I have been a big fan of all the valve stuff for a long time, though i have to say ive only been able to play the console versions, not because im against pcs but i never had a good enough one to play any of them. So i decided to build one (first build obviously) and i was having trouble picking out a mother board and a video card ((http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130290)< that one specifically) and i was wondering if i could get some info of what all these stats means. I have a pretty good idea on what i need and dont but i just need some background. Plus im pretty much building it around playing orange box.
Video card
- Thread starter thomasheperd
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Here is what I am buying for building a new/upgrading my current system. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3601833&sku=MCM-680ILT-Q6600B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318
Don't know what else you need, you can probably canablize your old comp for Power Supply, DVD-Drive, and Disk Drive(I actually don't have one). I would suggest buying a new HD just because.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318
Don't know what else you need, you can probably canablize your old comp for Power Supply, DVD-Drive, and Disk Drive(I actually don't have one). I would suggest buying a new HD just because.
I'd say the minimum card you'd probably want is an 8600GTS. Here's the EVGA model:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130298
Other things like CPU and motherboard depend on what you'll want; things like sound quality, network speed, etc. CPU depends on the motherboard, so...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130298
Other things like CPU and motherboard depend on what you'll want; things like sound quality, network speed, etc. CPU depends on the motherboard, so...
I haven't been keeping up on motherboards lately, but for video cards, you might want to consider investing in an 8800GT over an 8600GT.
The 8600 is decent, especially where it's priced now (with rebates from NewEgg and all you can get one for a really nice price) but the 8800GT is a very good performer, and can actually outperform my 8800GTS in some scenarios, and considering how much lower in price it is, that's not too bad.
Also, from what I've read, the 9600GT is right around the corner (last I heard it was to hit the market around February 21st). It will be more pricey than the 8600GT that you're looking at (probably 150 to 200 USD) but maybe not by much and might be an attractive alternative. So if you have the patience, I would consider waiting a bit to see how the 9600GT fairs in benchmarks for it's price and then make a decision.
The 8600 is decent, especially where it's priced now (with rebates from NewEgg and all you can get one for a really nice price) but the 8800GT is a very good performer, and can actually outperform my 8800GTS in some scenarios, and considering how much lower in price it is, that's not too bad.
Also, from what I've read, the 9600GT is right around the corner (last I heard it was to hit the market around February 21st). It will be more pricey than the 8600GT that you're looking at (probably 150 to 200 USD) but maybe not by much and might be an attractive alternative. So if you have the patience, I would consider waiting a bit to see how the 9600GT fairs in benchmarks for it's price and then make a decision.
Having purchased just a few days ago, price point for me being ~200$, I went with the Radeon HD 3870. You've got performance that averages ~15% slower than a 8800 GT. It produces very respectable framerates, I don't have to sacrifice my sanity from the overwhelming noise of the 8800 GT, and to be honest, I don't think you'll miss 2-3 fps on a game thats running at 27fps instead of 30fps, so the extra power in the 8800 isn't enough extra to warrant the extra 50$.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-hd3870-hd3850_22.html#sect1
this has some good info on HL2 Episode 2 related results from the 3800 series of ATI, and the 8800 series of Nvidia. Should help you figure out what kind of performance you'll get from your cards. One example - if playing in 4XAA and 16X Aniso is important to you, then you need more power to play at a given resolution. for me, 2xAA and 4xAA is plenty, and I can run at my native 1280x1024 (17inLCD) quite comfortably with the 3870.
The other thing you should consider is your upgrade path. If you choose a video card that isn't the GTX Ultra, I would recommend getting a PCI-e 2.0 board, and having the ability to upgrade to a newer faster machine as new technologies come out without tearing out too much of your system. If you want AMD go with a AM2+ board so that when the B3 Stepping for phenom comes out you can just upgrade without putting in a new board / ram. Consider dual PCI-e Lanes so that you can choose later to upgrade your video by going crossfire or SLI. If you narrow down what kind of results you want to achieve I'd be happy to help figure out some working combinations for you. I just finished doing tons of research so I could buy my new machine.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-hd3870-hd3850_22.html#sect1
this has some good info on HL2 Episode 2 related results from the 3800 series of ATI, and the 8800 series of Nvidia. Should help you figure out what kind of performance you'll get from your cards. One example - if playing in 4XAA and 16X Aniso is important to you, then you need more power to play at a given resolution. for me, 2xAA and 4xAA is plenty, and I can run at my native 1280x1024 (17inLCD) quite comfortably with the 3870.
The other thing you should consider is your upgrade path. If you choose a video card that isn't the GTX Ultra, I would recommend getting a PCI-e 2.0 board, and having the ability to upgrade to a newer faster machine as new technologies come out without tearing out too much of your system. If you want AMD go with a AM2+ board so that when the B3 Stepping for phenom comes out you can just upgrade without putting in a new board / ram. Consider dual PCI-e Lanes so that you can choose later to upgrade your video by going crossfire or SLI. If you narrow down what kind of results you want to achieve I'd be happy to help figure out some working combinations for you. I just finished doing tons of research so I could buy my new machine.
With video cards you have to put in a bit of thought. 7 series and up from Nvidia are really good cards and can run almost any game quite well. You also have to remember the factors of heat, watts, and amps which are displayed at the manufacturers website. Don't forget about SLI and Crossfire, or upgrading to another one.
For SLI, I'd seriously recommend a 780i motherboard. That means 3 cards at once all running on a full 16x bus and support for Core 2's. If you get 8800's to go with it then you will only have one available PCI sot. read Newegg reviews on motherboards to make sure they preform reliably. You could get 3 8800GT's for $600 and have a true powerhouse.
I have to admire this new GeForce 9800 thats coming out. From what I have read, it's this giant graphics reactor of doom that has 2 GPU's and 64-bit processing. Does that mean games will have to have support for both of those features in order to utilize the full power?
For SLI, I'd seriously recommend a 780i motherboard. That means 3 cards at once all running on a full 16x bus and support for Core 2's. If you get 8800's to go with it then you will only have one available PCI sot. read Newegg reviews on motherboards to make sure they preform reliably. You could get 3 8800GT's for $600 and have a true powerhouse.
I have to admire this new GeForce 9800 thats coming out. From what I have read, it's this giant graphics reactor of doom that has 2 GPU's and 64-bit processing. Does that mean games will have to have support for both of those features in order to utilize the full power?
You may want to take a look at the XFX 8800GS. As far as games go, you cannot beat the XXX edition for the price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150276.
This model is overclocked from the factory by 100 MHz (680 vs. 580 GPU)(1400 vs. 1600 memory) and has a decent amount of RAM (384MB). At $169.99 US plus shipping. Based on this article,
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1293/nvidia_geforce_9600gt_512mb_g94_tested/index.html
I suspect this overclocked card is going to be comparable or even a little faster than the new 9600 when it comes out, and it is probably going to be cheaper, especially at launch, and it is available now. It offers the best performance price ratio we have seen for quite a while. The XXX edition performs almost as well as the 8800GT (which is faster than the 9600 in the above test) and is at least $75 dollars cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150276.
This model is overclocked from the factory by 100 MHz (680 vs. 580 GPU)(1400 vs. 1600 memory) and has a decent amount of RAM (384MB). At $169.99 US plus shipping. Based on this article,
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1293/nvidia_geforce_9600gt_512mb_g94_tested/index.html
I suspect this overclocked card is going to be comparable or even a little faster than the new 9600 when it comes out, and it is probably going to be cheaper, especially at launch, and it is available now. It offers the best performance price ratio we have seen for quite a while. The XXX edition performs almost as well as the 8800GT (which is faster than the 9600 in the above test) and is at least $75 dollars cheaper.