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computer for next gen MMO's
rastaroth
Member Posts: 11
I am currently running a gateway laptop:
pent4 2.2gHz, 512MB ram, NVIDIA geforce 4 420 32MB....i will soon be buying a new desktop and was just looking for some tips and advice on a good company to buy from as well as what specs are needed, and optimal, for all the new gen MMO's that will be coming out in the next year or so
also i am trying to work on a budget of about 2000-2500 including the monitor
Comments
$2000 budget will get you only the best and top of the line products.
I bought mine for $1000 [custom made by me].
I would get an AMD 64 Bit, 2GB RAM, Geforce 6800 GT, Giga-Byte or ASUS motherboard, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, new heatsink, Antec TruePower 550w PSU... etc etc.
This is what I have, and it ran me about $1200... [$1184.27]
Giga-Byte GA-7N400 Pro 2
AMD 2500+ @ 3200+
1,024Mb Corsair XMS Extreme DDR400 RAM <--- I bought it for $175 a stick, it's under $115 now!
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
Antec TruePower 550w PSU
eVGA GeForce FX 5900 modded to 5950 Ultra @ 500/1000 speeds
Thermalright SLK-900A Copper Heatsink [CPU]
Vantec 92mm Tornado CPU fan
3x 80m Case Fan [super nice]
3x CoolMax Ultra ATA-133 cables
Arctic Silver 5 [for CPU and videocard]
60Gb Maxtor DiamondMax 9 [8Mb cache / ATA-133]
Case [Mine has a fan on the side, and it's silver... but looks like this]
And a few other odd and ends... that is still a pretty nice computer... So for $2000, you can easily get better stuff...
What will he do next?
Hmm.. how hard is it to build a computer? I know how to put in parts; video cards, harddrives, etc.(I haven't put in a mobo yet), so would I be able to build one with some sort of simple instructions?
Or is it something you need to be more familiar with?
Just wondering, because it seems like you could save alot of money by building one yourself(and I'm soon going off to college so I need the best bang for my buck
).
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"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, chairman of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977
Beta tested: EQ2, WoW, L2, SoR
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"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, chairman of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977
Oops, double post.
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"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, chairman of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977
The hardest parts are putting the motherboard in right... making sure you have all those "brass?" screws in the all the holes so you don't fry your motherboard... Putting the heatsink onto the CPU... and probably the RAM... a few other things here and there...
Lots of people aren't like me... I'll install crap while the PC's still on...
I guess I've been around PCs to long to really care about frying my baby or myself... 
What will he do next?
yeah i know that i could build one for a lot less, i actually was going to do that a few years ago and never went through with it probably because i dont know enough or dont trust myself
anyways if you were not going to build your own what kind would you buy what kind of monitor??
Regal, if ur serious, what college did he go to, cuz im really interested in building/servicing computers for a living. I am always screwing around and adjusting my pc and love fixing the ones at my school. I graduated last year, and people still call me to help them fix there pc's.
Processor: AMD Athlon Xp 2500
Mobile "Barton"
Mobo: Abit NF-7
RAM:1 GB Corsair PC3200
Video: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb 256 bit
Hard Drive: 80 GB 7200 rpm Seagate "Barracuda"
CD/RW: Lite-On 48x read/48x write/24x rewrite/8x dvd read
Sound:7.1 Channel Sound Blaster (not audigy)
Processor HS and Fan: Thermaltake Volcano 12+
PSU: Antec 420 Watt
Case: Powmax Demon ATX Style
and replying to rastoroth, custom is definatly the way to go, if you have any questions, im me on AIM, my s/n is MxcnSnwbrdr311, hell, if anyone has any questions ill answer them(computer related) lol. My nickname at school was "The Guru"
Processor: AMD Athlon Xp 2500
Mobile "Barton"
Mobo: Abit NF-7
RAM:1 GB Corsair PC3200
Video: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb 256 bit
Hard Drive: 80 GB 7200 rpm Seagate "Barracuda"
CD/RW: Lite-On 48x read/48x write/24x rewrite/8x dvd read
Sound:7.1 Channel Sound Blaster (not audigy)
Processor HS and Fan: Thermaltake Volcano 12+
PSU: Antec 420 Watt
Case: Powmax Demon ATX Style
For a budget of 2 to 2.5k, you can build 2 very very capable gaming systems that'll keep you going for a couple years. Just go to newegg.com
You dont even need an AMD 64 Bit, etc.
You can do very well with Windows XP Home Edition, an ASUSTeK mobo, AMD Athlon XP 3000+ processor, 512MB RAM, GeForce4 Ti 4600 card, any 5.1 surround sound system and a ViewSonic monitor, etc.
im looking for a school strictly for information technology, or whatever they call working on home/office computers. I was lookin at some colleges and they were very high priced. Damn America and its capitalist ways...(not really damn america, id rather be in a capitalist society than communist, ktnx)
Processor: AMD Athlon Xp 2500
Mobile "Barton"
Mobo: Abit NF-7
RAM:1 GB Corsair PC3200
Video: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb 256 bit
Hard Drive: 80 GB 7200 rpm Seagate "Barracuda"
CD/RW: Lite-On 48x read/48x write/24x rewrite/8x dvd read
Sound:7.1 Channel Sound Blaster (not audigy)
Processor HS and Fan: Thermaltake Volcano 12+
PSU: Antec 420 Watt
Case: Powmax Demon ATX Style
if you dont want to build it or are too afraid, www.alienware.com
Alienware computers are the top of the line company made pc's imo. too expensive for me so i build my own.
Rastaroth,
do what I do, buy a barebone then add whatever you want/need. Barebones come with Motherboard and CPU already installed, sometimes even memory, just need to be careful with the CPU coolers included, real crappy. Need a good cooler for AMDs)
I'd not know the current best store online to get a barebone from. But pricewatch.com for parts (video cards, memory, HD, etc)
good luck
There are minimum specs, and then there are recommended specs. The recommended specs (or equivilant) are as follows:
- Pentimum 4 with 1 GHZ (or AMD equivilant. Or other equivilant)
- 1 GIG RAM (if you can afford it, get 2 GIG RAM).
- GeForce 6.8 (or equivilant.) Speacial note, GeForce 6.8 will soon be outdated on purpose. In the past year it has become tooooo blatantly obvious GeForce aka NVidia, is milking, milking, the market, consumers, etc.... over a 1 year period they went from haviing GeForce 4, to GeForce 5, to GeForce 5.5, to GeForce 6, to GeForce 6.8!!! Before that it took them roughly one year to go from GeForce 1 to GeForce 2, then roughly 1 year to go from GeForce 2 to Geforce 3. Then roughly one year to go from GeForce 3 to GeForce 4. Sad how they are milking the market, ..... even over milking it. I feel sorry for anyone who purchased a GeForce 5, 5.5, or 6.
Doom 3 does work on GeForce 6.8, I have a friend who plays it, though I haven't gone over to watch him play it yet. If Doom 3 can work well on GeForce 6.8 then EverQuest II should also work well on it.
Check out the current October 2004 issue of Computer Gaming World. On page 96 is an intresting article on graphics cards. Then on page 110 is a very intresting customized computer. Check out its specs LOL!
I use 3 computers. The one at one of my jobs has Fiber Optic connection (the fastest possible connection in existance.), soo much RAM it is virtually unlimited (no chance of me ever using it all), with a Pentium 4 that has a 2 GHZ processor. And... GeForce 6.8
The one at home has 56k connection, 2 GIG RAM, Pent 4, 1 GHZ processor. With GeForce 4. 
Then there's the computers I used at the local PC. Bang whenever I visit "Little Korea", "Little China", or any other Asian enclave. They have T1 connection, 100 GIG RAM, Pent 4 (and/or AMD equivilant), 2GHZ prcessors. Some have GeForce 4. Some have GeForce 6.8
Because I visit the PC Bangs (aka Internet Cafes) there is no way, nor no need for me to buy a GeFoce 5, or 5.5, or 6, or 6.8 ever for my home PC. Let NiVidia/GeForce over milk conumers as much as they want.... they won't be getting my $$$$ anytime soon heheh.
->You might want to also look into seeing if there are any new Internet Cafes/PC Bangs in your area and what their rates are.... before you go plunking down hundreds of $$$$ on a new home PC, or upgrading your PC for future games.
->Next best way to get a new PC is definatly buy the parts and build it yourself.
->Next best is buy the parts, then have someone you know build it. Either a friend, relative, co-worker who knows how to. Or approach a computer hardware engineer at a store and ask him/her if they would be willing to to some sidebuisness.
->You can also buy a high end refurbished computer. And/or near new computers being sold in your local classifieds, and on the internet.
Last, I very strongly recommend you check out and browse:
http://newegg.com/
It is one of the most well known, and reputable, computer sites on the internet. Some other sites:
http://www.pricewatch.com/
http://computerwarehouse.com/sbi/
ALL of the other posters in this thread also made some NICE suggestions and dropped some NICE info!
Personal Website (work in progress):
http://www.geocities.com/xplororor/index.html
AC, AC2, AO, EQ, SWG
http://community.webshots.com/user/xplororor
EverQuest II
http://community.webshots.com/user/xplororor_eq2archives01
EQ, Dungeon Siege, Diablo II, *UXO*
http://community.webshots.com/user/xplororor_archives01
Diablo II ..... HARDCORE mode!
http://community.webshots.com/user/xplororor_archives02
EVE Online !!!
http://community.webshots.com/user/sica_xol_archives01
where can i find one of these barebones, i guess i would feel a little bit more comfortable adding on to something that is already started for me
also does anyone know of a good book or tutorial online that is helpful in building your own comp??
As a lot of other people have pointed out on the forum already; a custom built PC is the way to go. At alla costs you need to avoid buying a Dell or similar. Although these companies offer "games machines", they often come frighteningly ill-equipped to deal with modern games.
[For the benefit of the other users at the forum, and also as a little story] I saw a Dell "games" machine advertised recently that offered a whopping great intel processor (the highest Intel have got - 3.4GHz), a gig of RAM, and..... wait for it.... a Geforce FX 5200 graphics chip! Wow! So as you can imagine, the machine was expensive as hell (1600), and would perform like a sloth on tranquilisers. Boy I love Dell, they're great for laughs!
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I've constructed a fair number of custom-built PC's myself at this stage, and I can tell you now that it's easy as pie on modern components (now a few years ago it was a whole different story with masses of jumpers to set etc. ). Though having said that I wouldn't recommend building one until you have read some info on clock speeds, core/bus ratio, ATA, and chassis cooling (just a basic idea of where you need fans). I'd also recommend having a look inside your current PC, because the biggest reason why people won't build a PC is that they're scared of what's inside the box. Trust me, there's no monsters.
As far as specs are concerned it really depends on your budget. A few pointers, though, and a list of all the components you'll need:
Chassis - Price range (approx) $40 - $250
Motherboard - $80 - $160
Processor $100 - $600
RAM - The more the merrier. Generally 1 Gig is good these days.
Heatsink and fan $10 - $50 (fan cooling)
Graphics chip $150 - $550
Hard drive(s) $90 - $200
Power Supply c.$80 (you'll need around 350 - 450 Watt; depending on your system)
DVD Rom c.$40
DVD Rewriter/CDRW Combo c.$120 (not a necessary component, but nice)
ATA cables (all important!!). Around $10 each for standard size. $20 for extra long. You'll probably need 2 (each one supports 2 drives). Also look-up Master.Slave settings before installing the drives.
Monitor c.$200 (Avoid LCD's if you can because they don't support decent resolutions and are horrifically overpriced, even if they do look neat sitting on the desk).
Sound card $30 - $250. Most gamers will use the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 (c. $140).
Speakers (this is always my favourite): $30 - $400. Don't get a cheap set of speakers with a good sound card for obvious reasons. Some nice 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1 systems are available from around $80. Creative are actually a good maker of speaker sets. Logitech have nice systems too - their 620 system looks very asthetically pleasing, and their 680 will probably shatter all the windows in your house. If you're looking for a smaller setup, there are also plenty of 2.1 systems available.
Keyboard and mouse $30 - $150. This all depends on personal taste I guess.
Mouse Mat (Lol!) - $2 - $20
Modem - $40 You won't need one if you have broadband.
Think that's all the components (anthing I've missed?)
And some pointers. These are personal views, so other people might believe otherwise - at the end of the day it's your decision.
Power Supply - I'd strongly suggest getting a quiet one - Antec are good.
The graphics chip is the most important component. If you can, get one of the highest end ones (Radeon 9800 or higher). The performance difference between the 9800 and X800 is small, but the X800 will support new features in games further into the future, when the 9800 might give some lag.
Processor - Generally processor prices rise steadily until a certain point where they begin to rise steeply. At the moment that point is around the 3400+ in the Athlon 64 range. This is around the point you should aim for when buying a processor. Don't go below 3000+ 64 bit. That reminds me. Avoid Intel for the sake of your pocket no matter what anyone else says. They're overpriced and underpowered. The only reason they survive at the moment is due to major contract deals with Dell and other computer maunfacturers, and a few hardcore fans who like to throw their money away.
RAM: Be very careful to buy RAM that is supported by your motherboard, or you'll have a lot of expensive chips sitting around the house collecting dust. To make it more awkward the naming convention for RAM is some stupid system thought up by a 2 year old. Almost all Athlon boards now will support PC3200 (400MHz) RAM, and a few will also support PC4200 (533MHz). Some people will bang on about how the manufacturer of the RAM makes a huge difference, but personally I have never believed in this to any great extent. Though I don't deny that there will be a difference, it's whether or not it's worth the extra cost that makes me wonder.
I know this is a big rant, but maybe you'll find something useful among it. I definitely think I should have been a politician or social worker or something because I always seem to be ranting on :P
Are we still in 1998? 512Mb RAM? GF TI? Come on! If you have $2,000 to spend I would say get only the best, not some out-dated piece of crap... no offence, but that's garbage.
To reply to the person above me, he's 100% correct. I broke my PC down bit by bit... everything I bought... and it's still one of the fastest PCs around... getting a little dated for my blood, but that's just me.
It's funny, I can remember installing EDO RAM 8ns back in the DOOM ][ days... I can remember ISA and my 13" modem! Woohoo! 2400bps!
Now everything in life is "plug and pray", and it usually works half the time... so if you know how to screw in a light, or flush a toilet, you can easily install the right parts to a computer.
What will he do next?
I'll say it one more time for everyone who seems to be confused.
You have $2000 to spend, get the best you can... *simple*
/end rant
What will he do next?
I just set up my new machine. It was spec'd out for next generation games and graphics, exclusively for Everquest II, but also with the capability for expansion in the future. Here's what I got:
Intel Pentium 4 Prescott 560 3.6 GHz 800MHZ FSB
Intel 925x chipset
2 GB DDR2 533 (upgradable to 4)
250 Gig Serial ATA Western Digital XL80 HD
Ati RADEON X800 PRO (x16 PCI Express bus configuration)
Soundblaster Live Audigy 2
Klipsh ProMedia 4.1 Speaker System (4 speakers + subwoofer)
Samsung 16x DvD and TEAC DvD + RW
Windows XP Professional
Cable connection
As far as I can see, my system lacks in the Optical drive department. If I install games on CD-ROM, they will take a lot longer to install compared to DVD. I was betting that more and more games will be in DVD format. If not, I have a spare 48x CD-ROM that'll fix that issue. I usually do other things while installing anyway.
Another thing I wish I had a little different is the video card. First of all I wanted an Nvidia 6800 Ultra. I didn't want to take the chance with my power supply, which is 460 watts. At first they said we needed at least a 480. Then they said they were conservative and a 350 was fine. I played it safe and got the Ati. I have a 9800 XT in my other machine which was awesome, so staying with Ati was not a hard decision. However, I would have liked the extra power in the Radeon x800 XT, or x800 XT Platinum. Big bucks, though, and let's face it . . . we haven't really seen any games besides Far Cry and Doom 3 since the nvidia 5950 Ultra and Ati 9800 XT came out that really pushed these cards to their full performance. It bothers me that I upgraded again without even seeing the full potential of my last video card. So who's to say that the game developers will catch up this time and get some really great looking games out that will push my card to it's limits and show me what it can do? I have a good feeling that Everquest II will do just that, so the upgrade will be worth it if this turns out to be true.
Otherwise, the machine is a nice looking, powerful, quiet, and cool one (there are about 8 fans, 2 each dedicated to the processor and video card alone), I am more than ready for next years games.