Recommendations for a New 3D Capable Desktop

skavenhorde

Little BRO Rat
Joined
February 3, 2007
Messages
5,347
Location
Taiwan
As a birthday/Christmas present I've been given around $1,000 to buy a new gaming rig. I'm going all out this time with a new monitor, new speakers, everything.

Here is the thing, I don't keep updated with the latest hardware out there. All I know is that I want to get a decent monitor that supports the latest True 3D cards. I have been dying to try out these 3D games, but this computer of mine can't support it.

I've heard good things about the GeForce 3D Vision Card, but would like to get a second opinion from you. Plus any decent motherboards, or any other equipment you might recommend.

Thanks in advance.
 
Joined
Feb 3, 2007
Messages
5,347
Location
Taiwan
I am no pro but I strongly suggest you do a lot of research. Check out several game sites for complaints about games not working on X or Y.... The people here are a great resource, but you need to be armed with info and guestions for the person or place you plan to buy from as well.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,384
Location
Missouri USA
Well how about this:

Alienware: Aurora Desktop

It has some customizable options, but none with a true 3D card. That's fine I can buy one later. But the rest sounds decent.
 
Joined
Feb 3, 2007
Messages
5,347
Location
Taiwan
If I read the specs right, the power supply that comes with may be close to max use. I would find out cause you will not be able to do much upgrading if that is true.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,384
Location
Missouri USA
So,I hope I can help.
First of all I would built the computer instead of getting a something ready like Alienware as you'll probably end up with a cheap Power Supply and a low quality motherboard.
  • I'm not sure Nvidia's 3D Vision is worth it.I would wait for the technology to mature a bit cause I may end up spending money on useless cr@p.I don't think there are a lot of game supporting and benefiting from it and.Stereoscopic 3D wasn't invented by Nvidia and I wouldn't bet my money on 3D vision. Also getting an Nvidia card now isn't really wise cause ATIs perform better,cost about the same,have DirectX 11 and are pretty low on temps and power consumption.Should you choose ATI depending on your resolution HD 5770 and HD 5850 are highly recommended.
    Nvidia should release it's new line (3xx) in mid March and until then buying any nVidia GPU is bad choice.
  • As you already pointed out you should get a good monitor cause monitors last much longer than most computer stuff.All I can say is that you should pay attention to the Brightness as it makes the most noticeable difference(allong with resolution of course).Oh and for Christ's sake get one that can be connected with DVI or HDMI,don't get one that has only D-Sub.
  • As far as Cases go it's mostly up to your taste and choice.You should however pay attention to the airflow and the quality of the case.Lian Li and CoolerMaster have quite a good reputation.Around here one of the best VFM cases you can get is the HAF 922 or it's big brother 932.
  • You should also be very careful about the PSU you are going to choose.The total output means absolutely nothing and you should check how many Ambers are provided from the 12V line.Efficiency is another thing you should consider.Corsair and Enermax have quite a good reputation and have many cheap but quality products.Don't buy a no-name PSU as you might risk your system,a quality 425W PSU is better than a cheap no-name 600W one.
  • CPU/Mobo: I don't know what the prices are over there but I think you should choose between AMD's Phenom II 955(Socket AM3) and Intel's Core i5 750(Socket 1156,Chipset P55).I don't see the point of getting an Core i7(Socket 1366,Chipset X58)unless you do professional encoding.Core i7 860(Socket 1156,Chipset P55) is a good choice as well but you probably won't benefit from Hyperthreading in games.Any motherboard will work so it's price depends on whether you are going to overclock.MSI,Gibabyte,ASUS and Intel as some of the big players in the motherboard market.
  • RAM:You have plenty of choices there,just make sure you get DDR3,and should you get more thatn 3GBs,64bit OS is the only choice you have.

Edit: Phew that was long,I apologize for any grammatical or vocabulary mistakes but it's 6:33 AM here :/
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Messages
1,718
Location
Dear Green Place
.I don't think there are a lot of game supporting and benefiting from it and.

3D vision is backwards compatible to old games.

If yuore interested of 3D vision I advice you to read the nvidia 3D vision support forum just to checkout what the customers are saying. From what I read about it last summer my main issues against it were lack of good 3D monitors and poor driver support from nvidia. There were issues in games that were not fixed.

I recommend the HAF 932 case too. Ive had it for year now and its the best I ever had. Excellent ventilation keeps your hardware cool and silent and the case is very user-friendly to work with. Comes with optional wheels even so its easier to dust around computer when you can move it around a bit.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Messages
3,160
Location
Europa Universalis
Also, Nvidia's 3d glasses only require a 120hz monitor. The lack of monitors supporting this might be a problem though.

On the audio side, I can highly recommend the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro headphones.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 30, 2008
Messages
1,163
Location
Scandinavia
Im currently waiting for Sony's 3D HDTVs that were mentioned last summer. If I buy a 3D screen it wont be just for games. But I dont even know what 3D solution sony will use so Im not too hasty to buy one just yet.

For mobo/cpu I would go for asus and core i5/i7. If you dont plan to ever upgrade the processor you are propably better off with i5:
So where does this leave Core i7 900 series owners and their X58 motherboards?

Well first and foremost, those who built a Bloomfield/X58 setup can rest assured that their system has many years left in the tank. Secondly, they will have exclusive access to Intel's upcoming Core i7 900 series 'Gulftown' 32nm six-core processors, and maybe even some faster quad-core 32nm Core i7 models as well. There is a guaranteed upgrade path for LGA1366, but it likely won't be cheap.

On the other hand, the new LGA1156 platform appears to be a bit of a dead end in some ways as the i7-870 will probably be the highest-end LGA1156 processor available for the foreseeable future. Down the road, if you performance levels greater than the i7-870 can provide, you will have to buy a whole new platform.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...e-i5-750-core-i7-870-processor-review-22.html

If you play with headphones and dont plan on using external A/V amp with the computer I would suggest buying Asus Sonar Essence STX soundcard. It has a good built-in headphone amplification and dolby support. The amp has two settings 300 and 600. To use it you need atleast 300 impedance headphones i.e sennheiser 600.

Another option would be to buy a real A/V amp with atleast two decent quality speakers (price >200€ per speaker) but that is propably too expensive for that budget. One thing I have to say about sound is that it never gets old unlike i.e 3d cards. So any investment on sound should be long-term.

If possible dont waste money on new "computer speakers" (especially those made by creative or logitech). Better use the old ones and save enough money to buy hifi quality speakers that you can use for as long as they work.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Messages
3,160
Location
Europa Universalis
Thanks guys this has been a real help.

I know that 3D is still relatively new and there is not many options available at the moment (especially with the monitors), but I've been waiting since I was 6 to play these kinds of games and I'm not waiting any longer. Next up is a holodeck. I would love to see one of those before I die :lol: Amazingly enough I heard that Fallout 3 was awesome to play with 3d. The pipboy just pops right out at you.

Thanks for the headphone recomendation. Speakers are sorta a waste overhere since I can't turn it up too loud (apartment life sucks), but I'll have to check those out.

I've a clearer picture what to look for now. Thanks again.
 
Joined
Feb 3, 2007
Messages
5,347
Location
Taiwan
I've read that Acer are about to reveal some new 120hz monitors you might want to check them out,they'll probably cost 300$ though.
 
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Messages
1,718
Location
Dear Green Place
Thanks for the headphone recomendation. Speakers are sorta a waste overhere since I can't turn it up too loud (apartment life sucks), but I'll have to check those out.


I've been doing all of my PC gaming with headphones for 3+ years now. I find it to be much more immersive than speakers.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,136
Location
Florida, US
Regarding headphones, it's well worth investing in a good pair. But make sure to inform yourself first before buying one for a couple hundred bucks.

Things to look out for:

1. open vs. closed design. Open means that some sound gets out and outside noise gets in. This makes the sound stage wider, which I like. They are also lighter to wear. Closed headphones are pressed firmly against your ears so that you pretty much can't hear anything around you (and neither can anyone else hear what you are listening to), but I think you get better bass etc.. The best headphones are all closed, I believe.

2. Comfort. I've had a pair of Sennheiser HD590's for a couple years and still find them amazing. I chose them because they are open — I need to be able to hear the telephone or door bell sometimes after all. They are also absolutely comfy, which was another very important point for me. They feel like lying down on a soft pillow, you can wear them endlessly without having to ventilate your ears, which seems to be a common problem with some headphones. And they have a low impedance, meaning they can be easily powered even without an amp, which brings me to …

3. Impedance. Headphones with high impedance might need an extra headphone amp to be adequately powered. From what I read (I think), normal outputs from soundcards or mp3 players neither have enough juice on their own nor enough quality to give justice to such headphones. Not having an amp then is like putting a high-end graphics card in a slow, old computer. If they have lower impedance you can get away without an amp.

4. Burn-in phase. Another thing to keep in mind is that new headphones need to be burned in. This means that they don't sound their best when they are brand new, but improve over time. I had a variety of music running over a couple nights with mine for this purpose.

Anyway, read some reviews and, if you can, try them out in a local shop with music you like.

Some links:
[ http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/headphones.html ]
[ http://www.head-fi.org/forums/ ]
[ http://www.headphonereviews.org/ ]
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
3,486
I would suggest strongly against using headphones..... there is much research to show that it is harmful to your ears.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2006
Messages
6,292
reminds me of a prank my friend pulled. There was a person calling to him on the phone and said "Hello I am calling from the hearing impaired society, it is concerning donations" my friend replied "What did you say?"... the man repeated he said "What?" and repeated again yelling very load my friend replied "O, great can I get a donation?"
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2006
Messages
6,292
One good thing about sennheisers is that they dont break down. Perhaps its the price but before HD600 I had like six sets of headphones and they all broke down in year or two. Ive dropped my HD600 to the floor and who knows what few times but they keep working just like nothing happened without a scratch.

Lately though I bought new onkyo 7.2 A/V amp with 5 chorus speakers and vertigo xls 40kg subwoofer and I have totally stopped using the headphones except after 12pm. The sound you can get with quality headphones is good and if you want better you have to pay much much more. Cheap speakers dont compare with good headphones. So getting a good pair of headphones is propably the best way to start.
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Messages
3,160
Location
Europa Universalis
I would suggest strongly against using headphones….. there is much research to show that it is harmful to your ears.
I strongly second that.
From observation on my grandparents I can say that headphones can be damaging to your ears over the years because the source of the noise is much closer than when using normal speakers. So when the volume is too high, even partially, say the f/x, you're getting the full dosis unfiltered. You can probably avoid this by regulating the volume to the lowest tolerable level, but in that case you could also use a normal 5.1 set.
I'm quite sure that headphones come with an implied tendency to turn the volume too loud. I wouldn't take that risk. Especially because damage to ears cannot be repaired. (I know this from personal experience.)
Get better speakers, but avoid headphones.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
7,830
There's a very good article at HeadWize about this issue with lots of background information:

Preventing Hearing Damage When Listening With Headphones


Obviously you have to be careful with the volume, but that's true for everything. Lots of people destroy their ears in their teens when they go on rock concerts or to Discos.. the fact that you seem to be having to wear earplugs there (the irony!) to protect yourself speaks for itself. I did however read of mp3 players or headphones that had a max volume that was way over safe settings.

Quality and listening environment is a factor that needs to be considered, IMHO. Listening in a crowded place: be careful. Listening at home where it's quiet: don't see the problem. Also, the better the quality of the product, the lower the volume can be for the same clarity, and it's far easier (and cheaper) to get a good quality pair of headphones than it is to get a comparable speaker system.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
3,486
Listening to music with headphones was found harmful to the ears if it was for a longer period of time, even if the volume was very low. For example many people sleep with headphones in their ears listening to soft music to sleep better, this was also found to be harmful to the ears.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2006
Messages
6,292
Back
Top Bottom