Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: noman on September 16, 2014, 04:24:39 PM
-
I saw this for sale on a local classified ad where I live. I have a 4 year alienware right now and I want to upgrade. How would this rig run aces high?
What would a reasonable offer be?
Can play BF4 on Ultra/Very high settings. Specs are: Win 7 Ultimate 64bit, AMD Phenom II 955 4 Core 3.20GHz, 8GB G.Skill RAM with 16GB max capacity, NEW GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0, Corsair 750W PSU, Western Digital 1TB 7200RPM HD, all on a Gigabyte 790FX SATA 6Gbs MB. Kept cool in a Cooler Master Storm Sniper Gaming tower with 3 200mm and 1 120mm fans with fan control and LED switch. Acer 23" LCD monitor also available.
-
There used to be an issue with AMD processors using only one core for AH while Intel used and still uses two. The 955 dating back to 2009 may well suffer from this. The motherboard and memory also suffer from aging, being of same age as your current Alienware.
I believe it would run the current AH quite well. Not knowing the specs of your current rig it's hard to tell whether this one would be of any improvement, though.
But: If the video card really is new, unused and under warranty and the Windows comes with the license sticker you might take this one as a starting platform for a new build. I wouldn't pay for it more than the price of the video card, though. And even a few month's usage of the VC would drop my bid significantly. If I looked right, the GeForce GTX 770 is about $330, but IIRC there are new models on the way which may cause the price to drop dramatically from that in the near future. All that considered some $300 would be the maximum I'd pay. Again, for me that price has to include only a test used video card and a legal Windows license sticker.
[edit] On second thought even the $300 starts to feel way too much. After all, as the rule of thumb for used goods the value of any item halves the moment it's carried out of the shop. Five year old components are mostly concerned as electric waste although their use value may be quite high as long as they work.
-
Buying a used computer is like buying a used car from a used car lot.... You are unaware of all the little demons that have been patched over...
Example: say the original power supply has failed, unbeknownst to you,, it has caused unseen damage to several other areas that might cost you damn near a new rebuild
Just saying - hope this helps
TC
-
Thanks for the insight. Just gonna save for a new build in the near future. :salute
-
Thanks for the insight. Just gonna save for a new build in the near future. :salute
Next time ditch the Alienware brand and you can have similar power for 40% cheaper. Contact a local hardware store and let them put the computer together for you, usually they charge only 50-80 bucks. You can choose the components that go inside, they bolt it together.
-
Next time ditch the Alienware brand and you can have similar power for 40% cheaper. Contact a local hardware store and let them put the computer together for you, usually they charge only 50-80 bucks. You can choose the components that go inside, they bolt it together.
Adding to that that if/when some component appears to be dead on arrival, they might have the replacement on the shelf, saving you from the hassle of RMA'ing it yourself.