my config for a gaming pc ...

[tunx]

hi guys

i planning to buy /assemble a gaming pc for myself in the coming week and so far i have the following config decided ..

my budget is around 50-55k at the moment and just wanted yr inputs ...

here goes :

most important ATI RADEON X1950 PRO 512mb

2.66G intel core 2 duo processor

1 GB ram , preferrably 800 mhz

motherboard ... a little confused .. 2 options
INTEL D975XBX / X2
or
ASUS P5W DH
both r compatible with ATI CROSSFIRE

monitor ... falt panel 17" .. need some suggestions with prices ..

hard disk 160 GB

DVD WRITER DUAL LAYER 16X

dont want to spend too much on the keyboard and mouse right now , may be next month

and another big doubt .. cabinet and PSU ... hoping to find a 1000W one to support the above .. suggestions with approx prices would be a great help

speakers not an issue right now , will use old ones for now !

any advice / inputs will be highly appreciated

thanks

[ambandla]

what is your budget for cabinet and PSU?

For immersive gaming, you should go for dolby setup.

It should not cost you more than 6k-7k (audigy internal card+ inspire 5.1 speakers)

[salils]

go for nvidia instead of ATI.....

[tunx]

well for the cabinet and psu , i would like to get the best possible one ..... i have no idea as to what is in the maket these days , so wanted some advice for the same!

will go with the ATI cause my pior experience has been pretty good and its reviews r awesome! thanks for the suggestion though ..

can someone give the approx prices of the above ?

[assasin]

I tink u sud wait and get a DX10 card,instead of getting a Dx9 card now.

[prakhar18]

Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Rs 7300
ASUS M2NPV-MX Rs4300
Transcend 2 X 1GB Rs 2 X 4.5k
256 MB NVIDIA GF 7600 GT DDR3 Rs9000
Liteon DVD RW Rs 2150
300 GB SATA Rs4300
Cabinet+ 500W SMPS your choice probably zebronics 3.5K
SAMSUNG 17" FLAT 798MB Rs5700
CREATIVE INSPIRE 5.1 Rs 3800

[dOm1naTOr]

what u can get for 55k is as follows
c2d e 6400-10k
mobo-5k
2x512 DDR2 533-5.5k
17" TFT-10k
1800GTO-11k
250 sata2-3.6k
zebronics platinum 500w-3k
cab-1.3k
Liteon DVDRW-2.1k
--------------------------------------------------------now its 51.5k
if u need better graphics get a 7900GTfor 13k or 7900GTX for 17k(ie 6k more than x1800GTO).
considering 7900GTX, the total becomes 57.5k/-
__________
even a quad sli wont use 1000w power, then why thinkin bout such huge PSU. If u get one its sure to costs u above 12~15k for PSU alone.

If u are truly into gaming, its not for the CPU nd GPU that u should spend all ur money. A gud keyboard nd more importantly the mouse has very big deal. Considering spending a 3.4k for the logitech G5 nd a microsoft softtouch MM keyboard for 1.5~2k.
Now goin for an insanely priced 1950 XTX seems useless as GF8 series which performs much better with less power nd heat are already out at lower costs. But even that one costs clost to 30k. So no way the within 55k budget.

And last a c2d 2.66 costs a bomb. That it costs upwards of 20k. And a system that u specifies is gonna cross 1 L or even 1.2L.

[tunx]

thanks for the replies guys , appreciate it !

@aravind_n20 .. the X1950 PRO , is for approx 19k and the i have read the reviews of the 512mb card vs a similar NVIDIA (cant remember the name, probably 7900 ) and the ATI always came on top !

plus , the CROSSFIRE thing with ATI is very seducing ... so i am looking at every component from the angle of its compatibility with crossfire !!

which GPU would u recommend against the X1950 PRO ... price approx 19k ???? and i will do a little google on it ...

i will probably touch 55k and i will go for the E6400 then !

plus i the 17" flat panel is for 6k , i think and i wasnt expecting the PSU AND CABINET to cost much , a miscalculation on my behalf !!

so , a lot of compromises will have to be done , i guess , any suggestions where i can save , except the GPU ;)
__________
here u go :
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6156171/index.html

http://www.techspot.com/review/28-radeon-x1950pro-vs-geforce-7900gs/

[codename_romeo]

i wud suggest u to go in for ATI card only............

[Ch@0s]

The Sapphire x1950 pro is 14k+tax. Just checked it today. Insanely good value for money. It kills the 7950GT in most benches and that costs 20k+. Get 2GB RAM, drop down to a E6600 2.4GHz and overclock.

[tunx]

thanks for the advice guys , ATI has always been my first choice !

@ ch@os .. where did u get yr card from ???

[john_the_ultimate]

@tunx
Yes, Ch@Os is right......here in kolkata Sapphire X1950 PRO 256MB costs 14k+vat. Other alternative could be Leadtek 7950GT 256MB 16k including vat. I have been using the leadtek for around 2 weeks and must say great performance. I didn't go for the 512mb version since it was out of my budget.

Well these are some of the prices I got here in kolkata:
1) XFX 7900GT 256MB -> 16k + vat
2) Leadtek 7900GT 256MB -> 16k + vat
3) Leadtek 7950GT 256MB -> 15.5k + vat
4) Leadtek 7950GT 512MB -> 19k + vat
5) Sapphire X1950 PRO 256MB -> 14k + vat
6) GeCube X1950 PRO 256MB -> 16.9k + vat

Also got an Antec Basiq 500W PSU for Rs.4400 + vat. This should be enough for your current configuration.

[ambandla]

Go for ASUS P5W DH Deluxe. It's one of the best for gaming. Comes with ATI chipset and is far better than Intel mobo's.

Config:

CPU: get E6400 for 10.5k. It's 2.13GHz and overclocking friendly. Overclock this proccy to 2.4GHz and you can put the extra money you saved on other component

mobo: Gigabyte GA-G1975X or GA-G1975X-C. These two support ATI crossfire, comes with Creative Live 7.1 audio with DTS, so you don't have to buy a DTS enabled sound card but these are a bit costly.
or
you can go for a decent mobo that have any of CrossFire Xpress 3200, CrossFire Xpress 1600, Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire, Intel® 975X Express and Intel® P965 Express.

Ram: 2GB Kingston/transcend DDR2 667 or DDR2 800

HDD: Take 2 120GB seagate sata harddrives and setup RAID. You will see 60-70% performance increase

optical drive: Liteon DVD-RW

Soundcard: Creative audigy 4 ZS

Monitor: Samsung 17" TFT

Microsoft optical mouse and k/b combo

Speakers: Creative Inspire 5.1 Speakers

PSU: Antec 500W PSU. This one should be enough for your config as mentioned by John

cabinet: Antel basic cabinet will cost you atleast 6k. Go for Zebronics or iball cabinets.

[tunx]

thanks again for the replies guys , appreciate it !

i am going in for the ATI X1950 PRO 512MB , its for 19k , as far as what i have inquired from nehru place

will try for ASUS P5W DH , DEFINITELY !!

thanks for the info on the ANTEC PSU , was looking for that only , since it supports CROSSFIRE ALSO !!

and thanks for the all the various card prices , really man , appreciate it , didnt expect so much support ... so thanks again

any idea about the price of the 17"TFT and 1GB RAM 800 FSB ????

[Ch@0s]

P5W DH is a waste for allendales since you'll be FSB limited if you wish to overclock.. You are far better off with a P5B Deluxe. I bought my card 1 yr back in the US. Its time to upgrade but no R600 in sight :(.

[Tech Geek]

Go for the Nvidia graphic card

[drvarunmehta]

^^ Why nVidia? Which card can beat the X1950Pro's performance in the same price range?

[Ch@0s]

^^cos he's an nvidiot lol.

[shashank_digitreader]

go for nvidia instead of ATI.....

yeah i sugget Nvidia.

[tunx]

sorry guys , but i am an ATI fan !!

will check out the P5B also , thanks

[drvarunmehta]

yeah i sugget Nvidia. It doesn't help to be a fanboy of any company. Sometimes nVidia will have the better card and sometimes ATI. Just buy the card that performs best in your price range. It's not like either company is going to reward you for your loyalty.

[DigitalImmigrant]

hi guys
planning to buy /assemble a gaming pc for myself in the coming week and so far i have the following config decided ..
my budget is around 50-55k at the moment and just wanted yr inputs ...
here goes :
most important ATI RADEON X1950 PRO 512mb
2.66G intel core 2 duo processor
1 GB ram , preferrably 800 mhz
motherboard ... a little confused .. 2 options INTEL D975XBX / X2
or ASUS P5W DH both r compatible with ATI CROSSFIRE
monitor ... falt panel 17" .. need some suggestions with prices ..
hard disk 160 GB
DVD WRITER DUAL LAYER 16X
dont want to spend too much on the keyboard and mouse right now , may be next month
and another big doubt .. cabinet and PSU ... hoping to find a 1000W one to support the above .. suggestions with approx prices would be a great help
speakers not an issue right now , will use old ones for now !
any advice / inputs will be highly appreciated

any idea about the price of the 17"TFT and 1GB RAM 800 FSB ????
so , a lot of compromises will have to be done , i guess , any suggestions where i can save , except the GPU
Suggesstions :-
[1] Dont go for Core2Duo E6700. Go for Core 2 Duo E6300 or E6400 .

[2] Dont go for 1GB @800 MHz go for 2*512 @ 667 MHz .(preferably Transcend or Kingston @ rs 6200)

[3] U dont need 1000 watts !? GO FOR Zebronics ZEB 730 watts@6700 or
* Cooler Master i Green 500 watts @6900 . IN fact u CAN EASILY DO with Power Safe 500watts @2000.
*The 1st 2 r more than nuf for server/xtreme gaming rigs while the latter is enuf for mid range gaming rig.
*So save some money there .Just for info - Antec Neo HE 550 watts is Rs 8550 .

So go for Cooler Master iGreen 500 watts - its ideal for high-end gamin rigs or servers utilisin multi drives or a multi-GPU set up like SLI/CROSSFIRE . Its a gr8 long term investment . ALso more wattage doesnt mean more elec bills The system consumes only as much power as the sum total of components .

[4] CABINET - 3 CHOICES -

(a) generic vip/iball/zebronics@ 1200 + PSUs mentioned above.

(b) MY PICK :- Zebronics Antibiotic @ 2150 (gaming case with funky looks , 3 LED fans , transparent side panel , front audio n usb ports, LCD display- temp/clock/HDD activity/threshhold temp alarm ) + PSU s above - as the 400watt psu with it isnt suitable for mid/high end GPU.

(c) Gigabyte Triton @ 2900 (all aluminium body , 2 120 mm fans ) + PSU s above .

[5] 17' Flat CRT - LG Flatron E700SH @6100 better performance than
* Samsung Syncmaster 798MB+ @6400 or Samsung SyncMaster 793S CRT .

* 17' LCD - BenQ FP71G+S @10750 > Samsung SyncMaster 740N @ 11250.
* BenQ better b'coz (same performance but) has DVI video input which
Samsung(slightlyBetter brightness,contrast) lacks n is also cheaper .

REASONS for [1] n [2] :-

[1] For gaming GPU is more imp than CPU . Also d info below is very pertinent

( quotin from CHIP Nov 06,page 66) " D C2D s hav gained popularity among enthusiasts b'cz of amazing ability to overclock. The E6300 can EASILY o/c from 1.833 GHz to a STABLE 2.800 GHz WITHOUT ANY INCREASE in d voltage of the core , USING STANDARD AIR COOLING solns. When sent to a bench mark race after being overclocked to 2.8 GHz its speed nearly matches tht of Intels 5 times more xpensive C2D Extreme Edition X6800.

SO GO FOR E6300 / E64OO N O/C THEM TO 2.8 GHz:idea: ( see below ).

[2]
(quotin frm DIGIT Nov 06 Page 74) "Intel Processors (prescott/D/C2D) r basically memory bandwidth{MHz} sensitive due to their architectures.So LOOK for memory with HIGHER SPEEDS rather than lower latencies .
So what wud b A GOOD MEMORY for C2D ? Practically a processor cant demand more data from memory than what its FSB bandwidth allows . This holds true for Intel processors only. FIGURATIVELY for an FSB of 1066 MHz , the bandwidth wud be [1066*32 bits]/8 =4264 MBps. If we consider tht memory shud be twice as fast (due to latencies involved ) , DDR2 667 wud offer a bandwidth of {667*64}/8 = 5336 MBps .In case of dual channel this wud be {5336*2 = 10672 MBps } , or roughly two n a half times higher than the FSB bandwidth . FASTER MEMORY IS AVAILABLE (DDR2 800/1000 MHz)
but it seems all that additional bandwidth IS NOT DOING MUCH MORE EXCEPT COSTING MORE . We recommend u stick with DDR2 667 MHZ for now FOR ANY INTEL BASED RIG , go for MORE memory , but NOT FASTER memory , if u need more performance.Opt for HIGHER SPEEDS ONLY if u plan to DO A LOT OF AGGRESSIVE O/C ng - say 3.2 GHz & above for core 2 duo processors ."

SO U can easily save quite a few bucks here n utilise the money better (say) on k/b mouse ;)