Gaming Computer Design: Advanced 3D Gaming System Configuration

This report outlines the design of a high-performance gaming computer, detailing the selection and justification of hardware and software components. The chosen operating system is Windows, favored for its gaming optimization and dedicated hardware support. Key hardware components include the Intel Core i5-8600K CPU, EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750W power supply, Gigabyte Z370XP SLI motherboard, 16GB G-Skill Trident Z RGB memory, Samsung 970 EVO 500GB SSD, GeForce 1080 Ti GTX video card, and Corsair Hydro H115i Pro cooling system. The report explains how the motherboard form factor dictates hardware choices and discusses CPU and motherboard compatibility standards, emphasizing socket and chipset support. References are provided to support the design decisions and provide further information on component selection and system building.

Running head: GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
Table of Contents
Design requirements...................................................................................................................2
Selection for components and justification for the same...........................................................2
Selected OS and reason for the choice...................................................................................2
Specification for hardware components and reason for the choice............................................2
Explanation of how the motherboard form factor governs the choice of dependent hardware. 5
Discussion on the standards that determine CPU and motherboard compatibility....................5
GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
In this assignment, the aim is to design a state-of-the-art gaming computer that is
equipped with superior hardware and software so that it is capable of handling modern 3D
gaming titles.
Design requirements
In order to design the gaming computer, some essentials components are required.
Those components are:
 Cases and form factor.
 CPU.
 Power supply.
 Motherboard and buses.
 Memory.
 Video Cards.
 Audio.
 Cooling.
Selection for components and justification for the same
Selected OS and reason for the choice
The OS selected for the design of the gaming computer is the Windows OS. The
reasons behind this selection are the following:
 Optimized for gaming
 Dedicated hardware and software (like stream) support and specially designed
for windows
 Possible to tweak hardware for improving performance in gaming
 Specification for hardware components and reason for the choice.
Specification for hardware components and reason for the choice
Name of the
component
Product chosen Features Alternativ
e option
Reason for choice
CPU
Intel Core i5-
8600K
 3.7GHz
clock
speed
 Ideal
choice for
gaming
 Not too
much
expensive
 Only six
Intel Core
i7-8700K
Intel Core i7-8700K has
almost similar features like
latest and advanced Coffee
Lake architecture, clock
speed of 3.7GHz but still

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
cores cost £316 or $347 compared
to £215 or $255 for Intel
Core i5-8600K. only
additional improvement is in
cache memory, however
still it does not have
significant performance
boost
Power supply. EVGA
SuperNOVA G3
750W
 Superior
power
supply
 Fully
modular
 Very
efficient
 80Plus
Gold
rating
Corsair
CX550m
Although Corsair CX550m
cost less (£66 or $50)
compared to SuperNOVA
(£100 or $98), features it
lacks are modular design,
superior power rating and
performance rating with
only 80Plus Bronze
efficiency rating
Motherboard and
buses.
Gigabyte
Z370XP SLI
 Support
for dual
GPU
 Z370
chipset
 two M.2
connector
s with
lots of
USB
connectivi
ty
 four
memory
slots with
lots of
Gigabyte
Z370
Aorus
Gaming 5
Both of these products are
almost similar in terms of
features, but Gigabyte
Z370XP SLI (£112 or $128)
costs less than Gigabyte
Z370 Aorus Gaming 5
(£112 or $128)

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
routes for
upgrade
Memory. 16GB G-Skill
Trident Z RGB
 Dual-
channel
RAM
 Offers
4,266MH
z speed
Team
Group
Vulcan kit
Although the alternative
cost less (£135 or $140),
compared to 16GB G-Skill
Trident Z RGB (£300 or
$300), it have less speed of
2,400MHz and does not
offer the attractive look that
the RGB LEDs offers in G-
Skill Trident Z RGB.
Storage Samsung 970
EVO 500GB
SSD
 Exception
al transfer
as well
read
speeds
 Enough
storage,
although
separate
HDD is
required
Samsung
970 EVO
250GB
SSD
The 500 GB version has
been chosen for additional
storage option
Video Cards GeForce GTX
1080 Ti
 excellent
performan
ce
 Excellent
compatibi
lity
 11GB of
dedicated
GDDR5X
memory
 3,584
stream
processors
with clock
speed of
1,480MH
z
The GTX
1070 Ti
The GTX 1070 Ti does not
provide support for 4k
gaming
Cooling Corsair Hydro
H115i Pro
 efficient
for
driving i7
processor
 large
280mm
radiator
 provides
support
Corsair
Hydro H60
Corsair Hydro H60 has
smaller 120mm radiator,
does not provide support for
overclocking and only
sufficient for driving i5

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
for
overclocki
ng
processor
Explanation of how the motherboard form factor governs the choice of dependent
hardware
The motherboard form factor governs the other choices of the hardware in CPU. The
other hardware choices are dependent on this because it decides where the other hardware
components will go. In this form factor, the socket of the microprocessor is included which
decides what type of CPU will be fit in the motherboard. In many cases due to this form
factor installing big parts like the GPU becomes very much problematic.
Discussion on the standards that determine CPU and motherboard compatibility
Socket support:
The CPU needs to be compatible with the sockets of motherboard.
AMD:
 Athlon 64: AM2, AM2+
 Phenom (includes Athlon): AM2, AM2+
 Phenom II (includes Athlon II): AM2, AM2+ AM3
Intel:
 Core 2: socket 775
 Core i3/ i5/ i7 (8xx models only): 1156
 Core i7 (7xx models only): 1366
Chipset support

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
Chipset are manufactured by AMD, Intel and Nvidia. CPU selected for the design,
needs to be compatible with the chipset.
Motherboard wattage should be compatible with the TDP of the CPU
Listed on most manufacturer's websites
Bios support
It is very easy to find this information from the Motherboard manufacturer's website just
need to check the Motherboard model and then explore the "CPU support" option.

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
References
Artman, J. (n.d.). Types of motherboard connectors. Retrieved from
https://itstillworks.com/types-motherboard-connectors-7272790.html
Review - introduced in Unit 1.
Fisher, T. (2017). What is a video card ? Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/what-
is-a-video-card-2618161/
Explains the function of a video card.
McKee, C. (2018). NVIDIA 3D vision-ready displays, projectors, PCs, and
laptops. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/nvidia-3d-vision-laptops-831760/
Provides a hardware compatibility list for NVIDIA's 3D vision technology
Lifewire. (2018). Central processing unit (CPU). Retrieved from
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-cpu-2618150
Review - Covers the function of the CPU.
Stuart, K. (2018). Taming the beast: How to build a gaming PC for 2018. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/jan/31/how-to-build-a-gaming-pc-2018
Tips for building a gaming machine.
Villas-Boas, A (2016). Building your own gaming PC is incredibly rewarding — here’s
what you’ll need. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-build-a-
gaming-pc-parts-youll-need-where-to-buy-them-2016-12
Explains the need for building a computer.
Casserly, M.(2017). How to control fan speed. Retrieved from
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/laptop/how-control-fan-speed-3660976/
Covers how to regulate the fan speed of a computer.
Criden. (2017). How to build your own computer. Retrieved from
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/the-geek-blog/building-a-new-computer-part-1-
choosing-hardware/
Tutorial 1. Choosing hardware when building a computer.
Tutorial 2. Putting the components together.
Tutorial 3. Working with the BIOS.
Tutorial 4. Installing an operating system.

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN
Tutorial 5. Tweaking the construction.
Doityourself. (n.d.). 4 types of graphics cards. Retrieved from
https://www.doityourself.com/stry/4-types-of-graphics-cards
Covers various types of graphic cards.
Hoffman, (2014). How to find drivers for unknown devices in the device
manager. Retrieved from https://www.howtogeek.com/193798/how-to-find-drivers-for-
unknown-devices-in-the-device-manager/
Covers resolving unknown device driver issues.
Newegg, (2015). PC cooling: How to set up computer case fans. Retrieved from
https://www.neweggbusiness.com/smartbuyer/over-easy/pc-cooling-how-to-set-up-
computer-case-fans/
A guide on setting up computer case fans.
PlayTool. (2017). What kind of expansion slot should you use for your video card?
Retrieved from http://www.playtool.com/pages/vidslots/slots.html
Covers types of video cards expansion slots.
Stone, D. (n.d.). Does a graphics card have to go in the first PCI-E slot? Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/graphics-card-first-pcie-slot-67429.html
Covers PCI-E type of slots.
Tiny Green PC. (2017). Why is RAM/memory speed important? Retrieved from
https://www.tinygreenpc.com/blog/why-is-ram-memory-speed-important/
Covers the importance of RAM when gaming.

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GAMING COMPUTER DESIGN