior systems.
I'm all for the purist who wants absolute quality, however. The audiophile who dumps $3000 on their system does not puzzle me, because for those people, the listening provides such great enjoyment that they feel the expense is worth it. That's cool. You could say the same thing about gaming computers, I suppose, but the crucial difference: these fanboys don't know what quality is, they just know specs, by and large. Hell, most of these clowns keep quoting stuff like 'games that run at 60 frames per second' without knowing that their fucking TV only shows them 30.
I mean, 90% of the people in 1st-world nations cannot discern the difference between Windows and Mac. They cannot see it. Physically cannot see it. Does anyone seriously think that these people look at the side-by-side displays of the GC, PS2 and XBOX in Toys'r'us and proclaim the XBOX as the hands-down winner? No damn way. *i* can barely tell the difference, and I am a graphic designer. Sure, I know to look for antialiased edges, poly counts, etc. but the average gamer dude just wants to know if the latest NFL roster is included.
I also echo your other comment on older games. I still plunk in WipeOut XL on my PS2 and it's a blast.
I admire the PC Gaming Afficionado's tenacity, but I'd rather spend the extra $500-1000 on, oh, say, another 10-20 quality games.
Re:Parent has a point. (Score:2)
Your upgrade analogy is flawed. You are assuming that I'm replacing a N64 with a Gamecube. I'm not. I'm adding the Gamecube to the collection. But that's irrelevant because that's different from upgrading yuor computer. Very few of us simply replace our entire computers when we upgrade. We upgrade a few components at a time.
And more to the point, none of expect new consoles to run older console games (the Playstation 2 being one of the few exceptions). We do NOT expect that a simple upgrade to our computers will break what was working just fine.
Re:Just buy a console! (Score:2, Flamebait)
Re:Just buy a console! (Score:3, Interesting)
The games that I like to play are available on the PC, and by and large PC only. Dark Age of Camelot, Civilization 3, Sim City 4 and UT 2003 are my current favourites. The first 3 are PC only and I would argue that UT 2003 is superior to it's X-box equivlant, Unreal Championship.
So for me a PC is my idea gaming machine since it has what I want to play, but also since I'm going to own one anyhow. Even if there was not a single game available, I'd still own a powerful PC for other thigns.
Now that's not to say that a PC is the best platform or right for everyone. There isn't a universally "best" gaming platform, it all depends on what it is that you want.
The problem I have is with console zealots that somehow feel threatened by PC gaming and lash out and declare PCs to be inferior or stupid or so on. No, they are a legitimate platform, with advantages and disadvantages, like any other. People just need to choose the platform or platforms that meet their needs (I know many people that play games on a PC and a console) and then be comfortable with that choice.
Re:Just buy a console! (Score:2)
Wrong kind of burner (Score:5, Funny)
Ah, I thought that read Ace hardware. That's where I get all my upgrades.
MX for gaming? please... (Score:4, Insightful)
The first priority for a gamer, especially a FPS gamer, should be a good video card. However, their first suggestion listed is a Geforce 4 MX 440 over a TI 200, then they don't even provide benchmarks for the Geforce 4 MX? And for that matter, why would any self respecting FPS gamer buy a MX card of any type from Nvidia when the TIs are so much better?
Re:MX for gaming? please... (Score:4, Insightful)
You can get a 2100XP, ECS K7S5A mobo with sound and LAN that can handle ddr/sdr, and a 440MX card for under $200. Sacrificing CPU or GFX card to improve the other will cost you too much performance, and having done this exact setup for some "cash flow impaired" friends I can tell you firsthand that it's plenty fast to game on, especially when you are upgrading from a P2 400 and a TNT 2 32mb card.
The 440MX has it's place, depending on what you are looking to do.
Re:MX for gaming? please... (Score:3, Insightful)
GF4 MX is good as long as you don't mind upgrading again when the next generation of games are released (which won't be long now)...
John Carmack: "Don't Buy a GeForce4-MX for Doom 3" [osnews.com]
Re:MX for gaming? please... (Score:2)
"We upgrade the Geforce 2 Ti 200 to more trendy video cards, such as the Geforce 4 MX 440"
"Trendy"...? wtf?
Yes, it's newer but that's about it. Isn't the GF2 Ti 200 faster? I thought the GF4 MX 400 was just slightly faster than a GF2 MX 400?
I guess the GF4 has hardware support for some more fancy features, but not all games use the latest cutting edge features (I think it's actually pretty rare), and pure speed is usually more rewarding.
Re:MX for gaming? please... (Score:2)
I thought my GeForce 2 MX couldn't handle UT2 at better than 640x480. Then I upgraded my CPU from 700Mhz to 1.2Ghz. That was $75 vs a couple hundred for a TI which wouldn't have benefited me any more than the processor upgrade.
Price vs Performance with the current batch of games makes a TI very much overkill still. I'll buy a nice TI when the price drops and I have the extra money.
And, as others have mentioned, consoles now beat the pants off of a PC in the graphics area for the price.
GeForce 2 MX or N64? Graphics card wins. GeForce TI vs GameCube, PS2, or X-Box? Console wins.
Ben
Re:MX for gaming? please... (Score:2)
Re:MX for gaming? please... (Score:2)
You CAN play todays "cutting edge" FPS titles without a $300 video card."
Yes, but it's an upgrade guide and they were talking about *upgrades*, and not about equipping a brand new system.
They thought that the GF2 Ti 200 they assume is in a gaming computer should be "upgraded" to a GF4 MX 400.
You know you're an F1 fan when... (Score:5, Funny)
http://www.aceshardware.com/read.jsp?id=5000036
DG
Re:You know you're an F1 fan when... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:You know you're an F1 fan when... (Score:5, Funny)
Nah, he would be on the pole with the fastest qualifying time, lose the lead in the first corner to Schumie, make an incredibly dangerous and breathtaking pass to regain the lead a few laps later, THEN blow the engine.
Re:You know you're an F1 fan when... (Score:3, Funny)
Speaking of upgrades... (Score:5, Funny)
Athlon 2100+: CAN$206.
512MB RAM: CAN$115.
Realizing you have no cash left to replace your 16MB NVidia TNT2: Priceless.
Re:Speaking of upgrades... (Score:3, Funny)
Realizing that those are US prices and now you have to pay double in Canadian money: Priceless.
Ask Slashdot: Stereo Gaming? (Score:5, Interesting)
Given the above article, and the premise that slashdotters have a wider range of experience than Ace, what would be the ideal configuration for a stereo-video enabled gaming system? Say I want something that can run Stereo-Quake or Stereo-Descent... Also assume that cost isn't really a factor (wish that were true, but I'm just pipe dreaming here...).
Besides the CPU and motherboard, there's also things like monitors (stereo projection monitors?), controllers (throttles, immersion gloves, goggles), stereo audio systems (THX?), and even room design. What would slashdotters put together with a beefy $50K to $100K budget, eh? Assume that the project is to put together the ultimate stereo-Quake VR simulator, and that you have access to the code of the game...
Uhhhhh (Score:4, Informative)
As for sound I haven't seen a non-stereo Pc in years. In sound terminology stereo means 2-channel, left and right. You are thinking surround sound. Also, THX isn't a surround sound spec, Doubly Pro Logic, Doubly Digital, Digital Theatre System, and Sound Dynamic Digital Sound are. THX is a spec that involves listener experneice and deals with noise and distortion levels, volume calibration, crossovers and a whole bunch of other things. the idea is if you buy a THX system and calibrate it right, you'll get a movie theatre sound experience form DVD.
However, it really won't do much good as Quake doesn't support 3d positional sound. It just does normal stereo sound.
Re:Ask Slashdot: Stereo Gaming? (Score:2)
Show me the money (Score:5, Insightful)
Seems like the console's a no brainer. When you need a new box for other reasons, you'll get one that's up-to-date for the latest titles... but why go through this cost and hassle when you can get a pop-it-in-it-plays system for $200 and no labor?
Re:Show me the money (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Show me the money (Score:2)
In the other console systems defense
- There is no previous version of the Xbox to be backward compatible with, we'll see what they do with the next version.
- ditto with the Dreamcast, except there won't BE a next version.
- Nintendo was moving in a different direction with their delivery media. Going from a cart to a disc.
Re:Show me the money (Score:2)
Re:Show me the money (Score:3, Insightful)
Ok, so show me the console game that can compete with UT2k3 at 1280x1024 with anti-aliasing and all effects turned on.
Funny that... the console doesn't have the horsepower. I'm sure you'll fair better with Doom3.
Ok, so which console has Moo3 coming out for it? Oh. None. What about Warcraft 3? Huh... funny that. How's about Neverwinter Nights? Er...
Ok, well you do have online access on consoles now... a decade late, but hey, who's counting? So now I can play all those custom mods and maps with my fri... what? You can't do custom content? What the hell?
Well at least I'll be able to play all the games I want on my console, and not worry about incompat... what the hell do you mean there are three different systems out? And they're each $200? Do you have any idea what kind of PC I can build for $600 nowadays?
Screw this console crap. I'll stick with the PC. After all, my last system lasted nearly 3 years before I had to upgrade. Plus I can surf the web, do my taxes, and everything else.
Re:Show me the money (Score:2)
Yeah, right.
Re:Show me the money (Score:2)
Oh, and for the record, I have a 21" monitor. So on at least one point you're wrong
And hooking up a PC to a HDTV isn't all that difficult either.
it's all possible (Score:3, Interesting)
With the possible exception of the last point, yes, all of this is possible with a PC.
controllers There are some great dual-shock clones available, such as the Thrustmaster FireStorm Dual Power, the Logitech RumblePad, and the Gravis Eliminator AfterShock. Plug in as many as you like, depending on game support.
living room A modest gaming system can fit in an attractive micro ATX case. Flex ATX is pushing it, unless you can find a motherboard with a decent 3D chip.
screen Get a video card with TV out. At 640x480, you'll be able to crank up the detail, anti aliasing, and anisotropic filtering. Of course, you always have the option of higher resolution with HDTV, monitor, LCD projector, etc.
noise You can build a quiet PC, so long as you don't use fire-breathing parts like a GeForce FX. If you don't want to build, it can be difficult to tell how loud a store-bought system will be.
no keyboard Well, I see the lack of keyboard as the biggest weakness of consoles. I suppose you could map some macros with the game-pad drivers to launch your favorite games.
Clearly, a console is a more efficient way to get couch-potato gaming. If you don't have a decent PC to start with, it's also cheaper. I just love the depth and breadth of PC games. Grand Theft Auto and Madden are great, but I can't give up WarCraft, NASCAR Racing, Falcon, and first-person shooters.
Re:Show me the money (Score:3, Interesting)
Sure, USB. Try and plug 127 controllers into your console.
It's in your living room where you can all sit in comfort.
Err...no, PCs have better online support. No need to make friends walk over to your house to play.
It's plugged in to a screen bigger that 19".
Nope. Why would I want it to be? The resolution is much more important than the size. Heck, the other day I was playing a Dreamcast game from a projector to get a 20' tall image. Looked awful.
You have a bunch of friends who come over to play.
They don't *need* to, because they can play remotely.
Which, granted, is about fifteen feet away in a dorm...
The machine doesn't make more noise than the F1 car sounds coming from the stereo as you play.
My computer is much more quiet than the PS/2 my roommate has. That has a ridiculously loud drive, and you can hear the thing read. Last time I played on an Xbox, same thing was true. Dunno about the GC.
You don't keyboard or mouse to do anything.
Because you *cannot* use the keyboard or mouse. Which, for many types of games is a *huge* drawback. The mouse is *much* better than a controller for strategy games (real time or turn based). It's also much better for FPSes. The keyboard is essential for games that use more than the puny eight buttons or so on the gamepad (a proper Quake setup, a roguelike), anywhere you want to type text...
Re:Show me the money (Score:2)
I do happen to own a PC with a 22 inch monitor that plays videos, has a great sound card, and nice stereo speakers and on which I can play a HUGE variety of games...Including nethack.
If I were to go and buy the television, the stereo, and the console that hopefully plays DVDs, my cost of operation for a $200 console jumps to WAAAAAAAAY over the cost of my all-in-one PC unit.
Also, my PC can fax, wordprocess, let me play around with code, "surf the net", generate really cool fractal images which I can print on my color printer, and oh yeah, the other thing I can't do on a console system...DOWNLOAD PRoN!
So if you only want to play games, and only those that are avialable for 1 system, get a little console box to go with your TV.
For me, since I use my PC for everything else, I think I am coming out ahead with the arrangement I have. Maybe when NetHack is available for a console I will consider buying it.
The next thing I want is to control the A/C and heater and the coffee pot from my system. Even better, a macro button that will put my frozen pizza in the oven when I am powergaming on EQ for 36 hours straight. It would go well with the catheter I just ordered!
Re:Show me the money (Score:3, Insightful)
To start off with, I need a PC anyway because I'm a geek. I program for a living, out of my house. I bank, find restaurants, and find directions to those restaurants online. I even look for hikes online. So, given that I already have a $600.00 monitor and over $1000.00 worth of CPU, RAM, motherboard, and Hard Drive, all I have to do is buy a graphics card that's good for games. If there's money left over, I might even splurge and get a good sound card.
Pricewatch says I can get a GeForce4 TI 4200 128MB DDR card for $130 bucks. My rule of thumb is to buy the card that costs half as much as the most recent card's price. The cut rate card will work fine for two years. Buying the most expensive card might gain you another 6-12 months before obsolescence, but it's not worth the cost.
That's a better deal than a $200.00 console.
Of course, I'd also need a high definition television to go with the console if I wanted the same picture quality, but I'll ignore that since some people have the TV, just like I have the core of the computer.
An added plus on the PC side is that the PC is more likely to have all the games I want. I like RPGs, and many RPGs don't hit console. Also, every console has its own killer games that run only on that box, and I can't play those. But, if the game is implemented for just two platforms, it's usually a console and the PC. So, PC gamers get a better selection.
As an added perk, the emulator crowd is always at work. When you can buy a console cheap on ebay, you can usually pick up a PC emulator for it as well. So, you can eventually play most console games on a PC. You'll never play an X-box only game on a PS2 though.
So, my conclusion is that I can play a wider variety of games for less money on my PC than I could if I went the console route. However, if you don't need a fairly serious computer for other reasons and you're into TV, the consoles make sense.
My hardest decision is always the motherboard... (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm actually quite happy with my current ASUS motherboard, which I've had for almost 2 years now. I am sort of worried about all the reports of capacitors exploding and whatnot, but I don't seem to have any of the "warning" signs on mine.
Either way, my system is starting to show a bit of age, and I'm thinking about building a new one come this spring. I'm expecting a fairly hefty income tax refund, so I figure it might be time to plunk down some cash I've saved up for a new box.
I know pretty much what I want. I'll probably go with the latest and greatest offerings from nVidia or ATI, and stick with a faster AMD processor.
But I'm not sure about the motherboard. I enjoy gaming, so I'm thinking about going for something with the nForce chipset.
This report seems to suggest that the nForce 2 chipset will benefit your FPS. So perhaps I'll look into those. Then there is the matter of trying to avoid motherboards with the exploding capacitors...
Re:My hardest decision is always the motherboard.. (Score:3, Interesting)
The nForce is also a very viable option. Unified driver for all on-board components make setup a breeze (in Windows anyway), but the Soyo just *feels* faster with the same CPU, RAM and video (not all nForce boards come with integrated GeForce video). I built a system for someone and tried out the nForce to see if I wanted to trade motherboards. I didn't, really.
tetris all the way baby (Score:3, Funny)
and with 1.2 GHz AMD Athlon, 512 MBRam and ATI A-I-W Ultra Pro AGP 32 MB RAM , it kicks some butt.
I play tetris in Vim, in xemacs, so there
"We upgrade the Geforce 2 Ti 200 ..." (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:"We upgrade the Geforce 2 Ti 200 ..." (Score:2)
[OT]: Cheap DVI Video Card to drive HD Cinema Dsip (Score:3, Interesting)
Can anyone suggest a video card with good Linux support, able to put out DVI at the above res, and able to scale DVD video to that size? I don't ever use 3d, so performance is less of an issue. Price and linux support are tho. I notice apple's website suggests that the HD display hates matrox, loves ATI or nvidia. Any idea why?
Best of all woudl be if you actually have such a setup running, and can confirm it works
Variable detail level (Score:3, Insightful)
I thought Ace were normally pretty knowledgeable. This has been going on for years. I remember playing F19 Stealth Fighter and MSFT Flight Sim back in the 80's (CGA graphics - yeah!), and they had these options then. I'm sure they weren't the first either.
Article has an interesting conclusion (Score:3, Interesting)
This is fairly contrary to what I've heard in the past, which was always the opposite.
The Rule of the Three (Score:5, Insightful)
Replace every three generations, or when things are three times as fast as your current device.
Simple, isn't it? For the past 10 (or so) I've worked on that little rule and it's lead me exactly where I want to go.
My 486 became a Pentium II 266 became a Pentium III 800 became an Athlon 2400+.
My something rather (I think it was an S3 Virge, but this was in the days when no one cared anyway) became a Voodoo 2 became a Geforce 256 became a Radeon 8500 (Which I bought budget at $100 canadian).
My Gravis Ultrasound became a Sound blaster Live became a Hercules Game Theater XP became Nforce2 Dolby Digital output.
It's strange how well this system worked out. Just as my machine became almost unbearable for games (About a 30FPS average for most games) I've upgraded because of this 3x rule. Sure, it means that you won't be at the bleeding edge for very long but the edge is too easy to fall off anyway. Only idiots would skip from a Radeon 8500 to a 9700, just as it would be stupid to ditch a 2400+ Athlon for a 2.8ghz P4. At the same time, people who tell that a 500mhz and a Voodoo 3 is enough for anyone are obviously not playing any modern games. The trick is to get caught in between the two extremes.
If cost *really* isn't an issue . . . (Score:5, Insightful)
Regardless, if I'm not in the mood to build a box I think I'd trust [alienware.com] Alienware for a gaming machine over anyone else out there.
Timing: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Timing: (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm waiting for... (Score:4, Informative)
Currently, I'm running an ancient 1GHz Thunderbird Athlon, with 768MB of PC-133 SDRAM, a GeForce4 TI4200, and 2 HDDs - 27GB Maxtor and 80GB Maxtor, 2MB cache. I've been running this rig for almost 2 years now, and it still runs strong & stable. Only upgrades I did were the 80GB HDD after a 20GB Maxtor that died a horrid, clicking & spinning death during an FDISK (after having it cause countless crashes & ATA failures), and the GeForce4 (which offered me a surprising performance increase in games over the GeForce2 GTS 32MB it replaced).
This rig still runs all my favorites plus some of the newer games (UT2K3 runs fine at my LCD flat panel's native res (1280x1024) with normal options turned on). The upgrade guide on Ace's (which I haven't read) simply wouldn't offer me any compelling reason to upgrade for today's games.
Doom 3, OTOH, would probably provide my system a major challenge (according to reports on its functionality, anyway). When Doom 3 comes out, that'll be my new benchmark & prompt me to upgrade. Not sooner.
"Gamer's Linux" (Score:5, Interesting)
Shit, you could even do the hardware route. I bet AlienWare [alienware.com] would pick it up if it were good enough. They're doing the MS Media Center thing as it is.
SDRAM (Score:3, Interesting)
Really I guess it boils down to what Doom3 needs to go properly, and whether or not I give a shit about PC gaming once it finally comes out. The price/performance of my PS2 looks pretty good right now.
Dave
What I would like to know is (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't want to buy any more hardware unless I know I won't run into NDA/IP walls that restrict me from getting good drivers. My money is worth more than a useless hunk of silicon.
How do we build a Linux gaming system with analog video In and Out. Better yet I would like to build a small, possibly portable, video streaming box out of a cheap mini PC using Linux. I can totally customize the interface, but finding good quality supported hardware is a bitch and a half. The last thing I want to do is buy something, install Linux on it and find out the manufacturer is like Trident and doesn't want to release documentation for their ultra secret super technical dirt-cheap video card to the community.
Re:Ode to drunken gamers... (Score:5, Funny)
Oh Please... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Insightful)
Correction... Windows is the game makers' choice of platform. It is unfortunate that the games get sucked into it because of lack of game choices for other operating systems. I am sure that will change soon enough.
Re:Oh Please... (Score:2, Insightful)
This is almost as funny as the top parent.
Re:Oh Please... (Score:2, Insightful)
Much of it has to do with the lack of a suitable development platform to replace DirectX.
Re:Oh Please... (Score:3, Interesting)
Unfortunately Microsoft knew this and created DirectX as a way to keep game makers from writing to the mac platform. At least thats what former MaximumPC editor Alex St. John said( Former marketer of directx from Microsoft). Microsoft began development during the multimedia crazy during the mid 90's. Apple was regarded as a superior multimedia platform and this scared Bill Gates. Later they marketed it as an alternative to OpenGL because OpenGL was too portable.
DirectX was even used in quake1 and quake2 even though the rendering was done in opengl. DirectX was used for displaying the already rendered graphics and for sound. You can find the dll's if have it installed.
Until alternatives mature expect more games to be leaving the mac and Linux and going to the Windows platform.
Re:Oh Please... (Score:2)
YHL
HAND
(sorry, it was too obvious, couldnt resist
Re:Oh Please... (Score:2)
YHL
HAND
amen. but isn't fighting the only interesting thing to do besides programming and orgy sex?
Re:Linux? (Score:3, Insightful)
[quote]
Theres more to gaming than just Windows-only games like Couterstrike or Quake III.
[/quote]
old games, yes, this article is about the cutting edge of games (doom 3, etc)
[quote]
Many Linux people enjoy the same kind of fun on their platforms. Railroad Tycoon II and Quake II work just fine, thanks.
[/quote]
OLDER GAMES.... THATS PROBABLY WHY THEY DIDN"T MENTION LINUX.
how long has NWN been out for win? linux?
don't get me wrong, i love linux, its just that these blanket "WHY NOT LINUX?!" statements are getting on my nerves.
I'm waiting till the 1337 h4x0rs are done with linux, and when the 1337 h4x0rs can stop being so 1337, and start being more productive.
I'm thinking of switching to BE.... so i can be more productive. Its a joke.... laugh....
honestly, though, i did the whole deb thing for a couple years, and i just got kind of bored with it. I don't use a computer for fun anymore, so that kind of puts a dampner on things.
Re:Linux? (Score:3)
I thought Quake III was available on Linux as well as Windows.
Re:Linux? (Score:2)
Re:Linux? (Score:2)
I thought PCs ran Linux too. LOL
I'll agree that traditionally most game development has been for Windows, but I can also see game companies writing for both OSes in the near future. There are too many stuckists refusing to run XP, and a lot of those stuckists are hardcore gamers.
Re:Linux? (Score:2)
Uhhh, ok. the thing is that Quake II (being the most challenging of those you listed) requires about fuck-all for hardware. It ran like lightning on my PII 450 Voodoo 3 combo back in the day when it was new. Well these days, hardware like that is cheap. It's just a non issue. Basically any hardware you put together will be capable of running Quake II quickly. I mean on my current system I can easily play it with 8x AnIso, 4x FSAA in 1600x1200 and stillg et a good frame rate. There's nothing to upgrade for, the system is as fast as it needs to be for that.
However UT 20003 and the like are a whole different story. They CAN slam even modern systems, so the question of how to best upgrade for them is a valid one.
Re:Linux? (Score:2, Informative)
Shit, man, you may as well ask why they didnt benchmark Mac. It always amuses me how the biggest seller for Mac games is always something so old no PC gamers are even playing it anymore.
Dont get me wrong, this isnt a slam against Linux. But Linux isnt the be-all and end-all of computing that most people make it out to be. Most developers make software for Windows because they have the biggest market share, developers know how to program for it, and- the biggest factor- companies know they can make money selling software for the PC. Hell, if you are too cheap/poor to pay for an OS, how willing will that market be to pay for your software?
id makes so much money they can afford to play around with money-losing propositions like making a linux port of Quake 2 or 3. But except for the dedicated server component, it really isnt cost (or time) effective to make a second-tier OS port. You dont delay a product for two months so you can concurrently release the Linux/Mac client which accounts for 1% of your sales base. Most companies that actually do release an alternate client mainly do so because the programmers are fans of that OS and work on it in their own time.
The developers may get burned by Slashdot for not making a port, but so what? It's only complaints from a very loud and vocal minority: think Simpson's Comic Book Geek here. Worst... Game... Ever...
Re:games. (Score:2, Interesting)
They run 3DMarks and try to outdo (outspend) each other. But they cant tell you how to get past the 3rd boss of $GAME because they havent played it.
Re:Now I'd like advice for other types of users (Score:5, Funny)
Just click that widget in the upper left corner, dude. You don't need any tools or "components" for that.
Any sites that offer such advice?
Ok, you're insisting:
HOWTO: Maximize Button [lycos.com]
Re:Gaming Rigs... (Score:3, Funny)
(snip)
Course these prices are a couple days old.
I had no idea DVD-R prices were that volatile.
Re:Fuck AMD (Score:3, Funny)
Switch monitors and try again.
Schwab