Is this possible for a gaming rig?

I'm not much of a PC gamer. The most I have done is put a 9800 pro in my pc. What I wanted to know is, could I build a gaming PC for around 2,500$ that could run games like Crysis and HL2 Ep 2 with all the settings on high? The resolution would be 1280*720 with 16x AA and 6x anistropic filtering. I hear that it looks close to 1080p(I'm using my 1080p television for the monitor), but that it is easier on the computer itself. I would probably running Windows Vista Home Premium(or whatever is the middle one). If anyone could give me tips on how to build, where to buy, or of a compnay who builds gaming pc's for cheaper than someone like Alienware I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

For $2500 you can get a kick-ass rig. If you want to build yourself then I would suggest Newegg.com for buying your parts.

If you want a custom pre-built you could look into companies like AVADirect.com, DigitalStormOnline.com, ABS.com, and more. Just look into the compnay to make sure their builds and prices are good, and choose one you're comfortable with. I suggest ResellerRatings.com for company reviews and either CNet.com or HardOCP.com for build reviews.

Either way, you're going to want to take the time to figure out all of the best parts, learn some of the terms, basically just learn about what you need and what you should get. Just ask on these boards for anything you need, there are plenty of helpful people. Also, just look through the current threads to learn whats what and whats best.

As for guides on building a PC, just google it. You'll get plenty of results. Also, once again I'm sure people on these forums can suggest a good guide and give you some tips.

~$2228 without peripherals. RAM may be a little overkill, but it's still well within your budget.
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=4538125&WishListTitle=%3C%242500

That motherboard is also pretty future-proof considering it will be compatible with Intel's next line of processors, the Penryns, and it will also take DDR3 1333 RAM. You probably don't know what either of those things mean, but it's good - just search the forum to see what they both are.

One other thing, which is more personal preference, is that that motherboard is not SLi-capable (running two Nvidia graphics cards at once). Some people like SLi, but I figure I'd rather have one good top-of-the-line card that can run any game than two older cards. Anyway just something to think about.

I'm not saying you should buy that exact rig, I'm just using it to give you an idea of what you can get, and what is considered top-of-the-line right now. Certainly get other people's opinions, and look around before buying anything.

~$2500

EVGA 768-P2-N887-AR GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Thermaltake CL-P0401 110mm Full-Range Fan CPU Cooler - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6700 - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 DOMINATOR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4D - Retail

Thermaltake toughpower W0117RU ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply - Retail

Creative 70SB046A00000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series - Retail

Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

You choose your own case, fans, monitor, keyboard, mouse, cdrom, floppy drive, and whatever else extra you would like and it will be roughly $2500. Enjoy because that was the setup I was going to get...

Don't buy the 8800Ultra. It's basically a general consensus that it's a complete rip-off for just a few MHz more clock speed.

If you really want, buy an eVga SuperClocked or something like that, but the Ultra is a lot of money for a few extra MHz.

Don't buy the 8800Ultra. It's basically a general consensus that it's a complete rip-off for just a few MHz more clock speed.

If you really want, buy an eVga SuperClocked or something like that, but the Ultra is a lot of money for a few extra MHz.

FireBurger

I will have to agree to disagree. The Ultra is just an overclocked 8800 GTX but it does have a perfected cooler on it that runs quiet a bit cooler then the GTX. YouTube it and see for yourself. EVGA and XFX XXX are both very nice products.

A lot of people, me included, like eVga for a GPU company. They have very quality cards, and they have a "Step-Up" program, so within 90 days of purchase, if you want, you can just choose a better GPU and just pay the difference (I'm pretty sure that's how it works).

The first rig in my sig is running an eVga 7900GT, but my new rig will be a PNY, only because it's slightly cheaper where I'm buying it.

GPU Comparisons: http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html

CPU Comparisons: http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

As for the different GPU companies, you're not going to see much of a difference if any in performance. Regardless of the company, they all use the same Nvidia or ATI chips.

GPU Comparisons: http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html

CPU Comparisons: http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

As for the different GPU companies, you're not going to see much of a difference if any in performance. Regardless of the company, they all use the same Nvidia or ATI chips.

FireBurger

agree

~$2228 without peripherals. RAM may be a little overkill, but it's still well within your budget.
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=4538125&WishListTitle=%3C%242500

That motherboard is also pretty future-proof considering it will be compatible with Intel's next line of processors, the Penryns, and it will also take DDR3 1333 RAM. You probably don't know what either of those things mean, but it's good - just search the forum to see what they both are.

FireBurger

im looking at what mobo to get for my new rig, and are trying to future proof as much as possible so was also looking at this one. just a small question really, it says in the spec that it takes DDR3 ram, yet on the wishlist you have put in DDR2 ram, this would not work right? just like you cant put DDR2 into a DDR slot?

im looking at what mobo to get for my new rig, and are trying to future proof as much as possible so was also looking at this one. just a small question really, it says in the spec that it takes DDR3 ram, yet on the wishlist you have put in DDR2 ram, this would not work right? just like you cant put DDR2 into a DDR slot?

PatPending89

It would work. You can't put DDR2 in a DDR only mobo because DDR2 is newer. However, in this case, the RAM that you are putting in is older than the mobo, so it will support it.

So basically, you can put old RAM in a new board, but not new RAM in an old board. The board I have selected supports DDR3 1333, DDR2 1066, and DDR2 800.

im gunna be building one that is just next to best, and it will be around 950 plus the cost of vista home premium. So you can go all out with 2500.harrisi17

buy cheap and overclock or buy not so cheap and get a pc that will last longer...