Gaming PC

alasdair2000 · TweakNOOB Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 136 Location: Chicago

I'm planning to build a PC and I'd appreciate any advice you can offer. I have a laptop to do general work but I'd like a machine dedicated to games.

The most intensive game I have right now is Oblivion, and I still play games that require Windows XP. I have left out a few components such as sound card since I can get away with onboard sound until the build is solid (and my bank balance recovers).

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15063346

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard w/ USB 3.0 & SATA 6 Gb/s

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active ...

COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98

HP LP2475w Black / Silver 24" 6 ms (GTG); 12ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

HIS H585FN1GD Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ...

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750

Components I already have to go with it:
Logitech G15 keyboard
Logitech G5 laser mouse
Audio-technica Quietpoint headphones

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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

The only problem I see is the HP monitor which is overpriced and at 12ms will ghost like mad. Nothing above 6ms response time for gaming.

Lower is better.
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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Have to agree. I picked up one of these:

http://www.staples.com/Acer-X233hbd-23-Widescreen-LCD-Monitor/product_824965?cmArea=SC3:CG4:DP2000:CL165025

a few weeks ago. For an inexpensive monitor, it's quite nice, nearly the same size, and a third the price. There's a slightly more expensive model (x233hbid) that includes an HDMI port. Granted, I was on a tight budget, but out of all the ones on display, this one looked the best.
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alasdair2000 · TweakNOOB Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 136 Location: Chicago

Thanks. I missed that detail. I had a look online and it appears that model made after March 09 have a lower input lag of 4ms.

I did a bit more digging and, given that I'm looking for a <6ms 1920x1200 (not 1920x1080), I've got a choice between Samsung 2433BW-1, Asus VW266H and Hans-G HH281HPB.

I'll go with the Samsung. It's 5ms but the quality is far better than this particular Asus model.

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

That'd be a good choice. My last Samsung LCD was replaced by this one, died after eight years of constant use.
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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

alasdair2000 · TweakNOOB Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 136 Location: Chicago

I wish the T240 were available. That looks like a really good monitor.

alasdair2000 · TweakNOOB Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 136 Location: Chicago

I finally settled on and bought a T260HD. It looks sweet.

It currently runs as my primary monitor for my laptop, with Morrowind running at its full 1900x1200 resolution.

I now have a different dilemma....the monitor is so good I'm not sure I need the other components. Very Happy

More seriously, I have a few issues with the mouse. In Vista, with multiple monitors, the pointer disappears when you switch applications. I found a fix (enable pointer trails with minimum length) but the pointer still occasionally goes AWOL. In-game, the system doesn't recognise repeated clicks; it treats some of them as if you're holding the button down. Anyone come across similar issues?

Thanks Nathan for your advice.

[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

What mouse is it?
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alasdair2000 · TweakNOOB Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 136 Location: Chicago

Logitech G5. Now that you mention it, I don't know which version of drivers I'm using.

[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Try lower the mouse dpi setting and see if it helps.
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alasdair2000 · TweakNOOB Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 136 Location: Chicago

Will do. I also found two useful utilities: UltraMon and Multi Monitor Mouse. I might check those out to see if those make any difference.

And I'll check the driver settings too.

[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

It usually a refresh problem that causes that issue which is related to dpi as well.
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alasdair2000 · TweakNOOB Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 136 Location: Chicago

Fixed it by reinstalling a newer version of SetPoint, uninstalling Synaptics and... I did some cleaning up of Vista processes.

[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

sweet!

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