Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: YUCCA on February 24, 2015, 10:42:11 AM
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Hey guys long time no see. So I am considering purchasing a new PC and I'm not as well informed as I used to be on the subject. However, I know the AH community as several members who are well informed so I thought this would be the best place for advice. I looked into alienware and it all ranges from like 900 to 4000 bucks. I figured I could get what I want for 1k-2k. So please feel free to fire away gents!
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There's been many threads about this in the Hardware (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/board,18.0.html) section, one of the latest been MrRipley's cheap but powerful build (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,369865.0.html). Recommended to search there.
As usual, I recommend using PC-partpicker's building app (http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/) for planning a rig and sending the plan here for evaluation. The safest bet for a good AH rig would be one with a Z97 motherboard, an Intel processor (AMD having had issues in the too near past to be forgot), a mid to high level video card with at least 2 GB GDDR5 RAM and a 650 W 'ish Seasonic PSU in a well breathing case. If you don't want to build it yourself, find a local shop to get you the parts and build it. Any brand computer is a compromise between price and quality, the latter being what you really want instead of a shiny logo.
Also consider this: There's a new version of AH coming in "two weeks" and not even HiTech or Skuzzy can tell what the requirements will be. So if you're mainly using it for AH, waiting is the best advice unless your current PC is unplayable.
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As mentioned, unless your current machine cannot run AH, you are best off waiting until the new engine hits. Then ask HTC what exactly you would need to run the game optimally, or do what I plan on doing, and ask them what is require to run at max graphics, sitting at 90-95 frames, during FSO take off, and me flipping the camera around like a cat on catnip.
Or I could build a machine that will run Far Cry 3 and 4 at absolute maximum. :headscratch: I know I wouldn't have any issues with AH, present or future, even during the listed requirement I want. :)
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I see no sense in waiting for a game update. In an ideal world you're going to build a balanced machine with no bottlenecks under the widest variety of conditions your likely to face at a price you can afford. Price is your limit, not a game, so get with it.
Intel Core I5 (K series if you plan to overclock, I7 if you do a lot of video editing)
Z97 chipset motherboard
16Gb DDR3 1600 RAM (probably won't need more but faster is good if it's in the budget)
Video Card $200+ more is better (around $350 currently = bang/buck)
Aftermarket CPU cooler
HD(s) (SSD + storage HD if you want fast boot/load times)
Optical drive to suit
Case (considerations = motherboard compatibility, air flow, size (especially for video card), drive bays, external front or side ports, construction materials, windowed or not, tooless design, etc.)
Power Supply (650W 80+ certified or bigger/higher from a reputable manufacturer)
Peripherals (if needed)
Total probably ~$1500 without peripherals = bang/buck.
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I see no sense in waiting for a game update. In an ideal world you're going to build a balanced machine with no bottlenecks under the widest variety of conditions your likely to face at a price you can afford. Price is your limit, not a game, so get with it.
Intel Core I5 (K series if you plan to overclock, I7 if you do a lot of video editing)
Z97 chipset motherboard
16Gb DDR3 1600 RAM (probably won't need more but faster is good if it's in the budget)
Video Card $200+ more is better (around $350 currently = bang/buck)
Aftermarket CPU cooler
HD(s) (SSD + storage HD if you want fast boot/load times)
Optical drive to suit
Case (considerations = motherboard compatibility, air flow, size (especially for video card), drive bays, external front or side ports, construction materials, windowed or not, tooless design, etc.)
Power Supply (650W 80+ certified or bigger/higher from a reputable manufacturer)
Peripherals (if needed)
Total probably ~$1500 without peripherals = bang/buck.
As shown in my budget build thread if you're going to have a 200 dollar graphics card you can do with 750 bucks and still have exactly the same framerates just by switching the cpu to the Pentium G3258 and getting a budget motherboard/ram combo. An i5 only starts to make sense when your graphics card breaks the 400 dollar threshold - if even then.
When I get my R9 290 I will post new test results using the G3258.
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I believe Rip to be correct, a couple of reputable hardware sites did comparisons with various CPUs using the same GPU, and it was found that the variation from the cheapest 200$ cpu up to the fastest they tested, a 5930k, made very little difference in a dozen tested games - like 10 % or less on average.
I would say though that in your price range an i5 4690k, the current best cpu bang/$ according to many, and a decent 400$+ vid card can land you in a 1500$ budget very easily, with very nice components for all the other stuff as well. As others have said, there are many recent threads covering this on the first 3 or 4 pages of the hardware section right now.
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Another alternative for the pcpartspicker is a site called https://pchound.com it lets you build your own setup in a few very easy steps.
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PC Hound Part List (https://pchound.com/3YrIlC/)
CPU: AMD FX-8350 Black Edition (https://pchound.com/445210/amd-fx-8350-black-edition/) ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3P (https://pchound.com/445877/gigabyte-ga-970a-d3p/) ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws X Series (https://pchound.com/440391/gskill-8gb-2-x-4gb-ripjaws-x-series/) ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 04G-P4-3975-KR (https://pchound.com/852155/evga-geforce-gtx-970-04g-p4-3975-kr/) ($344.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W HX Series HX750 (https://pchound.com/969806/corsair-750w-hx-series-hx750/) ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital 1TB Blue WD10EZEX (https://pchound.com/1202263/western-digital-1tb-blue-wd10ezex/) ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred (https://pchound.com/443086/antec-nine-hundred/) ($94.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ZALMAN FX70 (https://pchound.com/446367/zalman-fx70/) ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Windows: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit (https://pchound.com/662637/microsoft-windows-7-home-premium-sp1-64-bit/) ($89.99 @ TigerDirect)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator (https://pchound.com/831842/cooler-master-cm-storm-devastator/) ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG Electronics (https://pchound.com/1272575/lg-electronics/) ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: COOLER MASTER R4-L2R-20AC-GP (https://pchound.com/1195253/cooler-master-r4-l2r-20ac-gp/) ($5.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1,103.84
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound (https://pchound.com)
Here is one I put together for a possible second computer at the house..
LawnDaer
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How does this look?
Case: Black High Airflow Mid Tower with 3x 120MM Fansand USB 3.0 - Processor: Intel i7 (Quad Core) 3.6GHz(turbo boosts to 4.0GHz) - Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz(4GBx4) - Hard Drive: Internal 850 Pro 512GB SSD SATAIII - Graphics: GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCIExpress 3.0 SLI Support (Core Clock: 1190MHz - BoostClock: 1342MHz - Stream Processors: 1664 StreamProcessors - Effective Memory Clock: 7010MHz- MemoryInterface: 256-Bit - DirectX 12 - OpenGL 4.4 - 1 x HDMI/3 x DisplayPort / 1 x Dual-link DVI-I ) - Media Drive:CD/DVD Burner - Operating System: Windows 7 HomePremium 64bit with Service Pack 1 - Power: - 850WModular Power Supply (80 PLUS and Gold Certified) Other:- Microsoft USB Wired Mouse and Keyboard Combination
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That's a great little build Lawndart, I always forget about and discount AMD, and shouldn't do so, especially for a lower cost/budget gaming system, as like I've said before, IMO based on various tests and personal experience it's mostly the GPU for games nowadays in terms of FPS and performance. Great build, PChound is a new site for me, as I have to stick with Canadian based stuff due to the PITA of the border and the extra costs always involved with that, and the added pita for returning/RMA if it ever becomes an issue. But I do like to keep up to date with interesting and good US based stuff. For those few Canadian members here, NCIX.ca and better yet Memoryexpress.com have similar PC building tools that are decent as well.
I do really like that build Lawndart, one of the better if not best for the price I've seen. Corsair, CoolerMaster, lots of parts from great companies I like as well. Antec cases are very good as well, it's just a personal pref, that's the only thing I'd really change to a Corsair of some type, just for habitual reasons mostly, as I've had Antec stuff before, as my shop I've used for 20 years builds all of their in house stuff with Antec cases.
edit due to same time posting - YUCCA, what specific CPU is that? Not that it truly matters a huge deal, just for interests sake. Looks pretty good to me. I'm assuming that SSD is the Samsung 850 pro, I have one ready for my next build, and have been using their 830 and 840 and they've been great. If you run short on space you can always add a 7200 spinner or another SSD later very easily. One thing I would say is make sure that PSU is a decent one for the money. Seasonic, Corsair (built by Seasonic mostly) and a few other makers have a lot stronger reps than some others.
Pretty good system YUCCA, what's the $ going to be?
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I had a computer store quote it for me. Seems the guy is a pretty big gamer. Bs'd with him on the phone for like half an hour and told him the 1-2k. He set it right at the 2k mark and $130 to put it together. I knew it would be close to 2k though. Even if I had picked the parts it would be it's just in my nature hah. Does it seem fairly balanced?
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is he selling you the parts too?
semp
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Yeah he provides the parts. He spec'd it out. I gave a go of those parts programs that got linked here and made a couple lists that were pretty close to that 2k mark. However, i'm not as educated as some people about "bottlenecks." So I'm letting him take a swing at it and it "seems" pretty reasonable but I thought I would get some opinions on here about it.
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Yucca, would you really need an i7? For gaming an i5 would be cheaper and maybe even a tad faster.
Other than that it basically looks good. Like Gman, I'm concerned about the PSU, and also the video card and motherboard. Clock rates don't actually tell anything about quality. Knowing the exact models and makers would help to determine whether you can trust the local guy or not. The 2k price seems a little high, though, here's what I got with equivalent parts:
PC Hound Part List (https://pchound.com/0eZNav/)
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K (https://pchound.com/459230/intel-core-i5-4690k/) ($224.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition (https://pchound.com/484856/msi-z97s-sli-krait-edition/) ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.SKILL 16GB (2 x 8GB) Ares Series (https://pchound.com/443386/gskill-16gb-2-x-8gb-ares-series/) ($106.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASUS GeForce GTX 970 STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5 (https://pchound.com/972568/asus-geforce-gtx-970-strix-gtx970-dc2oc-4gd5/) ($329 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W SS-750KM3 (https://pchound.com/440734/seasonic-750w-ss-750km3/) ($131.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: SAMSUNG 512GB 850 Pro Series MZ-7KE512BW (https://pchound.com/941163/samsung-512gb-850-pro-series-mz-7ke512bw/) ($289.99 @ Amazon)
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF series RC-912-KKN1 (https://pchound.com/960908/cooler-master-haf-series-rc-912-kkn1/) ($59.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 (https://pchound.com/1232453/cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-rr-212e-20pk-r2/) ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Windows: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit (https://pchound.com/662637/microsoft-windows-7-home-premium-sp1-64-bit/) ($99.99 @ TigerDirect)
Mouse: GIGABYTE M6800 (https://pchound.com/871739/gigabyte-m6800/) ($13.97 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: GIGABYTE GK-K6800 (https://pchound.com/713400/gigabyte-gk-k6800/) ($13.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: SAMSUNG SH-224DB/BEBE (https://pchound.com/1206967/samsung-sh-224dbbebe/) ($15.19 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-124K-GP (https://pchound.com/1236469/cooler-master-r4-s2s-124k-gp/) ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1,426.05
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound (https://pchound.com)
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Thanks. These are all questions I intend to pass on to the local computer guy. I appreciate it guys.
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I know little to nothing about computers really but sure glad to see you back you dweeb
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Same here. I've been wondering when many former players would start trickling back in, I think in the next few months we'll be seeing a lot of old friends and familiar faces returning. Good times ahead.
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I can attest to the MB..CPU..Vid card..memory as that is what I currently have in my system now. only difference is I have mine water cooled,vid card and CPU.
It works great in the game and other things I do so i can't say its too bad.
LAwnDart
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Win7 home has a max ram addressing of 16 gigs!
Now I'm not sure if this includes vidram in there but if you use home version you will have this limit. Win7 pro,while more expensive doesnt have this issue,as for win8 and beyond I havent found out about this problem as of yet.
Yucca,looking at your proposed build you would have a total of 20 gigs of ram. I would either go with 8 gigs of ram or I would consider another OS. You could get a nice sized storage drive for the price of the extra 8 gigs of ram,this is likely what I would do.
YMMV.
:salute
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Okay so I talked to him this morning. He said they used to give exact models and makes previously. However, he had been burned over it. Having people call him spec it out then they'd go build their own based off the information he provided to them. He did however tell me the hardware is the same stuff he uses. He mentioned it's all corsair and asus. He did say that once I got it he would take it back at no charge if I didn't like it at no charge. He also said he would do a 24 hour burn in test (I think that's what he called it) with a benchmark program he uses. He did say that the win7 home 16 g addressing doesn't have anything to do with the video cards ram. He said that was separate and he said that he really didn't think that I would get close to that 16 gig mark unless I was doing some video rendering or CAD programs. However, I have done some video editing in the past so he kicked it up to Win7 pro for another $35. So I think i'll go with him. I mean I can't beat the fact that if im not happy he'll take it back at no charge.
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Oh and Batfink it's been a long time. Glad to see you're still around, I'll see you in the air. (probably on my 6) lol
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It's understandable that he doesn't want to make other people's homework for free, and the promise to take it back sounds like a good sign especially if you get it written in the receipt. In any case supporting a local guy is a good thing, both for you and for him. He'll get a job and some income, you'll get a close contact to a support person. The support person in big companies may change at every post in an e-mail chain, each one suggesting the most obvious fix no matter how many times you'd tell them you'd already done that a million times. A local guy will know what he has built and concentrate on your possible problems every time you pop into his shop. :aok
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Yeah I try to support the local guys for just about everything I do. I run a small company and I understand how difficult it is these days. With information being so accessible you have people price checking materials etc. A lot of people can look it up and don't feel like you should make a buck. Big chains get great deals on bulk materials and will mark it up probably the same as the local guy. Sadly the local guy probably gets the same price an individual can online these days. So I'm always willing to spend a little more on a local business. And like you said the support is almost always better.