Extreme Gamer's PC: A Gamer's Guide to PC Ultimate Performance

by Loyd Case (Conducted by)

Overview

Turbocharge your game play with help from this one-of-a-kind guide. Filled with tweaks for Windows, in-game tips, and ways to improve PC performance you'll learn to step up video, sound, and storage features in a matter of minutes and be on your way to the ultimate gaming experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780072226379
Publisher:	McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media
Publication date:	09/30/2002
Series:	Consumer
Pages:	303
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.14(h) x 0.68(d)

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	XI
	Foreword	XIII
	Introduction	XV
1	Welcome to the World of PC Games
1	How PC Games Affect Performance	3
	Aspects of PC Performance	6
	Genre Issues	12
2	The Soul of a Great Gaming PC	15
	The CPU	17
	Core Logic	23
	Motherboards	25
	Memory	28
	Graphics Hardware	30
	Storage	32
	Audio	37
	Chassis and Power Supply	38
	The Evolving PC	40
3	Operating Systems for PC Gaming	43
	Supporting Software	44
	Operating Systems	46
4	Multiplayer Gaming with Your PC	53
	Friday Night Follies	54
	Enabling Multiple Players	55
	Small-Scale Multiplayer Gaming	57
	Medium-Scale Multiplayer	58
	Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming	58
5	Do-It-Yourself Gaming	61
	The Mod Scene	62
	Do It Yourself	63
2	Creating the Perfect Gaming PC
6	Tuning Your PC to the Types of Games You Play	75
	Mainstream Games	76
	Strategy Games	77
	Role-Playing Games	79
	Simulations	81
	Action Games and First-Person Shooters	82
7	Controlling Your World: Game Controllers for Every Game	87
	Connecting Game Controllers	88
	The Force Is With You	90
	Gamepads	90
	Flight Controllers	92
	Wheels	93
	Other Controllers	95
	Voice	96
	Mouse and Keyboard	97
8	Developing an Upgrade Plan	101
	Upgrading Versus Replacing	102
	What's Your Budget?	106
	Next Steps	107
9	3D Hardware and Game Performance	109
	Confusion in 3D	110
	Making It Real	114
	Programmable Shaders	122
	Pushing Pixels and Polygons	123
	Choosing the Right Hardware	124
	We're in the Chips	126
10	More PC Hardware Choices	131
	Processors, Motherboards, and Memory	132
	Audio	136
	Displays	139
	Storage	140
	How to Buy Hardware	142
	Now for the Screwdriver...	143
11	The Easy Upgrades	145
	Electrostatic Discharge	146
	Installing a New Graphics Card	147
	Replacing Your Monitor	156
	Upgrading Your Sound System	157
	Adding Memory	162
12	Major Surgery	169
	Preparation and Tools	170
	Upgrading Storage	171
	Replacing Your CPU	179
	Upgrading Your Motherboard	189
	The World Awaits	195
13	Installing Windows	197
	Installing Windows XP	198
	Installing Windows Me	208
	The Upgrade Install	209
	Setting Up a Home Network	210
14	Be Your Own Dell	215
	Chassis and Power Supply	216
	Building Your Own Game PC Is Easy	220
	The Path from Upgrading to Building	221
	Assembling Your Masterwork	222
3	Tweaks and Troubleshooting
15	Common Problems and Solutions	225
	Troubleshooting Techniques	226
	Can't Boot Up	228
	System Lockups and Crashes	233
	Performance Problems	236
	Network and Multiplayer Problems (LAN)	241
	Multiplayer Problems (the Internet)	242
16	Hardware Tweaks	249
	Tuning Your PC	250
	Updating the System BIOS	252
	Overclocking CPU and Memory	257
	Graphics Card Overclocking	260
	The Quiet PC	263
	The Personal Touch: Case Mods	264
17	Software Tweaks	269
	Operating System Tuning	270
	Additional Resources	278
	Online Resources	283
	Game-Specific Tweaks	284
4	The Future of PC Gaming
18	Where to Next?	289
	Internet and Web Games	291
	Compact PCs	292
	The Impact of Wireless	292
	Handheld and PDA Gaming	293
	Gaming Across Platforms	294
	Final Thoughts	295
	Index	297

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Who needs so much power on the desktop that they’re driving the PC platform forward practically single-handedly? Gamers. (Who else?) And how can gamers get that kind of power without spending the entire gross national product of Bolivia? They can read Loyd Case’s The Extreme Gamer’s PC, that’s how.

Case has covered hardware for everyone from Extremetech.com to Computer Gaming World. This is his soup-to-nuts guide to souped-up PC performance -- and not just for today. Case shows how to set yourself up with upgrade paths to keep your equipment at or close to the leading edge for years to come.

He covers it all: CPUs, core logic, motherboards, memory, 3D graphics, audio, storage, power supplies, cases, game controllers, multiplayer networking -- even keyboards. You’ll learn which games stress which PC subsystems (it’s not just 3D -- artificial intelligence eats CPU cycles and memory like popcorn). He offers specific upgrade paths for PII and PIII systems (and guidance on when not to upgrade), then walks through sticky tasks like processor replacement (removing and reinstalling heat sinks isn’t as nerve-racking as it looks). He’s especially good on the tiny points that trip up first-timers, such as whether you have the right ATX I/O shield or chose a case with rolled or deburred edges.

You’ll really appreciate Case’s Windows tuning tips. Which background processes can you flush out to save precious CPU cycles? Should you adjust monitor vsync? Are Windows XP’s base SoundBlaster Live drivers causing that annoying stuttering? These are gems you won’t find anywhere else. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks For Dummies®, Second Edition.