Building a PC to replace my XBOX

[2canSAM]

Looking to build a PC to replace my XBOX 1 console. I have a SDTV that I will be playing on and am not looking to play all the latest and greatest game there are. I do want to be able to play most games using no CD patches as that is how I play on the xbox right now. My xbox is modded so I can copy my games to the HDD and play from there. I also want the same level of graphics as the xbox. Will not be gaming online with this setup. The PC I have is spec'd below. Please let me know how this would work or any issues you can see. Lastly I have XP Pro or Vista Ultimate that can go on this box. Which one would you recommend?

Intel P4 3GHZ HT
2GB PC6700 DUAL Channel RAM
ASUS P5LD2 Deluxe
400GB Seagate SATA
160GB Seagate SATA
Nvidia Geforce 7600GS

I will be using the 8 channel audio on the motherboard and will make my tv connection via S-Video (TV's component IN is shot)

 

[Canai]

Installing Vista on that box would be foolish, so stick with the XP. You may want to look into a dual core chip or a better video card. Also, you're probably going to run into trouble using only the SDTV for it, at least I've always had trouble getting them to work without a monitor (it's impossible to read text on TVs...)

 

[DaveSimmons]

> Nvidia Geforce 7600GS

that's probably OK if you're sure you're not going to buy a HDTV any time soon. Ohterwise you might want the $179 ATI 3850 or the $200 256MB version of the 8800GT once it's out.

ATI 3850 is fast!

 

[DSF]

I have that video card, and it works fine for my purposes. I ran the Crysis demo smoothly on low settings at 800x600. When I move my current PC into to the living room and connect it to my TV, I don't plan to upgrade from the 7600GS.

That said, you might find a pretty good deal on an even better AGP card in the FS/T threads here.

 

[CKent]

XP, and I'd drop a few more bucks on a better video card.

 

[dclive]

Max res on SDTV is usually set to 800x600 or lower, so it's not as if the video card will be a big issue for most games...