last update: March 9 / '10
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This page is where I discuss PC gaming hardware. The page is divided into sections and each section contains components that have different levels of importance in the system and different upgrade/life cycles. Along the left side you will see a brief description of the part and it's purpose in the system. To the right you will find discussion on the current options for that part, what I recommend, and future directions or options for that part. One part for each section will have a "fancy carrot" |
This denotes what I recommend highest in terms of manufacturer, performance, and features, and should provide an excellent gaming experience at a good price. Recommendations are (most often) listed alphabetically by manufacturer (and then ranked by power/features). Hopefully, by translating some of the technospeak that hardware sites use into regular speak you will be better able to choose upgrades that suit your needs and give you a happy computing experience. 
The Core |
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CPU
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If you are buying a new CPU, $100-200 seems to be a 'sweet spot' that will last you at least 2 to 3 years. Targeting the $200+ range will put you into the higher-end category and set you up nicely to pair your system with a really great GPU and will last 3, possibly even 4 years. However, I do not recommend spending over $350 on a CPU as CPUs beyond that range often are so far into bleeding edge that their advantages are lost due to lack of current support for those features. By the time those features are closer to mainstream, faster cores are often available. Or, they are simply priced so high due to being bleeding edge and having a small bit more power
Intel's newest chipset, socket 1156, has launched and is something to consider for any build. The socket will have three different cores to choose from; Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7. Gamers will want to get a Core i5, while extreme enthusiasts who want the highest performance from multi-GPU setups will want to consider a Core i7. (Core i3 is targeting general media use and likely will not at all appeal to gamers.) The gains by going with a Core i7 are, however, quite small, so most will want to choose from a Core i5. Unless you live in an area where the price difference between the socket 1156 and socket 775 parts are great you will want to go with 1156 for much higher performance per dollar. Because of this I am removing my socket 775 recommendations (though one remains in the system recommendations). Lifespan: Up to 4 years. I recommend you change the CPU every 2. Intel Dual Core socket 1156 Recommendations: Intel Quad Core socket 1156 Recommendations: AMD Tri and Quad Core Recommendations, socket AM3: A word on Quad core: On the Horizon:
An 'aftermarket cooler' is never required, but they can be cooler and quieter than retail coolers. A good liquid system will keep your temperatures low as well as offering a lower noise volume. However, I only recommend liquid if you are going for a silent system or are going to do extreme overclocking. Most aftermarket coolers will do just fine under mild overclocking conditions and are a lot lower cost than liquid and much easier to install. When installing the CPU cooler be careful not to touch the surface with your fingers, particularly the part which contacts the CPU, as finger greases will harm most coolers. Usually you can hold the coolers by their fin areas with little to no danger of harm. I recommend using rubber gloves if you have them. Recommendations:
Do realize that if you use an aftermarket cooler you will have to apply thermal compound (in almost all cases), whereas retail coolers often have cooling paste pre-applied. It is fairly easy to do this if you follow the directions. The manufacturer should include paste with the cooler, but Arctic Silver is better than the free stuff for low cost. For cleaning off thermal paste you can use "isopropyl rubbing alcohol" which can be found in most regular shoping stores, like Safeway, for about $1.75. I've seen them sold in 70% and 90% bottles. I'm pretty sure either is fine. I use 70%. |
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| GPU
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A graphics card worth about $150-300 should cover you for high-end settings on new games for ~2 years depending on the exact settings you use. Typically graphics cards in the $100-150 range will do just fine for mainstream/medium settings and resolutions for new games or slightly higher for games that don't use the most current graphical effects. At $300 and higher you are into the high end and will have a better gaming experience at higher resolutions or higher graphical settings. Note though that the majority of users won't need to spend this much, as the increase is only typically necessary for bleeding-edge games with maximum settings, or very high resolutions such as 2560x1600.
Something new for graphics cards and motherboards is PCIe x16 Version 2. When a graphics card and motherboard both have PCIe v2 the graphics card has more bandwidth. It may be some time before games need this increased bandwidth, but it is a nice feature to watch out for. It likely will be a few years before graphic cards benefit from this, so this isn't something to be overly concerned with right now. Everyone should have made the move to v2 before it's power is tapped. Note that part of the PCIe v2 standard is a new 8-pin graphics card connector. Some of these new graphic cards may use this connector type, and if they do, you would also need a PCIe v2 compatible power supply. (All the ones I list have PCIe v2 compatibility.) I have developed a rating system that may help people choose which graphics card is best for their resolution and use. Note that this is not an absolute science, as each game varies in how much graphical power it will use, and in-game settings will require different levels of power. Note that these ratings may chang as time goes on and the cards age, are replaced by newer cards, or games require more power. Hidden advantages: ATi: ATi's newest generation, the series 5, has the capability to do DirectX11. While this isn't a huge advantage right now (September, 2009; DX11 launches with Windows 7) ATi can claim that they were the first to put out DX11 capable cards. Due to pricing, performance, and size, the 5850 is certainly a very attractive card. The series 5 cards can also do ATi's Eyefinity, a way of using multiple monitors for gaming. While this does get you the potential for a much wider (or larger overall) field of view it can get very expensive buying multiple monitors to support it. Also, at this time there are only a very small number of monitors which support the video input/outputs required for Eyefinity (one monitor must use DisplayPort). Additionally you will need a larger desk space, and at the time of this writing (early 2010) the feature does not work with CrossFire. Word is that they are working on their own physics acceleration and 3D monitor, but neither has released. In terms of manufacturer advantages there are several Nvidia manufacturers which offer lifetime coverage (and more) while only XFX offers lifetime coverage for ATi cards. Nvidia: Nvidia's main advantage is PhysX, a method of accelerating physics calculations on the graphics card in order to produce some cool effects. One of the more noteworthy effects is dynamic cloth simulation. While these effects are basically limited to 'eye candy' right now and only appear in a small number of games, adoption of the PhysX engine may become more widespread as more and more PhysX capable cards filter into the hands of consumers. (These are limited to the series 8 and on, so older cards can't do it.) There is also 3D gaming by way of Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision. Currently this is a fairly expensive technology, as the glasses cost $200 and it requires a special monitor (which are currently around $400), of which there are only two PC monitors at the time of this writing. (April '09.) In terms of manufacturer advantages there are several Nvidia manufacturers which offer lifetime coverage (and more) while only XFX offers lifetime coverage for ATi cards. Cards that reference (OC) are overclocked, offering minor performance increases over stock speed versions. Cards are listed in order of power and alphabetically by manufacturer. Lifespan: About 3 years. I recommend you change your graphics card every 2 to stay completely current in features and power. ATi Recommendations: HD 5570 HD 5670 HD 5750 HD 5770 HD 5850 HD 5870 HD 5970 Nvidia Recommendations: GT 220 GT 240 GTS 250, 1 gig GTX 260 Core 216 GTX 275 GTX 285 GTX 295 GTX 470 and 480 - The most recent launch estimate for Nvidia's 4 series (they are using 3xx for laptops) is estimated to be during Q1 of 2010. The cards will be DirectX11 compliant.
Note that some cards are 10.5" and may not fit in all cases. These cards are referenced by "Note: 10.5" in the above text. Also note that some cards may require more than one PCIe plug. These are noted in the text above as "Note: PCIe plug x2" with an additional note if they require the new 8-pin type. The newest cards will feature DirectX 11, which will ship with Windows 7. This will be referenced by "Note: DX11". |
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| Ram
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Ram has two ratings; one is the overall speed, and one is the timings. "Tighter" timings, those which are smaller numbers, can be "faster" ram. While this may not yield a huge difference compared to regular speed ram, if you can get ram with lower timings for not too much more than regular timings you may want to go for it. If you have a choice of slower overall speed versus tight timing, tight timing will often yield a better rain.
I really don't recommend less than 4 gig. Even if your system may not be able to use all of the ram for memory (32-bit operating systems will only "see" about 3.5 or 3 gig) it is best to go ahead and get 4 gig (ideally in two 2 gig sticks.) The only time I recommend sticking with 2 gig is if the system is on a very tight budget, or you live in a part of the world where moving to 4 gig from 2 is prohibitvely expensive. Note that it is ideal to match the ram speed to the (fastest) motherboard FSB speed. I say ideal as most times faster ram speeds will increase the cost, and the gain may be very small for such an increase. Intel (in conjunction with Corsair) have also introduced a new memory feature called "XMP" (eXtreme Memory Profile). This is a feature that automatically sets the ram timing, voltage, and frequency to high settings that the board will recognize. You don't have to worry about tweaking settings for the ram to work properly. However, if you are an overclocker and choose to alter these settings for even higher performance you are free to do so. Additionally, when the system boots, even if you have modified these settings they will be temporarily reset to safe settings during boot to be safe, so you don't have to worry about extreme settings messing things up and preventing a boot cycle. Note that the difference between faster ram, such as DDR3-1600 speed with tighter timing, and slower ram, such as DDR3-1333 with looser timing, will only be a very small amount, on the order of 3% to 5%. This difference may not be worth the cost increase in some parts of the world. If a recommended ram kit looks too expensive, compare it to a DDR3-1333 kit and see if you can find a happier pricepoint. Lifespan: Add or change as needed. Typically needs change with CPU / Motherboard generations. Roughly 4 years, but I recommend changing with your Motherboard change. Check the standards every other year. Recommendations - Intel Socket 1156; 4 gig kits (2 x 2 gig sticks): Recommendations - AMD AM3; 4 gig kits (2 x 2 gig sticks): |
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| Motherboard
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This motherboard is silent, and has no chip fan; meaning there is 1 less part that can fail and 1 less part that generates noise. This is a good board with tons of features. Be warned that a doublewide GPU may block Sata slots 5 and 6. Most people won't use more than a few slots, however, for you raid heavy people that will be something to watch out for.
Intel's socket 1156 is here and there are lots of happy choices for gamers. You can get something entry level if you like or get something targeting extreme enthusiasts. Because of this you would only want to choose an older socket 775 if you live in an area where the socket 1156 choices are prohibitevely expensive. Socket 775 recommendations have been removed (though one remains in the system recommendations). Intel's socket 1156 can have some very confusing PCIe slotting. Some boards may appear to be able to run more graphics cards than they actually can due to this slotting. I think this is because they use normal sized PCIe slots because Nvidia graphic cards can run as dedicated PhysX cards. There are four classifications; "1+PhysX", "2-Way SLI", "2-Way SLI + PhysX", and "3-Way SLI + PhysX". For boards capable of +PhysX you add one slot. Thus the "1+PhysX" boards will have two PCIe full sized slots. Note though that it can only run one Nvidia graphics card as graphics, while the second must be a dedicated PhysX card. This board couldn't run two cards in SLI. While a two slot board rated for "2-Way SLI" could not have a dedicated PhysX card, it can run the GPUs as both graphics and PhysX. Lifespan: Motherboard changes are dictated by CPU socket changes. The tech rarely changes during a CPU lifecycle. Intel Recommendations, socket 1156: AMD Recommendations: |
CPU Cooling
CPU Cooler Compound / Paste
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- not recommended due to size without purchasing a special case
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Sub-core Systems |
| Sound Card
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For me, good positional audio really increases my enjoyment of a game. Some of the Creative Labs X-Fi cards include on-board ram, a first for sound cards. Only a few games take advantage of the on-board ram so this isn't as big of a gain as it may sound like. Some games feature EAX 5.0 coding and when you play one of those games the sounds do sound far superior to games without EAX 5.0. On-motherboard audio currently only use EAX 2.0 (unless it is an X-Fi chip), so while sound from on-motherboard chips will be adequate, they won't be quite as nice. The majority of users will not really notice a difference between a game that is coded for the X-Fi and a system that has one and a system which is simply using on-board motherboard sound. This goes double for users who are using headphones instead of speakers. I would recommend that most people consider spending more money on graphics before considering adding in an add in sound card since benefits from better graphics is more apparent to more users.
Asus has launched a new sound card, the "Xonar DX". This could be the first real competition for Creative Labs in many years. The Xonar DX is limited to EAX 2.0, but fakes EAX 5.0 through emulation, meaning its sound quality and clarity would be very close to the Creative Labs X-Fi line. Note that some cards use the old-school PCI connection, while some cards use the new-school PCI express 1x connection. A PCIe 1x type card can theoretically be used in any PCIe slot, so those 16x and 8x graphic card slots should work just fine for a PCIe 1x sound card if you don't have an available 1x slot. Lifespan: Sound card tech rarely changes. I recommend updating every 3 years, or as needed due to a tech change. Recommendations; PCI express 1x connection:
I tend to stick with one speaker set and change when the sound technology changes. These were decent sounding mid-cost speakers when I got them. Technology hasn't changed much, so there hasn't been any real reason for me to upgrade even though I made this purchase in 2005. Lifespan: A personal choice, but I recommend every 3-5 years or as needed. Recommendations: For those who may want to run a second set of speakers to use for voice chat - so that you can have your game sounds and voice chat on separate speakers - you may want to look at the Logitech V10 USB speakers.
I prefer speakers to headsets, but some people may not have that option or may prefer to use headsets so they don't bother their roommates. It seems there are about three classes of headsets - the tiny in the ear type, the type you put over (or hang on) your ears, and the type which are larger and have foam pads and go around your ears. The tiny in the ear type are likely not very good for gaming due to their lower sound quality. (They also tend to have shorter cords.) Also, these can bother the wearer over extended periods of use. The over the ear type can be ok for sound reproduction, but they aren't ideal for extended use as they often bother the user due to either smashing or hanging on the ear. The over the ear type is ideal for extended use and gaming. There is some debate if surround sound actually works with headsets. While headsets can include multiple speakers on each side, this will obviously come at a sacrifice of speaker quality due to the multiple smaller speaker size compared to two larger ones. In most cases would recommend going with a basic two speaker design which is over the ear and pass on trying to get surround sound unless you are willing to pay the extra costs to do so. Most headphones have two plugs, one for sound and one for the microphone, though some will have a USB connection which acts as both plugs. I noticed a reference that USB headsets can play sound independant of your speakers if you are using a voice chat program. Thus, you could have your game sound set to the speakers which connect to your sound card and set your voice chat program to independantly run voice sounds to the USB headset. I can't verify this, but it sounds logical. Recommendation: |
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| Hard drive
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Solid state drives are quickly becoming an excelent choice for a higher mainstream build. Note that because solid state drives are still new tech they are still far more costly per gig than something like a VelociRaptor. When deciding which solid state drive to get note that the more expensive drives will have both fast read and fast write, while the less expensive ones will have just about as fast of a reading speed but the writing speed may be slower than other solid state drives. This slower write speed will not affect your gameplay, but it may affect things like media content creation (like creating/editing movie, audio, or doing 3d rendering work.) Note that in any case, the newest solid sate drives will always beat out even the faster old-school drives such as the VelociRaptor. A solid state hard drive is quickly becoming one of the better choices in terms of improving your game (and overall computing) experience as it greatly reduces load times and waiting between opearions.
The only real limitation to solid state drives at the time of this writing (late October 2009) is that they are still a bit pricy in terms of cost per gig (take the formula of ( Price / gig capacity ) to calculate the cost per gig), and their sizes are still fairly small in comparison to the older drive types. If you tend to store a lot of information on your system besides games (such as music, movies, pictures, homework files, etc.) you will probably want to get a second drive for those files. For games, even the smaller sized solid state drives should be fine. Most single player games average around 5 gig, while online games will varry between 10 and 20 gig. Lifespan: Hard drive tech changes rarely, but I recommend changing your hard drive about every 3 to 4 years. Note that all drives are "OEM" items and do not have a box or cables. However, your motherboard kit should include the necessary Sata cables. Recommendations; standard speed: Recommendations; high speed: Recommendations; solid state: |
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| DVD / CD
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DVD burners are getting lower in price these days, so there isn't any reason not to get one (compared to getting a CD type). Just be sure it has features and speeds you are happy with. Try and check for a sata connection type and Windows Vista certification.
Lifespan: Media tech changes rarely. I recommend changing as necessary. Recommendations: |
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| Power Supply
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Something new to watch for is compatibility with the new PCI Express 16 Version 2 standard (PCIe v2). This requires an 8-pin power connector for graphic cards. Previously power supplies used a 6-pin type, most on the market only have 6-pin. However, many new power supplies use a "6+2" pin method. My recommendations all have at least one 6+2-pin PCIe connector, with two or more total PCIe connectors.
Lifespan: About 4 years. I recommend changing every 3 years or as needed. Recommendations: There are three things to consider when purchasing a power supply; the overall Power ratting, the 12 volt rails / total amps, and the Fan size / speed. Power rating is the overall big number you see listed on the box. Today, right now, you want to target 500w or higher with a new system for single graphic card use, or 650w or higher for dual graphic card use. The 12v lines and total amps is equally important and equally as tricky to gauge your needs. These are very important for graphics card power, but also important if you run lots of devices (such as multiple hard drives.) The short version is that you want at least 34 total amps these days. If a power supply has multiple 12v lines you can add their amounts together to find the total amps. Fans are important to consider if you are concerned about noise. Larger fan size doesn't automatically mean that the fan will be quieter, but it does mean that it can run at a lower speed. You will want to be sure that the fan has a speed control, which is critical for keeping noise at a minimum. Some fans run at only one speed, meaning they produce more noise than they have to and will likely be overly loud. Efficiency is also something you may wish to check. Most power supplies these days will have >80% efficiency. Less efficient units will produce more heat and may cost you more in terms of a monthly power bill. (Though this monthly cost increase likely won't be too noticeable.) PCIe connectors are also something you may want to consider. The power supplies I recommend all have at least two PCIe connections that use the new 6+2 pin connectors. Some graphic cards only require one PCIe plug, however, some require two. Depending on how many of which cards you will use you may want one, two, four, or six PCIe connectors total. While it is tempting to buy a cheap power supply, don't. The power supply is the heart of your system, so you want a good one. Read some reviews and go with a well-known brand that matches your price and performance needs if you are unsure. Recommendations: All power supplies listed are PCIe v2 compatible and have two or more 8-pin ("6+2") PCIe connection types. Note that a reference of "Modular" means that you only plug in the power lines that you need, freeing up space for airflow in your case. A reference of "xGPU+" means this power supply could handle two or more graphic cards depending on their plug configurations. |
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Case
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I have to say that the Antec Nine Hundred is an amazingly quiet case and it isn’t overly large like some. I accidentally had one fan bumped to high when I first booted up, boy was that loud, but that's actually a good feature - the fans can be switched between three different settings depending on your cooling needs. The extra room in the case makes it easy to set things up. The fan settings are a great option, allowing you to go for silence or for maximum cooling. There are even thingies in the tray of the case so you can twist tie cables here and there to make cable management easy. The Antec Nine Hundred is easily one of the best cases I have owned. (So far I’ve owned at least 6.)
In my opinion cases that cost more than $100 are too expensive. Usually the features you gain for the really expensive cases simply aren't worth the cost. If you find a case you like, look around for better prices; sometimes you can find really good cases much cheaper at one retailer compared to another. If you like one which is more than $100 look very carefully at the stats, ask yourself if you really need the features it offers compared to a less expensive case. General case comments: Drive bays - Each case has a different number of bays. Consider your needs. You likely won't change your needs drastically, so there isn't much point in getting something that would be overkill. Cooling - Case fans can make a decent amount of difference in the overall temperatures inside your case. Choosing a case with more than one fan, particularly if they can be changed to different speeds, is a good idea. Two should be plenty. Noise - Few cases are louder than others simply based on design. The exception to this are ones which have open sides or fronts, as the open nature will allow for a little more noise to come out. Basically your noise level will be impacted more by the number and type of fans the case has than by design. C00ln3ss! - The "coolness" factor of a case can deceptive. Be sure the case meets your needs on the above factors before buying it just becaue it looks cool. Some of those cool design factors may impact the ease of installation of parts or how well the case cools the parts inside. Size - Some cases (especially the smaller ones) can be difficult to work with (when installing stuff). This can be problematic if you expect to change out parts. While the larger cases can often provide plenty of internal room, they can take up a lot of external room - meaning that large case which is very roomy inside may take up all of the available space you have in your PC area. Balance the case size with your biological size needs - meaning leave enough room for your PC parts as well as enough room for your body parts. Consider where that PC will go in relation to where you will go. Will the size be helpful or harmful to your personal space? Weight - A minor point, but one to consider none the less. Aluminum cases will be lighter compared to Steel cases. If you are going to be changing parts every now and then, or carrying your PC to a friends for those lan party weekends, you may want to consider a smaller aluminum case. Lifespan: About 5 years. When you need to change will be determined by changes in the industry which alter Motherboard or graphic card size. Recommendations: Cooler Master Centurion 5 - This is a decent looking and very low-cost case. It should do just fine for basic needs. However, be aware it may not have the room required by some of the larger graphic cards, such as the new Nvidia 8800 GTX. If you'd like to add more case fans, or replace the ones which come with your case, I recommend using Antec tri-cool fans. These have an adjustable speed (three settings), so you can tailor the speed according to your need or your preference for fan volume. If more fans doesn't push airflow where you need it to go Antec has a fan that allows you to target specific spots - the SpotCool. NewEgg link and Amazon link. The SpotCool also has three speed settings, just like the tri-cool fans. |
Note that you will want to avoid the "Xtreme Audio" version of the X-Fi line as this is really an Audigy SE. Both the Audigy SE line and the "X-Fi Xtreme Audio" version are missing features that are used in today's games. The "Xtreme Audio" is not a true X-Fi card.
Speakers
Headsets/Headphones
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Peripherals |
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Mouse
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Let me begin by saying that the G9 is one of the best mice I have ever owned. This seems to be a trend, in that each Logitech mouse upgrade I make improves my experience. The mouse begins very light, but has extra weights so you can tailor its weight to your style. It is fairly small, though very similar in size compared to the G5. I would guess it to be about 85% of the length. It is, however, a lower profile mouse. My fingers rest in a more natural position on the G9. The scroll wheel is a pretty superior design overall and feels like solid construction compared to the fumbly G5 design. It rolls quickly and smoothly. The on-the-fly setting switch is different from the G5 design, in that the G9 is flat and sort of 'one' with the overall design. This might make it a bit more challenging to change mid-combat. I'm sure it wouldn't take very long before you could get used to it. The side button seems great, but the front/side button seems a bit more difficult to get to. I find myself moving my entire thumb area on my hand to get to it. While this may seem troublesome now, I'm sure I can get quicker at it in the future, and it certainly is a lot faster than doing something like, say for example, moving my left hand off of 'wasd' to hit an F key.
It would appear that Logitech has stopped including drivers with the mouse. This is a bit of a double edged sword in that it's good because it ensures that the user has the most recent version of the software, as they are forced to download them, but bad in that people actually have to go online to get them. However, I don't know if this is really an issue, as the mouse is plug and play compatible and works just fine after windows has detected it. A new feature for the G9 is a customizable faceplate housing. The G9 comes with 2, one being targeted at a gamer design, and one a more classic style design. I am honestly shocked that we haven't seen specific game-specific designs. I know there have been some special G5s out there with Battlefield images and it surprised me to not see any designs for the G9. Hopefully we will see some nice plates for low cost in the future allowing you to swap your design when it strikes your fancy. Another new feature for the G9 is the ability to change the LED colors. This can be done fairly easily through the SetPoint sofware. Lifespan: About 3 years or as needed. Recommendations, Wired: Recommendations, Cordless:
I don't know how critical exact mousing is to everyone else, but I like my movements to be precise. Fumbling and hitches were left behind long ago when I stopped using non-gaming mice. While I would not recommend an expensive mouse pad to all, for those who don't want their mouse movements disrupted, I'd say get yourself a good one. This one has been used and endorsed by professional gaming teams. Recommendations: |
| Keyboard
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My keyboard is the first generation of the Eclipse line and has a backlight only, while the newer ones have light that also shines through the key lettering. This is a great keyboard (as far as feeling, pressure, size) and the added light allows you to mentally keep track of key location when gaming in the dark (which us gamers tend to do probably far more than is healthy for us). The only disadvantage to a lighted keyboard it is lighted. This means that every little piece of dust or crumb that falls past those keys is going to be lit up if you use the light. For those times you don't want the lights, you can set it to be unlit and it looks like any other non-lit keyboard.
Lifespan: About 5 years. Change as needed. Recommendations: |
| Game Controller
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I think if I were ever to get a controller for PC gaming again I'd likely go with the Logitech ChillStream controller. I don't need the cooling effect myself, I rarely sweat, but Microsoft has been focusing on connectivity between Vista PC players and Xbox 360 players. This Xbox 360 style could come in handy with games that are available both on Windows and the Xbox 360 as they may use the same button setup.
Recommendations: |
Mouse pad:
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Monitor |
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Monitor
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The 16:10 and 16:9 aspect LCDs are really great. Games look really good when they use the wide screen resolution. Some monitors have extra inputs, allowing you to watch a picture in picture image. Today, during late 2009, we are seeing a final phasing out of the 16:10 standard PCs used to use in favor of an adoption into mainstream of the 16:9 standard that HDTV and other media uses, forming a unified standard. In fact, when comparing prices, resolutions below 1920x1080 seem to be so close in price to the 1920x1080 screens as to not be worth the cost savings.
Note that as you increase your screen resolution you will need a more powerful graphics card to keep pace with the higher resolution. See my star rating system in the graphic card section to decide what cards would be best for which resolutions. The only major disadvantage to the LCD tech is that currently they do not have 'glass screens'. This means that you have to be extremely careful to not get anything on it, point at it with fingers, pens, or other poking devices, squish bugs on it, bump into it, etc. It cannot be cleaned with normal cleaning methods (you have to use a soft cloth and plain water and press pretty carefully, which is best done in vertical and/or horizontal movements or use a special cleaning kit). I think the reason they don't currently have glass covers is that the screen changes color depending on temperature and we don't currently have the technology to place hard glass over the LCD mesh without affecting the temperature. Lifespan: About 4 years. 1920x1080 res, 16:9 aspect, ATi Eyefinity compatible 1920x1200 res, 16:10 aspect, ATi Eyefinity compatible 1680x1050 res, 16:10 aspect, Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision compatible 1920x1080 res, 16:9 aspect, Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision compatible 1920x1080 res, 16:9 aspect, Recommendations: 1920x1080 res, 16:9 aspect, HDTV Recommendations: Projections: |
Recommendations:
Recommendations:|
Emergent Gaming Tech |
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ATi Eyefinity
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ATi is the first on the scene with true multi-display gaming. While this is a very cool concept there are some limitations. The greatest limitation is that, obviously, you need multiple monitors. For balance you are looking at three monitors (one for left view, one for center, and one for right). Currently there are very few monitors which support the DisplayPort, which is the connection Eyefinity prefers and requires for at least one monitor. The second limitation is that the technology currently does not work with multiple graphic cards (CrossFire), meaning the higher resolution you go the harder of a hit you'll take and you can't (currently) compensate by adding more graphic cards. However, reviewers often mention that with three screens they do ok and still manage to hit good framerates (30-60 FPS) while retaining high effects settings. The easiest setup is using DisplayPort for one monitor, a DVI connection running to the second monitor, and a DVI connection running to the third monitor. It is mentioned that the graphics card HDMI port is shared with a DVI port so you effectively can not use the HDMI connection. Setup may be difficult, confusing, and challenging depending on your monitors, but it should be easy if you follow the above configuration. Lastly, note that having three monitors will take up a lot more desk space than just one, be sure that your desk could accommodate the wider size.
Lifespan: Until technology changes. Projections: |
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Nvidia 3D Vision
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Nvidia has launched a set of glasses which allow you to game in 3d. How cool is that? Unfortunately, this technology has some tricky requirements right now.
First, you'll need the glasses kit itself, which at the time of this writing is $200. There has been mention you can get additional glasses for friends to watch with you, but I haven't seen any pricing on additional glasses. Hopefully this means that the glasses and hub will come down in price fairly quickly. Second, you'll need a special PC monitor with a 120 Hz refresh rate. This is problematic at this time as nearly all PC LCDs are 60 Hz, only two are referenced as being compatible. Those who are considering using a 120 Hz HDTV will need to have a DLP certification, which again there only seem to be a few of. Old school CRTs may have a better chance of immediate adoption, as they only need to run at 100 Hz or faster, which many do. Third, you'll need a pretty powerful Nvidia graphics card. The technology works by creating two images, so your frame rate is effectively cut in half as each eye needs to see half the images. I'd recommend only those with a GTX 2xx series and up consider it, be that by the next series or by combining previous generation cards in SLI. Lastly, you'll need Microsoft Vista or Windows 7. Within a year I'm sure there will be far more monitors out that are compatible and the drivers and compatibility will be greatly improved. I will certainly update my site as they do. But for now, it seems like there are some trade offs. As with any bleeding edge product some games work very well with the technology and some don't. You might even want to consider getting a compatible monitor and pairing that with a (standard) higher resolution monitor for those times the trade offs just don't seem worth the 3D gain. But for early adopters who can afford the GPU power and possibly having multiple screens, it looks like great fun. Lifespan: Until technology changes. Glasses and Monitor: Projections: As of early 2010 this technology is also starting to appear in combination with 3D HDTVs. This could mean that it may become the adopted standard over time, as ATi has yet to have a large presence in the 3D market. Only time will tell if Nvidia will emerge as the standard to follow. |
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Operating System |
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Operating System
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There is often little choice in which operating system you use. While non-Microsoft operating systems will work for many non-gaming applications, they really won't work for gamers.
If you need a new operating system, I recommend going with Windows 7. While this is not yet out you can get the Release Candidate version for free which will continue to work until sometime in 2010. Note though that you will have to reformat the drive when you install the post-release version of Windows 7. Also note that the RC is the Ultimate version and will contain things that the average gamer does not need. If you find yourself using these features you'll need to pick up Windows 7 Ultimate. Recommendations: |
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Testing |
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Benchmarks
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While testing your system is not critical I will always install the most recent versions of Futuremark's 3dMark software to test my system after I've set it up. I also like to run these tests after I've changed a major part, such as when I upgrade my graphics card, or even if I have changed DirectX versions or updated my GPU drivers. It is a great way to see if everything is working and if you go online to compare to other people's scores it is also a great way to see if you seem to be near the range of other systems with your parts and operating system. Futuremark 3dMark Vantage and 3dMark06 The first DirectX 11 benchmark is out; "Heaven" by Unigine. I don't know what information or ratings it outputs, but it should be very pretty to watch. |
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Cleaning and Protection |
| Digital cleaning:
Your PC constantly builds up little 'bits' of left over information in the system directory, as well as suffers from attack from web pests (adware, spyware, viruses, etc.) In order to keep your system running quickly and smoothly I recommend getting these two programs. I run a Registry sweep about once a month and let Spysweeper run once a week. And to keep things speedy defrag my hard drive once a month as well. Registry Mechanic specializes in finding the 'left over' bits of information that accumulates in your system as time goes on. It is easy to use and fairly cheap should you choose to purchase it. Keeping the system registry clean will help speed up the overall operation of your system. ESET NOD32 Antivirus will find almost all of the known viruses. According to many reviewers it does as good of a job, and sometimes a better job, than Norton. The ESET software also reportedly uses fewer resources and works more invisibly on your system. AVG Free Antivirus will find almost all of the known viruses and you can get it for teh free. It is a touch more limited than the pay antivirus software solutions in that it doesn't have some of the same features (which at the time of this writing is a firewall or message protection), but the pay versions also don't always offer those either. Webroot Spysweeper will find almost any ad or spyware on your PC and delete it. Adware and Spyware are things that evil companies use to track what you are doing with your PC. Some of these are both illegal and dangerous. These little programs will slowly eat up your system resources as they store and gather more and more data. I highly recommend people protect themselves with Spysweeper. Disk Cleanup is a free thing with Windows. You can find it by going to the start menu, accessories, system tools, then "Disk Cleanup". You don't need to do this one very often, but your system does store temporary files that you don't need after a while and this will clean those up. I'd say try and do this maybe every 4 to 6 months. In some versions of Windows the Disk Defrag can be found in the same area as the Disk Cleanup tool. In others it will be in your control panel under Performance and Maintenance. The hard drive works like a book, and when data is in the proper order it will run quickly. If, however, the 'pages' get all jumbled up looking things up will take a lot longer and performance will be affected. I recommend running a disk defrag once a month or every other month. Note: It is critical that you not defrag your hard drive if it is a solid state drive. Solid state drives do not need to be defragged and doing so may actually reduce their lifespan. Physical cleaning: You can get cans of "compressed air" in many different forms. These are typically sold at computer stores, but you can also sometimes find them at other stores, such as gaming stores like GameStop or EB Games. The most common is the "Dust-off" brand. You can often find these sold singly, as a double plack, or in 3 packs. Often a 3 pack is the best deal for the money. I recommend opening up your system and blowing the parts off to get all the dust out once every 6 months, although once every 4 months is probably ideal. Also, you have to be very careful when cleaning an LCD monitor, and the best way to do this is with compressed air, or if you need to get yuck off, use cleaning wipes. |
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| Power
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Your system is always at risk of damage from any kind of anomaly on the power line. As such I always recommend people protect their system with a good surge protector or universal power supply (also known as a battery backup). Don't go cheap with these. A good surge protector will stabilize the flow of electricity as well as decrease 'line noise' and help stabilize any over or under current situations. Also, many of them will cut power once power is lost, preventing your system from flickering on and off during a situation when power becomes unstable.
A good surge protector will probably run you between $25-35 and is a very worthwhile investment for any system. Uninteruptable Power Supplies (UPS) tend to be a lot more expensive and range in price from about $75 to $750. Here is the tricky part - you want a battery backup that will be able to cover your current power needs. This is something you don't have to consider if you are using a simple surge protector. I would say that you probably want to target one which has a "VA rating" equal to, or higher than, your power supply rating. The average gamer doesn't need a battery backup, however, if you would like an extra few minutes to shut the system down after you loose power you may want to consider one. I'd say you probably only want to consider one if you work with media, such as video or audio editing. An gamer doesn't need to spend the money on a UPS. Recommendations: |
