Building a Gaming Rig
- Tailhook
- Virtual Thunderbird Alumnus
- Posts: 1052
- Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:17 pm
- Location: Baltimore, MD
Setting up a dual-boot system...
#1- Put in an operating system disk. (Would probably do XP first).
#2- Boot from disk and enter Windows Setup. (XP setup is easier to format partitions).
#3- When you get to the partition managment screen, make sure you have a fully blank HD with no partitions. Create 2 partitions of the size you want. Remember to multiply the number of GB you want to use in the partition by 1024 in order to get the correct # of MB to set.
#4- On drive C:, begin install of XP.
#5- When XP install finishes and works correctly, pop in the W7 disk. Restart.
#6- Boot from 7 disk and enter Windows 7 Setup. When it asks you to either Upgrade or do a Custom install, choose Custom. Select your D: and install W7 to that drive.
#7- Windows 7 will most likely reboot during the install so when it does, your BIOS may prompt you which OS to boot from. Select Windows 7.
#8. After all is installed, you can reboot and pick what OS you want to boot.
Hope that was English!
#1- Put in an operating system disk. (Would probably do XP first).
#2- Boot from disk and enter Windows Setup. (XP setup is easier to format partitions).
#3- When you get to the partition managment screen, make sure you have a fully blank HD with no partitions. Create 2 partitions of the size you want. Remember to multiply the number of GB you want to use in the partition by 1024 in order to get the correct # of MB to set.
#4- On drive C:, begin install of XP.
#5- When XP install finishes and works correctly, pop in the W7 disk. Restart.
#6- Boot from 7 disk and enter Windows 7 Setup. When it asks you to either Upgrade or do a Custom install, choose Custom. Select your D: and install W7 to that drive.
#7- Windows 7 will most likely reboot during the install so when it does, your BIOS may prompt you which OS to boot from. Select Windows 7.
#8. After all is installed, you can reboot and pick what OS you want to boot.
Hope that was English!
Dual booting is awesome - I learned how to do it by watching a YouTube video. Watched the video on my other PC as I set it up on my gaming rig, worked out nicely.
I remember having to do some entries in the command prompt in Vista once I had XP installed on the other partition to get the Windows Boot Manager screen on startup.
I remember having to do some entries in the command prompt in Vista once I had XP installed on the other partition to get the Windows Boot Manager screen on startup.
- Tailhook
- Virtual Thunderbird Alumnus
- Posts: 1052
- Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:17 pm
- Location: Baltimore, MD
I just didn't like how it partitoned for me. It would end up making a 30MB partition along with the 50GB partition I wanted, giving me 2 logical hard drives... Thanks Microsoft. So instead I used the XP setup to partition my HD's, restarted, then put W7 back in and went from there.Lawndart wrote:...is Windows 7 not as friendly creating partitions with as XP? I was thinking I'd install Win 7 first, and add a dual boot for XP later...
Teej's current specs...
Win XP
Asus P5B Deluxe m/b
Core 2 Duo e6600 (2.4ghz stock, running at 2.97ghz).
Zalman CNPS 9900 CPU cooler
Asus ENGTX 275 video
4GB OCZ (Got on a deal to replace the 2G kingston value ram I was using. And yes, XP only gives me 3GB)
Seagate 1G drive...nothing special.
Opticals nothing crazy
I'm only pushing around 1.4v through the CPU right now. 1.5v is still within spec...probably try that on Monday and see if it buys me any more OC ability.
Win XP
Asus P5B Deluxe m/b
Core 2 Duo e6600 (2.4ghz stock, running at 2.97ghz).
Zalman CNPS 9900 CPU cooler
Asus ENGTX 275 video
4GB OCZ (Got on a deal to replace the 2G kingston value ram I was using. And yes, XP only gives me 3GB)
Seagate 1G drive...nothing special.
Opticals nothing crazy
I'm only pushing around 1.4v through the CPU right now. 1.5v is still within spec...probably try that on Monday and see if it buys me any more OC ability.
Building a new rig and I need help picking componets.
Mother board, graphics card... etc.
Buying from: http://www.ncix.com/index.php
Mother board, graphics card... etc.
Buying from: http://www.ncix.com/index.php
If I was building an enthusiast gaming PC today I'd get a Sandy Bridge CPU!
Due to a manufacturing defect on the early LGA1155 mobos supporting Sandy Bridge, there could be a two month gap in availability. The fixed ones have a "B3" label.
That said if I was building a rig today I would get the following:
I'm an NVIDIA guy, but ATI has some screamer cards too. I just couldn't tell you the models off the top of my head.
Choose a case, PSU, memory, optical drive and harddrive based on best bang for the buck. You can find 1TB Caviar Black drives from WD for as low as $70 nowadays, and good DDR3 memory is generally cheap in bundles. Be sure to get at least a 700W PSU (more if you plan to use SLI or Crossfire on your graphics cards). Pick a modular connector PSU. I'd pick a case with USB 3.0 in the front and back, but mainly one that has at minimum 3-4 case fans for heat dispersion. You'll also want a good CPU cooling fan.
I'd personally go for a mobo with UEFI (instead of BIOS). I've seen the interface on the ASUS board, and it's slick!
Due to a manufacturing defect on the early LGA1155 mobos supporting Sandy Bridge, there could be a two month gap in availability. The fixed ones have a "B3" label.
That said if I was building a rig today I would get the following:
- ASUS P8P67 Mobo (the updated boards are called "B3 stepping ready"). If EVGA released a 1155 socket mobo I'd probably go for it instead.
- Intel i7 2600K CPU ("K" models are an overclocker's dream, and the 2600K has been tested up to 5GHz!).
- EVGA GTX 560 (the 560 offer a lot of performance, but a 580 or 590 and ATI equivalent cards would obviously be faster, but cost more. A high end 400-series card would also be good, but not necessarily cost less).
I'm an NVIDIA guy, but ATI has some screamer cards too. I just couldn't tell you the models off the top of my head.
Choose a case, PSU, memory, optical drive and harddrive based on best bang for the buck. You can find 1TB Caviar Black drives from WD for as low as $70 nowadays, and good DDR3 memory is generally cheap in bundles. Be sure to get at least a 700W PSU (more if you plan to use SLI or Crossfire on your graphics cards). Pick a modular connector PSU. I'd pick a case with USB 3.0 in the front and back, but mainly one that has at minimum 3-4 case fans for heat dispersion. You'll also want a good CPU cooling fan.
I'd personally go for a mobo with UEFI (instead of BIOS). I've seen the interface on the ASUS board, and it's slick!
Last edited by Lawndart on Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I echo what LD said.
I would prefer to get an EVGA mobo just because of their excellent tech support and lifetime warranty. I'll probably wait for EVGA to release a board that supports the i7-2600's.
In the meantime I think I'll get an EVGA GTX 580. I'm not sure why I need it, but I just want one, money is burning a hole in my pocket
I would prefer to get an EVGA mobo just because of their excellent tech support and lifetime warranty. I'll probably wait for EVGA to release a board that supports the i7-2600's.
In the meantime I think I'll get an EVGA GTX 580. I'm not sure why I need it, but I just want one, money is burning a hole in my pocket
Just read a review on the GTX 560 Ti... being the new sweet spot for GPUs. It's comparable to the GTX 460, but with better performance. This is probably the card I'd go for if I was going to spend the least but compete with the best!
I'll price out a few setups later for builds (as Convertible also asked me the other day)... One for budget, one for upgradability and one for the enthusiast (no need to go extreme as it'll only cost you lots more money for minimal performance gains).
The i7 2600K processor is the one I'd definitely shoot for now if I could afford it. It runs about $100 more than an i5 2500K, and if you're on a really tight budget a i3 2100 could do the trick while still allowing you to buy your future mobo at this time.
Memory is extrememly cheap at the moment. You can find 4GB DDR3 1333 (9-9-9-24 timings) for as low as $42. If you'd like 4GBs DDR3 1600 (8-8-8-24) check Corsair as they've had some deals for ~$70.
I'll price out a few setups later for builds (as Convertible also asked me the other day)... One for budget, one for upgradability and one for the enthusiast (no need to go extreme as it'll only cost you lots more money for minimal performance gains).
The i7 2600K processor is the one I'd definitely shoot for now if I could afford it. It runs about $100 more than an i5 2500K, and if you're on a really tight budget a i3 2100 could do the trick while still allowing you to buy your future mobo at this time.
Memory is extrememly cheap at the moment. You can find 4GB DDR3 1333 (9-9-9-24 timings) for as low as $42. If you'd like 4GBs DDR3 1600 (8-8-8-24) check Corsair as they've had some deals for ~$70.
FREE copies of Maximum PC in .PDF format:
http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/pdf_archives
It runs a month behind what's on the newsstand.
The March 2011 issue has an article called How To Build A Sub-$1,000 Sandy Bridge (on page 45), under the monthly Build It column with specs listed.
The April 2011 issue of Build It (when it comes out in .PDF) puts together a Sub-$600 Sandy Bridge in an article called The Cheapskate's PC (on page 32).
If I was building today here's my list/thoughts:
My current specs (for reference):
http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/pdf_archives
It runs a month behind what's on the newsstand.
The March 2011 issue has an article called How To Build A Sub-$1,000 Sandy Bridge (on page 45), under the monthly Build It column with specs listed.
The April 2011 issue of Build It (when it comes out in .PDF) puts together a Sub-$600 Sandy Bridge in an article called The Cheapskate's PC (on page 32).
If I was building today here's my list/thoughts:
- CPU: Intel i7 2600K ("K" model is "King")
- Mobo: ASUS P8P67 Pro (B3), although I'd buy EVGA's 1155 socket if/when it's released
- Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600, although 4GB is a bargain I'd buy more (always go one step above what you think you need)
- Case: Thermaltake V9 BlacX, although a Cooler Master HAF912 is a steal (tool-free, front & back USB 3.0 ports, CPU cutout for coolers, and lots of fans)
- PSU: 750W or more, unless you're budget minded and don't intend on OC'ing or using SLI/Crossfire. I'm not brand loyal, but modular connectors is a must once you've had it
- GPU: GTX 560 Ti, for the reasons mentioned earlier
- Hard Drive: WD Caviar Black 1TB (Model #WD1002FAEX) 6.0Gb/sec, unless you can also afford a SSD or Velociraptor as your primary drive and use a Caviar Black as storage
- Optical Drive: BD player/DVD burner
- OS: Win 7 64-bit Pro (OEM)
My current specs (for reference):
- CPU: Intel i7 950 w/ ZALMAN 120mm CPU fan
- Mobo: EVGA X58 FTW3
- Memory: 12GB Corsair DDR3 1600
- Case: Thermaltake V9 BlacX w/ dual SATA docks
- PSU: Corsair HX 850W
- GPU: EVGA GTX 460 FTW
- Hard Drive: 1 x WD Velociraptor 600GB, 2 x WD Caviar Black 1TB (Total 2.6TBs)
- Optical Drive: LG BD burner
- OS: Win 7 64-bit Pro (OEM)
EVGA has released their P67 Mobo lineup!
http://www.evga.com/articles/00604/
EVGA P67 FTW Mobo + i7-2600K =
Add a GTX 560, 570 or 580 card and you'll be set for a long time.
http://www.evga.com/articles/00604/
EVGA P67 FTW Mobo + i7-2600K =
Add a GTX 560, 570 or 580 card and you'll be set for a long time.
Maximum PC ran a very popular article back in late '09 called:
How to Build an Awesome Gaming PC for $647
Good news (especially for anyone in need of a new gaming rig on a tight budget). They'll be running a new "Build It" putting together a screamer on a budget in this year's August issue. It'll likely be a Sandy Bridge.
Note: If you don't want to buy the Magazine off the shelf, the online .PDFs become available on their website a month after the hard copies are released.
How to Build an Awesome Gaming PC for $647
Good news (especially for anyone in need of a new gaming rig on a tight budget). They'll be running a new "Build It" putting together a screamer on a budget in this year's August issue. It'll likely be a Sandy Bridge.
Note: If you don't want to buy the Magazine off the shelf, the online .PDFs become available on their website a month after the hard copies are released.