Game Addicts' Gaming PC specifications

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I think every rig I've ever built I tell myself "ok, THIS one is gonna last a while". And then sure enough, new tech comes out and I get the itch to start ordering some new shiny boxes again :D Seriously, I am like giddy about building this new rig. Mostly because I can actually afford some decent parts and that I am going the Intel/Nvidia route.

Yea that's right, you had said something about a new driver or bios update locking your CPU? Did that ever get resolved?

And what's the Blender project for? Something for work or just a personal thing?
 
The BIOS thing hasn't been resolved as far as I'm aware. Been checking everyday and so far nothing.

And my Blender project is for my portfolio. Time to branch out and do something different. Been wanting to 3D for a while and now that I have the means, it's time to get that rolling.
 
Lots of good info, Creepin! Good luck on your build, x2.

Let's see, I am still using a 32bit OS, but did finally upgrade to Vista at least to make use of DX11.
My graphics card is a DX11 GTX 460.

Other than that, I am still using the old Dell Vostro case, 630 watt Rosewill E-80 power supply, Core 2 Duo overclocked to 3.16ghz, 3 GB of DDR2 800 RAM, a Velociraptor 300 boot and program drive with a separate 250 GB storage drive.

My current rig is by no means top of the line, but it can still handle any games I regularly play (Starcraft II, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Sanctum, etc.) along with my academic and basic computing needs.
 
and also don't forget to list out the HSF or the Heat Sink Fan if you are going to OC your system I recommend the Corsair H100 Hydro series :D
 
Should be getting my sweet new case tomorrow :D I'll post a mini review and maybe some pic's. It looks to be quite the case for only 50 bones...

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-One-Computer-Case/dp/B006TVQU6C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1340251032&sr=8-3&keywords=antec
 
Might as well replacing some parts in 3 months time with this kind of setup because I'll be going back to the green team (nvidia) but still retaining
my AMD X6 Thuban processor

PSU: Toughpower XT 875w
Motherboard: Asrock 990FX Extreme4
SSD: Corsair Force Series 3 120gb
HSF: Corsair Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Videocard: Palit GTX 670 / GTX670 Jetstream 2048MB 256Bit DDR5
 
I am extremely happy with the case. It's light, yet the panels aren't flimsy at all. Everything feels really solid and there's no sharp edges inside. The paint job is matte inside and out, and it seems completely durable. My only small gripe is the front panel is that open mesh design, but there's no dust filter. Not a biggie though, I'll just make my own somehow.
 
x2 said:
I am extremely happy with the case. It's light, yet the panels aren't flimsy at all. Everything feels really solid and there's no sharp edges inside. The paint job is matte inside and out, and it seems completely durable. My only small gripe is the front panel is that open mesh design, but there's no dust filter. Not a biggie though, I'll just make my own somehow.

Woot! Step one is complete. Also, I think now is the time to get an SSD on top of a high capacity spinning hard drive. Prices are dropping like bricks.

I also don't like how my antec nine hundred is so open, but it's good for the airflow. I've heard mixed things about dust filters. Do they work for you?
 
Honestly I don't know. I've just read from some people that an open mesh design with no air filter brings in a ton of dust, especially if you a front intake fan/s, which I plan to do. But I think as long as you keep up with dusting the inside of the case it's not a huge deal.

I am for sure going with an SSD for my main boot drive and then I'll have a large capacity mechanical drive for storage. I am excited to see if there's a speed difference with the SSD...
 
Anybody get any new parts or anything lately? I ordered 16Gb of RAM and a 1Tb Western Digital Blue hard drive, for storage. The motherboard and CPU will be next. Still deciding what to go with...Slowly but surely getting this digital art rig built!
 
No new parts but I'm saving up for an Nvidia GTX 680 and an SSD. I'm going to turn my current rig into a pure gaming machine and then save up again to build a beefy, all-purpose PC that will contain a core i7 and all the other bells and whistles.

Not sure if I mentioned it but I got a dell XPS machine a while back from work for $25. Turning that into a backup server. ;D

Glad to hear you're coming along x2. I would recommend waiting until the new core chips from Intel are released around Summer time. Haswell is the code name for them and are much more power efficient while increasing computing power. If you don't want that, I'm sure the prices for the current Ivy Bridge chips will drop once it's released.
 
This summer, assuming that I pass the exam for certification on my job, I can hopefully afford two things; a new 7 string guitar and a new gaming computer build.

My old Core 2 Duo is showing its age. The Velociraptor hard drive and GTX 460 seem to be hanging on as well. The combination can handle most games, I just get some frame rate hanging on Crysis, Crysis 2, Skyrim (when there are several detailed weather effects simultaniously), and Starcraft II (in massive late game battles with several carriers involved).

I am still wanting to go with a smaller case for a semi-portable LAN box build instead of either laptop or full tower routes. I think I may try to cram an i5 board, graphics card, mem, etc. into this APEX case.

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Thanks for the replies fellas! Creepin...You will probably think I am crazy but I decided to go with AMD. I did a lot of research {I mean a ton!} and I came to the conclusion that I would really benefit from the 8 cores of the FX-8320 {this will be primarily a digital art/3D machine, not much gaming}. If I went Intel I could really only afford an I5, whereas I can get the FX-8320 and a decent cooler for still under $200. And they had a good deal on this nice Asus board {got it for $130 shipped} so I ordered it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851 I guess only time will tell if I made the right choice but it just seems to make sense right now for my needs/budget.

Edit: Scratch that, I am returning the AMD board and going Intel. I just can't deal with the power consumption of the FX Cpu's. I saw some benches and these things were drawing almost 300 watts of power at load. That doesn't give me much leeway for the rest of the system. And even though I have a nice Seasonic 620 watt PSU, I'd still like to use as little of it as possible. So I think I will go with either a 3570k or maybe an i7-3820? Not totally sure on that yet...but definitely excited to be going Intel :)
 
I was just about to give you a word lashing but I see you've come around. :lol

Just kidding. I was going to congratulate you in finding something that suited you and your budget. I wouldn't have thought you were crazy. :)

But yes, Intel is just way far ahead in CPU architecture than AMD. I feel bad because I used to have AMD systems, but I went Intel because they're just bang for the buck in my opinion. With Haswell coming out soon for Intel, AMD needs to come up with something soon. Their console contracts aren't going to keep them afloat.

I would personally recommend the K series. They're unlocked and if you need a little more oomph later down the line, you can overclock easily.
 
Well...NOW you might think I'm crazy :lol I ended up keeping the Asus board and returning the Gigabyte Intel board. There was just a lot of reasons I decided to go the AMD route again. The biggest obvious was budget...even though I could have afforded the Intel system, it would not have left me much "playing" money for lots of little odds and ends I needed like new case fans, GPU, disc drive, HDD and SSD, external HDD, CPU heatsink+thermal paste, etc,. I realized I need a LOT of stuff! And the other reason is I love to tinker and AMD systems have always been really fun to OC and play with. I have it all built up and running and once I get my new case fans I'll get some pic's!
 
:lol

All good x2. I've decided to go AMD as well but just in the graphics department. Going to save up for a Radeon 7970. nVidia is great but all of the reviews I've seen, the 7970 beats the 680 and is cheaper as well. Oh and they also offer free Bioshock Infinite and Newegg is throwing in Crysis 3 too.
 
It's about time for a GPU upgrade for me, too, sadly. My last upgrade was in 2011. Radeon 6870. I can run everything I own at max settings, but BF3, Skyrim, and a few others just don't quite make it. With BF4 coming out this year, and demanding PC exclusives becoming more common again, I think it's time for another upgrade.

7970 might just be what I go with too, if I can save up that much money. :V
 
If the 7970 is too much then I recommend the GTX 670. If that's still too much then I recommend the 7950(with Boost). Anything below is not going to benefit you at all. But the 7950 is a nice card and worth the money as well.

UPDATE: AMD just added Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon to the "Never Settle" bundle. So if you buy from Newegg, you can get Bioshock Infinite, Crysis 3 and FC3: BD. Not a bad deal at all.
 
So, I am at the end of my HT certification program and expect to have more money rolling into my account this summer. Thus, it is nearing time to update my gaming rig.

I still want to stick with a mini tower so it is modular, but still light enough to move for LAN sessions. I am considering cannibalizing parts from my current build for the new computer including;

630 watt power supply
Creative X-fi Titanium sound card
EVGA GTX 460 graphics card
Velociraptor 300 GB 10k rpm HDD

I am pretty much looking for an mATX mobo, Intel quad core (core i5?) processor, DDR3 memory, and possibly an SSD for the OS. Anyone have hardware suggestions?

Also, regarding the OS, has anyone used Windows 8 for gaming? I have finally learned to live with Vista, however, it is only a 32 bit OS, which would majorly limit my system memory. Is Windows 8 the only current option for a 64 bit gaming OS?
 
I'll look up some specific hardware for you when I get a chance but first some general suggestions.

An i5 will last you for quite a while. I don't believe there is a game out there that benefits from more than 4 cores. So a high end i7 won't be necessary. The new Haswell i3/5/7 line should be out by the time you have the cash. I would recommend those as they are more power efficient with all the benefits of the previous chips.

This is going to require a brand new motherboard. I say prepare for around $400 for a mobo/cpu/ram set. Maybe a bit more as, if I'm not mistaken, smaller motherboards tend to cost a bit more than fuller sized ones. You should be fine with a mATX mobo but don't go Mini or smaller. They will not have room for your regular PCI cards like your sound card.

For a graphics card, a GTX 650Ti Boost will be a big jump for you over the 460 while keeping costs low for you. They run around $180 on Newegg. On the AMD side I would recommend the 7790 as it also has a good price/performance ratio in the same price range. They tend to run around $150. Now if you're willing to spend a bit more and want a smaller form factor for your LAN rig, I suggest taking a look at this card from ASUS.

ASUS Mini-ITX GTX 670

I kind of want one because it looks pretty cool to me. It hasn't been priced yet, nor have they released a date for it but it will probably cost a tad more than a regular 670. So expect around $500.

An SSD should help a lot with load times but you will most likely not benefit from it for mulitplayer LAN sessions. So that one is up to you. Your Velociraptor should be plenty for you until you save enough for later, if you decide to go that route.

Your current power supply is more than enough for a single graphics card, a new Haswell Intel chip and all your other necessary peripherals.

Regarding the OS. You can always get Windows 7. That's 64-bit and I believe cheaper as well. Windows 8 is fine too if you want to just jump to the latest. It is a better version of Windows 7 with that crazy metro interface. So if you have the cash, Windows 8 is perfectly fine for gaming.

That's all for now. I can give you more specific suggestions if you like when I get a chance.
 
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