PC Discussion Thread II - All PC related discussion goes here.

when i say cheap i mean cheap for a gaming rig like maybe under 600$

Not so sure you're going to get that great of a gaming rig for under $600. Doubt it will play Arma 2 that great if you do...

just upgraded to a

HiS ATi Radeon 4850 512MB PCI-E/ AM3 AMD Phenom II 1055T @ [3.9ghz]/ ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/ Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600mhz CL9/ Thermaltake Silent Purepower 560W/ Seagate SATA II 1TB/ Antec Twelve Hundred Case

From a AMD AM2 6000+ 3.3ghz Dual core,AM2 Gigabyte Mobo and 4GB DDR2 800mhz ram.

use to get 20-25 fps average, now get 40-55's :)

Oh and get an AMD :P

Hey guys, since there is a lack of good, tactical games on consoles, I am wondering what you guys think about me ceasing to buy Xbox 360 games and save up for a gaming PC. How much would one that would last for a long time cost?

Thank you,

Paul

Mine cost about 1200, although you can build your own for only 500 dollars. Alienware and pre-builts will go for much more.

Hey guys, since there is a lack of good, tactical games on consoles, I am wondering what you guys think about me ceasing to buy Xbox 360 games and save up for a gaming PC. How much would one that would last for a long time cost?

Thank you,

Paul

PCs for gaming is a much more expensive prospect than consoles, but you're right in that the games are better. Particularly if you like sim type games too - there's lots of extra hardware to spend your money on like joysticks, pedals etc. And of course you can easily upgrade PCs as & when better stuff comes out and you can afford it.

Aside from the better games and better hardware, personally I cannot play any FPS game without mouse & keyboard. Those console controls drive me mad :)

You'll be spending about 3x a console for a PC, but you'll probably buy less games, as they generally last longer. Of course, there's a lot more a PC can do aside from games, most people would say that a PC purely for gaming is probably not a great way to spend your money, unless there are particular games you wish to play.

I definitely do want to get a gaming PC, but I do not know much about building a computer. However, I am willing to try to learn.

My main reasons for wanting a gaming PC are: games with tons of re-playability due to mods, mission editors, etc, maturity level is generally much higher on PCs, generally better games, and the ArmA series. Seriously, Arma II in itself is a reason to buy a PC.

Seriously, Arma II in itself is a reason to buy a PC.

Couldnt agree more :)

I would say go down the route of building your own. It really isnt that hard, but i would definatly try and find someone local to you who has experience building systems to watch over you while your do your first build. At first it can be a bit daunting, but once youve done it once. You can fly through the process.

The major difference i building your own is the simple fact that it will be "your pc". What i mean by that is, you will choose all the parts and install the software. Generally builders choose quality components, rather than the lowest bidder stuff that gets used by most companys selling systems. Plus you generally get a load of crap software that you dont need, on pre built machines.

Guys, I have the most bizarre problem with my display:

Yesterday when I jump started my rig I noticed it had lost the driver for the display (Benq G2400W 24") and the resolution had gone awol...

In a nutshell: The screen is 24" but the desktop in it is approx 32" and I can only see a part of the desktop.

I can scroll it with the mouse though.

Tried uninstall/reinstall couple of times but the problem remains... Any ideas?

ps. I think I checked that the nVidia scaling settings were ok

Couldnt agree more :)

I would say go down the route of building your own. It really isnt that hard, but i would definatly try and find someone local to you who has experience building systems to watch over you while your do your first build. At first it can be a bit daunting, but once youve done it once. You can fly through the process.

The major difference i building your own is the simple fact that it will be "your pc". What i mean by that is, you will choose all the parts and install the software. Generally builders choose quality components, rather than the lowest bidder stuff that gets used by most companys selling systems. Plus you generally get a load of crap software that you dont need, on pre built machines.

So, do you guys have suggestions for specific parts for the entire computer? I don't know much about choosing parts, but I'm pretty sure I could put it all together.

Thank you for your assistance,

Paul

Merged Paul's thread into here.

Merged Paul's thread into here.

Okay.

Guys, I have the most bizarre problem with my display:

Yesterday when I jump started my rig I noticed it had lost the driver for the display (Benq G2400W 24") and the resolution had gone awol...

In a nutshell: The screen is 24" but the desktop in it is approx 32" and I can only see a part of the desktop.

I can scroll it with the mouse though.

Tried uninstall/reinstall couple of times but the problem remains... Any ideas?

ps. I think I checked that the nVidia scaling settings were ok

That sounds like the resolution of the screen is set higher than what it can support. What is it currently set to?

So, do you guys have suggestions for specific parts for the entire computer?

What kind of budget are you working with?

What kind of budget are you working with?

I'm trying to stay under $1,000.

I'm not completely up to date with Intel's latest i3/i5 chips, last I checked for a cheap decent CPU was AMD's Athlon II X4 620 - a cheap yet fast quad core, lacking only the cache of the more expensive Phenom IIs.

Graphics card - I think the HD5770 is the one to get if you want something decent on a budget.

EDIT: Looking briefly at the Core i3s. There's some quite fast dual core variants in the same price region as the '620 mentioned above. Most games will probably benefit from a chip with higher clockspeed and less cache over two extra cores.

If I upgrade my CPU, will the AI in ArmA become more responsive?

Faster to react to my commands for example. Faster to change action say when pathing?

In games like Command and Conquer, the AI would all literally speed up the more and more CPU power you got. Soldiers would run faster!

In ARMA I often notice a delay between the time I give the order and the time an AI starts acting on it, I was wondering if a little upgrade might smooth this out.

Depends on what sort of CPU you have at the minute.

I'm trying to stay under $1,000

I'm assuming by the $$ that you are one of our cousins from over the pond :p

All the places i use to buy components are in the UK, so prices may differ. Does anyone know a good supplier in the US??

As for which bits you need, i myself am partial to AMD CPU's and ATI Graphics Cards. Below is an example of a system i have built recently for a friend...

CPU: AMD Phenom II 965

GPU: ATI HD 5870

MOBO: ASUS M4A79XTD DDR3

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB DDR3 1600

PSU: CORSAIR 750W

Then the other bits like Case, HDD, 3rd Party CPU Cooler, DVD/RW Drive.

This all came to about £1000, but does include xtras like more storage HDD's and a gaming case. Plus they are all quality parts, so you expect to pay a little more. But in the long run, i would definatly say its worth it.

You say $1000, which with the exchange rate as is, works out about £680ish. That would cover the above mentions "main components" not the case, hdd's etc.

The problem with building a system that can run ArmA 2 is if you want to play it in all its glory. You have to spend the money, but on the plus side it will easily run anything else you throw at it.

The most expensive thing is always going to be the graphics card (unless your one of these people who can throw £700 at a top Intel CPU). You could save a little by maybe going for a bit lower spec CPU, but tbh the price difference at least in the UK between the above 965 and lower 955 etc are minimal (£20). Maybe get just 2GB of RAM, then you can always put in some more when you have the funds available.

If i were you i'd have a look/ask around and find a good retailer near you. Then just start to price up the main components (CPU,GPU,MOBO,RAM,PSU).

Once you have that, you can see what funds are left for the HDD's. Cases and DVD drives etc. are generally cheap. Unless you go for a deluxe gaming case, again its all personal choice. The advantages of such a gaming case are things like more room inside allowing better airflow, more fans than normal cases, quality construction and not to mention are alot easier to build with the extra room.

Sorry this has been very long winded i know, but basically it really does come down to personal choice and research on which components you want.

I'm assuming by the $$ that you are one of our cousins from over the pond :p

All the places i use to buy components are in the UK, so prices may differ. Does anyone know a good supplier in the US??

As for which bits you need, i myself am partial to AMD CPU's and ATI Graphics Cards. Below is an example of a system i have built recently for a friend...

CPU: AMD Phenom II 965

GPU: ATI HD 5870

MOBO: ASUS M4A79XTD DDR3

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB DDR3 1600

PSU: CORSAIR 750W

Then the other bits like Case, HDD, 3rd Party CPU Cooler, DVD/RW Drive.

This all came to about £1000, but does include xtras like more storage HDD's and a gaming case. Plus they are all quality parts, so you expect to pay a little more. But in the long run, i would definatly say its worth it.

You say $1000, which with the exchange rate as is, works out about £680ish. That would cover the above mentions "main components" not the case, hdd's etc.

The problem with building a system that can run ArmA 2 is if you want to play it in all its glory. You have to spend the money, but on the plus side it will easily run anything else you throw at it.

The most expensive thing is always going to be the graphics card (unless your one of these people who can throw £700 at a top Intel CPU). You could save a little by maybe going for a bit lower spec CPU, but tbh the price difference at least in the UK between the above 965 and lower 955 etc are minimal (£20). Maybe get just 2GB of RAM, then you can always put in some more when you have the funds available.

If i were you i'd have a look/ask around and find a good retailer near you. Then just start to price up the main components (CPU,GPU,MOBO,RAM,PSU).

Once you have that, you can see what funds are left for the HDD's. Cases and DVD drives etc. are generally cheap. Unless you go for a deluxe gaming case, again its all personal choice. The advantages of such a gaming case are things like more room inside allowing better airflow, more fans than normal cases, quality construction and not to mention are alot easier to build with the extra room.

Sorry this has been very long winded i know, but basically it really does come down to personal choice and research on which components you want.

Yeah, I'm in the USA. :D

Thanks for all the info! It will definitely help me out. :)

That sounds like the resolution of the screen is set higher than what it can support. What is it currently set to?

The display is broken. It supported 1920x1200 (native) which I was using but it was ovescaling all the time and windows did not recognize it anymore.

I had to dig up my old 19" acer from storage..... bugger..

is this sufficient?

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Mega_Special_II/

No, it seems all the money is spent on the case rather than the actual parts. :p

The design of that site is awful by the way.

is this sufficient?

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Mega_Special_II/

You know, I think I'm going to cry. :(

No, it seems all the money is spent on the case rather than the actual parts. :p

The design of that site is awful by the way.

well i didnt pick the parts yet thats just the default

i just wanted to know if the parts are good enough

---------- Post added at 09:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:04 PM ----------

so is a dual core enough and also should i get a gts 250? if so 512 mb or 1 gig

I really would go for a quad core, ArmA2 is very CPU dependent.