Building gaming PC.... please help?

Please Help :: Building A GAMING PC , PLEASE?

• i am planning to get a gaming computer, not factory built. so please tell me a good config that ll run heavy games in high settings. >>pls specify the gpu brand and the psu required. >> pls tell me a good compatible motherboard. >>am planning the processor to be intel i5. >>warn me about any compatibility issues possible. btw nvidia or ati ?? Your help is most appreciated :) thanks in advance..

• Answer:

  Well, the i5 means you're going to need a pentium socketed mobo. Given that the i5 has (from what I've heard) two different socket types, you'll need to make sure you have the right socket for your CPU. Ensure that the CPU is clocking at near 3.0 on normal settings without turbo or overclocking. For the mobo...try to find the 890 boards, especially if you intend to Crossfire your computer (the BUS on the 890 can carry more data, so you have true x16 speed from both graphics cards). Brand-names to trust: Gigabyte, ASUS, ASRock As for GPU, for simplicity's sake, I'd recommend an HD5770 for a budget build, and the HD7870 for a high-end build, and the HD7990 for a "I have more money than I can spend in a lifetime" build. AMD (formerly known as ATi) cards tend to be more plug-and-play friendly than are nVidia cards. In short, the time from install to playing a game is shorter. :D In any case, unless you're planning on watching a lot of BluRay disks, you don't really need more than 1Gb of GDDR on the Vid Card, since the BUS can only handle 512Mb. For a PSU, I recommend at least an 800w PSU. If you're going to use multiple GPUs (or lighting schemes or water cooling...), I'd recommend even higher (i.e.: 1Kw), since they require more draw. The extra "headroom" also means your PSU will last longer, since the demands won't top out on the unit. (Also helps keep the unit cooler, which also extends the life.) For compatability issues, ensure the chipset is Intel, VIA, or AMD. nVidia chipsets are more know to cause issues with non-nVidia cards than the same for AMD cards. While by no means common, it is considerably less rare with the nVidia chipsets. Few (if any) games require the use of more than 4Gb of RAM (currently), so you can limit yourself there, and save some cash. I recommend a 120Gb HDD for the exclusive use of your GUI and required programs (i.e.: Security Suite). This will speed the access times by limiting the space the computer has to search. If you're going to be installing a lot of games, I recommend at a minimum of a 1Tb drive, partitioned into a 500Gb games partition, a 250Gb patches & mods partition, and the remainder for miscellaneous files (i.e.: driver updates, etc). Personally, I've reached the point where I'm going to have to do some "surgery" on my HDDs, to create a STEAM partition, an ORIGIN partition, and an IMPULSE partition, each of at least 500Gb. (In addition to work partitions and other non-gaming partitions.) Good Luck!