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I might have to go back to the dark side..

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todd51

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Well after being Windows free for my personal computing needs since summer of 2006, I might have to go back to Windows. I'm wanting to get back into PC gaming and my 13" MBP won't cut the Steam applications. Thought about a Mac Pro, but since I could just build a PC built to my own specifications, it's much easier and less expensive. I think I"ll budget around $700-$800 for a nice desktop that can play the most recent games at decent resolution. Probably throw Winows 7 64 bit on there. Thought about doing XP, but it's getting to be way to old of an OS. Now the only question is whether or not to go with the new Intel core processors, or an AMD processor. I think the AMDs will provide more room for upgrading processors in the future without having to replace the entire motherboard.
 

pigoo3

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Well after being Windows free for my personal computing needs since summer of 2006, I might have to go back to Windows.

Maybe this post should go in the "Switcher" forum...or maybe there should be a "Reverse Switcher" forum!;)

Windows computers do seem to be the way to go for hard-core gaming. Best performance/cost balance. You could still have a Windows computer for gaming...and use a Mac for everything else.:)

- Nick
 
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todd51

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Maybe this post should go in the "Switcher" forum...or maybe there should be a "Reverse Switcher" forum!;)

Windows computers do seem to be the way to go for hard-core gaming. Best performance/cost balance.

- Nick

Haha, reverse switcher forum, I like it!

Yea, I just miss playing games on Steam on my old gaming PC that I had built way back in 03-04. I played games on it up until 2008 and the motherboard went out and died. :\

I know a couple of my friends will be excited to hear about it. I'll finally be able to get back into PC gaming with them! I would love to do a LAN party sometime soon, haven't been to one of those in a loooonnng time!
 

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There is nothing wrong with having a mixed environment - many people here have both Windows machines and Macs at home. Use the tool that is best for the job and a Windows machine is still best for gaming.

I notice in your Mac specs that you have a 27" iMac. Have you thought about boot camping it (assuming the video card meets your needs)?
 
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todd51

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There is nothing wrong with having a mixed environment - many people here have both Windows machines and Macs at home. Use the tool that is best for the job and a Windows machine is still best for gaming.

I notice in your Mac specs that you have a 27" iMac. Have you thought about boot camping it (assuming the video card meets your needs)?

Yea, I should take that out. I sold the 27" iMac a while ago, didn't like the whole all-in-one design. I was actually dual-booting it at the time with Windows 7 to play games and it ran Left 4 Dead at 720p resolution! It was pretty awesome, although for some reason the sound drivers weren't working with Windows 7 very well, so I couldn't chat. Which is a very essential part of the game if you have ever played it.
 

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There is nothing wrong with having a mixed environment - many people here have both Windows machines and Macs at home. Use the tool that is best for the job and a Windows machine is still best for gaming.

Ditto. I have long been an advocate of using a Mac laptop as my primary computing environment, and maintaining a gaming rig running Windows for those purposes.

The nice thing is, I can constantly refresh my hardware at minimal cost and never have a lump sum to pay out to run the latest and greatest games. Every few years, I'll get a new video card, motherboard and/or CPU. The case, optical drives, power supply, etc stay the same. And since I'm only playing games on it, maintenance of Windows is not a problem in the slightest.

Do let us know what hardware you're looking at, we can help you pick components if you want.
 
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todd51

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Ditto. I have long been an advocate of using a Mac laptop as my primary computing environment, and maintaining a gaming rig running Windows for those purposes.

The nice thing is, I can constantly refresh my hardware at minimal cost and never have a lump sum to pay out to run the latest and greatest games. Every few years, I'll get a new video card, motherboard and/or CPU. The case, optical drives, power supply, etc stay the same. And since I'm only playing games on it, maintenance of Windows is not a problem in the slightest.

Do let us know what hardware you're looking at, we can help you pick components if you want.

Well I'm thinking of spending about 700-800 right off the bat. Do you think I should go AMD or one of the newer Intel processors?

EDIT: cwa, I think I'm going to go with an AMD quad-core processor, just having some trouble picking out the right processor and motherboard. Can anyone suggest something that could be on budget for a $800 computer? The motherboard doesnt' really need to have any video output even though most of them do. USB ports aren't a big concern for me, I don't have too many peripherals, so I don't need a ton of them.

I also have a LCD screen with HDMI for a monitor, and have a keyboard/mouse. Also looking to order from TigerDirect.com since I get parts faster through them than NewEgg.
 

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Well I'm thinking of spending about 700-800 right off the bat. Do you think I should go AMD or one of the newer Intel processors?

EDIT: cwa, I think I'm going to go with an AMD quad-core processor, just having some trouble picking out the right processor and motherboard. Can anyone suggest something that could be on budget for a $800 computer? The motherboard doesnt' really need to have any video output even though most of them do. USB ports aren't a big concern for me, I don't have too many peripherals, so I don't need a ton of them.

Every time I think about my next system, I always say "I'm gonna go AMD next time", but when push comes to shove, for whatever reason, I always stick with Intel. The chipsets, sockets and naming schemes for their processors just seem to click with me. I often find myself confused when trying to figure out AMD's latest components and what is compatible with what.

If I were building one right now, I'd be going for a Core i5 or i7 with an AMD Radeon 5870 card. The video card is much more important than the CPU in terms of gaming, so I'd probably go with the more budget-minded CPU and spend more money on the video card. I also wouldn't do dual video cards until you actually see how the system performs with the games you play -- you can always add a second one in Crossfire if push comes to shove, just make sure your motherboard supports it before you commit to a particular model.

As far as motherboards go, I tend to buy Gigabyte. I like their solid state capacitors and overall designs. ASUS makes a nice MB too. MSI seems to have quite a following, but I don't have much personal experience with them.

Another tip - spend good money on a very good power supply from companies like PC Power & Cooling or Antec. Cheap, knock-off PSUs are often rated with a very high peak output, but in reality they can't handle that kind of sustained output. Buy a power supply that will outlive your motherboard and is overkill for your components. This way you won't have to buy another one down the road.
 
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The i7-920 is still one of the best bang for the bucks. They were on clearance at several places for about $200. You can over clock the **** out of them and it's verrrrrrry easy to do. I've even seen bench marks where they outperform stock higher end i7's.
 
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todd51

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Thanks for the replies guys! I will definitely check this more out when I get off work. Typing this from my phone right now.
 
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@ todd51

What model MBP do you have mate ??
Just wondering as too if it has the newer NVIDIA GeForce 320M ?? or the older one ??
Trying to determine if mine the with the newer NVIDIA GeForce 320M will run Steam as i havnt checked it out yet :)

Cheers

EDIT : Just noticed the bottom of page sig of your and you have only 2GB and the new models came out with 4GB standard ... So i worked it out my self ;) thanks
 

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I have always done the same thing. I would just use an Xbox or PS3 but I love building computers and I can have it my way.

I used to use AMD for all my gaming rigs till the Core Duo and later Core 2 Duo came out. So far AMD has some catch up to do before I will go back to using them in my Gaming rigs. The latest Intel's CPUs just blow down anything else.
 
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todd51

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@ todd51

What model MBP do you have mate ??
Just wondering as too if it has the newer NVIDIA GeForce 320M ?? or the older one ??
Trying to determine if mine the with the newer NVIDIA GeForce 320M will run Steam as i havnt checked it out yet :)

Cheers

EDIT : Just noticed the bottom of page sig of your and you have only 2GB and the new models came out with 4GB standard ... So i worked it out my self ;) thanks

My MBP has the 9400M chipset in it. It does play Portal pretty good, but not at the specs I want it to.
 
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todd51

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I have always done the same thing. I would just use an Xbox or PS3 but I love building computers and I can have it my way.

I used to use AMD for all my gaming rigs till the Core Duo and later Core 2 Duo came out. So far AMD has some catch up to do before I will go back to using them in my Gaming rigs. The latest Intel's CPUs just blow down anything else.

Yea, my last gaming rig, I used AMD. I'm thinking about going with the core i5 processor. I figured instead of getting an i7, I'll save the left over cash to dump on the video card. Anyone have a preference of nVidia or ATI? My last PC I built had an ATI card in it and it worked wonderfully for me.
 

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I might get some flack for this but I have always had the best luck with ATI. The latest ATI cards are very good and in some recent benchmarks are beating out some Nvidia at the same price point. Currently I am running all ATI here.
 
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todd51

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Well, it's a bit over-budget, but I completely forgot about getting a copy of Windows 7. That added another 150.

EDIT: Here are the main parts..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145218
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031

Feel free to critique my upcoming purchase. Oh, and the power supply came with a FREE anti-static wrist strap! Lucky ME! :)
The total is coming to about 980 with shipping and all. Keep in mind I have a 500GB HDD, DVD burner, and Windows that added to the price.
 

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Good parts all. I would suggest looking at EVGA cards. IMO, they have the best warranty and usually use very good cooling. Not all that familiar with XFX. I also don't care for Cooler Master cases. I'd suggest looking at Antec on the low end and Silverstone on the high end. Unless you like your PC looking like a Transformer :D
 

cwa107


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I might get some flack for this but I have always had the best luck with ATI. The latest ATI cards are very good and in some recent benchmarks are beating out some Nvidia at the same price point. Currently I am running all ATI here.

Whichever is en vogue at the moment is what I lean toward. Right now it seems like ATI has the best bang for the buck and is the darling of the gamer community. That's not a bad thing either because I've often found that ATI's drivers are more robust.
 

dtravis7


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Good parts all. I would suggest looking at EVGA cards. IMO, they have the best warranty and usually use very good cooling. Not all that familiar with XFX. I also don't care for Cooler Master cases. I'd suggest looking at Antec on the low end and Silverstone on the high end. Unless you like your PC looking like a Transformer :D

Just a heads up. I at this point am pretty broke extra $$$ wise but GTA4 was totally maxing out my ATI 1950XLT. I had the 256 MB model and GTA4 needs at least 512 MB VRam. Textures were disappearing and all sorts of slow downs.

I needed something NOW and did not have the $$$ for High End which would also need a new Power Supply with 2xPCI-E power also! I was at Best Buy. Saw this XFX. Never heard of it but it was cheap (nice when you are broke :D). So I got on a IPad and checked a few reviews. All positive and people were playing GTA4 with settings up pretty high and seemed to love the XFX card for the price. Bought it. GTA4 came alive. Seems like a very good quality card. Well made and especially for the price.

That is my take on XFX anyway.

That's not a bad thing either because I've often found that ATI's drivers are more robust.

There was a time many years back when I remember people literally cussing out ATI for their drivers! :D They have gotten very good since then at least I have never had issues with them!
 

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