Building the Ultimate Game... | Buy

The graphics, sound and networking needs of computer games are different than those of standard business applications. In fact, there are games that are among the most demanding applications you can run on a personal computer. Building the Ultimate Game Machine pulls together information not found in another single source and shows you how to optimize the performance of your PC. This includes topics such as 3D graphics acceleration, Microsoft's DirectX, Internet gaming and more.

Loyd Case has been immersed in the computer industry for fifteen years--the last four years as a full-time freelance writer on technology topics. He pioneered the field of hardware performance testing targeted towards the gaming community eight years ago, and is recognized as one of the most prolific writers on consumer level 3D graphics technology, processors, and audio for games. Loyd is Contributing Editor for technology to Computer Gaming World magazine, and Gamespot, one of the leading Web-based gaming publications.

Introduction	p. 1
What's In This Book?	p. 1
Who Should Buy This Book?	p. 1
Special Elements	p. 2
Tips, Notes, and Cautions	p. 2
The Entertainment PC
Introduction: Why Games?	p. 7
Who Do You Want to Frag Today?	p. 7
Why Games?	p. 8
It's About Performance	p. 9
The Edge of the Envelope	p. 10
Technology Advances	p. 10
Multiplayer and the Wave of the Future	p. 15
A Recent History of PC Games and Hardware	p. 16
Technology Issues
Engines of Entertainment: The Processor	p. 23
The Importance of the CPU	p. 23
Mathematical Functions of the CPU	p. 24
Connecting to the System: How CPUs Communicate	p. 26
The Intel Processor Line	p. 29
The AMD Processor Line	p. 36
Game Performance Considerations	p. 39
Motherboards and Memory	p. 41
The Soul of Your PC	p. 41
Motherboard Components	p. 42
The Motherboard	p. 43
Expansion Slots	p. 48
Other Connections	p. 51
What to Look for in a Motherboard	p. 52
Thanks for the Memories	p. 53
Graphics	p. 57
Religion and Graphics Cards	p. 57
Monitor Basics	p. 57
2D Games	p. 62
3D Games	p. 63
3D Graphics Explained	p. 64
Understanding 3D Graphics Hardware	p. 69
Rendering	p. 71
Fill Rate Versus Polygon Count	p. 73
Underneath the Hood of a 3D Card	p. 73
3D Hardware Features Versus Reality	p. 74
3D Chipsets	p. 75
Performance Issues	p. 79
Choosing the Right 3D Card	p. 80
Displays	p. 83
Display Technologies	p. 83
Choosing a Monitor: The Specs Game	p. 85
Flat Panel Displays	p. 90
Using a TV as a Monitor	p. 92
The Sound and the Fury	p. 93
The Evolution of PC Sound	p. 93
Human Hearing	p. 94
Digital Audio	p. 95
MIDI	p. 95
Digital Audio Hardware	p. 96
3D Positional Audio: The Basics	p. 98
3D Audio Technologies	p. 99
Choosing a Sound Card	p. 101
Don't Forget the Speakers	p. 103
Space to Play	p. 105
Making Space for Your Toys	p. 105
The Magnetic Domain	p. 106
Hard Disc Structure	p. 107
Hard Disk Logical Structure	p. 107
The PC and the Hard Drive	p. 108
IDE	p. 111
The Many Flavors of SCSI	p. 113
IDE or SCSI?	p. 115
Other Hard Drive Interfaces	p. 116
Other Drive Types	p. 117
Maximizing Hard Drive Performance	p. 118
Buying a Hard Drive	p. 119
CD and DVD	p. 121
Evolution of the CD	p. 121
It's the Pits	p. 122
X Marks the Spot	p. 122
CD-ROM Particulars	p. 123
MultiBeam Technology	p. 124
Recordable CDs	p. 126
DVD	p. 127
Recordable DVD	p. 128
Buying a CD or DVD Drive	p. 128
Control Your World	p. 131
You're in Control	p. 131
The Keyboard as Game Controller	p. 132
Mousing Around	p. 133
The Game Port	p. 138
Universal Serial Bus	p. 140
Force Feedback	p. 142
Controller Types	p. 144
Software
Gaming Under Windows	p. 151
A Brief Overview of Windows	p. 151
Windows 95	p. 152
Maximizing Windows Performance for Games	p. 158
DirectX	p. 161
In the Beginning...	p. 161
A Brief History	p. 162
Why Annual Releases?	p. 165
DirectDraw	p. 165
DirectInput	p. 166
DirectSound and Audio	p. 169
The Birth of DirectSound	p. 169
Static Versus Streaming	p. 170
DirectSound3D	p. 172
DirectMusic	p. 174
Making Audio Work	p. 174
Direct3D	p. 177
Direct3D--A Love-Hate Relationship	p. 177
Direct3D Features Explained	p. 178
Transform and Lighting Acceleration	p. 184
OpenGL	p. 185
Making Graphics Work	p. 187
Windows 2000 and DirectX	p. 193
Striking Pure 32	p. 193
Hardware Support for DirectX	p. 194
Windows 2000	p. 195
Multiplayer Gaming
Area Networks	p. 201
Social Gaming	p. 201
Traditional Ethernet	p. 202
Phone Line Networks	p. 205
Other Home Networking Alternatives	p. 207
No More Solitary Confinement	p. 208
Internet Gaming	p. 209
Taking On the World	p. 209
Lag Is a Drag	p. 210
ISDN	p. 213
DSL	p. 214
Cable Modems	p. 216
Gaming Services	p. 217
Small World	p. 220
Building Your Own
Tools of the Trade	p. 223
Loyd's Nifty Perfect Toolkit	p. 223
Where to Start	p. 225
Case and Power Supply	p. 227
Give Me More Power...	p. 227
Cooling, Cooling, Cooling	p. 228
Space to live and Work	p. 230
Choosing the Right Chassis	p. 230
Installing Components	p. 233
Keep a Stiff Upper Lip	p. 233
Setting Up the Case	p. 233
Motherboards, CPU, and Memory	p. 236
Installing Expansion Cards	p. 242
The Home Stretch	p. 244
Installing and Setting Up IDE and SCSI Devices	p. 247
(Daisy) Chain of Events	p. 247
Setting Up IDE Drives	p. 248
Setting Up SCSI Drives	p. 252
We're Done!	p. 257
Tweaking Your Gaming Rig
Installing the Operating System for the First Time	p. 261
Bootstrap Your World	p. 261
Windows 98 Bootable CD	p. 262
Copying Windows 98 to the Hard Drive	p. 265
Creating a Startup Floppy	p. 266
How Many Partitions Should I Have?	p. 267
Getting Your Network Running	p. 269
The Networking Exerience	p. 269
Hardware Setup	p. 270
Protocols	p. 270
Troubleshooting Your Network	p. 274
Tweaking Windows and DirectX Installations	p. 277
Recipe for Disaster	p. 277
Removing and Reinstalling DirectX	p. 277
Certified Drivers	p. 280
The Clean Reinstall	p. 281
Taking Control: Making Your Joystick or Controller Work	p. 285
Taming Your Joystick	p. 285
Sound Card Game Ports	p. 286
USB Issues	p. 286
The Joystick Control Panel	p. 287
Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro	p. 290
All About Drivers	p. 293
Who's Driving Whom?	p. 293
How to Install a New Driver	p. 294
Installing a Sound Card Driver	p. 299
Graphics Configuration Tips	p. 300
Audio Configuration Tips	p. 301
Index	p. 302
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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