How To Build/Buy A New Top Of The Line Game Computer Like ..

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To you very ignorant dumb foolS!!!

DIY Gaming-PC Buying Guide

TechTV Labs loaned Cat Schwartz the parts for building
her first gaming PC. Get our buying advice and watch
Cat's progress all this week on 'Call for Help.'
Watch today at 6 p.m. and Monday 5/17 at 9 a.m. and 3
p.m. Eastern.

By Robert Heron
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You see the latest PC games and know (deep inside) that
your current hardware isn't enough. Not everyone will
want to take on the task of building a computer, but you
can save money and gain a substantial reward: knowledge.
Regardless of whether you need a good value or simply the
best, your PC-part selections are critical.


The most important part(s)


CPU and motherboard
It all starts with the motherboard, or mobo, for short.
The motherboard is where all the parts of a computer
communicate and work together. Since the mobo determines
what type of CPU you'll use, it's time to pick a side:
Intel or AMD. TechTV Labs is partial to AMD's latest CPUs
(especially for gaming). However, either chip giant's
current offerings will run the latest games with ease.


When deciding on the right motherboard for your new
gaming rig, read through a few reviews. Here are some
good sources for mobo info.


Motherboards.org
HardOCP
AnandTech

Narrow your choices by focusing on motherboards that
provide a compatible socket for your new CPU as well as
useful features such as an integrated LAN adapter.



Graphics cards
Today's games rely on CPU power as much as the
capabilities of the video card. My rule of thumb: Spend
about the same amount of money on each. If you can afford
a $500 graphics card, you should pair it with the best
CPU your motherboard can handle. Likewise, if you're
looking at $150 graphics cards for your gaming rig, spend
at least that much on the CPU.



Memory
Most motherboards are designed to work with DDR SDRAM
memory modules. Often described by their rated speeds,
400-MHz DDR modules (also called PC3200 or DDR400) are
the most common type in use today.


The latest PC games hog memory, and if the game consumes
more than the available memory, your operating system
will start using the hard drive to buffer the overflow.
When that happens, game performance will slow to a crawl
as your fast system memory waits on the relatively slow
hard drive for more information.


Equip your gaming rig with 1024MB of memory. Since most
motherboards work best with just one or two sticks of
memory, 512MB modules are a good way to go. Don't be too
cheap when purchasing memory. Quality memory will give
you years of trouble-free service. A bad module can cause
difficult-to-diagnose problems, including unpredictable
BSODs. Start with one 512MB stick and add another later
if money's tight.


As with most things, deal with manufacturers and
merchants that stand behind what they sell. I swear by
Corsair memory for my own systems. However, I've never
had a problem with generic memory modules from my local
computer store. My local store warrants what it sells,
and Corsair offers a lifetime warranty on its modules.


Save some cash

If you're set on purchasing the best gaming graphics
card, and if funds are tight, consider using a slightly
smaller hard drive, only one 512MB stick of memory, and a
single DVD-ROM drive. Also, you can save significantly if
you pick a CPU one or two steps back from the current
flagship chip. Typically, the fastest CPUs cost twice as
much as the next-fastest models.


Pick a case

Pick a case for your new system based on your needs. If
having USB/FireWire/AV jacks on the front of the box is
important to you, select an appropriate case and a
motherboard that supports the additional connections. If
the case includes a power supply, make sure it's rated at
300 watts or higher. I've had great success using power
supplies from Antec and PC Power & Cooling. Tom's
Hardware recently compared PSUs (power supply units) from
a number of manufacturers. You should spend a little more
on a PSU to insure good quality.


Hard drive(s)

Most every new motherboard sold today comes equipped with
SATA connections for attaching hard drives. Optical
drives are beginning the transition to SATA as well. SATA
cabling is easier to connect and easier to manipulate
than the 40/80 wire ATA cables of yore. Also, using the
SATA connections leaves more IDE channels available for
items such as additional hard drives and CD/DVD burners.


Consider at least 80GB of hard-drive storage for your
game PC. The last two games I installed were 3.5GB each,
and the trend probably won't reverse itself anytime soon.
Hard drives used to store the OS and program files should
be 7,200-rpm models or faster. Stiff competition among
the main manufacturers of PC hard drives -- (Western
Digital, Seagate, Hitachi, and Maxtor) keeps prices
competitive, and great deals appear regularly, so shop
around.


OS

If you plan to purchase a copy of Windows XP Pro or Home
edition for your new PC, remember that you can receive
discounted pricing when making a hardware purchase at the
same time.


Test your new system

Once your new box is built and the OS is loaded, spend a
little time insuring that everything works as it should.
If you need help with understanding the various BIOS
settings, go to Adrian's Rojak Pot. Here are a few of my
favorite PC test/burn-in applications.



Prime95 is a great way to stress the memory or CPU. If it
runs overnight successfully, I declare it 100 percent
stable.


Memtest86 (bootable CD) is a free test tool good for
determining if a memory module is bad.


Motherboard Monitor 5 is a free motherboard-
temperature/fan-speed monitoring application. It can send
updates/warnings via email, among other useful things.


Sandra (Standard version) includes various test tools
useful for visualizing how changes to system settings
affect performance.

Originally aired April 26, 2004
Modified April 29, 2004

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