[quote]Vegg wrote:
This thread is really tempting me to completely upgrade my pc… Brings me back to my nerdy high school days.[/quote]
Same here.
I really like debraD’s system. I think I’m going to shoot for something similar. I’m still probably a few months away from upgrading though, so who knows what will change between now and then.
What rez is our Vizio?
My bro’s roommate has a 42" Westinghouse 1080p LCD. He got it 1.5 years ago for $900 !
How do cards scale to non-standard TV resolutions like 1920x1080? Is there distortion in the picture? I would assume no, at this point in technology.
I ask since 1920x1200 is usually a standard computer monitor supported resolution…
I think ATI’s poor performance in the last couple generations of cards has created a pretty huge bias against them (radeon 2000/3000 series and nvidia 8000/9000 series). The new radeon HD 4870 is very comparable to the nvidia cards in its’ price bracket, and can even keep up with nvidia’s big boys, in some cases (GTX 280 and 9800 GX2). This is, of course, a very general observation, and you will find games where nvidia cards work far better than ATI cards and vice versa, so doing a bit of research would probably be your best course of action.
My point here is: If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck and you don’t want to shell out 400-500 for a top of the line card, I’d highly suggest considering the HD 4870. If you have money to spare and want the heavy duty stuff, go with a high end nvidia card, because I have to admit, nvidia is king when it comes to making power house cards.
(this one gives a slightly less unbiased overview than
my above statement. I’m just sick of fanboys. It should
also be noted that the GTX 260 in this review has
considerably more memory than the ATI card.)
[quote]RebornTN wrote:
Second Nvidia > Ati anyday.
[/quote]
LOL, because being a fan boy will help him get a good setup going. ATI’s top two cards perform a little bit better and cost a little bit less than nVidia’s right now based on objective data and market prices. Sorry if that hurts your pride or whatever.
I don’t know if I’d say a LOT of games. If budget is a concern, I’d go dual core currently, especially with his motherboard. It’d be hard to push a quad up to the same frequency as a dual with that one.
[quote]debraD wrote:
I plan on outputting to my plasma 
I played far cry like that and it was pretty awesome.
[/quote]
Marry me?
[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
SLI cards is pure nonsense as is 300fps.
More then 2 GB is also of no use in most systems, simply because the OP cannot use it.
But since RAM is dirt cheap now, it still might make sense to buy more.
If you know what resolution you’ll play your games, it also helps to find the right card. A small monitor means a small resolution and nobody needs a monster card at 1024x768, for instance.
[/quote]
You’re right about everything except the RAM - Vista x64 makes good use of more memory.
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
ArsTechnica is the other great computing site. I have not checked out their buying guides in a while. Good call.
I built an Athlon 1.2 Ghz machine that STILL runs real peppy. I love it. Have not turned it on since I got my laptop last March, but it was so fast and only has like 768 mb ram and runs XP Pro. God, I abused that shit outta that thing and it treated me well.
I wouldn’t mind building ONE more PC gaming rig, strictly for gaming and dual booting with Linux/Unix…and to do webserver / database stuff. I might just do it but want to keep it super cheap - under $700[/quote]
My folks had an old Athlon system that just bit the bullet; a couple of the mobo capacitors failed and the poor thing about caught fire. Performed like a champ up to that day though.
If you’re interested in building an inexpensive system, check out slickdeals.net; with Black Friday coming up soon, you’ll be able to get some great prices on components. There’s a “build your own computer” thread that’s an awesome resource.
-Dan
To anyone who’s into pc gaming or music, I recommend picking up these:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=12847
I recently bought a set from a friend, and they are just amazing. They sound great, and they make things rattle upstairs at half volume.
[quote]AngryVader wrote:
Vegg wrote:
This thread is really tempting me to completely upgrade my pc… Brings me back to my nerdy high school days.
Same here.
I really like debraD’s system. I think I’m going to shoot for something similar. I’m still probably a few months away from upgrading though, so who knows what will change between now and then.[/quote]
Son of a bitch, me too man! I was planning on just buying a laptop because I never really game anymore - but that’s bc my current system sucks after selling off my old gaming rig. I want to game! lol
[quote]josh86 wrote:
AngryVader wrote:
Vegg wrote:
This thread is really tempting me to completely upgrade my pc… Brings me back to my nerdy high school days.
Same here.
I really like debraD’s system. I think I’m going to shoot for something similar. I’m still probably a few months away from upgrading though, so who knows what will change between now and then.
Son of a bitch, me too man! I was planning on just buying a laptop because I never really game anymore - but that’s bc my current system sucks after selling off my old gaming rig. I want to game! lol[/quote]
Tell me about it. I kind of need both a laptop for work and desktop for my home stuff, so I’m debating what to do first. If I build a new desktop, it might has well have some balls behind it for some gaming. Decisions…
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
What rez is our Vizio?
My bro’s roommate has a 42" Westinghouse 1080p LCD. He got it 1.5 years ago for $900 !
How do cards scale to non-standard TV resolutions like 1920x1080? Is there distortion in the picture? I would assume no, at this point in technology.
I ask since 1920x1200 is usually a standard computer monitor supported resolution…[/quote]
I run mine at 1024x768 res with a 75mhz refresh rate
I actually have 2 connections to it
I am doing repairs to my moms PC right now and I am using the onboard hdmi from the ABIT AN-M2HD
on mine I just hook it up with the DVI from my 8500gt and it runs 1024x768 rez.no diffrent than any other monitor
except everything is huge and its very clear
I also watch movies in full screen on vlc media player and it is no different than watching movies on the cable box
I wouldn’t mind shelling out for SLI so the system can last a bit longer…
Hmm.
Oh, and while I love Logitech, I’ve always had a hard on for Klipsch, sorry.
But if you want a REALLY immersive gaming experience, pick up a pair of Sennheiser headphones. I got a pair of HD590s that I’ve had for at least 4 years now and they are unbelievable.
The thought of buying a cheap 1080p LCD TV as a monitor is now tempting…damnit, people.
lol the pic sucks, oh well I tried
[quote]Nich wrote:
PonceDeLeon wrote:
What rez is our Vizio?
My bro’s roommate has a 42" Westinghouse 1080p LCD. He got it 1.5 years ago for $900 !
How do cards scale to non-standard TV resolutions like 1920x1080? Is there distortion in the picture? I would assume no, at this point in technology.
I ask since 1920x1200 is usually a standard computer monitor supported resolution…
I run mine at 1024x768 res with a 75mhz refresh rate
I actually have 2 connections to it
I am doing repairs to my moms PC right now and I am using the onboard hdmi from the ABIT AN-M2HD
on mine I just hook it up with the DVI from my 8500gt and it runs 1024x768 rez.no diffrent than any other monitor
except everything is huge and its very clear
I also watch movies in full screen on vlc media player and it is no different than watching movies on the cable box
[/quote]
Yes, but unless your display does pixel/signal “zooming,” you are looking at a stretched/distorted image. I hate that.
Needs to run at native res for me…
Or just keep using a CRT like I do. I gave up on current-gen LCDs awhile ago.
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Nich wrote:
PonceDeLeon wrote:
What rez is our Vizio?
My bro’s roommate has a 42" Westinghouse 1080p LCD. He got it 1.5 years ago for $900 !
How do cards scale to non-standard TV resolutions like 1920x1080? Is there distortion in the picture? I would assume no, at this point in technology.
I ask since 1920x1200 is usually a standard computer monitor supported resolution…
I run mine at 1024x768 res with a 75mhz refresh rate
I actually have 2 connections to it
I am doing repairs to my moms PC right now and I am using the onboard hdmi from the ABIT AN-M2HD
on mine I just hook it up with the DVI from my 8500gt and it runs 1024x768 rez.no diffrent than any other monitor
except everything is huge and its very clear
I also watch movies in full screen on vlc media player and it is no different than watching movies on the cable box
Yes, but unless your display does pixel/signal “zooming,” you are looking at a stretched/distorted image. I hate that.
Needs to run at native res for me…
[/quote]
I dont know the tech behind it.
but my tv works
no stretching no distorting. I can play games with the onboard video but it is a bit choppy.
perfect with dedicated video.
I also have a 19 inch flatscreen monitor and I thought I would have to use that for computer work and use the tv for movies and games,but its not the case I put the monitor away and I use the tv daily.
I have it set up on a kitchen table as a work desk.
so I am about 3 feet away from the display its kind of insane
whats cool is I could use it in PIP and watch tv on one side and do computer stuff on the other and it scales it down for me where its perfectly workable.
the display surprised me for being a cheap cosco disp;ay.
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
I wouldn’t mind shelling out for SLI so the system can last a bit longer…
Hmm.
Oh, and while I love Logitech, I’ve always had a hard on for Klipsch, sorry.
But if you want a REALLY immersive gaming experience, pick up a pair of Sennheiser headphones. I got a pair of HD590s that I’ve had for at least 4 years now and they are unbelievable.
The thought of buying a cheap 1080p LCD TV as a monitor is now tempting…damnit, people.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure the card I went with has SLI and it was only $100.
Using my Radeon 9800 pro, I get either 1280x768 or 1366x768 (I can’t remember which) on my tv (42" plasma). I don’t know about 1920x1080 since that requires a non-square pixel (doesn’t it?)
Not non-square, no, but I believe it ends up being a mere crop. All HD resolutions I think are 16:9 or 16:10.
Again, the advantage of YOUR TV is that the resolution isn’t higher and thus your GPU doesn’t need to be more powerful.
I’d love to SLI two 4870s, but then I’d have a PC rig that betters a console and, I’d rather have a console right now and not two sets of game libraries 
Dilemmas!
deb,
Do you code on the plasma? If so, must be nice!
Have you guys seen iBuyPower.com ? They seem to have good prices and received good reviews from AnanadTech.com
I’m sort of tired of putting it together myself and might succumb to ordering a system (with liquid cooling; always wanted that) next time around…
Yeah, sites like ibuypower are probably the second best option if you don’t want to build your own.
Unless you’re rich of course.