Project: Build a >$1000 UT3 Gaming PC

[Benfica]

evga's superclock is 199$ //edit: stand corrected, they raised the price 5$ on newegg.
the KO superclock is 209$

Freaking unbeliavable , an EVGA dual-slot OC'ed. The best I can find in Portugal is 259€ = 400. You guys are very lucky

[Dragnerok X]

To clarify, not only will I be using this computer with my wireless home network, but I find myself occasionally at a local LAN party or two (another reason for the form-factor) ; where most all of networking is Ethernet based, hence if I can support the 10/100/1000 standard, there is an even greater chance (albeit not guaranteed, as not everybody's computer can support gigabit Ethernet) of getting a substantial speed increase in both pre-game file sharing (take for example, mod content, or the latest open-source game) and network gaming alike.

I'm currently working on modifying the setup shown at the beginning of this topic based on the suggestions made thus far, but have a few more questions before I can continue:

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*How fast should a core 2 duo processor be to run UT3 as described? Any substantial benefits to using 45nm technology?

*To conserve space, I'm considering using a gaming headset instead of speakers. How well do they perform in games such as UT3 compared to speakers? Also, should I have the headset go through USB or a soundcard? Any recommendations? Budget: ~$50 - $80

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Again, I welcome any comments, and would like to thank you for the ones made thus far.

[Shinamori]

Edit: Nevermind. Totally misread. Either way, I recommend getting XP. Unless you're using 4GB of RAM.

[Trepænima]

That tells it all..
You have reached the nirvana of network tech knowledge..
Thank you for enlightening us all.

If you have something to add, I'm sure everybody here would like to hear it. But it's obvious you have nothing and you're just trolling.

To clarify, not only will I be using this computer with my wireless home network, but I find myself occasionally at a local LAN party or two (another reason for the form-factor) ; where most all of networking is Ethernet based, hence if I can support the 10/100/1000 standard, there is an even greater chance (albeit not guaranteed, as not everybody's computer can support gigabit Ethernet) of getting a substantial speed increase in both pre-game file sharing (take for example, mod content, or the latest open-source game) and network gaming alike.

You won't gain much if anything from gigabit on network gaming. File sharing yes, but not for LAN gaming.

Again, you don't need 802.11n, G is enough for your purposes, it won't bottleneck gaming over the internet. All N offers is 20 extra Mbits over G and you'll only realize that during file-sharing/transfer over a LAN. But at that point, why bother, even 10/100 is faster than N, nevermind gigabit.

RE: 45nm
You're better off uisng 45nm for the form factor you chose. It's more efficient and runs cooler. Among Core2Duos it doesn't matter what the CPU runs at, it's enough. UT3 is more responsive to cache than it is to clock.

FYI, I've maxxed out UT3 on an E2160 @ 3.0ghz, 2gb ram, 8800gt, 1280x1024, torlan 16 bots ubench avg. 90-92 fps. If you want to spend $1k go ahead, but your objective can be accomplished with far less.

[Zera]

i think a headset through soundcard is much better than a set of speakers for gaming.

45nm as trapaenima said runs cooler and uses less power.

the cheapy c2ds will run the game just fine.
personally i think if your getting a 19" screen you would want to run at 1680x1050 max settings instead of 1280x1024. hence why i recommended the 9800gtx earlier. its not much more than the 8800GT and the performance is great. of course as trap said the 8800GT is a wonderful card my friend uses an 8800GT @ 1680x1050 and he runs on 4-4 settings with 50-70fps

[Dragnerok X]

Just checking in to say I'm still here.

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Clarification/Questions:
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*The monitor (and I believe most 19" monitors) I will be using has a maximum resolution of 1440x900, so then, what kind of card would I need for that?

*I am also pondering the idea of using a combination AMD/NVIDEA board. (AMD cpus appear to be a bit cheaper, thus more money towards, say, a 9800GTX) Anyone have any luck with those? If not, I may HAVE to live with an 8800GT. Also, this would quite possibly allow me to use the new HybridPower (energy-conservation) feature in some of the newer integrated NVIDEA chipsets.

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As always, thanks in advance.

[RoadKillGrill]

A 8600 even might be able to pull 1440x900, that's less pixels than 1280x1024.
Id still go for the intel proc, they are very overclock friendly.

I have a q6600 and a 8800gt and I get great results, rarely under 90 fps. I got the quad for the video encoding power. Soon ill be able to use the 8800gt to encode even faster... makes the quad almost feel like a waste.... other than the new system paid for itself in a week.

[Zera]

on the first page i linked a 19" monitor that has much nicer specs for the same price, i seriously think you should look at it.

you want intel. seriously 150$ intel is more than enough, especially if you want to overclock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115052 -129.99$
e7200 wolfdale (2.53ghz / 3m cache) OC ability: i've seen it over 4ghz, and 3.7ghz on air.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009127 - $179.99
19" monitor, great specs for the price

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128078 - $59.99
microatx mobo supports wolfdale (do you still want micro atx? no micros have pci-e 2.0 you will lose some graphical potential)

ps: a shuttle case worries me with these 11" long cards... it looks like it should fit but its gonna be real tight. (confirmed: will fit) you only have 1 pci slot and 1 pci-e 1x slot leftover with a gfx card (any decent ones are now dual slot)

so your wifi and a sound card wont work unless you get a really expensive or really bad soundcard or usb wifi which i guess isnt bad.
(you have decent onboard sound though)


some other thoughts:
aftermarket thermal paste (arctic silver 5 or arctic mx-2) - you definitely want this, it knocks 5c or so off your cpu right off the start just by being better than the tape they put on it. make sure you clean the tape off before apply though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186020 Arctic MX-2 (7$)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007 - AS5 - (6$)
aftermarket fans (scythe 3000 / aerocool 1000 - might be overkill with scythes)
both due to the heat buildup in such a small case -> it might be better to try the rig then if you have any problems upgrade the fans to something 80cfm or more. the aerocool is 80, the scythe is 133, warning about the scythe its LOUD and it has a warning label on the fan to only use as exhaust due to air pressure breaking off small pieces on the mobo if close on intake, i can confirm both fans are wonderful but i prefer the aerocool cause its quiet.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185054 $9.99 scythe 3000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835129241 $12.99 aerocool 1000

both make good exhaust fans, you'll have to find your own 80mm intake though XD

[Dragnerok X]

Here they are. Quite possibly the very final revisions of this project. One system is Intel/NVidea, one AMD/NVidea. I have managed to configure the Intel system well enough that I am more leaning toward it now, however, the AMD system appears to be a bit more feature-filled (although another 2Gbs of ram would be nice) due to faster memory, onboard HDMI, eSATA, and yes, the aforementioned PCI Express 2.0 slot, with a 9800 GTX configured in Hybrid SLI (energy-conserving HybridPower mode). Never-the-less, the Intel system sports a much sleeker case, a 45nm processor, the extra 2Gbs of ram (albeit DDR2 800), and I would say overall a much more balanced setup. Just in case you were wondering, I already have a good-quality gaming headset, so that much I was able to remove from each list, however, I chose to include a monitor with built-in speakers (at the exact same price) to compensate for moments, such as playing a song across the room, when I would rather not be wearing the thing. The links to each system are posted below.

Comment away.

Summer Computer Project '08 (Intel)

Summer Computer Project '08 (AMD)

[dickbird]

2Gb of Crucial DDR2 800, 4-4-4-12, 2.2v for $20 after a $40 mail in rebate, and free shipping. In the US anyway.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148076

Not to cravenly advertise for them or anything, just think it's a good deal

[Dragnerok X]

2Gb of Crucial DDR2 800, 4-4-4-12, 2.2v for $20 after a $40 mail in rebate, and free shipping. In the US anyway.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148076

Not to cravenly advertise for them or anything, just think it's a good deal

I'll consider that.

I guess what I'm asking, though, is should I use the Intel or AMD system shown in my previous post, and also, how can I improve upon said system?

[Haley[ACS]]

Comment away.

Summer Computer Project '08 (Intel)

Summer Computer Project '08 (AMD)

as said before in this thread - change the harddrive. You'll notice an amazing speedup ... Samsung Spinpoint F1 (320/640GB or 1TB).

[Zera]

if its for ut3, well ut3 runs better on intel.
as for gfx, just DONT get the 8800gts
thats about all i can say.

[Benfica]

as said before in this thread - change the harddrive. You'll notice an amazing speedup ... Samsung Spinpoint F1 (320/640GB or 1TB).

^^^^^^^^^^^^

[chrisr84]

Note: I completely realize that there are already a number of "Building $X UT3 PC" topics out there, I just found that my situation was a bit too specific to incorporate into said topics.

So with that in mind...

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Project Goals:
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*I would like to build a PC which is able to run Unreal Tournament 3, all settings maxed out, at a resolution of 1280x1024 or greater.

*My budget is $1000 USD (not counting shipping costs).

*I can supply an operating system (either Windows Vista Home Basic or Ubuntu Linux 8.04 LTS, if a Linux client is released) and a copy of UT3. Everything else should be included in this purchase.

*The PC *must* also include:
...a wireless G or greater wireless card for my wireless home network.
...a 64-bit capable processor (I have a performance bias, I guess).
...a small form factor due to a lack of much desk space to work with.
...LightScribe to replace my aging paper-labeling system.
...a floppy drive for a number of legacy applications.
...an anti-static wrist strap & surge protector (my insurance policy).

*Optionally, these features would be nice:
...a 19" or larger monitor.
...5.1 channel+ audio & speakers.
...gigabit (10/100/1000) Ethernet.
...matching (color-wise) components.
...a wireless N wireless card to future-proof this machine.
...a media card reader equipped with at least CF, SD(HC), and MS slots.
...the ability to purchase everything from the same place.

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What I am currently thinking about building:
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*APEVIA X-QPACK2-AL/500 Black/ Silver Computer Case With Side Panel Window -$98.99

*GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -$89.99

*AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHz Socket AM2 125W Processor -$144.99

*G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory -$59.99

*HIS Hightech Radeon HD 3650 H365P512GNP iSilenceIII Video Card -$119.99

*Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM -$79.99

*HP 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DVD1070i - Retail -$32.99

*Rosewill RCR-FD200 All-in-one USB 2.0 Black 3.5" Card Reader with 1.44MB Floppy Drive - Retail -$29.99

*Acer AL1916WAbd Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor -$179.99

*Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail -$78.99

*Logitech 967557-0403 Silver/Black USB + PS/2 RF Wireless Slim Cordless Desktop S 510 Mouse Included - Retail -$47.99

*GIGABYTE GN-WP01GS PCI Wireless Adapter - Retail -$17.99

*CyberPower 615 4 feet 2 Transformer Spaced 4 Non-Transformer Spaced Outlets 900 Joules Power Surge Protector - Retai -$9.99

*BELKIN F8E093 Anti-Static Wrist Strap - Retail -$7.99

Total (before shipping): $999.86 USD

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Questions:
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*Could this machine fulfill its intended purpose (max out UT3 @ 1280x1024+)?

*Are my components compatible with one another?

*Is there anything I might be forgetting (cabling, possibly)?

*Any suggestions for improvement / alternative setups are welcome.

Lightscribe disks are the only disks that work with burning an image on the top side of the disk