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The Best Computer for Everquest 2
fawd
Member Posts: 367
in Everquest II
I have 2500 dollars here for a computer. I have the monitor and speakers, mouse and keybord. Just need a new computer!
I want to be able to play EQ2 with the graphics all the way up ((its a streach I know)) what do you guys think I should buy?
SLI?
2 gig RAM?
64 bit AMD?
Nvidia or ATI?
Intel?
Everything else!
Please help... this computer has to last me a long time... lol
thanks!
FawD
Comments
For 2500 I would defintely go with like-
-AMD 64 3800+(or higher) 939 pin, or go with the AMD FX-53 or FX-55
-A good motherboard with PCI-Express
-SLI would be hella nice (2 Geforce 6800 Ultra's PCI-E *drool*)
-at LEAST 1 gig of RAM, but you would probably have enough for 2 GB. Corsair makes pretty good RAM.
I only suggested Geforce because they are all I have ever used, but if you like ATI's go with those instead.
Well for processor there is no reason NOT to pick up the new san deigo chipset from athlon if you are just about to buy.
As for G card will if you can afford to SLI 2 6800ultras go for it otherwise for a single card best money buy around is certainly the x800xl .
For single card again but pricey then x850xt.
Though i feel the x800xl is really the best choice as it does not break the bank(badly that is hehe) and is a super fast card from ATI.
Its been tested and documented that even though EQ II supports SLI there is no performance increase from having it. It merely is aware of it but does not utilize it.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
I didnt know that, thats too bad. You would think that a game that is geared towards future PC's would support SLI, thats very weird. But Im sure Fadeus is right, so if this PC is mainly going to be for EQ2, you might just want to go with one 6800 Ultra or Radeon X800 or higher.
Sadly Nvidia did alot of the graphics development for EQ II as well. Thats why I will probably not go with another Nvidia card after I outgrow this 6800GT I have.
To the OP, SLI is still dam nice to have, alot of other games DO use it, just don't expect to get anything more out of EQ II with it. I have heard alot of good things about ATI cards with EQ II, you may want to consider that route.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
Just as an FYI - SLI currently is nVidia only, though ATI is coming out with their own version shortly. IF it says SLI, it's nVidia, and the only way it can support 2 cards is if they are GeForce 6600 or 6800 series. ATI's version will be named something other than SLI, and no current cards (that I'm aware of) support their technology.
An SLI motherboard won't run both video slots at PCI-16. If SLI is enabled, they run as PCI-8s, so you can't just shove 2 video cards in there and hope it works.
Yeah bestbuy is the place to get a pimp PC
I prefer newegg.
I run two 6800GT SLI's and I wouldn't recommend them to others. There's not much of a performance increase on anything I've played -- too bleeding edge I suppose.
I have always bought my parts from Tiger Direct, I have a business account with them and they cut some very nice deals when you do. I can't speak for New Egg, I have never ordered from them although from what I understand many do.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
ATI and Nvidia are the same for EQ2. People are just PO'd because they bought the marketing hype. It's just a deal between developers and EVERY game does it. Why people have to fault SOE as soon as someone crops up with a system config issue that messes with gameplay is beyond me. Anyway, that being said I do think SLI is a waste of cash.
My friend has a dual 6600GT setup using an A8N SLI Ultra board. He SWEARS by it. I drooled for hours the first time I saw him play on it. He ran through several benches in different games and they all ran insanely fast with all AF and AA cranked to the max running 1600x1200. There IS a benefit to be had, although as another poster said, EQ2 is not currently supported by their drivers well enough to get much out of it. Many people are still left to wonder if that is because of the nature of the EQ2 engine, or if it is because of the driver support. For now, that's a question that no one has a solid answer to.
But is it worth the cost is the question. I find myself saying no for now.
Anyway, fastest AMD CPU you can get, I find myself reccommending the Venice core at 4000+ rather than the FX due to the new tweaks to the memory controller. A PCI Express board for sure. Nforce 4 Ultra would be the winner in my opinion for an Athlon 64 chipset. 1 Gig of DDR. And a Raptor 74 gig HD. Ultra X PSU I think is up there. And get a big one too. The next gen graphics cards are going to be power hogs from what I understand. Two molex connectors for the next Nvidia line. Dunno what ATI is going to do.
Habit is not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed down the stairs one step at a time. - Mark Twain
If u look at preformance test`s of sli cards u only benifit (get more fps than a single card) if u run high resolutions.. try 1600 x 1200..
Quote "Looking at 1280 x 1024 there begins to be more of a performance benefit to SLI, but the benefits are not really significant until we hit 1600 x 1200. "
Get a x850xt pci-e i have ths card and read up on it as far as a single card goes this is as powerful as it gets yes even bearing the 6800ultra.
Also EQ2 loves ATI cards for some reason .
Sure you can sli(have a thread on off topic on it) but is it worth the huge cost?
Nah.First to get it above x850xt performance means sli 2 6800gt cards.Then it means a beefy powersupply and a sli motherboard as well as extra cooling solutions.
This might run you well above the $2500 mark since its a full build and requires processor,dvd rewriters etc.
Save the money and don't sli and then take that money and get a nice 8 or 16ms response TFT screen
First off, no home computer you can put together will play Everquest 2 on its highest settings and play above about 40 fps.The game was designed for future architectures.
Best you can do is get lots of ram (2 gigs +) and a nice high end P4 or athlon and a really nice video card. I recommend ATI Radeon X800 XT. The Nvidia equivalent is just as good if not better, I just like ATI cuz so many n00bs flame them. Plus the box looks better than nvidia. Although for Doom3 I had to use Nvidia drivers for it to look right but I digress...
If you get those the game looks damn breathtaking but you will only want to play on high quality at most. Anything higher then that is just gonna bog your system down. The better the setup the better the game will perform but just dont expect to be able to shoot all the settings to the top.
3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 is more than ample
+
ATI Radeon X800 XT PCI-E is a great fast card for EQ2 and also HL2, CS:S ( Half life 2 and Counterstrike Source) etc.
+
1 Gig of DDR2 ram
=
One hell of a fast computer with tons of money to spare
I wouldnt reccomend Intel due to their longer pipelines. It is better for work than gamming.
Get a Geforce 6800Ultra (or gt i forget which is better)
and an AMD 64-bit 939pin from 3000+ to whatever.
I could care less yet for PCI-E or SLI. I just stuck with AGP. Until game utilize sli or pci-e, I will stick with agp.
OH YEAH, NEWEGG.COM has to be the best place to get comp parts. I havn't had a problem with them, but people that did say they have the best costumer service out there. Oh yeah and they are quick..
NVidia just came out with a new card that blows away ATI. I got in my new system from Alienware.
AMD 64 4000+
Nvidia 6800 Ultra with 512mb ram (thats right 512 !!!)
2 gigabytes of ram
etc, etc etc.
Im tempted to retry EQ2 just to see what the graphics look like. Guessing I can come to close to high settings.
Also, you might wanna consider Alienware or Falcon for your PC. Bestbuy is garbage. These guys go for the finer details that make a difference in speed. Things like extra cooling fans, cables all tied off to improve airflow, and no cheapie plastic cases.