Cyberdemon
Register | User Profile | Member List | F.A.Q | Privacy Policy | New Blog | Search Forums | Forums Home
Doomworld Forums : Powered by vBulletin version 2.2.5 Doomworld Forums > Misc. > Everything Else > New computer: suggestions?
Pages (3): [1] 2 3 »  
Author
All times are GMT. The time now is 15:46. Post New Thread    Post A Reply
Reaper978
We find his lack of rocket launcher faith disturbing


Posts: 255
Registered: 09-08
Well it's time to get a new desktop computer (I think) and I was wondering what you guys thought about this. I saw that Aliens: Colonial Marines came out today, it's been awhile since I've ever looked at computer hardware. Last I looked for hardware was an AMD Barton core 2800+ and a Geforce 4600. I would like it to be a desktop fit to play all the latest games and won't be in need of upgrading any time soon. Any good price/quality combinations out there?

Also... what do you think of this? I thought it was pretty cool, what do you think of those lowest price catching websites? Is a computer in the $400 dollar range worth getting? Are system requirements for the latest games landing me with a computer thats $1000 or can you get something a lot cheaper and still have a good experience with games?

What hardware is good for gaming?

Last edited by Reaper978 on 02-12-13 at 20:16
Old Post 02-12-13 19:18 #
Reaper978 is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
DoomUK
Forum Spammer


Posts: 3655
Registered: 04-04
Reaper978 said:
Is a computer in the $400 dollar range worth getting?

If you don't mind cutting corners and not being able to play every new game on crazy high settings, sure. Something equivalent to my ancient desktop would only you set you back around that amount, but I don't care about not being able to play Crysis 3 with all the eye candy cranked up (or not playing it all).
Old Post 02-12-13 19:41 #
DoomUK is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Reaper978
We find his lack of rocket launcher faith disturbing


Posts: 255
Registered: 09-08
What corners would I be cutting?
Old Post 02-12-13 19:48 #
Reaper978 is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Reaper978
We find his lack of rocket launcher faith disturbing


Posts: 255
Registered: 09-08
A game I've really wanted to play a lot is Crysis 2, any clues to get the most out of my Crysis 2 experience? Do you think a quad-core processor would be ideal?

Last edited by Reaper978 on 02-12-13 at 20:37
Old Post 02-12-13 19:52 #
Reaper978 is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Sergeant_Mark_IV
Member


Posts: 346
Registered: 12-09
Well, I recently purchased a new computer on 2012. Now I have an i3 2120, 8gb ddr3 (but I am on 32 bits and can only use 3gb. I really need to format and reinstall a 64 bit windows :P), and a GeForce 630.
Its very cheap (paid around US$350,00 on it), extremely quiet, and can run any new games at medium-high configs under a 800x600 resolution at 40fps or higher. Unreal 3 games such as Aliens CM and Bulletstorm can run at high settings at 60fps on 800x600.
Old Post 02-12-13 19:54 #
Sergeant_Mark_IV is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Doom Marine
Senior Member


Posts: 1548
Registered: 09-03
Reaper978 said:
Well it's time to get a new desktop computer (I think) and I was wondering what you guys thought about this. I saw that Aliens: Colonial Marines came out today, it's been awhile since I've ever looked at computer hardware. Last I looked for hardware was an AMD Barton core 2800+ and a Geforce 4600. I would like it to be a desktop fit to play all the latest games and won't be in need of upgrading any time soon. Any good price/quality combinations out there?

Also... what do you think of this? I thought it was pretty cool, what do you think of those lowest price catching websites? Is a computer in the $400 dollar range worth getting? Are system requirements for the latest games landing me with a computer thats $1000 or can you get something a lot cheaper and still have a good experience with games?

What hardware is good for gaming?
A computer in the $400 range is bare-minimum, and cuts quite a bit of corners to provide you with acceptable gaming experience. I think $1000 is reasonable. Some of us like myself can point you to parts for your gaming PC, but you'll need to set definitive budget.

1. What parts are you looking to buy? (e.g. PSU, Mobo, GPU, etc.)

2. What parts are you going to reuse? (e.g. keyboard, monitor, etc.)

3. Most importantly, how much are you willing to spend?

It's important because there is a difference between a $400 bare-min and a $2,000 monster.
Old Post 02-12-13 20:58 #
Doom Marine is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Reaper978
We find his lack of rocket launcher faith disturbing


Posts: 255
Registered: 09-08
Well I'm looking for an entire computer, with an LCD screen, new mouse, I don't need a new keyboard, new speakers, wouldn't want to spend more than $600 to $700 dollars probably. I wouldn't know what PSU or motherboard to get.
Old Post 02-12-13 21:08 #
Reaper978 is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
gggmork
If you can make any sense of this post, congratulations


Posts: 2376
Registered: 06-07
Almost all modern games play like movies, not games. Therefore simply watch someone else play them on youtube and don't buy the game or a new computer- you'd get the same movie-like experience if you played it yourself afterall.

If you still want to, get a used computer on craigslist, the least evil of the economic tyrannies. You can use ebay but there's an extremely good chance that John Donahoe will make you his personal bitch as soon as click on any disgusting thing on that glitch ridden intentionally broken pro-communist china anti free market ban-fest.
Old Post 02-12-13 21:16 #
gggmork is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Netherstorm
Junior Member


Posts: 148
Registered: 04-12
This might be fitting, seeming it's pretty top notch with graphics and functioning wise: http://web.medion.com/asda/e4057/
Old Post 02-12-13 21:21 #
Netherstorm is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Doom Marine
Senior Member


Posts: 1548
Registered: 09-03
Reaper978 said:
Well I'm looking for an entire computer, with an LCD screen, new mouse, I don't need a new keyboard, new speakers, wouldn't want to spend more than $600 to $700 dollars probably. I wouldn't know what PSU or motherboard to get.
Are you willing to build the computer yourself, or will you buy pre-mades? Are you in the US or UK?
Old Post 02-12-13 22:36 #
Doom Marine is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
CorSair
Member


Posts: 265
Registered: 11-12
If you have will and mind, you could build your PC. You could get rather well optimized computer on very low price, if you know what to choose.
Old Post 02-12-13 23:04 #
CorSair is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Reaper978
We find his lack of rocket launcher faith disturbing


Posts: 255
Registered: 09-08
Doom Marine said:
Are you willing to build the computer yourself, or will you buy pre-mades? Are you in the US or UK?
I'm in the US. I could build the computer myself, is that a good way to do it?
Old Post 02-13-13 01:20 #
Reaper978 is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Doom Marine
Senior Member


Posts: 1548
Registered: 09-03
Reaper978 said:
I'm in the US. I could build the computer myself, is that a good way to do it?
There's no question about building a PC yourself (if you feel competent enough to do so).

In most cases, if you pay $700 for a pre-made PC, you're getting roughly $400-$500 worth of components, and the rest goes towards labor. Better build it yourself and get $700 of hardware.

Related: Here's my hardware porn:
http://www.doomworld.com/vb/blogs/6...012-pc-upgrade/
Old Post 02-13-13 02:09 #
Doom Marine is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Mr. T
Senior Member


Posts: 1445
Registered: 12-03
Reaper978 said:
A game I've really wanted to play a lot is Crysis 2, any clues to get the most out of my Crysis 2 experience? Do you think a quad-core processor would be ideal?


You'll need anything >Core2Quad (INTEL!) to not be CPU bound in Crysis 2.

I get a nice frame rate (>30FPS) @ 1920x1200 / medium settings with HD5770. The modern equivalent of that will be nice and cheap (it was $150 around two years ago).

Build it yourself and avoid the M$ tax.
Old Post 02-13-13 07:13 #
Mr. T is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Shaviro
Team Future Chief


Posts: 10750
Registered: 06-00
To the best of my recollection, I ran Crysis2 somewhat maxed on this old hunk of junk and got smooth framerates. It's an old Core2Duo 2.667, 4GB of whateverwashotin2006-7 memory, HD5870.
Old Post 02-13-13 08:13 #
Shaviro is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
bcwood16
Member


Posts: 252
Registered: 08-11
Well im sure you will get some good advice here.

Though to be honest I find alot of the latest games pants and I nearly always play old games that dont need hardly any of the power from my setup. (Which is 2 years old now...maybe more)

Many of the games are bad ports and no matter how powerful your computer is, it runs badly, not that I have had many issues, but many people do!

My PC, currently i7 950, 6GB RAM, Geforce 470, Windows 7 64bit, runs nearly everything on Max. Actually only recent game is struggles with was Metro 2033, but that looked really bad anyway and was a very poor example of a game! (My opinion). I have maxed Crysis out and also increased draw distance, so no pop ins and much more vegetation in the distance.

As I do lots of rendering and 3D stuff I find the extra power I dont need for games really handy. However, that depends on what you want to do. Games will always want to eat everything up, but you can likely get away with alot less then an i7 CPU.

I guess my advice would be not to worry too much about CPU power, but get something with Quad core. Get at least 6GB Ram, 8GB is ideal. However, most importantly get the best GPU you can afford, but also try to get one with the most VRAM you can afford. Finally, get Windows 7 64 bit. You need 64bit for memory addressing and everything I have runs on it, even the really really old stuff. Sometimes you have to do specific things to make something work, but its pretty easy to do. Oh and if you buy a new screen, research alot into one and then do some more. At the end of the day you will be looking at the screen alot! I nice 24" is the min size I would go for and as for make I love Samsung!

Anyway, thats my offerings :)
Old Post 02-13-13 13:06 #
bcwood16 is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
printz
CRAZY DUMB ZEALOT


Posts: 8140
Registered: 06-06
Doom Marine said:
There's no question about building a PC yourself (if you feel competent enough to do so).
What about warranties? If it doesn't work, you'd have to test each component to find the faulty one, no? Yikes. Well, my current desktop is bought from separate components, but I was lucky not to have any defects. I paid $672 in value for it in late 2009, without buying the keyboard, mouse, display and headphones. The equivalent price may be even less in the US. It can play Starcraft 2, Wolfenstein and maybe others without any lag. It's a Core 2 Quad. Its bottleneck in speed at this moment is the hard disk, it takes too long to load up Windows 8 if I disable the hybrid hybernation-shutdown mode.

__________________
Available for download: Automatic Wolfenstein - Wolfenstein 3D bot
MBF configuration for WHackEd2
Old Post 02-13-13 14:06 #
printz is online now Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Maes
I like big butts!


Posts: 10172
Registered: 07-06
The golden rule is to buy mid-end components for each generation where you find yourself building a new PC from scratch (and not just putting an older one on life support).

If you are like Doom Marine and buy only creme de la creme de la creme components, you probably are going to go VERY out of budget (unless you suck a lot of cock to compensate, that is), and the components themselves are probably gonna depreciate very rapidly within months, making you feel like a slutty cocksucker.

Buying bottom-feeder/entry level stuff often means risking being stuck with soon-to-be obsolete tech, or very limited expandability. You might even be getting a CPU socket and RAM slots that are in the mid of being phased out.

Buying mid-end stuff usually means that you are getting what was once TOTL (usually a few months ago) and you get the best compromise between "running everything out there NOW", value for money, and not having to re-upgrade everything for a reasonable period of time.

Of course, what's low/mid/hi-end for a given period in time is a constantly moving target. Some magazines have separated recommended builds for these three categories (budget, balanced, TOTL), I find those to be the most helpful.
Old Post 02-13-13 15:37 #
Maes is online now Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Mr. T
Senior Member


Posts: 1445
Registered: 12-03
printz said:
What about warranties? If it doesn't work, you'd have to test each component to find the faulty one, no? Yikes. Well, my current desktop is bought from separate components, but I was lucky not to have any defects.


This is bad logic. You are more likely to get something shitty with the no-name junk that OEMs put in their computers to increase their profits.

I've sometimes gotten components DOA, but have always gotten a replacement sent out straight away for free.

/E and that is very good advice, Maes.
Old Post 02-13-13 16:58 #
Mr. T is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Reaper978
We find his lack of rocket launcher faith disturbing


Posts: 255
Registered: 09-08
Netherstorm said:
This might be fitting, seeming it's pretty top notch with graphics and functioning wise: http://web.medion.com/asda/e4057/
What do you guys think of this? Seems almost too good to be true. What do you think of the integrated graphics... but 8 gigs of ram?

Seems to be a UK only item. Do you know of any place that has this that would ship to the US?

Scratch that, the price is in pounds (the looping "E" shape of the pound symbol caught me off guard, and mixed it up with Euro)

Last edited by Reaper978 on 02-13-13 at 19:27
Old Post 02-13-13 18:51 #
Reaper978 is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Doom Marine
Senior Member


Posts: 1548
Registered: 09-03
Reaper978 said:
What do you guys think of this? Seems almost too good to be true. I think it's priced in euros? What do you think of the integrated graphics... but 8 gigs of ram?

Seems to be a UK only item. Do you know of any place that has this that would ship to the US?
As things are right now, just say NO to integrated graphics, they are bare-minimum and depending on your game, the framerate will chug. Integrated graphics are just full of nopes.

As you're in the US, there's no reason to purchase anything from the UK, as PC hardware are almost universally cheaper in the US than Europe.
Old Post 02-13-13 19:27 #
Doom Marine is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Doom Marine
Senior Member


Posts: 1548
Registered: 09-03
Mr. T said:


This is bad logic. You are more likely to get something shitty with the no-name junk that OEMs put in their computers to increase their profits.

I've sometimes gotten components DOA, but have always gotten a replacement sent out straight away for free.
QFT.

And yes, if a component is DOA, a replacement is free.
Old Post 02-13-13 19:30 #
Doom Marine is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Jodwin
Forum Spammer


Posts: 3025
Registered: 02-05
You can get a good computer for recent games for a reasonable price nowadays, mostly thanks to the old, old consoles which have been keeping system requirements reasonably low. However if you want top of the line for latest PC games you'll have to pay quite a bit more. It's quite telling that you'll have to pay over $400 for a higher end graphics card (670 or better); but with one of those you'd be more than set for any games currently out on the market on maxed settings.
Old Post 02-13-13 20:02 #
Jodwin is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Reaper978
We find his lack of rocket launcher faith disturbing


Posts: 255
Registered: 09-08
Could someone give me a rundown of the naming on the technology that is out now? Like how there are APUs and CPUs, and what cpus\apus are good for gaming? How exactly do I interpret the speed of something named 5400k. I really don't know where to begin when choosing between an i7 or a quad core, and things like that. There are a ton to choose from, I was wondering if there were any to steer clear of with gaming. I was thinking about getting this Geforce GTX 660 and designing the computer around that level of computing performance (The 660 level). And are there any brands to definitely avoid when buying parts for a computer? Are there "typical" brands you would look for when getting something to ensure good quality?

With something like this: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400S 2.667GHz 1333MHz 6MB L2 when it shows the clock speed, is that the clock speed of each individual core? Or is it the clock speed of each core added up to total 2.667ghz?

Last edited by Reaper978 on 02-13-13 at 21:43
Old Post 02-13-13 21:33 #
Reaper978 is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Jodwin
Forum Spammer


Posts: 3025
Registered: 02-05
Regarding CPUs, the only real choices you should consider are the latest i3/i5/i7 models that are currently available. Emphasis being on the word "latest", since you really don't want to accidentally get an old model with an aging architecture when the newer, only slightly more expensive one would have been significantly better. For most people i7 is overpriced and -powered, with some tech writers claiming that you need to be doing video editing to really benefit from it over an i5. I can't speak for i3s myself, they are the value models but they shouldn't be that bad, I think.

Also, you want to be careful when picking your motherboards. For example, there are LGA1155 socket motherboards that only support the older sandy bridge -processors, while there are others that also support new ivy bridge i3/i5/i7s.
Old Post 02-13-13 22:46 #
Jodwin is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Maes
I like big butts!


Posts: 10172
Registered: 07-06
Reaper978 said:
APUs


What's that?

NM, new name for old stuff.
Old Post 02-14-13 00:51 #
Maes is online now Profile || Blog || PM || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Doom Marine
Senior Member


Posts: 1548
Registered: 09-03
Reaper978 said:
Could someone give me a rundown of the naming on the technology that is out now? Like how there are APUs and CPUs, and what cpus\apus are good for gaming? How exactly do I interpret the speed of something named 5400k. I really don't know where to begin when choosing between an i7 or a quad core, and things like that. There are a ton to choose from, I was wondering if there were any to steer clear of with gaming. I was thinking about getting this Geforce GTX 660 and designing the computer around that level of computing performance (The 660 level). And are there any brands to definitely avoid when buying parts for a computer? Are there "typical" brands you would look for when getting something to ensure good quality?
A GTX 660 is a good choice.

Generally speaking, here are the trends in Intel's current generation of Ivy Bridge CPU:

i7 - 8MB cache, quad core, hyperthreaded
i5 - 6MB cache, quad core, non-hyperthreaded
i3 - 3MB cache, dual core, hyperthreaded

The four digits (3###) is a comparative ranking of the processor in relation to one another. Example (i5 3470 > i5 3450) Just like graphics card nomenclature, these numbers do not share a linear relationship to the processor's performance.

The suffix "k" denotes an unlocked multiplier. Important only if you're overclocking.

An i5 3470 is a good choice for you:
http://www.google.com/search?q=3470...iw=1920&bih=955

Reaper978 said:
With something like this: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400S 2.667GHz 1333MHz 6MB L2 when it shows the clock speed, is that the clock speed of each individual core? Or is it the clock speed of each core added up to total 2.667ghz?
Clock speed of individual cores, each core will run at 2.667 GHz maximum.
Old Post 02-14-13 05:49 #
Doom Marine is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Doom Marine
Senior Member


Posts: 1548
Registered: 09-03
Given that the XBox 720 and PS4 are on the horizon. The baseline for hardware requirement to play modern stuff will step up in the near future. Console ports will be more demanding in a year.

With that said, I think $700 is too low a budget considering you're getting a GTX 660. All your other hardware will be min. specs to hit the budget target of $700. I think you should save up for $1000.
Old Post 02-14-13 05:55 #
Doom Marine is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
Doom Marine
Senior Member


Posts: 1548
Registered: 09-03
Reaper978 said:
And are there any brands to definitely avoid when buying parts for a computer? Are there "typical" brands you would look for when getting something to ensure good quality?
I overlooked this question earlier, heh.

As a member of another hardware enthusiast and overclocking community, the most reviled brand is without question: OCZ. Do research, do avoid.

The good brand list that I personally endorse:

CPU: At this point, Intel dominates, there is no counter to this.
MOBO: Asus, excellent build quality
RAM: G-Skill, Corsair
SSD: Crucial, Samsung, Intel
Fans/Heatsink: Noctua, Corsair
PSU: Corsair, Antec, Seasonic (Seasonic actually produces PSU for the others)
Old Post 02-14-13 09:28 #
Doom Marine is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Homepage || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
DoomUK
Forum Spammer


Posts: 3655
Registered: 04-04
Doom Marine said:
the most reviled brand is without question: OCZ.

Don't want to throw a spanner in the works, but my OCZ PSU has provided me with 8 years of unwavering service. Even the colourful LED shines brilliantly to this day.

Point being, back in those days OCZ were a respectable manufacturer. What happened to them?
Old Post 02-14-13 09:46 #
DoomUK is offline Profile || Blog || PM || Email || Search || Add Buddy IP || Edit/Delete || Quote
All times are GMT. The time now is 15:46. Post New Thread    Post A Reply
Pages (3): [1] 2 3 »  
Doomworld Forums : Powered by vBulletin version 2.2.5 Doomworld Forums > Misc. > Everything Else > New computer: suggestions?

Show Printable Version | Email this Page | Subscribe to this Thread

 

Forum Rules:
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts 		HTML code is OFF
vB code is ON
Smilies are OFF
[IMG] code is ON
 

< Contact Us - Doomworld >

Powered by: vBulletin Version 2.2.5
Copyright ©2000, 2001, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.

Message Board Statistics