Getting a new computer

[TiFlo]

Hello folks,

I'm about to finally replace my old laptop for a more game-friendly desktop. I thought I'd ask the computer savvy among you for advice.

I have my eyes on an offer right now that seems to be a good deal, but I'd appreciate a word or two from those willing to provide some input.

Here are the specs:

- Mainboard : Asus P5Q SE w/ Intel P45/ ICH10 Chipset
- Cooler : Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro heatsink & fan
- Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, 3000 MHz with 6M Cache &1333 MHz FSB
- Physical Memory : high performance RAM, 4096 MB (2 x 2048 DDR2) from Corsair
- Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ from BFG, 256bit 512MB GDDR3 memory, dual DVI with DVI-VGA adapter
- Hard Disk : 500 GB, SATA2, 7200RPM, installed; plus new sealed in package 1TB hard drive
- DVD : Samsung CD&DVD burner, 22X
- Network Card : Integrated Atheros L1E Gigabit LAN
- Audio Card : Integrated Realtek 8 -Channel High-Definition Audio
- Power Supply : Rosewill Performance Series 650Watt, 12V Output 50A, Silent 120mm Fan
- Case : Antec Gaming Series THREE HUNDRED, back and top fans excellent cooling, front USB/Audio
- 1 x S/PDIF Out (Coaxial) port
  6 x USB 2.0 ports
  8-channel Audio I/O ports
  2 x DVI from video card


Now, I know this is not the biggest über latest rig on the market right now, but it has a solid GPU and, more importantly for SC4 (which is one of the few games I absolutely want to have working), the CPU is still powerful enough that the single core power required by SC4 should be able to take a good beating.

BTW, the whole thing comes at the price of 790 Canadian $ (that's not including of course keyboard/mouse and monitor).

What do you people think?

[Andreas]

I'm more familiar with AMD systems, so I cannot tell anything about the CPU, but it looks like a good combination alright. The PSU manufacturer is unknown to me, but at least it seems to be a decent PSU, not one of those cheap ones, and the case also looks like a quality brand. I'd assume you don't need ultimate graphics power; for this, the "old" GeForce should perform well enough, and the extra 1 TB HD is a nice extra, since you can use it as backup disk. Is there an OS included, or do you need to buy one (might be around $100 for Windows 7, in case you don't have one already)? Looking at the price converted to Euro, this appears to be a nice deal, I'd say.

[TiFlo]

Hi Andreas, I appreciate your answer.

That's what it looks to me as well. I can't go too much over budget, and this one seems to be a decent compromise. And it definitely looks solid. The guy offered I give it a try first, so I might as well go for it.

Any advice regarding the screen I'll have to buy to go with that? I'm considering a 22 inches (1680x1050 would be fine). Any specific company to avoid, or go for?

[mightygoose]

the ideal computer for gaming SC4 wise would have a powerful single core processor such as an athlon fx57 and then just build your rig around that....

[Andreas]

Any advice regarding the screen I'll have to buy to go with that? I'm considering a 22 inches (1680x1050 would be fine). Any specific company to avoid, or go for?

I have an LG Flatron L227W and the almost identical model L227WT as second screen, and they are performing really well. Like all TFTs with TN panel, the colors "shift" a bit, depending from what angle you look at them, but an IPS panel costs at least twice as much or more. The price for the latter one was around 150 EUR (CND$200), which I consider a nice deal for the quality. But I guess most manufacturers have TFT screens around this price level with similar quality these days, so you can also go by what's available, and what looks nice. Personally, I would avoid those "glare" screens; while the colors might look brighter, they reflect any light, so go for a non-glare one.

As for the CPU, mightygoose is right that a high CPU frequency is advisable, since SC4 can only use one core, but today, I'd buy a dual-(or more)core CPU in any case. The main advantage of having multiple cores is that background processes, such as antivirus scanners, the Windows search indexer etc. can run on the second core, while you work with the full CPU power of another core. Naturally, programs that make use of multiple cores will be a lot faster - on my 3.1 GHz AMD Phenom II 550 BE (which I overclocked to 3.6 GHz and unlocked a third core), video conversion and such became amazingly fast, compared to any single-core CPU.

[TiFlo]

Hey guys, here I come with my late reply.

And a new computer. Man, does it feel good!?  I did buy the one from the first post, and so far I do not regret the investment. It is in fact way more powerful than what I'd expected, and as a result I'm having a blast playing those very CPU/GPU intesive games I had to avoid in the past, with all the bells and whistles. It does make for a welcome break from SC4, as I was kind of needing it anyway after being hit again by prop-pox. I did fire up my SC4 and its 3Go plugin folder though, and it runs so much better now without any graphical glitches, I am so delighted.

All right, now onto going back to Empire Total War and conquering the world.