Any recommendations for next comp to run Empire on

[JeromeBaker]

Hey Guys,

I am no longer that up to date with computers. I am going to get a new computer (its way over due) to run Empire on. Any recommendations on some of the parts I should get for it? I want to be able to run the game on high settings. Your advice would be greatly appreciated, as I dont want to buy a new machine that wont run the game well. I would like to be as conservative as possible in price.

Thanks

[Sir Beane]

Hey Guys,

I am no longer that up to date with computers. I am going to get a new computer (its way over due) to run Empire on. Any recommendations on some of the parts I should get for it? I want to be able to run the game on high settings. Your advice would be greatly appreciated, as I dont want to buy a new machine that wont run the game well. I would like to be as conservative as possible in price.

Thanks

It really depends on how much money you are willing to spend. What sort of price range do you want to look at? Do you want to buy a whole machine or build your own from parts? The more specific you are the better chance we have of finding the best deals :2thumbsup:. It might also help to say what country you are in, since certain stores are unavailable in certain areas.

[Hollerbach]

You might also want to wait to see how people go once they get the full game, at the moment it would all be guess work from the specs provided by CA, rather than real world experience.

[Skott]

Hollerbach makes a very good point and worth listening to. Of course if you want to make absolutley sure just buy the biggest fastest badass cpu (and a decent mobo to handle it) and video card on the market and add 2Gb-4Gb of RAM and you'll most likely never have to worry about it or any ETW expansion packs. :laugh4:

[JeromeBaker]

Thanks for your replies. I am looking to cap spending at 1200 or so (which I know isnt going to get the biggest and baddest). I live in Virginia Beach, VA and in terms of building the computer by parts or getting one whole, I am open to both. I assume most people will say you need at least 1500 to get a comp to play Empire on the highest setting. I agree with you Hollaback about waiting til the full version comes out, but considering how much I loved RTW and M2TW I dont know if I can manage to wait till after the game to get a computer and play it. Like most of you, i have been salivating since original buzz came out for the game.

(I am leaning towards building it by parts since I already have a computer at home that I can use some scraps from like the case, ram, power converter box, cables, and my CDrom while old seems to be working fine - i also will reuse my monitor)

[Hollerbach]

I guess you will have to decide whether to run XP or Vista. XP will be cheaper to buy (unless you get either for free... somehow...) and uses less RAM so you have more to spare to run ETW (min specs for XP and 1GB RAM but 2GB for Vista). On the other hand we don't yet know how well optimised the game will be for different gfx cards with XP and Vista. Possibly Vista will run it much better for a given card due to the optimisation that might really on some Vista trick that XP doesn't support. This may mean that what you save on the gfx card makes up for the money you spend on RAM.

It's all speculation though at this point of course. As other have said, maybe your best bet will be to go for a fast dual-core CPU, a mobo that can handle it, 2-3GB of RAM then the best gfx card you can buy with the money left over in your budget.

[Beskar]

Admittedly, I can't help, but on a good side. I bought a computer a year ago for £1000 and it is able to run the Demo on ultra high without any flaws. So you should be able to get a good machine if you build it yourself (like I did) or using a good supplier.

[Sir Beane]

My new machine cost £800 (with a widescreen monitor) and can run the game on ultra-high. If you bought the parts and built it yourself you could build quite a good machine for less than 1200.

[Beskar]

As an added note, get 4gigs of RAM at least. You can get very good quality for $40, which is nothing in terms of your budget.

[quadalpha]

You could go for a barebones system and add components, sort of half way between buying one and building one. The latest advice on cutting edge graphics cards seems to be "wait six months", but you can take a look here for ideas: http://internetgames.about.com/od/hardware/tp/tpvideocards.htm

[Elmar Bijlsma]

I won't go so far as to suggest particular items as you may want to mix and match in line with your budget and availability.
But as general guideline I'd recommend a good dual core CPU over a quad core. XP OS and a mid range nvidia GPU (driver stability advantage over ATI) and don't be stingy on the RAM. 4 gig is more then sufficient but get the fastest your budget allows for. Get a good mid range motherboard but don't opt for an onboard sound card unless you really must.

[NagatsukaShumi]

I have just got a new one for around 1300 pounds, so you can get reasonable enough packages for lowish prices these days.

Mine has (or it will when it arrives) 6GB RAM, Intel i7 920, 1GB Video Card and 1TB of memory and has cost a reasonable price, try going somewhere you can customise your options, I've found they tend to work out cheaper and have the added bonus that you can choose what you want to have.

Only tip I have is, get Vista 64-Bit purely because you can then add more to it and have it work.

Try posting in the Hardware forum here, Lemur helped me out greatly.

[JeromeBaker]

Thanks for everyone's advice. I ended up getting:


• Total Processor Support: 1
• Processor: 1 x AMD Opteron 1218 Dual Core 2.6GHz
• Processor Technology: AMD PowerNow! Technology
• Bus Speed: 1000MHz
• Chipset: AMD 690G
• Standard Memory: 2GB
• Maximum Memory: 4GB
• Memory Technology: DDR2 SDRAM
• Memory Standard: DDR2-667/PC2-5300
• Hard Drive: 1 x 160GB Serial ATA/300 7200 rpm
• Optical Drive: DVD-Writer (Double-layer) - DVD-RAM/±R/±RW (Serial ATA)
• Controller: Quad-channel Serial ATA/300 PCI Integrated RAID Controller supporting 0, 1 RAID Level
• Graphics Controller: nVIDIA Quadro NVS 290 256MB DDR2 SDRAM PCI Express x16
• Network: Broadcom Netxtreme 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.3ab PCI Express x1 Integrated
• Ports: 1 x 59-pin DMS-59 Display
• Operating System: Windows Vista Business
• Color: Alloy Metallic
• Case Style: Convertible Mini-tower
• Dimensions: 17.7" Height x 6.6" Width x 17.9" Depth, 17.7" Height x 6.6" Width x 17.9" Depth
( Do you guys think this will run the game pretty well??)
It was pretty cost effective (well under 1000 bucks). + When I upgrade to windows 7 in september I will add some more ram, up the sound card, and then put in a step up graphics card to a 512 one and they should have come down in price by then.

I should get this on the 3rd and get the game on the 4th... my wife is going to kill me when i dissapear for the first few weeks at night to my 'home office' to play Empire.

[Haudegen]

• Graphics Controller: nVIDIA Quadro NVS 290 256MB DDR2 SDRAM PCI Express x16
( Do you guys think this will run the game pretty well??)


Hmm, the Quadro is great if you´re doing CAD, but Empire will probably run only on minimum settings if at all.

[JeromeBaker]

ouch, well i hope it can at least play it without crashing.

[Marten]

Thanks for everyone's advice. I ended up getting:


• Total Processor Support: 1
• Processor: 1 x AMD Opteron 1218 Dual Core 2.6GHz
• Processor Technology: AMD PowerNow! Technology
• Bus Speed: 1000MHz
• Chipset: AMD 690G
• Standard Memory: 2GB
• Maximum Memory: 4GB
• Memory Technology: DDR2 SDRAM
• Memory Standard: DDR2-667/PC2-5300
• Hard Drive: 1 x 160GB Serial ATA/300 7200 rpm
• Optical Drive: DVD-Writer (Double-layer) - DVD-RAM/±R/±RW (Serial ATA)
• Controller: Quad-channel Serial ATA/300 PCI Integrated RAID Controller supporting 0, 1 RAID Level
• Graphics Controller: nVIDIA Quadro NVS 290 256MB DDR2 SDRAM PCI Express x16
• Network: Broadcom Netxtreme 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.3ab PCI Express x1 Integrated
• Ports: 1 x 59-pin DMS-59 Display
• Operating System: Windows Vista Business
• Color: Alloy Metallic
• Case Style: Convertible Mini-tower
• Dimensions: 17.7" Height x 6.6" Width x 17.9" Depth, 17.7" Height x 6.6" Width x 17.9" Depth
( Do you guys think this will run the game pretty well??)
It was pretty cost effective (well under 1000 bucks). + When I upgrade to windows 7 in september I will add some more ram, up the sound card, and then put in a step up graphics card to a 512 one and they should have come down in price by then.

I should get this on the 3rd and get the game on the 4th... my wife is going to kill me when i dissapear for the first few weeks at night to my 'home office' to play Empire.

Under 1000 bucks? How much "under 1000 bucks"? And what are bucks? You mean US dollars?

Excuse me Jerome, but i wouldn't buy it. You buy a new system and it is outdated on the first day and it is not even cheap.

For 299,00 EUR you get here a E7400 Dual Core, 320 GB Harddrive, 2 GB RAM, Asus P5 MB, DVD-Writer and Gforce 7100 (not the best graphics card for sure). And if you change the graphics card to a 9600 GT (90,00 EUR) you'll get a good system for "Homeoffice" and ETW (will do it on "high" i guess). And this for roundabout 400,00 EUR -> 520,00 $? :yes:

[JeromeBaker]

Once again, thanks for the advise, but maybe I need to explain something. When I say this computer is less than 1000, for me it is actually free because my company is getting it to replace my last home work computer which crashed.(Company always pays more than they should for computers but they do so because our IT people do a great job) If I made the computer any more 'gaming' oriented, it might start to raise eyebrows by the people paying for it. So what would you recommend I upgrade on it using my own money once I get it? I think the processor should be fine and the 2 Gig of ram is maxed out until I get Windows 7 in september and upgrade the ram to 4. The only thing that really is lagging is the graphics card I beleive(let me know if I am wrong on this). I know I can get the 512 version of the NVidia graphics card for a hundred to two hundred dollars. If I got a better graphics card would this system be ok?

Thnx

[Fridgebadger]

Sorry if I sound like a shill for Dell, but if anyone's looking for a new high powered machine and don't want to pay full price, I got my new machine from the Dell Outlet website (http://www.dell.co.uk/outlet - and I think there's an equivalent in the US). It's where they sell all their returns, misorders etc, and while you have to be quick (it's first come, first served, so the best machines might only be on offer for half an hour or so before they're snapped up), you can get some real bargains. My machine cost 1500 incl Vat, and when I priced the machine on the normal Dell site it added up to around three grand. It runs the demo on everything Ultra and max AA etc.

[Veho Nex]

Well I dont know if you're still willing to buy a computer for $1200. But I had recently built a computer for a friend of mine that came out to about 1100 without the monitor. If you'd like the specs I'd be more that happy to send them to you.

[Haudegen]

Once again, thanks for the advise, but maybe I need to explain something. When I say this computer is less than 1000, for me it is actually free because my company is getting it to replace my last home work computer which crashed.(Company always pays more than they should for computers but they do so because our IT people do a great job) If I made the computer any more 'gaming' oriented, it might start to raise eyebrows by the people paying for it. So what would you recommend I upgrade on it using my own money once I get it? I think the processor should be fine and the 2 Gig of ram is maxed out until I get Windows 7 in september and upgrade the ram to 4. The only thing that really is lagging is the graphics card I beleive(let me know if I am wrong on this). I know I can get the 512 version of the NVidia graphics card for a hundred to two hundred dollars. If I got a better graphics card would this system be ok?

Thnx

Hmm, from your list above I can´t see what kind of motherboard you have. But if you´re lucky, it comes with a second PCI Express Slot. In this case, if I were you, I´d simply buy another graphics card (from my own money) that is better suited for gaming purposes (a GF 9800 for example). :beam:

[Marten]

Once again, thanks for the advise, but maybe I need to explain something. When I say this computer is less than 1000, for me it is actually free because my company is getting it to replace my last home work computer which crashed.(Company always pays more than they should for computers but they do so because our IT people do a great job) If I made the computer any more 'gaming' oriented, it might start to raise eyebrows by the people paying for it. So what would you recommend I upgrade on it using my own money once I get it? I think the processor should be fine and the 2 Gig of ram is maxed out until I get Windows 7 in september and upgrade the ram to 4. The only thing that really is lagging is the graphics card I beleive(let me know if I am wrong on this). I know I can get the 512 version of the NVidia graphics card for a hundred to two hundred dollars. If I got a better graphics card would this system be ok?

Thnx

Now i understand. I had the opportunity to choose my next laptop a while ago. I marked a very fast and expensive one ... the only answer i got from our IT was: "Our network doesn't support COD4" :beam: But i finally got it 2 weeks later.

With a better card like the GF 9600 it should run ETW on Medium / High (Customized) fine. I don't think the PSO in this PC will be able to deal with a 9800 or higher. Imho the 9600 is a nice compromise. Don't forget: You need 15 GB (unpacked maybe much more) on your Hard Drive! ~;)


Marten

[JeromeBaker]

Is the GF 512 a better option than the Nvidia 512 card? I didnt know if Empire's makers put out which works best with the game?

[JeromeBaker]

Sorry what I meant to ask was the Gforce 512 card better than the quadro 512 card.

[Martok]

Moved to the Hardware/Software forum.

[Haudegen]

Depends.

The Quadro is optimized for CAD and stuff. This card simply isn´t made for gaming. Look here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd285359.aspx

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you´ll find a list of benchmark results of the Quadro. It shows that the Quadro is even weaker than, for example, a GF 8400 GS when it comes to 3d games. And even a GF 8400 GS would be a terrible choice for a brand new gaming PC by todays´ standards. :shame:

Therefore: From a gamer´s perspective, you´ll want a Geforce 9600 or better, like Marten said. All of these cards have at least 512 MB video RAM, some have 1 GB. But the amount of video RAM doesn´t mean a lot by itself. More important are the quality of the GPU (Quadro < GF 8400 GS < GF 9600 < GF9800) and the quality of the video RAM (DDR2 < DDR3 < DDR5).

[Fridgebadger]

I've got a Quadro FX 4600 with 768MB and I'm running the demo on all ultra settings, with AA etc up to max. Haven't checked the fps, but it looks perfectly smooth. It runs other 3d games (like Far Cry 2) fine as well.

It comes with a dual quad core Xeon E5420 @ 2.5GHz and 4 gig of ram. I'm not arguing that it's a better card for gaming than the others you've mentioned, just that it seems to run Empire fine.

[Haudegen]

I've got a Quadro FX 4600 with 768MB and I'm running the demo on all ultra settings, with AA etc up to max. Haven't checked the fps, but it looks perfectly smooth. It runs other 3d games (like Far Cry 2) fine as well.

It comes with a dual quad core Xeon E5420 @ 2.5GHz and 4 gig of ram. I'm not arguing that it's a better card for gaming than the others you've mentioned, just that it seems to run Empire fine.

Alright, but a graphics card that costs easily more than € 1000 should excel in every aspect. :yes:

But the OP here has a Quadro NVS 290 that is sold for a modest price of € 120.

[Fridgebadger]

Ah yes, but if you see my earlier post, you'll see I got the whole lot from Dell Outlet - so the whole machine cost less than 1,500! :)

[ljperreira]

I built my own computer with parts from newegg.com

I have an Intel E8400 (3.0GHz) processor and GeForce 8800 GT (512MB) vid. card, and I was able to run the Demo on "Ultra" (I used the auto button) with no problems in frame rate or anything else.

[ICantSpellDawg]

What do you guys think of this?

[SPOIL][
*BASE_PRICE: [+539]
CAS: Hot !!! Apevia X-Telstar Junior 420W Case w/ Temp Display and Fan Control (G Type Black Color with Side-Window)
CASUPGRADE: NONE
CS_FAN: Extra Case Cooling Fan [+3] (2 x Fans [+3])
CPU: AMD Phenom™II X4 810 Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+106]
CD: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER [+27] (BLACK COLOR)
CABLE: None
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
FAN: AMD ATHLON64 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
FREEBIE_RM: None
FLOPPY: 1.44 MB FLOPPY DRIVE (BLACK COLOR)
FREEBIE_OS: FREE! (Microsoft® Flight Simulator X Deluxe) Game
GEAR: Logitech Extreme PC Gaming Headset [+14]
HDD: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+10])
HDD2: NONE
IEEE_CARD: NONE
KEYBOARD: PS2 MULTIMEDIA INTERNET CONTROL KEYBOARD (BLACK COLOR)
MOUSE: Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse (BLACK COLOR)
MODEM: NONE
MULTIVIEW: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
MONITOR: 22" TFT Active Matrix LCD Display [+178] (Generic 22inch WSXGA TFT LCD Display)
MONITOR2: NONE
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS M3A78-T AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard [+79]
MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
NETWORK: Intel Pro Gigabite 10/100/1000 Network Card [+34]
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 [+104] (64-bit Edition)
PRO_WIRING: None
PRINTER: None
PRINTER_CABLE: None
POWERSUPPLY: STANDARD CASE POWER SUPPLY
RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
TEMP: THERMAL TEMPERATURE LCD DISPLAY WITH 3X FAN CONTROLLER [+12] (BLACK COLOR)
TVRC: TV Tuner with FM Stereo + Remote Control (watch and record TV on your PC) [+99]
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
UPS: (Recommended) OPTI-UPS VS575C 575VA/345W Uninterrupt Power Supply [+46]
USBHD: NONE
VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 3850 PCI-E 16X 512MB Video Card [-41] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
VIDEO2: ATI Radeon HD 3850 PCI-E 16X 512MB Video Card [+90] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
VIDEO3: NONE
VIDEOCAMERA: NONE
WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card [+19]
_PRICE: (+1322)
_view_: detai
/SPOIL]

[Lemur]

Don't hitch together two lower-range video cards. Use the money to buy one good one. Also, no PSU beyond the 420W one in the case? Not sure that's wise ...

[ICantSpellDawg]

Don't hitch together two lower-range video cards. Use the money to buy one good one. Also, no PSU beyond the 420W one in the case? Not sure that's wise ...


I've never heard of having 2 power supply's in a case. I'm particulary sensetive here because my power supply crapped out on me in my old pc.

I've been a pc nomad for a while now

[Lemur]

No, not two power supplies, but rather selecting a higher-grade one to replace the generic PSU that comes with the case. I've always done this.

-edit-

P.S.: Is this the least ghetto-fabulous case you could find on the site?


https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Lemurmania/cs-414-108.jpg
Hmm, going through that website's selection of cases for AMD rigs, this looks like the quietest model, and it's not notably more hideous than the one you originally picked:


https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Lemurmania/Wraithpt01.jpg
Oh, wait a minute, I see some of the AMD builds offer the Thermaltake Elements case. That would be an excellent choice, especially if you like quiet.

-edit part deux-

One more thought: Screens are really personal. I would consider buying the screen separately, especially if you can go someplace and look at them first. At the very least, if you cruise around a place like NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=20&name=LCD-Monitors) you can look at the reviews and see what hordes of angry geeks have to say about them. All 22" monitors are not created equal, and it worries me that CybperpowerPC won't say which brands it's carrying.

[Rufus]

I posted this in the Parliament forum; thought I'd post it over here too:

I'm considering a "gaming laptop," since this game just came out and we've been considering a laptop for a while. Would GREATLY appreciate any recommendations among these three available at Best Buy. I assume laptops are something where you get what you pay for, more or less, but if the cheapest one ($750) will run E:TW at high settings, I'd like to go for that.

Toshiba Satellite Laptop $750

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1
Intel® Centrino® Intel® Core™2 Duo Mobile 2.0GHz
WXGA TFT-LCD 15.4" widescreen with TruBrite technology (1280 x 800)
4GB PC6400 DDR2 SDRAM
ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3650 512MB

Asus Laptop $1,000

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Intel® Centrino® 2 Intel® Core™2 Duo Mobile 2.13GHz
WXGA 15.6" widescreen with 1366 x 768 resolution
4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS 512MB GDDR3

Gateway FX Edition Laptop $1,150

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1
Intel® Centrino® 2 Intel® Core™2 Duo Mobile 2.26GHz
WXGA 17" high-definition widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology
4GB DDR3
NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS 1GB GDDR3

Thanks very much for any input!!!

[Callahan9119]

unless you can build your own I would go with the dell xps 630, E8500 cpu.

Love mine, and I got crappy 8800 gt's with mine, way better ones come with it now.

I have that ASUS laptop btw, good luck making this game look good on it.

1,400 will get you a primo 630i

[Furunculus]

Rough Guide on minimum component costs to achieve a good gaming PC:

CPU = £120 (AMD X3 Phenom II)
GPU = £180 (AMD 4870 1GB)
RAM = £60 (4GB DDR2 800)
M/B = £120 (AMD 790GX solid caps)
Mon = £180 (23" 1080p)
rest = £120 (case/psu/dvd)
Total = £780