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[#1]

best computer for gamers

[#2]

Well, as many people will tell you, there are a few things you need to develop a good gaming system. A fast processor, lots of RAM, a large, fast hard drive (or two), a large power supply, and a good video card are the most important features. At present, your best options for gaming in Windows Vista are:

- 3GB or 4GB of RAM (Windows Vista uses a lot of RAM on its own. More RAM = faster, but 4GB is about as much as you'll ever need)
- A 500W+ Power Supply (Stock computer power supplies usually don't have enough wattage to power aftermarket video cards)
- An Intel Core 2 Quad Processor (The fastest processor available today - need I say more?)
- Two SATA (newer, faster interface) hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration (using two hard drives as one for faster performance)
- An Nvidia GeForce 8800 series or ATI Radeon HD2900 video card (or two if your system can support it - these cards are at the top performing graphics cards which give you the highest resolution, frame rates, and amazing detail)

Although there is some difference in opinion on which is THE fastest gaming system, following the above guidelines will ensure that you have a shot at what could be the 'best computer or gamers'

Message Edited by mattsaunders on 06-28-2007 03:50 PM

[#3]

To add to Matt's response, I have some links from the Future Shop website showing examples of these specifications:

HP Intel Core 2 Quad 6600 2.4GHz Media Center TV Computer (M8120N)
Windows Vista Premium, Core 2 Quad processor (4 processing cores), 3 GB of DDR2 RAM (Upgradeable to 4GB), 2x320GB SATA Hard Drives

EVGA e-GeForce 8800GTS Superclocked 320MB Video Card
OR
ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT 512MB PCI-Express Video Card
You'll need to replace the video card in the computer with one of these two video cards for the best gaming performance.

Dynex 500W ATX PC Power Supply
And to run those sleek cards, you'll need an upgrade to your power supply. This 500W power supply should do the trick.


Don't forget, to compliment any gaming tower, you'll need a monitor that will stand out. I'd recommend the newest generation of HP monitors, with a glossy screen. Glossy screens will give you much better colour/contrast over a matte screen.
HP 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor (W2207)

If you're worried about glare due to the area that your computer will be set up in, I'd recommend going for a matte screen.
Samsung 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor (226BW)

Message Edited by Mandy on 06-28-2007 06:57 PM

[#4]

like it was stated earilier, no matter what config you create... power supply is the one crucial thing you will need. I recommed anything above 750W, it sounds crazy but some of the newest High end motherboards require an 8-pin PCI-E Connector which is only available on high end PS. I know the rocketfish 750 has it. and also Thermaltake. but you will pay good money for it.. BUT when it comes to the best gaming machine.. you would want to have a solid start.. hence Power.

I just put one in my machine

Message Edited by Crono on 06-28-2007 08:41 PM

[#5]

I would have linked to our Rocketfish power supply, but I couldn't seem to find it on the website. Isn't it a 700 watt power supply though, not a 750 watt? Regardless, if you found the page for it on futureshop.ca, feel free to post it I'm not sure where they put it.

[#6]

How important would you say Cache is for gaming? I notice computers having anywhere from 512kb to 4Mb x2. What is it exactly and what does it do?

[#7]

Hey J.

Cache is basiclly short term memory. Any data that moves through the CPU is called a Process. If the computer notices that the same Process is being worked by the CPU over and over again, that Process will get stored in the Cache. Once Process' are inside the cache the CPU no longer has to work on them and the data is ready to be used at any time unti the CPU dumps the cache and starts all over again.

Cache is pretty important for Gaming. It allows the CPU to have extra power on hand for anytime it needs it.

Let's say you're playing counter-strike and some n00b throws a flashbang grenade in your face. On lesser computers the visual effect of that explotion would create lag (a slow down in performence) for a second or two, which is enough time for said n00b to take you out of the game. But if your computer has enough cache and a decent graphics card then you'll have no lag and you'll be able to run to safety or fight back. 

You should also note that high cache CPU's like the new Core 2 Duo will only boost performance on high-end games. If the game is 3 or 4 years old chances are that you won't notice a difference between a new Core 2 duo and an older AMD Athlon.

[#8]

You may think the Q6600 is the best for gaming, well it is NOT. In many cases the Q6600 can not match up against faster dual core processors. Why do i say this, cause this is how the quad works. Inside the Q6600 there are 4 cores; 2 on each die. Well because there are only about a dozen applications (and ONLY 1 GAME at the moment that supports 4 core processing, which is Supreme Commander) that utilize more then 2 threds, In essence whats happening is that only 2 cores in the Q6600 are working and the other 2 cores are just if you can imagine are twiddling their thumbs. So right now the Q6600 is not the best for gaming or a faster cpu chip than others but when you buy computers you look to see how it will last in the future; at the moment an E6700 is faster than a Q6600 even though it's dual-core but by next year and the years on as more applications use more threds the faster the Q6600 will process.

[#9]

As I said in the last post that Q6600 is not the best for gaming. If you want the best gaming then you will need a good Graphics card. To determine what graphics card you need, these are the first things you must think over:
What type of gamer am I?: hardcore (you play hard and you are an extreme gamer, above average( you play hard but not to the extreme) Average, below average (you may play a few hours a week and play online games primaraly; no real type of increased pc requirements)
How big is my screen?: when buying a graphics card you need to know how big the screen you are planing to use it with. A bigger screen will demand a greater graphics card
What type of games do I play?: certain graphic cards are better suited with different styles or types of games. First person shooters (FPS) usually are the most demanding in terms of graphics, this also applies with Real Time Strategy games (RTS) as they pixalate a large image with many little images. Anything else really needs an average graphics card at the best. And if you inted to play online games then what you need is a low end card.
This is how it breaks down:
Hardcore gammer: NVIDIA line up:8800Ultra, 8800GTX, 8800GTS(640mb) ATi line up: HD 2900XT(1GB), HD 2900XT (512mb)
Average gamer: NVIDIA line up: 8800gts(320mb)-7300gs. From high end to low end. ATi line up: HD 2600XT - X1600
Below average gamer: NVIDIA line up: 7150gs-6200LE. ATi line up: X1550 - X1050. As well as onboard or integrated graphics is included in this section.

[#10]

Thanks for your reply Big, it's been pretty informative. The Quad-core is listed at having 2.4Ghz, I assume that's on a per-processor basis. I know the hertz alone doesn't determine performance, but for simplicity saying it was, you're saying 2 cores at 2.6 each are better than 4 2.4s for gaming purposes?

Right now I'm using a 1.8 so when I get a new PC it'll be an improvement regardless.

One thing I'm wondering is if we're including all possible threads here. Even if a game takes up 1, running windows would take up another core right? For people who like to do multitasking, couldn't the other cores take up that role? So if you want to run a chatting program on your headset for your FPS competitions, a processor could handle that, or if you want to run an instant messenger program, or if you want to keep SETI or Folding@Home running in the background while you play.

But yeah for purely gaming maybe not... how complicated do you think it would be for game designers to come out with games that run on additional threads to fully take advantage of quad-core technology? Could we petition them to come out with patches that do it for existing ones, or is it too complicated and requires basically a full redesign?

One thing I think definately, is for people who browse the internet, chat to people, watch videos, listen to music, since these are all a large variety of multitasks, the quad core is suited for that type of thing, right?

According to your criticism, does that mean what Intel's been advertising about being 56% better on their gaming systems to be wrong? They were maybe testing this with double-thread games where you'd experience better performance by a third core taking on Windows and other tasks, but not with the single-threaded games where a second core can easily take care of all other tasks.