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Building a computer for this game
I want to build a computer that will be more than capable of playing this game. I don't require the best computer ever, or anything completely over the top. I would like to max out the settings for Aion though. Is that going to be at all possible for under 500ish USD? Also, where should I start at and would it be easier to upgrade what I have? Unfortunately my computer is a dell, and I've heard that dells are hard to upgrade for w.e. reason I'm not sure, but the specialist at my work said that I shouldn't bother. My computer right now is about a year old, and it if it helps here are my specs.
Processor: Interl (R) Core (TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @2.40 GHz (4 CPUs)
Memory: 2046
Page File: 848 MB Used 3090 MB available
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256mb
It's a Dell Inspirion 530
Also, I could possibly spend more, just not a lot more, I'd say about the most I'll have between now and Aion release is 750-800. Maybe it's not really reasonable for me to expect that to be enough to play a newer game maxed out, I understand that and if thats the case go ahead and say so. I have quite a few friends who will be going to Aion, and I am pretty positive I can't handle it on this rig.
Comments
Aion may be graphically beautiful, but it is also polished.
I'm able to run it at max settings smoothly with a computer like this:
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4 GHz
- 2 GB RAM
- Geforce 9800 GX2 running at a PCI Express 1.0 Motherboard
Than, perhaps I should look at just throwing a couple hundred bucks at a Video card? and Maybe a powersupply since I have no idea what the wattage is on this computer.
I did the same for all the games i play. My opion is get the lagrest Tower you can afford i got the Cooler Master 850 loads of room plenty of slots to add fans vented all the way around, made out of metal and everything opens up or slides out includeing MB tray. Having said this also get an upgreaded power supply not a standard one. after that add several fans and what you can afford inbetween. Make sure you get op system such as windows or vista. Key here is you will need to purchase a op system in order to get comp going. Im not an expert just decided to do it myself.
MAGA
The only difficult part about upgrading a dell computer is figuring out what parts you have. I've been building systems for over a decade and personally run an overclocked water-cooled beast that's faster than any production system on the market. I've upgraded over 30 Dells for friends / clients, and while I usually don't convert them to gamming rigs, it's possible.
Here's my recommendation:
The Processor Q6600 is a great CPU. It has won a lot of awards and is capable of some serious speed when overclocked. While I don't recommend you overclock if you're new to computers, it shows that it's still a good CPU.
The amount of memory you have there is not enough. If you're running Windows XP or Vista 32 bit (x86), I recommend you have at least 3-4 Gigs. Windows will not see more than 3 gigs, but if you have a dual channel setup, you may as well go with pairs of 2gb. If you have a 64 bit operating system, you should have 6-8 gigs. That's 6000 - 8000 mb vs your 2046.
Graphics card would be a good upgrade point for you. The 2600 XT supports PCI x16 so you should be able to go with a GTX260 or ATI 4870. They're pretty comparable in performance so I'd go with whichever one is selling for less. The GTX has PhysX which is a nice feature, but the ATI is usually less expensive and will handle AA filters better.
I'm sure the Hard Disk Drive is basic in terms of RPM (revolutions per minute) and cache. You could slap in a Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 32mb Cache drive or even go as far as a Western Digital Raptor.
Essentially what I'm saying here is that you should be able to upgrade for maybe $300 and have a system easily capable of handling Aion at max settings. You'll need to do some research in how to build systems, but computers aren't going away any time soon and I recommend you learn. TomsHardware.com is a great builders resource for beginners.
youtube.com/gcidogmeat
Thanks for the info, I have built a few computers. Not recently though, at least 4 years + has passed. I just haven't had the time to really get into tech stuff, but definetly thanks. I'll do some research on what I can do with this, I am using Windows XP Home Edition.
BTW in Terms of RAM, How do I figure out what RAM I will need? I know that a long time ago I bought PC2700 or something like that for a computer I built... I'm sure that has changed a lot.
build of off the Intel i7
Quad core is a big step up from duel core, you wont need to upgrade for another 3 years
My rig....
» Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit SP2
» Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.8GHz
» EVGA E758-TR 3-Way SLI Intel X58 ATX
» OCZ Platinum 6GB DDR3 1600
» BFG Tech GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit
» SAMSUNG 1TB 7200 RPM 3.0 SATA
http://acominos.evony.com <- if your bored at work
The easiest way is to open the case and pull out the Dimms. It's printed right on the side of every memory module. Memory is cheap as can be right now. Newegg.com sells it for dirt compared to what it used to be.
Other than pulling the case apart, you'd have to check the Dell Specification sheet. There should be something there that tells you the DDR speed. There's two measurements for RAM and they mean the same thing.
Example: DDR2 1066 = PC2 8500
If I were a betting man, I'd say you're using DDR2 800 or DDR2 667. Either one "should" work in that board and an Intel Q6600 at stock speeds would normally use DDR2 800. Seeing as how Dell is cheap with the parts they put into the machine, it may be as low as DDR2 667. If it's 1066 (which an overclocked Q6600 would use) I'd be darn surprised.
youtube.com/gcidogmeat
I looked it up, and my computer can use, Each memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-5300,DDR2 PC2-6400 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.* According to Crucial. I don't quite understand why, I cant go above 1gb per slot.
Anyways, I found these on newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145153
I could either buy 2 of them, or 4 since I have 2 open slots anyways. Which would be a cheap upgrade.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127402
Thats one of the video cards I have been looking at. Anyways thanks very much. Maybe I can get some of this in before the next beta, and I'll get to play.
Xion - What operating system are you using?
"Lately it occurs to me,
what a long, strange trip it's been". -Hunter
The RAM is good. Corsair is a great brand to go with. Good support and faithful return policy. Since you already have 2 1GB dimms installed, I don't see any reason to get more than 2 new ones. The corsair memory is much better than anything Dell would put in there, but we're not looking at leaps and bounds in performance by replacing the Dell's. Maybe 2-3 FPS.
Your motherboard cannot support more than 1gb per slot because it's cheap. Sorry to break it to you. It's ok though, rarely will you need more than 4Gb of RAM. I would just make sure at this point that it supports PCI Express 2.0. I would think it does, but I noticed there's an AGP version of the card. Please tell me you're Graphics slot is not AGP. AGP is an old version of what graphics cards use these days (PCI Express 2.0)
I don't know how you came to that choice in graphics cards, but I would not recommend it. It's an ok card, but for a few bucks more you can get a lot more performance. The 4870 is 70% better than that card on average (TomsHardware) and is only like $25 more (Newegg). Spending the $25 more now is a lot better than buying a new card in a year because that 4830 will not keep up with future trends as well as the 4870 will. If you're really struck on budget though, sure the 4830 will run Aion.
youtube.com/gcidogmeat
Personally, I would buy a new case, a new power supply (most prebuilds use skimpy power supplies because they don't expect you to mess with it), new memory, and a new video card.
As GoldenDog said, you can build off of your current setup. You've got a perfectly workable processor, and we can infer from your current parts that your motherboard is adequate.
The case is obviously optional, but it's usually a pain to get around in Dell cases, from personal experience, to the point where I would rather just pull everything out and put the new stuff in a nicer, bigger case. You'll also have less worry from overheating due to your upgrades. There's a pretty big difference between your current card and a Radeon HD4870 or the Nvidia 'equivalent' in terms of heat generation, and your current case might not be able to support that. Dell occasionally uses peculiar case standards, so make sure you watch out for that when you look up your current computer's build specifications. Unless you got a weird one, you should be looking for an ATX case.
I would suggest checking with Dell to find out what memory your motherboard supports, and then grab a 2x2GB kit of the same speed at the best timings you can find (lower timings are better). As GoldenDog said, it will probably be 667 or 800 DDR2 sticks. Memory in that range is incredibly affordable. Edit: Just read your newer post. Sorry to hear that.
For a power supply, you'll want ~400watts on the +12v rail to be comfortable (for both future upgrades and to account for capacity decay). Since you want ~400w, you'll be looking at a power supply that has ~33amps on the +12v rail. More is fine (generally, you want to overshoot it a bit, as your power supply will operate more efficiently that way), less is of course probably not a good idea. You'll also want to make sure that you buy a power supply that supports the same case standard as the case you'll be using. Something to keep an eye out for that would make a power supply more favorable would be modular cabling, which makes cable management much simpler, and improves the airflow in your case as an indirect result.
In any case, good luck with your build. Owing to newer revelations as to your motherboard's quality, I would suggest chucking it and getting a new one. It would be ~100 bucks, but it would be well worth it, and possibly save you money in other areas by allowing greater flexibility of part choice. It's not a necessity, however.
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I am running a AMD phenom BE triple core processor o/c at 3.6 for each core, a 4870 1g vc and 4 gigs of corsair dominater ddr3 1300( although i keep experiencing problems at that speed so i'm running it like 1026 i believe is the number) 680w power supply, dvd burner, you get the idea, anyway just bought my full custom built pc off cyberpowerpc.com for about 900 bucks, also there is a company called ibuypower.com that seems to be pretty reasonable also, check em out
I can run aion maxxed out and even push it a little harder with my graphics card settings, so far in beta the game runs like a dream way ahead of alot of games i've played that are already released. So before you go new egg ( it will be a little cheaper if you order each piece but you have to build it yourself) or dell- imo way overpriced but the warranty and customer service is tops with dell, check out the other sites and you could be playing aion on a pretty high-end system for a small cost at least thats what I did and could not be happier
Hope this helps you
The card I ended up putting in my 'wishlist' cart, on newegg is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814150403
I thought it looked like a better choice, and it's benchmarks on tomshardware we're better.
Also I am using, Windows Home Edition build 5.1 I'm not sure if thats 32-bit or 64 - bit.
However, I amgoing to format it and install a 64 bit edition of Windows XP.
And this is the HD that is on my list as well
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433
so far I'm at around 350ish. Which is less than what I wanted to spend, and I am fairly certain that I will end up with a new case and powersupply as well.
Special-A
Case ( iBUYPOWER Vantage Gaming Tower Case - w/ Halo 2 Side Window )
Processor ( Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8400 (2x 3.0GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB) )
Motherboard ( Asus P5KPL-CM Intel G31 Chipset w/6-channels, Gb LAN, S-ATA 3Gb/s, USB 2.0, Single PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module - Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT PCI-Express x16 - 512MB - Single Card )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( 700 Watt -- Power Supply - SLI Ready )
Processor Cooling ( AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink - Quiet & Overclocking Proof )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )
Hard Drive ( 320 GB HARD DRIVE - [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Optical Drive ( None )
2nd Optical Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 22X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard with 18 Internet Hot /Multimedia Keys - Black )
Mouse ( iBUYPOWER 1600 dpi High Sensitivity Internet Mouse - Black )
Operating System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....) - 64-Bit )
Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Video Camera ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Headset ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
MP3/MP4 Player ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
$802.00 dollars
I've bought 3 systems from Ibuypower.com so far. Longest I've waited was 6 days to get it on my front porch. Never had a problem. Booted up perfectly after I plugged it in. Parts chosen BY ME at order. You could build the same system using NEWEGG for about 100 dollars less. But I have a lifetime support and warranty through the company in addition to the standard manufacturer's warranty.
NEVER buy from Dell. They sell 3rd rate hardware at premium prices and their customer support is a joke.
Check out ResellerRatings.com and look for yourself. If you only have 800 bucks, I just gave you a PREMIUM gaming rig for that price with 8g RAM, a 64bit system and the 9800 series Geforce vid card which I use myself. This system will run anything out at max settings including Vanguard.
Good luck with your choice, you've seen my suggestion
Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil. Never back away from an enemy. Either fight or surrender. It is not enough to say I will not be evil. Evil must be fought wherever it is found.The Iron Code"
Those are all good suggestions by Tykero there.
The newer video cards require special power adapters and you'll need to make sure your PSU can handle them. You can buy pin conversions in a worst case scenario (two hard disk power cables -> 6 pin adapters), but if the power supply comes with them it's all the better. 4870 and 4830 require a minimum 450 Watt PSU from their Spec Sheets. From Dell's spec sheet you have a 350 Watt.
I personally hate buying cases and build my own out of wood and scrap ATX mounts. I think they're too expensive. If you want one, you'll want to consider buying a case with a power supply already in it. They sell them as combinations and you can save some dough. Looking at pictures of that Dell case, there might be an issue of placing the video card inside the system. It's a very long card and will reach all the way to the Hard Drive bays.
youtube.com/gcidogmeat
Vista 64 really requires 4gigs of RAM, RAM is cheap now, so grab it.
"Lately it occurs to me,
what a long, strange trip it's been". -Hunter
The graphics card he has picked out comes with two molex/6pin adapters, so he should be fine there either way.
The more I think about it, the more I would strongly recommend a new case and motherboard. I can almost guarantee that you'll run into issues with your new video card if you don't upgrade both, as the demands that newer cards extoll on motherboard/case design are much greater nowadays.
So:
Motherboard (ATX; Intel; P45, X38, or X48 Chipset) ~$100
Memory (2x2GB DDR2 800 or 1066; timings of 4-4-4-12 or 5-5-5-15 preferable) ~$50
Power Supply (~400w on the +12v rail: the +12v is what powers your graphics card and processor) ~$100
Graphics Card (HD4870) ~$150
Case (ATX; FULL SIZE TOWER TRUST ME) ~$100
Total ~$500. Most likely less if you shop carefully, especially if you look out for combo deals. Those are all over-estimates in any case.
Edit: The current HD4870 you have picked out has 512MB of memory. There are models with 1GB of memory, and you can nab one for as little as ten to fifty bucks more than your current card. I highly suggest you grab one with 1GB of memory.
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Thing is you dont really need a great computer to run Aion
My specs
Intel 920, 6GB Ram, 2x320 GTS 8800 Nvidia, Window 7 64bit
all graphic options ramped up to full and the pc did not even break into a sweat, i would also add it was running on one card and not in sli as im currently running 2 monitors.
I think might run at full on my second pc but with some heat which is a amd 6000, 4gb ram, Vista 64bit and a 7800gt will try it next week
Playing: FFXIV
Future: wishing for SWG 2, World of Warcraft Classic
Played: Most current and extinct MMO's - 18 Years in....
Interesting Fact - I own 27 Tarantula's
That is true, you don't need a beast to run Aion. It's incredibly efficient.
Of course, we're not building a beast here. Just something that will run smoothly, even in heavily populated areas with lots of action going on.
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Thanks to everyone, gonna buy the parts recommended tonight, after I do some deal shopping on the internet see how much it'll be and go from there, hope to see a lot of you in Aion in a coupld months.
Feel free to post your choices here if you want my opinion.
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