[Marinco]

Ok, im looking to buy a new computer for when Bioshock, Crysis, and all those new delicious games that are going to be coming out, but i want a new computer to run them on.

I have 350 dollars to spend on it, i have the case, power supply, and a x800 gts video card(so hopefully the new motherboard works with that type of card)

ok..well...people who know what their doing, do your thing!!


Much appreciated!

[shirker]

good luck using that x800gts with crysis.

but on that kind of budget..
$95 - gigabyte p35-ds3l motherboard
$88 - crucial ballistix ddr2-800
$79 - intel dual core e2140 (overclocking is a must)
----
$85 left for aftermarket cpu cooler/hard drives/media drives

[Marinco]

oh gah sorry, i have the hard drives and what not too, so theres another 80 dollars lol

[pak]

I was going to recommend the exact setup. You are going to have a hard time though with only 350. I am not sure how good the psu you have is and that x800 need to be upgraded.

For 350, that is a good start though. I'd get that, OC a lil. Maybe get a good cooler. Then start saving up for a new video card. Maybe a 8800gts 320 or better.

--pak

[PrometheuSBoxeR]

We'll I gotta be honest with you, or I wouldn't be giving you advice. I think your wasting your money. Save your money until you can buy a much better built system if your intent is playing a game such as Crysis. I think you may be able to manage with about 800-900, but even then.. your talking about a budget system for a next generation game.

[shirker]

well, if he only needs to buy a few core components, like cpu/motherboard/gpu/memory, he can even squeak by with less than 800:

$300 e6850/q6600
$260 8800gts 320mb
$88 2gb crucial ballistix
$130 gigabyte p35-ds3r
--
$778 with room to spare. throw in another $120 for a rock-solid psu and he's right on track. who says you can't build a good gaming rig for under $1k

[ancalime]

Originally Posted by PrometheuSBoxeR

We'll I gotta be honest with you, or I wouldn't be giving you advice. I think your wasting your money. Save your money until you can buy a much better built system if your intent is playing a game such as Crysis. I think you may be able to manage with about 800-900, but even then.. your talking about a budget system for a next generation game.

You DO NOT need $800 to build a Crysis capable system!

I have built two computers for customers who wanted to ready up for Crysis and they were both under $650. I recommend to OP the following parts:

CPU: Pentium E2140 (~75)
Motherboard: eVga 650i Ultra (~70 AR)
RAM: Ballistix DDR2-800 (Newegg has them for $65 AR RIGHT NOW!)
Save up a bit more for a 8800GTS or use the remainder of your budget and buy an evga 8600GTS and step it up later.

[PrometheuSBoxeR]

Originally Posted by ancalime

You DO NOT need $800 to build a Crysis capable system!

I have built two computers for customers who wanted to ready up for Crysis and they were both under $650. I recommend to OP the following parts:

CPU: Pentium E2140 (~75)
Motherboard: eVga 650i Ultra (~70 AR)
RAM: Ballistix DDR2-800 (Newegg has them for $65 AR RIGHT NOW!)
Save up a bit more for a 8800GTS or use the remainder of your budget and buy an evga 8600GTS and step it up later.

Capable and respectable are two different things. Sure it will be capable of loading it and running it and playing it. Are all your settings gonna be on low? Are your FPS gonna be low? Yes. To me thats not really playing the game, but we all see things different. He's going to need a new motherboard, processor, psu, video card, and memory. It takes about 800-900 to do that if you want it to be respectable. Obviously thats my opinion though.

[ancalime]

Originally Posted by PrometheuSBoxeR

Capable and respectable are two different things. Sure it will be capable of loading it and running it and playing it. Are all your settings gonna be on low? Are your FPS gonna be low? Yes. To me thats not really playing the game, but we all see things different. He's going to need a new motherboard, processor, psu, video card, and memory. It takes about 800-900 to do that if you want it to be respectable. Obviously thats my opinion though.

I don't see how you are saying such a system is only capable of low settings. Benchmarks show that an E2140 overclocked to the high 2ghz range matches the performance of an E6600 in games. Now with the evga motherboard, the E2140 should have no problems reaching this territory.

2GB of RAM should be more than enough to run next generation games. If it really comes to it, background tasks can be shut off to ease the stress on the RAM.

An overclocked 8600GTS should be able to handle Crysis with decent settings at a minimal resolution. Again, that is why I said to step up to an 8800GTS as soon as possible.

You cannot make any judgements on his PSU because you don't know what it is. If his PSU is not sufficient, it is not a large investment to obtain a reputable one.

With all due respect, I laugh at people who claim they need such pricey systems to play these games. There are no official requirements for Crysis that had been released but judging from the "educated guesses" you can definitely play well on cheaper systems.

[PrometheuSBoxeR]

Originally Posted by ancalime

I don't see how you are saying such a system is only capable of low settings. Benchmarks show that an E2140 overclocked to the high 2ghz range matches the performance of an E6600 in games. Now with the evga motherboard, the E2140 should have no problems reaching this territory.

I dont know if you are talking about the same game as I am, but Crysis is going to be coded to utilize quad core technology. Crysis also will be using a latest generation game engine. Those 2 facts alone mean more demanding hardware. System requirements are always done with the thought in mind of how to sell the most. The game distribution companies are in it to make money, so it's slightly bias to tell you what you want to hear. As for the processor comparison, your comparing apples to oranges. The E2140 isn't even the same arcitecture as the Core 2 Duo. It also has 1MB vs 4MB cache, and you are putting a 800MHZ FSB onto a P35 motherboard. Thats asking for a bottleneck.

Originally Posted by ancalime

2GB of RAM should be more than enough to run next generation games. If it really comes to it, background tasks can be shut off to ease the stress on the RAM.

The Ballistix is a good choice, I never disagreed. It is really nice and cheap these days too.

Originally Posted by ancalime

An overclocked 8600GTS should be able to handle Crysis with decent settings at a minimal resolution. Again, that is why I said to step up to an 8800GTS as soon as possible.

Overclocking a 8600GTS is very limiting, especially since its cooler is so small. Even after a small overclock, No matter how fast your core or memory clock speeds are, you are still using a 128 memory interface. It is going to struggle to play a next generation game with any sort of eye candy or settings on medium to high setting.

Originally Posted by ancalime

You cannot make any judgements on his PSU because you don't know what it is. If his PSU is not sufficient, it is not a large investment to obtain a reputable one.

I sure can make a good estimate judging by his other hardware in his original post. An X800 is several years old. They are all discountinued and arn't for sale much anymore if at all. With that in mind, odds are his PSU is on the older and weaker side because the technology wasn't what it is today.

Originally Posted by ancalime

With all due respect, I laugh at people who claim they need such pricey systems to play these games. There are no official requirements for Crysis that had been released but judging from the "educated guesses" you can definitely play well on cheaper systems.

Last but not least... 800/900 dollars is hardly pricey in todays market. Like I said, your definition of playing a game is different then mine. You may be happy with mediocre/low video settings. I don't enjoy playing a game with lag or weak visual appearance. A game such as Crysis excells in looking good and playing greating. There are no official requirements released yet for Crysis dosen't mean you can't put 2 and 2 together to come up with a estimate based on previous games etc. Take FarCry for example, when it first came out it was the "Next Gen" in graphics and it requires some hardware to take advantage of that.

All things set aside, I'm not trying to squish your dreams Marinco. I think it would be 200% worthwhile to save some more money for a better system, instead of skimming off the cheap stuff and making do. You will have a lot more fun that way, and won't be wasting money so much on outdated hardware. Besides... it's gonna be a little while till the games actually come out, that will give you enough time to save up your money. In doing so, there will be more price cuts, and better technology for a more affordable price. Words from the wise, I've been there and done that. At least just consider my advice.

Bottom line: If you take nothing from my post, remember this. Don't be stuck generations behind skimming off the cheap stuff to enjoy new games. Withhold for a while, till you can afford something a little higher quality and then make the most of it. You will save money, and have more fun doing it. Last thing I wanna see you do Marinco is spend money, then regret it and tell yourself "Damn I should have listened to him" because your unsatisfied with the preformance. Been there and done that too.

[ancalime]

There is no denying that with more powerful hardware comes with it a more powerful gaming experience. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to even drop $800-$900 on a computer and I know this first hand. I am not saying that OP will not benefit from saving $900 on a computer, rather that he can enjoy a similar gaming experience with more or less his money already at hand.

The E2140 is similar to the E6600. Of course the former has only 1/4 of the cache but if you look at online benchmarks, overclocking the E2140 to about 2.8GHz allows it to perform admirably versus a stock E6600. There is no question you will have more fun with a Q6600 at 3.6GHz, but I would be hard pressed to find a ~E6600 cannot play Crysis at decent settings.

The video card will be his limiting factor here. The 8600 series is good for the money, and the best card he can buy while not straining his budget. Whether or not it will be able to play Crysis at decent settings is up in the air. Though with conviences such as evga's step up program, there is no risk in investing in a cheaper card as he can always upgrade when he has more money later on.

I have a 500 watt XClio power supply powering an old Geforce 6200 rig. Just because his system is on the older side doesn't mean he doesn't have a capable PSU. And like I said, one can easily obtain a decent power supply for around $50.

My definition of playing a game is actually in agreement with yours. I have always played and been able to play pretty much any game I want at or close to max settings. The reality though is many people may not care so much or just do not have the money to put into such an experience. Nor should they have to save more than they want to, as I certainly would not mind playing Crysis with the lower settings if I could still pay all my bills and eat. There is also no need to put two and two together when other people online have already done that. Estimates suggest that one can play Crysis with the optimal settings on an E6600 and a 8800GTS. Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about. While this may be inaccurate, it is the best we have at this point.

My bottom line is that if OP is willing to dedicate funds into building a better computer, than I am all for it. If saving additional money is not feasible though, OP should not be damned to believe he will not be able to enjoy Crysis and other next generation games. ~$650 builds a perfectly well system and since OP already has many components, he really isn't that far off.

[PrometheuSBoxeR]

Well even if all of this made Marinco at least think of the option, I've done my job. It is ultimately his choice. We'll played ancalime

[ancalime]

Yes, well played PrometheusBoxer.

You are right, it is ultimately Marinco's decision. I hope he takes both options into consideration. I personally actually love to save money to build kickass rigs but I know many friends that believe otherwise. Both options are very understandable to me.

[Marinco]

most of that just confused me lol...sooo..what do i get then? lol...

and is PSU a power supply, because i have a 600w power supply, it seemed cool at the time to get it, do i need better or something?

[djrussell]

600W will probably do it as long as it's pretty stable. what brand is it?

[shirker]

Originally Posted by Marinco

most of that just confused me lol...sooo..what do i get then? lol...

and is PSU a power supply, because i have a 600w power supply, it seemed cool at the time to get it, do i need better or something?

simply put:
$350-650 budget, listen to ancalime
$800-900 budget, listen to prometheusboxer

depending on the psu (power supply unit) manufacturer, your 600w could be excellent or absolutely horrible. post some more info on it besides the 600w rating

[ancalime]

Originally Posted by shirker

simply put:
$350-650 budget, listen to ancalime
$800-900 budget, listen to prometheusboxer

depending on the psu (power supply unit) manufacturer, your 600w could be excellent or absolutely horrible. post some more info on it besides the 600w rating

What? If he has a $800-$900 budget I would have advice for him as well.

Yes, wattage is not all you should look at. Make sure the PSU is solid and has at least 26 amps on the 12v rail.

[shirker]

Originally Posted by ancalime

Yes, wattage is not all you should look at. Make sure the PSU is solid and has at least 26 amps on the 12v rail.

26?? that's a mighty tall order; even the 620w corsair has only 18A on its 12V1 and 12V2 lines. For a PSU with only a single 12V rail though, you'd need significantly more amperage, say 50A or so

[White_Pawn]

Originally Posted by shirker

good luck using that x800gts with crysis.

but on that kind of budget..
$95 - gigabyte p35-ds3l motherboard
$88 - crucial ballistix ddr2-800
$79 - intel dual core e2140 (overclocking is a must)
----
$85 left for aftermarket cpu cooler/hard drives/media drives

Tuniq Tower 120 or Ultra 120. You'd need a cpu cooler to cool.
Get the E2160 instead. It has an avg of a 300mhz higher oc.

[ancalime]

Originally Posted by shirker

26?? that's a mighty tall order; even the 620w corsair has only 18A on its 12V1 and 12V2 lines. For a PSU with only a single 12V rail though, you'd need significantly more amperage, say 50A or so

Well nvidia calls for only 26A to power a 8800GTS rig. The Corsair has 18A on EACH of its 12V rails, big difference.