21 Steps Toward Gaming PCs

Today, leadership in the gaming graphics space comes from just two companies: ATI and NVIDIA. ATI's Radeon and NVIDIA's GeForce lines of graphics processor units (GPUs) form the heart of video cards put out by dozens of OEMs.

While the technology changes fast, the underlying software is quite stable. A good gaming PC needs the latest version of Microsoft DirectX, the graphics software layer used by most high-end games, and the latest video drivers from ATI or NVIDIA. But the drivers on the CD from the OEM will likely be out-of-date by time they reach you, let alone your customer. That's why putting in a few extra minutes to properly install the graphics card and arm your customers with preconfigured video tweaks will set you apart from other system builders. Most of them ship machines with nothing but the default settings.

Ingredients

• AOpen FX5900 XT 128MB TV/DVI video card. For our Recipe, AOpen supplied a powerful video card based around NVIDIA's GeForce FX 5900 architecture. At a street price of about $180, this dual-output video card is merely in the mid-range of available options. But it runs fast and without a lot of excess noise. That makes it an ideal choice for solid performance without sticker shock.
• A generous PC power supply. Modern GPUs draw a considerable amount of power; some even need their own power feed from a four-pin hard-drive power connector off the primary power supply. Ensure that the PC's power supply is rated for at least 250 watts.
• DirectX 9.0b. This is the latest version of Microsoft DirectX. It will ensure that games can take advantage of all of the latest video-card features.
• DirectX Control Panel. Software developers and serious gamers want the most possible control over their gaming environment. While the DirectX Control Panel is normally reserved for software developers, it is easy to obtain and install.
• Latest NVIDIA graphics drivers. On an irregular schedule--usually as new bugs or optimizations are discovered--both ATI and NVIDIA will update their driver suite. One download works for all of the desktop cards in their range, so you don't have to worry about the precise make and model of the card you integrate. Because we're using an NVIDIA GeForce board, we want the NVIDIA driver pack.

Getting Graphics, Step By Step

1. Install the graphics card in the PC's AGP (accelerated graphics port) slot. Virtually all motherboards have some form of standoff or lever on the far end of the AGP slot to help hold the card in place. Ensure that when you insert the card that this tab properly hinges into place to hold the card.

2. Plug a spare hard-drive power connector into the socket on the video card.

3. Enter the machine's BIOS and locate the AGP Aperture Size setting, typically found in either a Video or Advanced Chipset Settings screen. This setting governs how much system memory can be used to share certain types of memory, such as texture data, with the graphic card. It is not the same as a setting for shared memory for an onboard graphics chip -- memory specified in the AGP Aperture Size. Set the value to 128 MB, a good baseline.

4. If the BIOS has an AGP 8X Support setting, be sure it is set to Enabled.

5. The AOpen FX5900 XT, like many mid- and high-end video cards, sports dual-headed output. If the system motherboard offers integrated video, consider disabling the onboard display and setting the shared memory value to 0 MB, unless you plan to market the machine as offering triple-headed output. Additional usable memory is more valuable to customers than a less-powerful third video output they're unlikely to use. For most boards, the onboard graphics settings will be in the BIOS Advanced or Integrated screens.

6. Obtain the latest version of DirectX from Microsoft. Select the DirectX 9.0b Redistributable for Software Developers.

7. Obtain the DirectX 9.0b Control Panel. It is part of the DirectX SDK, but can be downloaded from a number of support sites, including Major Geeks.

8. Obtain the latest graphics drivers from NVIDIA.

9. Burn the two DirectX files and the NVIDIA drivers to a CD-RW, and keep the disc handy for future installations. Update the files on the CD-RW whenever Microsoft or NVIDIA offer new versions.

10. When you power up the machine, ignore and cancel any attempts by the Add New Hardware wizard to identify and install the graphics card. You want to install the latest DirectX and video drivers first. Install DirectX 9.0b on the PC by running dx90update_redist.exe. When the installation finishes, reboot the machine.

11. Run the driver pack downloaded from NVIDIA. (It's currently 56.72_winxp2k_english_whql.exe.) When the installation completes, reboot the machine.

12. After the computer reboots, it will automatically recognize the 5900 XT card and configure the video driver. You may now enter Display Properties and set the PC to a comfortable working resolution -- preferably one you know will be compatible with the display that will be bundled with the machine.

13. Open the DirectX Control Panel archive, and drag the directx.cpl file into the PC's Windows / System32 directory. This will create a new DirectX entry in the PC's Control Panel window. Although this is primarily of use to software developers, your hard-core gaming customers will appreciate saving a step to get extra control of their video display modes.

14. Also in Control Panel, open the NVIDIA nView Desktop Manager. Click Enable to turn on nView. This will let your customers quickly and easily configure dual-display settings and advanced features like screen zoom. Note: It is normal for the screen to go black momentarily when entering or exiting one of the NVIDIA control applications.

15. To create a striking-looking desktop, click the nView Desktop Manager's Effects tab. Turn on the Make windows transparent when dragged feature. Then turn on Enable taskbar transparency to make the bottom Windows bar see-through. Fifty-percent transparency is hard on the eyes, so drop it to 25 percent or 20 percent -- the lower the number, the more opaque the taskbar.

16. Another eye-catching effect lurks in the Mouse tab. Turn on Enable throw window action to allow windows to be "tossed" against the side of the screen by clicking and sharply moving the mouse toward a corner of the screen. After the button is released, the window will continue to travel on its own until it "hits" an edge of the screen.

17. Games generally look and perform best when in-game preferences make video quality and processing decisions. But if you plan to run a demo, particularly with an older game that doesn't support a full range of DirectX customizations, use the GeForce FX control panel to force higher-quality settings. To enter the panel, right-click the desktop. Select Properties. Choose the Settings panel, then click Advanced. In the Advanced window, choose the GeForce FX 5900XT tab, and select Performance and Quality Settings.

18. While still in the menu selected in step 17, you can force anti-aliasing and filtering to be performed on any DirectX title. To do so, select Anti-aliasing settings. Uncheck Application-Controlled. Then move the slider to 4x or 8x.

19. Select Anisotropic filtering, uncheck Application-Controlled, and move the slider to 4x or 8x. Anisotropic filtering refers to extra levels of detail that can be seen if the rendering engine accounts for different viewing angles on a texture, rather than assuming 90-degree angles. Note that these settings should only be used for demo purposes. Restore both the anti-aliasing and anisotropic settings to Application-Controlled for delivery to the customer, as most applications and games will function best when they are allowed to control the settings, rather than being overridden by nView.

20. While still in the GeForce FX tab, click the Troubleshooting menu. Check the Display the NVIDIA Settings icon in the taskbar. This will give the user easier access to GeForce settings, so they can customize their desktop and gaming experience.

21. If you opt to supply any graphics-card tweaking tools with your system, and you plan to ship the system with the video chip in overclocked mode, be sure to keep an eye on the temperature in the Troubleshooting section of the GeForce FX tab. The temperature should be low during normal desktop operation, but can heat up dramatically under heavy load -- such as intense gaming -- and the situation is made worse by overclocking. Overclocking (speeding the computer beyond the manufacturer's specifications) is best left to the user's discretion.

While Windows can automatically recognize and install basic drivers for almost any video card, it's the extra attention to customization and detail that will set a custom gaming PC apart from a box of parts. Spend time preloading a few extras when installing the video card, and you'll have a gaming PC that both you and your customer can be proud of.

JASON COMPTON is a technology writer who has covered topics ranging from 8-bit entertainment to supercomputing for more than a decade.

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