gaming machine 58 replies

Ok i have a question i want to build my brother a comp, i have 3000 to spend. I dont know much about computers so i was wondering if you guys would help out. I need everything it needs to work and i want it to be as good as possible. The best that the 3000$ can buy. Thanks.

Go out and buy a self-help book at your local shop. Or use google.

First of all, where are you located? Prices differ and the sites you can get things from differ if you are in Europe.

I am going to assume you are in the US since you did use the dollar sign.

Is this a purely gaming machine or will it be used for other things like audio/video editing?

Does your brother have a preference to whether the OS is 32 or 64bit?

I would say 64 bit and i am in US. I will buy most from Newegg or sites like it. It will be for gaming but i want it to have awsome sound, and able to watch movies through it, maybe blu ray.

Any reason for saying 64-bit, or does it just sound better? Honestly, depending on what you're trying to do, 64-bit may or may not be the best option.

For example, a lot of hardware drivers are incompatible with 64-bit operating systems.

I have read a lot of people use it so. I have a mac lol so i dont know much about vista.

Ah. Well, as far as the bits go, you have two choices: 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64). 64-bit has better security, can process twice as much data, and can use much more RAM than a 32-bit system. However, only 64-bit programs can really take advantage of that. 32-bit programs will not have any improvements. Also, hardware is an issue in a 64-bit OS because not all hardware has 64-bit drivers available. Imagine not being able to use your network interface card or sound card because no compatible drivers exist for it.

While a 32-bit system may seem more limited, it's also much more widely used. The majority of programs these days are coded for a 32-bit operating system. And while a 32-bit system can only recognize between 3 and 4GB of RAM, this is more than enough for almost any gaming application.

I personally recommend Windows Vista Home Premium, 32-bit edition.

With that out of the way, you can build pretty much any hardware around that. Processors, hard drives, graphics cards, sound cards, physics processors, Blu-Ray optical drives, killer audio systems...

Ok well you guys are the experts, what ever you suggest. I have heard of people having 8GB or ram though. I want the best i can get for 3000$

3,000 dollars, is to put it bluntly, a shitload of money. Expect a top of the line computer for that. Though I can't help you now, I suggest you look into a quad core processor, a 98xx series card (if those came out already, not certain if not you might want to wait, they're supposed to be groundbreaking) and 4 gigabytes of ram. You really don't need to have 8GB of ram, it's overkill when it comes to games. If you're doing some heavy graphics editing it's fine, but other than that, useless.

Like I said, in a 32-bit operating system, anything over 4GB of RAM is useless, because it will only recognize 3.something GB, no matter what. If you put in 4 or 8 or 16GB, it'll be the same.

If I were you, I would get a motherboard that supports overclocking, though that's just a personal preference. Also make sure you invest in a really good cooling system. There will be no bigger pain in the ass than investing $3000 in a monster computer and then having it fatally overheat in the first month.