KSUFans Archives
Fan Life => The Endzone Dive => Topic started by: Pete on August 17, 2009, 10:57:35 AM
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So I am thinking about getting a PC just for playing games, but I don't want to spend too much money.
I see that the Micro Center joint has the stuff to "build your own PC." That sounds dangerous, but seems like a cheper way to get exactly what you want, no?
So here is what I need from you nerds.
1. What do I need if I want to play sweet games on a PC
2. What is the cheapest way to get what I need?
3. Is building your own PC suicide for a dude like me?
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How much are you willing to spend?
You could get most of the stuff cheaper online - but if you are a big spender Microcenter has had the Intel i7 920 for $199 for months :excited:
Building computer is easy though
www.newegg.com
Need: (assuming you aren't going to re-use anything you currently own, which I do a lot)
Monitor
Case
Power Supply
Keyboard/Mouse
Processor
Motherboard
Memory
Hard Drive
Video Card
DVD Burner
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How much are you willing to spend?
You could get most of the stuff cheaper online - but if you are a big spender Microcenter has had the Intel i7 920 for $199 for months :excited:
Building computer is easy though
www.newegg.com
Need: (assuming you aren't going to re-use anything you currently own, which I do a lot)
Monitor
Case
Power Supply
Keyboard/Mouse
Processor
Motherboard
Memory
Hard Drive
Video Card
DVD Burner
Yeah... and an operating system is pretty handy as well.
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How much are you willing to spend?
You could get most of the stuff cheaper online - but if you are a big spender Microcenter has had the Intel i7 920 for $199 for months :excited:
Building computer is easy though
www.newegg.com
Need: (assuming you aren't going to re-use anything you currently own, which I do a lot)
Monitor
Case
Power Supply
Keyboard/Mouse
Processor
Motherboard
Memory
Hard Drive
Video Card
DVD Burner
Yeah... and an operating system is pretty handy as well.
OK, what are the minimum specs I should be looking for on each of these?
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What kind of games do you want to play?
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What kind of games do you want to play?
I like shooters, and have increasingly been interested in the rpg type stuff on xbox...I liked oblivion on xbox. Good graphics stuff I guess.
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What kind of games do you want to play?
I like shooters, and have increasingly been interested in the rpg type stuff on xbox...I liked oblivion on xbox. Good graphics stuff I guess.
So Doom? Duke Nuke 'em? Quake? Castle Wolfenstein?
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What kind of games do you want to play?
I like shooters, and have increasingly been interested in the rpg type stuff on xbox...I liked oblivion on xbox. Good graphics stuff I guess.
So Doom? Duke Nuke 'em? Quake? Castle Wolfenstein?
Not familiar with the latest and greatest that is only out on PC, but on Xbox is Call of Duty and Halo that would be the comparibles.
Found this article, does this seem legit? http://www.yougamers.com/articles/22763_the_2009_guide_to_gaming_pc_specs-page4/
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Lemonade!!
(http://images.macworld.com/appguide/294861983/ss1.jpg)
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What kind of games do you want to play?
hemmy,
what do I need, give me specs?
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First off, we need a budget. Whats your max and what do you want to spend (not always the same)? Also, do you have the monitor you will be using? If so, what is it's max resolution? This helps in identifying what video card you need.
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Lemonade!!
(http://images.macworld.com/appguide/294861983/ss1.jpg)
Don't overstock on lemons and sugar! :ohno:
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Tough to recommend Core 2, since it is being replaced and I don't see many more (if any) CPUs being released for it.
But yes, must know your budget, and anything you may already have.
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Modern Warfare 2 will be a solid choice on PC. I'm really looking forward to Borderlands, and of course Diablo 3 (maybe 2 years...)
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OK the budget...
I would like to stay around $600 if possible, not including monitor.
I'd like to get a nice 22 inchish LCD monitor, nothing bigger than that.
I'd like this thing to last at least 2 years, and be upgradeable for another year or so for games.
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I played WOW for the free ten day trial. Made the short guy who can have guns and got a pet bear that could help me.
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Problem w/ alot of PC games is they are gimped because they were developed for consoles at the same time. See the upcoming wolfenstein game for a perfect example of that.
The CoD series do a really good job though on PC, i'd pick those up.
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$600? Yikes.
If you want to be able to run 1920x1080 on you 22", you're gonna need a better system then what $600 will give you. An i7 will run $200 minimum. Mobo will be $180. Card $150 for high-mid range. $250 for a really good card. Ram $70. Power supply is $80 for a good one (do not skimp on this!). Case can be had for $50. Hard drive is $75. Windows 7 will be $115 (unless you preordered cheap or know someone with an MSDN-AA or Technet subscription). KB/Mouse will be $50-75 for a decent set. Monitor will be $150-200.
Your best bet may be to get a tower off Dell Outlet and throw in a decent card.
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mobo's for i7's are ridic. expensive.
buy a dell or something.
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mobo's for i7's are ridic. expensive.
They've been holding close to $200 for a really long time now. It's craziness.
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I have this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365
Got it for 10 bucks cheaper at the start of summer.
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I have this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365
Got it for 10 bucks cheaper at the start of summer.
See what I mean, Peter? We need to double, possibly triple your budget.
Otherwise, get a 360 and a PS3.
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good lord, he doesn't need an i7.
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good lord, he doesn't need an i7.
This was what I was thinking but I'm not a computer guy and didn't want to get run off the board. :shy:
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If he wants to upgrade (which he said he did), then that's his best bet as the "core" lines are being phased out.
Moving to Core 2 Quad will only save $100 or so. For a socket that's being phased out and a huge power boost, i7 would be the best bet.
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pete,
i have an hp laptop (portable variety) that i got off the compusa website a year ago for just under four hundred. it seems to work great. i think it has vista and i'm pretty sure that i'm running ie 8. not for sure. but pretty sure. hth.
-daris
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good lord, he doesn't need an i7.
what about these specs:
Product Specifications
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
Processor Intel® Core(tm) 2 Quad Processor Q6600
Processor Speed 2.40GHz
Level 2 Cache 8MB Level 2 Cache
Data Bus Speed 1066MHz Frontside Bus
RAM Installed / Max RAM Supported 6GB DDR2-800 RAM (Expandable to 8GB)
Memory Configuration (2) 2GB DIMM Memory Modules; (2) 1GB DIMM Memory Modules
Memory Slots Total 4
Memory Slots Available (0) Available 240-pin DIMM Slots
Hard Drive 500GB 7,200RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive
Multimedia Drive LightScribe SuperMulti DVD Burner
Display Type Display Not Included
Video Card NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS
Video Card Memory Up to 2303MB Total Available Graphics Memory
Sound Card High Definition Audio Chipset
Sound Output Mode 7.1 Channel Surround Sound
Modem/Communications Device 56K Modem
Network Features 10/100/1000 Gigabit Network
Ports and Connectors (1) PS/2 Keyboard Port; (1) PS/2 Mouse Port; (2) Front USB 2.0 "A" Port; (4) Rear USB 2.0 "A" Ports; (2) FireWire IEEE 1394 Ports; (1) RJ-45 Network Port; (1) Headphone Port; (1) Microphone Port; (1) Digital Audio Line In Port; (1) Digital Audio Line Out Port; (1) Rear Speaker Port; (1) Side Speaker-Out Port; (1) Center/Subwoofer Port
Memory Card Reader 15-in-1 Memory Card Reader
Supported Flash Media Smart Media, xD Picture Card, MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, CompactFlash I, CompactFlash II, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, RSMMC, MMC Mobile, MMC+, Mini Secure Digital, IBM MicroDrive
Expansion Bays 2 (1 free) External 5.25" Bays; 1 (0 free) External 3.5" Bay; 2 (1 free) Internal 3.5" Bays
Expansion Slots 1 (0 free) PCI-E x16 Graphic Interface Slot; 2 (2 free) PCI-E x1 Interface; 1 (0 free) 32-bit Bus Mastering PCI Slots
Expandable Drive Bay HP Pocket Media Drive Bay
Manufacturer Warranty 90 Day Limited Warranty
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That video card will not run games on your 22" monitor and would need to be upgraded. You also need to give a price.
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That video card will not run games on your 22" monitor and would need to be upgraded. You also need to give a price.
That was listed as a refurb for $550 at Microcenter. I'd be willing to upgrade the video card substantially.
Below is another one that seems to have the right "guts" but doesn't list a card. It is listed for $489.99. Is there any reason to think I couldn't add a 1MB video card to this one and have it work well for games?
Product Specifications
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Intel® Core(tm) 2 Duo Processor E7400
Processor Speed 2.80GHz
Level 2 Cache 3MB Level 2 Cache
Data Bus Speed 1066MHz Frontside Bus
RAM Installed / Max RAM Supported 6GB DDR2-800 RAM
Hard Drive 750GB 7,200RPM Serial ATA II Hard Drive
Multimedia Drive Double Layer 16x DVD±RW Drive
Display Type Display Not Included
Modem/Communications Device V.92/56K PCI DataFax Modem
Memory Card Reader 19-in-1 Media Card Reader
Input Device USB Keyboard, Optical 2-Button Mouse
Included Software Microsoft Works 9.0, Roxio Creator 10
Manufacturer Warranty 90 Day Limited Warranty
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They list 6 GB, but not that they have Vista 64 bit, which is odd. You need a 64 bit OS for anything over 4 GB. So I assume that's what they mean. Anyways, it would be a fine system.
When it comes to graphics cards, don't judge it by the memory it has. You need to judge it by it's model number. That indicates how fast the GPU is. Another thing to watch out for is the higher end cards have a much higher power cooling system on it, so they are thicker. Look up reviews or call and ask if the computer will accept a double slot video card, and if the power supply in the computer can handle it.
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They list 6 GB, but not that they have Vista 64 bit, which is odd. You need a 64 bit OS for anything over 4 GB. So I assume that's what they mean. Anyways, it would be a fine system.
When it comes to graphics cards, don't judge it by the memory it has. You need to judge it by it's model number. That indicates how fast the GPU is. Another thing to watch out for is the higher end cards have a much higher power cooling system on it, so they are thicker. Look up reviews or call and ask if the computer will accept a double slot video card, and if the power supply in the computer can handle it.
Excellent tips. Much appreciated.
One more thing to consider...would I be better off just paying $829 for this new one below...would it need a video card upgrade immediately as well?
Product Specifications
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Intel® Core(tm) i7 Quad Processor 920
Processor Speed 2.66GHz
Level 2 Cache 8MB Level 2 Cache
Data Bus Speed 4800 MT/S
RAM Installed / Max RAM Supported 6GB Tri Channel DDR3-1066 SDRAM
Hard Drive 640GB 7,200RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive
Multimedia Drive DVDRW Drive with Double Layer Write Capability
Display Type Display Not Included
Video Card ATI Radeon HD 4670
Video Card Memory 512MB Video Memory
Sound Card High Definition Audio Chipset
Sound Output Mode 7.1 Channel Surround Sound
Network Features 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Network
Input Device USB Multimedia Keyboard, Premium Laser Mouse
Included Software McAfee SecurityCenter 30-Day Trial, Microsoft® Works, Roxio Creator 10 Dell Edition, Adobe® Reader 9
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year Limited Warranty
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That one will play most stuff Pete. Unless you are going to want to play cysis or something it will do well.
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The 4670 is a midrange card I believe, so it will run alright, but not great for a 22".
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That one will play most stuff Pete. Unless you are going to want to play cysis or something it will do well.
Is that a game I should want to play? I mean, crap, I don't want to be limited in what I can play.
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That one will play most stuff Pete. Unless you are going to want to play cysis or something it will do well.
Is that a game I should want to play? I mean, crap, I don't want to be limited in what I can play.
meh, it's one of those shooty games you like so maybe. I don't think it's known as that fun of a game though. It's just, like, the most taxing to graphics cards or something. When people talk about their computer set-up they use what settings on crysis they can play as a gauge of their computer's good'ness or something.
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Crysis is an ok game, not much replay value and a poor multiplayer aspect though
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Also, the AMD Phenom II chips really are pretty good now. The original Phenom line sucked a lot, but the newer stuff is much better, and affordable.
Also also - you could wait until Intel releases their Core i5 line - similar to Core i7, but cheaper versions, dual instead of triple channel memory, etc
The i7 920 is pretty much the cheapest i7 CPU you will ever find, Intel has no plans to make cheap CPUs for it.
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The i7 920 is pretty much the cheapest i7 CPU you will ever find, Intel has no plans to make cheap CPUs for it.
What do you mean by this?
Would it be a bad thing to get a PC with an i7 920?
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Would it be a bad thing to get a PC with an i7 920?
No, they are good.
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The i7 920 is pretty much the cheapest i7 CPU you will ever find, Intel has no plans to make cheap CPUs for it.
What do you mean by this?
Would it be a bad thing to get a PC with an i7 920?
It depends if you can accept the fact that, unless you buy one used, there will likely never be any extremely cheap upgrade paths. The Core i7/X58 platform is an enthusiast line, and priced as such. That is the rumor at least. Intel has never come out and flat said it, but many have speculated that unlike the Core 2 line, which was all on Socket 775, the enthusiast products and the mainstream products will be on different motherboard sockets. (Core i7/Core i5)
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The i7 920 is pretty much the cheapest i7 CPU you will ever find, Intel has no plans to make cheap CPUs for it.
What do you mean by this?
Would it be a bad thing to get a PC with an i7 920?
It depends if you can accept the fact that, unless you buy one used, there will likely never be any extremely cheap upgrade paths. The Core i7/X58 platform is an enthusiast line, and priced as such. That is the rumor at least. Intel has never come out and flat said it, but many have speculated that unlike the Core 2 line, which was all on Socket 775, the enthusiast products and the mainstream products will be on different motherboard sockets. (Core i7/Core i5)
I see.
So, if I understand this correctly if I went with the one with these specs....
Processor Intel® Core(tm) 2 Quad Processor Q6600
Processor Speed 2.40GHz
Level 2 Cache 8MB Level 2 Cache
Data Bus Speed 1066MHz Frontside Bus
...then I may actually have a better chance of keeping the PC relevant for longer because I'd have greater odds of being able to upgrade the processor at a later date. What about the motherboard/bus, would that always be a bottleneck anyway and thus limit the "upgrade-ability" of the Core 2?
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Honestly, that CPU will remain pretty good for a while. I'd worry about SLi slots for upgradability as well as ram slots (don't get a mobo that maxes out at 4 or 6 GB).
In all honesty, the biggest thing you may want to wait for that would hinder your upgradability would be USB 3.0. No idea when it will be released though.
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I have a Q6600 sitting in my closet going unused if you wanna take it off my hands :whistle1:
Also, what I was saying was actually the exact opposite. Core 2 CPUs have no viable long term upgrade path. Core i7 does, just they aren't cheap.
Core i5 will replace mainstream Core 2 CPUs
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So, if money were no object and I just wanted to get a computer that is better than Pete's in order to clown on him in social settings, what would I need to get?
TIA
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So, if money were no object and I just wanted to get a computer that is better than Pete's in order to clown on him in social settings, what would I need to get?
TIA
Google "Cray".
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So Bing.com has a cash back feature for certain websites. Tigerdirect.com is up to 12% off. So if you got something like http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4831089&CatId=2630 this, it would be $649.99 - $81.25 Cash Back = $568.74. Throw in http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4369731&Sku=E145-0264 for $159.99-$24 CB = $135 and it's a pretty good deal. You'd be only $100 over budget, due to saving $100 from cashback. It's not an i7, but it's closer to your price range.
To get the cashback to work, go to bing.com, search for "tiger direct" and an ad should say you're able to save 12.5% or whatever on the top. click on it and it will redirect you to TD and anything you get will qualify for CB and will be emailed to you. Sometimes I had to wait a month or so to get it back, but i get it directly to my paypal account. They can also mail you a check.
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So Bing.com has a cash back feature for certain websites. Tigerdirect.com is up to 12% off. So if you got something like http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4831089&CatId=2630 this, it would be $649.99 - $81.25 Cash Back = $568.74. Throw in http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4369731&Sku=E145-0264 for $159.99-$24 CB = $135 and it's a pretty good deal. You'd be only $100 over budget, due to saving $100 from cashback. It's not an i7, but it's closer to your price range.
To get the cashback to work, go to bing.com, search for "tiger direct" and an ad should say you're able to save 12.5% or whatever on the top. click on it and it will redirect you to TD and anything you get will qualify for CB and will be emailed to you. Sometimes I had to wait a month or so to get it back, but i get it directly to my paypal account. They can also mail you a check.
That's a lot of computer for that amount of money
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So Bing.com has a cash back feature for certain websites. Tigerdirect.com is up to 12% off. So if you got something like http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4831089&CatId=2630 this, it would be $649.99 - $81.25 Cash Back = $568.74. Throw in http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4369731&Sku=E145-0264 for $159.99-$24 CB = $135 and it's a pretty good deal. You'd be only $100 over budget, due to saving $100 from cashback. It's not an i7, but it's closer to your price range.
To get the cashback to work, go to bing.com, search for "tiger direct" and an ad should say you're able to save 12.5% or whatever on the top. click on it and it will redirect you to TD and anything you get will qualify for CB and will be emailed to you. Sometimes I had to wait a month or so to get it back, but i get it directly to my paypal account. They can also mail you a check.
You would have to get a power supply if you wanted to use that video card. The one that comes with it is crap.
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http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5078737
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No operating system, but gives you a good idea what good bargain parts can be had.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/dream_machine (http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/dream_machine)
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Still trying to max this thing out
(http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/6941/cpuzy.jpg)
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A note- the bing.com cashback i described above now marks HP.com as 25% off. That's a crazy deal. Just search for "HP" and click on the ad up top.
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Just installed Windows 7 Pro RTM, highly recommended. :thumbsup: