Update to M2TW...

[edyzmedieval]

I want an update for my decent-to-powerful computer, but I have many questions before i buy something. And it's related to RAM.

Current specs:

Intel Pentium IV 3.0 GHZ with HT
512MB DDR2 RAM
250GB HDD
ATI Radeon X700 256MB PCI Express 16x
DVD-RW
ASUS 17"

Everything nice and clear so far. Also, it has a big potential for upgrading, such as 4 slots for RAM sticks and L2 cache 2MB.
My upgrade is this: 4x512MB DDR2 RAM sticks & a new 512MB video card.
Enough cash to spend on, got the cash ready.

I found 2 Corsair packs with 2x512MB DDR2 RAM in them, at about 150 euros per pack. They are PC6400. Problem is, I checked with CPU-Z and my current RAM stick is PC4300. If I replace the PC4300 with the PC6400, will it have any effect?

Second, I found a nice video card, 512MB at about 650 euros(kinda expensive...). It's a GeCube ATI Radeon X1900XTX. Is it worth the money for my computer power?

Thanks.

[Lemur]

I would think long and hard before buying a computer based around a Pentium IV, especially seeing as there are two CPU architectures on the market that are much faster and more energy-efficient. A mid-to-low-end AMD64 or Core2Duo will leave you with a much clearer upgrade path.

I would avoid the XTX, since the XT is the same card at a slightly lower clock and half the price. And since you can overclock the XT from the control panel. Oh, but if you go with one of those two cards, set aside twenty bucks to replace the cooler with something quiet. I've had nothing but joy from my Accelero X2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835186002).

[doc_bean]

Don't buy that card at that price. A GeForce 7950 GT or an X1900XT should go around 300€, almost as good, less than half the cost.

If you want to spend that much on a videocard, you might consider getting an 8800 ? It's priced at 629€ in my local computer store.

Seriously, look for a cheaper store, I thought everything was supposed to be cheaper in eastern Europe !

[edyzmedieval]

Don't buy that card at that price. A GeForce 7950 GT or an X1900XT should go around 300€, almost as good, less than half the cost.

If you want to spend that much on a videocard, you might consider getting an 8800 ? It's priced at 629€ in my local computer store.

Seriously, look for a cheaper store, I thought everything was supposed to be cheaper in eastern Europe !

Hehe. I found a 7900GTX at 500 euros, which is basically twice the power and less expensive. Weird. :inquisitive:
If I wanted to buy a new proc, I would buy a Conroe. But it's too expensive. 800-900 euros. :thumbsdown:

Can my Intel Pentium IV support a 7900GTX with 2GB RAM?
I ordered Corsair PC6400 4x512 DDR2 sticks.

[Beirut]

Curious why you would buy 4x512 RAM. 2x1024 uses less slots and leaves more room to grow.

Also, and one of our smarter-than-me members may tell me if I'm right, but isn't a single strip of 1024 at least a wee bit faster than 2x512?

[DukeofSerbia]

How prices are so high in Romania... I can't believe...

Radeon X1900XT is strong enough. Best is HIS model with IceQ3 cooling system.

[edyzmedieval]

Curious why you would buy 4x512 RAM. 2x1024 uses less slots and leaves more room to grow.

Also, and one of our smarter-than-me members may tell me if I'm right, but isn't a single strip of 1024 at least a wee bit faster than 2x512?

Never knew it was faster really. :skull:

I can cancel my order anytime, but I didn't find any Corsair 1GB sticks. How good is Kingston?

[Beirut]

Never knew it was faster really. :skull:

I can cancel my order anytime, but I didn't find any Corsair 1GB sticks. How good is Kingston?

I'm not sure it's faster, but I would think it is faster. One stick of 1024 megs of intergrated RAM must be a bit quicker than two sticks of 512 that have to work together.

Kinston RAM is just fine. Works for me anyway.

*An interesting RAM article at tomshardware.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/13/how_much_ram_do_you_really_need/

[edyzmedieval]

The thing is, I bought PC6400 Corsairs. My ASUS P5GD2-X might not support.
True or false? :help:

[Beirut]

Does this help?

http://www.corsairmemory.com/corsair/configurator_search.html

[edyzmedieval]

Excellent link. :2thumbsup:

Long live Beirut!!

[Geezer57]

Here in the US, the x1950XT 256mb cards have become available at very reasonable prices. One example here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102067

These can be easily overclocked to x1950XTX speeds, the only thing they lack is the extra RAM. How high a resolution does your current monitor support?

By all means, consider an aftermarket cooler for your GPU.

On the other topic, some motherboards don't allow as low a latency with four memory sticks installed, compared to just two. You're usually better off opting for 2x1gig sticks rather than 4x512meg sticks. Some models of motherboard have newer BIOS revisions that eliminate this issue, others do not.

[edyzmedieval]

So I will soon order the PC5400 since 1GB kits are not available.
Also, I have to persuade my dad for the following upgrades, and I'm very close anyhow. Components:

ASUS nVidia 7900GTX 512MB
Intel Dual Core E6700 2.67GHZ, 4MB L2 cache
MSI 975X Platinum Motherboard LGA775 socket(will support everything I buy... ) - fresh on the market

Any thoughts about these?

[Geezer57]

Unless you're going to go all the way up to the x6800 Extreme Edition (which is unlocked), I'd spend less money on the processor (i.e., downgrade to an e6600 or e6400, saving approx. $200 or $300) and more on the graphics card or cards. This is a gaming rig, right?

[edyzmedieval]

Unless you're going to go all the way up to the x6800 Extreme Edition (which is unlocked), I'd spend less money on the processor (i.e., downgrade to an e6600 or e6400, saving approx. $200 or $300) and more on the graphics card or cards. This is a gaming rig, right?

Extreme gaming rig. ~;)

I want a powerful processor + a powerful graphics card that can run M2TW maxxed out and possibly UT2007 on high settings...

I hope I can take a E6800 Extreme Edition... A E6600 is cheaper with 250 euros(350 dollars) than a E6700. So, I'll prolly be taking the E6600.

As for the mobo, is it good enough?

[AussieGiant]

Hi edyzmedieval,

Just make sure you DO NOT buy a 7950GX2 at the moment.

I am having problems with performance right now.

Stick with anything else but this card.

[doc_bean]

I think the motherboard might have problems running Linux (the 965 types do) but i don't think that will concern you.

[edyzmedieval]

I'm not that geeky about software creating and editing, so I won't use Linux. Although I love chats about programming languages...

[Beirut]

Hi edyzmedieval,

Just make sure you DO NOT buy a 7950GX2 at the moment.

I am having problems with performance right now.

Stick with anything else but this card.

That's a very high-end card. What problems are you having?

[Geezer57]

Extreme gaming rig. ~;)
<STUFF DELETED>
As for the mobo, is it good enough?
The 975x has been the top choice for the Core 2 Duo, but doesn't support SLI (only CrossFire) for NVidia graphics cards. Lately the NForce 680i chipset has been released, so there's another option for gaming fans. One such motherboard can be viewed here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188009

The MSI board you listed is considered fairly solid and stable, but a bit "quirky" when overclocking. Most enthusiasts seem to prefer the equivalent ASUS offerings, but all that is rapidly changing as new chipsets are appearing.

[Husar]

There should be some way cheaper NForce 6 series chips coming soon though, I don't think everyone needs a >200$ board.~;)

[edyzmedieval]

So, I received the funds to make me a serious upgrade.
Here's my final list.

ASUS P5NSLI nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition
INTEL CORE2 DUO E6600
2xCorsair DDR2 PC5400 2x512MB (couldn't find 1GB sticks... I found one, but I don't know how reliable it is)
ASUS EN7900GTX 512MB

Any comments?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

OK I found this site where you can configure your own pc. I have between 800 and 1000 dollars to spend. Can anyone configure what I need here? Id like to use an intel e6400.

http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=119

Also are these prices good?

[Proletariat]

IIRC, Gawain, that's the site Lemur swears by, and I think somehow related (the websites and configurators are near identical) to cyberpower.com, where I bought my last gaming computer. It's held up nicely and I've had no real complaints, but the customer service has been fairly useless.

Anyways, do you need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc for your setup, or just the comp itself?

[Lemur]

I wouldn't swear by it, but I bought my last rig from them. It came in one piece, with a decent wiring job, and most of the parts were where they should be. Admittedly, the sound card came in a plastic bag, and I needed to install it myself, but that's not really a big complaint.

I know two other people who bought PCs from ibuypower, and none of them had any complaints either. Your mileage may vary. Can't beat 'em for price, and they carry some nice parts.

[edit]

Gawain, I put together a nice gaming rig for $984 on the site -- see if this link (http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/Store/Configurator.aspx?mid=119&c=777708) works. If not, I'll post the specs in text form.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Anyways, do you need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc for your setup, or just the comp itself?


Just the pc

Im thinking of going with this one for 1129

Upgrades are the e6400

Dolby surround card

and Intel pro network card


Is it worth 50 bucks for the 500 watt power supply?

Gamer EX
Intel&#174; Core 2 Duo E6400 CPU
ASUS P5N-SLI 16x PCI-E Mother Board
1024 MB DDR2-800 Memory
SATA-II 250GB 7200 RPM HDD
16X DL DVD&#177;R/&#177;RW
16X DVD-ROM
2x 512MB GeForce 7300GT PCI-E Video Card [SLI enabled]
7.1 Channel Surround Sound
600 Watts Subwoofer Speaker
Windows XP Media Center 2005
Nzxt Apollo Gaming Tower


LINK (http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=193)

Special Features:
[FREE !!] Quiet & Cool Liquid CPU Cooling System
[FREE !!] 802.11g Wireless Card

[Lemur]

Is it worth 50 bucks for the 500 watt power supply?
Yes. It's not a good idea to skimp on the power supply. 500 watts is considered minimum wage by people who know a lot more than I do.

Also, most games are GPU-limited, rather than CPU-limited, so it's better to cut corners on the CPU and make sure that you've got a kickin' video card. Any Core2Duo is gonna make you happy.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

so it's better to cut corners on the CPU and make sure that you've got a kickin' video card.

Whats the deal on the one(2?) that comes with this?

2x 512MB GeForce 7300GT PCI-E Video Card [SLI enabled]

[Lemur]

Whats the deal on the one(2?) that comes with this?

2x 512MB GeForce 7300GT PCI-E Video Card [SLI enabled]
I know next to nothing about the 7300 chipset, but my understanding is that, say, $300 of SLI cards is less fun than $300 of a good single video card. In other words, the best case for SLI is either at the uber-high-end, or as an upgrade path.

Looking at the configuration page you linked, I would change the video card to either the 7900GT or the 1900XT. Either of those should be very, very pleasant options, and easier to work with than an SLI rig. (Someone with dual expertise can correct me, but I believe a game must have a special profile to work with two cards ...)

Did the link I supplied work? Just curious ...

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

2x 512MB GeForce 7300GT PCI-E Video Card [SLI enabled]

This is a really bad idea. The 7300 is not a good card, and sticking two of them in an SLI set-up isn't going to change that.

Spend 60 dollars more and get the 7950GT instead.

[edyzmedieval]

Help on my update please?

Thanks for hijacking my thread Gawain. :book:

[Lemur]

Here's my final list.

ASUS P5NSLI nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition
INTEL CORE2 DUO E6600
2xCorsair DDR2 PC5400 2x512MB (couldn't find 1GB sticks... I found one, but I don't know how reliable it is)
ASUS EN7900GTX 512MB

Any comments?
Looks like a pretty kickin' rig. Only two quibbles:


Is it worth it to sink serious $$$ in a 7900GTX when the 8800s are available? I would either buy a cheaper DX9 card and wait to upgrade, or just go ahead and get one of those big, beautiful 8800s.
1 gig of ram doesn't sound like an extreme gaming rig to this lemur. 2 gigs leaves you with breathing room on the newer, more memory-hungry games.


P.S.: As Gawain knows, thread hijacking is one of those Senior Member privileges.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Thanks for hijacking my thread Gawain

Your welcome :laugh4:

Seeing as how I was going to ask the same question I figured it would be better for anyone who is interested in whats needed to play MTW2

Now Im looking at this system and would like to know if it can run MTW2 at full tilt on mp?

Processor Brand: Intel
Processor Class: Core 2 Duo Processor
Processor Number: E6400 with Viiv Technology
Processor Speed: 2.13 GHz
Bus Speed: 1066 MHz
L2 Cache Size: 2 MB
System Chipset: Intel P965 Express
Memory Speed: PC2-4200 (533MHz)
Memory Technology: DDR2-SDRAM
Installed Memory: 2 GB
Maximum Memory: 8 GB
Sound Support: High Definition Audio, 8 speaker configurable
Video Chipset Brand: NVIDIA
Video Chipset: GeForce 7600GS
Video Bus: PCI Express x16
Video Integration: Card
Installed Video Memory: 256 MB


Comes with a 19" lcd flatpanel for 1129 but if I get it Ill upgrade to the 22" for 150? So whats your opinion on this?

[Lemur]

The big question mark is, as always, the video card. I'm not super-duper knowledgeable about the Nvidia lineup, but here's a review (http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/geforce_7600_gs_preview/) of the 7600GS from Firing Squad.

I can certainly see the logic of going with a cheaper video card right now, and waiting to see what the bold new world of DX10 brings.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I can certainly see the logic of going with a cheaper video card right now, and waiting to see what the bold new world of DX10 brings.

Well this is a standard package. Its the best I could find premade that seemed to fit my budget and needs. I could have gone with an Alienware area 51 or a nice custom one that I posted before. But ic an get this one tommorow and it comes with that nice big monito. Also its from comp USA so I have a place to take it if anything is wrong. I wonder if I can ask them what an upgrade would cost or could they do it?

[Lemur]

Well, I wouldn't settle on the 7600GS as the place to hang my hat ... especially not if I intended to drive a big monitor from it ...

You know what's best for you. Personally, I would have a custom rig built, but you knew that already. Alienware is a great company, but I'm willing to suffer some headaches to have my comp built exactly the way I want it, and for less moulah. I have zero experience with buying from CompUSA, so I've got nothing to contribute on that front.

[edit]

Hey, thinking about it, if they're willing to talk about a beefier video card, and if they're willing to warranty it, the CompUSA might be a great route. Warranties from people you can grab and yell at are nice.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

If you're planning on using a 22" monitor at a decent resolution, a 7600GS isn't going to be adequate to run things at max with AA and AF. I'd spring for the 7800GT at least.

[Lemur]

Gawain, Edyz, if it's not too much bother, please keep us posted as you move along your decision-making process. The drama of "what configuration should I go with?" is far more riveting than prime-time TV.

[edyzmedieval]

Looks like a pretty kickin' rig. Only two quibbles:


Is it worth it to sink serious $$$ in a 7900GTX when the 8800s are available? I would either buy a cheaper DX9 card and wait to upgrade, or just go ahead and get one of those big, beautiful 8800s.
1 gig of ram doesn't sound like an extreme gaming rig to this lemur. 2 gigs leaves you with breathing room on the newer, more memory-hungry games.


P.S.: As Gawain knows, thread hijacking is one of those Senior Member privileges.

1. 8800s aren't available in Romania. :shame:
2. 2GB of RAM. 2x2x512 sticks. :beam:

Any articles on the 8800s? They are nVidia or ATI?

[Lemur]

The 8800s are from Nvidia. They came out a few weeks ago, and there are tons of reviews (http://www.google.com/search?hs=8Ip&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=8800+gtx+review&btnG=Search) floating around.

If I were holding out, I would go with a 7900GS, which is supposed to be a fantastic $200 card, or see if I could find a ~$200 1900XT (although I've been told those are hard to find). I would hesitate to go much higher than $200 on the dollar scale, what with DX10 around the corner, and with the glowing reviews the 8800s have been getting for their performance in DX9 (several people have reported playable framerates in Oblivion at 1600x1200 with every option cranked up -- madness!).

Given the current high price of the 7900GTX, I would either fork over the dough for an 8800, or step back to a 7900GS and wait to see what the new year brings. Naturally, that's just one lemur's opinion.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Gawain, Edyz, if it's not too much bother, please keep us posted as you move along your decision-making process.

Well I just called gateway and they offered me an E64000 with 1GB of ram but they say theirs is faster than what you get retail. It also has a 7950gt and a 500 watt power supply and comes with a 19" HD monitor for the same price. The guy said everything in it is the newest tech and that its far better than the one from compusa. Whats the deal here?

Im waiting for them to e mail me the specs. Should I go with a lower priced graphics card like the 7900 gs?

[Husar]

Whats the deal here?
They always say that...:juggle2:

The 7950GT is a very fine card and runs my Medieval 2 on almost highest settings(including 2xAA), but it's hard to tell for me since it runs only on PCIe x4 here, on x16 it should be at least slightly faster. It's not newest tech though, that's the 8800.
But it all depends on budget of course, IMO and with my budget, the 7950GT gives great visible quality at a good speed for the money, besides using some 70 Watts or so less than the 8800GTX(think about energy costs, if you have 5$ less every month, after two years, you will miss 120$ for a new card~;) ).
The E6400 sounds nice, but try to get 2GB of RAM with it.

500Watt power supply says nothing, the brand is important, I have the E6600 and a 7950GT running on a 420Watt power supply...
And concerning the 7900GS, I wouldn't get that since it's slower than the 7950GT which is a very nice card for the money.

So in conclusion, the system might be very nice given your budget but you may want to ask for an additional 1GB RAM for 2 GB total, the downside is that this may likely cost an additional 100$.

[Spino]

The 8800s are from Nvidia. They came out a few weeks ago, and there are tons of reviews (http://www.google.com/search?hs=8Ip&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=8800+gtx+review&btnG=Search) floating around.

If I were holding out, I would go with a 7900GS, which is supposed to be a fantastic $200 card, or see if I could find a ~$200 1900XT (although I've been told those are hard to find). I would hesitate to go much higher than $200 on the dollar scale, what with DX10 around the corner, and with the glowing reviews the 8800s have been getting for their performance in DX9 (several people have reported playable framerates in Oblivion at 1600x1200 with every option cranked up -- madness!).

Given the current high price of the 7900GTX, I would either fork over the dough for an 8800, or step back to a 7900GS and wait to see what the new year brings. Naturally, that's just one lemur's opinion.

So long as $200 is your price point I'd strongly recommend a X1950 Pro over the 7900GS anyday. The X1950 Pro is faster (especially in DX games) and possesses superior quality anti-aliasing & anti-anisotropic filtering. Up until the GF 8800 series Nvidia really couldn't match ATI in the image quality category.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

So long as $200 is your price point I'd strongly recommend a X1950 Pro over the 7900GS anyday

Isnt the x1950 300 bucks? And I was getting a 7950gt. Or should i go with the 7900gt or gs and wait for the new x10s to come out before getting a better card?

And which is the better of these two?

Geforce 7950 Gt Ko 512MB

Price: $274.99

ATI Radeon X1900GT 256MB Pcie

$299.99 $279.99

[edyzmedieval]

The 8800s are from Nvidia. They came out a few weeks ago, and there are tons of reviews (http://www.google.com/search?hs=8Ip&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=8800+gtx+review&btnG=Search) floating around.

Given the current high price of the 7900GTX, I would either fork over the dough for an 8800, or step back to a 7900GS and wait to see what the new year brings. Naturally, that's just one lemur's opinion.

For the moment, I want a nice and clean update for my nice computer. So, I guess I'll be looking for a 7900GS and X1900XT. If not, I'll spend some serious dough on the 7900GTX, since it's the most powerful available.

[Geezer57]

Isnt the x1950 300 bucks?
NewEgg is listing the x1950 Pro at $199.00 + shipping (see here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102061).


And which is the better of these two?
Geforce 7950 Gt Ko 512MB - Price: $274.99
ATI Radeon X1900GT 256MB - Price: $299.99 $279.99
Stay away from the x1900GT - they're end-of-life and being replaced by the x1950 Pro. At better ATI alternative for the 7950GT would be the 256 meg version of the x1950XT (they're about $20 apart, with the x1950XT just slightly faster in most benchmarks). See the VGA charts over at Tom's Hardware (http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html) for a comparison.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

OK will this thing play games?

http://i12.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/7a/51/fa00_1.JPG

if your looking you probably know a little about computers .this also is great for upconverting regular dvd's thats 1 reason why 1 terabyte hd space . some people might think all you have to do is install a blu-ray drive in any system and start playing movies and games. not true most systems only allows you to record and play your homemade hd videos on computer .the system has very specific hardware and software . we have taken the time and patience configuring hardware and software for your entertainment.also made an image backup on dvd for easy system restore in case of emergency . this system has been carefully engineered to exceed the requirements to play high definition blu-ray movies . designed for people who enjoy the latest in technology .not sold in stores be the first to experience the quality of 1080p high definition movies now! we use all brand name parts with manufacture warranties every part is tested using 72hrs stress test software and will not use unless 100% perfect test results. recordable Blu-ray Disc drive that can record up to 50GB of HD content to a single disc.and play movies up to 1080p . System Configuration: Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (Dual Core) 1066FSB CPU Fan:Intel Heavy Duty Cooling Fan With Heat Sink Motherboard: ASRock ConRoe XFire Memory:2GB 667DDR2 memory) PCI-E:two 16x PCI Express Slots with one geforce 7950gx2 1gb ram , SATA:with 4x250gb SATA2 wd se16 drives= 1 terabyte Case:alienware workstation Black Mid Tower Power Supply: ocz700W ATX power supply mirosoft 3000 keyboard and mouse with cyberacoustic speakers and black 19" widescreen compatiable to play 1920x1080 highdef video or games Everything has been configured and ready to plug to play blu-ray high definition movies or hd games with microsofts xp media center edition OS and blu-ray player software also included 10 blu-ray movies of your choice from my list of movies .please email with any questions .

[Husar]

It will, but it's a weird system, the mainboard is an AsRock which is comparatively cheap and not necessarily the best choice if you have enough money for the rest of those components.

If that is an ebay offer as I guess, I would not buy it. It may be a great system, but if you have limited money and it is not, then you may end up with no money and a malfunctioning system. I'd rather pay more than take the risk to end up with nothing.

On a sidenote, aren't those bluray disc players/burners insanely expensive?
I cannot imagine that fitting into the budget you mentioned Gawain.

Then again, maybe I'm too careful, but I have to be since buying something wrong would mean no new part for some time in my case.:oops:

[Gawain of Orkeny]

If that is an ebay offer as I guess, I would not buy it. It may be a great system, but if you have limited money and it is not, then you may end up with no money and a malfunctioning system. I'd rather pay more than take the risk to end up with nothing.

On a sidenote, aren't those bluray disc players/burners insanely expensive?
I cannot imagine that fitting into the budget you mentioned Gawain.

Yes it is on ebay and Im high bidder at 1025. I figured at that price even if its not perfect the pieces should be worth more than that and I could configure a pretty good pc out of it.

Man look at this sucker


So, what's special about this monster? 3.0 GHz Core 2 Duo. That's pretty special. Price yourself out a Core 2 Extreme X6800 from Intel for over $1000 for just the CPU! Those run at less then 3.0 GHz, have the same amount of cache and cost more then twice as much as our E6600 overclocked to 3.0GHz! Incredible! What else? How about 512MB of Graphics Memory supporting ATI's extreme Radeon X1900XT! Churn through games like butter with this beast! Not to mention the whole system is backed by screaming PC6400 2GB DDR2 memory and a 500GB 16MB Cache SATA II Hard Disk Drive! This machine is a beast, make no mistake! Not enough? Contact us about upgrading any component!


CORE SYSTEM FEATURES

Chassis / Case: Antec P180 - Silver (black available upon request no charge!) ATX Case, 3x 120MM Cooling, Front Audio/USB/FireWire, SILENT
Power Supply Unit (PSU): 550W Antec Neo HE ATX 24-PIN Power Supply Unit - Silent Cooling, Quad +12v Line
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-S3 Motherboard - Intel 965P, 8 Chan. Audio, Gigabit LAN
CPU / Processor: Handpicked Intel E6600 Core 2 Duo - 2.4 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, Conroe, Socket 775 Overclocked @ 3.0 GHz
CPU Cooling Device: Artic Cooling Freezer Pro - Silent, 92MM High End cooling to keep things chilled!
RAM / System Memory: 2x1GB (2GB) PC6400 (DDR2 800 MHz) System Memory / RAM

VIDEO CARD / GRAPHICS SYSTEM

Video Card: ATI Radeon X1900XT 512MB Gaming Graphics Card PCI-Express X16 - NVIDIA 8800 GTS/GTX Available NOW! Contact us!

I/O SYSTEM DRIVES

Hard Disk (1): 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA II HDD - 7,200 RPM, 16MB Cache, Perpendicular Recording
Optical Drive (1): 18x DVD+/-RW DVD Burner w/ Dual Layer and DVD-RAM Support (Burn Music, Videos, and more!)
Sound Card: 8-Channel High Definition Audio
LAN / Ethernet Card: 10/100/1000 LAN / Ethernet

Gah . Its 200 bucks over budget and doesnt have a monitor.

Is it worth it? Should I save a bit more?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Well I bought the game today. Now all I need is a PC to play it on :o

Well I think Ive decided on one. This one goes on sale tommorow at compusa.

Intel Viiv Technology, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6400, 2.13GHz, 2GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, 16X DVD+/-RW and 16X DVD Drives, Windows XP Media Center 2005 (http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200005+400547+16&Ne=500000&product_code=339557&Pn=Pavilion_m7680n_TV_Minitower)

Also which is better or this game a widescreen or regular monitor?

The sale is for 1199 and includes a 19" LCD widescreen monitor. I hope this can handle the game at max. My only worry is the GeForce 7300LE . They say it will work fine. But they have a 7900gt overclocked to 600mz for 199 and I might add that if I can talk them into giving to me :D Well a freind of mine used to work there and she says she can get one of the salesman to give up some of his commision and save me a hundred or two or throw in the the vid card. What do you think of this?

[Pindar]

Hmmm, seems there are people to speak to about new gaming computers.

I went to a local Best Buy and a fellow was recomending the following:

Hewlet-Packard AMD Athoon 64 X2 Dual core processor 3800

1024MB DDR2 memeory
200GB serial ATA Hard Drive
DVD CD lightscribe tehcnology (I don't know what this is)
Microsoft windows XP media center edition (2005 software)
Micorsoft Vista ready

The fellow then recommended either a

7900 series PCI-E or
X1900 series video card

Do those in the know think this is a good gaming computer? Good would mean properly powerful and duly upgradable.

[doc_bean]

Hmmm, seems there are people to speak to about new gaming computers.

I went to a local Best Buy and a fellow was recomending the following:

Hewlet-Packard AMD Athoon 64 X2 Dual core processor 3800

1024MB DDR2 memeory
200GB serial ATA Hard Drive
DVD CD lightscribe tehcnology (I don't know what this is)
Microsoft windows XP media center edition (2005 software)
Micorsoft Vista ready

The fellow then recommended either a

7900 series PCI-E or
X1900 series video card

Do those in the know think this is a good gaming computer? Good would mean properly powerful and duly upgradable.

It's a "mid-range" machine I'd say. I don't know what they're asking for it so it might still be a decent deal (should be under $1000). Some comments though:

-Intel Core Duo processors are (far ?) better than the current AMD ones
-1GB ram is sufficient, but expect to upgrade in the near future, make sure the motherboard allows more RAM to be fitted in.
-XP media center is incompatible with some games, try to exchange it for the Home edition (or Pro, but that's more expensive)
-video cards are nice, but as you may have noticed from reading the thread, there's a lot of performance difference even within a series
-Check how powerful the PSU is, 450W is the minimum you should except.

[Lemur]

My only worry is the GeForce 7300LE . They say it will work fine. But they have a 7900gt overclocked to 600mz for 199 and I might add that if I can talk them into giving to me :D Well a freind of mine used to work there and she says she can get one of the salesman to give up some of his commision and save me a hundred or two or throw in the the vid card. What do you think of this?
You are 100% right to be worried about the 7300LE. It might run the game, but it's not going to let you turn on all of the eye candy, that's for sure.

I really don't think anyone should be putting together a rig right now with anything less than a 7900-class or 1900-class video card. Remember, most games are limited by the video card, not the processor.

Gawain, do what you have to do, kill whomever you have to, but avoid going with a gimped video card.


Do those in the know think this is a good gaming computer? Good would mean properly powerful and duly upgradable.
The fellow is correct about the class of video card. And Doc_Bean is right about both memory and CPU; the ones you were shown at Best Buy were fine, but for not a lot of money you can have better gaming-goodness protection. One gig of RAM is the new minimum wage; 2 gigs is likely to be helpful for a number of games. AMD64 is a very good CPU, but the Core2Duo is more for less.

[Pindar]

Thanks doc-bean and Lemur. Your insights are very helpful. ~:)

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I really don't think anyone should be putting together a rig right now with anything less than a 7900-class or 1900-class video card. Remember, most games are limited by the video card, not the processor.


Like I said I plan on going with the 7900gt overclocked. But again is this game better with a widescreen or a regular monitor?

[Lemur]

If we've been helpful, then it's our pleasure to serve, Pindar.

Gawain, M2TW supports widescreen, and everybody who I know who's gone with widescreen loves it. Furthermore, any game that sports the "Games for Windows" logo will have to support widescreen. So it sure looks as though the time for widescreen gaming has finally come.

So yeah, go wide if you can. I'm going to replace my CRT monitor this year, and I just may go for a widebody myself.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Thanks for all the help people. Ill see you all soon who play mp. Im still high bidder on that Blu Ray system. My high bid is 1300. I pmd the guy and asked if it would play MTW2 at max. He said easy as it has twin 7950gts but he expects to get over 2500 for it. 5 hrs to go.

[Husar]

I agree with the Lemur and the doc and with a 7900GT or 7950GT Gawain's system could serve as a role model for a decent, capable gaming system that does not cost too much.:2thumbsup:
Just my opinion of course.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Well Ive changed my mind again I bought my pc today at a local pc place Ive been dealing with for about 10 years. Now all I have to do is wait for them to build it. They said I should have it by thursday.

I wound up getting a core 2 duo 6400 with azusus motherboard, 2 gb of ram, 250 gb sata2 hd, 500 watt power supply, azusus GeForce 7950gt512mb vid card, 19" acer lcd widescreen monitor with 1440x900 resolution and 5 fms , keyboard and mouse etc for 1450 tax included. I think this baby should do the trick. I just hope I made the right choice.

[Husar]

Well Ive changed my mind again I bought my pc today at a local pc place Ive been dealing with for about 10 years. Now all I have to do is wait for them to build it. They said I should have it by thursday.

I wound up getting a core 2 duo 6400 with azusus motherboard, 2 gb of ram, 250 gb sata2 hd, 500 watt power supply, azusus GeForce 7950gt512mb vid card, 19" acer lcd widescreen monitor with 1440x900 resolution and 5 fms , keyboard and mouse etc for 1450 tax included. I think this baby should do the trick. I just hope I made the right choice.
Well, the system is most likely a good choice and while I thought at first that it was a bit overpriced, I now see you also got a monitor so it actually sounds rather cheap.:2thumbsup:

[LeftEyeNine]

Random point: CPU is the brain and the motherboard is the heart of your system. If you prefer spending less on those sacrificing from quality, don't expect something better than a turning-off Frankenstein in the middle of a battle.

[Lemur]

To extend the metaphor, the hard drive is your long-term memory, the RAM is your short-term memory, the case is your skeleton, the video card is your optic nerve, and the sound card is your tympanic membrane. The case fans are your large intestine, most likely. Would the PSU be your mitochondria?

It's not a good idea to skimp on any of the subsystems, certainly not on quality. But it's also wise to recognize where your bottlenecks will be, and spend accordingly. In the lemur's opinion (and it's nothing more than that) most rigs get built with too much CPU (if there can be such a thing), too little RAM and too little video card.

A good-quality mobo is a must, of course, but that doesn't mean the most expensive model.

Ugh, I'm mostly agreeing with LEN, but I'm trying to make a variant point, and probably failing. Too early. Not enough coffee. Must get to work.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Damn I just got an e mail sayiung the guy who outbid me forfieted his bid and I can have that sony blue ray system for only 1300. But now Ive spent my money :smash: How safe are e bay transactions and what do you guys think? Should I spend some of my savings on this? Is it safe to buy?

[Lemur]

If you've already spent your money, then done is done. Who needs BluRay anyway? It's not as though any games will be shipping on those discs for the next five to six years.

How safe is eBay? Safer than a street stall, less safe than a department store. Feedback is important, both volume and quality. I've never been burned on eBay, but I'm sure some people have.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

If you've already spent your money

I have more if this is really a great deal. Arent the parts alone worth over 2 grand? What if the guy sends me nothing or junk? What are my options?

[Lemur]

I would hesitate to purchase a machine on eBay as a speculative investment. If this guy's having trouble moving it, the odds are high you would too.

[amplified voice from a helicopter] Sir! Move away from the mouse and keyboard! Do not attempt to second-guess your purchase! Keep your hands in the air! [/amplified voice from helicopter]

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I would hesitate to purchase a machine on eBay as a speculative investment. If this guy's having trouble moving it, the odds are high you would too.



Well Im going by the old saying "if it looks like its too good to be true it probably is"

[AussieGiant]

That's a very high-end card. What problems are you having?

Hi Beirut,

Sorry for not getting back to this thread earlier but I am overseas on work for the moment.

It's been interesting to read all the opinions here on this thread.

As to your question Beirut, I just purchase a XPS 700 which I received the same day as I got my copy of MTWII from Amazon. I only had two days to play around with the machine and the game before I had to leave for Tokyo (which is where I writing to you now). Suffice to say I installed the game, checked the auto detect settings which were not very good so I deicded to up all the settings to max. Low and behold I started an hisotrical battle (Agincourt) and the intro as very choppy!!

Keep in mind:

E6700 2.66
2 gig of 667 Hz ram
7950 GX2
750 watt power
300 GIG's of RAID 0 harddrive.

Now this machine is way better than anything the game was designed to run and as soon as I got the XPS 700 I took an image then reinstalled XP Home SP2. Nothing else was installed on this machine apart from 3D Mark06 and virus software.

Anyway, I did not have much time to do some trouble shooting before I left for work.

Whacker, who is on the boards here has graciously offered to tweak and trouble shoot my system when I get back.

The question I have Beirut is do we have any resident guru's here on the board that I could contact for advise?

[LeftEyeNine]

To extend the metaphor, the hard drive is your long-term memory, the RAM is your short-term memory, the case is your skeleton, the video card is your optic nerve, and the sound card is your tympanic membrane. The case fans are your large intestine, most likely. Would the PSU be your mitochondria?

It's not a good idea to skimp on any of the subsystems, certainly not on quality. But it's also wise to recognize where your bottlenecks will be, and spend accordingly. In the lemur's opinion (and it's nothing more than that) most rigs get built with too much CPU (if there can be such a thing), too little RAM and too little video card.

A good-quality mobo is a must, of course, but that doesn't mean the most expensive model.

Ugh, I'm mostly agreeing with LEN, but I'm trying to make a variant point, and probably failing. Too early. Not enough coffee. Must get to work.

Dear Lemur, I wanted to empasize the importance of a quality mobo on a system rather than acting like a CPU-all-the-way sucker. I don't know how it is outside, but in Turkey, PC marketing still depends on a MONSTER CPU accompanied with a mobo recycled from toilet papers, RAM as big as a chewing gum and a video card that needs your opinion how to show the graphics.

But I see my sentence wasn't clear, so that I see I needed coffee as well.

[Lemur]

We can always use more coffee, I think that's the moral of the story.

What ever happened to Edzy? I don't remember him posting what his final config was going to be ...

[Proletariat]

Alright, I need to upgrade to run MTW2 nice and smooth with as much running full blast as possible.

Right now I have
1 Gig Ram
AMD64 3000+
6600gt

And here's my motherboard
http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?modelmenu=1&model=596&l1=3&l2=15&l3=207

Here's my PS

http://www.xoxide.com/orion-xp400-420w-psu.html

So, can I go with this gpu I found on newegg.com?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125038

I guess the thing I'm worried about is my weaksauce psu... Is cooling an issue as well? Do you guys need any other info?

Anyway, thanks alot in advance for any advice

[Lemur]

I guess the thing I'm worried about is my weaksauce psu... Is cooling an issue as well? Do you guys need any other info?
Two issues spring to mind -- how many hard drives/DVD drives are you powering? I'm guessing you've got one HD and one DVD drive, but one never knows.

The other issue would be case cooling, i.e., how hot does the inside of your case get? For most people it isn't a problem, but it's worth asking. If you're having weird shutdowns and crashes, it could be heat related.

But let's assume you've got one HD, one removable drive (DVD, right?), and no major airflow problems. In that scenario, I don't see any difficulty with running a 7900GT with your setup. I know nothing about your PS, but even if it's weaker than the rated 420, you should still have plenty of headroom.

I wouldn't want to slap a power-sucking monster like a 1900xtx in there, or a dual-card single-slot mutant, but the 7900GT isn't a crazy card to put in that rig.

[Proletariat]

The other issue would be case cooling, i.e., how hot does the inside of your case get? For most people it isn't a problem, but it's worth asking. If you're having weird shutdowns and crashes, it could be heat related.


No shut down or heat related problems so far, and yeah I have a dvd drive, dvdr drive, and just a 160g hard drive in there already. There's a temperature gauge on the case that always stays around 78f-ish, but I dunno how accurate that is... It's just the external gauge on this case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144151

From skimming the reviews there, I guess those front three gauges are there more to illuminate my room a la Night at the Roxberry than to provide temperature, VA, fan speed, info.

[Proletariat]

Oh and uhm, considering what I listed above, will the 7900gt be what I need to rock MTW2's socks? Anyone with a similar setup mind mentioning what kinda graphical options you can max at?

Thanks for the quick response, Lemur!

[Dutch_guy]

will the 7900gt be what I need to rock MTW2's socks?

Well, considering my A7600GT ( the 7900gt's little brother) runs almost everything on the highest settings I'd say the 7900gt 'll do the job :yes:

:balloon2:

[doc_bean]

With a 7950gt I could max out everything (in 1600x1200 iirc) in the demo, I do have a duo core and 2gb ram, but Im' not sure how much of a difference that makes.

[Husar]

With a 7950gt I could max out everything (in 1600x1200 iirc) in the demo, I do have a duo core and 2gb ram, but Im' not sure how much of a difference that makes.
We have very similar systems then it seems, how many fps do you get in big battles on average?

[edyzmedieval]

I'm in the boxes right now.

I've printed a list to my dad, with what components I want. I've put on the list the following items:

- TWIN2x1024 Corsair RAM (compatible with my current mobo)
- ASUS MSI X Platinum mobo (awesome mobo)
- Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme E6800
- Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GTX

My dad said I'll have them on my desk on Monday, so he can shut my mouth.

Problem is, if I get these, I'm gonna have to change everything I got.

Would I have to change the power supply? It's a normal one, for an Intel Pentium IV. And the cooler too?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

With a 7950gt I could max out everything (in 1600x1200 iirc) in the demo, I do have a duo core and 2gb ram, but Im' not sure how much of a difference that makes.


I had a 7950GT512 and it ran MTW2 sp on highest settings no problem. Im not sure how well it fairs in mp however. It said many a time i was on too high a setting but the game always played. But its hard to tell if your causing the lag or someone else. I now have an 8800 GTS and still get messages Ive exceeded my limits. However this seems to happen less often


I've printed a list to my dad, with what components I want. I've put on the list the following items:

- TWIN2x1024 Corsair RAM (compatible with my current mobo)
- ASUS MSI X Platinum mobo (awesome mobo)
- Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme E6800
- Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GTX

My dad said I'll have them on my desk on Monday, so he can shut my mouth.

Problem is, if I get these, I'm gonna have to change everything I got.

Would I have to change the power supply? It's a normal one, for an Intel Pentium IV. And the cooler too?

I wouldnt think you wouldn't have to change those but with all that new stuff why not go all the way. Especially if dads springing for it:laugh4:

If that rig dont run MTW2 smooth the rest of us can forget about it.

[Lemur]

Would I have to change the power supply? It's a normal one, for an Intel Pentium IV. And the cooler too?
It's likely you will need a new power supply. Your gear (esp. the video card) will be drawing a lot of power, probably a good deal more than your old rig. I have no idea what model power supply you have, but depending on the age, there may be connector issues as well.

The CPU should come with a stock cooler. The Core2Duo coolers are pretty good, a lot better than in the old days, when the first thing you did was replace the junky piece of tin they'd bolted onto your proc.

[edyzmedieval]

My rig is less than one year old. :grin:
You can find the specs on the first post of this thread.

Right now, my current rig runs M2TW on Medium-High smoothly, but once you advance in the campaign, it's slow. My 120-turn HRE campaign is going heavy...

[edyzmedieval]

The components haven't arrived. I just ordered them yesterday. :no:

[Gawain of Orkeny]

My rig is less than one year old.
You can find the specs on the first post of this thread.


My, its shocking how far PC's have come in 1 year :laugh4:

[edyzmedieval]

My, its shocking how far PC's have come in 1 year :laugh4:

Oh yes, they have advanced from a low to decent rig, to a powerful to extreme Conroe powah! :sweatdrop:


:beam:

[edyzmedieval]

I received the offer of components, what they have.

Suffered minor changes. They have the mobo and the video card exactly as I specified. But there is a slight change.

Core™2 Extreme Quad-Core Processor QX6700 2.66GHz (1066MHz,8MB,Kentsfield,S775) - 3 year warranty
KINGSTON 4GB 800MHz DDR2 Non-ECC Low-Latency CL4 (4-4-4-12) DIMM (Kit of 2), Lifetime warranty

Actually, I got a slightly better performance, because of the 2GB kits. I've checked every component on the websites on the manufacturers, and it's compatible! :yes: :2thumbsup:

[sapi]

You're running vista then, I presume?

[edyzmedieval]

Not yet. I don't trust Vista enough. Plus, all my games run perfect on XP, no need to move to Vista.

[sapi]

You do realise that 32-bit XP won't address 4gb of ram unless you disable your pagefile completely, which can cause problems with some games?

[edyzmedieval]

Yes, I was completely aware of this problem. I'm going to get them in 2GB kits, so probably one will stay out till I install Vista.

[Beirut]

Does anyone make a 4GB package of memory?

I see matched sets of 2x1024, but I haven't seen 4x1024. Yet.

[edyzmedieval]

No, they are simply 2x2048.

http://www.valueram.com/datasheets/KHX6400D2LLK2_2GN.pdf

These are the ones I am getting.

[sapi]

@beriut - because of some motherboards only have one set of dual channel slots, I doubt that you're going to see a pack of 4x1gb sticks; rather 2x2gb as eddyz indicated in order for them to work in dual channel

[Beirut]

Hmm, I didn't even know they made strips of 2048.

Sounds tasty. And expensive.

[sapi]

And pointless, under XP :grin2:

[edyzmedieval]

Hmm, I didn't even know they made strips of 2048.

Sounds tasty. And expensive.

Believe me, I really had to WORK for these updates to my computer. Plus, I started earning money since last year, when I didn't get a beefed up computer. I helped my dad, and the result is a super computer. :2thumbsup:

[Lemur]

No, they are simply 2x2048.

http://www.valueram.com/datasheets/KHX6400D2LLK2_2GN.pdf

These are the ones I am getting.
Curious, the PDF you linked to shows a 2 gig Kingston setup. Perhaps the wrong link?

[edyzmedieval]

I am getting 2 of those Lemur. ~:)

This will be my birthday present. A hardcore rig.

[edyzmedieval]

Well, inevitably, I had to "upgrade" even further. I've allocated some further cash and had to make some "requests for credit" to the bank. This will unfortunately mean that I will have to wave bye bye to any other gifts that I want until my birthday(in July).

HDD
DVD-RW unit
19" monitor
850W
water cooling

Something like this. Will raise the price seriously, but my old rig will dissapear completely.

[Slug For A Butt]

Don't sound so upset. Most people ONLY get gifts at christmas and birthdays.

[sapi]

Don't sound so upset. Most people ONLY get gifts at christmas and birthdays.
:yes:

[edyzmedieval]

Don't sound so upset. Most people ONLY get gifts at christmas and birthdays.

I'm perfectly aware, but I wanted to change my 7 year old mobile phone, who looks absolutely horrible, with a new one. :embarassed:

[LeftEyeNine]

edzy, I have received a call from your father requesting a fake kidnapping by me.

Poor old man. I'll help him. :smoking:

[edyzmedieval]

:laugh4:

Well, I didnt receive any Christmas presents last year, because I told my dad to wait and give me some more cash to upgrade my comp. Does that count? ~;)

[LeftEyeNine]

:laugh4:

Well, I didnt receive any Christmas presents last year, because I told my dad to wait and give me some more cash to upgrade my comp. Does that count? ~;)

I'll let your very father speak for himself on that account..Hey..

Oh..This is the first time I'm seeing one of my hostages falling asleep as soon as getting kidnapped..He has a peaceful smile on his face..What have you done to your dad, edyz? :stare:

I'll call back at you later on the issue...Ah..I mean when that man wants to end his best sleep evar.

:smoking:

[edyzmedieval]

Too much democracy hurts, ey LEN? ~;)

Ok back to topic.
How much is the cheapest Raptor available? My HDD has to go. It's extremely slow, even though it has 150GB left.

[edyzmedieval]

The best Raptor around here is something like 350 dollars. TONS if you ask me. WD 150GB, 10000 rpm.

An update. Something like bad news. The supplier wants all the money in a blast. :angry:

[Gawain of Orkeny]

19" monitor

You have to be kidding right? After all that your going with that monitor? Look I got a 19 inch with mine as it was all I could afford at the time. The Im sitting here in from of my wondefully expensive new pc and Im thinking to myself why did I spend all this money to get great graphics and watch it on this tiny screen? Your monitor is the real gateway to your gaming experience. Get a bigger one damn it. You wont regret it. You will regret that tiny thing :laugh4:

[sapi]

:grin2:

See, eddyz, I'm not the only one who thinks you're mad to play on a screen that size with that sort of hardware ~;)

[edyzmedieval]

Yeah, but a 22" inch here is about 1000 dollars. This is why. :angry:

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Oh come on mine was $350 . Ill tell you what you pay the shipping and for a very nominal fee Ill send you one. I can get a 24 inch for like $600. Heck for 1000 I could get a 52 inch panasonic lcd hdtv and hook it up to that.

[edyzmedieval]

I found a sweet Phillips 23" LCD monitor, 12ms time, 16.7 million colours, 1900x1200 optimum resolution.

Price tag: 1800 US dollars.

:angry:

[Gawain of Orkeny]

OMG is that over priced :help:


12ms time,

I know you realise that sucks.

[Husar]

I just had to check that now and here I see a Philips 22" widescreen, 5ms, 16,7 million colours, 1000:1 contrast and 1680 x 1050 resolution for...289,90 EUR...
Maybe it's a bit inferior in resolution and has an inch less, but you know what I mean.:sweatdrop:

[Proletariat]

Allllllllways go with awesome stuff that you look at and touch and hear. Your speakers, mouse, keyboard and monitor are how you actually experience the game. I'd skimp on (almost) anything inside the box as long as the tangible stuff rules. Just my two cents, anyway

[Xiahou]

I have a 19" LCD that I'm totally happy with. It has a native res of 1280*1024 which allows me to run all current games (and probably all near-future games) without having to skimp on any of the graphical bells and whistles.

Another consideration is whether or not you intend to play any old games that don't support high resolutions. I recently tried to go back and play Starcraft and Diablo2 online with my brother and the amount of pixel zooming required made my eyes bleed. The higher the native resolution of your monitor, the worse these types of games will look on it.


Allllllllways go with awesome stuff that you look at and touch and hear. Your speakers, mouse, keyboard and monitor are how you actually experience the game. I'd skimp on (almost) anything inside the box as long as the tangible stuff rules. Just my two cents, anywayI'm still guilty of using a crap $10 keyboard, anyone got any good recommendations that won't break the bank?

All of my other accessories are pretty good- I'm particularly pleased with my Razor Copperhead (http://www.razerzone.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=11) mouse. :2thumbsup:

[Proletariat]

I'm still guilty of using a crap $10 keyboard, anyone got any good recommendations that won't break the bank?


At 72$ this might be a little much, but I really liked this keyboard alot. The backlit feature is a must have for me with keyboards (matches the lights in my case :D and it's easier on the eyes in the dark), and it has a sorta nifty lcd screen that lets you do stuff like mess around with your play lists when you don't feel like alt-tabbing out of WoW or whatever.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126179

I saw them on sale at Best Buy for 30$ or so a month or two back... Maybe it was some promo thing, but I was kicking myself since I paid about 100$ something for it last year.

[Lemur]

I'm still guilty of using a crap $10 keyboard, anyone got any good recommendations that won't break the bank?
I've had good experiences with the Keytronic Lifetime series. I've heard plenty of people rave about the Microsoft "Natural" ergo keyboard.

[Husar]

I'm also using a crappy old keyboard from Toshiba, it's about as old as my case(I'm guessing around 10 years or so).
The Logitech G15 that prole recommends is nice, if you don't need the LCD, you can also get the G11, it's basically the same without the LCD and it costs less of course. I was thinking about getting either of them myself, because that old thing here is well, old(though it does have a windows key, when were these introduced again?).

[edyzmedieval]

I just had to check that now and here I see a Philips 22" widescreen, 5ms, 16,7 million colours, 1000:1 contrast and 1680 x 1050 resolution for...289,90 EUR...
Maybe it's a bit inferior in resolution and has an inch less, but you know what I mean.:sweatdrop:

You're joking. 300 euros for a 22"? Where do you live? At the factory?
That's super cheap.

Right now I have a superb ASUS 17" which has done it's job perfectly.

I use an A4 Tech wireless keyboard (25 dollars worth) and a 10$ mouse. I want to keep the keyboard and get a Razer Krait, or a Copperhead.

[Husar]

I have the Razer Krait, and I like it, especieally since I'm lefthanded, works really fine and is very fast, no need to move your hand across half the table anymore.~;)

And erm, no, this (http://www.snogard.de/index.php?kategorieId=170&artikelId=MON22PHI220W8) is a shop close to where my parents live, but you can get similar prices almost anywhere here. Just last weekend I was in a big electronics store with my dad and we saw quite a few 22" monitors for <300EUR. There are more expensive ones which may offer more for the money, but it depends on your needs and sometimes you may just pay more for no additional worth. I think Philips isn't bad because they have a 3 year warranty that you get no pixel errors, but I'm not sure whether that applies to all of their monitors. I have a 17" Benq FP71V which cost around 270EUR about a year ago and it was a big step from my old 19" CRT which had a very bad contrast etc.
I actually got the 17" because it's the same resolution as a 19" on a smaller plane, which should make the picture less pixelated. And I wouldn't get such a huge widescreen for two reasons. First off, you'll always need more graphicspower to run native resolution and same settings as on a smaller screen, lowering resolution results in a worse picture. And second, the only real benefit of a widescreen IMO is that DVDs and some games are well, wider, but I personally like the 5:4 aspect ratio better, I never understood the widescreen hype.:shrug:

[Gawain of Orkeny]

First off, you'll always need more graphicspower to run native resolution
With his hardware this is hardly a problem.


And second, the only real benefit of a widescreen IMO is that DVDs and some games are well, wider, but I personally like the 5:4 aspect ratio better, I never understood the widescreen hype

In TW games it gives you a panoramic view. I like it. Its much better than my old 19 inch CRT although I grant a 22 inch regular monitor looks much bigger.

[Husar]

With his hardware this is hardly a problem.
If he cannot afford new hardware in one or two years, it will become a problem.

[sapi]

irst off, you'll always need more graphicspower to run native resolution and same settings as on a smaller screen, lowering resolution results in a worse picture.So turn the settings down a bit - the size makes up for it.

A 8800 will have no problems though


And second, the only real benefit of a widescreen IMO is that DVDs and some games are well, wider,Have you tried using one? I used to be a skeptic like you, then I got one for myself and you really do notice the difference, if not in games such as the TW ones but in FPSs...

Productivity wise, it's also very nice to be able to have both a word doc and a browser open at the same time ~;)


but I personally like the 5:4 aspect ratio better,It's 4:3, and 1280x1024 is not a valid 4:3 ratio anyway - no idea why they changed it for that one resoultion.

[edyzmedieval]

May I ask, would a 600W PSU would be enough for this Godzilla?

[Husar]

Well, depends a lot on the brand, if you get a good brand, it should suffice I think. I'm running an E6600 with a 7950GT and 2GB RAM on a Levicom 450W PSU and everything seems fine. Just don't get a cheapo PSU.

[edyzmedieval]

Thanks for the heads up. I was kind of worried because a 600W would cost me an additional 200-250 dollars which I would not want to waste.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Well, depends a lot on the brand, if you get a good brand, it should suffice I think. I'm running an E6600 with a 7950GT and 2GB RAM on a Levicom 450W PSU and everything seems fine. Just don't get a cheapo PSU.


I have a 6600 and an 8800 vid card with a 500w psu and no problems. Before that I had a 6400 with a 7950gt and a 450w raidmax psu and no problems.

[Husar]

Oh, big mistake, just remembered my PSU does not have 450Watt, it has "only" 420...