Planned Gaming PC

[Domfunkle]

First thing I'm gonna be saving up for after I get my car (end of January) will be a brand spanking new, custom-built gaming PC! Yes...this project takes precendence over any gaming console..besides, a 360 won't be available in Australia 'till April or something..and I wasn't planning on getting it on launch day. Too expensive...

At least with a PC I can customize and upgrade the heck out of it! I'll be custom-building a PC so that I KNOW what I'll be putting into it so that everything balances out to be a great Gaming PC and won't cost me an absolute fortune..

These are the minimum requirements for my Gaming PC:

Proc.: AMD Athlon 64 4000+
RAM: 1024mb
HDD: 250gb
Video: nVidia GeForce 6800+ 128/256mb
Optical: Dual-Layer +16x DVD+-RW
PSU: 400w
Monitor: 19" LCD
Motherboard: 4 RAM bays, AGP-slot, 6 x USB2.0 (4 back 2 front), 10/100 ethernet

Those are the bare minimums that I require. I've calculated that all this would cost me around AU$1500 for the PC, or roughly AU$2000 w/ the monitor. If this was a pre-assembled PC it would cost upwards of $3000, but seeing as this will be completely custom built it works out to be a whole lot cheaper...even with the OS and on-site assembly...

My dad told me that if I did well on my final exams (which are now over) he would make a contribution towards the PC. Originally this contribution was going to be a top-of-the-line PDA, but I changed my mind since then and we both agreed that a new PC would be a much more worthy investment..

Ahhh! This Gaming PC is going to be pure sweetness and can only get better what with the rate the technology is increasing and the lowering prices of peripherals this computer will only get better with time...who knows...in a couple of years it'd have been upgraded and tweaked so much it there won't be any reminence of the original thing...

[Tobes]

Say hello to Anubis

***RESIZE IMAGES PLEASE***

AMD Athlon 64 3500 overclocked to 3.5Ghz
Crucial Ballistic PC4000 1GB
Connect 3D X800 XT PE
74GB Raptor
250 WD
Sony DVD Rom
NED DVD-RW
Tagan 480watt PSU
MSI K8 Neo 2 Plat mobo

think thats about it.

[Domfunkle]

that 74GB Raptor...that's 10,000rpms yeah?

and your case is wierd...why does norton, all your base, and the playboy bunny have anything to do with eachother? :s

Also...what sort of cooling do you have on your CPU and case, and what temperature does your overclocked CPU get up to?

btw..you need a bigger monitor ;)

[Pumpk1n]

that PC owns. Crucial is the best RAM on the market! Good work!

[blackhawk]

that PC owns. Crucial is the best RAM on the market! Good work!
i like corsair better. :unsure:
oh and dom i would get the pci-express video card and motherboard. better performance. (Y)
if i had the money ati is coming out with that new line of cards. they said that they will have 512mb cards a little later. :)
but anywho. my pc is getting dated. i put it together about 3 years ago so.
3.4 Ghz p4 lga 775 overclocked to 3.8 Ghz with abit guru
768 corsair xms
256mb nvidia geforce 5600
thermaltake xaserIII case w/400 watt power supply
memorex 16x daul layer dvd burner
60GB hitachi drive (full)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/blackhawk_b24/ph34r.gif

[Tobes]

that 74GB Raptor...that's 10,000rpms yeah?

and your case is wierd...why does norton, all your base, and the playboy bunny have anything to do with eachother? :s

Also...what sort of cooling do you have on your CPU and case, and what temperature does your overclocked CPU get up to?

btw..you need a bigger monitor ;)

Yep

Lol www.jinx.com Just loads of stickers. If you are a true g33k you would understand. It has nothing to do with my case. Just makes it look better than plain.

55 c on load. 40c just sitting there

No I don't need a bigger monitor. That picures outdated. I know have a 32" LCD :D

[Domfunkle]

No I don't need a bigger monitor. That picures outdated. I know have a 32" LCD :D

...I hate you! That's bigger than apple's new 30" Cinema-HD Monitor (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72202/wo/Q01igBZKeg1m3Oy8Uze1uYDgxfc/0.SLID?nclm=AppleDisplays&mco=91A92F05) ...but I bet it hasn't got the resolution as big as the apple-monitor's resolution (2560 x 1600...the best LCD TVs I could find had half the resolution). The Monitor itself is more than twice the cost of my gaming PC...

[Tobes]

Ah you right there.
But with HDMI, component, 2 scarts, and freeview, its the dogs balls

[AfroJoe]

I hate you all.

My PC is good, but some of your PC's make mine look utterly woeful. :D

[Benj]

I would recommend getting a motherboard that supports PCIe, especially if you're planning to upgrade in the future.

[Domfunkle]

I would recommend getting a motherboard that supports PCIe, especially if you're planning to upgrade in the future.

Yeah that was my plan, also something with a sufficient amount of RAM bays because I don't want to replace the RAM, i want to add on, only replace when 512mb is completely useless like 32mb is today. And I want there to be a lot of expansion slots, in case I want to put in a new soudcard, macintosh firewire, extra USB etc.

[Pumpk1n]

There are way bigger monitors than 32". Voodoo PC offers an available 37" SyncMaster. But, hey - only if you've got $3,600 USD kicking around. Check it out: www.voodoopc.com

[Domfunkle]

There are way bigger monitors than 32". Voodoo PC offers an available 37" SyncMaster. But, hey - only if you've got $3,600 USD kicking around. Check it out: www.voodoopc.com

They're big monitors, but the resolution isn't exactly HD. I'd rather go with that Apple monitor, or a simple HD-LCD TV...better resolutions

[Pumpk1n]

SyncMaster has very high resolutions. It's a computer monitor lol, not a TV - even still, it's HD!

[Domfunkle]

SyncMaster has very high resolutions. It's a computer monitor lol, not a TV - even still, it's HD!

Link me...because the one that I was reading about was 46" and only had a resolution of something like 1300 x 786 which is sub-par

[Domfunkle]

Well...I've decided to upgrade my video card requirements to support PCIx16 (PCIe) so perhaps something along the lines of a Radeon x600 or something like that. But so far everything else remains as standard.

So far my funds have reached AU$1030 which is currently $470 short of what I'll be needing by the end of the year when i stop working temporarily. I've been trying to seel some games on eBay. So far I have sold 2 of 10, with 1 currently being bid on.

You can see what I'm selling here: http://search.ebay.com.au/_W0QQsassZdomfunkleQQhtZ-1

You can buy if you like, I'm willing to ship internationally (if you pay the extra postage) ;)

Anyway, I'll only be working untill the end of the year, and as it stands I'm earning about $150 a week, which should give me the $1500 i require. However if you feel you need to donate towards my computer you can pledge a few bucks via paypal to domfunkle@aanet.com.au ;) ;) ;)

Let's pray that this computer comes quickly and plays just as fast!

[Domfunkle]

well...seeing as how I'm the only one posting in this thread now, I thought everyone should know that I have ordered all the parts for my PC and they will be assembled for me for a small fee (AU$50). I payed them $1844.90 today (Sunday), which means that first thing tomorrow morning by order will be processed and all the necessary parts will be shipped in. This should take about a day I reckon, then they will assemble all the parts into a fully functioning PC and test each part rigorously to make sure that there are no screw ups. Then if the assembly and testing is completed before 3pm they will send my PC via courier to my door. I expect the PC to arrive at my door between Wednesday and Friday.

Here are the basic specs for my PC:

CPU AMD Athlon 64 X2 (dual-core) 3800+ (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=16161)
Motherboard MSI RX480M2 Socket 939 (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=14672)
Memory G.Skill F1-3200PHU2-1GBNS 1GB (2x512MB)) (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=17190)
Hard Disk Maxtor 6L250S0 Diamond Max Plus 10 250.0GB (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=15769)
Optical Benq DW1640 (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=15994)
Mouse/Keyboard Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 110 (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=15548)
Monitor Viewsonic VA905 19in MULTIMEDIA LCD (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=16120)
Case Thermaltake Soprano Midi Tower Case (The apple of my eye!) (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=16134)
Speakers Logitech R-20 2.1 Speakers (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=15550)
Cooler Thermaltake CL-P0257 Blue Orb II (http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=17320)

As you may have noticed, I haven't added a video card to the system. This is because I will only have about half a week to enjoy my new PC before I go up to Brisbane for a month and in order to keep costs down, I have chosen to order the system without a video card. The motherboard has built-in video chipsets which will suffice untill later on, for when I get back from Brisbane, I will be purchasing a Video card along the lines of This Little Beauty! (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8738298618&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1)

[russellclow]

Please make sure images do NOT stretch the forum skin.

[Domfunkle]

Please make sure images do NOT stretch the forum skin.

I didnt post up any pictures...i just made links to the site with the parts' picture and descriptions...

[russellclow]

I didnt post up any pictures...i just made links to the site with the parts' picture and descriptions...


That nice. Good job I wasn't speaking to you then! :)

[Domfunkle]

That nice. Good job I wasn't speaking to you then! :)

You're a wierd puppy, you are :brow :s

[Tobes]

He was speaking to me. Sorry russ. Whats the maximum size a picture can be here?

[russellclow]

480px is the max width before the forum goes funny

[Domfunkle]

So...what you guys have to say about my ordered PC?

[Tobes]

Cheers :D

Rig looks good. Never heard of G Skill memory though. But thats me. I only tend to go with big names when I buy pc stuff.

[Domfunkle]

Cheers :D

Rig looks good. Never heard of G Skill memory though. But thats me. I only tend to go with big names when I buy pc stuff.

Yeah i never head of it either...but in order to get my PC as soon as possible I've had to go El-Cheapo on some of the stuff (ie. the temporary lack of Video Card). But from what I hear, G Skill is pretty much the same as Kingston in the RAM department. It's not a corsair, but its still pretty good.

[Killer 57]

nice Domfunkle, I'm planning on getting a new PC myself nothing fancy just something better than my current one which wont be very difficult, I have a pentium 3 with 497MHz and 128MB of RAM. basicly its a 2-3 year old Compaq Deskpro with a Dell moniter, so I despretly need a new PC.

[RiLu@]

Maybe you could go for a 2,2ghz CPU, for about 100USD more?

[Domfunkle]

Maybe you could go for a 2,2ghz CPU, for about 100USD more?

AMD and Intel have different methods of measuring speed. It's hard to explain, but basically Intel use Ghz as their sole measure of performance, whereas AMD have other variables which make it faster. Basically, an AMD 3800+ 64 X2 may have only 2Ghz, but it has the same speed and performance of a 64-bit Pentium D 3.8Ghz...which costs a heck of a lot more than any AMD. Besides, AMDs are a lot better for gaming as opposed to Intel's ability for mulittasking in office-work etc.

While the AMD and Intel processors are functionally compatible, they use different architectures internally. This allows AMD processors to run as fast or faster than Intel processors even when the AMD processors are lower GHz. From a marketing point of view, this can actually work to AMD's disadvantage since the general buying public understands to rate performance by the GHz number. To counter this, AMD numbers their processors to reflect the equivalent Intel GHz processor. So an AMD Athlon 3400+ processor runs at least as fast as an Intel 3.4GHz processor. Independent labs have repeatedly confirmed that the AMD numbering scheme is reliable and, if anything, errors on the side of being too low.

[Veles]

Proc.: AMD Athlon 64 4000+
RAM: 1024mb
HDD: 250gb
Video: nVidia GeForce 6800+ 128/256mb
Optical: Dual-Layer +16x DVD+-RW
PSU: 400w
Monitor: 19" LCD
Motherboard: 4 RAM bays, AGP-slot, 6 x USB2.0 (4 back 2 front), 10/100 ethernet

For the CPU you could go for the slightly lower spec 3700+, it has the same core, FSB, etc., just clocked slower. So if you're into overlclocking might be a better option.

With the RAM you should get the 1Gb in one stick, so you have the possibility of upgrading up to 4Gb :party:

For your mobo I think a PCI-E one would be a better choice, doesnt have to be SLi or anything. For mobos I think Asus have a great line for the A64, alot of them come with dual gigabit ethernet :D.

For the PSU I'd go for a tagan, they may not look so bling as some of the others but they are incredibly well built at quiet. You could get the modular EasyCon series to cut down on extra cable clutter.

For a HDD, western digital, samsung spinpoints and segates are good choices. The maxtor ones are pretty good too. Try to get SATA II (and a SATA II compatable mobo of course :p)

For the DVD-RW I think NEC do a very good one for only £30ish here in the UK, its available in black, silver and biege.

For the monitor, viewsonic are very good I've heard.

EDIT: Ah just taken the time read the post and see you've got the components lined up. Word of warning though, dual cores arn't as good as a fast siongle core CPU for gaming at the moment...but that soon wont be the case, Oblivion will take advantage of multi cores/threads (as the 360 has 6 threads) and I think lots of new games might as well.

Im hoping to build a new PC soon, but the market is going through some changes soon, AMD will be releasing thier new socket sometime next year so I'm a bit confused on whether to buy now or later.

[Domfunkle]

Dual Core CPUs have a LOT of potential. New software is slowly incorporating multi-threading/core into the code processing and some games, like Oblivion as was mentioned, is using this new CPU technology. I think that next year most games that will be released will have Dual-processing enabled code. Same deal with the 64-bit technology. HEAPS of potential!

As for the RAM, I need to save on some funds for now so 2x 512mb sticks will have to suffice for now, but my next RAM upgrade will include a GB stick. Once all my RAM bays are full and I REALLY need a RAM upgrade (won't be happening for a couple of years), I'll discard the 512mb sticks in favour of a couple GB sticks.

I'm not really into overclocking...though if I ever decide to do some overclocking in the future, I'll be installing a liquid cooling system. They're getting pretty cheap nowadays...

[Killer 57]

I'm finaly getting a new PC here is how looks so far;

Dimension E310 Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 521 w/HT Technology (2.8GHz,800FSB)
Operating System Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition
Memory 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz -2 DIMMs
Keyboard and Mouse Bundles Dell USB Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse
Monitor 17 inch E173FP Analog Flat Panel
Video Card Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Hard Drive 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Floppy Drive and Media Reader No Floppy Drive Included

Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
CD or DVD Drive Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
Sound Integrated 2.0 Channel High Definition Audio
Speakers Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) No Productivity Suite - Corel WordPerfect® word processor only
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) No Security Subscription
Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support

Enhanced Software for CD or DVD Burner MyDVD Plus:Copy DVDs,Edit Video,Effects,Photo Slideshows (DVD+RW only)
Operating System Backup & Recovery PC Restore recovery system by Symantec
TV Tuners and Remote Controls Single TV Tuner + Remote Control - watch and record TV on your PC
Dell Digital Entertainment Starter Entertainment Pack -Basic digital Music, Photo, and Casual Gaming

TOTAL:$918.00

I'm not using it for gaming, thats what my 360 is for, so that is why I don't need it to be super fast. So what do you guys think?I havent orderd it yet and if you guys feel I'm missing something then please tell me.

[CptHook]

yeah
let me know how the media center works with the 360.
Im curious if its worth building a new pc with that os to work with my future 360
sounds good overall

[Domfunkle]

You can always get a bootable copy of Windows Media Centre in the "usual places".

I'll be setting up 3 partitions on my new PC seeing as how I've got 250gb to waste. The first partition of 210gb will have Windows XP Professional on it (may upgrade to 64-bit edition later on to improve performance from my AMD X2 64 3800+). The second partition of 20gb will have Linux Red Hat 7.2 installed (I may get Red Hat 9 before then) because I'll need to learn how to use the Linux Terminal later down the track with my Uni course. The third partition of another 20gb will have a copy of Windows Vista BETA 2 installed so that I can become accustomed to the new features and see how it compares with XP Prof. Then maybe I'll get the Vista upgrade later this year when it's released.

[backin-strachan]

I dont exactly understand The Media Center is it just like A 360 WIndows Media Player ...more or less

[Tobes]

Dimension E310 Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 521 w/HT Technology (2.8GHz,800FSB)

SHAME ON YOU. YUCK... ERRR.

Get an AMD nnow!!!

[RiLu@]

AMD is better for gaming but killer isnt playing!
so it should go just fine

[Killer 57]

yeah Tob3z I'm not planning on playing games on it, anyway I'm kind of thinking if I should get 160GB harddrive instead of 80 or is 80 enough?

[Tobes]

Oh yeh I know there better for gaming. But IMO there better for everything. I was mainly on about the fact that I dont support Intel. I don't like the way they do bussiness and I will neaver... ever... buy a Intel chip on its own unless its in a PDA etc

[RiLu@]

i never had a Intel myself, and i think i'll never will

[Domfunkle]

This will actually be my first AMD system, all the others were Intels mainly because they were all pre-assembled POS. I just got an email from Scorptec, the guys who're assembling my PC, saying that my PC will be ready this week. Though I won't be touching it 'till the end of the month as I'm still in Brisbane and the PC's being delivered to Melbourne.

[Killer 57]

I made a little bit of changes to my order specificly in the audio. Instead of the stock speakers I changed to this;
http://img.dell.com/images/global/learnmore/spkrs_5650.jpg
Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Speakers, nothing fancy but they look good and there right in my budget :D

[Domfunkle]

Nice set o' speakers there! I was gonna get a 5.1 system, but I didn't have any room on my desk to put them all...so instead I just got this:

http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=15550

http://www.scorptec.com.au/Images/Product/6397.jpg

[RiLu@]

looks good !

[Killer 57]

I upgraded it 1GB of memory thought it would be a good idea to do so. Also Dell removed those speakers from my order apperntly they don't have any for some reason,wierd. I also think I'm going to order it without a moniter because according to one of my friends my current moniter is better then the flat panal that it comes with, my moniter is not a flat panal but it is dell that I bought off a friend but how do I find out the module number for this moniter?

[Domfunkle]

Try your display properties maybe? If not look at the back of your monitor and take your pick from any of the many numbers back there.

This will be my monitor:

Viewsonic VA905 19in MULTIMEDIA LCD, 12ms RESPONSE TIME, 500:1, 250nits, DVI
http://www.scorptec.com.au/Images/Product/VA905.jpg

[Killer 57]

Okay I got it;
http://images.windowsmarketplace.com/img/sprod/4/13/2236834.jpg

Dot Pitch / Pixel Pitch 0.24 mm
Max Resolution 1600 x 1200 / 75 Hz
Max Sync Rate (V x H) 160 Hz x 96 kHz
Display Screen Coating Anti-glare, anti-static
Interface VGA (HD-15)
so is it good?

http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/Specs.aspx?itemId=2236835,

[Domfunkle]

Not bad for a CRT monitor.
Though one thing I don't think is too good is the fact that it doesn't have a DVI interface. VGA is an analogue connection and will result in some loss of signal, whereas DVI is a digital connection and suffers from very little interference.

Other than that I think it's alright.

You should play your 360 on it, unless you already have an HD-TV ;)

[Killer 57]

Nope no HD-TV yet but I need that cable right the one that cost like $40?

[Killer 57]

As I thought I changed my order to a new and better PC and its cheaper only $740 after the $200 discount so I'm getting the same Media Center PC with a better Processer for a cheaper price, sounds good to me!. The new is a

Dimension E510
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 630 w/HT Technology (3.0GHz,800FSB), Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition.

This moniter will have to do for now until I get an HD moniter later this year, you mentioned signal loss Domfunkle when does that happen?

[Domfunkle]

The signal loss isn't that much of an issue, but it is there.

"Basically" what happens is that the video card in your computer has to modulate/convert the digital transmissions from the computer into Analogue transmissions so that they can be carried over a VGA cable. Once the analogue transmission reaches the monitor, it has to be de-modulated back into digital so that it can be displayed on the screen. The loss in transmission not only occurs in the conversion from digital to analogue to digital, but also when it's actually travelling along as an analogue signal. In DVI, the signal is always digital and there is very minimal loss in signal quality.

Generally you won't be able to see any signal loss, as it is pretty minute, but I would suggest that you try and get a DVI enabled video card and monitor.

[Domfunkle]

Well...I just got off the phone with Scorptec, the guys who're building my computer. They're just waiting for the RAM to be delivered so that they can finish building my PC. After that it's ready to be couriered to my front door.

Just a reminder, these are the specs of my new gaming PC (so far):

CPU: AMD Athlon64 X2 3800+
Motherboard: MSI RX480M2 Socket 939
Graphics Card: nVidia GF6200 128mb
Memory: G.Skill (2x512) minus 112mb for VGA
Hard Drive: 250gb
Cooling: Tt Blue Orb II 12cm 17dB
Power Supply: 430w
Monitor: Viewsonic VA905 19"
Case: Tt Soprano
OS: Windows XP Professional
Mouse/Keyboard: Logitech w/less EX 110

The GF6200 is only temporary untill I get get enough money for that 512mb Radeon x700 I've been keeping my eye on.

Rest assured I will be posting up some pictures of my new rig once it's all up an running.

[Benj]

If you're saving for a graphics card why not go the whole hog and get two 7800's running in SLI? ;)

[Tobes]

Cause he supports ATI, not the comercailised nVidia corp. ;)

[Domfunkle]

If you're saving for a graphics card why not go the whole hog and get two 7800's running in SLI? ;)

Because that's what we doctors call "Very expensive."

1. I didn't get an SLI motherboard with 2 PCI-e ports
2. TWO high-end video cards are very expensive and get cheaper in only a matter of weeks.
3. Dual video cards only boost the performance of the single one by less than 30%. This is a well known fact. If you want to upgrade your Video Card performance, either get a new and better one, or overclock it.

[RiLu@]

Here you have my dream PC, coming around the end of the month!

CPU: AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+ 2,2GHz 2mb
Motherboard: MSI K8N DiamondPlus, nForce4 SLIX16, S.939, SBAudigy, GbLAN, PCI-Ex16
Graph.Card: Asus GeForce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3, EN7800GT, PCI-Express, ViVo/HDTV/2xDVI-I
Hauppauge! WinTV-PVR-500MCE, PCI, Dual-TV Tuner, MCE
Memory: Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 1024MB CL3 5ns Unbuffered, Non-parity, 2.5V,128Meg x 64
HDD : Western Digital Caviar RE2 400GB SATA 16MB 7200RPM
Cooling: Thermaltake Blue Orb II CPU-Kjøler, 17dBA
Power Supply: Hiper Type-R 580W Blue, 2 fans, Silent 18db, 4xSATA, ATX, SLI
Monitor: Philips 23" LCD TV (Already in place)
Case: NZXT Nemesis Elite Edition Black Aluminium
OS: Windows XP Media Center
Mouse/Keyboard: Logitech w/less (Already in place)
NEC DVD-brenner ND-4551A IDE Black

[Domfunkle]

And how much is that going to set you back?

[RiLu@]

3.400 AUD without the screen, the philips lcd costed around the same alone in the summer of 2004

[Domfunkle]

Well...after waiting most of the day, my PC finally arrived at my door in 3 boxes at approx 2:30pm today (30/01/06). The first box contained the computer itself, fully assembled, the second included the massive 19" monitor, and the third contained all the boxes, cables etc. such as the speakers, mouse/keyboard, driver CDs and the rest of that crap..

now I'm going to enjoy it...goodnight!

[RiLu@]

good for you domfunkle my wife crashed the car and part of the money i was going to put on the new pc went to toyota!

[WACCOE]

Nice one Dom, good luck with it. :D

Unlucky Rilua!!! make your wife pay for it out of her beer fund. :p

[RiLu@]

lol why not?!

[Killer 57]

I'm planning on having two moniters, I will use this one I have for my Xbox 360 and order my new PC with a falt panel moniter, so I can be posting on the forums, playing NBA 2K6, and watching a clippers game all at the same time:D. Now where the hell I'm I going to put all that stuff!

[AfroJoe]

the second included the massive 19" monitor

I've got a 19" monitor as well.

It really is teh r0x0r, especially for gaming.

[Domfunkle]

I've got a 19" monitor as well.

It really is teh r0x0r, especially for gaming.

Sure is...I was playing Battle for Middle Earth today. Big Monitors are EXCELLENT for RTS as you can see a whole lot more around you (that is if you set it to the right resolution).

[AfroJoe]

Yep, AOE2 has been revitalised with my new monitor.

Damn I love that game. Shame AOE3 was such a disappointment. It has the visuals, but it just doesn't feel right. :(

[Killer 57]

Was going to buy this week end but then I decided to wait till April for easter they usualy have some sweet deals.

Dom, how is that PC?

[Killer 57]

My new PC has finaly arrived :D, can't wait to set it up!

[Outlaw]

hows the pc running dom is it any good

[Domfunkle]

Well...I feel that I should report on my compy..

Running BEAUTIFULLY!!

I replaced the videocard with an nVidia GeForce 7600GS 256mb back in April (birthday money), and that's been handling all the good games pretty well (F.E.A.R runs very nicely). I'm planning on doing another upgrade towards the end of the year, probably gonna get a new motherboard with SLI and either get a second 7600GS for cheap and chuck that in with the original one...or just go all out and get 2 7900s, or if I'm feeling especially impulsive, 2 7950s (quad-cores baby!).

There may also be a new CPU on the way...I feel like doing some overclocking.

A new Harddrive is probably the most definite upgrade coming soon. Running very low on space with my current 250gb...need HEAPS more.