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LEARN HOW TO
BUILD THE GAMING COMPUTER
To every gamer, owning the ultimate
gaming computer is just like a dream
come true. Not only can you play all
type of games, you can also enjoy the
realism of the graphics and sound, as if
you are part of the game.
So what does it take to build the
ultimate gaming computer? First, you
must have enough cash to spare. Next,
you have to know which parts to choose.
CPU
The first thing to consider is
definitely the CPU. The latest addition
and the best of Intel CPU is the Intel
Core 2 Extreme processor. According to
Intel, the latest processor has a 4 MB
of shared L2 cache (usually only 512K –
2MB) and up to 1066MHz FSB, a notch
higher than its previous version. It
also has better power efficiency and
cache management system, optimized for
multi-thread functions.
If you are a hard core AMD fan, do
not panic, AMD has always been a strong
competitor to Intel. Its Athlon 64 FX-62
CPU is the first Windows-compatible
64-bit PC processor and has the capacity
to handle the most demanding application
with outstanding performance. With over
100 industry accolades under its belt,
what else do I have to say?
Memory
The CPU and the memory must always be
hand in hand. You can’t expect a great
performance from the CPU without the
support of the memory RAM. Being the
stabilizer of the whole system, the
bigger the memory size, the better,
faster and more stable computer you can
get.
Though the fastest RAM speed is DDR2
1066MHz, there are not many motherboards
that can support this. The recommended
speed to go for is DDR2 800MHz dual
channel 2GB. Most motherboards come with
4 DIMM slots; therefore you can install
two sets of the dual channel RAM to
bring the total memory to 4GB. Few
applications can fully utilized the 4GB
memory size yet, but it never hurt to
have more memory space. It also means
that you can save your memory upgrade
cost for the next few years.
Graphics Card
Graphics technology has gone a long
way since the monochrome era. The
current technology is the SLI (Scalable
Link Interface) or CrossFire technology,
developed by nVidia and ATI
respectively. Both technologies utilize
dual graphics cards and the fast
PCI-Express 16x slot to deliver faster
and better images. To build a ultimate
gaming computer, the graphics card
should at least be a PCI-Express 512MB
GDDR3 SLI/CrossFire ready graphics card.
Hard Drive
When building the ultimate gaming
computer, it is not the size of the hard
drive that counts, but its performance
that really make the difference. A 200GB
hard drive is usually more than enough
for the storage of your games and
applications. The main differences lie
in the buffer and the drive interface.
The buffer determines how much data can
be stored for pre-fetch while the drive
interface determines how fast the data
can be transferred. The most suitable
choice for an ultimate gaming computer
is the SATA-2 16MB buffer 200GB hard
drive.
Monitor
Is there a need to say about this?
The obvious choice is at least a 21” LCD
monitor with 2ms response time and DVI
video input. The rest is extra.
Sound Card
Yes, you really need a sound card,
even though that motherboard of yours
boosts a 7.1-channel onboard sound card.
If you are going after the best sound
possible, there are no alternatives
other than the Creative Labs Sound
Blaster X-Fi Platinum PCI Sound Card. It
is currently one of the best sound cards
that can create 3D sound in a
two-speaker or headphone setup. This is
definitely the one to go for.
Speaker
How can you have a great sound card
without a great speaker? In order to
match the performance of the great sound
card you bought, a 5.1-channel speaker
system or higher is necessary. A 5.1
channel means the right and left front
satellites, right and left surround
satellites, a center speaker and a
sub-woofer. A 6.1-channel adds a rear
speaker while a 7.1-channel adds left
and right rear speaker. In addition, a
hardware decoding system for Dolby
Digital and DTS is also essential to
produce the best sound effect. A good
recommendation is Logitech Z-5500 6.1
channel speaker system
Keyboard/mouse
The keyboard and mouse are the only
devices that you use to input command to
the system. For best gaming effect, a
programmable hot-key keyboard and a
sensitive, accurate mouse are required.
The best in the market now is the
Logitech G15 gaming keyboard that allows
you to program up to 18 hot-keys and
Logitech G7 laser gaming mouse that
allows the user to adjust the resolution
to 2000dpi.
Power Supply
With so many high-power consuming
parts inside the case, you will need a
high rating power supply to support it.
PCI-Express SLI graphics card requires a
different power connector. This has to
be taken in account as well.
Recommended: 600W SLI ready PSU with
120mm fan.
Motherboard
I have list most of the parts, what
about the motherboard? It is easy, once
you have gathered all the parts above,
the motherboard that can supports all of
these parts will be the one you go for.
To summarize, your motherboard need to
* Be a socket 775 board for Intel
processor or socket 939 / AM2 board for
AMD processor
* Has at least 4 slots of DIMM for
memory RAM. DDR2 800MHz for Intel chip
and DDR 400MHz for AMD
* Support SLI or CrossFire, has at least
two PCI Express 16x slot
* SATA 2 interface for hard drive
This has more or less covered the
requirement to build an ultimate gaming
computer. A piece of advice is that
building the ultimate gaming computer
can easily cost you several thousand
dollars. Within a few months, all of
those top of the line components will be
replaced with a new range of products
with even greater performance. If you
are restricted by budget, do not attempt
to build the ultimate gaming computer.
Invest in only a few products such as
the RAM and graphics card will be
sufficient for you to enjoy your game.
Who says gaming has to be an expensive
hobby?
Damien Oh is an expert in building
computer. His website
http://www.build-gaming-computer-guide.com
contains a lot of useful information and
resources on building gaming computer,
cheap computer, getting refurbished
computer, building game server and many
more.
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