Sweet rig James!
Just right now I'm cruising with pretty old hardware:
Motherboard: mATX AsRock K8UpgradeVM800
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ s754
Memory: 2x Kingston DDR400 1024Mb
Video Card: PowerColor X800 Pro 256 Mt
Two IDE HDD's (Maxtor 160 + 80) and two DVD stations.
As a steeringwheel, G25, of course.
Some 21" old Eizo Screen, huge machine what keeps me warm in winter.
Philips 5.1 audiosystem and Sennheiser HD 212Pro headphones. Some logitech microphone for teamspeak too, no need to write to the chatbox during racing you know.
It runs LFS pretty well 1600 x 1200 all settings full and AA 6x & AF 8x, no stuttering.
But, in next week I'm getting an new rig, AMD X2 4400+ and 8600GT 512Mb Overclocked editon etc... Can't really wait.
Motherboard: mATX AsRock K8UpgradeVM800
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ s754
Memory: 2x Kingston DDR400 1024Mb
Video Card: PowerColor X800 Pro 256 Mt
Two IDE HDD's (Maxtor 160 + 80) and two DVD stations.
As a steeringwheel, G25, of course.
Some 21" old Eizo Screen, huge machine what keeps me warm in winter.
Philips 5.1 audiosystem and Sennheiser HD 212Pro headphones. Some logitech microphone for teamspeak too, no need to write to the chatbox during racing you know.
It runs LFS pretty well 1600 x 1200 all settings full and AA 6x & AF 8x, no stuttering.
But, in next week I'm getting an new rig, AMD X2 4400+ and 8600GT 512Mb Overclocked editon etc... Can't really wait.
http://www.dixons.co.uk/produc ... productInformationSection
thats my pc except ive overclocked the processor to 3ghz
thats my pc except ive overclocked the processor to 3ghz
Hardware:
Processor: AMD 4000+ Socket AM2
Motherboard: Biostar TForce TF7050
Cooling: Nothing special, 2 80mm case fans, stock AMD cooler
Videocard: Saphire Radeon x1850XT 512mb
Memory: Corsair XMS 1gb DDR2 667
HDD: WD 120gb, WD 80gb
DVD: Lite-On 20x DVDRW
PSU: 450W Generic (Needs replaced, came with the $25 case lol!)
Soundcard: Onboard
Case: Cheapo NewEgg special. Getting replaced soon with a reputable case.
Mouse: Logitech wireless MX700
Keyboard: Logitech G11
Wheel: Stock Logitech G25
Monitor: Dell 2007WFP 20.1" Widescreen LCD
Pics: When playing LFS, I just move my monitor over to the cockpit, works out pretty good. Also use a set of headphones for sound, forget what brand they are, I need a new set anyway.
(Roommates computer to the left, mine in the middle)
My dog rocks at LFS!
Processor: AMD 4000+ Socket AM2
Motherboard: Biostar TForce TF7050
Cooling: Nothing special, 2 80mm case fans, stock AMD cooler
Videocard: Saphire Radeon x1850XT 512mb
Memory: Corsair XMS 1gb DDR2 667
HDD: WD 120gb, WD 80gb
DVD: Lite-On 20x DVDRW
PSU: 450W Generic (Needs replaced, came with the $25 case lol!)
Soundcard: Onboard
Case: Cheapo NewEgg special. Getting replaced soon with a reputable case.
Mouse: Logitech wireless MX700
Keyboard: Logitech G11
Wheel: Stock Logitech G25
Monitor: Dell 2007WFP 20.1" Widescreen LCD
Pics: When playing LFS, I just move my monitor over to the cockpit, works out pretty good. Also use a set of headphones for sound, forget what brand they are, I need a new set anyway.
(Roommates computer to the left, mine in the middle)
My dog rocks at LFS!
20" screen
Core 2 Duo 2GHz
Radeon HD2400XT
2GB RAM
250GB HDD (200GB Tiger, 50GB Vista)
Logitech X540 speakers
320GB external HDD
Bluetooth Intellimouse
Piggy bank!
Not pictured is my crappy Formula Force EX wheel or Wingman Extreeeeeeeeme joystick.
Core 2 Duo 2GHz
Radeon HD2400XT
2GB RAM
250GB HDD (200GB Tiger, 50GB Vista)
Logitech X540 speakers
320GB external HDD
Bluetooth Intellimouse
Piggy bank!
Not pictured is my crappy Formula Force EX wheel or Wingman Extreeeeeeeeme joystick.
Manufacturer:
Me
Processor:Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.40GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory:4096MB RAM
Hard Drive:480 GB (2x160 GB) + 160 External
Video Card:BFG NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB OC2
Monitor:Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor + Dell E193FP
Sound Card:Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Speakers/Headphones:Plantronics Ultimate Performance Headset
Keyboard:Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse:Logitech G7 Gaming Mouse (Black)
Mouse Surface:Pro Gaming Razer eXactMat Mouse Pad (Speed Side)
Operating System:Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service
Wheel : G25
Me
Processor:Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.40GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory:4096MB RAM
Hard Drive:480 GB (2x160 GB) + 160 External
Video Card:BFG NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB OC2
Monitor:Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor + Dell E193FP
Sound Card:Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Speakers/Headphones:Plantronics Ultimate Performance Headset
Keyboard:Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse:Logitech G7 Gaming Mouse (Black)
Mouse Surface:Pro Gaming Razer eXactMat Mouse Pad (Speed Side)
Operating System:Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service
Wheel : G25
My current system:
AMD X2 4400+
2GB Corsair Twinx DDR400
Powercolor 512MB X1950XTX
Belinea 22" Widecreen monitor
Logitech DFP
Western Digital Caviar 160GB and 200GB
My new system which I should be able to build the end of February (redundancy payout FTW )
Core2Duo E6850 (still undecided about Quad-core)
4GB DDR3 RAM
2x 768MB 8800GTX (temped by the new GTs, but I want as much video RAM as I can for reasons that follow)
500GB WD Caviar
TripleHead2Go (you can see where this is leading)
Three (yes, three) 22" Widescreens
An issue is that as yet, the TH2G can't run three monitors at 1680x1050, the native res on most 22" screens, due to the max hardware rendered display size of XP being 4096 pixes wide. Vista ups this to 8192 pixels, but as yet the TH2G doesn't support the screen mode. There is talk of a software update to fix this.
AMD X2 4400+
2GB Corsair Twinx DDR400
Powercolor 512MB X1950XTX
Belinea 22" Widecreen monitor
Logitech DFP
Western Digital Caviar 160GB and 200GB
My new system which I should be able to build the end of February (redundancy payout FTW
)Core2Duo E6850 (still undecided about Quad-core)
4GB DDR3 RAM
2x 768MB 8800GTX (temped by the new GTs, but I want as much video RAM as I can for reasons that follow)
500GB WD Caviar
TripleHead2Go (you can see where this is leading)
Three (yes, three) 22" Widescreens
An issue is that as yet, the TH2G can't run three monitors at 1680x1050, the native res on most 22" screens, due to the max hardware rendered display size of XP being 4096 pixes wide. Vista ups this to 8192 pixels, but as yet the TH2G doesn't support the screen mode. There is talk of a software update to fix this.
Looks good.. BTW your new PC build.. The new nVidia 9 series come out March I believe.. Could be May.. But around that time
Hope you haven't purchased this bit yet. The E8400 and E8500 will be the top two Intel dual-core C2D's come late January, with a $ tag of under $200 and 3.00 and 3.16GHz of speed respectively. 45nm ftw.
Yeah, I haven't got any of it yet, two months is a *long* time in PC component development.
The specs I posted are a rough guide, the only definite things are dual graphics cards and three monitors, but I still haven't decided on the actual models.
Whatever I end up getting, its going to be fun
The specs I posted are a rough guide, the only definite things are dual graphics cards and three monitors, but I still haven't decided on the actual models.
Whatever I end up getting, its going to be fun
...
A few thoughts:
TH2G is sweet, but limited to 3 x 1280x1024 even for the digital DVI version. For Widescreen that means you will be running 3 x 1280x768 (roughly). From the native 1680x1050 it might a fair bit of distortion. I'd spend some time with a 22" @ 1280x768 to ensure you won't be dissappointed. I wouldn't count on TH2G updating their existing units to support 3 x 22".
8800GTX's are OLD, old as dirt. Nvidia hasn't felt any pressure from ATI for ages until the recent 3870's are coming close. Count on a new flagship Nvidia card to come out soon and to kick some serious butt.
Quad Core Penryn is too expensive. The premium for the 2 extra cores is like an outrageous 300% of the DC derivative. E8400 vs the 3.0ghz quad.
TH2G is sweet, but limited to 3 x 1280x1024 even for the digital DVI version. For Widescreen that means you will be running 3 x 1280x768 (roughly). From the native 1680x1050 it might a fair bit of distortion. I'd spend some time with a 22" @ 1280x768 to ensure you won't be dissappointed. I wouldn't count on TH2G updating their existing units to support 3 x 22".
8800GTX's are OLD, old as dirt. Nvidia hasn't felt any pressure from ATI for ages until the recent 3870's are coming close. Count on a new flagship Nvidia card to come out soon and to kick some serious butt.
Quad Core Penryn is too expensive. The premium for the 2 extra cores is like an outrageous 300% of the DC derivative. E8400 vs the 3.0ghz quad.
Yeah, I've been doing a fair bit of research on the Widescreen Gaming Forum ( http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/ ) so I know about only one card's video RAM being used in SLI (which is why I want more than the GT card's 512MB), and also the limits of 3x1280x800 for the Digital TH2G. I've had a play with my current 22" screen in 1280x768 and any distortion and pixel interpolation seems perfectly bearable to me. I probably will wait until the new generation of cards come out around March. Hopefully DDR3 will have come down in price by then, but money really is no object (I have a 5-figure sum to play with, although I expect the Mrs would *actually kill me* if I spent that much )
According to the various Matrox insiders at WSGF, the only reason Matrox didn't release the DTH2G with 3x1680x1050 support is that at the time they didn't think there were any cards capable of driving games at that resolution, and people on the forums there have mentioned a possible driver update for the TH2G. That mode is actually selectable (at least someone said in a thread that they could pick that res in Windows) although you can't run any games like that as yet.
And yes, quad-cores are stupidly expensive at the moment. I'm spending a lot, but £600+ on a processor is a bit exessive. As far as I can see, every motherboard that takes a Core2Duo supports both dual and quad core so I can always upgrade the CPU once the prices get a bit more sensible.
One problem I realised was that while games will look ok in the lower resolutions of the 3 screens, the Windows destop will not. There is a way round it apparently which involves getting monitors with dual inputs and using all four outputs of the two graphics cards. You plug the first output into the TH2G and to the first input of the three screens, and then have seperate connections from each of the three remaining outputs of the cards to the three secondary inputs of the monitors, using DVI/RGB adapters. You can then use UltraMon to set up two modes to switch between, either using the TH2G and the lower resolutions for games, or the three outputs and Windows native support for extended desktops in the higher resolution. I'd post the thread on WSGF, but I'm at work atm and that site is blocked.
EDIT: Here's the thread: http://www.widescreengamingfor ... rum/viewtopic.php?t=12821
)According to the various Matrox insiders at WSGF, the only reason Matrox didn't release the DTH2G with 3x1680x1050 support is that at the time they didn't think there were any cards capable of driving games at that resolution, and people on the forums there have mentioned a possible driver update for the TH2G. That mode is actually selectable (at least someone said in a thread that they could pick that res in Windows) although you can't run any games like that as yet.
And yes, quad-cores are stupidly expensive at the moment. I'm spending a lot, but £600+ on a processor is a bit exessive. As far as I can see, every motherboard that takes a Core2Duo supports both dual and quad core so I can always upgrade the CPU once the prices get a bit more sensible.
One problem I realised was that while games will look ok in the lower resolutions of the 3 screens, the Windows destop will not. There is a way round it apparently which involves getting monitors with dual inputs and using all four outputs of the two graphics cards. You plug the first output into the TH2G and to the first input of the three screens, and then have seperate connections from each of the three remaining outputs of the cards to the three secondary inputs of the monitors, using DVI/RGB adapters. You can then use UltraMon to set up two modes to switch between, either using the TH2G and the lower resolutions for games, or the three outputs and Windows native support for extended desktops in the higher resolution. I'd post the thread on WSGF, but I'm at work atm and that site is blocked.
EDIT: Here's the thread: http://www.widescreengamingfor ... rum/viewtopic.php?t=12821
8800 GT @ 650/1900) / stockcooler
E6400 @ 3.2 / Scythe ninja+
P5B
1Gb @ 800mhz
BeQuiet 500w
E6400 @ 3.2 / Scythe ninja+
P5B
1Gb @ 800mhz
BeQuiet 500w
By the way, the nVidia 9 series comes out in mid February.
Proof/Source?
dont f**k me I just bought 8800GT!
http://en.expreview.com/?p=133
Some say in februari and other site's says in May
Also been said that it will use the G92 chip
http://arstechnica.com/journal ... o-launch-in-late-february
That is why you should buy EVGA. If a new card comes out w/in 90 days of your purchase you can step-up for the difference.
I just got a 8800gt 2 weeks ago, its b-e-a-utiful!
I really like that idea, more places should do that.
XFX needs to do that lol.. my XFX 8800GTS G92 rocks.. hard.
£600? You can get a brand new Q6600 2.4 GHz G0 Quad for £160 Delivered, and i picked up my Quad in July for £119 delivered (although it's a 2.13 GHz version). The £600 one your talking about is the QX6950, which is the first Penryn. When they properly come out some time in the next few months the "best" version will be the Q9450 which runs at 2.66 GHz and has 12 MB of Cache (i think). Retails at the same price as the Q6600, too, although expect price-gouging on launch. For reference, a 3 GHz Penryn performs about the same as a 3.6 GHz Kentsfield Q6600, and a Penryn runs cooler (thanks to 45nm), and overclocks better.
The X-Series always sell for about £600, and are never really worth it.
I'm currently looking to upgrade in about 3 weeks time.
My current aim is for raw power on a standard clock and then upgrade to liquid cooling and clock at a later date (I've heard <3Ghz on the processor is not uncommon).
This is my intention:
Asus P5K Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 &q ... n" 2.40GHz (1066FSB)
EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 1066MHz
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
My current aim is for raw power on a standard clock and then upgrade to liquid cooling and clock at a later date (I've heard <3Ghz on the processor is not uncommon).
This is my intention:
Asus P5K Intel P35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 &q ... n" 2.40GHz (1066FSB)
EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 1066MHz
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
I'd go for a better motherboard (ie P5K-E), an 8800GTS (which is almost as fast as a GTX, in some cases even a hair faster) and the ordinary DDR800 Ballistix. I'd then spend the extra on a bigger monitor.
The CPU should be good for up to 3.6 GHz. I've got my Quad (a Xeon 2.13 GHz B3 model - which means it's slower, more heat and less overclockable) to 3 GHz stably with room to go, so a Q6600 G0 should be great.
I'd wait till Penryn, though, they are 45nm, overclock better, run cooler and run fastr. Should be out in a few months, and should be coming in at the same price.
The CPU should be good for up to 3.6 GHz. I've got my Quad (a Xeon 2.13 GHz B3 model - which means it's slower, more heat and less overclockable) to 3 GHz stably with room to go, so a Q6600 G0 should be great.
I'd wait till Penryn, though, they are 45nm, overclock better, run cooler and run fastr. Should be out in a few months, and should be coming in at the same price.
my new rig:
case: antec 900
mobo: asus p5kc
cpu: core 2 quad q6600 G0 stepping ,running stock atm
ram: 4gb ocz
psu: ocz stealthxstream 600w
cooler: thermalright ultra 120 with 120mm hiper fan
optical: liteon 20x sata dvd rewriter
hdd: 500gb sata samsung spinpoint
gfx: Innovision 3D 8600GTS i-Chill X-Striker 3 256MB GDDR3
my other stuff
g25
old trust keyboard (soon to be g15)
oem mouse made by logitech(soon to be mx revolution)
dell 17inch lcd monitor
5.1 surround sound system or plantronics headset
ill get the specs better and some pics including my race frame
but one thing the q6600 is a lovly proccessor and would recomend them as well i would recommend everything else cos i have had no probs at all with and of them, jakg gave me alot of guidance with this and i would like to say a big thanks to him
case: antec 900
mobo: asus p5kc
cpu: core 2 quad q6600 G0 stepping ,running stock atm
ram: 4gb ocz
psu: ocz stealthxstream 600w
cooler: thermalright ultra 120 with 120mm hiper fan
optical: liteon 20x sata dvd rewriter
hdd: 500gb sata samsung spinpoint
gfx: Innovision 3D 8600GTS i-Chill X-Striker 3 256MB GDDR3
my other stuff
g25
old trust keyboard (soon to be g15)
oem mouse made by logitech(soon to be mx revolution)
dell 17inch lcd monitor
5.1 surround sound system or plantronics headset
ill get the specs better and some pics including my race frame
but one thing the q6600 is a lovly proccessor and would recomend them as well i would recommend everything else cos i have had no probs at all with and of them, jakg gave me alot of guidance with this and i would like to say a big thanks to him
Thanks Mr G
I see the P5K-E on ebuyer is not much more expensive than one I listed before.
I have no need for a bigger monitor, my Belinea 20" widescreen is fine at the moment. Plus I'm getting a 1080p Bravia 40" soon which I will use along with my PC, primarily as a media centre but I have also been told they are good for gaming.
Would this GTS be almost as good as the GTX: EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB GD ... - Retail (512-P3-E841-AR)
I really wanna stick to EVGA because of the upgrade possibilities they offer, would this be a good choice?
I have been waiting for this upgrade for a long time and a few more months is gonna kill me (well probably not but I'm impatient) so I think ill get the Q6600 now and possibly sell it and replace with the Penryn at a later date (probably along with the liquid cooling solution).
Also I see James above you have 4Gb, would 4Gb be recommended over 2 at this moment or can I get away with 2 for now?
Once again thanks for the info
I see the P5K-E on ebuyer is not much more expensive than one I listed before.
I have no need for a bigger monitor, my Belinea 20" widescreen is fine at the moment. Plus I'm getting a 1080p Bravia 40" soon which I will use along with my PC, primarily as a media centre but I have also been told they are good for gaming.
Would this GTS be almost as good as the GTX: EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB GD ... - Retail (512-P3-E841-AR)
I really wanna stick to EVGA because of the upgrade possibilities they offer, would this be a good choice?
I have been waiting for this upgrade for a long time and a few more months is gonna kill me (well probably not but I'm impatient) so I think ill get the Q6600 now and possibly sell it and replace with the Penryn at a later date (probably along with the liquid cooling solution).
Also I see James above you have 4Gb, would 4Gb be recommended over 2 at this moment or can I get away with 2 for now?
Once again thanks for the info
Post your "LFS" rig..
(3080 posts, started )
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG