bottleneck for PC games performance - another "I'm getting new PC" thread

[ZFR]

I'll be getting a new PC in a few days. Mainly for games. So what do you think is the bottleneck for the games performance (mainly graphic-wise). Graphics card?, processor speed?, memory? (...hard disc speed, motherboard bus speed...). What is it I should concentrate on and on what can I save money by buying lesser quality product?

[Hivetyrant]

Hard drive speed is a huge culprit when it comes to PC speed. Most people don't realise what difference a good HDD can make.

But apart from that, I find that video cards are lacking when it comes to keeping up with the rest of the system.

[Callum]

I'd say the graphics card is where you want to be splashing your money... [img]tongue.gif[/img] So long as you get a fairly decent processor, it doesn't need to be top of the line, and get at least 1 gig of memory. Paying more for a motherboard won't increase speed much, if at all, but will really only have an effect on stability, and the features it comes with.

[ZFR]

Thanks!

Numerical values as to the minimum/reommended specs are highly welcome. My budget is 1500-1800EUR.

[SpiritWarrior]

Well CPU is becoming more important nowadays for gaming. Just look at Oblivion, it puts horrid strain on both the CPU and video card.

You should be fine with that budget. As a rough guideline for gaming i'd say get yourself at least...

A 3.0 ghz CPU speed at the least. If you can go for a dual core.
A Nvidia 6600gt or higher (or it's ATI equal if you prefer ATI). If you can get 256mb of Vram or more on your card.
1 gig of ram or more (this is as absolute must some people overlook)
A decent soundcard (don't get onboard sound).

Dells are pretty good if you can't put a system together. Alienware is nice too. Browse their site online and don't be afraid to ask for what you want as the sales people will try sell you everything.

Oh, Dell always do special offers when you buy a new system. Mine was a free LCD monitor so watch out for these. In the end I got free shipping + free monitor = not bad. Whatever you choose, if you have your eye on a particular model research it online before anything. Look for reviews of the system etc. and even post it here for opinions. Research is always a good investment.

[ 09-09-2006, 09:50 PM: Message edited by: SpiritWarrior ]

Personally I wouldn't go Dell. There is a long running family joke with my girlfriend's dad (who is a computer technician/repairmen thingy); the joke being that Dell keeps him in business and puts food on their table. Because it really does.

Nowadays, games really aren't CPU intensive. Certain titles like Oblivion are, but the main shift is pushing towards GPU capabilities. That doesn't mean that your processor isn't important, nothing could be furthest from the truth. If you are going to be gaming with the latest titles, go dual-core. Preferably, Core 2 Duo if you can. But you can get an X2 3800 for a ridiculously low price. Definately dual-core.

And for a video card (I don't know how expensive you are going for), the X1900XT 256 really gives you an incredible bang for your buck (roughly around $280, although it was just released).

You'll be wanting to go with a chipset that supports DDR2 RAM (such as AM2 or whatever the new intel line is called). Right now Intel has the performance crown with its Core 2 Duo line (back when it was first released, going with a high end AMD was better because of the price/performance ratio, but prices have fallen into line decently).

However there is a great possibility that I am wrong on a lot of this. I've just gotten interested in computers around February and started research since then. There are probably more reliable sources on this forum (such as those who make a living in computers). So if anyone spots any false information, tell me right away.

[ 09-10-2006, 01:06 AM: Message edited by: SecretMaster ]

[Hivetyrant]

Originally posted by SpiritWarrior: Oh, Dell always do special offers when you buy a new system. Mine was a free LCD monitor so watch out for these. In the end I got free shipping + free monitor = not bad. Whatever you choose, if you have your eye on a particular model research it online before anything. Look for reviews of the system etc. and even post it here for opinions. Research is always a good investment.

Agreed, if you dont get a free monitor, you will at least get upgrade to RAM/HDD/CPU or sometimes they do cash off, or 20% off, there is always a good deal going on [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hivetyrant <---Dell lover

[Harkoliar]

yeah bottle necks would be

video card
cpu
ram
HD

motherboard for stability

[Hivetyrant]

Originally posted by SecretMaster: Personally I wouldn't go Dell. There is a long running family joke with my girlfriend's dad (who is a computer technician/repairmen thingy); the joke being that Dell keeps him in business and puts food on their table. Because it really does. Nowadays, games really aren't CPU intensive. Certain titles like Oblivion are, but the main shift is pushing towards GPU capabilities. That doesn't mean that your processor isn't important, nothing could be furthest from the truth. If you are going to be gaming with the latest titles, go dual-core. Preferably, Core 2 Duo if you can. But you can get an X2 3800 for a ridiculously low price. Definately dual-core. And for a video card (I don't know how expensive you are going for), the X1900XT 256 really gives you an incredible bang for your buck (roughly around $280, although it was just released). You'll be wanting to go with a chipset that supports DDR2 RAM (such as AM2 or whatever the new intel line is called). Right now Intel has the performance crown with its Core 2 Duo line (back when it was first released, going with a high end AMD was better because of the price/performance ratio, but prices have fallen into line decently). However there is a great possibility that I am wrong on a lot of this. I've just gotten interested in computers around February and started research since then. There are probably more reliable sources on this forum (such as those who make a living in computers). So if anyone spots any false information, tell me right away.

What you said is very true, the New Conroe CPU's (Intel's new range) are damn good bang for buck, but their comeback was short lived as AMD (as expected) are releasing new chips as we speak that take the crown back.

This is all great news however for the consumer as the competition is extremely fierce and prices are dropping.

I would recommend either an AM2 X2-3800 if you dont have much at all, or a Conroe E6600/AM2 X24800 if you have a bit more money to spend (both are upper mid range CPU's and not expensive)

I also agree with SM on the x1900xt, you can't go wrong with this card, they are powerfull, cheap (in comparison to the competition) and in the future you can go and buy an x1900xt master card and run crossfire mode.

As it's been said, games are not focusing on CPU utilisation because the Video card has far greater capabilities, but that will all change soon no that AMD and ATI are one, as its already been confirmed that AMD are working on a video card with a CPU attached

[SpiritWarrior]

Aye, as always the GPU is the frontrunner in games since most games are more graphically based/taxing as opposed to CPU.

What I meant was, with games such as Oblivion, and then all these other new titles that are now supporting all forms of threading and virtual threading, we are starting to see titles that demand top-notch cards and processors. Beforehand, you could read the min. requirements on any game and take the core speed down 200-400mhz, and still expect to play with no problems. Back in the day, it was a rare thing to see "My CPU speed is too slow" threads as opposed to "Need a better video card" threads in game forums.

I do like Dell personally, also. Their hardware is built well and usually they give you better stuff than you expect. I get processors that clock higher than what I bought, or PSU's that can power neighbourhoods. Their tech-support are clueless, though. That's probably why they keep people in business, lol.