I'm a budding Computer Science Major who, like most of us here, has an interest in Game Design. I'm a firm believer that the best way to do a task is to understand all aspects of said task, though, so I'm interested in learning not only good game design, but also the basics behind the psychology of gamers, programming languages, 3d art techniques, and all of the other tools used in Game Design. Of course, I don't plan to be an expert in all of the multitudes of fields involved in making a game, but I'd like to have at least some grasp of each, so I know what's realistically possible, and what's not. I'm currently attending a university which offers plenty of classes in the fields of psychology, C, C++, Java, and art programs like Maya... but if any classes are available to teach me more about motherboards, RAM, building computers, etc. then I can't take them for at least 2 years. My current plan is to set aside about two-thousand dollars and build myself a computer that will help me in the upcoming years as a Comp Sci Major. The computer I currently work on is fine for running IDEs and some of the simple games and programs that I've written, but in the near future, I plan to delve a little deeper into Graphic Design, which I understand requires more than a 64 MB on-board video card, and any FPSes I design would likely enjoy having more than 128 MB of RAM. My hope is that, during my first computer building experience, I'll be able to find plenty of reliable literature to help me in not only building a new computer that will aid me in my studies for the next couple of years, but also help me to understand most of what goes on inside this box that I tell to "cout<<" all the time! The problem with this, though, is that the Internet is cluttered with sites that provide "information" bought by various hardware manufacturers, or is written by experts for experts who already know what an "MS149 Intel-supported 43-prong Super Athlon Radeon MCI Telephone AC/VI IN AC/VR OUT 128-bit sound-supported LR adapter" is, or is just plain difficult to find! I thought that www.tomshardware.com would provide some useful information but, if it's there, then I couldn't find a bit of it. All I could see were reviews of various hardware, but didn't tell me what any of the reviews were rating. So, I'm asking here, where a healthy community of thriving computer enthusiasts are eager to share their knowledge ;) Where can I find some relatively-easy-to-understand information about computers and their hardware?

Some things I've found:
How To Choose a Motherboard And Not Be Sorry Afterwards
This seems like a pretty in-depth article that goes into the various little components of a motherboard, what to look for, and what to avoid, especially when worried more about stability than performance. It references a site, though, iXBT which seems to be a site that specializes in evaluating the various hardware components that come out constantly. Does anyone know whether there is an equivalent to iXBT or their corresponding magazine that is printed in English?

I'm in the same prediciment as you, I would like to learn about both engineering and software from a university. Guess it's just a choice you have to make.

Best thing I can do is just read books/articles on engineering* in my free time.



*I'm not trying to say that I don't read about programming, and that in school you will recieve all the knowledge you need about CS.

Quote:Original post by kevtimc
Best thing I can do is just read books/articles on engineering* in my free time.

*I'm not trying to say that I don't read about programming, and that in school you will recieve all the knowledge you need about CS.

Have you found any books worth reading on the subjects?

Quote:Original post by twystidmynd
My current plan is to set aside about two-thousand dollars and build myself a computer that will help me in the upcoming years as a Comp Sci Major.

Entirely too much money. Spend half of that, at most, and use the rest for software, pizza, beer, movies, girls, games... whatever.

Quote:So, I'm asking here, where a healthy community of thriving computer enthusiasts are eager to share their knowledge ;) Where can I find some relatively-easy-to-understand information about computers and their hardware?

HowStuffWorks.com "Computer Channel"

Quote:Original post by Oluseyi
Entirely too much money. Spend half of that, at most, and use the rest for software, pizza, beer, movies, girls, games... whatever.

Well... the 2k is just an upper bound ;)

Quote:
HowStuffWorks.com "Computer Channel"

Thank you! That's perfect =)

Quote:Original post by Oluseyi
Entirely too much money. Spend half of that, at most, and use the rest for software, pizza, beer, movies, girls, games... whatever.

Let me tell you that this man speaks the utter truth! I spend $3800CDN on my Alienware notebook, $4800CDN on my Dell XPS notebook, and $3000 on my FX55 desktop system.

They were all a waste other than the FX system because I gave it to my wife (a graphic designer) and it will last her at least 4-5 years if not more. The laptops I sold the one and I'm in the process of selling the other.

I could put a nice system together right this minute (I was looking at it last night as I need to replace my notebook I'm selling) and for about $800CDN I can get a dual core system, 2GB ram, a 7800GT, 300gb drive, etc.

Although I am the guy also anticipating the Intel Kentsfield and nVidia G80.. so you can see this as an addiction. Listen to Oluseyi! Otherwise you could form the addiction and it is bad on the wallet and very very hard to break.

Well, ideally, I would be able to build myself a relatively nice 700-1000 dollar machine. I try to plan for the unexpected, though, and I'm thinking that, since it'll be the first computer I've ever built, I might screw something up. If I'm lucky, it'd be something inexpensive and I'll be out 50-100 bucks as I replace it. If I'm unlucky, I'll crack the motherboard, or leave a screw in and short circuit everything in the world. In that case, I'll need another 700-1000 bucks to replace it ;)

That's where my numbers are coming from. With any luck, I won't be spending more than 1000 =)