Buying a new PC for Graphic Intensive games

[500N]

Hi, need to pick everyone's brain if I can about what is important in buying a new PC (Not Apple) for Graphic Intensive games like World of War craft.

The GF is buying a new one to replace one of the sons computers that is getting a bit slow for Graphic Intensive games.

I have a reasonable knowledge of computers, mainly Macs.

Any help to do with:-
Operating system
Graphics card type
What to avoid - as in what will create bottle necks to slow it down ?


I have three sheets of possible computers but the only way of getting them up here is to take
a photo and post it up. Let me know if that is of help.

Thanks in advance.

[Prazum]

Go for Alienware, always well rated.

[500N]

Thanks

That's the first one on here list - brand wise.

[peterhr]

Solid state disk to boot from - say 250Gb, can have a bigger rotating disk to hold other stuff on if required later (just make sure there is room to fit it)

Personally I like Nvidia Graphics cards - but there are sites that publish benchmarks (mine is a Gigabyte GTX660 - gets five stars in reviews)

It probably needs to run windows for maximum compatibility with most games - I prefer Windows 7 but 8.1 is usable. Probably should use 64 bit version.

16Gb fast memory. Processor - Hmm. A faster dual core used to be better than a slower 4 core.

I use a 32inch full HD TV (1920 x 1080) as a computer screen, would probably be wicked for games playing.

All that said, he'll probably want a laptop to take to friends houses.

Everything I've said could well be carp.

(alianware is Dell owned isn't it?)

[mad_jock]

I have a ROG ASUS G750JW bottom of the range and it runs all the games I play on ultra settings.

Paid under a grand for it and another 200 quid for a SSD.

Its well worth getting something with a SSD but its sometimes better to upgrade yourself later.

The games laptops all have dual SATA disk ports so its no problem.

apart from it being a lump of a machine 5kg I really like this laptop. All the heat gets squirted out the back and it flys along.

I have 8.1 on it and have no problems.

[500N]

It won't be a laptop.

They don't visit friends houses and he has a laptop from school.

[Saab Dastard]

Think about designing and building your own - that way you get exactly the components you want. Probably not the cheapest solution, but highly satisfying.

SD

[500N]

Saab

Cheap isn't one of the criteria, she at least knows buying on price doesn't get you what you want.

Good suggestion and she would if:-

No 1 son who knows about these things would get off his arse.

Same with No 2 son who still lives at home and also know about these things but can't seem to do any of the research himself even though it is for him :rolleyes:


So unless one of these companies over here has an easy pick and choose build type, it really is a case of buying one already built as close to what is required as possible.

[mad_jock]

just go to the dell site then and alienware.

And build up what you want.

[500N]

Thanks

I might just do that on the weekend.

This is one of the computers from Alienware being looked at.

Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop Details | Dell Australia (http://www.dell.com/au/p/alienware-aurora-r4/pd?oc=x2102a2au&model_id=alienware-aurora-r4)

[Booglebox]

I like HP workstations for gaming, as they are great value and highly reliable / well-made. Dual-socket Z600 plus Nvidia 770 should sort you out. :8

[500N]

Thanks, added to the list.

Will look at it at the weekend.

[Saab Dastard]

Are you likely to want to try overclocking? That would have an impact on the choice of motherboard and cooling system. And the warranty. :E

SD

[500N]

Saab

No, I doubt it.

If he buggered it, his mum wouldn't buy him another.

[mad_jock]

Make sure you get a desent monitor with it.

The ssd 512 drive as well.

Mine went from booting in about 60 seconds to under 10 seconds just with that change. Think it was win index 5.3 to 6.9 limited by the graphics

[Don Coyote]

SSD will result in quicker boot times but tend to have a small capacity so you will end up with games installed on another hard drive anyway, particularly if you have lots of them.

Anything over 6mb of RAM will work fine. Equally an i5 processor will work okay as most of the work is done by the graphics card. I went for an NVIDIA GTX770 with 2mb of RAM, i5 processor and 8Gb of RAM and that is running recent games at full resolution in highest settings without difficulty on a 24 inch monitor. If you have a bigger monitor then you will need a better graphics card or settle for lower settings. It is running Windows 8.1 with no problems apart from one older game.

Anything above those specs will keep you entertained for a good while.

I understand that Alien ware are good but you are paying for the name somewhat. I bought off these guys, DinoPC (http://www.dinopc.com/) but they are not much use to you with your given location.

[500N]

Don,

Thanks.

Links are good even if in UK as it gives me a chance to compare.

:ok:

[MG23]

Processor - Hmm. A faster dual core used to be better than a slower 4 core.

Newer games seem to be expecting a quad core now, and, with eight slow cores on the new consoles, I'd expect future games ported from those consoles to use as many cores as they can get.

For gaming, I have an i7 with 32GB of RAM, Windows 7 and a GTX660; the RAM is overkill (but was cheap when I bought it), the CPU isn't pushed very hard on the games I own, but the GPU is starting to struggle to run with graphics settings maxed out on the newer ones. And, yeah, it boots pretty fast from the SSD.

[Booglebox]

I think pretty much all newer games are now quad- (or more) core aware.
When I had it, my old dual-socket (quad-core) HP xw6400 with 4gb and a nVidia 275 played pretty much any game from the 360/PS3 era without issue, at highest or near-highest settings :cool: (yes, even Crysis).
The new generation of consoles makes it now a bit out of date, but the fact that a 2006 (yes!) machine with a mid-range 2009 graphics card can do this just shows how consoles hold game development back... :sad:

[mad_jock]

must admit I got mine because of editing photo's.

And I also fired a load of ram in which hardly every gets used unless doing a large video file.

I have the Nvidia 765M card and 2G of ram. And a it rocks along with games.

The visiting kids harp on about better graphics cards etc but I haven't hit a game yet which struggles.

They all definitely do use all the cores though.

One of the lads at work was asking about what I had, discovered of course mine is now obsolete.

We got him ordered

Asus G750JM-T4049H 17.3-inch Full HD LED Gaming Notebook (Intel Core i7-4700HQ 2.40GHz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 750GB HDD, DVD-RW, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Nvidia GeForce GTX860M 2GB GDDR5, Windows 8.1 64-bit)

With a Samsung 840 EVO 250 SSD and a 2 pack of 4 Gb 1.35V ripjaws

Whole lot was under 1200 UKP.

[glad rag]

End of line sales along with selected upgrades can be a good way of gaining "inexpensive" gaming power.....

[500N]

Thanks for that info, am looking at it this weekend.

[500N]

Thanks to everyone who put up suggestions as to what to get.

It helped a lot with narrowing down what to get and then as a bonus
someone recommended a PC supplier who supplies built PC's where
you can then upgrade any item you want.

Only one item upgraded and it came in cheaper than all the other approx
quotes we had.

So thanks again for taking the time to post your ideas.

[mad_jock]

tell us what you got then

[500N]

Yes, sorry, I'll realized when I was typng the info was at my GF's
as she purchased it from a supplier her Ex suggested was good.

Will post in a couple of days.

[500N]

Order Summary
Systems Ordered Status Available System ID Price Updated
Scorptec - Asus PAX Gamer - Hide System Details
1 Waiting For Parts (View Details) 494189-1 $2,374.00 01-07-2014
Component Description Quantity Picked Available
CPU Intel Core i7 4770K 1 1
Motherboard ASUS GRYPHON Z97 Motherboard 1 1
Graphics ASUS GeForce GTX780 DirectCU II, 3GB 1 1
Memory Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 1 1
HDD/SSD Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD 1 1
HDD/SSD #2 Seagate Barracuda 2TB 1 1
Optical Drive ASUS DRW-24D3ST 24x DVDRW 1 1
Case Corsair Obsidian 350D Black Micro ATX Case, Window Panel 1 1
Power Supply Fractal Design Tesla R2 650W power supply 1 0 ETA:TBA
CPU Cooling Corsair Hydro Series H80i Liquid CPU Cooler 1 1
Miscellaneous 2 x Bitfenix Alchemy LED Strip White, 300mm 15x LEDs 2 0 ETA:TBA
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit OEI 1 1
Anti Virus / Internet Security Kaspersky Internet Security Electronic License 1 1
Software Installation Scorptec System Software Installation 1 1
System Assembly Scorptec System Parts Assembly 7 to 11 Parts 1 1
Build Time Frame Express 2-3 Business Days (once all parts are ready) 1 1
Warranty Options Scorptec System Standard 1yr Return to Base, Parts & Labour Warranty from $1501 to $3000 1 1
Advanced Packaging Scorptec Standard System Packaging 1 1
Free Bonus Corsair Water Cooler Cap - with Scorptec Logo 1 1

[Booglebox]

You could have skipped the Kaspersky, Win 8 has included AV :E

[500N]

Thanks, I'll pass it on.

[MG23]

Thanks, I'll pass it on.

From what I've read, like so many Microsoft products, the included AV was pretty decent when first released, but then they moved onto shinier things and it's rated quite poorly now.

[mad_jock]

Nah its fine people just like to say that.

It gets updated everyday.

Its as good as the rest.

certainly not worth paying extra for if you are a domestic user.

It just depends how many Russian porn sites you go looking at.


Which to be honest its not the pron sites for the intended user its the pirate torrent sites which is the highest risk if they intend to use pirate games.

[Saab Dastard]

Its as good as the rest.

Not in the most recent comparative tests. See this, from April 2014: AV Comparison Summary (http://www.pcmag.com/image_popup/0,1871,iid=415624,00.asp).

Here's the complete article: The Best Antivirus for 2014 | PCMag.com (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372364,00.asp)

The best free protection (according to PC Mag) would be AVG free plus Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Free - plus browser plug-ins such as DNT, ABP, Noscript etc.

SD

[mad_jock]

As a suggestion maybe a thread giving the preferred pprune options on the free line Saab. Must admit I haven't got the time or inclination to be 100% up on it as I have to fly planes as well as other things.

[vulcanised]

I have just run MB and discovered it's gone the way of so many others.

It asked me if I wanted the latest definitions file, as usual. I said yes, as usual, but it also downloaded and installed (at great length) a new version of the main program.

It runs rather differently and includes 'Heuristic Analysis' which seems to run forever and, by some accounts, is of very limited value.

It shakes your faith when a previously trusted program appears to be doing things behind your back.

Oh, and it informed me I had never before run a scan!

[500N]

The Computer turned up, plus a heap of empty boxes !

Supposedly if we need to return something under warranty.

Anyway, funny thing is, in the i7 Processor box was an i7Processor
and it's fan.

We could not work out why. Started computer, yep,
it had an i7 processor in it.

Then we realized that maybe they had shipped the box + processor without realizing :rolleyes:


So we now have a spare i7 processor !
.

[mad_jock]

I would make another machine then :D

Actually I would own up and send it back to be honest.

[Booglebox]

Send back the motherboard, buy one of these (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182192), and use both! :D
(actually you may need Xeons with more quick-path-interconnect...)

[500N]

Mad Jock

Agree, that is what we have been trying to do !

The GF phoned the company and they got a bit confused.

I tried to call them but was 5 minutes too late.

We are trying to call them to firstly check we are correct in our assumptions and secondly, so we can send it back.

[Saab Dastard]

It does sound like a packaging error, but have you checked that the installed CPU is, definitely, exactly the one ordered?

SD

[500N]

Saab

Yes, I suggested they do that - the computer hadn't been turned on.

The son did that and checked and it said i7 installed.


Question
It came in the i7 processor box (AND Fits perfectly) but looks like a fan and heat sink ????

http://www.awd-it.co.uk/images/detailed/1/5960_Intel_Socket_LGA1366_Cooler_-_Heatsink_and_Fan_xl.jpg

[MJC2]

CPU Cooling Corsair Hydro Series H80i Liquid CPU Cooler

The build spec includes a super decent cooler.
So they could have sent you the stock cooler which came with the CPU and had to be removed before fitting the Corsair Hydro gubbins.

[500N]

OK, will have another look.

[Saab Dastard]

What MJC2 said!

SD

[500N]

Mjc and others.

I now have item and box in hand.

Is this a i7 processor or a fan / cooler or both ?

On the box it is all i7, nothing about cooler.


The package including internal is cut for item.

[le Pingouin]

A retail CPU comes with a heatsink & fan in the box. Google for images of "i7 retail box". The actual CPU is the flat silver topped thing in the lid of the box.

[500N]

Thank you. You are spot on.