Building A Gaming PC (before my beloved P-4 Dies...)

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dreviewwriter

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Hey folks,

My name is Sagar.

I really need some help with setting up a gaming rig before my current PC that I lovingly assembled dies of stress, lol.

Here's my current (coming-of-age) config:

Processor: Intel Pentium IV 3.0 GHz
Memory: DDR 2 RAM - 2 GB (1GB X 2)
Motherboard: Intel D101GGC
Graphics: ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 Series

Storage:
Hard Disk 1: Seagate Barracuda ST380011A (80 GB)
Hard Disk 2: ST3160215A Barracuda 7200.10 Ultra ATA/100 (160 GB)

Input: Logitech Keyboard Mouse Combo (iTouch version).
Monitor: Standard LG 17" CRT Monitor
Speakers: Simple Creative Stereo speakers

This machine has been very faithful to me and though I can't run the current high-end games, it easily runs Need for Speed Most Wanted, GTA Vice City and other games like them. I run FL Studio 8 on this machine and it works fine (although a bit slow if the files are too large - same goes for Adobe Photoshop CS3).

I am looking to upgrade this into a full on gaming rig or buy a new one if that's required. My target games are Burnout Paradise and Grand Theft Auto IV (with settings set to 'High') and future games.

I do know my way around computers but have NEVER bought a graphics card. I'd like to reuse whatever parts of my current system can be reused, although I doubt anything other than the hard disk would come in handy.

My budget is Rs. 50,000.

What can I expect to buy with that and is it possible to reuse anything from what I already have. I'm fine with using a 17" TFT and don't need fancy audio either. My current Philips headphones serve me well :)

My guess would be an Intel Core 2 Duo and DDR3 RAM with a good Graphics Card. Not sure which one so would love some input from the great members on here.

Regards,
Sagar
 
prateek007391

prateek007391

In the zone
Okay check out these stuffs

Zotak 780i supreme
AMD Phenom X4 9850 Black or 9650 difference is about 2K
Palit Radeon HD 4850 Sonic
Hard Disk WD 750 GB

These combined would cost u 35K to 37K some thing
then check other stuffs like cabinet monitor Keyboard mouse etc.
 
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dreviewwriter

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Thanks for your suggestions, Prateek!

That's sound like a cool config. I've NEVER bought an AMD though - can it lead to compatibility issues with games?

I looked around for pricing on the things you suggested and here's what I got:
AMD Phenom X4 9850 Black: 8800
Palit Radeon HD 4850 Sonic: 9000
Hard Disk WD 750 GB: 6500

Couldn't find the price for Zotak 780i supreme though. It's not on Ebay.in or other places. Any idea on what it costs approximately? Would love to know.

Thanks and keep 'em coming :)

Sagar
 
prateek007391

prateek007391

In the zone
Zotak 780i supreme would cost u upto 15000 may be some less.

AMD surely has no compatibility problem with gaming infact mostly AMD provided a good performance for gaming

however if gaming is only need check out Playstation 3

this PS3 will accompany u for years without upgradation.
 
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dreviewwriter

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Thanks for your suggestion, Desibond. I'm closely watching that thread to find things that interest me :)

Prateek, Zotak @ 15000 sounds reasonable. And good to learn about AMD too. If it can do the job, I don't really care about the company so much.

Gaming is actually the only need right now. I learned only today that PS3 80GB was released in India back in February! Not sure if the local stores have it but well, sooner or later..

I'm more accustomed to playing with my mouse and keyboard rather than with a remote as I find it easier to use (especially in games like GTA).

If I go with the above config as is, what kind of cabinet, power supply and fans to fend of the heat should I be looking for?

Regards,
Sagar
 
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dreviewwriter

Broken In
Thanks for your suggestion, Desibond. I'm closely watching that thread to find things that interest me :)

Prateek, Zotak @ 15000 sounds reasonable. And good to learn about AMD too. If it can do the job, I don't really care about the company so much.

Gaming is actually the only need right now. I learned only today that PS3 80GB was released in India back in February! Not sure if the local stores have it but well, sooner or later..

I'm more accustomed to playing with my mouse and keyboard rather than with a remote as I find it easier to use (especially in games like GTA).

If I go with the above config as is, what kind of cabinet, power supply and fans to fend of the heat should I be looking for?

Regards,
Sagar
 
prateek007391

prateek007391

In the zone
Check out some cabinets

Thermaltake Xaser VI & Coller Master Cosmos 1000 @ 13000

Antec Twelve Hundred @ 12000

or some mid range cabinets are
Cooler Master CM 690 @ 4000
Antec P182 @8000
 
amitash

amitash

Intel OCer
1.phenom 2 920 -- 10.5k
2.transcend 4gb ddr2 800--2.3k
3.Biostar 790gx mobo--4.5k
4.gtx260 core 216 zotac -- 10k
5.corsair vx450 -- 4k
6.k/b + mouse--750
8.segate 250gb HDD--2.2k
9.zebby antibiotic cabby--2k
10.dvd writer--1k
11.BenQ E2200 full HD--11k
 
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dreviewwriter

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@Prateek: Thanks for the recommendations. Thermaltake Xaser VI & Coller Master Cosmos 1000 cabinets are a bit on the higher side but will the mid-range ones able to handle the heat that my system would generate while playing high-end games? Sorry about the noob kind of questions: I'm just new to hardware stuff.

@Amitash: Thanks for that complete config Man! I cannot find some of them on ebay.in and don't know where's a good place to get them in my city (Ahmedabad) but thanks nonetheless :) I'll see if I can use them as pointers and find any better models which may fit my budget.

Regards,
Sagar
 
prateek007391

prateek007391

In the zone
hey dreviewwriter

I have not seen the cabinets physically that I can tell u if they need extra cooling

however if u find that there is a requirement for extra cooling and they are not so airy s

so buy some good quality third party fans and heat sink they would be available there.

some times these cabinets alone are sufficient in handling the heat however it depends on usage, if u r thinking of overclocking ur system then I must say that u need a good cooling system, if needed water cooling
 
ashis_lakra

ashis_lakra

Gaming Unlimited
I would recommend you the following configurations:
1. Intel Core2quad E8400 9K for the additional rendering required in some games, although there are good processors available, but under 50K, it can be as good as 15K processor.
2. Corsair 2x1 GB memory modules Rs 3K
3. Asus 780a Chipset motherboard Rs 9.5k
4. BenQ E2200 full HD--11k
5. Cooler Master CM 690 @ 4000
6. Seagate Barracuda 500 GB @ 5.3 k
7. Zotac 9800 GTX AMP Edition 12k
8.Logitech Combo 2K

These configurations will allow you to play latest games with high resolutions but you will not get performance as 250K Gaming rigs, so these could best match your specifications.
 
desiibond

desiibond

Bond, Desi Bond!
Zotac 9800 GTX AMP Edition 12k?????

You get GTX260 for 11.5k which is leagues ahead of this one in performance.

Seagate 500gig is 3k
E8400 is not core2quad it's core2duo
 
amitash

amitash

Intel OCer
@Amitash: Thanks for that complete config Man! I cannot find some of them on ebay.in and don't know where's a good place to get them in my city (Ahmedabad) but thanks nonetheless I'll see if I can use them as pointers and find any better models which may fit my budget.
Click to expand...

You can find everything listed on theitwares.com...gfx card and monitor on lynx-india.com
 
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dreviewwriter

Broken In
Prateek, thanks. I'll see if some of the local stores has a model lying around. You're right about extra fans and heat sinks though - if need be, I'll get them.

@Ashis: Thanks for the sharing configuration. : )

@Desiibond: Do you know how Zotac 9800 GTX AMP and GTX260 compare in performance? if you could point me to a review that compares the two, I'd be very grateful.

@Amitash: That TheITWares.com site rocks man! Thanks!

What kind of games should I expect to play on the configs recommended to me above? GTA IV is the benchmark I am using so would it play without problems even with high settings?

Also, any chance of reusing anything from my old comp? I think I can reuse the DVD Writer I have but apart from that?

Sagar
 
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dreviewwriter

Broken In
@Desiibond: That was one heck of a marathon review man! Thanks a ton.

@nvidiageek: Like Desiibond said, 1280x1024 or 1280x768 is fine by me.

Sagar
 
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