Soo.. I'm gonna build one Serious Games machine!!! And you can forget the recession!

[UltraNEO*]

As awesome as Core i7 is, it's sadly not going to give the gains in gaming that are worth the money.

The price your paying (in your own country) maybe so.
But when you temporary relocate to another country, in my case, from beautiful Japan → UK, everything becomes cheap!
Especially so when the UK pound sterling dropped to a record low!! Looking at the rates I got recently and those from last
year! I get a automatically receive a 50% discount on everything I buy!!

So is the Core i7 worth it? Oh YES!!!

 

[0098386]

So take the savings and get something else for your system, I'd put that towards a better video card or some more RAM myself. Or simply getting a C2D chip until a real breakthrough i7 speed is available.

 

[JNB]

Not to rain on the parade (or piddle on the corn flakes, as it were), you do realize that you're entering a never-ending cycle of fairly regular upgrades?

Having played this particular game for a while, you'll have the hottest machine on the block… for about a week. Building it for it's own sake is--for me, anyway--tremendously satisfying, and appeals to the gearhead in me, not to mention being able to just grab anything off the shelf and know I can run it at max/max. Ultimately, though, it's just chasing one's tail.

I gave that all up not too long after the first graphics SLI capability (Scan-Line Interleave back then) with paired Voodoo3's on dual AGP busses. Insanity to try and keep up, not to mention bloody expensive. Dumping $900 on a pair of video cards not six months after I had done exactly the same thing quit making sense real quick.

Once you get this monster running be sure to post your numbers.

 

[UltraNEO*]

Not to rain on the parade (or piddle on the corn flakes, as it were), you do realize that you're entering a never-ending cycle of fairly regular upgrades?

Having played this particular game for a while, you'll have the hottest machine on the block… for about a week. Building it for it's own sake is--for me, anyway--tremendously satisfying, and appeals to the gearhead in me, not to mention being able to just grab anything off the shelf and know I can run it at max/max. Ultimately, though, it's just chasing one's tail.

I gave that all up not too long after the first graphics SLI capability (Scan-Line Interleave back then) with paired Voodoo3's on dual AGP busses. Insanity to try and keep up, not to mention bloody expensive. Dumping $900 on a pair of video cards not six months after I had done exactly the same thing quit making sense real quick.

Once you get this monster running be sure to post your numbers.

Oh.. but we're all continuously doing the same thing with our Mac's. The difference being, we're not trading parts but whole boxes, if it's not every few weeks it's every few months... If you think I'm blowing it up outta proportion, just look at those users who've used to own the previous Aluminium MacBook Pro's and now own the Unibody...

 

[Eidorian]

Oh.. but we're all continuously doing the same thing with our Mac's. The difference being, we're not trading parts but whole boxes, if it's not every few weeks it's every few months... If you think I'm blowing it up outta proportion, just look at those users who've used to own the previous Aluminium MacBook Pro's and now own the Unibody...

I still have my MacBook Santa Rosa. What's the reason in trading it in?

Not to mention I can upgrade the hard drive and RAM more if I really wanted it. Laptops aren't desktops either.

 

[UltraNEO*]

UltraNEO* just out of curiosity are you making a gaming machine or something to show off?

Erm... if it makes you happy, it could be arranged.

But I agree though, unless there's some serious gaming to be hand on this rig, it does seem a tad overkill

OH...

I know a fair few people who purchased a multi-core, server and workstation grade MacPro purely to browse the web! Some of those fine people are right here on this very board!! I think, besides utilising their systems for important assignments, homework for school or college, the most intensive task those machines will ever do is playback videos on YouTube!!

Then there are people out there, who'd buy a Bugatti Veyron or the SSC Aero for it's cool looks. Many of those owner will never get the chance to race their machines and enjoy them to the fullest, yet they still own them.

So is this totally absurd?

 

[Eidorian]

OH...

I know a fair few people who purchased a multi-core, server and workstation grade MacPro purely to browse the web! Some of those fine people are right here on this very board!! I think, besides utilising their systems for important assignments, homework for school or college, the most intensive task those machines will ever do is playback videos on YouTube!!

Then there are people out there, who'd buy a Bugatti Veyron or the SSC Aero for it's cool looks. Many of those owner will never get the chance to race their machines and enjoy them to the fullest, yet they still own them.

So is this totally absurd?

Yes, just like the people who buy Mac Pros to surf the internet.

 

[dukebound85]

eh your money to do what you like.

to some its cars, planes, camera gear, bikes, ski gear, models, music gear you name it where they spend money

to some its computers

 

[UltraNEO*]

I still have my MacBook Santa Rosa. What's the reason in trading it in?

Not to mention I can upgrade the hard drive and RAM more if I really wanted it. Laptops aren't desktops either.

I still have mine too. Though the only thing I can possibly upgrade would be to replace the internal HD for a larger 500Gb, then perhaps remove the internal superdrive and install the new Opti-Bay with SATA interface then preceded to install another 500Gb HD or use high-capacity SSD (SLC)... later software RAID the two and cut my battery life by 30%. Would be nice if there's a way to OC the CPU!

eh your money to do what you like.

to some its cars, planes, camera gear, bikes, ski gear, models, music gear you name it where they spend money

to some its computers

Mine's just hardware...

 

[Sesshi]

I have a Skulltrail-based machine, but for one reason or another - and I'm pointing fingers at the guy who built it - it was never stable at the target overclock. So I replaced one for a Dell XPS 730 H2C. And soon I'll be dumping the other Skulltrail and adding the new i7 H2C.

And buying the Mac Pro to surf the Internet is not actually that crazy. It's the only machine Apple sells which doesn't either threaten to catch fire or suddenly start making a racket because it's overheating when doing slightly demanding things on the web. Also I dunno which is insanity: Buy at least two Apples in a particular model class a year in order to try and get one that actually works properly (without regular visits to Applecare), or update bits on your machine which can actually be upgraded - unlike the Pro - to simply keep up to date every year.

 

[UltraNEO*]

Still not started building my system yet I can't seem to find a source for the motherboard (ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution),
various suppliers say it's a "specialist item" What does that mean exactly? then they say "not yet available in the UK!"

Yeah!! Sure..


Anyway, for the PSU, I'm gonna go with the PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 1200W Power Supply.
I'm pretty sure there's enough juice under the bonnet for everything I'm gonna eventually shove in the case!

 

[willhill]

I recently built a gaming rig to complement my iMac. I used:

Shuttle SX48P2 Deluxe case (450W PSU)
Core 2 Quad Q9300 (2.5 OC'd to 3.0 GHz)
2x2 GB OCZ DDR3-1333 RAM @ DDR3-1600
eVGA GTX 260 Core 216
Western Digital Caviar 640 GB

And yes, all of that does run on the 450W PSU, even though nVidia recommends a 500 if you have the 260.

The moral of the story is that no game I throw at this thing stands a chance. I used to be a fan of ATI, but the 260 blows everything else I've seen out of the water. This is especially true of the eVGA card, as it comes with an awesome overclocking utility; I bought the cheapest card and it's running at the specs of the most expensive. Since then, the 55nm version has been released, so that could probably be pushed even further. That being said, I don't know how much two 4870's will cost you, but the 260 is currently sitting around $250 on NewEgg. Sales pitch over...

The rig set me back about $1k, which I don't think is bad for the performance I'm getting. I do use the full power of the quad, as I do a fair amount of video encoding. And to know that I will be able to run Starcraft II (if and when it ever releases) makes me all the happier.

Whatever you do, good luck on the build.

 

[neiltc13]

I used to be a hardcore PC gamer. I loved getting the latest graphics card or a RAM upgrade just to see the FPS in my games go up a little.

But really, the number of games being released on the PC platform is dwindling, and most of the great titles are now on console. One of the reasons I didn't have a PS2 or suchlike was because they were so far behind PC games - nowadays, the console games run at up to 1920x1080 and they look pretty good too.

I just can't be bothered with all the installing drivers, updating drivers, getting patches from the back of beyond and fiddling required to get the games running any more. On my Xbox 360, I put in the disc and it runs. Yes, it's pretty noisy, and yes, for some games a gamepad isn't the ideal input method, but it's worth it just to save all of that hassle.

All of the good games I played in the past like Tribes 2, Battlefield 2, Unreal Tournament and Team Fortress 2 run just fine on my (crappy) iMac's hardware. People look at Crysis as some sort of beacon of the PC games industry, but having played it I think it's a very dull game whose only selling point is its graphics. Are you really shallow enough to want to play a boring game just for what it looks like?

 

[chaosbunny]

And buying the Mac Pro to surf the Internet is not actually that crazy. It's the only machine Apple sells which doesn't either threaten to catch fire or suddenly start making a racket because it's overheating when doing slightly demanding things on the web. Also I dunno which is insanity: Buy at least two Apples in a particular model class a year in order to try and get one that actually works properly (without regular visits to Applecare), or update bits on your machine which can actually be upgraded - unlike the Pro - to simply keep up to date every year.

Well better than having to reinstall Windows every 4 weeks because it doesn't work anymore. Sounds exaggerating? Not more than your post.

About the op building an expensive "gaming console" pc, why not? It's his money. Some tune their cars for thousands of dollars, others like computers.

 

[UltraNEO*]

About the op building an expensive "gaming console" pc, why not? It's his money. Some tune their cars for thousands of dollars, others like computers.

Yep... I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[neiltc13]

About the op building an expensive "gaming console" pc, why not? It's his money. Some tune their cars for thousands of dollars, others like computers.

I understand this, I was exactly like the OP until a few years ago. I just think that we're at a point now where the added expense of a PC doesn't bring many benefits over console gaming, and those which it does bring are insignificant at best.

I mean, can we really name any games which are coming out for PC in 2009 which are not available on console which will be truly worth the expense? The Sims 3 maybe? That's about it.

 

[UltraNEO*]

I understand this, I was exactly like the OP until a few years ago. I just think that we're at a point now where the added expense of a PC doesn't bring many benefits over console gaming, and those which it does bring are insignificant at best.

I mean, can we really name any games which are coming out for PC in 2009 which are not available on console which will be truly worth the expense? The Sims 3 maybe? That's about it.

The way i see it, is kinda like this... Building a high specification PC could be use it for work too (multimedia, hd content, 3d animation), not just running demanding games. With a console however, it's just built for games, it's pretty good at doing it's job too but I can't run Maya Unlimited on it, now can i?

edit// Maya on the Mac sucks!!!

 

[chaosbunny]

I understand this, I was exactly like the OP until a few years ago. I just think that we're at a point now where the added expense of a PC doesn't bring many benefits over console gaming, and those which it does bring are insignificant at best.

I mean, can we really name any games which are coming out for PC in 2009 which are not available on console which will be truly worth the expense? The Sims 3 maybe? That's about it.

Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3, oh wait, you said 2009.

 

[UltraNEO*]

Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3, oh wait, you said 2009.

I think he meant "budget titles"

 

[masterapple04]

Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3, oh wait, you said 2009.

Please, don't crush my hopes and dreams...

 

[iAthena]

I'm thinking about the Lian-Li TYR X2000 with hot-swappable bays.

You can't go wrong with Lian Li cases, believe me. I have several and have always created better computers for gaming that were easy to assemble, troubleshoot and repair than with any of the cheaper cases. The fans they put in them are quiet and reliable too.

 

[Eidorian]

I understand this, I was exactly like the OP until a few years ago. I just think that we're at a point now where the added expense of a PC doesn't bring many benefits over console gaming, and those which it does bring are insignificant at best.

I mean, can we really name any games which are coming out for PC in 2009 which are not available on console which will be truly worth the expense? The Sims 3 maybe? That's about it.

Mouse and a keyboard are my selling points for gaming. Not to mention RTS and having a good all around computer as well for raw computation work.

Even if i7 doesn't have the gaming crown it's better suited for its power in other areas.

 

[Sesshi]

Well better than having to reinstall Windows every 4 weeks because it doesn't work anymore. Sounds exaggerating? Not more than your post.

Not really. And there are plenty of people here - oh I dunno, 98%? - who will say things to similar effect as that for Windows. I'm simply toning it down a little for your side, because I'm a nice guy*

On-point, I like having a giant box, ideally not designed by a 12 year old (which admittedly rules out about, well, 98% of the gaming rigs available), dumped on my doorstep which has already had everything done to it - not a builder really, although if I have to for any reason I will. I don't care whether it needs a pair of new video cards a year down the line to be able to play the latest games in an immersive manner, or that the video card is the only thing I change in the system - in the second year it gets replaced. And there is in many ways a difference between console gaming and PC gaming, as much as people who can only comfortably afford consoles will yammer out of spite. I like my console gaming experience for the most part but I tend to play different types of games, in different ways on a PC - and if the title is available for both I usually buy it for the PC, because on the class of hardware I normally use it is a better experience on the PC.

A pipedream of course, but I would love to see Gran Turismo on a Windows machine. It's impressive enough on a PS3 but with a top of the line PC I think it could be even better.

* yeah right

 

[chaosbunny]

Not really. And there are plenty of people here - oh I dunno, 98%? - who will say things to similar effect as that for Windows. I'm simply toning it down a little for your side, because I'm a nice guy*

Ah so you're singlehandedly trying to lower the general level of mac fanboyism by going in the opposite direction, which I have to admit is an admireable task.

On-point, I like having a giant box, ideally not designed by a 12 year old (which admittedly rules out about, well, 98% of the gaming rigs available), ...

So true!
Now some of them wouldn't even be too bad WITHOUT that airbrushed Darth Vader on the side.

I recently saw this one in person http://www.acer.co.uk/predator , which does look quite nice on pictures in my opinion (yeah I like Transformers...). But the whole case is made of more plastic than anything else, so you are really feeling like you are standing in front of He-Mans newest battle gear.

I guess if I ever have 1k+ to drop on a gaming system I'll have to build it myself too.

 

[Sesshi]

Ah so you're singlehandedly trying to lower the general level of mac fanboyism by going in the opposite direction, which I have to admit is an admireable task.

I think the sad thing is how much I'm not actually having to exaggerate all that much in posts like that from reality on my side. I could navigate my way to the Genius Bar in all the Apple Stores I go to blindfolded, so familiar am I with the route.

And I don't even have Dell in my phone memory even though I think we have to call them slightly more than I think is necessary, but I do have two of the local Apple Service Providers - because I do definitely have to call them unacceptably more than I think is necessary.