How to build ultimate and extreme gaming computers?
75Published on 03-May-2009
If you like computer gaming over console gaming and if you are a computer gaming fan then this article is only for you. Many people like computer for gaming purpose even I also like computer as gaming systems.Every gamer wants to own the ultimate gaming computer and if you get that then it is just like a dream come true. On ultimate gaming computer, not only you can play all type of games, you also enjoy the realism of the graphics and sound, as if you are there in the game.
So what you need to build the ultimate and extreme gaming computer? First of all, you have to have enough cash to spend blindly. Next, you have to have idea about which parts to choose, which we will in very next section.
Gaming Processor (CPU)
The first thing to consider is definitely the CPU and choosing the best CPU for your gaming needs can be a tough decision. There are many different models of gaming CPU available in market with different features and speeds which make this decision very confusing indeed. Picking the latest and most expensive processor on the market will not help in building ultimate gaming computer.
There are few restrictions, the CPU you choose should be compatible with your motherboard in all aspect like CPU socket pins, FSB support, chipset support etc. Processors are designed to work with certain chipset based motherboards, so the CPU you select will bound the type of motherboard you can buy.
The latest addition in Intel CPU for gaming is the Intel Core i7 Extreme Processors. According to Intel, this latest processor has 8 MB of L3 cache and new Processor Interconnect and Turbo Boost technology.
CPU at best price.
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Intel Core i7 965 3.2GHz 8M L3 Cache 6.4GT/sec QPI Hyper-Threading Turbo Boost LGA1366 Extreme Processor
(Recommended)
Price: $1,110.95
List Price: $1,159.99 |
|
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz 8M L3 Cache 4.8GT/sec QPI Hyper-Threading Turbo Boost LGA1366 Processor
Price: $270.99
List Price: $341.99 |
Memory (RAM)
Like CPU, the memory also plays vital role in computer performance. You cannot suppose a great performance from an extreme powerful CPU without the support of the memory. The larger the memory size, the better, faster and steadier computer you can have.
This is the era of DDR3 RAMs and DDR3 means higher speed and much more powerful performance than DDR2 RAMs. The fastest DDR3 RAM speed is 1800MHz. Right now in the market there are not many motherboards that can support DDR3 RAM. Most motherboards come with 4 DIMM slots; but the motherboard I am going to recommend later has 6 DIMM slot. This means you can install total memory of 12 GB. But for an extreme gaming computer you need to install minimum 6 GB of RAM (3 x 2GB). 6 GB of RAM also means that you can bank your memory upgrade expenditure for the next few years.
If you are going to overclock your PC then you need to buy RAM which can handle extra heat of overclocking. A RAM with heat sink is recommended and CORSAIR RAM fits in this requirement.
RAM at best price.
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Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator 6 GB 3 x 2 GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Memory Kit
(Recommended)
Price: $204.98
List Price: $295.99 |
|
CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB ( 2 X 2GB ) PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-pin DDR3 CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit - TW3X4G1600C9DHX
Price: $89.99
List Price: $159.99 |
Monitor
There is nothing to explain in this category. A 24” - 30” LCD monitor will do the best job. When it comes to brand of choice then Samsung, HP, AOC has got reputation in making some awesome LCD monitors for PC. I am a great fan of Samsung and HP for its color depth and screen quality. I have Samsung LCD and mobile phone and I bought this only for screen output.
For an ultimate gaming PC you can choose from Samsung 25” or 30” LCD and also of HP 20” widescreen LCD.
Best LCD Monitor
|
Samsung SyncMaster 305T 30-inch LCD Monitor
(Recommended)
Price: $1,299.99
|
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HP W2007 20-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor
Price: $327.00
|
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Samsung Touch Of Color T220HD 22-inch LCD HDTV Monitor
Price: $229.99
List Price: $281.99 |
Sound Card
If you are building an extreme gaming PC and you have not included good sound card in your shopping will sound strange. I know motherboards boast 7.1 channels sound onboard but if you want best sound experience then you have to purchase a separate sound card. If you are going after the best sound possible, there are no alternatives other than the PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series.
Sound Card
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PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series
(Recommended)
Price: $167.81
List Price: $199.99 |
|
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
Price: $199.99
|
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Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro Series Sound Card ( 70SB046A00000 )
Price: $149.99
|
Motherboard
Motherboard is very essential part of any PC which decides performance of a computer. You can see the list of recommended computer part and now we have to decide a best motherboard which handles the heat of our extreme gaming PC. For this I would recommend “EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 X58 3-Way SLI Core i7 Motherboard with Tri-Channel DDR3 and Tuning Utility”. A very solid motherboard by EVGA, this motherboard has load of options to help you overclock. It supports DDR3 RAM, Triple SLI Ready (Nvidia or ATI) and accepts the new LGA1366 socket for i7 processors. It's made by EVGA so you can expect great customer support.
If you are going to buy this motherboard then please register your motherboard within 30 days to claim lifetime warranty at www.evga.com.
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 X58 3-Way SLI Core i7 Motherboard
Motherboard at best price
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EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 X58 3-Way SLI Core i7 Motherboard with Tri-Channel DDR3 and Tuning Utility
(Recommended)
Price: $294.99
List Price: $349.99 |
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ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA1366 Intel X58 DDR3-1600 ATX Motherboard
Price: $314.00
|
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
For our ultimate and extreme gaming PC we have added lots for powerful add on cards like sound card, graphics card, extra hard disk etc. to run them at their speed and perform well we need a high rating power supply. PCI-Express SLI graphics card requires a different power connector. This should be taken in account when buying PSU. CORSAIR 1000w HX Series is recommended power supply unit for this gaming rig.
Power Supply
|
Corsair CMPSU-1000HX 1000-Watt HX Professional Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Core i7 and Core i5
(Recommended)
Price: $239.99
List Price: $248.99 |
Keyboard and Mouse
The keyboard and mouse are the only devices that you use to input command to the system. For best gaming effect, a programmable hot-key keyboard and a sensitive, accurate mouse are required. The best in the market now is the Logitech G15 gaming keyboard that allows you to program up to 18 hot-keys and Logitech G9 laser gaming mouse that allows the user to adjust the resolution to 2000dpi.
Best gaming keyboard and mouse.
|
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard (Black)
(Recommended)
Price: $69.00
List Price: $98.99 |
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Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
(Recommended)
Price: $49.99
List Price: $99.99 |
Hard Drive (HDD)
When building the ultimate gaming PC, it is not the size of the hard drive that matters, but its performance that really make the difference. A 300GB hard drive is more than enough for the storage of your games and applications. A hard drive speed and performance lies in its interface (SATA 2), RPM speed and Cache memory. The cache memory determines how much data can be stored for pre-fetch while the drive interface determines how fast the data can be transferred. The most suitable and recommend hard drive for an ultimate gaming computer is the “Western Digital VelociRaptor 300 GB, 16 MB Cache, 10,000 RPM SATA II WD3000GLFS”.
Best hard drive.
|
Western Digital VelociRaptor 300 GB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 2.5 Inch, 16 MB Cache, 10,000 RPM SATA II WD3000GLFS
(Recommended)
Price: $398.95
List Price: $329.99 |
|
1.5 TB Seagate Barracuda SATA II 32MB Buffer Internal 7200RPM Hard Disk
(Optional for extra storage)
Price: $121.99
List Price: $199.99 |
Graphic Card
Graphics plays vital role in gaming and we should choose it very wisely. The current technology in graphic cards is the SLI (Scalable Link Interface) or CrossFire technology which is developed by nVidia and ATI respectively. Both technologies utilize dual graphics cards and the fast PCI-Express 16x slot to deliver faster and better graphical output. To build an ultimate and extreme gaming PC, the recommended graphics card is “EVGA 017-P3-1291-AR GeForce GTX295 1792 MB DDR3 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card - Lifetime Warranty”
Best graphic card.
|
EVGA 017-P3-1291-AR GeForce GTX295 1792 MB DDR3 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card - Lifetime Warranty
(Recommended)
Price: $549.99
|
Speaker system.
You cannot expect great sound from a great sound card without great speaker systems. In order to go with the performance of the great sound card you bought, a 5.1-channel speaker system or higher is required. In addition, a hardware decoding system for Dolby Digital and DTS is also vital to produce the best sound effect. A recommended product is Logitech Z-5500 5.1 channel speaker system.
Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 505-Watt 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System
Best Gaming Speaker System and Headphone
|
Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 505-Watt 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System
(Recommended)
Price: $339.70
List Price: $399.99 |
|
Sennheiser PC 350 Gaming Headset
Price: Too low to display
List Price: $229.95 |
|
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Steel Series SteelSound 5H V2 Headset ( 20065 )
Price: $99.99
List Price: $99.00 |
|
Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset
Price: $37.39
List Price: $49.99 |
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Logitech Precision PC Gaming Headset ( 980231-0403 )
Price: $19.33
List Price: $29.99 |
Miscellaneous
PC Case: Cooler Master Cosmos ATX Full Tower Case Silver is one of the sleekest PC cases ever designed with a plethora of options that makes assembling or upgrading your beast very easy. This PC Case is gigantic and you can install everything you ever dreamed of inside.
Optical Drive: If you want to play some high definition movies along with gaming on your PC, then Blu Ray reader is all you need. And LG has really good Blu Ray Disc reader.
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9700LED Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler is a very good CPU Cooler and highly recommended over the supply cooler fan if you want to overclock at all. This CPU cooler will lesser your PC temperatures considerably.
Thermal Compound: Don't go with supplied thermal compound. A good thermal compound is required, as supplied compound may not handle heat in the way it should. Buy the best thermal compound and keep your CPU cool. Remember that a CPU costs much more than thermal compound, so it is wise to buy a thermal compound.
Best products at low price.
|
Cooler Master Cosmos ATX Full Tower Case Silver - (RC-1000-KSN1-GP)
(Recommended)
Price: $197.99
List Price: $197.99 |
|
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound 3.5 Grams
(Recommended)
Price: $0.75
|
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LG GGW-H20L Super Multi Blue - Blu-ray Disc Burner / HD DVD-ROM Drive w/ Lightscribe - 6x2x6x/3x - Serial ATA - internal - 5.25"
(Recommended)
Price: $254.99
|
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SteelSeries SP Mouse Pad (Black)
(Optional)
Price: $37.57
List Price: $39.99 |
Cooler Master Cosmos ATX Full Tower
Games for this Monster PC
|
Crysis Maximum Edition
Price: $26.99
List Price: $39.99 |
|
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack
Price: $31.55
List Price: $39.99 |
|
Age Of Empires Collector's Edition (Limited Edition)
Price: $6.04
List Price: $9.99 |
|
The Sims 3 Collector's Edition
Price: $35.00
List Price: $69.99 |
|
Battlefield 2
Price: $5.98
List Price: $7.98 |
|
Combat Flight Simulator 3
Price: $6.54
List Price: $9.99 |
|
Left 4 Dead
Price: $24.00
List Price: $29.99 |
|
Far Cry 2
Price: $7.50
List Price: $19.99 |
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Crysis Collector's Edition
Price: $69.99
List Price: $49.99 |
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Gears of War
Price: $35.88
List Price: $29.99 |
Conclusion
More or less, I’ve covered the requirement to build best gaming computer. Building a high end gaming computers can cost thousands of dollars. And this gaming beast costs around $4700 (Added only recommended product). If you are restricted by budget then this configuration is not recommended for you. Then you should invest in good graphic card and RAM to enjoy gaming at budget.
This ultimate gaming computer system configuration will keep changing with new range of products with even great performer of future. So, I’ll try to update this. If you have suggestion or any question then please post comment.
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Matrixkavi says:
7 months ago
Hey, this is a great hub.. I like it and appreciate the way you put the hardware informations