Buying a computer for NS2 Alpha
@Korpisoturi@
Join Date: 2010-07-17 Member: 72509Members, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Gold, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2010-07-17 Member: 72509Members, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Gold, Reinforced - Shadow
<div class="IPBDescription">Nvidia vs ATI? Intel vs AMD?</div>As we all know, nobody isn't really getting 200fps in the Engine Test.
So people with better hardware will get a lot of advantage over 20fps'ers.
So the question is which choices to make for your new system.
Phenom II X6 or Core i7?
Ati or Nvidia?
Any significant difference in the speed of DDR3 RAMs (1333/1600/2000)?
Let the hardware race begin!
So people with better hardware will get a lot of advantage over 20fps'ers.
So the question is which choices to make for your new system.
Phenom II X6 or Core i7?
Ati or Nvidia?
Any significant difference in the speed of DDR3 RAMs (1333/1600/2000)?
Let the hardware race begin!
Comments
The Ati HD 5850 is the one you should get, the price-performance ratio is currently unbeaten.
On the other side i7 is superior to Phenom, however costs quite a bit more, I'd go with i7, You can use a good processor for a very long time so it's worth the investment.
Get the i7 860, best thing you can do right now, the cost effectiveness is really good too.
The frequency for your ram isn't that important. although DDR3 should be a must, 1333 is sufficient. pick 8GB and your set for the future, if you really want to save money 6GB should be alright too.
<b>Just a quick note, the Engine test isn't even close to be optimized, so you can expect significant frames boost as we move through alpha and beta to the final version. If your not satisfied with your frames yet, please provide me with your system specs and I can give you further help if you really need to upgrade and what.</b>
My specs are:
Athlon 64 3500+
1gb ddr
nvidia 7600 gs
Sure it's about 3 to 4 years old, but am i really in desperate need of upgrading?
Depending what the developers want to do with multithreading, I'd imagine any decent quadcore from Q6600 upwards will do just fine. Even a high end dualcore, like an E8400, i3 or the AthlonII X2's will probably do fine (if not better for now).
I've fiddled with the Engine test on a E8500 and a Q6600, both with a HD5850 and the framerates were very playable. The higher clocked dualcore was obviously better performing. But in both, the minimum fps were very close to one another but the maximum fps on the E8500 was a lot higher.
ATI or Nvidia? Get whatever is the best value:performance at the current time, which ATM is the GTX460 with the HD5850 coming close second.
My specs are:
Athlon 64 3500+
1gb ddr
nvidia 7600 gs
Sure it's about 3 to 4 years old, but am i really in desperate need of upgrading?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It all depends on how you want to play the game later on.
That PC should be sufficient for low settings, but that is a pure assumption.
I would upgrade this PC, but if everything is so outdated, you can sometimes be better off buying a whole new PC.
Since the game doesn't seem to be too demanding (yet another assumption but I'm fairly certain about that), and <u>if</u> you only care about running <u>this</u> game decently you can save quite a lot of money by not buying the latest stuff available.
quick note @ MaLaKa
The HD5850 prices are bound to drop and that more likely sooner then later :p
The Ati HD 5850 is the one you should get, the price-performance ratio is currently unbeaten.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->While usually ATI does have a better performance to dollar ratio, the recent release of Nvidia's GeForce GTX460 card has completely turned the tables on this. It's basically being lauded across the board right now as the best mid-range card you can get. It's only $200 for the 768MB version or $230 for the 1GB version (which is said to be worth that little bit extra), which is on average $100 cheaper than ATI's HD 5850. It also either keeps up with or outpaces the 5850, uses about the same amount of power, stays cooler under loads and, if you believe the reviews, has a <i>ridiculously</i> quiet fan to boot. Not to mention that being an Nvidia card it has those nice extras like proper PhysX support, CUDA, and that gimmicky 3D Vision thing, if you're into that. ATI is still the way to go for workstations, if only for their ridiculous multi-monitor support (and who hasn't wanted six monitors at one point or another?), but as a general consumer the emergence of the GTX 460 has really given Nvidia a competitive edge.
<!--quoteo(post=1780301:date=Jul 18 2010, 02:58 AM:name=abYsss)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (abYsss @ Jul 18 2010, 02:58 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1780301"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->On the other side i7 is superior to Phenom, however costs quite a bit more, I'd go with i7, You can use a good processor for a very long time so it's worth the investment. Get the i7 860, best thing you can do right now, the cost effectiveness is really good too.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->This is absolutely true. You don't need to go top-notch, but don't hold back too much here. A good CPU really does last for a while and the i7 are a good bunch.
<!--quoteo(post=1780301:date=Jul 18 2010, 02:58 AM:name=abYsss)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (abYsss @ Jul 18 2010, 02:58 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1780301"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The frequency for your ram isn't that important. although DDR3 should be a must, 1333 is sufficient. pick 8GB and your set for the future, if you really want to save money 6GB should be alright too.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->That first part is a lie. RAM clocked at 1333MHz is probably good enough, as are 6-8GB of DDR3, but you cannot say that the clock speed of RAM is not important. In most machines, the RAM speed is one of the major bottleneck components. You can have the fastest CPU in the world, but they're going to be useless if your RAM isn't up to par. The CPU is constantly requesting and storing data in the RAM, but it can only do so as quickly as the RAM will work. This is part of the reason why we haven't seen major increases in CPU clock speeds in a long time (the others being cost and difficulty): RAM speeds cannot keep up at the same pace while still remaining affordable. So if you're going to be spending a bunch of money of a good CPU, don't let it go to waste by buying slow RAM.
<!--quoteo(post=1780301:date=Jul 18 2010, 02:58 AM:name=abYsss)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (abYsss @ Jul 18 2010, 02:58 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1780301"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Just a quick note, the Engine test isn't even close to be optimized, so you can expect significant frames boost as we move through alpha and beta to the final version. </b><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->That is very true. Don't go too crazy trying to run the alpha. by the time the release, and even the beta come along the performance should be improved. Even after optimization, once we're able to actually tweak the settings beyond "Low", "Medium" and "High", you should be able to optimize the graphics to suit your (presumably upgraded) system.
not only will the game be optimized, but 10000 people will have tested it on various hardware combinations, and that will really show what hardware is best suited to NS2.
I hope it stays at the current price. So I don't have to grit my teeth knowing I paid full price 3 month ago :P
But yeah, ATI will lower its prices. The whole competitive thing! That and the 32nm variants of the HD5000s are coming early Q4 afaik.
Plus, we're right on the cusp of when Nvidia and ATI push out more stuff and move prices. So, just wait a month and prices will move yet again.
What are the current NVidia line-ups like for reliability these days?
When it comes to processors I am using an I7 at the moment and very happy with it, the performance is astonishing. Currently can not comment on the latest AMD offerings.
RAM stick with DDR3 clock speed isn't hugely relevant however best to match it with processor. 4-8GB if you can.
//EDIT
My current setup runs NS2 smoothly btw. So I got lucky with my last overhaul.
I don't think my e8200, 9800GT is gonna cut it- so I'll wait until the end of the beta before deciding on what to upgrade to,
What I was trying to say was, that right now investing in a higher frequency is a waste of money, if you don't purchase a good CPU aswell.
Since this game will NOT have high requirements, there is simply no need for anything above 1333 if you opt just for this game.
RAM is cheap as chips as well, atleast 4GB.
A) The same hardware will probably be cheaper
B) The next generation of hardware will probably be the same price
Better off saving your dough and waiting for games that you are interested in to be released.
Core i5 750 is basically a i7 860 without hyperthreading, just much cheaper and unlike i7 920/930 it isnt triple channel DDR3 and it runs on the 1156 platform.
It's very close in performance to a 1366 platform system, but cheaper and it still kicks AMD's butt. Although the new 6 core AMD is on par in performance.
I don't think my e8200, 9800GT is gonna cut it- so I'll wait until the end of the beta before deciding on what to upgrade to,<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This.
By the way, every ATI card I've bought (two) has died on me as well. Not buying their cards again. Put me in front of a white screen, slap a scarf around my neck, and I'll promote nVidia because 'it just works when I turn it on.'
For those who have adviced me to wait: waiting is not an option for me.
My last 2 computers have been laptops and the better one doesn't run NS2 engine test very well (~10fps or less + constant crashing).
So if I want to start playing NS2 from alpha I really need a new computer.
I will probably wait for the first user reports of alpha before buying the computer (I need to know it's not a flop).
If somebody's wondering my budget, I don't have a clear budget yet but I'd say I'm ready to invest 800-1500 euros depending what's sensible (value/money). But in my country (Finland) hardware is a bit (10-30%) more expensive than in Germany/USA.
Thats a good amount to put forward! Even if its 30% more expensive, you should be able to get yourself an i5 750/PII 965, 4GB of ram, with a GTX460/HD5850. That should run NS2 Alpha, but more importantly all the other games that are out there :P
I say go for it!
If I were going to build a desktop again, I would probably get the AMD Phenom II X4 Black edition. It's not <i>too</i> pricey either.
<a href="http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-244-AM" target="_blank">http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-244-AM</a>
As for RAM, DDR3 1066 or 1333 is good but not TOO expensive. You can get 4gb (2 sets of 2 1gb sticks) of G-Skill DDR3 for $112. If you were looking to go a bit cheaper, I have 4gb of DDR2 1066 which has not ever been a problem (DDR2 1066 is by no means slow. Just depends on how much you're planning on abusing your pc).
Honestly, my overall setup has run nearly anything I've tried just wonderfully. The NS2 pre-alpha test ran with 30-50 fps most of the time, but as others have mentioned, that's not really a good benchmark, since it's entirely unoptimized.
My specs are Athlon X2 5000, 8800GT, and 2gb of some crappy Samsung DDR2 RAM.
New ATI line in September to November, Nvidia line is due out next year I think? They are a bit behind on development.
That being said my view is really odd, I look at systems as; ATI/AMD or Intel/Nvidia. As AMD own ATi it seems reasonable to assume that they will work well together so I throw Intel/Nvidia to the side. I've always bought AMD, so I'll buy ATi.
That being said, ATi cards seem to be doing the better these days in terms of maximum performance and bang-for-buck. Unless you count on PhysX for anything, I'd always suggest ATi.
3.2 ghz
1gb ram
(already replaced gfx card to nvidia 8600)
But soon after that dual core came.... bleh
And now I cant even upgrade this pc because of all the new standarts haha :D
After a certain point you don't get linear price/performance graphs though. Kinda turns into an exponential curve.
If your getting an i7 look at a 1055 or 1090t. You can overclock and get better speeds for lower costs. My 1090t is stable at 3.8 ghz all 6 cores along with ocz gold 6 gb ram 1525mhz(on air cooling), just because i didn't see the need for 8 gigs. I am using a hd 5970 for my card which is great BUT i'm finding windows 7 and their beta / stable drivers have weird stalls. Which never really happen when i'm doing anything like gaming but rather when i'm watching a show ( most likely just bad codecs ect...)
So basically ATI / AMD for price / flexibility / OC. Intel / Nvidia for stability and not caring about price.
Then again there are people who have had great luck with nvidia / intel. Just not me =/
I am probably gonna get that AMD 1055T unless the i7 930 prices go down.
But for GFX im still not certain what to buy.
I have heard NS2 is more demanding to the GFX than the CPU.
I've also heard Nvidia runs a bit better this game. True?
So I'm probably going for gtx 460 factory over clocked or gtx 470.
I have also in my mind ATI's 5850/5870 models.
Any new thoughts from people now that NS2 alpha has been running for a while?