PC: Getting the Hardware Right

PC gaming is all about having the right hardware. It can be the difference between having a good time and having a great time. And thanks to some cut-throat competition we’re spoilt for choice! With prices falling constantly, buying a gaming rig no longer requires a pocket deep enough to fit a Grand Canyon. Let’s see what type of hardware you need to look at, as a gamer.

Know you PC

Today, most games utilize almost every piece of hardware on your PC. From the motherboard to the soundcard, may be even your Ethernet card! Let’s take a look at the important components.

Processor

The most basic piece of equipment you will find in your computer is the processor. Quite literally it’s the brain of the computer, and can do calculations at the speed of light. Processors have come a long way from the early days of the 486 systems. Gone are the days when 133 MHz processors were called blazingly fast. Today processors have breached the 3.0 GHz mark and show no signs of stopping. And that’s not even taking into account 64-bit processors which are even faster!

In a game, the processor plays a major role. There are thousands of calculations and computations that need to be done every second. For e.g. Every movement you make and how it affects the environment around you, your interaction with the environment, the behavior of the AI and so on. All of this is done by the processor. Naturally a faster processor is very helpful, but its effectiveness depends on the rest of the hardware too.

Motherboard

The motherboard is like a switchboard at a telephone exchange. It connects the various hardware components. Every component is either directly or indirectly connected to it. It has a number of slots where you can plug in your hardware. These slots can either be of the PCI, PCI-E, AGP or IDE variety, apart from which you also have the memory slots for your RAM. A motherboard also has a chipset, which is its logic system, and the BIOS, which performs certain basic functions such as the boot-up procedure before the OS kicks in. The motherboard is not actively involved in any computations but it still forms an important part of your gaming PC. This is because every other component is connected to it. Therefore it is necessary to have a good motherboard with support for fast RAM, plenty of slots for upgrades, enough USB and/or firewire ports for external peripherals and so on.

RAM

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. Like the name suggests, it is a storehouse for memory. However what makes your RAM unique is the fact that data stored on it is not permanent. It is only stored as long as the program using the RAM requires it. Think of it as the short-term memory of the computer. You only keep information there as long as you need it, after which it is either forgotten or stored in the long-term memory.

RAM comes in a variety of sizes, speeds and standards. Today 1 GB RAM on a single chip is very common, as are speeds of 677-800 MHz that are found on the latest chips. For gaming, at least 256 MB of RAM, running at 333 MHZ is required for smooth gameplay.

3D Accelerator

The 3D accelerator is the component which renders all of your video. It can be of 2 types- 1) onboard, which is a part of the motherboard itself and uses a part of RAM as memory or 2) A standalone card, which plugs in to your motherboard and has its own memory, BIOS and Graphics Processing Unit or GPU. The old 3D cards used to connect to your motherboard via a PCI slot, but advances in technology meant that the data transfer rate that the slot allowed became too slow. This led to the creation of the AGP or Advanced Graphics Port. Today even AGP stands on the threshold of extinction, with PCI-E or PCI Express quickly becoming the favoured standard. Further, the newest developments have allowed user to buy two, yes two 3D cards and harness the power of both at the same time to give greater performance. This feature, known popularly as SLi graphics, is being offered by both the major players in the 3D accelerator businessnVidia and ATi.

Once again the equation is pretty simple- the better your graphics card, the better your visual performance. Your requirement is governed by the types of games you play. Thus, for e.g., someone who only plays the latest FPS games will require a cutting edge 3D card with the best features, but if Pac-Man is your thing then onboard graphics more than meet your requirements.

Sound

Until a few years ago, sound was probably the most ignored aspect of gaming. While everyone went gaga over the graphics of a game, sound would remain largely ignored. Things have changed though. With developers putting more and more thought and effort into the sound of the game, speakers and soundcards have become an integral part of a gamers hardware. The most commonly used surround sound speakers are of the 5.1 variety, which has 1 centre speaker, 2 main speakers and 2 surround speakers. The .1 denotes the sub-woofer, which is a separate unit. Choices are virtually unlimited however. From the traditional 2- speaker stereo systems to the cutting edge 7.1 surround sound systems there is something for everyone.

To enjoy the top-end sound systems, you will probably require a good sound card. Having said that, onboard sound is not too bad either. Just like 3D accelerators, motherboards come with onboard sound. In fact a top-end motherboard may even offer you features to rival any soundcard. This includes support for multi-speaker, surround sound systems. Soundcards however remain a popular choice for gamers. They provide top-quality sound, with support for the latest speaker systems and conform to most, if not all the quality standards such as THX and Dolby Digital. Creative are the most popular manufacturers of sound cards today.

What To Buy You Need You Should Buy Basic Gaming machine A simple inexpensive machine that lets you play a few of your favourite games, performance doesn’t really matter Processor: AMD Athlon64 3200+ RAM: 512 MB Transcend Graphic Card: NA Motherboard: MSI RS480M2 Powerful but affordable gaming PC A machine that gives you the flexibility to play the demanding games, without going bankrupt to pay for it Processor: AMD Athlon64 3800+ RAM: 512 MB Transcend Graphic Card: XFX 6600GT Motherboard: ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe The best system money can buy The best of the best. Money is of no concern. Processor: AMD Athlon X2 3800+ RAM: 1 GB Transcend Graphic Card: XFX 7800 GTX Motherboard: ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe

The right speaker-sound combination for you depends what you will use the two for. For e.g., if you play the occasional 2-D game and listen to some music, a 2 speaker setup with onboard sound is more than sufficient. But if you want to play the latest games and experience mind-numbingly realistic surround sound then the 7.1 speaker system and a top-end soundcard is what the doctor ordered!

Now that you know all about the hardware involved in gaming, you’re probably wondering which components best suit your needs. Although having unlimited choice is a great thing for any buyer, it can be a bit daunting to make a final decision. But fear not! We are here to solve your dillema. Deciding which hardware to buy is as simple as glancing at the table “What to Buy”!