Help With finding a Computer

[Jed]

      Was curious if you fine gentlemen could tell me what numbers I will be looking for in a new computer. The last time I bought a desk top was in 2000, and now it all seems above my head. I play on the wife's laptop right now, and I am sick of fighting against black boxes with wings,...   

 What size hard drive, processor speed should I be looking for? If all I need it for is Aces High?   Nothing over the top, but enough to run it decently?  Also what to do as far as graphics cards?   I am sure there are other posts on this, but would love some fresh ideas... 
 
     Thanks   Hub

[Krusty]

If you're not looking for eye candy, AH runs on a very respectable machine.

Overall prices aren't so bad lately, but I would say, in my own opinion, a good baseline for general computing (on a budget) should be something along the lines of:


CPU: Intel dual (or more) core: 2.8GHz or more
Video: Nvidia 9800 or more recent; AMD 5770 or more recent
Storage: DIRT CHEAP! You can get a 1TB drive for $60. GET IT. Don't "only" get 500mb because you think that's all you need. You don't save any real money by getting a smaller hard drive. The lower end for most capable drives is pretty close. If you pay the same price but get 4x the storage, and the drives are both reputable, get the bigger one!
RAM: If you're still on XP or older systems/hardware, 2GB will do. If you're on Win7 or plan on using x64 bit, 4GB or 6GB depending if you have double channel or triple channel mode.

Others: DVD burners are cheap. Combo drives are the norm now, but in 2000 this was rare. You can get one for $20. It's useful. Power supplies in the 600+ range are generally needed nowadays, especially if you plan to upgrade along the ways with better vid cards, etc.


A very basic guide, but at least it's a starting point, no?

[Tigger29]

Jed what's your budget?

If you build it yourself you can build a system that is quite capable in running Aces High for about $600-700 including operating system and peripherals.  If you can use a screwdriver you can build a computer.  The hardest part is picking out the parts for it and you've got a LOT of help here regarding that.

If you want to buy a complete system I'd have to recommend either PMing TilDeath or going with a company like ibuypower.com or cyberpowerpc.com

I have to recommend that you stay away from the "big names" such as Dell, HP, etc unless you really find a really good deal on one.  Why?  Because they go cheap.  They'll use the bare minimum integrated video and power supply that is necessary and they put so much bloatware in with their installation that it's difficult to manage it.  If you do buy one then you'll find yourself having to install a new power supply and video card in order to properly run Aces High.  The models that they make that actually include a decent power supply and video card tend to be outrageously expensive!  If you end up going this route make sure you don't get a 'slim' case as those use proprietary power supplies and don't have the physical space for a video card.

I would go with the following specifications or better:

• Intel i5 2500 processor
• 1TB hard drive.  Yes you can get a 320GB or 500GB for just a little bit cheaper but for $10 more it's worth just getting a 1TB and being done with it (1TB = 1000GB)
• 8GB of DDR3 Ram
• 650 Watt power supply.  I highly recommend the Seasonic Brand.  Corsair and Antek also make decent power supplies.  Don't skimp here as cheap power supplies don't last long and can cause damage when they go.
• ATI (AMD) 5770 video card or Nvidia GTX550 - better if you can afford it.
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.

Technologies not to worry about just yet:

• Bluray.  Unless you plan on hooking your computer up to a TV to play movies it's not worth it.  Just get a cheapy $18-20 DVD combo drive (CD/DVD reads and burns) and you're good to go.
• Floppy.  No one uses this any more.  Don't bother.
• SSD.  Solid State storage is still a technology in progress.  It's not quite 100% reliable just yet but I have a feeling in just a few more months it'll get a WHOLE LOT BETTER.  However with Hard Drive prices going up due to flooding half way across the globe it may soon be more cost effective to go SSD but not quite yet.
• Eyefinity.  Three monitors are not necessary.  Yes it's cool but not necessary.  Just get yourself a good quality LCD monitor and be done with it.  HP and Acer make some good (or should I say slaps their brand on good) monitors.  Samsungs are known to be good too.  Might be worth a visit to your local mega store to see what each model looks like before deciding here.  Obviously you want HD resolutions.  The two mainstream options are 1920X1080 and 1920X1200.  Personally I prefer 1920X1200 as it's a little bit taller but these are becoming harder to find.
• Sound card.  On board sound these days is plenty good enough.  Unless you're an audiophile or use a really old computer you're not likely going to notice a difference.
• SLI/Crossfire.  This is the method of using two (or more) video cards in conjunction with each other to improve Video performance.  This is simply not necessary with Aces High on just one monitor.
• Water Cooling.  It works but it's not really necessary for the vast majority of people.  If it's a sealed (no maintenance) unit then it's not so bad but if you have one of the systems where you often have to check and adjust the water level you may find the maintenance to be more of a pain than it's worth.

Technologies you do want to consider:

• USB3.  Most new systems will come with this even though the VAST MAJORITY of devices are still USB2.  Keep in mind it is backwards compatible and for "future-proofing" purposes there is really little reason to not get a system with USB3 unless you find a great deal on one without it.
• PCIe3.  For the same reasons as USB3.

[guncrasher]

krusty I think the hd prices have gone up a lot.  the 1b is no less than 150.  unless of course you have other venues.  at my local best buy they're at about 100 for wd 1tb or at least that's what it was 1 week ago.  at newegg they're over 150.


semp

[Masherbrum]

krusty I think the hd prices have gone up a lot.  the 1b is no less than 150.  unless of course you have other venues.  at my local best buy they're at about 100 for wd 1tb or at least that's what it was 1 week ago.  at newegg they're over 150.


semp

This.   HD prices are jacked for the time being.   

[Krusty]

D'oh, you're right. They're about double right now. Before that tsunami/earthquake/whatever you could find a 1TB for about $60 on newegg. Now they're noticably higher, but across the board. So it still holds true that getting a 100GB is only a few dollars cheaper than getting a 500GB, it's just that the baseline is much higher now.

[Getback]

Those HD prices have soared! I'd wait until they went back down.

[titanic3]

Depends on your budget. Some $200-300 Dell desktops can run AH on medium or maybe even maxed with some of the Intel chips. I used to be able to run my current PC (Dell Optiplex 380) at medium settings in AH. After I updated to a Radeon 5570 (it was the only card my PSU could handle), I can now run AH max, and the card cost me $70 on Newegg. So all together, for the desktop, video card, and the included 1920x1080 monitor, it was about $400. I think this is as cheap as you can get without having to run AH on low.

[Tigger29]

Depends on your budget. Some $200-300 Dell desktops can run AH on medium or maybe even maxed with some of the Intel chips.

Doubtful.  I can't imagine any Intel chip running AH at 1080p at max settings with any reasonable framerate.. and ESPECIALLY not with shadows.  I have a feeling your idea of max settings is different than mine.

Can you run Aces High on one?  Probably so!  Just don't expect stellar performance.  Your max textures will be at 256, your sliders will be at about halfway at most.  You won't have shadows (but to be fair I leave mine turned off as I find them to be more annoying than anything) and you won't have any detailed water or terrain.  Expect your frame rate to tank if there are more than six planes near you or if there is fire or fog anywhere close!  There are also some graphics glitches present in the Intel chips.. seems that they aren't 100% compatible with.. anything.

[Krusty]

Tigger, that's exactly what the new i3/5 k2500 or 2600 (or whatever the code is) can do. They rull full HD graphics with rather impressive performance. I was rather dubious at first as well, but this latest generation of intel graphics built into their i-series chips is really leaps ahead of their old integrated-to-the-motherboard crap graphics.

It can actually play modern games on 1080 with good performance, believe it or not.

[skribetm]

if you're really serious about iGP gaming, get an A8 APU. 

[Skuzzy]

We have an i3 here and the built-in Intel video performance is not very good at all.  Better than the old externals, but with everything cranked down it struggles to handle 1920x1080 resolutions.  Usually hangs around 30FPS.

It is difficult to establish the hardware level as the software loaded on a computer can have a dramatic impact on the computers performance in the game.


At this time, I will recommend Intel CPU's coupled with a decent external video card.

[ebfd11]

Just for gits and shigges I hooked up my computer to (intel i5 2500k) to my LED TV and ran everything up to max setting and I got a solid hit of 60 and solid. Granted I have dual 470 gtx's but running just one with the HDMI cable I had no problems on it slowing down. When I did my test I went into the furball lake in the DA and there were aprox 30 people there.

LAwnDart

[Dragon]

And the difference between the i3 and i5 is like comparing a Mustang to a Ferrari.  Throw in your twin turbo-chargers (dual 470's) and it's like comparing a Yugo to a Maserati.  Just sayin...

[skorpion]

If you want, you can PM TilDeath and ask him nicely if he'd make a computer for you, heard there pretty darn nice for AH and other games. I hear he makes them for 800-1000 bucks.