What Hardware Are You Running?

I have an IMAC. I know not the best of gaming computers but hey it does the job right? I'm thinking of getting a decent gaming computer, maybe build one from scratch and i just wanted to know what sort of hardware do you guys have, pro's and cons and what do you recommend?

Many Thanks
Dec
(Haribo)

 

Custom gaming desktops are obviously the best in terms of performance, but if you're looking for something more portable (e.g. something you can take to school, play the latest games, do homework, etc.), then consider a gaming laptop. Gaming laptops are actually quite expensive; however, business laptops are somewhat cheap. High-end business laptops (like mine) can play all the latest games fine (at 1280x720 for Crysis on High, 1600x900 for all Source games max settings, 1600x900 for CoD series, etc). Here are my specs:

Intel Core i7 2630QM
16 GB DDR3 RAM 1333 MHz
720 GB Hard Drive
Backlit Keyboard, Arrayed Microphones, and Fingerprint Scanner
nVidia Geforce 525M 1GB DDR5
Windows 7 <--- Windows is a huge plus for gaming, since many games are Windows/consoles only
17.3" HD 1080p screen
Easily portable!

 

that is a nice piece of kit, I'm going into town to get a price on my iMac today. Hopefully get get a decent price, enough to set me up what do you guys thing of an alienware laptop, I've been getting a lot of mixed reviews not sure if its worth the money?

 

Alienware has always been overpriced for what you get...

My setup:

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X
Power Supply: CORSAIR HX Series 750W ATX12V 2.3
Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K (3.4GHz)
CPU Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS9500A-LED 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB 4 x 4GB Kit
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB
SSD: Crucial M4 2.5" 128GB + Bay Converter
Optical Drive: LG WH12LS39 12x BDR 12x BDR 2x BD-RE SATA
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7970 X2 IceQ HD 7970 6 GB GDDR5 1050 MHz Dual-GPU

 

.....serious...

 

Mines better, this is my other rig....my true pride and joy

View attachment 1971

 

Definitely not worth the money. Alienware is seriously overpriced.

If you're serious on getting a gaming laptop, first check on eBay (you can filter the search by how much RAM, processor type, HD space, etc.) There are other companies who sell better laptops for cheaper.

 

That's exactly what everyone's saying, its the Alienware brand and flashy lights that's so expensive. What about building up my own? Start of with a case and build up the parts over a few months. What hardware would you say was essential, and what would be too much just for a gaming pc.

Many thanks
Dec
(Haribo)

 

Custom rigs are actually quite good, but it depends on whether you want a laptop or desktop. My laptop is quite big and acts as a desktop replacement (I'm quite happy with it), but building a custom laptop is no easy job-- if it's a laptop, go with a pre-built one. If it's a desktop, building a custom rig is 1) a fun project/learning experience, 2) excellent results, 3) cool styles. Custom desktops look really cool with the LEDs and flashy lights and transparent casing. Moreover, you'll get exactly what you want for cheaper.

If you've got a $3000 budget:

1TB Hard drive - http://www.amazon.com/WD-Blue-Deskt...47846&sr=8-1&keywords=1tb+internal+hard+drive
256GB SSD - http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-256GB...TF8&qid=1359847870&sr=1-1&keywords=256+gb+ssd
Intel Core i7 3970X Extreme Edition - http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Extreme...=UTF8&qid=1359847935&sr=8-1&keywords=i7+3970x
Gigabyte Motherboard: http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GA-X...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359848073&sr=1-4
16 GB DDR3 RAM - http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Venge...UTF8&qid=1359848115&sr=1-1&keywords=16+GB+Ram
DVD/Blu-ray Burner/Player - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-DVD-ROM-...48188&sr=1-1&keywords=blu+ray+player+internal
Backlit Keyboard - http://www.amazon.com/Azio-Tri-Colo...d=1359848254&sr=1-1&keywords=backlit+keyboard
Nvidia GTX690 - http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-...qid=1359848398&sr=8-1&keywords=nvidia+gtx+690
Any case that you desire (should come with its own power supply)

If you've got a $2000 budget, replace the i7 Extreme with something like i7 3770k.

But yeah, you've got yourself a premium gaming rig that can't be beat by the likes of Alienware.

 

Or go with amd if you can't afford intel. No shame in owning a amd my quad runs everything i've thrown at it.
Os Win 7 home
processor, AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 640 Processor (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
processor cooler, i have no idea honestly its been a year since i built it.
mobo, Asus M5A97R2.0
Ram, 8gbs *going to upgrade my 2 2gb sticks to 4gbs sometime*
vidcard, nvidia GeForce 550 ti 1gb
primary hdd, 700 gb seagate
secondary hdd, 500gb seagate
third removable hdd 500gb seagate.
psu 800wt something lol

I'm simple but it works, my build was under 2000. my initial build was $600 then updating took about 400 to 600$ *when my electricity went out and friend my mobo , vid card*

 

sounds like a nice peice of kit, i wil probably keep the Imac for now, buy bits and pieces every month and gradually get a gaming pc up and running.
Thanks for the imput guys, im greatful!

Many thanks
Dec
(Haribo)

 

My humble PC:

Delux case (no idea if its a known manufacturer)
Intel core i3 3.30 GHz
8 Gb RAM DDR3
GeForce GT 240 1Gb DDR3
1 hdd Samsung 500 Gb (primary)
1 hdd Samsung 1 TB (secondary)

Probanly this year i'll make an upgrade and try to find:
A SSD for my primary.
A better Power Supply
Two new Video cards to make SLI or Crossfire (depending of what I choose)

 

http://uk.thermaltake.com/products-model.aspx?id=C_00001788

This chassis looks awesome, probably what i'll buy first 8)

 

Even if i have the budget i couldn't get this kind of hardware (except for the SSD). Plus the import taxes here would increase 30% its value here...

 

thanks for the help, i'll probably start buying parts next month. great project to start

Many Thanks
Dec
(Haribo)

 

Hei and hello, i see here many recommendation for Intel machines, what is ok intel is good processor,i dont wanna go against :s),i am AMD lover and builder in many years, but you already have one intel in your mac so could try other side of the medal. Something what you can overclock good with no any problems and that is AMD processors. For rest is much cheaper then Intel.
I am still stuck with my athlon 64 x2 dual core 3.1ghz and GTX260 'cose i play mostly l4d2, but evrithin works just fine this years.
Her s my next pc:

AMD FX-8350 8-Core Processor
Socket-AM3+, 4.0Ghz, 125W, 8MB L2 + 8MB L3 Cache, 32nm, Black Edition

ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z, Socket-AM3+
ATX, 990FX+SB950, DDR3, 3xG3+1xG2-PCIe-x16, SLI/CFX, USB3.0, SupremeFX III, UEFI

Its important that u choose good procesor and good motherboard when u build new pc. forest good graphics cards
like gtx series (660,670,675,680) or amd series (7870,7950,7970) together with strong power supply .
If u want the buy new gaming laptop sometimes always check this website for videocard quality:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-7970M.72675.0.html

 

ROG ARES II GOD OF CARDS

ROG ARES II: dual HD 7970 GPUs and hybrid air/ liquid cooling

• Hybrid thermal design: dissipating heat equal to 600W with 2-slot air/liquid cooling

• First card with 13% faster and 31°C cooler performance than reference GTX 690
• Acclaimed DIGI+ VRM joins superior quality 20-phase Super Alloy Power for precise digital control, enhanced performance, reliability, and card longevity
• GPU Tweak: modify clock speeds, voltages, fan performance and more, all via an intuitive interface

this is why amd rules



The Performance King

13% faster than GTX 690. 130% faster than HD 7970
Twin HD 7970 GPUs provide the fastest graphics performance of any card currently on the market. Its 6GB GDDR5 video memory means smooth high-count framerates in any PC game available or forthcoming in the near future.

 

Thanks for the input, I'm on my phone so I can't check any of the pictures etc out. But by the look of it, I think amd is the way to go!

Many Thanks
Dec
(Haribo)

 

Intel i5-3330 3.2Ghz (quad core) with a GeForce GT 520 card.

Gets the job done.