Tell me what I need to make a bad ass gaming computer!

[Captain Jin]

Okay, so the last two desktops I purchased I just bought one from the store and I don't know why I let myself make that mistake twice, but both out of the box weren't even very good and couldn't really play stuff on top graphics smoothly. So they essentially turned into a waste of money because I bought them mainly for a few high end PC games that they couldn't play. Now in anticipation of Shogun I'm going to get a new PC and I want one that will be able to run that beast on highest settings with ease. So for me right now, price isn't too much of an issue but I still want to get something in a reasonable range that is still savage. So I need help, what to get to make this happen??

[Phier]

ATX case.
Motherboard and CPU to fit that motherboard
Proper ram for that motherboard 4+ gig
Windows 7
Top of the line graphics card or a crossfire/SLI equivalent
Third party CPU fan
Powersupply (750watt plus)
Either a soundcard or a mobo with sound
headphones or speakers

My system....

coolmaster HAF case
P7P44d-e pro asus mobo
i5-760 cpu
thermaltake 750 watt psu
4 gig gskill ram (forget the specifications, mobo has a list of supported)
2 geforce 460 gtx cards in SLI
thermaltake cpu fan (I think)
onboard soundcard with logitec z523 speakers
windows 7 home premium

Optional
Nvidia 3d vision and 120hz asus monitor

Plays everything current maxed out without issues.

[Big Boss]

I had a response all written out, and it crashed. But I have to run so I'll just say this. WAIT TILL JANUARY TO BUILD YOUR COMPUTER.

[karamazovmm]

WAIT TILL JANUARY TO BUILD YOUR COMPUTER.

perfect!

[Sir Shfvingle]

I had a response all written out, and it crashed. But I have to run so I'll just say this. WAIT TILL JANUARY TO BUILD YOUR COMPUTER.

Why is this?

[Ältester der Motten]

Why is this?

Maybe because prices are up because everyone is buying like crazy.

[Sir Shfvingle]

Ahhh. So they have us fooled into thinking we're getting good deals...

Or at least they have me fooled...

[Ältester der Motten]

I don't know, maybe you did get a good deal.

I'd be extremely surprised if the prices aren't generally higher now though.

[Big Boss]

No, its because new products are literally a month away. There is a joke in the Tech community that there is always something a couple months away that you can wait for, but if you're gonna wait for that then you might as well wait for the next new technology after that, and so on and so on. For this reason, it is usually suggested that you buy what you need now and don't wait. EXCEPT, at a time like this where we know there is a brand new architecture from Intel only a month away (Sandy Bridge) that will push the price of all existing CPUs and mobos down. There is also AMD's flagship Radeon card coming out this month, as well as nVidia's mid-to-high range cards coming out this month as well. These will also push the price of existing cards down. So while at nearly any other time we would say buy a computer now, at this point in time it would be foolish to not wait another month.

Thats why you should wait til January

[Ältester der Motten]

Either way it's about prices.

[Sir Shfvingle]

I understand that logic, but, I rarely buy things, yet when I do I like to buy the newest version of it so it stays "at a high level" for a while and can therefore be compatible with other new technology. When it comes to cards coming out later in the month and since my budget stays the same, should I buy the newer cards, hoping that they will be able to play good games for a few years, or do I buy the previous generation, cards that are at a lower price yet are no longer the best to play current and upcoming games? In other words, will the last generation of cards last for a while with upcoming games or will I need the newest gen for them?

[mrcrusty]

I understand that logic, but, I rarely buy things, yet when I do I like to buy the newest version of it so it stays "at a high level" for a while and can therefore be compatible with other new technology. When it comes to cards coming out later in the month and since my budget stays the same, should I buy the newer cards, hoping that they will be able to play good games for a few years, or do I buy the previous generation, cards that are at a lower price yet are no longer the best to play current and upcoming games? In other words, will the last generation of cards last for a while with upcoming games or will I need the newest gen for them?

What games? What settings? What resolution?

Depending on the need, an old 8800GT could be more than enough.

It's all about context.

Now, in Jin's case, I'd also wait until next year. I'm less enthusiastic about the Sandy Bridge and Bulldozer CPUs making an effect in games seeing as the current high end CPUs still aren't fully utilised by games today, however in terms of graphics cards, there will be big splashes with the new AMD and Nvidia cards coming out.

[Sir Shfvingle]

Well... total war(med II through shogun II) and other rtw games. Maybe a fps later on. I have a 1600x900 and I'd like to play on med-high settings. So, with those specifics, what's the verdict for AMD cards?

[karamazovmm]

Im waiting for SB because of the power that will provide the laptops. In that department desktops cpu will rarely be the bottleneck, unless in extreme resolutions

[Captain Jin]

Okay, I have no problem with waiting till January or even February since Shogun doesnt come out until later and I don't have any pressing need for the system yet. But that being said I definitely want something high end when I pick it up and something that will be easy for me to update as time passes.

[mrcrusty]

Well... total war(med II through shogun II) and other rtw games. Maybe a fps later on. I have a 1600x900 and I'd like to play on med-high settings. So, with those specifics, what's the verdict for AMD cards?

Well, the HD 6850/6870 which are already out would be perfect for that. The upcoming HD 6950/6970/6990 cards would probably be overkill. The 6990 in particular, would be designed for Eyefinity setups. (3-6 monitors running one massive resolution)

Okay, I have no problem with waiting till January or even February since Shogun doesnt come out until later and I don't have any pressing need for the system yet. But that being said I definitely want something high end when I pick it up and something that will be easy for me to update as time passes.

Fair enough. What resolution do you plan to play on btw?

[Big Boss]

Im waiting for SB because of the power that will provide the laptops. In that department desktops cpu will rarely be the bottleneck, unless in extreme resolutions

CPUs are more likely to be a bottleneck at smaller resolutions. The higher the resolution the more likely a GPU will be a bottleneck.

Well, the HD 6850/6870 which are already out would be perfect for that. The upcoming HD 6950/6970/6990 cards would probably be overkill. The 6990 in particular, would be designed for Eyefinity setups. (3-6 monitors running one massive resolution)

The release of the 69XX cards might drive down the price of the 68XX cards as well. Also, if you wait till January you can grab a 68XX card in the boxing day sales.

[mrcrusty]

The release of the 69XX cards might drive down the price of the 68XX cards as well. Also, if you wait till January you can grab a 68XX card in the boxing day sales.

I can't tell whether that is a good thing or bad thing. I'll soon be juggling a 5870 and a GTX 470, trying to decide the better fit for my system, but if the 6870 prices go down a decent amount, I may just chuck both of them out the window and go for one of those instead.

[karamazovmm]

The bottleneck at low resolutions in desktops is something that doesnt happen anymore. It happens now at high res, over 1080p. If you get a powerful enough setup and try to run a demanding game like metro, at 2560*xxxx and you have a lowly athlon... but if you have a lowly i7 975... you might still end up being bottlenecked thats why EVGA created a dual socket board with games in mind

At low resolutions, you are more dependent of the CPU, specially at notebook side of things, that doesnt necessarily means that its going to be bottlenecked or not

[mrcrusty]

The bottleneck at low resolutions in desktops is something that doesnt happen anymore. It happens now at high res, over 1080p. If you get a powerful enough setup and try to run a demanding game like metro, at 2560*xxxx and you have a lowly athlon... but if you have a lowly i7 975... you might still end up being bottlenecked thats why EVGA created a dual socket board with games in mind

At low resolutions, you are more dependent of the CPU, specially at notebook side of things, that doesnt necessarily means that its going to be bottlenecked or not

Meh, overclocking fixes most of the bottleneck.

Also, the EVGA motherboards aren't built for games in mind. They are extreme benchmarking motherboards. Competitive overclockers and the like. That, and folding. Or E-penis.

I mean, who games on dual Xeons?