Getting a new PC
Eucomolhamas
Join Date: 2013-03-10 Member: 183841Members, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2013-03-10 Member: 183841Members, Reinforced - Shadow
Heya guys! First and foremost, I'm not really sure where this kind of threads should be made, so feel free to move this to a more appropriate place. 
Okay, so the thing is I'm getting a new PC. My current one had served me well, but isn't quite the best one for NS2 so I figured that as I got some extra money after being punched last year IN DA FACE, I might as well get an awesome computer with the money.
So yeah, I would love suggestions on parts for a gaming PC, budget is preferably ~1200 euros with all the keyboards etc.
So here are some specs of one of my friends who recently got his own new gaming PC:
GPU: nvidia gtx 660 oc
CPU: intel ivy bridge i5-3570k lga1155 3.4GHz 6MB
Motherboard: asus P8Z77-v LX
RAM: 8Gt Kingston Hyperx (2x4)
Power: Cooler Master 750w 80+ bronze
Memory: Seagate 1TB & Sandisk 120 gb SSD
Case: CM HAF XM
These total for ~1053.10e - 1112.10e (the GPU has a special price atm, and I'm not sure which of the 3 products I found searching that RAM he has)
Suggestions? Are these decent enough for a PC that will last pretty long with the occasional update of some parts? All help is greatly appreciated.
Okay, so the thing is I'm getting a new PC. My current one had served me well, but isn't quite the best one for NS2 so I figured that as I got some extra money after being punched last year IN DA FACE, I might as well get an awesome computer with the money.
So yeah, I would love suggestions on parts for a gaming PC, budget is preferably ~1200 euros with all the keyboards etc.
So here are some specs of one of my friends who recently got his own new gaming PC:
GPU: nvidia gtx 660 oc
CPU: intel ivy bridge i5-3570k lga1155 3.4GHz 6MB
Motherboard: asus P8Z77-v LX
RAM: 8Gt Kingston Hyperx (2x4)
Power: Cooler Master 750w 80+ bronze
Memory: Seagate 1TB & Sandisk 120 gb SSD
Case: CM HAF XM
These total for ~1053.10e - 1112.10e (the GPU has a special price atm, and I'm not sure which of the 3 products I found searching that RAM he has)
Suggestions? Are these decent enough for a PC that will last pretty long with the occasional update of some parts? All help is greatly appreciated.
Comments
Only thing I would recommend with that setup is an aftermarket heatsink, use this website to find a good one. Then you will be able to overclock like mad.
I also like the coolermaster HAF cases, I have one myself. This is the one I'm using.
If you wanted to save quite a bit of money, you could easily just get rid of the SSD and go with a cheaper GPU and your FPS will still be just as good in NS2 and most games.
Edit: lol, I see the CM HAF XM your friend has is listed as the newer version model from the one I have.
I3570K is just fine.
keep SSD. Up to 400~500mb/s, doesn't heat, small, no mechanical pieces... It's more expensive but it's gonna really make the difference. Huge amount of data are loaded for NS2. Plus the "pre-calculus" between map change.
Kinda disappointed about it going that much over 1200, but getting a new guitar won't be that urgent so think I'll just take my time and save up.
Just can't wait to get some better performance than the 15-30 FPS I've been having for the 229 hours of ns2...
Also this thread http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds is the place to go for setting up a new PC. Theres a windows 8 version as well.
Read here for tips on OCing your chip: http://www.overclock.net/t/1291703/ivy-bridge-overclocking-guide-asus-motherboards
I have a Hyper 212+ on it, and it's on stock voltage, so I have more to go. This is prob the most bang for buck cpu for ns2.
I have that cooler, but don't recommend it. While I'm oced with stable temps, 1) it's a pain in the ass to install 2) there's better coolers out there, especially the corsair simple water coolers
Anyway, NS2 is a bitch to run at a nice clip, My recommendation is to get something that would run it decently now and hope that UWE optimises, otherwise you'd be looking at a 3930K overclocked to run it at an advantageous fps.
Anyway, another misconception about most gaming computers is you need to spend large amounts of money, well, for NS2 I guess this doesn't apply as much.
General PC Part picking tips: Build small unless you're going all out, you'll end up with a smaller (duh) more portable machine that will sit on top of your desk nicely away from all the nasty dust.
Get a good power supply, silver stone strider plus is a great place to start; fully modular, 80+ bronze/silver, value. 650 watts is enough unless you plan on going multiple overclocked graphics cards.
Get a nice case: The silverstone temjin tj08 e is a great microatx case that comes with one high quality(note, a lot of cases put cheaper fans inbuilt) 140mm high airflow(or pressure, can't remember) fan that keeps the whole system cool and quiet.
Since you need to include keyboard/mouse/monitor/speakers? that will mean you may have to spend a bit more (than your budget) to keep ns2 running at a high clip and keep the nice case/psu (it'll be worth it in the long run, as you won't need to upgrade those things... pretty much ever, psus last about 5 years or more, cases last forever).
Alright, don't order yet, sit tight and I'll produce two lists (one with overclocking in mind, and one without) that will both provide an enjoyable experience in NS2, and will be down to your choice based on cost.
This is with all the options set to minimal. My suggestion would be to invest in aftermarket water cooling (somthing better then what I choose), get a motherboard that can overclock and overclock your machine. At 4.5 ghz my cpu runs around 55c gaming and gpu runs 70c gaming.
INTEL I5-3570K 3.4 GHZ
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SATA III
CORSAIR HYDRO SERIES H60 120MM LIQUID COOLING
ASUS P8Z77-V LK Z77 CROSSFIRE/SLI
GTX 660 TI
4GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE MEMORY
wrong lol
An i3 at 5.0ghz would get better than an i7 at 3.5 ghz, the game isn't using all those cores; I don't think I've ever seen a game use more than 4 threads, and those that tried weren't even fully utilizing/doing it properly.. it's still an untouched area in gaming at the moment, this next gen consoles might begin to change that though; however I still expect our quality of ports to be shit
- not having an SSD is a crime against yourself
- get a nice cooler for the CPU. Will be much more silent, and unlocks great overclock potential.
- how much VRAM does the GPU have? I found that sometimes NS2 struggles with the 2GB I have.
@hozz The GPU I'm getting seems to only have 2GB
@Neoken Got a lan party coming up in the summer, could be any week so I wanna get it out pretty fast
Only SLI/Crossfire Systems need more than 500 W...
While a calculator will say his system only has a requirement of 450W, i'd still suggest more.
550-600W is a nice comfy place and the price difference between that and 450 isn't much.
Its like an insurance, if you plan on upgrading or overclocking components etc. Problems are more likely to arise when you have an inadequate or unstable power supply.. its worth the extra $5-10 - as long as you're not going to the far end of that spectrum, shooting for a jet engine sound with 1200 watts.
edit: here's a 500W and a 600W for the same price, both reliable brands.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171082
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
@IronHorse So would it be better to get a cheaper one like the 600W? I found out that some Finnish online shop has it almost 30 euros cheaper than the 750W is so should I change that?
(I want to order them from my home country because of the speed, Amazon is cheap but last time I ordered something there it took 2 months...)
I'll most likely order the parts in a few days so I think I'll wait for Ironsoul's lists and then make my final decisions.
Note 2: All my prices listed are in AUD, but the parts recommended should be universally desirable based on rough usage rather than price/performance alone.
For Enjoying NS2 without going berko on specs:
CPU: Core i5 3470 : $209
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 $69 (One fan pulling air through the heatsink, the other as the case rear exhaust fan, use the bundled resistors to tune the fans to your liking) - taken from whirlpoolpcsuggestions : $69
Case: Silverstone Temjin TJ08 E : $99
Motherboard: ASUS P8B75-M - $72 (reason: it has 4 DDR3 DIMMS so you can upgrade to 16 or even 32GB in the future easily, get the cheaper ASUS P8B75-M-LX if you want to save a bit of dosh)
Memory : 8 GB of 1600mhz RAM at 1.5 volts(don't get 1.65 volts) $72 (for a corsair brand one where I am, but as long as those 3 main specs match up things should be fine, ignoring timings of course hah).
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Plus 600W ST60F-P (reason, fully modular, will make installation a breeze, get a corsair builder series of antec high current gamer 520W instead if you want to save some money).
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB : $55 (upgrade to 1TB or more if budget allows, go for western digital brand or others if prefer).
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB : $179 (if you can't get a boost version for that or cheaper, get a 650 Ti 1GB as cheap as possible or a 7770 1GB as cheap as possible (I've found $135 and $109 respectively).
For Enjoying NS2 on higher settings, overclocking in mind.
CPU: Core i5 3570K : $239
GPU: 7870 LE (you'll have to do some googling, as actual manufacturers change their names of the card, but it's a tahiti based 7870 rather than a pitcairn one and is significantly faster) : $229 for a powercolor myst edition.
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-M : $105
RAM: 8 GB of 1600mhz RAM at 1.5 volts : $72
Case: Silverstone Temjin TJ08 - E : $99
PSU: Silverstone Strider Plus 600 : $99 (get 650 watt if you can find it, it has silver efficiency, but don't stress about that)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB : $69
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 : $69
No overclocking build total: $854
With Overclocking in mind : $981
Then you have to add accessories like a keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, headphones, microphone, optical drive (get a blu ray drive), operating system(only if you don't have a 64 bit windows 7 available). Get an IPS monitor if you aren't super serious about gaming competetively and would prefer enjoyable colours over fast response times.
Add an SSD (250GB minimum, samsung 840 is a great choice) if you can afford it, but a 7200RPM drive will provide a snappy enough experience.
You can save more money if you get a cheaper power supply and bigger cheaper (probably uglier too) case. You can also save more money if you drop the gpu to a 7770. I would only recommend dropping to 7770, it might let you down in NS2 visually but will still look decent and you'll be able to upgrade more frequently because of the cheaper card being, cheaper. You can also overclock a 7770 easily to boost it's performance too.
Don't forget a mouse pad (and mouse bungee if you don't want your mouse cable getting snagged
One final thing, I'm not happy about the "cheaper" build, it's not cheaper enough, if you drop down to the cheaper options I mentioned it should be another $100 to $200 cheaper, which is cheaper enough. Only get the as is listed specs of the cheaper build if it just so happens to be within your budget with other accessories, otherwise just get the overclocking in mind one. K series CPUs can only be overclocked on Z77 motherboards, keep that in mind.
Everything is fine after that. There are absolutely no issues during gameplay!
2 GB is absolutely fine!
Didn't want to worry you
I was just thinking with the new consoles (that will allow pc ports to use more vram, finally) and this mini issue in NS2 (just for me), go for lots of vram if you can. But I believe more than 2GB is not common in your price range. It's no problem anyways.
About PSUs: usually a brand PSU will go far over specification, anything over 400W would very likely work. I recommend 550W or something, and 650W should be SLI secure (I make no guarantees
Personally I have good experience with Seasonic X-Series, very silent (semi passive) and detachable cables.
But all brand PSUs are fine, never heard anything else.
This is the main reason I haven't built a new pc yet. Even if I decide the new models aren't worth the new price, it will certainly cause a price drop of the current line.
3570k is more than fine, it's probably the second best cpu you could get right now (obviously second to the 3770k), I have no idea why you say that.
I don't think it's a lack of vram though, as I still experience the low res on load issue, and I'm running a 7970. My guess is it's just some "optimisation" in the game code to get the level loaded faster and they've sacrificed pretty graphics for the first 5 to 10 seconds, which is fine by me.
1GB is fine for ns2 for 1080P, I used to play NS2 on a 5850 with 1GB at 1080P.
As for what people say about cpus not cutting it for NS2 at stable and decent fps. I say by the standards of other engines (source, unreal engine 3, that's about it really), NS2 doesn't come close in terms of performance, so just get what you can get and play the damn game. People on i7 920s which is nowhere near as good as a 3570k so I'm sure a 3570k will allow you to dominate just as good. Remember, everyone is experiencing the fps issues of ns2, so we're on fairly even ground (unless you have a 3930k overclocked of course, then you're a rich bastard with an unfair advantage).
Also, remember, half life 2 had horrid fps issues when it came out.
This. I play with a Phenom II 555BE that I got 3 years ago for < $125 and I tend to do fairly well.