Computer help..moving forward

[fudgums]

I had a great computer that was built by a Former AH player who had their own business. Mind you that this was nearly 10 years ago now and the world has changed drastically...especially in the technology world.

Last year had a problem where the hard drive failed then in transportation took more damage(should've had better judgement). After trying to figure out which way to get back to having a desktop PC, it came down to fixing the computer that I have; which would would have been $500+ for an outdated computer that would more than likely struggle with games today.

The question is, what direction should I go? It's been years since I dug into a desktop and haven't looked into it for a long time.

Should I go through a company and have one built, I could build my own but that is a making for a disaster but we all have to grow up eventually.

Thanks fellas.

[atlau]

Building your own these days is actually pretty simple. Muh easier than years ago!

[fudgums]

One of the things is that I don't want to splash the cash on something then two years from now it will be completely obsolete.

[Brooke]

I like Superbiiz.com.  You can select what parts you want, they will build it for you, install the OS, and give you a 1-year warranty.  You can also use their "system builder" tool to pick things and have them build it, but the system builder tool has fewer options to pick from than their whole inventory.

And superbiiz.com is very cheap.

I have been making AH computers for about $350 for the computer + $100 for Windows + $140 for the graphics card + $100 for the monitor.  They are fine for me, but I do basic 1080p 60 Hz monitors, not VR, 4k, or 144 Hz.

[Brooke]

My $600-ish computer setups tend to last me about 5 years each before I buy another.

But I use it pretty much only for AH and not any other games.

Fudgums, are you using it for any games other than AH?

[fudgums]

I'd love to get back into AH, but the newest version of Steel Division really peaked my interest, which has opened up the possibilities of other games.

Mind you, I'm illiterate in the what is good and not good with the new stuff(VR, 4k, 144). So it probably isn't big deal for me.

[The Fugitive]

These guys are really good, https://www.digitalstorm.com/desktops.asp Pick your price range and they do the rest, need a bit more, add it and they will install it and test run it. Their service is top notch..... tho of the number of people I know who have bought from them only one needed help.

[Bizman]

It looks like both the minimum the recommended requirements for Steel Division 2 are one step higher than those for AH. 12 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 970 or higher (meaning GTX 1070/1080 or RTX 2070/1080 from what's available at the moment). The latter is what makes your needs more expensive than what you'd need for AH only. If you're thinking about VR, 4K or 144 Hz instead of 1080p or 1440p @ 60 Hz then it's definitely the '80 series you'd need.

Letting a company build it from the parts you've chosen is the best option as you'll get warranty for the build itself as well as for the components. I'd recommend sending the parts list here for evaluating, the combined knowledge of the community can quickly find any potential weakness in the plan.

[Brooke]

Here is what you can get on Superbiiz.com for $537

Cougar MX330 No Power Supply ATX Mid Tower
Intel Core i5-7500 Kaby Lake Processor 3.4GHz 8.0GT/s 6MB LGA 1151 CPU, Retail
GIGABYTE B360M DS3H LGA1151/ Intel B360/ DDR4/ SATA3&USB3.1/ M.2/ A&GbE/ MicroATX Motherboard
Antec Basiq VP-450 450W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 10 Home Operating System 64-bit English (1-Pack), OEM

If you want to run Steel Division 2, I'd add at least a $250 graphics card (such as a GTX 1060).

If you want a GTX 1070, that is $450.

I'd go for just $100 1080p monitor (such as a $100 Sceptre E248W).

[fudgums]

I appreciate it fellas, working on putting some things together and posting later.

Few questions.

Minimum of 12GB Ram(especially for Steel Division) or is that too much?

GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 is not as good as a GTX 1060 or 1070 right?

Should I get an HDD?(What is an HDD)

What's a fine line to work to between not over spending and being obsolete in a few years and spending enough to be competitive for five or more?

[Spikes]

8GB is pretty much the standard for RAM now...it's enough to power through pretty much anything, but if an upgrade to 16GB is available and you can swing it it'll never hurt.

The 670 is a few generations old so definitely go with a 1070 or a 1060 if you can (make sure the 1060 is a 6GB version, they come in 3 and 6).

A system like you're talking will be good for quite a while. I still use a GTX 970 which is now over 4 years old and doesn't struggle with any game I play.

SSD vs HDD is solid state drive versus a platter disk. Solid state is great for Windows and games that require a lot of loading (such as DCS). They use flash memory and have no mechanical parts in them. Hard drives are your typical platter drive and are generally slower, but are cheaper for more space. Generally people these days will get an SSD in the 120-500gb range and have a separate "storage" hard drive (since many games these days are huge (50gb+), a drive like that helps).

Building your own used to be much cheaper but companies that build them have gotten more competitive over recent years, so depending on the deal you get it could be a wash.

[Bizman]

I'm looking more at your interest into Steel Division since it's requires more than AH.

That said, 16 GB isn't overkill and the price of RAM isn't too high so that's what I'd take. Often the upper mid speed range RAM is the cheapest.

You're right in that the GTX 670 is weaker than 1060. As you may have learned, the "hundreds" (also as in "ten/twenty hundreds") tell the generation and the "tens" the relative performance level in that generation. Based on benchmarks, the 670 is on par with 760 and 950 and 1050 Ti so every card past those is an improvement. As a medium budget card the GTX 1660 (Ti) looks interesting for your needs! Just learned they exist!

Spikes said almost everything about HDD's and SSD's. One thing to add is that a HDD suits better for AH because of the way SSD's handle updates. But as he said, having a fast SSD for Windows and some games and a HDD for storage and some other games is a valid option. The prices of smaller SSD's have come down quite a lot. 

[2bighorn]

Intel Core i5-7500 Kaby Lake Processor 3.4GHz 8.0GT/s 6MB LGA 1151 CPU, Retail
GIGABYTE B360M DS3H LGA1151/ Intel B360/ DDR4/ SATA3&USB3.1/ M.2/ A&GbE/

Word of caution. Intel 300 series chipsets are not backward compatible with Kaby Lake (and earlier) CPUs. Neither are Coffee Lake CPUs compatible with 200 series chipsets.

Out of the box, 300 series motherboards are compatible with 8th gen (Coffee Lake) CPUs. In many cases BIOS update is required for 9th gen CPUs.

[fudgums]

8GB is pretty much the standard for RAM now...it's enough to power through pretty much anything, but if an upgrade to 16GB is available and you can swing it it'll never hurt.

The 670 is a few generations old so definitely go with a 1070 or a 1060 if you can (make sure the 1060 is a 6GB version, they come in 3 and 6).

A system like you're talking will be good for quite a while. I still use a GTX 970 which is now over 4 years old and doesn't struggle with any game I play.

SSD vs HDD is solid state drive versus a platter disk. Solid state is great for Windows and games that require a lot of loading (such as DCS). They use flash memory and have no mechanical parts in them. Hard drives are your typical platter drive and are generally slower, but are cheaper for more space. Generally people these days will get an SSD in the 120-500gb range and have a separate "storage" hard drive (since many games these days are huge (50gb+), a drive like that helps).

Building your own used to be much cheaper but companies that build them have gotten more competitive over recent years, so depending on the deal you get it could be a wash.

So with the SSD, I could get one and go a little lighter on the HD? Might try to swing a 16GB Ram, would I just buy two 2 8G ones?

PS what's up man? lol

I'm looking more at your interest into Steel Division since it's requires more than AH.

That said, 16 GB isn't overkill and the price of RAM isn't too high so that's what I'd take. Often the upper mid speed range RAM is the cheapest.

You're right in that the GTX 670 is weaker than 1060. As you may have learned, the "hundreds" (also as in "ten/twenty hundreds") tell the generation and the "tens" the relative performance level in that generation. Based on benchmarks, the 670 is on par with 760 and 950 and 1050 Ti so every card past those is an improvement. As a medium budget card the GTX 1660 (Ti) looks interesting for your needs! Just learned they exist!

Spikes said almost everything about HDD's and SSD's. One thing to add is that a HDD suits better for AH because of the way SSD's handle updates. But as he said, having a fast SSD for Windows and some games and a HDD for storage and some other games is a valid option. The prices of smaller SSD's have come down quite a lot. 

So while the 1060 is legit, the 1660 is nearly the same one? I might've missed understood that.

[guncrasher]

no need to buy a case, he already has one. some other components might be usable.  didnt see which ps he has but it might still work.


semp