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Advice on Gaming PC?

 
I would HIGHLY recommend getting a Audigy sound card over turtle beach. They use to make very good products, and still do, however many games usually are making games for the Audigy cards now, not turtle beach.

At the very least get a Audigy 2 ZS, it doesnt even have to be the gaming one.
 
This isn't necessrily game related, but processor related.
I have 2 PC boxes in my myst.
A Dell 3Ghz (Hyper threaded) 1Gb ram and an AMD64 3500 (Venice core) with 1Gb ram dual channel memory.

For stuff like video footage rendering from our in car camera in the rally car my Dell is MUCH quicker than the AMD which is very surprising, especially since the Dell is at least 18 months old where as the AMD is only a couple of months old.

Was a little disappointed with the AMD system to be honest as I expected to completely waste the Dell in terms of performance.

Running Linux (Ubuntu) the AMD is lighteningly quick mind, and thats only using the x86 install and not the x64 install of Ubuntu.
 
go for one of those fancy pants dual core amd 64's and a decent nvidia graphics card, and then i will truely be envious of you cos my gaming machine is old and only plays hl2 on low-medium settings
 
mcmadhatter said:
go for one of those fancy pants dual core amd 64's and a decent nvidia graphics card, and then i will truely be envious of you cos my gaming machine is old and only plays hl2 on low-medium settings
Click to expand...

Not as bad as mine, lol. I'm on a POS 4 year old Vaio 2.4 with a crappy Radeon vid card. I can BARELY run BF2 on super low settings.

Light at the end of the tunnel is there for me though, as I just landed a new job with more pay, so I'm ordering myself an early christmas present to go with my recently ordered 15" PB (arriving today), and the 22" Flat CRT Philips monitor I got a few months ago!

I'll definitely post some pics of my setup when I redo my office with all my new gear!
 
Will and AMD X2 processor really help with games that much? Because I could always get the Emachines for 600 than a 7800GT for around 300. But it does not say if it is a SATA HD or ATA on the site, neither does it about the motherboard, is it an n-force 4? Because I will eventually get a 24 inch dell and I want to run the games at their native res.

Like doom 3 at 30 fps at least
BF2 smooth as silk
HL2 at least 30fps(minimum)
Age of Empires

All on a 24inch dell:D

Also, I don't want to pay 80 bucks for a 7.1 speaker system, any cheaper ones out there? And the post I made a couple up, are any of those things over kill, or can I get them for cheaper else where?
 
That is the BIGGEST misconception of the dual core processors. They will NOT make much difference in games.

The reason why dual core is good is because it can handle multiple handles at any given time. Games processes only needs one core, not two. So if you want to go dual core, you either should be running a server, doing video imaging, or doing alot of tasks at a given time.

Many gamers claim that it has a huge boost is only because they dont close unnecessary programs before they play games which clogs up the CPU.

I dont quite know what motherboard you are talking about. However, SATA or ATA, it doesnt matter. SATA and ATA have VERY small differences in their performances that most of the HDD never will take advantage. Unless you get a 10k RPM HDD it doesnt matter. Right now the only benefit of SATA is that it allows air flow.

As for your speakers, well to be honest, speakers are terrible. No real gamers even have speakers. Their a complete waste of money and its hard to tell where people are with speakers because the sound is coming out from everywhere. Even with 7.1 speakers you better arrange them in a circle aroudn you or else they become useless. Just get some headphones/headset. I personally recommend anything by Sennheiser because they make great quality headphones. If you want the "gamer" headphones, plantronics make really good ones.
 
I was also going to make the comment about the dual core processors and gaming, but I guess someone beat me to it. That's the entire reason I got my kick@$$ FX-55 processor for gaming as opposed to the x2 4400+.
Also, as a gamer, I would second the notion that a decent set of speakers are a waste of money, simply b/c you never use them. On the other hand, if you want a decent set of speakers for music and everything else, by all means get them. I personally have the Logitech Z-5500's, which I feel are pretty much the best out there, even better than the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1's, which I also tried out. I love my Z-5500's! If you are really going to game, get a decent pair of headphones, in which I also agree with the Sennheiser nod. Just my $.02...
 
Yeah, if you want speakers for music or watching movies, get some speakers then. But if you're just going to play games, its pointless getting speakers.

I personally have a 2.1 Klipsch speakers. Yum :)
 
Soooo, I should just sick with integrated sound? Because I have one of those mini shelf systems that's hooked up to my computer(PM G5) and it sound GREAT! But I haven't heard what an upgraded sound card sounds like. So I should not get speakers or a sound card?

P.S.: I also want to be able to play games like Myst 5.
 
No no no...


GET a sound card. GET a Audigy sound card. At the very least get a Audigy 2 card. The ZS cards would be a good choice. If you have extra money, you can get the new X-Fi cards, however its really not needed. ZS cards are good as is because you wont be doing much other than playing games.

If you're playing games, most gamers will tell you that speakers arent the thing most people would want. Especially competitive players will tell you this. The reason why is because mostly in FPS games, like counter-strike, sound is a great asset. You can hear people running around and you can direct your fire from where you hear them coming from. With a headphone it works best.
 
G5Unit said:
Also, I don't want to pay 80 bucks for a 7.1 speaker system, any cheaper ones out there? And the post I made a couple up, are any of those things over kill, or can I get them for cheaper else where?
Click to expand...

If you really want a 7.1 system, don't be cheap. $80 for any great set of speakers is a good deal; even if it's only a 2.1 system.
 
I just saw the new XBox 360 demo machines at Best Buy and I was really impressed. Stunning graphics!

I'd forget the P/C altogether and spend $399 on the upgraded XBox 360.

Spend the rest getting yourself a better PowerMac
or a 24" display.
 
FFTT said:
I would not be spending any serious money on a gaming rig until I found a new home for that single
processor 1.8 G5.
Click to expand...

Yeh but I got it for Christmas(Such generous parents) and they're not going to let me sell the rig. Although I have no need for it anymore since my mom has an imac now and that's what I will be using for photo organization and quick little home videos. I just haven't really even asked them if I could sell it. They don't want me sitting inside all day playing games(which I won't) but they're parents, and they just want the best for me.

BTW, how much COULD I get for my system?

Single 1.8Ghz, REV. A PowerMac
1.25GB ram
80GB HD
X800XT
19 inch flat panel(sliver)
ADC to DVI connector


Thanks, G5Unit
 
You can list it here as a feeler or just put it up on eBay.

I take it that you've given up on Apple taking it back?

I know you've burned countless hours with AppleCare.

I would still insist that if they CAN NOT repair a known fault
to your satisfaction, then they should give you a refund. PERIOD

You've documented your case and should follow through.

What ever the results, a new dual core 2.0 or 2.3 is a far better machine.
 
FFTT said:
You can list it here as a feeler or just put it up on eBay.

I take it that you've given up on Apple taking it back?

I know you've burned countless hours with AppleCare.

I would still insist that if they CAN NOT repair a known fault
to your satisfaction, then they should give you a refund. PERIOD

You've documented your case and should follow through.

What ever the results, a new dual core 2.0 or 2.3 is a far better machine.
Click to expand...

Well I have been in contact with a guy from apple and he said that if a new fix does not come out within the next month(this was a week ago) we could discuss it. I mean, I can't even do fast user switching because that is a full screen Open GL thingy. I just have a feeling everything is a little glitching on my PM.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/160656/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/159783/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/152493/

The guy was very nice and I kinda indirectly kept on asking him if they could refund it. I don't want to call him up and DEMAND a refund. I also made all of these calls without my dad so that could be a contributing factor to him not wanting to refund it.
 
Your age should not be a factor with Apple Customer Service.

You've done well documenting everything which was very important.

If Apple can not fix this known issue, then they should "recover"
your G5 either giving you a refund or a credit towards a replacement.

If Apple DOES recover your G5, you've done well and the fact that you're
buying another Apple product may help with their decision.

Your father may need to help out on the business end when they authorize a refund if that refund is going to post to his credit card.

The fact that you've remained polite through all of this is commendable.

Since you've established a good rapor with your AppleCare
rep, I'd continue to work with that rep.
 
Here's another system:
Case: 50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119068

Power Supply: 30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817148027

Motherboard: 100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188003

Processor: 233
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103539

RAM: 70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220037

Hard Drive: 90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144416

Graphics Card: 300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130256

Drive: 40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106988


I am debating between the Graphics Cards. 512mb 6800? Or 256mb 7800?


Will all of these even work together?

-G5Unit
 
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