PC Gaming Video: Meeting the Demands

If you have an interest in playing PC games that were made at least in the past couple of years, you've probably seen the serious video demands these games now have. It's not only that you need a fast system that can handle all of the information in today's games, but you need a major performance video card to handle computer game video too.

For some weird reason, the video demands of these games have far surpassed everything else. If you're even looking at the idea of playing today's PC games, you probably have no interest in turning down the resolution and graphics quality in the game so you can play it on an okay system. If you want to play these games the way they were intended, you'll need some serious computer game video processing power.

Other parts of the game, like sound and hard drive space aren't really a concern anymore because most people's hard drives are getting bigger, (or they run the game off a DVD) and most PC sound cards seem to be all about on the same level. It seems the average is 5.1 channels anyway.

But the problem starts when you go look at the types of cards out there to choose from, the kind of card that you can even get comes down to how your PC was built from the beginning.

PCI express is the new standard for PC video, but many hardware authorities are still saying that there aren't really any games or programs out there that use the super data transfer speeds that it has.

Of course, in time, this will change, so it really comes down to a short/long-term investment question: Do you want a machine that will tear up the high-end games for years to come, or upwards of the next year and a half? If you want to go with the former, you'll have to pay out a little. Also, if you want a PCI express card, you had to have either started with a motherboard with this kind of socket on it, or you have to look at swapping out your board.

Most people for now are still going to fit into the AGP 8X category. AGP has been used for years up until fairly recently, when systems all started coming with PCI express instead. You should make sure you get your hands on at least a good AGP 8X video card with lots of video memory (256 megs) and you won't know the difference.

The big feuding video card brands have been ATI and nVidia for some time now, although nVidia is now basically leasing out their GeForce chipsets to other manufacturers, like Chaintech. For a while, it's really been a toss-up as to which brand is better, the cheap level cards are going to all be the same across brands. According to recent reviews, however, ATI's newest top-level Radeon X800 series card is supposed to be better than nVidia's most recently released high-end card.

But rather than deal with the hassle of matching up video card socket types and worrying if what you've got will stay current, you might want to just go with one of the high-end system builders out there. Alienware is one of the most widely known ones; their systems are some of the fastest and most powerful on the market. Having your system already put together is one advantage, but Alienware tests different motherboard and video card combinations to find the optimal configuration for gaming.

By paying a little careful attention to brand names, video memory, price, and how they all fit together with your unique needs, you can get a system that can handle some serious computer game video for any game you throw its way.

Phil Moyers, owner of Build-Your-Own-Computer-Plan.com shows computer novices how to save a ton of money by putting together fast, high performance PC's of their own with handpicked, quality parts. Learn more about meeting computer game video demands.

---

How to Write a Business Plan While Playing

BizTech 2.0 is an entrepreneur education program offering business assistance... Read More

The Story Behind OpenSimcity

I've always liked to play SimCity since I was little.... Read More

Top 10 Dumbest Game Titles

You may not agree with the order in which they... Read More

Reviving Old Computer Games

Remember the good old days of gaming, when there were... Read More

The Future of Video Games

I've recently been thinking about where video games could be... Read More

Laying Smart Dust With Smart Munitions

We believe that we need to make the Smart Munitions... Read More

Zuma Deluxe Style Games Evolution

As I think most of gamers who play in shareware... Read More

A Parents Guide to Online Gaming, Part 1

The internet touches every aspect of your children's lives. Where... Read More

Increasing Rates of Climb in Fighter Aircraft Like the New Joint force Strike Fighter

We know from studying aircraft like the F-8 Crusader, in... Read More

The Game Tester

It's not easy to be a hardcore gamer. It's hard.... Read More

Sega Dreamcasts Cause of Death?

What ever happened to that game console we used to... Read More

7 Simple Steps to Avoid Being a Newbie in Online Games

It doesn't matter if you are new to online roleplaying... Read More

Improving Spelling with Games

You got it! You can do just about any type... Read More

Blast From The Past - Retro Games Are Hot Again

Miss the brainlessly simple and extremely addictive games from the... Read More

Cloud Laser Art

A new art form in the future will be CLA.... Read More

Xbox vs. PS2 Game Consoles

There has been a great deal of discussion regarding the... Read More

Evolution of Gaming : Graphics vs Gameplay

If you are old enough to remember the early days... Read More

Malicious Advertising

Advertising is a necessary irritant in the world today. You... Read More

Rome Total War: Battle Strategy Guide

A. FormationsIt's pretty much common sense to come up with... Read More

Review - Sony PSP

I'm fairly certain there are folks at Nintendo feeling some... Read More

Sony PSP

The period of the greatest portable console has finally arrived.... Read More

Review: Samurai Jack -- Code of the Samurai

Fans of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Samurai Jack," which wrapped last year... Read More

Playing Games Like Its 80s

Do you miss the good old 80's Amiga and Commodore... Read More

Why We Play Games, Part 1

There exists some ephemeral quality that separates gamers from the... Read More

A Parents Guide to Online Gaming, Part 2

In part 1 we talked about online gaming and your... Read More

Securing Your Accounts With Well-Crafted Passwords

In the past I've never really paid much attention to... Read More

Play a Cool Jeep Game Online

If there were anything that could excite a Jeep enthusiast... Read More

Counter Strike, The Beginner of Broad Band PC Gaming

This is the world of 21st century, the century of... Read More

Are You A PC Gamer And Want The Best Out Of Your Graphics Card?

IntroductionIn this article you will learn how to get the... Read More

Drawing Hand Held Surface to Air Missile Fire at Night Using UAVs

One of the easiest ways to draw shoulder launched missiles... Read More

A Look at the Sony PlayStation 3

At the recent E3 gaming Convention, Sony gave the world... Read More

Flying an MAV Through Fan Blades to Attain Target

Flying an MAV Through Rotating Fan Blades ? It maybe... Read More

$20 Buys a Lot of Game These Days

Watching the evolution of sports games has been like watching... Read More