Gaming Pc And Pantip

[zorro1]

No if or buts, just the best possible gaming PC either built or out of the box to be used for flight simulator such as FSX but particularly the A10 warthog.

yes there is a ton of info out there but I would like to keep it specific to Pantip since there are quite a few places that could build the PC with supplied parts. I dont know if that would be much cheaper than the out of the box stuff

Anyone have any thoughts or experience to share? the only limit being price $1500 tops..

[FarangFB]

The best option is always build independent components and build it yourself if you have the skill to do so.

Here are the best options in this price range:

cpu intel i5 2500k (you can easily overclock it past 4.2Ghz) - around 7000B

Motherboard is up to you, I went with the Asus Maximus IV Gene Z for around 6500B

Ram - 8gb gskill 1600mhz - around 2000B

Video card Nvidia GTX 560ti - around 8000B

Power supply corsair 650W - around 3000B

Computer case, you can get a good one for 2000B

DVD drive around 500B

CPU Cooler - coolermaster V6 or Thermaltake Frio - 1500B

SSD 128Gb - 7000B

HD 1Tb - 3500B

This all sums up 41000B

For 3500B more you can get a 22 inch monitor and for like 1000B a decent keyboard and mouse.

45500B = around 1490USD with street exchange rate.

If you want to save a bit you can eliminate the SSD (but i definitely recommend one). If you want more power, get a GTX 570 instead of a 560ti.

The best shop I found in Panthip is called M2Power on the 3rd floor. They have a great variety and price. Sometimes they get a bit lost and tell the wrong price (too cheap) and have to correct it later, but double check everything and you'll be ok. They can give discounts if you buy many components.

[dave_boo]

Build it yourself!

• 3500 THB Lian Li Case (if you don't want the window you save 550 THB, but you want to show off)
  
• 4150 THB Asus Motherboard (there are more costly options, and cheaper, but this is the best price where you get 2x PCI-E x16 slots for possible future upgrades and legacy PCI slots along with the ability to overclock the CPU/GPU)
  
• 7890 THB Intel 2500K Processor (no contest for bang for the buck with gaming)
  
• 1990 THB 8GB DDR3 RAM (no point in getting less and in the future you can always add another 2x 4GB sticks in to make a RAM drive)
  
• 6690 THB nVidia 560 vidcard (will play quite nicely anything at the standard "HD" resolution)
  
• 6390 THB 24" LED monitor (not much to say other than you may actually want to check out monitors first hand since you're going to have to live with looking at the screen)
  
• 4990 THB 2,5 TB HDD (if you need that much space; otherwise there are smaller and faster hdd out there)
  
• 3990 THB Windows liscense (can't get around that)
  
• 2890 THB Gaming Mouse (I don't care what people say, the G9x is awesome, you have two different sized shells, all sorts of combos out of the weights, and adjustable mouse speed)
  
• 1490 THB Gaming Keyboard (i actually prefer to have a mechanical key keyboard, but had to try to meet your budget)
  
• 1590 THB PSU (you shouldn't be even close to meeting the max on this)
  

Total? 45 560 THB, so a bit over budget (get the window free case), but a really good bang for the buck. Only thing that is missing is the DVD drive...

A couple of things to consider. With this setup you can definitely overclock your CPU by a good margin. If that's not important, get an H61/H67 motherboard. Also giving up the second PCI-E slot or forgoing the PCI slots would let you knock a good 1500 THB off the price.

Getting a 1050 THB case saves you another 2500 THB, but it will be nowhere near as nice.

There is no way I would skimp on the processor, RAM or video card.

Granted the mouse and keyboard are probably overkill, and there's deals to be had. But with that ~4000 THB savings you made above, and maybe more if you get a different monitor, you can most likely afford another monitor which would allow you to have dual screens going for your sims. If your sims don't support that than the 4000 THB could be invested in a SSD which would greatly increase the responsiveness of the system and decrease loading times In that price range you're looking at a 60-64GB drive which is enough for Windows and a couple of games...

[smiling mantis]

If you need the SSD speeds, consider going with a Z68 mobo. Intel's SRT is no joke... I've got a 60GB OCZ Vertex 3 caching for a 1TB Barracuda and it's very fast and you've got all the capacity you need for gaming.

Your Z68 choices in LOS are a little limited right now, mostly budget boards. I had a bad experience with the Asus budget Z68 board, but the ASRock Z68/USB3 board I got in its place is great for now (only one PCI-E x16 slot though).

Went for the new Asus HD7970 GPU. Very pricey at ~20000B but I have a big 2560x1440 Apple Cinema Display to drive which requires not only a powerful GPU but also mini-Displayport, and the HD7970 is the only card I could find here that has both. I get 60fps on this huge display in World of Warcraft with graphics detail set to high and I got to say, it's pretty mind-blowing. But sure, if I didn't have the Cinema Display I'd have gone for a saner GPU, easily.

I shopped invadeit.co.th btw, not Pantip, but my experience is that the prices/selection are comparable. I'm in Chiang Mai too, so what little extra I may have paid was more than made up for by sparing myself a trip to Bangkok.

[zorro1]

thanks for the replies. Will have a look in detail over the next few days im currently back in OZ so not connected as often

[zorro1]

wont let me edit

thanks for the replies. Will have a look in detail over the next few days im currently back in OZ so not connected as often, I forgot to mention I bought a Benq 631st 1024x748 short throw projector and I cant begin to explain the wow factor! 6 feet throw fills 110' and crystal clear bringing a new dimension to the simulator

What is the most important factor? I will be adding and building a cockpit with several extra smaller screens plus hard ware ,throttles rudders etc. The Sim its self needs a lot of power at the higher settings regarding frame rates and lot of the gamers have water cooled set ups.

[dave_boo]

What is the most important factor? I will be adding and building a cockpit with several extra smaller screens plus hard ware ,throttles rudders etc. The Sim its self needs a lot of power at the higher settings regarding frame rates and lot of the gamers have water cooled set ups.

If you're planning on multiple screens (more than two) you're either going to have to get a Galaxy brand MDT nVidia card or an ATI card. I use Linux so lean towards nVidia's card for the superior support. However, for Windows gaming ATI makes some good cards in regards to price/performance. If you hold off a few weeks, you can get a ~8000 THB card (7850) which overclocked is nearly as good as their top of the line card from last generation.

[zorro1]

Thanks Dave the ATI option sounds particularly good. I think as every one mentioned its best to get it built so I guess I would do the buying and have one of the shops build it but are they any good at it?

[dave_boo]

Thanks Dave the ATI option sounds particularly good. I think as every one mentioned its best to get it built so I guess I would do the buying and have one of the shops build it but are they any good at it?

There was only 1/3 of us responding that suggested you get someone else to build it.

Seriously, if you can handle a Phillips head screwdriver you can put your own machine together. You line the motherboard inside the case and note where the standoffs are. Take it back out and install the hexagonal brass standoffs (assuming your case does not have pressed standoffs). You put the motherboard back in and check that every mounting hole has a standoff under it. You screw it down. Install the processor (loosen the arm on the socket, lift the retainer, put the cpu and reverse the previous two steps), being careful to set it in straight, because you could bend a pin if you do not. That's actually the 'hardest' part. If using the stock heatsink included with the processor, remove the blue film, line it up and install. If using an aftermarket heatsink install a dab of the paste and let the clamping of the processor spread it for you.

Connect the fan lead to the "CPUFAN" on the motherboard. Install the memory modules; they are keyed so they can only go in one way. You will have to look at the motherboard manual to see which slot colour gets installed first. Install your hdd/ssd/dvd drives in the correct holes. Try and put them as far to the top or bottom to maximise airflow. Hook up the SATA cables from the back of the drive(s) to the motherboard. Once again reference the manual to see what ports to use. You'll want to use the SATA Gb/s ports for your SSD. Install your video card; usually in the top most slot it will fit. Connecting the front panel of your case used to be a pain, but a lot of Asus motherboards now ship with a connector that you can hook up the leads to and the connector then goes onto the motherboard. If not....consult the manual. Any case fans can be connected to open fan headers on your motherboard.

Only thing left is to slip the power supply in and connect the cables. I like going for the small cables first. The video card will have at least one 6 pin that needs connected. It could have 2x 6 pins or if you go top of the line 2x 8 pins. Your drives are connected next. They're flat rectangular plugs. Lastly you have motherboard power. You're going to put the big 24 pin in the correct slot and then any 4 pin (square) or 8 pin that should be near the CPU socket. Attempt to manage the wiring to not impede the airflow.

Fire it up and go into the bios. Usually that's "delete" or a function key "F1,F2, etc). Change your boot priority to make sure that your DVD is looked at first. Save and install Windows. You're done except for going back in and changing your boot priority to your hdd so that your start up times are faster.

[zorro1]

Thanks Dave the ATI option sounds particularly good. I think as every one mentioned its best to get it built so I guess I would do the buying and have one of the shops build it but are they any good at it?

There was only 1/3 of us responding that suggested you get someone else to build it.

Seriously, if you can handle a Phillips head screwdriver you can put your own machine together. You line the motherboard inside the case and note where the standoffs are. Take it back out and install the hexagonal brass standoffs (assuming your case does not have pressed standoffs). You put the motherboard back in and check that every mounting hole has a standoff under it. You screw it down. Install the processor (loosen the arm on the socket, lift the retainer, put the cpu and reverse the previous two steps), being careful to set it in straight, because you could bend a pin if you do not. That's actually the 'hardest' part. If using the stock heatsink included with the processor, remove the blue film, line it up and install. If using an aftermarket heatsink install a dab of the paste and let the clamping of the processor spread it for you.

Connect the fan lead to the "CPUFAN" on the motherboard. Install the memory modules; they are keyed so they can only go in one way. You will have to look at the motherboard manual to see which slot colour gets installed first. Install your hdd/ssd/dvd drives in the correct holes. Try and put them as far to the top or bottom to maximise airflow. Hook up the SATA cables from the back of the drive(s) to the motherboard. Once again reference the manual to see what ports to use. You'll want to use the SATA Gb/s ports for your SSD. Install your video card; usually in the top most slot it will fit. Connecting the front panel of your case used to be a pain, but a lot of Asus motherboards now ship with a connector that you can hook up the leads to and the connector then goes onto the motherboard. If not....consult the manual. Any case fans can be connected to open fan headers on your motherboard.

Only thing left is to slip the power supply in and connect the cables. I like going for the small cables first. The video card will have at least one 6 pin that needs connected. It could have 2x 6 pins or if you go top of the line 2x 8 pins. Your drives are connected next. They're flat rectangular plugs. Lastly you have motherboard power. You're going to put the big 24 pin in the correct slot and then any 4 pin (square) or 8 pin that should be near the CPU socket. Attempt to manage the wiring to not impede the airflow.

Fire it up and go into the bios. Usually that's "delete" or a function key "F1,F2, etc). Change your boot priority to make sure that your DVD is looked at first. Save and install Windows. You're done except for going back in and changing your boot priority to your hdd so that your start up times are faster.

[zorro1]

Getting close now will have the allocated funds for this in the next few weeks and I will keep you all updated for much needed feed back.

1st question is what type of platform? windows 7?

[JSixpack]

Getting close now will have the allocated funds for this in the next few weeks and I will keep you all updated for much needed feed back.

1st question is what type of platform? windows 7?

FreeDOS. Incredible number of free games for it.

[zorro1]

Build it yourself!

• 3500 THB Lian Li Case (if you don't want the window you save 550 THB, but you want to show off)
  
• 4150 THB Asus Motherboard (there are more costly options, and cheaper, but this is the best price where you get 2x PCI-E x16 slots for possible future upgrades and legacy PCI slots along with the ability to overclock the CPU/GPU)
  
• 7890 THB Intel 2500K Processor (no contest for bang for the buck with gaming)
  
• 1990 THB 8GB DDR3 RAM (no point in getting less and in the future you can always add another 2x 4GB sticks in to make a RAM drive)
  
• 6690 THB nVidia 560 vidcard (will play quite nicely anything at the standard "HD" resolution)
  
• 6390 THB 24" LED monitor (not much to say other than you may actually want to check out monitors first hand since you're going to have to live with looking at the screen)
  
• 4990 THB 2,5 TB HDD (if you need that much space; otherwise there are smaller and faster hdd out there)
  
• 3990 THB Windows liscense (can't get around that)
  
• 2890 THB Gaming Mouse (I don't care what people say, the G9x is awesome, you have two different sized shells, all sorts of combos out of the weights, and adjustable mouse speed)
  
• 1490 THB Gaming Keyboard (i actually prefer to have a mechanical key keyboard, but had to try to meet your budget)
  
• 1590 THB PSU (you shouldn't be even close to meeting the max on this)
  

Total? 45 560 THB, so a bit over budget (get the window free case), but a really good bang for the buck. Only thing that is missing is the DVD drive...

A couple of things to consider. With this setup you can definitely overclock your CPU by a good margin. If that's not important, get an H61/H67 motherboard. Also giving up the second PCI-E slot or forgoing the PCI slots would let you knock a good 1500 THB off the price.

Getting a 1050 THB case saves you another 2500 THB, but it will be nowhere near as nice.

There is no way I would skimp on the processor, RAM or video card.

Granted the mouse and keyboard are probably overkill, and there's deals to be had. But with that ~4000 THB savings you made above, and maybe more if you get a different monitor, you can most likely afford another monitor which would allow you to have dual screens going for your sims. If your sims don't support that than the 4000 THB could be invested in a SSD which would greatly increase the responsiveness of the system and decrease loading times In that price range you're looking at a 60-64GB drive which is enough for Windows and a couple of games...

Thanks for supplying all the links Dave it helped a lot for research. I hate shopping especially for bits n pieces so I have sent your list off to the guys at the website to see if they will put it together for me and just ship it out in the case.

Just as a further tweek I will only be using the system for one game being Microsoft sfx flight simulator. From my reaserch my understanding is there is no way to play this at full max settings with any system at all .

I wont need a monitor as I have a breath taking short throw projector hooked up

wont need the gaming key boars as i only need hot keys

[zorro1]

Just curious......

This is my laptop that Im using for FSX flight simulator and running through a projector.

I am getting a PHENOMENAL frame rate of 50-100 fps particularly after installing the auto fsx pro booster which configured my laptop for the game.

the only problem Im having is that after 30-60 mins FSX crashes and by that I mean the screen just disappears and Im told its 80% due to my crappy sound card (Nividia Ge force GT 130m)

"

NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M

The Nvidia GeForce GT 130M is a DirectX 10 graphics card for notebooks and technically a higher clocked GeForce 9650M GT with a lower current consumption . It is produced in 55nm and the current consumption is similar to the 9600M GT which is produced in 65nm. As the 9600M GT it features the PureVideo HD video processor (VP3) and HybridPower support."

is it possible to just buy a better fan cooled sound card to fix this? I have tried using after burner but Im limited in my settings due to the card

I didnt think it was possible to get such performance from a lap top.

Component Details Subscore Base score

Processor Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU P8700 @ 2.53GHz 6.0 5.4

Determined by lowest subscore

Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB 6.2

Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M 5.9

Gaming graphics 1789 MB Total available graphics memory 5.4

Primary hard disk 170GB Free (272GB Total) 5.4

Windows 7 Ultimate

System

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Manufacturer LENOVO

Model 20017

Total amount of system memory 4.00 GB RAM

System type 32-bit operating system

Number of processor cores 2

64-bit capable Yes

Storage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total size of hard disk(s) 298 GB

Disk partition (C 170 GB Free (272 GB Total)

Disk partition (D 170 MB Free (24 GB Total)

Media drive (E CD/DVD

Disk partition (F 1 GB Free (1 GB Total)

Graphics

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Display adapter type NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M

Total available graphics memory 1789 MB

Dedicated graphics memory 512 MB

Dedicated system memory 0 MB

Shared system memory 1277 MB

Display adapter driver version 7.15.11.7930

Primary monitor resolution 1366x768

DirectX version DirectX 10

Network

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Network Adapter Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter

Network Adapter Intel® WiFi Link 5100 AGN

Network Adapter Broadcom NetLink ™ Gigabit Ethernet

Network Adapter Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)

[dave_boo]

Zorro, most likely your issues regarding your laptop come from it overheating. Not much you can do about that; get a can of compressed air and blow out the vents. WITH THE LAPTOP OFF! You do not want to overspeed the fan which could damage it. A really drastic measure is to open the laptop up and clean off the old 'goop' under the heatsinks and apply some quality thermal interface. Also try and elevate the laptop to allow airflow.

[h90]

But keep in mind April the new Ivy bridge CPUs + a lot new mainboards will be on the market.

these new CPUs bring a few % more speed and can be more overclocked (most probably)

New graphic cards should also come.

Or the current things will be cheaper. So I would wait 1-2 month,

[tomat]

But keep in mind April the new Ivy bridge CPUs + a lot new mainboards will be on the market.

these new CPUs bring a few % more speed and can be more overclocked (most probably)

New graphic cards should also come.

Or the current things will be cheaper. So I would wait 1-2 month,

But keep in mind that these release dates are for the US and Thailand will probably as usual be far behind.

[h90]

But keep in mind April the new Ivy bridge CPUs + a lot new mainboards will be on the market.

these new CPUs bring a few % more speed and can be more overclocked (most probably)

New graphic cards should also come.

Or the current things will be cheaper. So I would wait 1-2 month,

But keep in mind that these release dates are for the US and Thailand will probably as usual be far behind.

I doubt that.....I am not sure if I remember right, but in the past the CPUs were always immediately here. I checked on the last AMD and they were immediately available.

For the mainboards and graphic cards I don't know but I guess some shops will have them....

[zorro1]

Thanks guys i have gathered enough info here to take the next step, there is so much out there can be a bit daunting for a newb to home builds.

Dave my laptop sits on an alloy lap standed thats vented and sits over my lap while I lay reclined on the lazy boy and never gets hot and Im on it all day. I have adjusted the frame rates and she now runs smooth no drop outs and no noticeable difference.

edit my previous post should have read video card.

[zorro1]

The best option is always build independent components and build it yourself if you have the skill to do so.

Here are the best options in this price range:

cpu intel i5 2500k (you can easily overclock it past 4.2Ghz) - around 7000B

Motherboard is up to you, I went with the Asus Maximus IV Gene Z for around 6500B

Ram - 8gb gskill 1600mhz - around 2000B

Video card Nvidia GTX 560ti - around 8000B

Power supply corsair 650W - around 3000B

Computer case, you can get a good one for 2000B

DVD drive around 500B

CPU Cooler - coolermaster V6 or Thermaltake Frio - 1500B

SSD 128Gb - 7000B

HD 1Tb - 3500B

This all sums up 41000B

For 3500B more you can get a 22 inch monitor and for like 1000B a decent keyboard and mouse.

45500B = around 1490USD with street exchange rate.

If you want to save a bit you can eliminate the SSD (but i definitely recommend one). If you want more power, get a GTX 570 instead of a 560ti.

The best shop I found in Panthip is called M2Power on the 3rd floor. They have a great variety and price. Sometimes they get a bit lost and tell the wrong price (too cheap) and have to correct it later, but double check everything and you'll be ok. They can give discounts if you buy many components.

Just got back from M2power pantip and couldnt be more impressed with the service, I handed them your list and they knocked it over in 2 hours fully installed including 7 ultimate original

Thanks for your list to Dave but they ran a bit short on stock

now for some seriouse gaming!

ps, I got the ssd

Thank everyone for the help, you gotta love thai visa, Well sometimes anyway.

[dominique355]

Check out the ACER Predator G7.

[phazey]

I'm surprised no builds in this thread include SLi of any sort...A pair of 560's would suit the spec a treat.

Saying that, tri-SLI 680's wont be maxed out for a long long time

[zorro1]

a quick update. Not a happy chappy!!

Not happy I spent all of my adult life buying off the shelf. This is simply awesome.

[zorro1]

Hi gurus

okay I am running out of storage would anyone have a suggestion of the type of drive to install, approx pricing plus any other advice?

thanks in advance

[zorro1]

forgot to add I would be looking at least 500g