another computer thread (groan)

[cheezyflier]

well, my crappy little dell is dying. not sure if it can, or if i even want to repair it. it's severely underpowered for fsx, and i've done literally everything to it that is useful. i owe my stepson a computer also, because i told him if he improved his grades this year i would reward him. he asked for a gaming desktop. he's earned it and then some. good job yoshi!

so, i am coming to you guys for a recipe. i need a list of parts to build 2 computers, i suspect they can be the same. i need to run fsx well, look good for showing movies, and also have plenty of power to run music software. i'm considering prepar and cfs3 also. btw, any suggestions for a good set of powered monitors? the boy's computer will be used mainly for the internet, and to play warhammer. a game not very taxing on a computer. i figure if i build his the same as mine, he'll have far more than he needs, and it simplifies things for me. suggestions on a good-sized view screen would be appreciated too. i've heard certain televisions do a nice job for less than a monitor of equal size.
i was hoping to ask txnetcop or harleyman but never see them here anymore. can anyone else help me out?

[Daveroo]

as was seen with my questions earlier...im an idiot with computer stuff....id like to try the overclocking thing...but too scared....but try going to dell,,,the gamers section..."alienware" and just look at the specs for the highend units..compair them internally...they list the stuff inside most...CPU clock speed,,ram,,motherboard stuffs(i guess),video,ect,,,,,all i know is i wish if i bought a new PC i had like 20 USB ports on the tower and not have to have a addon thingy....and i want them on the front so i can change froom flight gear to racing wheel ect....easy

[bearcat241]

Go to the website of any vendor who sells dedicated gaming PC's (custom built for gaming only) like Alienware for example. Because they build different power options, note the key hardware components used in the option(s) that best suits your needs. Do your Googley research on these components (be thorough), then go shopping at the best online PC parts stores, e.g. Newegg, Tigerdirect, etc. Its a more self-directed course rather than taking a truckload of subjective feedback from a forum and trying to sift and process it all objectively. Makers of gaming PC's have done all the research and testing on the latest, most cost-efficient tech and bundled it into killer rigs at what they consider "reasonable" prices. You can improve on this by buying some of those same parts at even better prices, while also saving on labor.

My self-built rig cost about $2500 in original parts before subsequent upgrades. I estimated that buying the same turnkey system from a gaming computer site would have cost about $5000-$7500.

[capun]

Check MaximumPC, they have built rigs from the low-cost to the insanely expensive gaming rig. You may get some ideas after checking them

[OBIO]

I recently built a new gaming system for my nephew. Thankfully, it was not my wallet that was paying for the parts. $2500 worth of parts went into this system. All from Newegg.com.

MSI X58A-GD65 mother board
Intel I7-980 3.3Ghz 6-core processor
12 gig Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 RAM
Corsair H100 liquid cooling system (2 120mm fans and a double thick radiator...super nice set up)
EVGA GeForce GTX550 1Gig video/graphics card
60Gig Corsair solid state drive
2Tb Western Digital Caviar Black 7200RPM HD
LG 12X Blue Ray Re-Write Drive/Multi-Drive with 3D Blue Ray playback ability
Cooler Master CM690II steel and mesh case, black
800 Watt Cooler Master modular power supply
27 inch Hanns-G HD wide screen monitor
Corsair M70 gaming mouse
Corsair K70 gaming keyboard
Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit builder's package
Lansing 5.1 channel speaker set that simply ROCKS big time

This system handles all of the high end games that my nephew throws at it with ease.....and I haven't even shown him how to set affinities for the processors yet.

My I7-950 based system, which I built last February, is more than enough for FS9/FSX and the few games I play on it...but my nephew's system makes mine look like the old P3 system I had not all that many years ago.

OBIO

[cheezyflier]

i figure if what i build runs fsx well, it should handle about anything else i need it to do.
the game my stepson plays is pretty low-tech. it runs well on my old dell dimension 2400. i don't think i need to build a recreation of hal 9000.


obio, i have a set of monitors from them, and i hate them. way too much bass, stereo speakers too small to compete with the sub, no way to adjust the volume between them, short in the cord, literally right out of the box. the logitec speakers they replaced were still going strong after about 12 years. i only replaced them because the volume switch was going bad and i couldn't find another one. i paid $50 for them at a radio shack.

[napamule]

Here is the list for my rig. I overclocked to 3.8 Ghz on air and CPU idles at 35 C with 41 C max ever (stock fan/heat sink-less hassle than water, etc).

Intel i7 2600K (K=Overclockable) $300
Asus P8H67 Rev3.0 $140
ATI Radeon HD 5770 DDR5 1Gb video $140
8 Gb DDR3/1333 Dual Channel Kit $ 80
Corsair GS600 PSU ATX12V $ 90
Acer 26 in LCD Native:1920x1080x32)
(FS9/FSX: 1400x1050x32) $130
Logitech K360 wireless KB & Mouse $ 45
-----------------------------------------
Sub Total: $ 925 (add SATA HDrive, etc, and still less than $1100 (for equivalent $2500 'Gamer' (Alien) rig (yeah right)).
FS9 MAXED out sliders (no bloom)
FSX MAXED out sliders (water Low 2x, no bloom)
FS9 & FSX both Locked at 30 FPS = 30.1 (hehe)
FS9 in 'windowed' mode= 270 FPS
FSX no stutters after using Jesus (Venitubo) tweak
Using Windows Xp SP3, DX9c, Avast Free AntiVirus
You already have a case...and extra in/out fan...why pay more. This CPU/rig will 'DO IT' (FSX) and run cool while doing it. You DON'T NEED 'Ivy' CPU!!!
Chuck B
Napamule

[cheezyflier]

thanks, one and all

next week, the buying begins! when i finish, i'll post the results