dicas para melhorar a performance do pc gg_pcworkshop

8/13/2019 Dicas Para Melhorar a Performance Do Pc Gg_pcworkshop

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GameSpot, videogames.com, and VideoGameSpot are trademarks

of ZDNet.

Computer Gaming World, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and Expert Gamer are

trademarks and EGM and EGM2 are registered trademarks of ZD Inc., and are

used by GameSpot Inc. under license. The Official U.S. Playstation Magazine is

licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America. PlayStation and the

PlayStation logos are the trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Certain articles are reprinted from Computer Gaming World and Family PC.

Copyright 1999 ZD Inc. All Rights Reserved.

GameSpot does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any con-

tent posted on any interactive area and you acknowledge that any reliance upon

such content shall be at your sole risk. This product may contain links to sites

on the Internet which are owned and operated by third parties. GameSpot is not

responsible for the availability of, or the content located on or through, any

external site. You should contact the site administrator or webmaster for those

external sites if you have any concerns regarding such links or the content

located on such external sites.

ISBN 1-58422-035-X


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What's in the PC Workshop?........................................09

Maximizing Your Performance......................................11

A Look at Graphics.................................................... ...12

The Sound and the Fury...............................................15

Disk Performance.........................................................16

Disk Performance - Windows 98.............................. ....16

Internet Connectivity....................................................18

Making Space...............................................................18

Windows Reinstall........................................................20

How Not to Be Among the Chosen Few................... ....22

The Easy.......................................................................23

Check the Manual.........................................................24

Driver du Jour..............................................................25

Software Conflicts........................................................28

The Hard.......................................................................29

The Refresh Install.......................................................30

The Thermonuclear Reinstall........................................30

The Expensive..............................................................34

Uninstallers..................................................................35

Replacing Hardware.....................................................36

Conclusion - It's a Game..............................................36

Preliminaries................................................................38

Getting Connected........................................................39

Connectivity Options....................................................39

Service Providers.........................................................44

(continued on next page)


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Building the Machine of Your Dreams...........................73

The Perfect Toolkit........................................................73

Planning the Install.......................................................74Prepping the Motherboard............................................74

Installing the Motherboard............................................77

Attaching Support Connectors......................................78

Installing CPU and Memory...........................................80

Installing Peripherals....................................................86

Hints on Installing Windows.........................................88

Final Words...................................................................89

Getting Personal...........................................................91

LAN Gaming..................................................................92

Up-Front Assumptions..................................................92

The Hardware................................................................93

Networking Software.....................................................95

Ministry of Protocol......................................................96

Installing the NIC..........................................................96

Setting Up Windows......................................................98Troubleshooting..........................................................103

Play Well with Others..................................................104

Emerging Home Networking Alternatives................. ..104

Which is Best?............................................................106

What Do You Play?......................................................107

Pentium Systems without AGP....................................108

Pentium Pro Systems..................................................109



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eeping your computer running at peak performance requires you to do a little

work on it once in a while. Some of it is easy, some is a bit more involved.

Covering the basics, this chapter discusses system requirements, graphics, and

audio drivers, disk performance, and more.

We all know PCs are getting more and more com-

plex. Even so, if you're a casual computer user, you

can get away with working on an outdated, less-

than-optimal system. But if you are a gamer, you

must update your system along with the complexity

curve. Being on this curve might require a big hard drive, perhaps a Voodoo2 SLI 3D

setup, a fast primary graphics card, a 3D positional audio accelerator, and a ripping-fast Internet connection. The trick, then, isn't to get the system components, but to

keep it all humming sweetly - and doing so is enough to make even the most die-hard

gamer want to exchange his rig for the wardrobe of a Trappist monk.

Graphics

The Sound and the FuryDisk Performance

Internet Connectivity

Making Space

Windows Reinstall

More Information


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Getting the latest drivers isn't too much of a problem (except for the download time) if

you have fairly common hardware components. But if you have any obscure or oldhardware, tracking down recent drivers can be a challenge. Nevertheless, besides

reading the manuals and online documents, getting new drivers is the first thing you

should try. But this begs the question: How can you tell which hardware component is

the source of a problem?

Sometimes answering the above question is easy - for example, severely corrupted

graphics usually means a graphics glitch. But let's say you start the game and all that

happens is that the screen goes blank. What do you do? Well, that's when the funbegins. More on that in a moment. In the meantime, you should know that the two

most common contributors to most gamer's headaches are in the areas of graphics

and audio, even with DirectX (or sometimes because of DirectX). So, it comes down to

this: If you can locate the most recent versions of your graphics and sound card driv-

ers, you're off to a good start.

So, how do you find out who made your graphics and audio card? What follows is a

basic how-to for finding out. It assumes you have some technical expertise. We under-stand that a lot of people aren't comfortable popping the hood on their computer, and if

you're one of them, you should probably call your computer vendor's tech support

group. Even better, if you have a tech-savvy friend, give him or her a ring. However,

device driver n: a small piece of software created

by the hardware manufacturer that lets software, such as

a game or operating system, communicate with its hard

ware component; the latest version can usually be found

on the hardware manufacturer's web site

Check out the PC WorkshopGlossary for more

definitions of key terms.


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After you download the patch, follow the installation instructions that should

accompany it.

Another common problem source for a game is the other software on your computer.

Computer systems are getting complex enough that software conflicts can arise. Most

of the time, you will be completely unaware of the cause of your woe, because the

guilty application started up automatically on boot-up and is innocently running in the

background.

If you suspect a software conflict, the first thing

to do is to boot your system as cleanly as pos-

sible. But first, unless you have drivers in your

Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files that you

know you absolutely need, rename these two

files to something like Config.bak and

Autoexec.bak so nothing inside them loads the

next time you boot your system.

Second, remove everything from your StartUp folder. You'll find your StartUp folder in

C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp. Many applications install small apps thathelp speed up indexing or perform some other function - and you're never told about

them.

config.sys n: a file used by

the operating system to specify

certain device configurations

and variables

autoexec.bat n: a batch file

containing a list of drivers and

other programs your system

needs to run its devices

Check out the PC WorkshopGlossary for more

definitions of key terms.


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It's one thing to connect to the Internet for Web browsing; it's another thing to play

games on it. This chapter not only gives you a better understanding of how you con-

nect to the Internet, but how it all works. Then, once everything is working right, this

chapter turns it up a notch and gives you advice how to speed up your connection for

playing games.

Before we get into how to tune your Internet

connection, let's first discuss how to connect

to the Internet. "Huh?" I hear you ask. "But I'm

reading this on a web page, so I'm already

connected to the Internet."

Yes, you are, but do you know how you got

there? Most users create their first Internet

connection through an automated install program, through a service like America

Online. Or, they get online via a preinstalled connection on their systems. Let's say

you want to change service providers. Or something happens, your hard drive gets

Getting ConnectedConnectivity Options

Service Providers

Software Necessities

Other Cool Stuff

Sharing an Internet Connection

Hunt the Wumpus - er, Server

Voice Communications


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Think you need more memory for your gaming computer? In this chapter, Loyd helps

you decide how much memory you need, explains what the different memory types

mean, tells you what to watch for when you buy, shows you how to install your new

memory, and more.

The first PC I ever owned was one of the original

Compaq portables, complete with a staggering

256KB of RAM. Times have changed quite a bit

since then, and now I have four systems in my

office (including the two Ultimate Gaming Rigs),

most running at least 64MB of RAM.

Today's games have become more rapacious than ever- not just wanting fasterprocessors, but faster graphics and more RAM. Layer these big games on top of

Windows 95, itself a memory-hungry operating system, and it becomes clear that more

memory is better - up to a point. The good news is that memory is cheaper than ever,

though the precipitous plummet in prices seems to have leveled off a bit lately.

How Much Is Enough?What's Your Type?

DIMMs and SIMMs

Parody - er, Parity Check

Consumer Alert

Installing RAM


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Want to put together your own custom gaming rig? Want to do it for less than $1,500?

If you answered yes, this chapter is for you. Here, we look at all the components you

need to make an excellent gaming machine, which we affectionately call The Budget

Rig.

I get a lot of e-mail about my choices for the two

GameSpot Ultimate Game Machines (called the

Lean Machine and the Power Rig). It's great fun -

and almost always a learning experience - to hear

from readers. Whenever you get a bunch of hard-

ware-savvy people together, even in a virtual

sense, there's always endless discussion and argu-

ment about which component is the best.

Recently, though, I've been getting e-mail from

readers who have taken me to task about the

prices of the two Ultimate Game Machines.

The Shopping Experience

Common ComponentsCase and Power Supply

Mass Storage

Audio

Keyboards

Modem

Graphics Card

Monitor

MemoryThe K6-2 System

The Celeron System

The Bottom Line


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It's time to put it all together. Taking the component advice from Chapters 5 and 6, this

chapter shows you how to build your own PC. From power supply and peripherals to

the various good (and bad) chassis designs, it's all here.

OK, so you've bought all the parts, gathered up

some tools, and found a space to work. It's time

to put it all together.

You need a good set of tools. I've seen people try to put together a system using the

screwdrivers built into a Swiss Army Knife. Needless to say, that makes building a

computer much more of a chore than necessary.

Planning the Install

Prepping the Motherboard

Installing the Motherboard

Attaching ConnectorsInstalling CPU and Memory

Installing Peripherals

Hints on Installing Windows

Final Words


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Click Next. If the wizard finds the driver location (usually a floppy), just click next;

otherwise, you must tell the device installation wizard the location of the driver folder.

This is the NIC Device Found dialog box.

Finding the driver looks like this.


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After the driver is installed, reboot the system. This will be the first of

several reboots.

Make sure you have your Windows 95 CD handy or the CAB files copied to you hard

drive for the following steps.

After the device driver is installed, bring up the network control panel. You'll probably

see a new entry for the NIC, along with a binding for TCP/IP. You probably had TCP/IP

installed for your Internet service provider logon, so the NIC was attached to TCP/IP

since it was present. Note that these are actually discrete settings - the NIC won't

interfere with your dial-up adapter. Also, make sure your Windows 95/98 setup filesare available because they may get accessed during the following steps.

However, there is a problem we want

to fix right away. You probably got a

DHCP error message because

Windows couldn't find a DHCP serv-

er. By default, Windows sets itself up

to dynamically allocated IP address-es. Windows may also asked you,

"Do you want to see further DHCP

messages." Just click No. If you

clicked Yes, never fear. The message

will pop up again in a couple of min-

utes.

You want to set a hard IP address. Ifyou don't, you could see regular,

annoying pauses every few minutes.

It's particularly distracting in games.

Windows 98 and Winsock 2 (the

Your network control panel at work.


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The results. On the C: drive -

the helping hand of file sharing

If you want to share files, just right click on the drive or folder, touch the

sharing button and specify how you want the drive or folders shared.

You'll see a change in the drive or folder icon.

The network is ready. Select Access Type to Full for

complete file sharing


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Whether you finally sprang for a 3D accelerator or got one as a gift, you're probably

wondering how to get the thing into your computer, so you can play all those cool 3D-

accelerated games. Loyd tells you how to crack your case, install your card, and get it

running.

OK, you read Chapter 8: 3D Graphics Cards -Making the Right Choice, maybe dabbled

around in Appendix A, bit the bullet, and bought

a new accelerator. Or maybe you got one as a

gift, and it's lying unopened on your shelf, beck-

oning to you. But you've resisted its blandishments, even regarded it with dread.

You've heard about all the nightmares that can occur when you install a new card, and

you're system is running fine, thank you. Sure, Quake II is running at 12fps, but, hey,

it's stable.

I can't promise to remove all the headaches, but if you read this chapter, you'll at least

encounter a minimum of headaches. We'll start with the general guidelines, then go

through the process of actually installing a Voodoo2 card and the primary card.

Before You Start

Popping Open the CaseAdding Voodoo2

Replacing the Primary Card

Troubleshooting Tips


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If you plan on installing Voodoo2 SLI, make sure you connect the short SLI cable

between the two cards. Screw down the mounting brackets.

After installing the Voodoo2 card, the back of the case may look a little like this.

The actual location of the connectors may differ, though.


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Next, connect up the passthrough cable.

Here's what it should look like after connecting the passthrough cable.

The monitor cable connects to the Voodoo2 card.

Set the system upright if it's a tower and power it up. The Add Device Wizard (newhardware detected) should pop up when you boot into Windows. If you had a Voodoo

Graphics card, it may not. If you simply find yourself at the Windows desktop, run the

Add New Hardware control panel. Or, get into the system control panel. You may see

a PCI Multimedia Device with an exclamation point next to it. You can also install the

drivers by going to the property sheet for the device.

Here's what you

should see if

your system

detects the new

Voodoo2 card.


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a clean reinstall of Windows by removing the \windows folder. If you

use Outlook or any application that stores information in the \windows folder

you'll lose it if you don't back it up. Internet Explorer places the Favorites folder in

\windows - hey, it's part of the operating system, right? (My personal philosophy is

that no application should store user data in \windows. But what do I know, I'm just a

writer.) Make sure you have all your application install CDs handy; if you have to rein-

stall Windows, you'll need to reinstall your Windows applications.

Lest I scare you off, this kind of disaster only happens rarely. I have noticed, however,

that it almost always occurs if you don't back up....

The first thing to do is start your

system with your existing card

still in it.

Now, go into \windows\inf\other.

You'll see a series of .INF files.

They are all simply text files.

Find the one for your old graph-

ics card and delete it. If you

don't see it in \windows\inf\other,

try \windows\inf.

Now bring up the display control

panel. Click on the settings tab,

then the Advanced button. Now

select the tab labeled Adapter.

(Windows 95 users may

encounter a slightly different

sequence, but it's similar).


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You want to swap

your current driver

for the Windows

VGA driver.

Click on the Change

button. You'll see the

following dialog.


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Now, click on the second choice, "Display a list..."

Now, scroll the dialog until you see Standard Display Types on the left. Click on it and

select Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA). You may get an pop-up telling you this

is not the correct device; ignore it.

Now reboot.


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PC sound systems can be mind-bendingly complex and convoluted; but at the same

time can also be fairly easy to assemble and put together. Here's how to do it.

The very first thing you must do, even before you run out the door with your check-

book in hand, is to figure out what kind of sound system you'll even want. Without gen-

eralizing too much, there are basically four approaches:

The basic system - You don't care how it sounds, as long as the

speakers work, and you can hear stuff that's sounds OK.

Quality simple system - This system will produce some decent

sound at various ranges from two speakers at reasonable cost.


Settling on a Sound Card

Speakers

Putting It All Together


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The biggest thing you must worry about when investing in gaming peripherals is: What

exactly do I need? Well, this chapter is here to help find answers to that key question.

Consider this: if you like flight sims, you'll need a joystick. If

you like driving games, you can use a joystick, a gamepad, or ultimately, a driving

wheel. With a gamepad, you can play a variety of action games, though the first-per-

son games are best played with a mouse (you should have one anyway). If you're an

adventure gamer or like basic card games, you may not need any of this extra stuff at

all. If you want to spend money, you can consider going force feedback on your gam-

ing peripherals. Which stick is better? What are all those buttons for? Do you reallyneed all of them?

OK, before we go any farther, let's back up and start with something every gaming

computer needs: a mouse.

Mice

Joysticks

Gamepads

Wheels

Use the Force


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Let's face it, not many think of mice as a gaming peripheral, but mouse design does

count. Most PC mice have two or three buttons and, these days, are designed to

ergonomically fit the palm of your hand. Some mice have wheels to facilitate scrollingor other functions in Windows. Other pointing devices, like the trackball, have you roll

around the ball in a stationary position rather than moving the mouse around.

Generally Microsoft and Logitech make the most reliable and oft-liked mice. Microsoft

mice are fairly durable and were the first ones to incorporate the wheel in their design.

Plus, they feel pretty comfortable and aren't too big. Depending which design you get,

they can run between $30 and $60 and come in PS/2 and USB flavors.

Logitech has been in the point device game for nearly as long, and it's got some really

nice mice. When Logitech produced its Mouseman Wheel mouse, it sported four but-

tons, including a wheel, and a nice, curvy shape that made it very distinctive. It was a

bit pricey at $60, though now sells for less - mainly because Logitech has a new

Mouseman Wheel mouse out, which is cordless, has a slightly more refined design,

has a much better feel to it, and is extremely intuitive. And the digital wireless receiver

really works, even at ten feet. It also goes for about $60 and is perfect for gaming of

all sorts.

The

mouse

without a

tail.


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Check out our updated ultimate PC gaming machine, based on the latest technology,

recommendations, and the best components that money can buy.

The Ultimate Game Machine is here to help you get the best gaming rig money can

buy, hands down. These items are made from the best components and other qualities

that beats out everything else. Money is not an issue - but for many of you, it will be.

So, we've built the Lean Machine as well - the best lean gaming machine a tight budg-

et can buy. Suffice it to say, these machines are fast and built for gaming potential.

The Power Rig

The Lean Machine

Maybe both the Lean Machine and Power Rig are

too rich for your blood. That's OK, because we've got you

covered. Check out Chapter 5: The Budget Rig. There,

you'll find a methodical, detailed explanation of how get a

great gaming machine for less than $1,500.


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This chapter is for you to print out and take with you when you go to make your

next purchase for your gaming rig. Not only will you find out where to go, we'll give

you the price you'll most likely encounter, and so on. The idea here is to help you

become a better consumer - if your vendor doesn't have what you want in stock, we

provide alternatives, just in case that money is really burning a hole in your pocket or

you can't bear the thought of going home empty-handed. We know you know what

we're talking about.

So here comes the Power Rig, with comments for much of the components and

prices. Components are listed alphabetically.

3D ACCELERATOR CARD: 3dfx Voodoo2 1000 ($99) - This is still a great 3D

card that works really well for games requiring the Glide API with little hassles; for

everything else, use the TNT2 card.

Where to buy: Most stores and mail-order houses carry them in one form or another,

so they are easy to get.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/3d/v2-1000.html

CASE: In-Win IW-Q500 Full Tower Case ($115) - This full-size tower has a slide-

out motherboard tray and 235-watt power supply. It provides more than enough room

for internal storage bays, wiring, and cards, though a newer version is down the road.

Where to buy: Wholesalers, value-added retailers (VARs), and online mail-order

This component list as been compiled, at best,

during a single snapshot in time. As time passes, new

products come out that offer more features, better per-

formance, and lower cost. But the principles still apply:

Shop carefully and pick components with care.
http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/3d/v2-1000.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/3d/v2-1000.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/3d/v2-1000.html


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houses typically carry In-Win products. If you can't find one, make sure

you can fully examine all the cases on stock before buying one and know how it

comes apart and is put back together.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/iwq500.html

CD-ROM: HiVal 6X SCSI DVD Kit ($319) - Good installation and decent 32X reg-ular CD-ROM speed make this a great all-around drive. The image quality is good

despite use of two passthrough cables with Voodoo2 board.

Where to buy: It must be bought directly from Hi-Val.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/dvdscsi6.html

CONNECTIVITY: 3Com Etherlink XL 10/100 ($80) - This card is an easily config-

urable 10/100 card that's very widely supported and inherently plug-and-play.

Where to buy: Computer stores and online retailers that carry 3Com products willhave them in the networking department.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/ethrlink.html

CONNECTIVITY: CopperRocket SDSL Modem ($400) - This symmetric DSL

modem, with upstream/downstream speeds at 200Kbps is very expensive and only

usable in areas with SDSL support.

Where to buy: A few high-end stores may have it, but the best bet is to go through

the SDSL provider or Copper Mountain itself. The alternatives, though slower, includeusing cable modems or a regular DSL hookup, all typically available from local phone

companies or cable providers.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/cprrkt.html

CPU: Intel 600 MHz Pentium III ($740) - This awesome high-speed CPU is Intel's

newest and is also available right now, not later. It performs extremely well - better

than most estimates. It supports SSE (streaming SIMD extensions) to enhance games

that use it.Where to buy: Retailers and online stores that sell CPUs will definitely have this CPU.

If you don't want to spend $700 or so, you can always get a slower CPU, many of

which sell for less than $300.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/p3600.html
http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/iwq500.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/iwq500.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/dvdscsi6.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/dvdscsi6.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/ethrlink.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/ethrlink.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/cprrkt.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/cprrkt.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/p3600.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/p3600.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/p3600.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/cprrkt.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/cprrkt.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/ethrlink.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/ethrlink.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/dvdscsi6.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/dvdscsi6.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/iwq500.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/iwq500.html


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GAME CONTROLLER: Thrustmaster Flight Controllers ($300) -

Thrustmaster's realistic flight control system, including the F22 Pro and TQS

Throttle Combination, is one of the best in the business. Unfortunately, it is also the

most expensive, not to mention difficult to find - it's even worse now that

Thrustmaster has seemingly gotten out of the joystick business.

Where to buy: A few retailers still carry this , or alternatively it can be found for sale innewsgroups.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/sticks/tmjoyst.html

GAME CONTROLLER: Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro ($65) - Microsoft's

newest gamepad is ergonomically designed and USB to boot. Instead of having a pad

on the controller, the entire controller can act like a pad, using motion-sensor

technology.

Where to buy: It's available practically anywhere that sells joysticks or gamepads.Microsoft's original pad as well as those from a few other manufacturers is also avail-

able at cheaper prices.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/gamepads/freestyl.html

HARD DRIVE: Quantum Atlas 10K ($825) - This lightning fast 10,000rpm SCSI

hard drive, with 3.1GB per platter, is available in 9GB and higher flavors. Make no

doubt, with an ultra2 or ultra160 SCSI interface, this drive will scream along very nice-

ly. It may need a driver cooler, however, as it has a tendency to heat up.Where to buy: Some retails that carry hard drives will have it, but many online retail-

ers will more than likely have it. Any number of 7,200rpm Quantum, Maxtor, Seagate,

IBM, or Western Digital drive as an alternate will work well, too.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/atlas10k.html

KEYBOARD/MOUSE: Logitech Mouseman Plus ($59) - This great, ergonomic

mouse has four buttons and a wheel. It fits most hands very nicely and comes with a

number of utilities.Where to buy: It's usually available at any store that carries mice; the Microsoft

Intellimouse will make a nice substitution, though it doesn't fit the hand as well.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/mousplus.html
http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/sticks/tmjoyst.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/sticks/tmjoyst.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/gamepads/freestyl.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/gamepads/freestyl.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/atlas10k.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/atlas10k.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/mousplus.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/mousplus.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/mousplus.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/atlas10k.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/gamepads/freestyl.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/sticks/tmjoyst.html


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KEYBOARD/MOUSE: Avant Stellar Keyboard ($189) - This is a remake of

the classic Northgate Omnikey keyboard, down to the vibrant keyclick. It's great for

those who like traditional, loud keyboards.

Where to buy: It's only available through the manufacturer, Creative Vision

Technologies. Alternates includes Microsoft's Natural Keyboard Elite, which isergonomic and small.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/stellar.html

MONITOR: Mitsubishi 202u 21-inch monitor - ($1,300) - This monitor has a 20-

inch viewable screen at .25 dot pitch. But, it's very adjustable, with a maximum resolu-

tion of 1,800x1,440 at 80 Hz. It has two upstream and three downstream USB ports

and provides a sharp image on a flat screen.

Where to buy: Some retailers and online stores will carry it. A comparable monitorfrom Sony will suffice, but will be more expensive.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/mit202u.html

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P3B-F ($140) - Three different configurations provide

support for five PCI/2 ISA slots, six PCI/1 ISA slots, or six PCI slots. It uses third-gen-

eration 440BX motherboard chips tuned to work with Windows 2000.

Where to buy: You can find it at retailers, VARs, and online stores that carry Asus

motherboards; alternatively, you can get motherboards from Abit or Tyan that are simi-lar in quality, though Abits are more expensive.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/asusp3bf.html

POWER SUPPLY: PC Power and Cooling Turbocool 300 ($129) - This 300 watt

supply never runs out of power.

Where to buy: You can find it at any store that sells cases and power supplies; a

number of manufacturers build 300 watt power supplies at cheaper prices, however.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/turbo300.html

REMOVABLE STORAGE: Iomega Jaz2 ($350) - With 12ms speed and 2GB car-

tridges, the Jaz2 serves as a decent removable drive - with an UltraSCSI interface to

boot. It runs at about the speed of an average IDE drive.
http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/stellar.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/stellar.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/mit202u.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/mit202u.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/asusp3bf.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/asusp3bf.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/turbo3000.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/turbo3000.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/turbo3000.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/asusp3bf.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/mit202u.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/mit202u.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/stellar.html


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contacting Jamo directly will help. As rear speakers, you can pretty much use any

pair of computer speakers, however.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/speakers/jamocs5.html

STEERING WHEEL: Extreme Competition Controls CDS4000 ($1,129) - This

massive wheel (13.75 inches in diameter) and pedal unit is specifically designed for

sim racers. Not for the feint-hearted, though, it's probably the closest thing to a real

driving setup a computer will have.

Where to buy: Get it straight from Competition Controls. Alternatively, you can get

smaller, cheaper force-feedback steering wheels from Interact, Microsoft, or

Thrustmaster.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/wheels/cds4000.html

VIDEO CARD: Guillemot Xentor 32 ($199) - This great Riva TNT2 card with

32MB of SDRAM is speedy and solid. Overall game performance is quite good, and

the TNT2 provides great 2D and 3D graphics acceleration.

Where to buy: Most retailers and online stores that carry graphics cards. Alternatively,

you can buy any variety of TNT2 card from other manufacturers, some are better than

others.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/2d3d/xent32.html

Of course, sometimes you just want to compare prices before you buy. In fact, we rec-

ommend you do. A great place to start that comparison shopping is none other than

ZD's Computer Shopper.

Computer Shopper (http://www.zdnet.com/computershopper/)

And now the Lean Machine, with comments for much of the components and prices.

Components are listed alphabetically.
http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/speakers/jamocs5.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/speakers/jamocs5.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/wheels/cds4000.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/wheels/cds4000.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/2d3d/xent32.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/2d3d/xent32.htmlhttp://www.zdnet.com/computershopper/http://www.zdnet.com/computershopper/http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/2d3d/xent32.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/wheels/cds4000.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/speakers/jamocs5.html


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CASE: Elan Vital (Asus) Aegis T10-AB ($82) - An extremely nice mid-tower

case with swivel-out feet, it comes with a decent manual and component trays for

everything. It's targeted at people who do their own upgrades.Where to buy: Most vendors that carry computer cases will have it. Alternatively,

there are many other manufacturers that make cases, but make sure you know exactly

how they work and what they hold before buying.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/elanvitl.html

CD-ROM: Pioneer 6X IDE DVD Drive ($130) - This low-cost drive supports 6X

DVD and 32X CD-ROM speeds in EIDE and SCSI flavors. DVDs and CD-ROMs enter

via a front-load slot, no more putting them on trays. It works very well.Where to buy: While difficult to find individually, HiVal carries the drive as part of a

DVD kit. Alternatively: Other DVD drives can work, though many tend to be sluggish

and don't perform well. Creative Labs' drives are about par for the course.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/pnridedvd.html

CONNECTIVITY: Diamond SupraExpress 56E ($85) - This external 56K modem

uses the K56flex standard, is very compact, and supports V.34. It's a great package

for modem users.Where to buy: Most retailers and online stores carry this modem. Alternatively, US

Robotics and a few other manufacturers develop modems, though the external ones

tend to be larger (and more expensive).

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/supra56e.html

CPU: Intel Pentium III 500MHz ($260) - CPU prices are dropping like flies, so

why not pick up this steal? The 500MHz chip performs very well and will work with

practically everything - like we said, it's a steal right now.Where to buy: Look for it at stores and online retailers that sell Intel CPUs; you can

buy slower chips for even cheaper prices as well as Celerons that will work just as well

for gaming.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/piii500.html
http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/elanvitl.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/elanvitl.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/pnridedvd.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/pnridedvd.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/supra56e.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/piii500.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/piii500.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/piii500.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/supra56e.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/connectivity/connectivity/supra56e.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/pnridedvd.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/elanvitl.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/elanvitl.html


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GAME CONTROLLER: CH Products Gamestick 3D ($55.95) - CH

is an older company developing joysticks, and the Gamestick 3D is its latest

moderately priced stick, offering rudder support through the ability to twist the stick

clockwise and counterclockwise. Comes with an integrated throttle as well.

Where to buy: Look for it at stores that carry joysticks. There are a lot of moderately

priced sticks available, so check them out in a store before buying.More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/sticks/gstick3d.html

HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Expert Hard Drive ($220) - This fast drive supports

UltraDMA/66 and comes in 9.1GB and 18GB versions. It works just as well as any

other equivalent drive.

Where to buy: It's available at most stores and online retailers. Other hard drives from

Quantum, Seagate, IBM, and Maxtor provide similar support.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/wdxpert.html

KEYBOARD/MOUSE: Logitech USB Wheel Mouse ($29) - This decent two-but-

ton mouse has a wheel and USB to boot. It's not as expensive as some of Logitech's

other mice, but a mouse is a mouse.

Where to buy: It's available at most stores and online retailers. There are plenty of

cheap mice on the market, so there is a lot to choose from.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/logiusb.html

KEYBOARD/MOUSE: Logitech Newtouch Keyboard ($49) - This natural,

ergonomic keyboard has a touchpad pointing device as well. It provides better feel and

key placement than the Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite.

Where to buy: Most stores and online retailers will sell Logitech keyboards, and there

are a variety of natural keyboards available, including the previously mentioned

Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/newtouch.html

MONITOR: Optiquest V95 ($489) - This is a cheap but quality 19-inch, flat square

tube (FST) monitor.

Where to buy: It's a little hard to find; online stores or mail order is your best bet.
http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/sticks/gstick3d.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/sticks/gstick3d.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/wdxpert.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/wdxpert.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/wdxpert.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/logiusb.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/logiusb.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/newtouch.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/newtouch.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/newtouch.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/mice/logiusb.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/storage/wdxpert.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/controllers/sticks/gstick3d.html


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Alternatively, other 19-inch monitors are available, and prices are vari-

able - the Viewsonic PS790 is a fair equivalent.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/v95.html

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P3B-F ($140) - Three different configurations provide

support for five PCI/2 ISA slots, six PCI/1 ISA slots, or six PCI slots. It uses third-gen-eration 440BX motherboard chips tuned to work with Windows 2000.

Where to buy: You can find it at retailers, VARs, and online stores that carry Asus

motherboards; alternatively, you can get motherboards from Abit or Tyan that are simi-

lar in quality, though Abits are more expensive.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/asusp3bf.html

SOUND CARD: Diamond Monster Sound MX300 ($82): It provides great sound,

using Aureal A3D's Vortex2 chipset, and decent digital playback.Where to buy: Diamond sound cards are pretty common in most stores, and the

MX300 is the most common of its sound cards at this time. Alternatively, you can go

with the Sound Blaster Live cards or the Turtle Beach cards that use the same 3D

audio chipset.

More Info:http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/cards/mx300.html

SPEAKERS: Boston Acoustics BA-635 ($69): This two-speaker setup sounds

better than the Cambridge Soundworks PC Works speakers. Really. It delivers animpressive sound pressure level for its size.

Where to buy: It's a little hard to find, so try online retailers or go directly to Boston

Acoustics for more details.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/speakers/ba635.html

VIDEO CARD: Guillemot Xentor 32 ($199) - This great Riva TNT2 card with

32MB of SDRAM is speedy and solid. Overall game performance is quite good, and

the TNT2 provides great 2D and 3D graphics acceleration.Where to buy: Check at most retailers and online stores that carry graphics cards.

Alternatively, you can buy any variety of TNT2 card from other manufacturers; some

are better than others.

More Info: http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/2d3d/xent32.html
http://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/v95.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/v95.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/asusp3bf.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/asusp3bf.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/cards/mx300.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/cards/mx300.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/speakers/ba635.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/speakers/ba635.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/2d3d/xent32.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/2d3d/xent32.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/speakers/ba635.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/sound/cards/mx300.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/systems/cpus/asusp3bf.htmlhttp://www.gamespot.com/hardware/video/monitors/v95.html


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Benchmarking isn't just for industry professionals and gearheads anymore. With a little

advice, you can run benchmarks on your system to help you diagnose problems to

make more informed buying decisions. This chapter gets down and dirty with this mys-

terious art and helps you start benchmarking on your own.

This is a good question worth pondering. Why do

you, the erstwhile reader, care about benchmark-

ing - especially if you never plan on doing it your-

self. There's several answers to this question.

On the most basic level, understanding what benchmarking is, its limitations, and how

good benchmarking is conducted lets you make a more informed buying decision

when it comes time to upgrade your hardware. This is part of being an informed con-

sumer. Since all graphics card companies do benchmarks, understanding the process

helps you cut through the chaff that's often printed on product boxes.

Benchmark Types

How Do I?

But How Do I Test?

Game Testing

GameGauge 2.0

Your Mileage May Vary


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One comment you often hear is. "The best benchmark is the application you use or

the games you play." Unfortunately, that does little good when trying to draw compar-

isons between disparate pieces of hardware. There are really two types of bench-marks to consider: synthetic and application-based.

Designers of synthetic benchmarks try to design their tests to simulate the workload of

real applications, but in a way that the data can be broken down in more granular

detail. On the other hand, application-based benchmarks somehow use real applica-

tions to create a realistic workload on a computer, but it may be more difficult to bread

down exactly what's going on.

The Ziff-Davis benchmark suites are a great example of this. On the one hand, there's

the Winbench 99 suite. Winbench 99 consists of a series of discrete tests that focus

on single subsystems. There are benchmarks that wring out disk drives, 2D Windows

graphics, and CPU components.

Another Ziff-Davis synthetic benchmark

is 3D Winbench 99, which lets you look

closely at the behavior of 3D accelera-tors, one feature at a time.

There are other examples of synthetic

benchmarks, in particular the ones

embedded in Norton Utilities' Sysinfo

tool, SPECmarks, and 3D Mark 99.

Some are better than others, but they all

eventually represent a simulation ofwhat really happens. (3D Mark 99 uses

a real game engine at its core, but I still

consider it a synthetic benchmark

because of its granularity).

The WinBench 99 suite is ready.


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Creating exact clones of a disk or partition with Ghost.

Then, I proceed to do another partition backup. (At this point, you're probably wonder-

ing about disk space. The testbed has two drives. The boot drive is a 10GB, 7,200rpm

IDE drive; the second drive is a 7GB drive that mostly contains partition backups.)

Now, I have a snapshot of a system with all the software installed that will be used for

testing. Finally, since graphics cards are tested more than any other single product, I

install the sound card (our reference box uses the Diamond Monster Sound MX300)

and the latest set of drivers. One more partition backup, and I'm ready to roll.

I now have three complete partition backups. If I want to test a graphics card, I just

load up the appropriate partition using Ghost. It takes about ten minutes - certainly

much less time than performing a clean Windows install from scratch.


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GameSpot's Director of Technology

The good news is: Installing Linux gets easier every day.

The bad news is: It's still more complicated than installing Windows. With this guide

and a lot of patience you can get through it.

Linux is a collection of thousands of programs, all

cooperating to form a professional-quality operat-

ing system. All this power means complexity.

Fortunately, there is a mountain of documentation

out there, much of it in the form of simple step-by-step guides (known as HOWTOs in

Linux lingo). Browse The Linux Documentation Project(http://metalab.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html) to get a feel for the kind of things that you

must do to set up and maintain a Linux system.

Choosing a Distribution

Instillation Options

Before Installing:Know Your Hardware

Installation

GUI and Linux

Linux and Games
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