Hardware The "what computer should I buy/build" thread?

[Urza]

edit: Problem solved.

 

[Pyrmon]

To show it could run a very demanding game, although not necessarily nicely.

there was really no point in bringing up Crysis 2 .
simply "running" a game doesn't give the system value . what's the point of being able to run a game when it isn't even playable ?

OK OK I GET IT, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!
goes away to cry in a corner
But seriously, I don't know why I brought up Crysis as an example. Can we leave it at that?

 

[kylehaas]

There are no such thing as super fast DDR2 memory or Super fast HDD (if it's not a SSD, which it is not).

Eh... pretty much completely wrong.

RAM is, by it's nature, extremely fast especially when compared to other types of storage, it just lacks retention which is why we don't use RAM harddrives and is expensive (imagine paying ~$15 per GB of a 1TB drive today).
The only thing better than DDR2 at the moment is DDR3, and unless you're dealing with a super high end "ub3r l33t gaming rig" or in an environment where highspeed RAM is essential, then you're not going to see much of an improvement, if any, with DDR3.

Actually, DDR3 is quite faster than DDR2, especially when overclocked.
Having overclocked DDR3 is leaps and bounds better than DDR2.

 

[kylehaas]

And D34DL1N3R, the point of the thread is to provide people with the best options they have for a computer for their given requirements. Saying "Well, just have like $800 more and buy this stuff" is stupid. Some people have a limited budget and some people aren't willing to wait years gathering all that cash. For someone like me who gets money on a not-so-frequent basis, saying "Save up an extra couple hundred dollars" is not an option. I would like a gaming computer sometime in the near future, and that's my limitations.

Exactly! The thing is, you can't get a gaming computer that will run "most relatively recent games on medium" for $450. There are plenty of ways to come up with an additional $200 quickly and easily - it just sounds like you are unwilling to do so.

I'd like to know the specs on the suggested Dell because the link says no longer available. If you aren't willing to take my advise, then at least I can provide you with far better options than a Dell. Did you even look at the links I gave? They have systems in your price range that will crap on a Dell at the same price but I can promise you that at $450 you won't be playing recent games on medium at a decent frame rate. Well possibly some of them, if you want to play in 800x600.

I built a PC for a friend not so long ago.
Final cost was $450 (with shipping) and it can play anything.
Crysis 2, Crysis 1, GTAIV, you name it.
You just have to know what you're doing.

 

[D34DL1N3R]

I built a PC for a friend not so long ago.
Final cost was $450 (with shipping) and it can play anything.
Crysis 2, Crysis 1, GTAIV, you name it.
You just have to know what you're doing.

LOL! Okay then. As pointed out, simply being able to "play" anything doesn't mean it can play it well. Let's see some fraps videos with that setup, running Metro 2033. Okay... so you don't have to run 2033 but I'd still like to see Crysis 2 in action on that $450 setup.

 

[Pyrmon]

I built a PC for a friend not so long ago.
Final cost was $450 (with shipping) and it can play anything.
Crysis 2, Crysis 1, GTAIV, you name it.
You just have to know what you're doing.

LOL! Okay then. As pointed out, simply being able to "play" anything doesn't mean it can play it well. Let's see some fraps videos with that setup, running Metro 2033. Okay... so you don't have to run 2033 but I'd still like to see Crysis 2 in action on that $450 setup.

It's not that bad, considering you can upgrade it later for about a hundred dollars and it will be able to run Crysis well.

 

[kylehaas]

I built a PC for a friend not so long ago.
Final cost was $450 (with shipping) and it can play anything.
Crysis 2, Crysis 1, GTAIV, you name it.
You just have to know what you're doing.

LOL! Okay then. As pointed out, simply being able to "play" anything doesn't mean it can play it well. Let's see some fraps videos with that setup, running Metro 2033. Okay... so you don't have to run 2033 but I'd still like to see Crysis 2 in action on that $450 setup.

First of all, Crysis 2 is way dumbed-down compared to Crysis 1. Crysis 2 runs flawless on his PC, it's Crysis 1 that lags occasionally.
The HD5770 is a fantastic card right now for the price. You take that and a $280 DIY pack from Tigerdirect and add liquid cooling/overclocking and you've got a damned good PC.
If I'm not mistaken it was a quad-core phenom ii, which we overclocked to 3.8ghz. Seriously, if you know what you're doing, you can build a KICKASS PC for under $500.
I did forget to mention, however, that my friend plays all games with detail maxed out (some games, like Crysis 1 without AA filtering) and at 1680x1050.
He gets 45+ fps with almost all games. I've never tried Metro 2033, but I've heard that it is terribly optimized and is not a good benchmark.

Just because you've never done it or because the only PC you've ever paid under $500 for was a piece of shit E-Machine, don't be disregarding what I have to say.

Also, for the record, my PC cost just under $1000 (Counting my 24-inch monitor, too) and it can handle just about anything.

 

[D34DL1N3R]

The HD5770 is a fantastic card right now for the price.

If you say so. Why not spend $100 more on a card and get a 2GB 6950 and flash it to a 6970? More than 2x the power for less than 2x the price.

QUOTEJust because you've never done it or because the only PC you've ever paid under $500 for was a piece of shit E-Machine, don't be disregarding what I have to say.[quota]

I will disregard what I wish.

Also, for the record, my PC cost just under $1000 (Counting my 24-inch monitor, too) and it can handle just about anything.

I'm glad. Mine cost $1300 without a monitor. Stop over with your build and we'll do a head to head for everyone. Really... who cares? I'm simply saying that $450 wont get a gaming computer that the guy will be happy with in another year.

 

[Splych]

well since we're already in this thread . . .
i've been considering the thought on upgrading a few parts in my comp:
CPU: I am currently using a Phenom II x2 550 BE. bought it when it was still new a few years back , and the price was around $123 when i bought it . hoping to for success on unlocking the 2 dormant cores , i find out that they're unstable so i reverted it back to original settings . mainly , the reason i wanted to invest in a quadcore is for rendering a few videos/projects under Sony Vegas / Adobe After Effects / Cinema 4D and for gaming before it becomes standard .

GPU: i have a 5770 and by playing at native resolution but toned down graphics , i can avg. at least 40 - 50 FPS in 1920x1080 for most of the games i play . advice on whether i should upgrade or not ? i am looking into the 6850 , and the reviews seem great so far , and the benchmarks are pretty good as well . i also want it to be able to run Battlefield 3 at native (1920x1080) resolution and possibly medium settings .

RAM: DDR2 4GB of RAM . upgrade or to not upgrade ?

i want to hold on to this computer as long as i can , so i am considering the options of possible upgrades . i am reading that having anything above 4GB of RAM is overkill for an avg. gamer's uses . so then that leaves me with upgrading my CPU and GPU .

current computer specs:
Mobo: BioStar TA790GX 128M
CPU: AMD Phenom II x2 550BE
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 (1GB)
RAM: 2x2GB DDR2 1066
Case: CoolerMaster Elite 334 Nvidia Edition

that's all that's needed i am guessing . my budget isn't unlimited , but i'd say for each part is ; CPU ($150) , GPU ($200) , RAM ($70) .

 

[Pyrmon]

well since we're already in this thread . . .
i've been considering the thought on upgrading a few parts in my comp:
CPU: I am currently using a Phenom II x2 550 BE. bought it when it was still new a few years back , and the price was around $123 when i bought it . hoping to for success on unlocking the 2 dormant cores , i find out that they're unstable so i reverted it back to original settings . mainly , the reason i wanted to invest in a quadcore is for rendering a few videos/projects under Sony Vegas / Adobe After Effects / Cinema 4D and for gaming before it becomes standard .

GPU: i have a 5770 and by playing at native resolution but toned down graphics , i can avg. at least 40 - 50 FPS in 1920x1080 for most of the games i play . advice on whether i should upgrade or not ? i am looking into the 6850 , and the reviews seem great so far , and the benchmarks are pretty good as well . i also want it to be able to run Battlefield 3 at native (1920x1080) resolution and possibly medium settings .

RAM: DDR2 4GB of RAM . upgrade or to not upgrade ?

i want to hold on to this computer as long as i can , so i am considering the options of possible upgrades . i am reading that having anything above 4GB of RAM is overkill for an avg. gamer's uses . so then that leaves me with upgrading my CPU and GPU .

current computer specs:
Mobo: BioStar TA790GX 128M
CPU: AMD Phenom II x2 550BE
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 (1GB)
RAM: 2x2GB DDR2 1066
Case: CoolerMaster Elite 334 Nvidia Edition

that's all that's needed i am guessing . my budget isn't unlimited , but i'd say for each part is ; CPU ($150) , GPU ($200) , RAM ($70) .

Yes, over 4gb of RAM is overkill. But I heard DDR3 was much better than DDR2, so you may want to look into that.
For the CPU, a Phenom II X4 965 BE should be within your budget.
For the GPU, you could use your RAM budget(if you don't upgrade it) and get a 6950. Otherwise, the 6850 or 6870 is probably the way to go.

 

[kylehaas]

well since we're already in this thread . . .

For the GPU, you could use your RAM budget(if you don't upgrade it) and get a 6950. Otherwise, the 6850 or 6870 is probably the way to go.

I've got a HD6870 in my machine right now and it doesn't perform much better than a HD5770.
I say go with the 5770 if you're trying to save money, because the performance difference isn't really so noticeable.

Splych, rather than getting a new GPU, you could always consider putting liquid cooling in and overclocking.
AMD CPUs are great for overclocking and I think you'd benefit more from that than a new graphics card.

 

[trumpet-205]

HD6000 series is simply an updated version of HD5000 series. In terms of performance it only outperforms HD5000 series by a bit.

Go with HD5000 series to save money.

 

[Splych]

well if anything above 4GB is overkill for a gamer's uses , then i won't even bother looking into DDR3 . it just means investing into a new mobo , and i might as well have just bought a whole new computer instead .

in terms of the CPU , i was actually considering the Phenom II x4 955 . i am capable of overclocking if necessary , and even if i didn't , 3.2GHz is more than enough compared to my Phenom II x2 550 which is 3.1GHz @ stock .

if the GPU is only slightly better , then i will just ignore the thought of upgrading my GPU .

i already have a 5770 in my comp, so the only thing i believe i will end up upgrading is my CPU to a Phenom II x4 955 .

 

[kylehaas]

That's a smart decision, Splych.
And like I said, if you ever want to really overclock the thing, spend 60 or 70 bucks on a liquid cooling system, then just overclock to your heart's desire.

I've overclocked my 2.8ghz phenom ii X6 all the way to 4.0ghz. It's a significant overclock, but I get amazing performance and temperatures never reach 50C. I've beaten all my friend's expensive Intel-based builds in benchmark tests and my games have never been better. I can't recommend it enough.

Like always, though. Make sure you do plenty of research online before tweaking your BIOS.
It's a dirty business, but it's not so bad once you get used to it.

 

[D34DL1N3R]

I've beaten all my friend's expensive Intel-based builds in benchmark test

Okay. Now I am just simply going to discredit ANYthing you say. An AMD outperforming an Intel? Impossible... are you on crack? Then again, how seriously should a person take one's advise on a PC build when the one giving advise has to ask others for recommendations on something as simple as an external HDD?

 

[kylehaas]

I've beaten all my friend's expensive Intel-based builds in benchmark test

Okay. Now I am just simply going to discredit ANYthing you say. An AMD outperforming an Intel? Impossible... are you on crack? Then again, how seriously should a person take one's advise on a PC build when the one giving advise has to ask others for recommendations on something as simple as an external HDD?

I can't tell if you're trolling or serious.
I didn't say that my friends are using i7s or anything.
The majority of them have i5s and i3s, which my overclocked phenom ii tears apart.
Using Sandralite's comparison software, my system is "supposedly" nearly equal to some of the cheaper i7 cores.
Considering the difference in price, this is why I say it's much more practical to go with AMD, unless you can afford Intel.

I've been building computers for 10 years; on average, I sell two builds a week and I've never had an angry customer.
Please don't act like a total dick.

 

[D34DL1N3R]

I'm being serious, but not trying to be an ass. Just giving my opinions is all.

You say you have your "phenom ii X6 all the way to 4.0ghz", but an i5 2500k can be oc'd to 5.0GHz on air alone. I just don't quite understand your theories/comparisons.

 

[kylehaas]

None of my friends have overclocked their processors. No doubt, doing so would increase performance significantly.

 

[Satangel]

None of my friends have overclocked their processors. No doubt, doing so would increase performance significantly.

I don't know, overclocking doesn't increase performance that much, especially if you just go with regular air cooling. I think you should be happy when you increase performance with 15-20%.

 

[Splych]

i am a little skeptical on buying liquid cooling . mainly cause this computer is already behind in terms of the technology in it , so there really is no point for investing in it . i doubt i will do some heavy overclocking , possibly the max i'd aim for is 4.0GHz but that's more of a pain . possibly might stick with at least 3.5GHz when i overclock .