Setting Up a GAME PC

D

Hi Guys,

Am sure there are a dime a dozen threads here looking to build Pcs...i am also one of them...the only issue is that i get confused with the Answers given which veers of into real technical stuff so if y'all could give me some simple inputs for my 'suppandi' brain that would be helpful...

1. What is your MAX budget?
Rs. 55,000 (plus another 10K if required)
2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better
performance but offering more VFM/ sellers?
YUP!!!!
3. What is the purpose of the computer?
Gaming, Gaming, Gaming (High Settings...and Future Proof)
HD Movies
4. Planning to overclock?
Love to...but have no clue how to so NO
5. Which OS are you planning to use?
Microsoft Based ummm 7 i think (do i need to think abt this?)
6. How much hard drive space is needed?
1 TB (should i split 500 *2)
7. What resolution will the screen run at?
The Max that is provided by the Monitor
8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10?
6
9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an
assembler?
Assembler
10. When are you planning to buy the system?
As soon as i get the Benjamins :smile:

seriously by September 2010
11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
Yes Sir
12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include
in this new rig?
No
13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
Bangalore..willing to buy from other places if VFM
14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
Have a Attention Deficit Syndrome so my mind veers of after 5 mins of too much tech talk...
Points i am confused about
I7 (too much) or AMD Phenom
is 24 inch monitor too much to ask for??
ATI vs Nvidia (researching but would prefer it from current users feedback)
do i really need cooling and stuff??
not looking to bling up the comp...am a minimalist design lover so..
please do suggest a good UPS since my place has power cuts like its nobodys business (its like someone is having fun switching on and off at the electricity board)

Hope i have given good inputs bruthas!!! need your valuable help

Thanks

DC

for amd
phenom x6@10.5k
msi 890fx @10.8k
g skill 2x2 gb 1333@6.3k
cm 690@4.5k
corsair 550 @4.7k
ati 5850@15k
samsung 22inch full hd 2233 @8.1k
mouse and keyboard (normal or gaming you decide)
apc 1kva ups@3.5k shayad confused
speakers depends upon you
hdd wd black @3k
sony bd player @5k

For the cpu part--

Core i7 860 @13.5k
msi p55m-gd45 @6.7k
sapphire hd 5850 @15k
g.skill 2*2gb @5.8k
wd 500gb @2k
corsair 550w @4.5k
cm 690 @4k

total 51.5k

core i 7 8xx series not future proof
core i 7 9xx series out of budget

if you want a core i 7 9xx then downgrade card to 5770 or increase budget to 70+

Why not future proof?

Processor: Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz B.E. @ ~8k
Motherboard: MSI 890GX @ ~8k
Ram: Corsair TW3X4G-1600C9DHX 4GB Kit @ ~6.5k
Hard Disk: 2 X Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ 4.2k
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD5870 1GB GDDR5 @ 23k
Optical Drives: LG GH22NS50 @ 1.1k
PSU: Corsair VX550W @ 4.7k
Cabinet: NZXT M59 @ 3.8k
Monitor: BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k
Keyboard Mouse: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Logitech MX518 Laser (price not included)
UPS: APC 1100VA (price not included)

Total: 66.8k.

Sam.Shab said:
Processor: Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz B.E. @ ~8k
Motherboard: MSI 890GX @ ~8k
Ram: Corsair TW3X4G-1600C9DHX 4GB Kit @ ~6.5k
Hard Disk: 2 X Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ 4.2k
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD5870 1GB GDDR5 @ 23k
Optical Drives: LG GH22NS50 @ 1.1k
PSU: Corsair VX550W @ 4.7k
Cabinet: NZXT M59 @ 3.8k
Monitor: BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k
Keyboard Mouse: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Logitech MX518 Laser (price not included)
UPS: APC 1100VA (price not included)

Total: 66.8k.

this much better than all the rigs above for gaming. excellent work sam.

saurabh_1e said:
msi 890fx @10.8k

why you suggesting him this, he doesn't want to OC! :-|

Jaskanwar Singh said:
For the cpu part--

Core i7 860 @13.5k
msi p55m-gd45 @6.7k
sapphire hd 5850 @15k
g.skill 2*2gb @5.8k
wd 500gb @2k
corsair 550w @4.5k
cm 690 @4k

total 51.5k

He also has to buy UPS, K+M, LCD, etc which you have not included above & which is going to make the config go out of his budget! :-|

Processor: Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz B.E. @ ~8k

Motherboard: MSI 890GX @ ~8k

give the complete model no.: MSI 890GXM-G65! it should be around 7.5K.
Ram: Corsair TW3X4G-1600C9DHX 4GB Kit @ ~6.5k
Hard Disk: 2 X Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ 4.2k

Graphics Card: Sapphire HD5870 1GB GDDR5 @ 23k

thsi will make the config go out of his budegt! Go for 5850!
Optical Drives: LG GH22NS50 @ 1.1k
PSU: Corsair VX550W @ 4.7k
Cabinet: NZXT M59 @ 3.8k
Monitor: BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k
Keyboard Mouse: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Logitech MX518 Laser (price not included)
UPS: APC 1100VA (price not included)

Jaskanwar Singh said:
this much better than all the rigs above for gaming. excellent work sam.

also check the end price. its also way too high.

mavihs said:
why you suggesting him this, he doesn't want to OC!

i2 was confused. highest end mobo. will shoot past OP's budget.

Jaskanwar Singh said:
give the complete model no.: MSI 890GXM-G65! it should be around 7.5K.

i not know the exact model number. copied from saurabh's signature.

mavihs said:
thsi will make the config go out of his budegt! Go for 5850!

if OP wants UPS + keyboard-mouse, speakers, better drop HD5870 & pick up a single HD5850 or go for 2XHD5770. else the extra 2k worth it (he told budget 55k, 10k can be added if necessary)

but the op told his budget can be increased to 65k

If you want a really good system which is future proof I would suggest the following:

Dell Ultrasharp 2209W LCD Monitor @ 16.5k (This is an IPS panel, but is 1680x1050, full HD IPS panels are expensive)
A Blu-Ray writer @ ~10k. You can ignore this as prices will fall in future & anyways blu-ray discs (blanks) are not available easily at present.
The benefits of IPS panels are hugely ignored, the picture quality of IPS panels are much better than standard TN panels & I strongly recommend an IPS panel to anyone willing to spend more than 60k. If you can live with the lower resolution & 16:10 aspect ratio, this is a good deal for another 9k

D

Hi Guys,

Thanks a bunch for the simple yet useful replies... as usual i see a pov on amd and intel...maybe i should define future proof..

Its only next 2-3 Years..then i will have real good moolah (touch wood) to upgrade my budget...

But till then i need to let me rephrase that WANT TO enjoy complete Gaming Experience....swore that from my Dave and Pacman Days....

yes..i am not at all looking at overclocking bruthas..just a motherboard that can accomadate the CPU and Graphics...

again is a 24" inch necessary..should i like up my hardware config or sumthing??

Thanks in Advance

Darkcloud

want kind of games you play
and at what resolution.

At full HD resolution all proccys X4965,X61055,i7930,i7980 etc have similar performance.Only GPU matters in full HD.

D

saurabh_1e said:
want kind of games you play
and at what resolution.

Hi Saurabh,

Currently I play my games @ 1024 resolution on a 17" CRT!!! so am not aware of what resolution is best to play in LCD..

Games i play range from FPS to Racing to Strategy (want to play assasin creed though on PC)

Games after '08 do not run in my present primitive comp so am totally cluless...

however all i want is a system that plays all current games in high settings without a glitch..i hate it when i purchase a system and suddenly a game comes up which can only played by the new INTEL or AMD or GEFORCE or whatever!!!

Darkcloud said:
however all i want is a system that plays all current games in high settings without a glitch..i hate it when i purchase a system and suddenly a game comes up which can only played by the new INTEL or AMD or GEFORCE or whatever!!!

there won't be anything like that, hopefully. at least a game won't decide processor. but do remember, a game very high on tessellation, Radeon cards will take a good beating on hands of even entry level Gerforce cards (4-series). others there shouldn't be anything more to worry about.

D

@Sam.Shab so do you suggest a Geforce?? which series??

what i have understood is that a good processor + graphics unit is required to run the games at max settings

what is the best combo

please do help out

Darkcloud said:
@Sam.Shab so do you suggest a Geforce?? which series??

what i have understood is that a good processor + graphics unit is required to run the games at max settings

what is the best combo

please do help out

currently, ATI only way to go. get Geforce if you in serious need of Physx, CUDA, etc & have a well ventilated case. else if you can stretch your budget to ~70k, get the config i gave & forget about upgrades for 3yrs. provided no major technology (DX12, etc) don't make its way to gamers world.

even after 3yrs you can game (on Full HD resolution). as HD5870 is an immense powerful card.

best is, a fast quad core at 3Ghz (3.2Ghz if considering AMD). for card anything above HD5770. HD5850 is a good one. but if you want the best but also value, HD5870. but do remember, 4Gb ram is of utmost importance to power such a combo.

D

Sam.Shab said:
Processor: Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz B.E. @ ~8k
Motherboard: MSI 890GX @ ~8k
Ram: Corsair TW3X4G-1600C9DHX 4GB Kit @ ~6.5k
Hard Disk: 2 X Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ 4.2k
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD5870 1GB GDDR5 @ 23k
Optical Drives: LG GH22NS50 @ 1.1k
PSU: Corsair VX550W @ 4.7k
Cabinet: NZXT M59 @ 3.8k
Monitor: BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k
Keyboard Mouse: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Logitech MX518 Laser (price not included)
UPS: APC 1100VA (price not included)

Total: 66.8k.

hi sam,

i can stretch to 70K...but you think this is the best rig to play games and moves in HD without a glitch? if so...then i am booking it

Sam.Shab said:
there won't be anything like that, hopefully. at least a game won't decide processor. but do remember, a game very high on tessellation, Radeon cards will take a good beating on hands of even entry level Gerforce cards (4-series). others there shouldn't be anything more to worry about.

Sam didn't say you should go for nvidia
he said you should buy ATI radeon 4xxx series

Processor: Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz B.E. @ ~8k
Motherboard: MSI 890GX @ ~8k
Ram: Corsair TW3X4G-1600C9DHX 4GB Kit @ ~6.5k
Hard Disk: 2 X Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ 4.2k
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD5870 1GB GDDR5 @ 23k
Optical Drives: LG GH22NS50 @ 1.1k
PSU: Corsair VX550W @ 4.7k
Cabinet: NZXT M59 @ 3.8k
Monitor: BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k
Keyboard Mouse: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Logitech MX518 Laser (price not included)
UPS: APC 1100VA (price not included)

Total: 66.8k.

Better change -
HD5870 to HD5850 @ 17k
Corsair RAM to Kingston Value RAM @ 5.8k
UPS APC (6.5k) to Numeric/Powersafe @ 4k

Now the config would be
Processor: Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz B.E. @ ~8k
Motherboard: MSI 890GX @ ~8k
Ram: Kingston Value RAM @ 5.8k
Hard Disk: 2 X Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ 4.2k
Graphics Card: MSI HD 5850 Twin Frozr II @ 17k
Optical Drives: LG GH22NS50 @ 1.1k
PSU: Corsair VX550W @ 4.7k
Cabinet: NZXT M59 @ 3.8k
Monitor: BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k
Keyboard Mouse: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Logitech MX518 Laser @ 2.5k
UPS: Numeric/Powersafe 1KVA @ 4k

Total: 66.6k

Hopefully prices will drop by September and it will fit your budget

---------- Post added at 09:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:13 PM ----------

guess i was a little late in writing

D

woah thanks a bunch guys....fixed my PC in my head now collecting the moolah and crossing fingers that the prices drop...

please dont mind if i pm u guys individually for any doubts

Peace

DC

Darkcloud said:
hi sam,

i can stretch to 70K...but you think this is the best rig to play games and moves in HD without a glitch? if so...then i am booking it

don't book anything. if you getting PC within this month, its a good config. but every month new tech, new graphics card, new motherboard, new processor coming out. so better wait & decide just a week before you getting it.

Cybertonic said:
Sam didn't say you should go for nvidia
he said you should buy ATI radeon 4xxx series

not able to get you buddy.

Cybertonic said:
Better change -
HD5870 to HD5850 @ 17k
Corsair RAM to Kingston Value RAM @ 5.8k
UPS APC (6.5k) to Numeric/Powersafe @ 4k

Now the config would be
Processor: Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz B.E. @ ~8k
Motherboard: MSI 890GX @ ~8k
Ram: Kingston Value RAM @ 5.8k
Hard Disk: 2 X Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ 4.2k
Graphics Card: MSI HD 5850 Twin Frozr II @ 17k
Optical Drives: LG GH22NS50 @ 1.1k
PSU: Corsair VX550W @ 4.7k
Cabinet: NZXT M59 @ 3.8k
Monitor: BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k
Keyboard Mouse: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Logitech MX518 Laser @ 2.5k
UPS: Numeric/Powersafe 1KVA @ 4k

Total: 66.6k

Hopefully prices will drop by September and it will fit your budget

rig is good but if OP willing sell out 70k, HD5870 is a really powerful card. its equivalent to 2 HD4890 in Xfire.

D

Hi,

Palit GTX 490 is being offered at 23000..would that be a better buy than a sapphire 5870??

Darkcloud said:
Hi,

Palit GTX 490 is being offered at 23000..would that be a better buy than a sapphire 5870??

its GTX480. will you like to run your PC with a barbecue inside? hope you got an answer.

Darkcloud said:
Hi,

Palit GTX 490 is being offered at 23000..would that be a better buy than a sapphire 5870??

who the fck is recommending/telling you the hardware which doesn't even exists! :-|

who the fck is recommending/telling you the hardware which doesn't even exists!

:roll:

i think the so called JHOLACHAAP ENGINEERS SITTING AT THE VARIOUS SHOPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO help in increasing the confusion of the buyers and to earn maximum profits.... :-D

D

hi,

oops sorry my bad guys...typo error it was a palit GTX 470
*www.primeabgb.com/index.php?page=s...tegory_id=131&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53

Sam.Shab said:
will you like to run your PC with a barbecue inside?

thats what known as multitasking :lol:

---------- Post added at 09:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 PM ----------

Darkcloud said:
hi,

oops sorry my bad guys...typo error it was a palit GTX 470
*www.primeabgb.com/index.php?page=s...tegory_id=131&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53

plz listen bro
i know nvidia is better in advertising than AMD/ATI
(some cards are better than the counterparts)

but today the 5xxx series a lot cooler than the nvidia army
in short...
better go for 5870

piyush120290 said:
thats what known as multitasking

piyush120290 said:
plz listen bro
i know nvidia is better in advertising than AMD/ATI
(some cards are better than the counterparts)

but today the 5xxx series a lot cooler than the nvidia army
in short...
better go for 5870

as i mentioned several times before, "at the end of the day, everyone cares for their stuff rather than getting the best performance".

hi,

doubts

is it priority that i pick up WD or corsair brand for my hdd and ram or can i sub it with other brands with almost the same spec?? (samsung or seagate or kingston)

Processor
is a 0.2 Ghz difference going to affect my PCs performance to a great extent or is it negligible?

Motherboard (i don't want to OC)
what is it that i should look for (expansion slots??)

RAM
what should i look for optimum performance?

HDD
it is RPM i guess that decides the performance or is there anything else?

graphics
am clear about what to expect

power supply
how do i calculate what power is required for my pc?

Monitor
are all LCDs available with an HD option? or i have to specifically select one
how important is an IPS panel?

hope these doubts don't sound amateurish

regards

Lnhrt

lionheart133 said:
hi,

doubts

is it priority that i pick up WD or corsair brand for my hdd and ram or can i sub it with other brands with almost the same spec?? (samsung or seagate or kingston)

people are having a lot of problems with seagate, so try not to buy it. You can get kingston for RAM, but not much difference in price.

lionheart133 said:
Processor
is a 0.2 Ghz difference going to affect my PCs performance to a great extent or is it negligible?

You won't get a chance to compare the two, so, the faster the better

lionheart133 said:
Motherboard (i don't want to OC)
what is it that i should look for (expansion slots??)

expansion slots, RAM slots, SATA ports, eSata, USB 3.0 (rare for now), layout, audio quality, IGP performance etc.
I don't have very good knowledge of motherboards, but they do effect transfer rates and performance somewhat.

lionheart133 said:
RAM
what should i look for optimum performance?

Good clock speeds and latency figures, but at a budget, you can't even get into that

lionheart133 said:
HDD
it is RPM i guess that decides the performance or is there anything else?

The amount of cache, most 500GB drives have 16MB, WD Black has 32MB, but is expensive as compared to 16MB cache HDDs

lionheart133 said:
graphics
am clear about what to expect

Good

lionheart133 said:
power supply
how do i calculate what power is required for my pc?

you can look online for reviews of the components you purchase, you'll get a rough idea

lionheart133 said:
Monitor
are all LCDs available with an HD option? or i have to specifically select one
how important is an IPS panel?

Genrally, HD resolutions are not easily available in sizes below 22", check the resolution before you buy.
IPS panels are capable of displaying 8bit per channel i.e. 24bit true colour, so colours look much better on them. It is recommended if gaming & movies are your primary usage. Go for a dell IPS panle if you can afford it, will increase your budget by around 9-10k

lionheart133 said:
hope these doubts don't sound amateurish

regards

Lnhrt

we are here to clear your dubts!

Cool Buddy said:
You won't get a chance to compare the two, so, the faster the better

i'll say, check the price difference, than make a choice. if one getting 200Mhz for just 200-300bucks more, its a welcome treat, specially in X4s.

Cool Buddy said:
expansion slots, RAM slots, SATA ports, eSata, USB 3.0 (rare for now), layout, audio quality, IGP performance etc.
I don't have very good knowledge of motherboards, but they do effect transfer rates and performance somewhat.

you covered all. also do check the heatsink. good heatsink, better (if it covers the CMOS, excellent). if you going use a graphics card, check the sata ports. usually they take first hit when inserting a graphics card, as many of these ports gets covered.

for audio quality, check the codec strictly (not 5.1, 7.1, 8.1, etc). for IGP, it depends, so won't pass any comment. it'll be make things more complicated.

Cool Buddy said:
Good clock speeds and latency figures, but at a budget, you can't even get into that

exactly.

Cool Buddy said:
The amount of cache, most 500GB drives have 16MB, WD Black has 32MB, but is expensive as compared to 16MB cache HDDs

in short terms:

8Mb or less ---> skip, ignore, avoid. just don't buy those drives.
16Mb ---> VFM. cheap.
32Mb ---> performance. but will ask u a premium. however 32Mb cache generally comes in 750Gb or more capacity HDDs. & they use it cause they need it.

also RPM:

5400 ---> power saver. comes with 16-32Mb cache. select 32Mb cache.
7200 ---> general. comes with 16,32, 64Mb cache. select 16Mb for value.

Cool Buddy said:
you can look online for reviews of the components you purchase, you'll get a rough idea

long story, short. huh? :smile:

Cool Buddy said:
Genrally, HD resolutions are not easily available in sizes below 22", check the resolution before you buy.
IPS panels are capable of displaying 8bit per channel i.e. 24bit true colour, so colours look much better on them. It is recommended if gaming & movies are your primary usage. Go for a dell IPS panle if you can afford it, will increase your budget by around 9-10k

for casual gaming or timepass entertainment, a TN based is a good one, cheap. IPS is costly. its recommended only if gaming is sole use of PC & budget is high.

Sam.Shab said:
long story, short. huh?

Most good reviews give the power requirements at idle as well as full load, so it's a simple way to know the power requirements :C_cool:

Sam.Shab said:
for casual gaming or timepass entertainment, a TN based is a good one, cheap. IPS is costly. its recommended only if gaming is sole use of PC & budget is high.

TN panels are good for all practical purposes. the difference is not easily noticeable. But if you look at a very coulourful wallpaper or photograph, you will easily notice where TN panels are incapable. IPS panles are expensive & full HD ones are more so. Not easily available as well. So, if you are not an enthusiast, go for a TN panel. (Just for the records, most LCD TVs are IPS panles)

thanks, cool buddy and sam.shab!!

after researching and looking at the specs you guys provided...here is what i plan to buy

MOBO - MSI 890GXM - 4,416 (from the US..worried abt global warranty)
CPU - 955 BE - 7,300
Grap - Gigabyte 5870 (from the US..worried abt global warranty)
RAM - Kingston Value Ram 2*2 GB - 4,800
HDD - 1 TB WD - 3840
OP Dr - LG - 1,111
cooler master GX 550W - 4070
CM elite 300 - 2300
Benq 24 - 10250
razer arctosa - 2450
apc 650 - 3045

total 61K

doubts

- am getting the mobo and grafx from a friend in the usa who is coming over..picking it from newegg.com
am worried abt the warranty though..would it be valid in india??

- does it make a difference if i order these components online or travel to say lamington road and pick up...

every rupee counts since i want to pick up an aquarium and install it in my room too

your feedbacks will help

peace

Lnhrt

---------- Post added at 08:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:49 AM ----------

oops forgot to mention

Grap - Gigabyte 5870 18K