Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: SPEAK99 on September 20, 2005, 05:45:47 PM
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howdy yall, i am looking to buy a new comp. but don't know where to start, im on a limited budget, so i can't spend more than 1500...thanks for any help guys...lagging badly
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Do you have any experience with the internals of a computer? Hardware and what not... With a little reading, and about 1500 bucks you can buy all the parts you need right from http://www.newegg.com and put together one heck of a system.
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no sir i don't, i can use a comp.. but mainly computer illiterate...:rolleyes:
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You might be better off in the Hardware & Software -forum...
But what Morph said... For 1500 you should get a decent enough computer to play AH (well, a bit more than that, actually). I don't know about the prices in US, but I've been eyeing an AMD 64 3200+ for less than $1500 here in Finland (actually less than 900 euros without a monitor, which is under $1100). It would include the case and power supply, with motherboard (I've calculated that with a PCI-Ex), the AMD64 3200+ processor, graphics card (GeForce 6600 GT PCI-Ex in this case), 160GB HD and whatnots... Wouldn't be much higher if it was built in the store (I of course calculated the price using my existing parts and building it myself... but I'd guess you should get it cheaper there.)
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It really doesnt take alot of know how these days to put one together. I would really think about it before you do end up buying anything.
Before i started building my own PC's I thought it was going to be one of the most diffcult things I've done.
When i orded all the stuff and it finally came... I started opening the boxes at noon and by 3 or 4 pm that afternoon I had Aces High Loaded and was on line flying.
If you find that you're interested in doing something like this... Send me an email or PM me from the board here and I can give you some links on where you can get some good deals and bundles as far as motherboard and processors go.
Basicly now with building your own computer its all just plugging things in, screwing a few things together and loading up windows. You really cant do anything wrong that would get you into touble because if you dont do end up putting a plug where it doesnt go (which is unlikely because most wont plug in if they arent meant to) the computer just wont turn on.
Edit: the 3200+'s are dirt cheap right now. With the Fx53's and 57's out there they're almost giving the 3200's away. I'd do it soon though because prices are expected to rise soon due to Katrina beleive it or not.
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what system should i use? i hear a lot about amd, but have never heard of it. i was looking at a sony, with 250 gb hard drive, with intel pentium D...whatever that is. what should i get for Aces High and my college work load?
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I personaly have always like AMD. For gaming they have always served me well.
Pentium is good too, but a little more pricey when you start to really get up there as far as top of the line stuff goes. The same can be said for AMD's latest and greatest.
This seems to me to be a good deal.
I dont deal with Tiger direct.. So you'd have to find out what kind of warrantee they offer on the bundles they sell.
But none the less. it looks to me to be a good deal for a mobo w/ a 3700+
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1178956&Sku=MBM-K8V-A643700
After you get that (if you got it) youre just about done with the hard part.
You'll need a
Video card
Computer case
Power suply
Memory
Hard dive
Good idea to get a nice set of round IDE cables.
CD ROM and Floppy although you dont really NEED a floopy.
Like I said if you get this far and are serious about building you own, I can offer you more information on where and what ect. But that will be enough to get you started, and looking around.
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thanks alot morpheous. i just found out that there is no more H2H, so if i want to continue to play, then i will have to subscribe. i have a dell optiplex gx1 with P 2!...lol..and ATI radeon 9200 VC. so would that be alright for now to use in MA, or would i just get bogged down with lag due to my processor?
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Were you able to play AH2 H2H with that system?
If so then you MIGHT be able to survive playing in the MA. Although it wont be pretty.
I'd knock all my video quality settings down to the absolute bare minimum and see how it looks.
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what do you mean? i have the pixels at 640/800, i think...but yeah, i was able to, have cable modem so that probly helped. once again thanks for all of your help. keep sending me some suggestions please...i need to learn....lol:D
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by the way morpheous, do you know anyone who has a squadron looking for a respectful bomber pilot? i posted in the squadrons section.
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If by "Pentium D" you mean "Pentium Celeron D" don't get it. Avoid Celerons. They're stripped down and don't have the onboard cache (means they do stuff slower because it's not directly on the chip). Get a real pentium.
I got an ASUS mobo (socket 775/Socket T; ~$90), a stick of 512MB RAM (~$60), a Pentium 4, 2.66GHz (~$140), a 425W power supply (super freaky instant rebate; ~$5 -- normally $50-ish), and a nice looking case (~$35 for mine, some go up to 150-ish), used my existing sound card, video card, hard drive, and CD/DVD drives, popped in a second 80mm fan ($3) and for a hair under $300 I've got a new computer that gets kickass fps in AH.
EDIT: Make that just under $350 if you don't get some super freaky instant rebate on your power supply :P
NOTE: If you want a decent vid card let's tack on est. ~150 or so, if you want a new hard drive (which I needed but couldn't afford) tack on $80 for a 80-100GB drive, want 1gig ram, tack on extra $60. I already had a Soundblaster Audigy, but most mobos come with integrated sound nowadays.
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For 1500$ you should be able to get a good system from your local store or a big reseller. It will be a bit hard to figure out which system to get since there are some traps that should be avoided and on complete systems its sometimes hard to find out what is in it.
If you check the midrange system buyers guide at anandtech Buyers Guide (http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2535) you can get an idea how the system could look like.
If the budget is rather on the low side of 1500$ then i would get a Radeon x700 graphic card (with 256MB RAM). With that an AMD Athlon 64 3200, 1GB RAM, HD, double layer dvd burner, 450W power supply and all the other stuff needed to complete it.
Biggest problem is that prebuild systems often offer super fast processor with junk around it, so when you only look at processor speed and price you might go wrong.
If you feel no urge to build the system yourself you dont have to, storebought is fine to and the extra price payed is verry small compared to the trouble to build it yourself.
OK, thats only my opinion. Keep asking and maybe we can find a path for you.
p.s. The market changes monthly. So when you think up what to buy now and then wait 2 month you have to start over again.
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If you're looking for a bomber squadron.
Try the SkyKnights. Good bunch.
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Originally posted by Schutt
For 1500$ you should be able to get a good system from your local store or a big reseller. It will be a bit hard to figure out which system to get since there are some traps that should be avoided and on complete systems its sometimes hard to find out what is in it.
If you check the midrange system buyers guide at anandtech Buyers Guide (http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2535) you can get an idea how the system could look like.
If the budget is rather on the low side of 1500$ then i would get a Radeon x700 graphic card (with 256MB RAM). With that an AMD Athlon 64 3200, 1GB RAM, HD, double layer dvd burner, 450W power supply and all the other stuff needed to complete it.
Biggest problem is that prebuild systems often offer super fast processor with junk around it, so when you only look at processor speed and price you might go wrong.
If you feel no urge to build the system yourself you dont have to, storebought is fine to and the extra price payed is verry small compared to the trouble to build it yourself.
OK, thats only my opinion. Keep asking and maybe we can find a path for you.
p.s. The market changes monthly. So when you think up what to buy now and then wait 2 month you have to start over again.
You could also try Alienware or Vicious PC. Decent Gaming machines although most in here build their own.
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SPEAK99 as most folks have told you, $1500 will buy you a more than adequate system for AH. Building your own will get you a better system for less $$$. If you'd rather buy a plug and play system, go to the Dell website.
I just did and priced a Dimension 9100 with the following specs for $1144
PentiumD 830 Dual Core 3 Gh 800 FSB (processor)
1 Gig DDR2 SDRAM @ 533 Mhz
(memory)
160 Gig HD
(hard drive)
16x DVD 48x CD-RW
(DVD player CD player-burner)
256 meg PCI Express Radeon X600SE
(vid card)
SBLive!24 bit ADV
(sound card)
No monitor included
You can buy a Hyundai 19" flat panel with 700:1 contrast and 8 ms refresh rate at Tiger Direct or NewEgg for $340
That's a very sweet PLUG n PLAY system for under $1500.
Good luck,
DmdMax
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I was looking at systems to buy about a month ago and was trying to decide between a Dell and a Gateway PC, went to various places and looked on the net. Basically I found out that you will get more PC for your buck with a Gateway than a Dell, but with a Dell you get around the clock support and when you call there support you might get to speak with someone who actually speaks english... I know enough about PC's to stay out of trouble and what not so I went ahead and bought the Gateway system for a little under $1200 bucks. 1 gig of ram, 2 gigs memory 27"flat screen monitor, cannon printer, I can't remember the pentium processor the the speed but it was way better than the dells... I play on dialup because I live in the boonies and I never have any probs with lag or anything, and I play with all my settings all the way up... OTH I have heard and read on the web where people have had probs with Gateways, I haven't experienced any of them and am really happy with it.
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Dell will help you with hardware and software support. Unlike windowns, where the tech will try to blame it on your hardware, there is no running in circles with dell. Although, dell support isn't free after 30 for the hardware and 1 year for the software I think. Oh yeah, expect the other guy to know english, but he will definately be from India.
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Originally posted by Iceman24
I was looking at systems to buy about a month ago and was trying to decide between a Dell and a Gateway PC, went to various places and looked on the net. Basically I found out that you will get more PC for your buck with a Gateway than a Dell, but with a Dell you get around the clock support and when you call there support you might get to speak with someone who actually speaks english... I know enough about PC's to stay out of trouble and what not so I went ahead and bought the Gateway system for a little under $1200 bucks. 1 gig of ram, 2 gigs memory 27"flat screen monitor, cannon printer, I can't remember the pentium processor the the speed but it was way better than the dells... I play on dialup because I live in the boonies and I never have any probs with lag or anything, and I play with all my settings all the way up... OTH I have heard and read on the web where people have had probs with Gateways, I haven't experienced any of them and am really happy with it.
You do need to be careful about Video. You need a PCI Express or AGP slot cause whatever's onboard will probably suck.
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Originally posted by Iceman24
OTH I have heard and read on the web where people have had probs with Gateways, I haven't experienced any of them and am really happy with it.
Count yourself lucky. Consumer Reports lists 24% of Gateway owners having problems vs 16% of all Dell owners polled.
Apple and Sony rank as 1 & 2 in satisfied owners.
Skywolf you make a good point. The low end Dell's have no or limited upgrade capability. The Dimension 9100 I mentioned earlier does. As a Dell owner (4 of them over the years at home & business) I've only had issues with two of them but Dell tech & service support rectified the problems very swiftly. I must admit that understanding the folks in India can be very trying at times :) The good news is that they're very patient at repeating themselves and very capable at what they do.
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Originally posted by SPEAK99
thanks alot morpheous. i just found out that there is no more H2H, so if i want to continue to play, then i will have to subscribe. i have a dell optiplex gx1 with P 2!...lol..and ATI radeon 9200 VC. so would that be alright for now to use in MA, or would i just get bogged down with lag due to my processor?
I do believe your wrong about no more HtoH
I was just there and there are 4 games up
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Originally posted by SPEAK99
howdy yall, i am looking to buy a new comp. but don't know where to start, im on a limited budget, so i can't spend more than 1500...thanks for any help guys...lagging badly
Try here (http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=160)
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yeah when i got my gateway 830GM I put in an ATI Radeon 700 Pro vid card