Desktop Hardware Q&A

[Lamuse]

I would just like to know if this set up is good for SWTOR and mmo gaming in geneal.

 

Also, this was an e-mail to my friend, so I'll just copy/paste.

 

 

Total: $923.90

 

My first run through was $1200 so I got it down below $1000 which is good.

 

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Windows 7 = $99.99

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

 

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Processor = 220$

 

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

 

 

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Motherboard = $69.99

 

BIOSTAR TH67B LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138308

 

This is the part I'm worried about, but I think it should be ok.

I wouldn't skimp on here, I bought an ASRock Extreme 3 Gen 3 for $125 with the Z68 chipset on it, I wated something that could run the Ivy Bridge CPUs when they come out for more expandability

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Memory = $39.99

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 with the above board, $29.99--

 

Power Supply = $94.99

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018 Hasn't let me down yet in 2 years, and $74 after the rebate. $89 before

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Video Card = $179.99

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510

 

I know that's expensive for a video card but it's only $75 more for the card, and I think it's better to have a better graphics card than a processor for gaming.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948 Better card, buddy with the same processor and this card is getting 110fps in game, and it's running cool. Plus it has a rebate as well

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Hard Drive = $139.99

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

 

Is that too expensive?

 

Hard drives are expensive now due to the floods in Thailand, if you have a decent size one you can reuse I would do that

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Case = $50

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

 

See the above in red, this may steer you in a good route.

[Blacryan]

I'm running on the following system, will I be ok?

 

AMD Phenom X4 955 (3.2ghz), 4gigs of DDR3, and a Geforce 7900 GTX

 

Is the GFX card going to hamper me that much?

[Nathan_ss]

I actually would like some real feedback.

 

I'm planning on "investing" $1,000-$1,300 next month on a new gaming rig. Please note, my intentions aren't just to run TOR on high, but they are to run TOR on high in a full raid and never dip below 60 FPS. Also, I'm an "all around" gamer which means I need this to play the more demanding games like BF3, MW3, Skyrim, and anything else that comes in next year with good FPS.

 

This is what I have so far:

• intel i5-2500k (+MB combo)
  
• ATI 6970 x2 (exact model unknown yet)
  
• G.Skill Memory (2x 8GB)
  

 

Roughly comes it to be $1300 which is my cap. I'll keep my same case and PSU (plenty powerful) for the upgrade.. everything else goes.

 

My current system runs TOR on high just fine, my only worries is what happens in a cluster of people.

 

Feedback is always welcome.. especially on the exact model of 6970s.

 

Great idea going with the 6970's, the XFX models look solid, however i dont think there will be a need for the bigger fan size since unless OC'in the 6970's run cool

[Nathan_ss]

I'm running on the following system, will I be ok?

 

AMD Phenom X4 955 (3.2ghz), 4gigs of DDR3, and a Geforce 7900 GTX

 

Is the GFX card going to hamper me that much?

 

Ur running the same processor and amount of RAM as me, but ur GPU is going to bottleneck your system, if you get a high end GPU ur rig should run any game on ultra.

[jhsu]

2.3 core 2 duo

n450gts 1gb

4gb ram

1tb hd

 

do you guys think i can run on high?

[Blacryan]

Ur running the same processor and amount of RAM as me, but ur GPU is going to bottleneck your system, if you get a high end GPU ur rig should run any game on ultra.

 

for $130 at http://www.frys.com/ what card should I get? I want to go pick 1 up today before I get into game tomorrow or yes I'd buy 1 online, not too concerned I'll get a high end card later in the year.

[Thyrdad]

currently:

- Asus 1155 mobo w/12GRAM

- Intel i5 quadcore

- NVIDIA GTX 465 gpu (2 30" monitors @ 1900x1200)

 

played all in-game graphic settings at highest, and still kept the fps high and no lag (except when testing servers failed) - the dynamic graphics of the game are awesome! and, no doubt they will only improve.

 

planned: dedicating this existing system to folding@home (with another 465 gpu) & making new system in Jan'12 for gaming...

- Asus lga2011 mobo w/16GRAM

- Intel i7 3xxx series cpu

- NVIDIA GTX 565ti (3 - 30" monitors & 2500x1600)

- Bigfoot XenoPro LAN

 

will be amazing looking foward to sli options/drivers with SWTOR on my system.

 

also, my internet is high 50m for necessity/work reasons, so signal is 3 levels higher than normal "high speed" that is generally 10m/12m or 16m or 20m...no lag on my end whatsoever!

[Nathan_ss]

for $130 at http://www.frys.com/ what card should I get? I want to go pick 1 up today before I get into game tomorrow or yes I'd buy 1 online, not too concerned I'll get a high end card later in the year.

 

dont waste money on getting a mid range card now and a high end later, just put the money into a high end card now, mine is around 130 but i wouldnt recommend it, its a gtx 465 evga superclocked, but it gets extremely hot and i have to turn fan speed to 80% just so it doesnt go over 90C.

[Blacryan]

dont waste money on getting a mid range card now and a high end later, just put the money into a high end card now, mine is around 130 but i wouldnt recommend it, its a gtx 465 evga superclocked, but it gets extremely hot and i have to turn fan speed to 80% just so it doesnt go over 90C.

 

The $$ isnt my concern. It's christmas time I really dont want to be spending $ on myself.

 

I figure if I pick up one of the following

 

http://www.frys.com/product/6074158?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

http://www.frys.com/product/6092428?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

http://www.frys.com/product/6139339?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

it will run SWTOR just fine (in regards to my GF7900 GTX) and I'll pick up 1 of the newer released cards come summer time.

 

I'll toss the card in 1 of my other PC's too and will still get good use out of it after upgrading.

Edited December 14, 2011 by Blacryan

[Nathan_ss]

The $$ isnt my concern. It's christmas time I really dont want to be spending $ on myself.

 

I figure if I pick up one of the following

 

http://www.frys.com/product/6074158?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

http://www.frys.com/product/6092428?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

http://www.frys.com/product/6139339?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

it will run SWTOR just fine (in regards to my GF7900 GTX) and I'll pick up 1 of the newer released cards come summer time.

 

I'll toss the card in 1 of my other PC's too and will still get good use out of it after upgrading.

 

Out of those 3 i would go MSI 5770, MSI has decent models

[ckoneful]

Haven't actually checked out the graphics settings much, only played SWTOR briefly during one of the betas a bit back, would this PC run everything maxed out?

 

 

 

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_gdr.110622-1503)

System Manufacturer: MSI

System Model: MS-7681

Processor: Intel® Core i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.4GHz

Memory: 8192MB RAM

Available OS Memory: 8160MB RAM

Page File: 3320MB used, 12998MB available

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

DX Setup Parameters: Not found

User DPI Setting: Using System DPI

System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)

DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled

DxDiag Version: 6.01.7600.16385 64bit Unicode

 

 

 

 

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti

Manufacturer: NVIDIA

Chip type: GeForce GTX 560 Ti

DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC

Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_1200&SUBSYS_15613842&REV_A1

Display Memory: 4065 MB

Dedicated Memory: 993 MB

Shared Memory: 3071 MB

Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)

 

 

 

Put it into spoilers so it wouldn't be too big.

Edited December 14, 2011 by ckoneful

[alex_x]

See the above in red, this may steer you in a good route.

 

thank you, im gunna go with what u suggested =) and just curious, is that high settings for ur friends comp or medium?

[PollyGod]

I played last 2 weekends beta and

this is what I have not the best but runs the game well

 

 

OS Name Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate

Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601

System Type x64-based PC

Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor, 3400 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB

Total Physical Memory 4.00 GB

ATI Radeon HD 5700 AMD HDAudio 5.1 suround

[Zoline]

So I started playing today for the first time. For some reason I'm pretty laggy =( I have good computer and internet so don't know what it is. I decided to run in windows mode hoping that would help but it didn't Can someone help?

 

Edit: Sorry misread post, not really a hardware question

 

I guess it depends on when you say you have a good computer. A lot of gamers here have high dollar machines that can handle the graphics. It is not to say you cant play this game without lag..just mess with your graphic settings a little and see what best works for you.

[Nathan_ss]

Im looking into getting an ati 5970 or 6970, can anyone who has used one, the other, or both tell me if they each run stable, cool, and efficient, or if one is looking better than the other purely for gaming?

[jayjvw]

Well here is a hardware question i do have though not 100% game related. I am building a me computer for the game and plan on having an ssd hard drive and then 2 others in raid 0. I plan on putting windows on the ssd and not sure where I should put star wars any suggestions. The ssd will be a sata 3 and 120 gig

 

your ssd will be your boot drive. You want all your applications on this drive (including games). Most games don't even let you chose a directory path outside of your main drive for installing since it fragments a lot of data between multiple drives. Your raid array will be for storage ie. Songs, movies and the like. I'm currently running 2 240g agility 3's in raid 0 for my c drive. Was a pain in the butt to clone my windows over to my new array from my 120 g agi. 2 that I was using as a boot drive.

[Lamuse]

thank you, im gunna go with what u suggested =) and just curious, is that high settings for ur friends comp or medium?

 

That's on high, with the trees set at the default setting of medium. I'm getting a solid 60fps with vertical sync on with the same setup (other than 16gb of memory) running a 5770. The setup is solid.

[DarthJaxun]

So finally I got into early access today in the 3rd wave, I log in the game and basically that's what I see...

 

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee213/7kiramezak7/SW1.jpg

 

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee213/7kiramezak7/SW2.jpg

 

 

 

I know I'm playing on a laptop with Intel HD graphics but I run games like WOW, Starcraft 2, Shogun 2, Counter Strike and others on low setting with no lag at all....kinda frustrating since I might have to cancel my preorder now...

 

All setting are on low, my graphic card driver is up to date and direct x is up to date as well....any ideas on a quick fix?

[jayjvw]

Im looking into getting an ati 5970 or 6970, can anyone who has used one, the other, or both tell me if they each run stable, cool, and efficient, or if one is looking better than the other purely for gaming?

 

I have 2 5970's in crossfire that I bought when they hit the market. The price point dropped considerably this year and these cards still have years of usefulness as far as graphics are concerned. My rig ate this game alive. The 6990's are amd's newest flagship cards and opened at the same pricepoint the 5970's were at when they hit the market.

 

current rig

980x extreme processor 3.3 ghz oc to 4.2

rampage 3 extreme board

6 gig 1600 mhz upped to 19xx

2x gigabyte 5970 o/c 800/1200

2x 240g agility 3 ssd's

1k watt power supply

 

 

cards were reaching high 80's celsius before watercooling. Now they hardly ever see more than 40 unless the radiator is dusty.

[Lamuse]

Im looking into getting an ati 5970 or 6970, can anyone who has used one, the other, or both tell me if they each run stable, cool, and efficient, or if one is looking better than the other purely for gaming?

 

Purely for gaming, the best bang for buck is the 6950 (according to Tom's hardware) it's the same price of the 5970, but less expensive (alot less) than the 6970, but the 6970 is a good card, just getting hard to find.

[Lanlore]

Intel Core 2 2.13

4GB Memory

GeForce 8500 GT 512GB

Windows Vista

 

Should be enough right...

[Lamuse]

Intel Core 2 2.13

4GB Memory

GeForce 8500 GT 512GB

Windows Vista

 

Should be enough right...

 

On low settings, that's just barely above the requirements, and the video card is below.

[Thyrdad]

yes, upgrade your video - AMD or NVIDIA lower end 59xx's and 4xx's are more than enough for all high graphic settings of the game...

 

- NOTE A: understand that, still being a "core" cpu issue with the online stream management, anything quadcore or above (cpu) will be excellent...even as RAM might well play a role in it (no less than 8G)...and, yes, all these variables help (cpu cores and gpu).

 

- NOTE B: you should consider upgrading your OS to Win7 64bit - home premium minimum - the drivers (gpu) will perform better in resource management and upper memory...Vista will have driver and resource crashes and restrictions - you will see

 

of course, don't forget, it you upgrade your gpu, make sure your psu can handle it...don't go under 800w for either the lower end AMD's or NVIDIA's.

 

you should be able to find a good lower end gpu around $200 U.S. (for barely reaching the higher end graphics settings of the game)...and a good 800w minimum psu around $75 U.S. - as well, of course, with the dvi connection, and a monitor that can support at least 1900x1200 res, your game will be amazing visually.

 

any lag you may experience, will be an issue of the server, not your system - if, that is, you have minimum cpu and gpu components...and, obviously, a good high speed lan.

 

EDIT: forgive me, I do well realize that $ isn't always an option for upgrading a system...and, while we want to encourage folks towards the most cost-effective "hardware" set up, for full visual game enjoyment (and stream/fps/no-lag), it is always a challenge to "expense" structure an "ideal" minimal system...yet, RAM is very reasonable (DDR2 & 3), and psu's are low cost, and even cpu's are realistic as far as "go out and get an upgrade"...as long as, of course, the motherboard is upgradeable...

 

EDIT: Video Card 1st - to the level your current system can handle it (with your current psu), if you have less than $100 U.S. to spend. If you can spend up to $300, get a psu and low end 5xxx series AMD or 4xx series NVIDIA graphics card, that should be enough for both these 2 components are easy to change out (only a few obvious cords)...

Edited December 14, 2011 by Thyrdad

[Acclaimed]

Intel Core 2 2.13

4GB Memory

GeForce 8500 GT 512GB

Windows Vista

 

Should be enough right...

 

I had a similar set up when I tested a few months ago. The choppy frame rate gave me a huge headache so much that I didn't enjoy the game one bit. I've upgraded since and it's 100x more playable.

[Truuth]

Well here is a hardware question i do have though not 100% game related. I am building a me computer for the game and plan on having an ssd hard drive and then 2 others in raid 0. I plan on putting windows on the ssd and not sure where I should put star wars any suggestions. The ssd will be a sata 3 and 120 gig

 

 

I would put SWTOR on the SSD and everything else on the other drives.

 

the advantage of putting swtor on the SSD is faster load times, ie. moving zone to zone / instance to instance. If your looking for better overall performance i would look at memory / graphics.