PC Hardware Thread: Now With 100% More Folding!
- Thread starter Horticulture
- Start date
Sorry to leave you hanging while I was on vacation...this will run everything on that list perfectly (certainly exceeds the requirements for the next STALKER, but we'll see when it comes out.) If your monitor has a resolution below 1920x1200, you can get away with a cheaper card like a Radeon 4870 [http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?ProductId=27511].scobie said:
CPU: AMD Phenom II 955 (3.2 gHz quad) [http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/AMD-Phenom-II-X4-955-BlackEdition-Sok-AM3-32GHz-8MB-Total-Cache-125W-Retail]
Motherboard: Sapphite 790gx (AM3) [http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Sapphire-PURE-CrossFireX-AMD-790GX-AM3-PCI-E-20(x16)-DDR3-1333-SATA-RAID-ATX-On-Board-VGA]
RAM: 4 gigs Corsair DDR3-1333 [http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-(2x2GB)-CorsairTwinX-DDR3-PC3-10666-(1333)-240-Pin-Non-ECC-Unbuffered-CAS-9-9-9-24]
GPU: XFX Radeon 4890 [http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1GB-XFX-HD-4890-PCI-E-20(x16)-3900MHz-GDDR5-GPU-850MHz-800-Cores-2x-DL-DVI-I-HDTV-HDCP-Ready]
HDD: WD 640 gig [http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/640GB-Western-Digital-WD6401AALS-Caviar-Black-SATA-300-7200-rpm-32MB-Cache]
Optical: Pioneer DVD-RW [http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Pioneer-DVR-217FBK-20x-DVDR-12x-DVDDL-DVDplusRW-x8-RW-x6-SATA-Black-OEM]
PSU: 650W Corsair [http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/650W-TX-Corsair-PSU-single-12V-rail-energy-efficient-quiet-and-cool-fully-compatible-5yr-warranty]
Case: Antec Nine Hundred [http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Antec-900-Nine-Hundred-Ultimate-Gamer-Case-with-200m-Top-Fan-w-o-PSU]
By and large there isn't a lot of difference between them, however some of the companies will routinely over-clock the GPUs to various levels, they are generally very safely done and they typically added bigger fans and heat sinks to dissipate the additional heat.scobie said:
They will also occasionally change the RAM
To find out what your manufacturer has done to the card you need to get onto their websites.
Like megalomania mentioned, some manufacturers overclock the cards and/or swap out the mounted cooler. Warranties also differ by company, so check into those before you buy.scobie said:
The video card is pretty good, the processor and RAM are the weak links. Where are you buying from/what's your budget?IdealistCommi said:
Oh, Alienware. Their prices are crazy, even compared to other pre-built PCs. If you build yourself, you can get a comparable system for 1/3 the price. Even if you do buy pre-built, another gaming vendor like Cyberpower [http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/], or even a consumer builder (HP or Dell) will give you a much faster system for the money.IdealistCommi said:
Yeah, basically. A quad-core isn't always twice as fast as a dual of the same speed, though. Programs have to be designed to make use of multiple cores, or else adding more won't increase performance. In general, games today usually use 2 or 3 cores fully.IdealistCommi said:
To add to the confusion, different processor types can vary a lot in performance even at the same clockspeed (gHz) rating). So, for instance, a 2.66 gHz Core i7 is actually a little faster than a 3 gHz Phenom II. Look for a PC using either a Phenom II or Core i7 processor-they're the newest CPUs available from AMD and Intel, respectively.
Sounds good for the most part. I'd change to 4 gigs of RAM so that you have an even number of sticks (it runs faster in pairs). I'd also upgrade the video card to a GTS 250, since it's the same price. If you haven't already, grab one of the power supply upgrades (500 watts should do it)...it's really better to play it safe there, since an overloaded PSU can take down your whole system.IdealistCommi said:
You do need an OS (Vista 64 Home+Upgrade Coupon is probably best), but multiple video cards are definitely overkill in anything but the highest-end systems.IdealistCommi said: