Building a new computer - Page 2

Win98SE for modern gaming and videos? You HAVE to be kidding me. Most of the hardware proposed seems pretty on point, however I'd caution against an SLI or Crossfire configuration in an mATX format/case. Heat and noise would create a BIG issue. I have an overclocked e8400 (to 3.8ghz prime stable) cooled by a Scythe Mini Ninja on an Asus P5E-VM HDMI, 8800gts (512mb), two 500gb hard drives, 4gb OCZ OC'd ram, and a higher end modular Thermaltake PSU. All of this is inside a Lian Li PC-V350 and looks remarkably similar to this setup: I built this system about 1.5 years ago and it still takes names with pretty much anything I throw at it. It's fairly cool, CPU sometimes creeps up to around 50C and the 8800gts hovers around 56C in intense gaming. The fans ramp up a little during gaming so it gets a little noisy, but nothing you can't easily drown out with your headset or speakers. Fans can be replaced with quieter versions as very easily as well so it will be nearly silent when doing every day browsing etc. I haven't kept up with the BLEEDING edge hardware lately but from what I can see, the ATI and Nvidia have been coming up with some great stuff. The ATi 5850 might be best bang for buck around at the moment (and small enough for mATX). Not sure how I feel about passive cooling for high end video cards in small enclosures...my buddy but one in a Shuttle back in college and he had nothing but issues with the card getting too hot. However those Shuttles had AWFUL cooling on their own...

Are you really really really that stupid, or just trolling really hard? I'm not saying that consoles aren't cool, but the rest of this is just absolutely retarded. Win98SE? Jesus fuck....

Maybe the reason he doesn't think that a dedicated gaming/media computer can outperform a console is because he refuses to upgrade from Win 98...

Fwiw sports games are better on console, shooters and strategy games are way better on a PC. I don't have enough experience with MMORPG's and etc to say for sure, but I'd bet they were easier with more dedicated hotbuttons and a mouse.

maybe because I got 25 years of computer experience in almost every genre. maybe because even today high end music studios use amiga os. maybe because I know 99% of the above mentioned 3.8ghz computer's cpu is doing nothing even when your cpu usage is said to be 100%. maybe because I know the difference between a risc and a cisc. maybe because I know the difference between win98 and win98SE. maybe because win98SE has more drivers, codecs and informative ressources than vista and win7 together even in the next 2 years. maybe because I know that bloated systems cause more laggs in internet games and less compatibilities in movies than a dedicated console can provide. maybe because I know the consumption of electricity will be three times higher when you take a bloated computer not a console. maybe because I AM a gamer and cineaste, not someone who buys this stuff as a status symbol that never gets used when no one is there to admire it ..

maybe you use the word maybe too much.

I'm looking forward to your dissertation on risc vs. cisc, and how that has any relevance to modern intel processors.

Years ago I used to game with people that were repeatedly in the top 10 at various international CS and q3 competitions, not to mention some of the most competitive MMO guilds. Even back then, i'm pretty sure they were all on XP. None of them transitioned immediately to XP, and some might have waited a couple of years while the drivers caught up, but they have long since transitioned. You would have to be retarded to still be using win98se, unless your computer was also 10 years old. The gaming performance differences between the two OSes were eliminated years ago.

Win98SE increases the money supply, XP contracts it. Why do you all hate his freedoms?

You really cannot be real.

I didn't know anyone bought a computer as a status symbol.

You'd want to build a HTPC if you want to record TV shows and if you did not want to pay for a Tivo subscription. Personally I will never buy a Tivo because I can get essentially the same functions without paying $12/mo to Tivo. Mine is a standalone Panasonic DVR with a 80 gig hard drive. But if the OP doesn't already have a standalone DVR, a HTPC is the next best thing.

Edit: actually, given the fact that most non-Tivo DVRs died off about 2-3 years ago a HTPC is probably better than any existing standalone DVR. My DVR has HDMI @ 1080i but a modern HTPC could do 1080p.

PS I'm also looking to puchase a Popcorn Hour myself so I can load all my standard def DVDs and mp3s onto the PH as a networked media tank.

Ok then you will have no problem showing us screen caps of your benchmarks in COD4, Crysis, and etc. I'm curious as to how you think that would compare to even the $400 non gaming HP Vista system I have. I could be wrong, as you insist I am, but the proof is in the performance.

Guys I have no problems at all running Crysis Warhead at max settings using Windows 95. I can do this because I am a computer genius.

The snark is strong with this one.

Yeah, but his system will smoke yours, running Leisure Suit Larry.

And it will just be as stylish in that ubiquitous, beige, weighs-like-a-tonne-o-bricks, monolithic tower.