enthusiast computing
A gaming PC is a PC built specifically for computer gaming.
General description
A gaming PC has to be able to, when built, play current PC games at high or above settings. This implies that gaming PCs are almost exclusively high-end machines with powerful graphics cards.
Graphics
Since the release of SLI and crossfire technology, the usage of two or more graphics cards simultaneously has quickly become commonplace in gaming PCs. A computer without a dedicated graphics card cannot be considered a gaming PC.
Physics
While physics cards are now available, compatibility and performance increases are still debatable, as some people have experienced performance downgrades in GRAW[1]. Graphics card manufacturers plan on including PPUs on their chipsets[2]
Overclocking
Apart from hardware enthusiasts, overclocking is used in gaming PCs to achieve higher framerates than the parts in the PC would render using stock clockspeeds. In order to achieve really high overclocking rates, more advanced cooling methods must be employed, such as water cooling.
Although prebuilt gaming PCs are almost never overclocked, there are exceptions such as the Dell XPS 600 Renegade.
Benchmarks
As a general guideline, a gaming PC should achieve high scores on 3D benchmarks such as 3DMark when it is first built or upgraded. Gamers who know how to overclock sometimes do so to prolong the usefulness of their hardware. The higest results are always and by far achieved by overclocking[3].
The cost of Gaming PCs
The cost of gaming PCs has also increased alot even with inflation factored in. For example, the Radeon 9700 Pro was released at $399 in 2002[4]. Today, new graphics cards are launched at $500 or above. If one factors in SLI or Crossfire, people now spend more than $1000 on graphics cards alone for a high-end gaming PC[5].
A further boost to the cost was made when Intel and AMD started releasing gaming and overclocking specific CPUs, often at the top of the price range. Currently, the lineups are known as "extreme edition" suffix and the Athlon FX series for Intel and AMD respectively.
Prebuilt gaming PCs
While most hardcore gamers build their gaming PCs themselves, people with little or no experience in computer hardware prefer to go with prebuilt gaming PCs. These PCs are almost always expensive and priced at a premium.
Companies that manufacture prebuilt gaming PCs
Dell XPS 600 Renegade Computer
The Dell XPS 600 Renegade Computer was the first PC to utilize quad SLI and was a collaboration between Dell and nVidia.[6] The machine features an overclocked Intel Pentium 955 Extreme Edition processor that has been overclocked from 3.46GHz to 4.26GHz, 2GB DDR2 memory at 667MHz and two dual 1GB GeForce 7800 cards. It is also viewed by some as a publicity stunt.[7]
Yoshi's Boxx
In 2002, Yoshi DeHerrera gave the term gaming PC a more literal meaning with his "boxx".[8] Yoshi's Boxx was a machine with the following systems built into it:
- Atari 2600
- Nintendo Entertainment System (8-bit)
- Microsoft Xbox
- Nintendo GameCube
- Sony PlayStation 2
- Custom PC
All components fit into a standard (but modified) tower case.
Gaming laptops
Gaming laptops are the mobile equivalent of gaming PCs and are usually more expensive than their PC counterparts.
References
- ^ http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2751&p=4 Physx performance
- ^ http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTAwNSwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA== nVidia SLI physics preview
- ^ http://www.futuremark.com/community/halloffame/ 3D Mark hall of fame
- ^ http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=1683&p=2
- ^ http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2717&p=2
- ^ http://www.legitreviews.com/article/285/1/ Dell XPS 600 review and benchmarks.
- ^ http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=28865 Dell XPS a publicity stunt?
- ^ http://www.g4tv.com/screensavers/features/37229/Yoshis_Mods_Yoshis_Boxx.html Yoshi's Boxx
See also
External links
Hardware information:
Stores: