Computer Purchasing Question.

[reignofdeath]

Okay, due to a new job with much higher pay than my last one I can now afford a computer within a few weeks. I would really like to get one of my own instead of the person who I live with for my own games, music etc. etc. So I was walking around wal-mart and for ----s and giggles decided to check out the computers. I decided I didn't want a dell right off the bat because all of them have intel integrated graphics chips and etc. So then I came upon this acer, and here are the specs which I have to say is pretty impressive for something from wal-mart

AMD Athlon II X2 255 Dual-Core Processor (2M Cache, 3.1 GHz, 4000 MHz System Bus)

4GB DDR3 Memory

1 TB SATA Hard Drive

DVD+/- RW Super Multi Format Dual Layer

Ports/ Connectors (9 USB, HDMI, and VGA)

Gigabit Ethernet LAN

High Definition Audio

Nvidia Geforce 9200 Graphics Card

and a Multi-in-1 card reader.

Now to me this sounds like one good computer for the games I'd like to run (SH4, 5, BF2, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, etc etc.) But I'm not sure which is why I have come to ask your opinion. If Acers happen to be just bad computers or whatever else I should be looking out for.

The Model Number is AX3400G-U4802 I believe.

Thanks Guys!!

Casey

[the_tyrant]

the graphic card is quite bad
can you tell me how much your willing to spend? I might be able to find you a better deal

[reignofdeath]

the graphic card is quite bad
can you tell me how much your willing to spend? I might be able to find you a better deal

well It said its 390 so lets jsut say 400 for now, I also saw that I could upgrade the graphics card and or ram instead osomething else which i may go as a toute instead??

[Sailor Steve]

My suggestion would be to get as much advice as possible from here, then go to Walmart.com, specifically this page http://www.walmart.com/ip/Build-Your-Own-Gaming-PC/15374646

You can have them build exactly the one you want, then they'll ship it to your home, or, if you want to save shipping and live near a Wal*Mart, they'll ship it to the nearest store for free.

[Arclight]

Try to find something where you can select every component yourself. Pre-assembled systems (almost) always have hidden flaws, most commonly a power supply that couldn't be trusted to power a flashlight.

(seriously, #1 money-saver for them. The last thing you want to skimp on, the first one they do skimp on)

[reignofdeath]

My suggestion would be to get as much advice as possible from here, then go to Walmart.com, specifically this page http://www.walmart.com/ip/Build-Your-Own-Gaming-PC/15374646

You can have them build exactly the one you want, then they'll ship it to your home, or, if you want to save shipping and live near a Wal*Mart, they'll ship it to the nearest store for free.

wow no way?? I had no clue that this was available, Im going to see how much it will cost me!!

And Thank you arclight, that is good to know. So what happens if say you get a cheap power supply in a computer?? It ends up crapping out quicker than most or what?

But as far as price range, 400-600 would be fine for me thats without a monitor too just the hardware

EDIT: Well it looks like the Walmart build your own is out for me. I like the option and all, but it just costs too much. 800 Dollars with adding 8 gb of ram, and everything else normal, I hadn't gotten into the graphics card yet, and I cant choose EVERY component so my idea is to A get the computer I listed and just upgrade the ram and graphics card (i read someone did that to that computer when they bought it off of reviews) which would be way cheaper, I could probably deal with the crappy power supply for now. Or wait until I get some real money saved up and get a computer where I can choose every single piece that goes inside of the tower.

On that note, what are good processor mother boards? Graphics cards, Disc Drive speeds, and etc to get for gaming computers?? I mean what would be the baseline you reccomend, and what makes the most difference. I know RAM is a big one so I'm planning on getting at least 8 gigs if I can. And what kind of power supply should I be looking for to use for a gaming computer as well?

EDIT # 2: I found on that page a list of gaming computers they build and found one for 399 without monitor that comes with the following

[reignofdeath]

Okay, I noticed they had bundled packages already made for ALOT cheaper than what it would have cost to build on the site, seriously half the price.

I found this one for 399 without monitor
iBUYPOWER Gamer Power Desktop PC, WA500D3:

Key Features and Benefits:

AMD Athlon II X2 250 processor
3.00GHz, 2MB L2 Cache

4GB DDR3 system memory
Gives you the power to handle the most power-hungry applications and tons of multimedia work

500GB SATA II hard drive
Store 333,000 photos, 142,000 songs or 268 hours of HD video and more

24x multi-format dual-layer DVD burner
Watch DVD movies on your computer; read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats

10/100/1000 Ethernet
Connect to a broadband modem or a wired broadband router with wired Ethernet

ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics
With 512MB dedicated graphics memory
iBUYPOWER Gamer Power Desktop PC, WA500D3 Additional Features:
6 x USB 2.0 ports, 2 x PS/2 ports, 5 x audio jacks, 1 x D-Sub, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port, 1 x COM port, 1 x LPT port
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, 1 x PCI Express x1 slot, 2 x PCI slots; 4 x external 5.25" drive bays, 6 x internal 3.5" drive bays
8-channel high-quality audio
Gamma Gaming Tower chassis
Software:
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition (To learn more about the features of Windows 7, click here)
Support and Warranty:
1-year parts and labor warranty with lifetime technical support
Restore discs are no longer included with PCs. We recommend you use the installed software to create your own restore and backup DVD the first week you use the computer.

Out of the reviews I read, they said that to play todays games on high settings, an upgrade of the Graphics Card is needed, one guy said he picked up 4670 for 70 bucks (He said his windows 7 graphics score went from 3.5 to 6.7

And that same guy also said the PSU was 480 Watts, I dont know if this is good or not for a computer.

The ram is also expandable to 8gb memory too which I think I would like to get, I have 4 in this system now and it runs pretty well but Im sure 8 would turn it into a beast.
---------------

I also found this one for 468 without a monitor

iBUYPOWER Gamer LAN Warrior WA524D3 Desktop PC:
AMD Athlon II x3 440 (3.0GHz)

4GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory (expandable to 8GB)

Gives you the power to handle most power-hungry applications and tons of multimedia work
1TB SATA hard drive

Store 666,000 photos, 285,000 songs or 526 hours of HD video and more
24x DL DVD /-RW Drive

Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats
10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN

Connect to a broadband modem with wired broadband router with wired Ethernet
ATI Radeon HD 5450 Graphics

With 1GB of memory

Additional Features:
6 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x D-Sub port, 1 x COM port, 5 x audio jacks, 1 x PS/2 keyboard, 1 x PS/2 mouse, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port, 1 x eSATA port, 1 x LPT port
1 x PCI Express (x16) slot, 1 x PCI Express (x1) slot, 2 x PCI slots, 2 x external 5.25" bays, 2 x external 3.5" bays, 2 x internal 3.5" bays
Software:
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition (To learn more about the features of Windows 7, click here)
Backup and Restore options built into Windows allows you to create safety copies of your most important personal files, so you're always prepared for the worst
Support and Warranty:
1-year parts and labor warranty with lifetime technical support
Restore discs are no longer included with PCs. We recommend you use the installed software to create your own restore and backup DVD the first week you use the computer.

Not sure on what the PSU wattage is but the one review I read said that out of the box he plays and runs Black Ops on max settings without any FPS drops without problems (He turns shadows off though)

Another guy bought it and plays a game called iRacing.com and says he plays it on all medium settings with 60fps constant and 140fps on all low settings no problem.
Can I get some more opinions guys?? Im actually really excited about this lol

[CCIP]

Your biggest problem here, aside from potentially iffy PSU wattage (which might make upgrading difficult), is the video card. Be warned that it's extremely weak and almost non-gaming-worthy. So yes, that will be bottleneck #1 - if you can get a stronger video card with it, things will be looking up. It's still not really a powerhouse and, personally, I would suggest budgeting more like $800-900 for this kind of purchase if you want to do games. It'll last you much longer as a result. So I'm not sure whether $468 + the cost of another used video card will be really worth the effort here when for even a couple of hundred bucks more you could have a much more solid system built...

[FIREWALL]

I noticed No Warrenty info. Have you looked at TigerDirect and NewEgg ?

They are haveing sales and a good selection of starter rigs.

[Arclight]

Wattage isn't even that important for a PSU. You need enough of it, obviously (~500W is good for mainstream setup), but a 'bad' one won't deliver it where it is needed. It's more likely to damage the rest of the system when it goes as well (and might go sooner), since protection circuitry is the first thing they save cost on.

You'll want to know how many Amps it delivers on 12V rail(s), and preferably the brand+model number. PSUs get reviewed all the time: if you know what's in there, you can figure out if it's any good.


When it comes to pre-build systems that aren't specifically targeted at gaming, there are 2 things pretty much gauranteed: The PSU is crap, even by non-gaming standards, and the graphics card is a joke.


4GB RAM is plenty. There's a difference between 32-bit and 64-bit systems in that 64-bit can use more memory for applications (32-bit is limited to 2GB). However, the application (a game, for example) needs to be 64-bit as well. The number of games that have a 64-bit executable is extremely low, only ones I can think of off the top of my head are DCS A-10C and Crysis. So; the vast majority of games can never use more then 2GB. Anyone telling you you need more than 4GB total for gaming doesn't know what they are on about.


Asus and Gigabyte make excellent boards. Think MSI generally does very well for overclocking. Asrock is decent, but it is/was a budget brand; not ideal for gaming.


$800 for a decent gaming rig sounds about right, little on the cheap side actually.

Of course, it all depends on what you're planning on playing on it. If you plan on just running SH4 for the next few years you don't need an expensive PC.

[reignofdeath]

Wattage isn't even that important for a PSU. You need enough of it, obviously (~500W is good for mainstream setup), but a 'bad' one won't deliver it where it is needed. It's more likely to damage the rest of the system when it goes as well (and might go sooner), since protection circuitry is the first thing they save cost on.

You'll want to know how many Amps it delivers on 12V rail(s), and preferably the brand+model number. PSUs get reviewed all the time: if you know what's in there, you can figure out if it's any good.


When it comes to pre-build systems that aren't specifically targeted at gaming, there are 2 things pretty much gauranteed: The PSU is crap, even by non-gaming standards, and the graphics card is a joke.


4GB RAM is plenty. There's a difference between 32-bit and 64-bit systems in that 64-bit can use more memory for applications (32-bit is limited to 2GB). However, the application (a game, for example) needs to be 64-bit as well. The number of games that have a 64-bit executable is extremely low, only ones I can think of off the top of my head are DCS A-10C and Crysis. So; the vast majority of games can never use more then 2GB. Anyone telling you you need more than 4GB total for gaming doesn't know what they are on about.


Asus and Gigabyte make excellent boards. Think MSI generally does very well for overclocking. Asrock is decent, but it is/was a budget brand; not ideal for gaming.


$800 for a decent gaming rig sounds about right, little on the cheap side actually.

Of course, it all depends on what you're planning on playing on it. If you plan on just running SH4 for the next few years you don't need an expensive PC.


Well the reason I was considering this is that I was wanting to run the games I have now better until I at least leave and then maybe upgrade it or do whatever I need to it to make it better after I ship. But I might just hold off then and go to NewEgg or something of the sort after I get done with bootcamp and purchase myself a nice gaming computer, I was looking at being able to play what i have now perfectly smooth (Sh4, 3,FSX, BF2, TS3, etc etc.) And hopefully being able to run Sh5, Amnesia and other games later on that were very graphics intensive. But like I said, I might just hold off any ways, I only have 2 months before I leave any whoo so hey might as well.

But on that note, I have one final question when I do decide to buy a gaming PC what specs should I be looking for in the different components to make it the best that I can?? By this I mean what to look for PSU specs, and other things that way I dont have to come back and ask the same question all over ;)

[Sailor Steve]

And the money you saved going that way will be spent on a decent graphics card, likely $200 minimum. I'd say you want at least a 5770 if ATI is the way you want to go. You also said you wanted 8 gigs of RAM, but the system you described only has 4. How much is that other 4 going to cost? Also you'll have to make sure that the new 4 is a proper match for the old. On the other hand, people who know more than I do said 4 is plenty, so you're probably fine there.

I pointed out the IBuyPower because that's the way I'm planning to go, once I finally get tired of buying guitars and amplifiers.

[FIREWALL]

Good luck USNSRCaseySmith :salute:

btw most fairly good vid cards require on an average 500 wats alone.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=188997&CatId=7005 500 watts.

This is a good lifetime warrenty vid card.@ $159.99 It kicks arse for the price.

Heres some review :

April 08, 2011The XFX AMD Radeon---8482; HD 6790 Dual Fan is no ordinary Graphics Card
Make ---8216;Em Beg The XFX AMD Radeon---8482; HD 6790 Dual Fan is no ordinary Graphics Card. UK, April, 2011 ---8211; Playtime is over. Step up your gaming to a serious level with the most advanced graphics card in its class, the XFX AMD Radeon---8482; HD 6790. Immerse yourself in multiple screens of stunningly realistic HD gaming with AMD---8217;s lat...

April 08, 2011
The XFX AMD Radeon---8482; HD 6790 Dual Fan is no ordinary Graphics Card
Make ---8216;Em Beg
The XFX AMD Radeon---8482; HD 6790 Dual Fan is no ordinary Graphics Card.
UK, April, 2011 ---8211; Playtime is over. Step up your gaming to a serious level with the most advanced graphics card in its class, the XFX AMD Radeon---8482; HD 6790. Immerse yourself in multiple screens of stunningly realistic HD gaming with AMD---8217;s latest mind blasting technologies. You won---8217;t be a single frame behind as you bring opponents to their knees with zero compromise in productivity for the ultimate user experience. Double up with 2 XFX AMD Radeon HD 6790---8217;s in CrossfireX---8482; configuration and you will have comparable performance to an NVIDIA GeForce 570 for less. With DVI, HDMI and mini-DisplayPort outputs, you will have connection options to cover just about any digital connection challenge.
It all starts with the XFX AMD Radeon HD 6790---8217;s specially designed, superior cooling system that makes it all possible. The XFX Dual Fan system provides better cooling, less noise, and better capability for overclocking performance. To further enhance cooling performance, XFX also utilizes generously sized heat pipes to transfer heat from the source. The final part of this cooling system is the exclusive XFX Air Flow Bracket, designed for increased exhaust airflow. Combined, these features of the XFX Radeon HD 6790 will help keep extreme temperatures at bay for optimal performance.
Play your favorite games in full stereo 3D, and get incredibly rich and interactive gameplay with AMD HD3D technology. Experience Blu-ray 3D as it was intended and take advantage of XFX Radeon HD 6790 graphics---8217; support for Dolby® TrueHD and 3D HDTV to help create that theatre-quality experience.
Gaming doesn---8217;t get more realistic than with AMD---8217;s second-gen DirectX 11-ready graphics. With lightning-fast frame rates and ultra- realistic effects, the XFX Radeon HD 6790 enables an amazing HD gaming experience. And with advanced tessellation performance, it---8217;s designed to give you true realistic detail.
The XFX Radeon HD 6790 uses AMD Eyefinity technology to give you gaming and productivity on up to three simultaneous displays. When we say ---8220;immerse yourself---8221;, we mean it. Throw yourself into your gaming environments by stretching your games across multiple displays. Need to work, chat, surf the web, or watch a movie while you---8217;re gaming? Why not? Don---8217;t compromise an ounce of productivity with true surround sight, all from a single graphics card.
AMD---8217;s EyeSpeed visual acceleration technology pushes your computer to newer limits beyond just gaming. The XFX Radeon HD 6790 gives you enhanced and accelerated application performance. With AMD EyeSpeed---8217;s visual acceleration, you---8217;ll maximize your online and Blu-ray video experiences with a new level of smooth visual quality.
Don---8217;t settle for less than spectacular performance. Crank the settings and experience your favorite games in uncompromising detail with AMD CrossFireX---8482; technology for multi-GPU performance gaming. With world class performance scaling, a system equipped with AMD CrossFireX---8482; technology keeps you fragging while everyone else is reaching for an upgrade.
To learn more, visit www.xfxforce.com (http://www.xfxforce.com)

Arclight and CCIP are right on about psu. :up:

[CCIP]

I'd say you want at least a 5770 if ATI is the way you want to go.

A million times this! I've had a whole range of cards and I learned the hard way that for gaming there's nothing you need in your system more than a solid workhorse video card, usually in the mid-range rather than the budget range. The 5770 that Steve brings up, which is what I've been running for 1.5 years now, is a card that is more than worth the money and is more than capable of running any game you'll throw at it now. I've owned other PCs before and if there's one thing that ever made or broke my purchase, it was the choice of video card. These days, it's really the video card rather than RAM or processor, that is really at the heart of building a gaming PC. Rather than aiming at specific RAM or processor specs, I'd begin my decision process with the video card and match/compromise other specs around it. Otherwise you will often end up with the video card being your main bottleneck in game performance.

[Arclight]

One nice side-effect of getting things right is that every thing else works rather well too. Gaming is demanding, so PCs aimed at that purpose need to be powerfull.

I remember my brother buying a desktop PC because his laptop couldn't really handle gaming. He bought some cheap thing and ended up with a machine that was just as inept as his latop. Think that says about enough.

Could have been better if he had just got a proper videocard... apart from the fact his hard-drive died(!), so I replaced that for him. Then he started reporting constant crashes and freezes: replaced his PSU and it started working again. Think he still uses it, iirc GeForce 7600 in there now(upgrade from the integrated chip... he buys a desktop as an upgrade from his laptop and ends up with another integrated chip... seriously). Not brilliant, but he only plays CoD and that it can handle... kinda.

[frau kaleun]

I'm contemplating a video card upgrade myself, wondering about the HD5770 now.

I have an HEC Raptor R500 (500W) PSU, for gfx I'm still using the HD4650 that came with this rig. How much of boost would the new card give me? Most of my games are at least 2-3 years old, in fact SH4 is probably the newest one I have and I haven't even installed it yet.

Lol, here's a question, what's the most hard-core card I could go with, without upgrading anything else? Considering that I'm not going to be playing any of the latest and greatest games any time soon, of course. And then I'll work my way down from there to a more reasonably priced selection. :D

Rest of the specs:

AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.8 GHz AM3 processor
Asus M3A78-EM motherboard
Win7 64-bit
8 GB RAM

And it will need to be one PCIe 2.0 x 16 card since that's the only slot I'd have open for it. There's an empty slot below it so there's plenty of room there though.

[HunterICX]

@Frau: a HD5870 1Gb GDDR5

according to sapphire the system requirement is a 500 watt PSU (the same goes for the HD5770)

as for the HD5770 compared to your current card the HD5770 should in theory be about twice as fast then your HD4650.

HunterICX

[frau kaleun]

Thanks.!

Wow... after a casual comparison there appears to be quite a price difference between the 5770 and 5870. The former is more in my price range. :D

Any particular recommendations on brand name?

[HunterICX]

Well if you pick ATI you can't go wrong with Sapphire they are the largest supplier of AMD/ATI based cards ( I've got a Sapphire HD5850)
just make sure the HD5770 you're going to purchase is the 1Gb version and not the 512mb :03:

HunterICX

[frau kaleun]

Well if you pick ATI you can't go wrong with Sapphire they are the largest supplier of AMD/ATI based cards ( I've got a Sapphire HD5850)

That's good, because they seemed to be priced better. :yeah:

just make sure the HD5770 you're going to purchase is the 1Gb version and not the 512mb :03:


Hey, I didn't fall off the truck yesterday. It was, like, last week or something. Monday at the very latest. :D :O:

Edit: Okay, looking now at Amazon... what is the difference between

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-100283-3L/dp/B0035K6H2C/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1305397828&sr=1-1

and this

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Vapor-X-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-100283VX-2L/dp/B003AK67HW/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305397828&sr=1-2

and this

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-100283FLEX/dp/B004BSFQEC/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305398647&sr=1-6

?

Other than the price, and the fact that one appears to have some kind of cover over the whole underside.

[HunterICX]

Hey, I didn't fall off the truck yesterday. It was, like, last week or something. Monday at the very latest. :D :O:

sorry, its a bad habbit from work... just to make things sure as I sometimes have to explain so much to bloody tourists that I wonder if they are qualified at all to ride motorcycles :dead:

so....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXTWxWB1n4U&feature=related

:O:

HunterICX

[frau kaleun]

sorry, its a bad habbit from work... just to make things sure as I sometimes have to explain so much to bloody tourists that I wonder if they are qualified at all to ride motorcycles :dead:

so....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXTWxWB1n4U&feature=related

:O:

HunterICX

:rotfl2:

It's okay, I didn't even know video cards had memory until a couple years ago. :doh:

[HunterICX]

Edit: Okay, looking now at Amazon... what is the difference between

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-100283-3L/dp/B0035K6H2C/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1305397828&sr=1-1



1.This is the standard version of the Sapphire HD5770

and this

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Vapor-X-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-100283VX-2L/dp/B003AK67HW/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305397828&sr=1-22.Same as standard but with a better fan on it, so it works at lower operating temperatures and is a lot quiter.

and this

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-100283FLEX/dp/B004BSFQEC/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305398647&sr=1-6

?3.this iirc is the first card that supported 3 DVI monitors in ATI/AMD's eyefinity mode that delivered a true SLS work area on your desktop (Single Large Surface)

Other than the price, and the fact that one appears to have some kind of cover over the whole underside.Unless you plan to use eyefinity I would say your options are #1 and #2

HunterICX

[frau kaleun]

1.This is the standard version of the Sapphire HD5770

2.Same as standard but with a better fan on it, so it works at lower operating temperatures and is a lot quiter.

3.this iirc is the first card that supported 3 DVI monitors in ATI/AMD's eyefinity mode that delivers a true SLS work area on your desktop (Single Large Surface)

Unless you plan to use eyefinity I would say your options are #1 and #2

HunterICX

Well all I need in the way of output is one DVI for the monitor and one HDMI for the TV I've got hooked up. So I may go with #2 for the better thermal performance. Quiet is also good. :yep:

Thanks for the info!

[CCIP]

I run the 1GB 5770 Sapphire and can definitely vouch for it - so far it's been 1.5 years of nothing but solid performance. Runs all the games I throw at it very reasonably. It's above the rest of the specs in your system, and actually I wouldn't even go for a faster video card with your particular set-up (since the performance cap in games would be set more by your processor than the video card).

The cooling on the Sapphire cards is pretty solid and has coped very well for me. You may want to go for the somewhat quieter one just for the quiet, but the temperatures haven't been a problem for me even with my non-fancy cooler - just be sure that the rest of your case has good air flow.

But yeah, I've had 0 problems with it so far, and at the price it's going for now, I honestly can't not recommend it. :yeah:

[frau kaleun]

Thanks, it was your recommendation upthread that started me looking at that card more closely when I was surfing around trying to get a general idea of what was out there that wasn't too expensive or too hardcore for my system or my needs. And yeah, the price on the Vapor-X version of it is pretty sweet, especially when compared with the 5870.

As for cooling I've got the fans that came onboard when I bought the rig plus one each for each internal HDD and a third extra that provides some additional airflow over the MB, specifically the expansion slots for the gfx/sound cards. Plus the one that's on the gfx card itself. And all the RAM sticks came with those heat-dispersing covers, I don't know if that helps a whole lot but I figure it can't hurt. TBH I wasn't sure what I was doing when I set it up, I just added as much extra airflow as I could with the space and power connectors available, lol.

[Jan Kyster]

A comparison table for graphics cards:

http://tpucdn.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_5870_Matrix/images/perfrel.gif

Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_5870_Matrix/29.html

Prices here are $180 for the 5770 and $290 for the 5870. Imho the extra $110 is worth it... :D

[CCIP]

Oh, if I was buying a system today, I definitely would go for the 5870! But I dunno, on the other hand with the rest of that system taken into the account, it feels like it's a bit of an excess that's not going to be a big performance improvement without upgrading the rest of the system, too.

[Jan Kyster]

Oh, if I was buying a system today, I definitely would go for the 5870! ...without upgrading the rest of the system, too.The good news is that she's having an AM+ board. The AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition is very cheap these days!

So looking forward a bit, I would definitely go for the 5870 :up:

Look what I've just done to mine:
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z15/subject_rod/5970/5870WC.jpg

Buying second-hand parts is another way of saving some good dollars.

[frau kaleun]

The 5770 was $119 on Amazon, the 5870 was just more than I wanted to spend right now... so I got the 5770. I'm sure it will be enough of an improvement to keep me happy for a while.

Someday though I'm gonna build a computer from scratch, and go nuts. Problem is I'd end up buying parts here and there over a long period of time and by the time I had everything I needed, half of it would probably be outdated. :haha:

[Sailor Steve]

Someday though I'm gonna build a computer from scratch, and go nuts. Problem is I'd end up buying parts here and there over a long period of time and by the time I had everything I needed, half of it would probably be outdated. :haha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWHniL8MyMM

[frau kaleun]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWHniL8MyMM

:rotfl2:

:rock:


BRB, gotta go listen to The Man In Black.

[Jan Kyster]

... so I got the 5770. I'm sure it will be enough of an improvement to keep me happy for a while.And when happiness begin to fade, you just add another 5770. Should bring the smile back! :up:


And as said, a quad core can be plugged in as well any time! Price here is $50 to $60.

[frau kaleun]

And when happiness begin to fade, you just add another 5770. Should bring the smile back! :up:

Don't have slots for 2 gfx cards. :cry:


And as said, a quad core can be plugged in as well any time! Price here is $50 to $60.

So that's a quad CPU, yes? What advantages if you are playing games that were not designed to utilitize it? Not that there aren't non-gaming advantages, of course.

[Arclight]

There's some benefit from load-balancing from the OS and DirectX, but individual core speed is still more important imho.

I'd aim for about 4x3GHz on an Intel at this point, bit more for AMD. Should hold you over for a while yet. (got an "old" core2 quad, running 3.4. Think that will hold for the next 2-3 years or so, really hard to say tbh)

[Jan Kyster]

Don't have slots for 2 gfx cards. :cry:Well, then it's another $80 for an AM+ motherboard with dual PCI-E x16 slots...

When we reach this point sometime in the future the choice will be:

1) - give away the 5770 and buying a 5870
2) - swap MB and add another 5770 (or 5870)
3) - upgrade everything for the $2000 you'll have saved up by that time! :D

What advantages if you are playing games that were not designed to utilitize it?I only run older games like SH4, GTR2 etc.
None of these support multi-cpu and yet I have a nice balance on all 8 cores. Don't worry about it :up:

[frau kaleun]

Well, then it's another $80 for an AM+ motherboard with dual PCI-E x16 slots...


STOP MAKING ME WANT THINGS!!! :wah: :O:

The 5770 arrived today so if all goes well I should have it in place sometime this evening, along with the RAM upgrade (going from 6 to 8 GB).

Und dann wir ersehen. :D

[kurt250]

please, i'm new at this. i want to be able to play silent hunters 5 on a desk top computer. the computer will be for gaming only and not connected to the internet. what would be a good computer to buy. please keep it simple and to the point. i don't need a bunch of letters that mean nothing to me. just a good solid computer that i can play on without having to take a corse in computer science. thank for any info. kurt250

[Skybird]

please, i'm new at this. i want to be able to play silent hunters 5 on a desk top computer. the computer will be for gaming only and not connected to the internet. what would be a good computer to buy. please keep it simple and to the point. i don't need a bunch of letters that mean nothing to me. just a good solid computer that i can play on without having to take a corse in computer science. thank for any info. kurt250

Welcome at subsim boards!

Do not buy factory installed ready-to-use systems (often you pay more than you need, and while some installations may be killer systems, others may offer lower prices by including one or two foul eggs), but find a good shop where the dealer is trustworthy and willing to spend some time talking with you. He will help you find components matching the following details, and will put them together for you:

Generally: do not buy the newest and latest supercool stuff. It is overpriced. For your purpose, a solid "ordinary" machine sounds good enough, you do not need the cool supertoy for 2500 bucks.

CPU: look for a good deal on an Intel i5. This core has the best bang-for-the-buck ratio, imo. And some of its incarnations deliver as good a performance than much more expensive i7 cores.

RAM: 6-8 GB with Windows 7. Maybe really 8 GB to be totally safe, due to the low costs for memory.

Yes, go with Windows 7.

GFX: I would pick an nVidia GFX5600 with 1 GB, something in that range. Very good perfoamnce again for a reasonable price. It is hilarious what some people are willing to pay for just 5% more in performance. Sometimes people pay as much for a gfx card like they pay for the rest of the system.

Choose a solid power unit, this is often underestimated. With a config like above, a 750W will have you on the safe side. Power units degrade slightly over time, so you want a little reserve there, that's why 750W. It should keep you safe also when your system maybe runs at maximum performance, with all four cores and the gfx at 100%. Could happen in graphic-intensive games which are optimised for multiple cores. Noise level can be a concern. The more silent, the more expensive. Ask your dealer for a good opportunity.

HD: Choose a good brand, Samsung or Western Digital, they are silent and reliable. Size: they are beyond good and evil already, so choose the size for the selected model that gives you the lowest price. That must not be the smallest capacity! Prices are linked to production numbers, and people do not want the small ones anymore. So: smaller production numbers, translating into higher costs. I have a 1TB-drive. But only around 250 GB are used.

DVD drive: it pays off to not choose the cheapest there. The cheap ones more often run into problems with CDs/DVDs, and tend to be noisy and producing irritating sounds letting you think they are broken.

Take care the mainboard has sufficient number of USB ports. Cannot hurt if two of these are already 3.0 standard. But you do not want them all to be 3.0, if you use some older hardware (joysticks, digital camera!), it may not like 3.0 The compatibility is given in theory, but reality looks different with USB 3.0. If you must/want to buy a USB hub, always buy one with a separate power supply.

If you want or need USB sticks as storage media, Transcend imo offers some very good sticks that are both fast and solid for a reasonable price, I mean the Transcend Jetflash 600 series, and these are USB 2.0. I have several of these in use, with 8, 16 and 32 GB. They also have 3.0 sticks now, but I have not tried them.. With USB sticks, the differences in quality are immense, mostly effecting longevity, and write-/read speed. - More comfortable than DVD for sure to do the occasional data backup.

Consider to plan for a separate HD plus system image software. Your best insurance in case of an infection. You set up your system, tweak all details, then make an image. If you have security breaches or infections, NEVER repair them, but either reinstall - or format and copy back an image from a separate drive. Just takes you 1-2 hours when the machine works all alone, afterwards you just need to defrag again could take time), and then you have a clean machine without needing to do any manual installation and tweaking again, just copy back data backups that saw updates since the image has been recorded.

If linking to the web, always use a payware full security suite (firewall+antivir) plus a second suite designed to run along an antivir and specialising in detecting malware that antivir usually does not pick up. Be paranoid when going online, keep options of browsers as tight and sealed as possible for your needs.

A system solution like I suggest can be done for less than 900 Euro over here (Germany, my last experience from Spring last year when I put together a new rig).

[reignofdeath]

WOW, did my thread get hijacked! Lol!! :)

Well good news, my laptop came in today.

Ordered the Asus G55VW-ES71 comes with a 2.3 GHz i7, 8 Gb of RAM and a nVidia GTX660M. Just booted her up and Im very impressed so far, solid built rig on the outside. Oh forgot to mention I ordered 2 1600mHz 4Gb Corsair RAM sticks and plugged them in (They were cheap).

So far Im impressed, other than this massive bloatware I dont like, but I will find a way to get rid of it. As of right now I have it connected to my TV via HDMI and its sweet to look at, love it. Time to work on mods and SH5 finally to see how she handles her. Ill let you all know:)

Cheers,

Casey