Building a PC for NS2

invader Zim

I have no idea what vistas like, ive heard mixed reviews? i dont know whether ns2 will be built for it. Personnaly id stick with xp until microsoft release a load of updates for vista. I dont know what xp markets at atm but im sure is something extortionate like £100 ($200). But if u know where to look u can get illicite versions, not that i would promote such a crime

enigma

Spend an extra $10 and get pc6400 ram over the pc5300. I'd also get the 8800GT over the GTS or GTX.

HatlabuFarkas

i have a X1950txt crossgire mode with 5000+ AMD
i think, my pc is enought good for NS2.

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

(3dmark 05-18 k points without overclock)

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />

obsid

I have vista, and it isn’t a lot better then XP. But if your getting a new computer I would get vista. I wouldn’t recommend anyone with xp to upgrade. The only problem I really have with it (compared to xp pro), is that with the "home premium" version it doesn’t come with remote desktop server (the business version does have it). Also if you decide to run/use Aero you will need at least 1gig of ram (i got 2). I do think that vista is a bit more long term, especially if you can get a DX10 video card (the new unified architecture is really cool from a programmers point of view). I personally have not had vista crash nearly as much as XP (I had vista BSOD once when quickly uninstalled and installed a virtual CDROM). I do think the User Account Control makes it a lot more secure against viruses, although it can get annoying at times and can be turned off.

tallmidget22

I have been browsing around Tigerdirect and saw two barebones kits I was interested in. They are comparable in performance except one has DDR2 Ram in it and the other is DDR1. THere is a small processor difference but it would not create a bottle neck either way. Is the DDR2 really that much better(They will both be running dual channel). I know that the CAS latency is lower on DDR1 , so I was thinking that even though DDR2 has higher clock speeds my performance on the dual channel could be greater with DDR1. Is a DDR2 Motherboard worth the 100$?

enigma

If you're looking for value, I'd recommend this setup:

cpu:
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116037" target="_blank">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819116037</a>
ram:
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098" target="_blank">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231098</a>
mobo:
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127031&Tpk=ip35-e" target="_blank">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...&Tpk=ip35-e</a>
video card:
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102714" target="_blank">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102714</a>

Invest in a solid 500W+ psu and some decent cooling and you should be good to go. They're all quality components so hitting 3.0 GHz should be fairly easy if you overclock, which every system builder on a budget should be doing. Also, that 3850 is about the equivalent of an 8800GTS for $100 less.

If you take the rebate into consideration, the total comes out to about $360 minus tax and shipping. You should be able to squeeze in the rest of the components(case, psu, heatsink/fans, hd) for a bit more than your $500 budget. Keep in mind though that if you do overclock the system should match or exceed that of a $1000 one preconfigured for you.

HatlabuFarkas

I think the cheaper (OLD) PC is MUIST enought good for NS2, (but turn off high details).

my LOW-END idea:

Pentium 4 (2-3 Ghz, and LOW, celeron core)
1 G ram
Radeon 9800

my pc (High end) is not run in LOW detail <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> i hope the Parallax Graphic in this <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=103244&hl=" target="_blank">NS Forum </a> will be supported by High-End PCs.

tallmidget22

I ended up building a Rig from cyber power, saved me alot of money on most of my components, I got a monitor and Graphics cards and ram from elsewere. It turned out that I got:

AMD 5200+ 2.6Ghz 512+512 L2 Cache
160GB 7200 RPM HDD SATA
SLI enabled Motherboard
2.5 GB Ram
2x 8600GT OCed in SLI
420W PSU
DVD Burner
30something in 1 Memory Card reader
Some Cool Lights
Little LCD build into the Case for Controlling fans, temp readout, clock speed, etc
Bunch of cooling

All totaling 705$ and some change.

The problem is, Cyber Power is ######ing off and hasn't built my PC yet, and it is supposed to ###### in 2 days <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />, it is gonna me late....

enigma

What a waste. New 3850s completely destroy the 8600s for the same price. You're not saving any money by getting a computer prebuilt.