# How fast will my new PC run newer games?



## EPeDeMiK (Jul 15, 2004)

How fast will games like Doom III, Half-Life 2, Far Cry, Unreal Tournament 2004, Battlefield Vietnam, Joint Operations, etc. run on my PC? (I already know they will run extremely fast, but I'm just wondering if any of you know first hand!)

I ordered an Alienware Area 51
3.4 GHz P4 Processor
2GB of RAM
ATI Radeon X800 XT Graphics Card (256 MB)
160 GB HD (7200 RPM)


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## PcBoss (Jul 15, 2004)

It will run *120 mhp*    lol joking!!!

lets get serious! iam not really sure, but this really got me wondering... any one here has an answer!


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## Praetor (Jul 15, 2004)

1. There's no way for us to tell you
2. SHouldnt you have asked that before you spent the money
3. Was the post just to tell us your specs or are you serious?
4. Still... nobody can tell you.... I've got an Alie' out back and i never use it much so i couldnt tell ya.


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## EPeDeMiK (Jul 15, 2004)

no i basically wanted you to drool at its amazingness  
lol, im a bastard


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## Praetor (Jul 15, 2004)

LOL fair enough .. it's not that fancy ... it's not like you put the thing together or anything ... anybody can just get parts (probably for less)  and slap it together .... but theres a lot of fun in getting a system and building it on your own ... its even better when you save a crapload of money too


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## EPeDeMiK (Jul 15, 2004)

Yea, I was considering that, but I wanted to get something with a good warranty, and a good upgrade policy. And I think an Alienware will do quite the job running newer games (especially with those specs).


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## Praetor (Jul 15, 2004)

They will do a good job but for the extra $600 (or more) your spending they better be.


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## EPeDeMiK (Jul 15, 2004)

with an ATI Radeon X800 XT? Damn right they will! lol


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## Praetor (Jul 15, 2004)

X800 isnt that fancy... dont forget it doesnt support Pixel Shader 3.0. They stopped it at Shader 2.0 .. tsk tsk for Alie' and by "good job" i meant "tech support" and "warranty"


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## EPeDeMiK (Jul 15, 2004)

they have good tech support and warranty!


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## Praetor (Jul 15, 2004)

dude .... for $600 you better have good shit like that ... course you're paying for the well done job .... why need warranty and tech support? (ok maybe tech support i dunno).

All im sayin is, before you pop out a crapload of money for a system you can get and build on your own for craploads cheaper, make sure you know what ur gettin into ... unless you're just buyin into the "name".....


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## darkd3vil (Jul 15, 2004)

my parents got a hp and its what im using till my computer is done they spend about 800 and it cant play crap its good for holding music untill the hdd max's or thers to much and it goes as fast as a dead turtle, so i took 800 dollars from my checks and whatnot and built my own its almost done waiting for a pci card for sata/raid itll be here tomarrow or friday which is good and also i get so much better stuff plus i got 300 left to spend which i am siniking into a good video card and maybe a better sound card and speakers so what now! and plus u got praetor as tech support lol


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## Praetor (Jul 15, 2004)

> and plus u got praetor as tech support lol


You online people get it easy... i charge $120/hr consunlting or ... depending on the client ... dinner and a movie can be substituted


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## darkd3vil (Jul 15, 2004)

hey ill take you out to dinner and a movie how does kfc and hmmm slc punk sound to you and 120 a hour thats insaine i wish i had that kind of money i make 7.35 flipping burgers


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## Praetor (Jul 15, 2004)

> i wish I had that kind of money I make 7.35 flipping burgers


Yeah but i dont get enough hours heehee and i dont do stupid crap like waste an extra 5 hours either. I quote someone and never overcharge if im off by more than 1 hour. I do a lot of jobs like that ... $50/hr here $30/hr there ... $100/hr there ... but i never score enough hours! DAMMIT!  'sides, a lot of it goes to savings and reinvestment and stuff so i dont have much in terms of spending money... don't get me wrong i'm not a snotty-ass kid -- tuition is expensive -- i didnt spend any money from birth-university ... zip. zilch. nada. zero. No field trips, no new shoes, no new back, no new pencils, no snacks .... that money went to savings and investments... course it pays off now .... except tuition is a B17CH!


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## EPeDeMiK (Jul 16, 2004)

i work at a deli....12.00/h


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## Blind_Arrow (Jul 16, 2004)

I am not a gamer , why didnt you went for the nVidia 6800? Shader Model 3.0, I am not against any of the manufacturer, competition is tough, no two manufacturers can go for the bst at the same time. ATi came with 9700 PRO as a Flag Ship, ok, agreed, nVidia didnt felt like gaining their competitive advantage in their FX series of cards against ATi's Radeon series. rules sometimes change. as I am too much into Hardware (Again reminding I'm not a gamer though), this time AMD in processors and nVidia in graphic chipsets will have the flag in gaming.


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## EPeDeMiK (Jul 16, 2004)

I didnt choose NVidia because of the huge power supply required to get it, with the Alienware Configurator, you could ONLY get the GeForce 6800 if you ALSO got a 650 WATT power supply, which cost an extra $250-300! I've also heard that the GeForce 6800 runs at high temperatures (much higher than ATI Radeon X800 XT) and that it's extremely loud.


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## 72montecarlo (Jul 16, 2004)

You'll be fine with the x800. its the fastest card out for radeon and its no more or less slower then the nvidia's 6800. yes the card has PS3.0 but no games currently even take advantage of this so going with the x800 is certainly not a bad choice.


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## Blind_Arrow (Jul 16, 2004)

OK, to some extent agreed with the Dual Molar connector requirements and Noice?? not sure about that. and also, ATi X800 is smaller than its previous version (9800XT), which I'll still prefer over the X800 (Both PRO and XT), due to some limitations, as not always newer is better, like in case of Intel Prescott.

but at least everyone has to gather around that point, that AMD will remain the gamer's choice this season. reardless of intel new 775 inverse chipset.


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## Praetor (Jul 16, 2004)

> yes the card has PS3.0 but no games currently even take advantage of this so going with the x800 is certainly not a bad choice


1. It doesnt have Pixel Shadel 3.0
2. I initially though the same. Play FarCry 1.2 -- there is a difference and a DAMN noticeable one at that



> as not always newer is better, like in case of Intel Prescott.


And in the case of the X600 and X300 ... dissapointing cards .. extremely so.


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## EPeDeMiK (Jul 16, 2004)

um i think far cry will run extremely well with the X800


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## Praetor (Jul 16, 2004)

Nobody was contesting that.


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## EPeDeMiK (Jul 17, 2004)

o ok lol


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## Praetor (Jul 17, 2004)

The only comment I was making is that the 6800 is in  a much stronger position with respect to lifetime because of support for Pixel Shader 3.0 -- i was very shocked that ATi did not "step up" and offer support for Pixel Shader 3.0 (i was also equally shocked by the garbage ... DISMAL performance and specs of the X300 and X600 compared to current cards but that's a different story altogether)


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## SpetsnaZ (Jul 22, 2004)

It's not that I want to add gas to the fire , but Ati is way better than NVidia.........check out these tests results :

http://www20.graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20040721/coolfx_ultra-04.html

Well, it ain't WAY BETTER.....but it is better !!!!!!


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## SpetsnaZ (Jul 22, 2004)

Oh  and Praetor....I can't remember where but I think it's on TOM'S HARDWARE .com that I read an article saying ATI has a graphics card "in working status but needs adjusting"....once its ready, it will drown NVIDIA....but like I said, I don't remember where I saw the article so you can tell me to shut up !!!!!!


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## Praetor (Jul 22, 2004)

On the same token as your benchmarks: http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/far_cry_sm30/page3.asp So much for benchmarks eh? heehee. 



> I read an article saying ATI has a graphics card "in working status but needs adjusting"....once its ready, it will drown NVIDIA....but like I said, I don't remember where I saw the article so you can tell me to shut up !!!!!!


Nah... as long as people are open minded and stuff then we can all have meaningful debates and stuff


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## SpetsnaZ (Jul 23, 2004)

Funny how the are differences, but the PCs are set up with diff specs.....but thx for the hot link HARDCOREGAMERS is a nice site. I set it up in my FAVORITES

Praetor, where the hell you learn all that computer whiz stuff?


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## Praetor (Jul 23, 2004)

> Funny how the are differences, but the PCs are set up with diff specs


Which is why benchmarks should only be an indication of the general approximate performance of a product... if you note some of the values... ATi will beat nVidia (or vice versa) by a piddly 3fps -- that means jack shit all and realistically, on another day it could easily swing the other way. Now if there's a 15fps difference... thats something meaningful 




> Praetor, where the hell you learn all that computer whiz stuff?


From 1 article of PCMag back in December 1991  (or was it January 1992) ... and then two books, 1500 pages apiece  The rest is hands on


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## SpetsnaZ (Jul 23, 2004)

Hands on !!!! I'll give myself time to learn. Thx for all the help....much appreciated.


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## Praetor (Jul 24, 2004)

Ya you'd be surprised what you can learn and how fast you can learn it


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## SpetsnaZ (Jul 24, 2004)

First, I want to learn how to build my own PC and what the different components actually do......then I'm gonna head into Linux. I know about as much of LINUX as I do "The Quantum Physics of Black Holes" by what's his name in the Wheelchair? (no disrespect intended cuz He is the smartest guy around). Where u suggest I go to learn LINUX on the net?


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## ian (Jul 24, 2004)

> by what's his name in the Wheelchair?


Professor Steven Hawking


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## SpetsnaZ (Jul 24, 2004)

Thanx Ian......he just rewrote his theory on the Black holes....apparently, they are not a dead end but in fact full of life. Just felt like lettin out


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## tommy8748 (Aug 11, 2004)

holy shit that pc is sweet


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