how to create a pro gaming rig

[Guest jhon13]

Gaming PC guide – how to create a pro gaming rig

It’s easy with the right know-how to put together a PC capable of running games, but you’ll have to choose your components a lot more carefully if you want to be able to play the latest, most demanding titles at blisteringly fast speeds, or if you want to build a degree of future proofing into your machine. We’ve put together a list of exactly what you need to consider to get the best professional gaming rig out there, capable of handling everything you throw at it.

Choosing a graphics card

When putting together a pro gaming rig, the graphics card is arguably the most important component to get right. If you compromise on the graphics card, then gaming performance will be lowered as a result, and you may find yourself having to turn down detail or resolution settings in the latest games.

Top three things to consider before buying a graphics card

Onboard graphics memory

Graphics cards can use two different types of memory: shared and dedicated. The more memory a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has access to on a graphics card, the quicker it can process instructions, offering faster 3D performance. For your ultimate gaming rig, you’ll need a graphics card with as much dedicated memory as possible.

Shared memory isn’t as good an option, as it borrows from the main system memory, meaning you won’t have as much overall performance. For the ultimate system, aim for a graphics card with at least 1GB of dedicated memory – more when running more than one GPU.

SLI or CrossFireX

Both nVidia and ATI have made it possible to fit more than one graphics card into your pro gaming rig, using SLI and CrossFireX technology, respectively. Both of these technologies allow up to four graphics cards to be fitted, offering massive gaming potential, but the way they go about it differs considerably.

Using nVidia’s SLI technology is slightly more restrictive, as you’ll need to fit several of the same cards, and use an nVidia-certified motherboard. With ATI’s CrossFireX, you’ll be able to fit different cards, and although performance will suffer as a result, it does mean you’ll be able to pick and mix depending on your budget. ATI also wins in terms of compatibility, with CrossFireX also working with a number of Intel chipsets.

AGP or PCI-E

Over the past few years, graphics cards have come in two different formats – either PCI-E or AGP. Older machines often feature AGP slots on the motherboard, so you’ll be restricted to AGP-based graphics cards. However, for the ultimate gaming rig you’ll need to upgrade to a motherboard that can handle a PCI-E graphics card, as these GPUs have greater bandwidth, and are capable of processing more data.

Other things to consider

Once you’ve decided on the type of graphics card you’re going to put in your gaming rig, there are a multitude of other factors to consider. You’ll have to make sure your machine is capable of supporting your GPUs, for a start, and if it can you should think about how you’re going to power and cool them.

Power

As they’ve evolved, graphics cards for gaming machines have also turned into the most power-hungry component in the system, with the need for active cooling to prevent overheating. With integrated fans, the latest GPUs require a lot of power, so you’ll have to consider where this is going to come from when setting up your machine. With high-end cards, the chances are you’ll also need an updated power supply for your GPU.

Cooling

Unlike regular PCs, which use fans and air cooling to ventilate the components, you could look to switch to water cooling on your high-end super gaming rig. Water cooling is beneficial in a performance machine, as it allows the heat to be moved away from specific components, to an area where the cooling can be better managed. This is especially good for components such as the processor, as if you over-clock it for better performance, it’ll also need more efficient ventilation.

So there you have it – if you take all these points into consideration before you shell out for gear for a gaming PC, you’ll be well on your way to having all the components in place for creating your dream gaming machine, capable of delivering your games at optimum performance levels. Just remember to leave a budget for those all-important gaming accessories

[Guest IR1SHB4ST3RD]

Interesting but do water coolers have more problems than fan coolers?