1.) Will AGP die out? Will video card manufacturers start using only PCI-Express slots for their gaming cards?
2.) Do things like motherboard bus speed and RAM speed matter in gaming? I noticed that these specifications are never mentioned on the back of game cases.
3.) Assuming mobo bus speed doesn't matter, do mobos make any difference at all in gaming besides offering a PCI-Express slot? Perhaps maximum RAM memory does too but my old mobo can fit 1.5 GB and I doubt there are any games that require more than that.
These questions are all leading to me wondering if I can create a nice gaming rig out of my Sony Vaio PCV-RX850. Right now it has a Radeon X1600 but I could still theoretically upgrade the power supply unit so that I can install a more powerful AGP card. I could also upgrade the CPU and RAM which would enable me to run something like Crysis, right?
In short, I'm wondering if I could still salvage my current PC for future gaming. If I can't, then I'd definitely rather build my own PC than have to spend a lot of money on an Alienware desktop. Besides, building a PC does sound like a lot of fun. :lol
I have some questions
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Key Keeper
- Posts: 1564
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Chipsets matter more than anything on a mobo. Memory speeds/cpu fsb are dictated by the chip. As for AGP, Im sure it will still linger for quite some time. As for playing Crysis on AGP.....good luck, doubt it will play.
Games are mem hogs. Bf2 will play on 1gb but is not smooth. A simple upgrade to 2gb makes all the difference. A lot of games (online) require some sort of anti-cheat service running in the background which again requires a bit of memory. More the merrier unless your stuck in 32bit OS. Then around 3gb is the limit. If you are serious about building a gaming machine then pci-e is the only way to fly and since hardware is so ahead of software anymore, you can build a relativley cheap gaming rig. FP had a post on this not too long ago if Im not mistaken. I just rebuilt my rig and it cost me $500 but only got a mobo and vid card.
Games are mem hogs. Bf2 will play on 1gb but is not smooth. A simple upgrade to 2gb makes all the difference. A lot of games (online) require some sort of anti-cheat service running in the background which again requires a bit of memory. More the merrier unless your stuck in 32bit OS. Then around 3gb is the limit. If you are serious about building a gaming machine then pci-e is the only way to fly and since hardware is so ahead of software anymore, you can build a relativley cheap gaming rig. FP had a post on this not too long ago if Im not mistaken. I just rebuilt my rig and it cost me $500 but only got a mobo and vid card.
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FlyingPenguin
- Flightless Bird
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1. AGP is dead. PCI-E is superior.
2. Yes, but some games are more depended on CPU than others (and when I say "CPU" that takes in bus and RAM speed). Generally you need more CPU for single player because not only does the computer have to render the game, it needs to manage the AI.
Keep in mind while a GPU may be more important in a multiplayer game there is a WORLD of difference playing a game on Athlon64 4000+ versus an Intel Quad Core Q6600 with the same vid card (being that I made that migration myself, I can attest to that).
3. Most games are scalable. Crysis is not one of them. Many game will run fine on older PCs by scaling down the video quality.
Your system is woefully inadequate for bleeding edge gaming (and pretty much sucks for non-bleeding edge gaming). I looked up your specs (P4 2.4GHz). That's a 6 year old PC (Amazon was selling them in September 2002) with DDR1 RAM.
I wouldn't waste my time with it. It's time for a new rig.
2. Yes, but some games are more depended on CPU than others (and when I say "CPU" that takes in bus and RAM speed). Generally you need more CPU for single player because not only does the computer have to render the game, it needs to manage the AI.
Keep in mind while a GPU may be more important in a multiplayer game there is a WORLD of difference playing a game on Athlon64 4000+ versus an Intel Quad Core Q6600 with the same vid card (being that I made that migration myself, I can attest to that).
3. Most games are scalable. Crysis is not one of them. Many game will run fine on older PCs by scaling down the video quality.
Your system is woefully inadequate for bleeding edge gaming (and pretty much sucks for non-bleeding edge gaming). I looked up your specs (P4 2.4GHz). That's a 6 year old PC (Amazon was selling them in September 2002) with DDR1 RAM.
I wouldn't waste my time with it. It's time for a new rig.
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“The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket.” - Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez
“The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket.” - Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez
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CrazyBones
- Senior Member
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Haha yea I bought the Vaio around 2001.
I checked out the cheap gaming rig you posted. http://www.maximumpc.com/article/featur ... _gaming_pc
Is this baby future-proof? Maybe sometime I will have to upgrade the RAM, video card, or CPU but probably won't ever have to start again from scratch with a new mobo?
I checked out the cheap gaming rig you posted. http://www.maximumpc.com/article/featur ... _gaming_pc
Is this baby future-proof? Maybe sometime I will have to upgrade the RAM, video card, or CPU but probably won't ever have to start again from scratch with a new mobo?
If you're going to get into gaming, you are probably going to be replacing components about every 2 to 3 years. You'll know when it's time to upgrade when you buy a new game and it barely runs or you have to turn down your resolution to even get it to run smoothly. When this time comes, you may not have to replace the entire rig. A better video card will do wonders but it can only do as much as it has the bandwidth from the motherboard to do.
My advice for you is to buy a nice case that is easy to get into. I've been using my case for almost 8 years and it's seen 4 motherboards. Buy a quality power supply. Don't get suckered in by high wattage. Do some research and get one that can support the video card and Motherboard you plan an running with it. Get your memory from Crucial. Their memory is the most compatible memory I've ever used.
As for the motherboard/video card, that's up to you. If it were me, I'd build an Intel I7 system. Intel, EVGA, and XfX all make good motherboards. For a video card, look into an EVGA or BFG NVIDIA card. Both of these companies carry lifetime warranties on their cards.
If you're wanting to run Direct-X 10 games in Direct-X 10, you're going to have to run Vista. What I've done is install Vista and XP on separate drives so I can still run some of my older hardware if I want. I simply select with drive I wish to boot to in the bios.
Post pictures of your new rig when you get it done.
My advice for you is to buy a nice case that is easy to get into. I've been using my case for almost 8 years and it's seen 4 motherboards. Buy a quality power supply. Don't get suckered in by high wattage. Do some research and get one that can support the video card and Motherboard you plan an running with it. Get your memory from Crucial. Their memory is the most compatible memory I've ever used.
As for the motherboard/video card, that's up to you. If it were me, I'd build an Intel I7 system. Intel, EVGA, and XfX all make good motherboards. For a video card, look into an EVGA or BFG NVIDIA card. Both of these companies carry lifetime warranties on their cards.
If you're wanting to run Direct-X 10 games in Direct-X 10, you're going to have to run Vista. What I've done is install Vista and XP on separate drives so I can still run some of my older hardware if I want. I simply select with drive I wish to boot to in the bios.
Post pictures of your new rig when you get it done.
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Key Keeper
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Err wrote:If you're going to get into gaming, you are probably going to be replacing components about every 2 to 3 years. You'll know when it's time to upgrade when you buy a new game and it barely runs or you have to turn down your resolution to even get it to run smoothly. When this time comes, you may not have to replace the entire rig. A better video card will do wonders but it can only do as much as it has the bandwidth from the motherboard to do.
aid: Whatever you do dont blink your eyes....if you do your hardware will be out of date...
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CrazyBones
- Senior Member
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- Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:15 pm
Since PC gaming is so demanding in terms of hardware replacement, why is it that there are very few PC games that look better than some console games? 
I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Killzone 2 on the PS3 and that game offers some fantastic eyecandy and physics. In all honesty, the only better-looking game that I've seen is Crysis on high settings.
I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Killzone 2 on the PS3 and that game offers some fantastic eyecandy and physics. In all honesty, the only better-looking game that I've seen is Crysis on high settings.
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Key Keeper
- Posts: 1564
- Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 12:17 pm
- Location: Austin TX
COD4 on max
BF2 on max
Jericho on max
Bioshock on max
Tombraider underworld on max
These all make console games look like NES graphics in my oppinion. I dont like consoles. Seems they are only good for games and nothing else (well maybe a really expensive blueray player).
BF2 on max
Jericho on max
Bioshock on max
Tombraider underworld on max
These all make console games look like NES graphics in my oppinion. I dont like consoles. Seems they are only good for games and nothing else (well maybe a really expensive blueray player).
[email="chevelle.h@gmail.com"][color="red"]MAIL[/color][/email]
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CrazyBones
- Senior Member
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Yeah I see what you mean. I prefer PC gaming too because I just feel more in control when I'm using a mouse and keyboard. I got a chance to play Left 4 Dead for the 360 and it just feels strange playing it with a controller. The servers on the 360 seem to lag more too which is strange considering Xbox Live is a service you pay for.Key Keeper wrote:COD4 on max
BF2 on max
Jericho on max
Bioshock on max
Tombraider underworld on max
These all make console games look like NES graphics in my oppinion. I dont like consoles. Seems they are only good for games and nothing else (well maybe a really expensive blueray player).
I don't mind the PS3 though. It's a nice Blu-Ray player and the exclusives for it are fun(LittleBigPlanet anyone? :lol ). I'm also pretty pumped for Killzone 2.