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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jun 2, 2013 11:53:41 GMT -5
Calling all tech wizards... I need a laptop. It doesn't need to be a 'gaming laptop' but I need to be able to game on it... I have been looking at the Lenovo Y500 and the MSI GE60 0NC for a little while now but I have read that the new Haswell chips from Intel are to be released soon and the gains seem pretty big for once. I realise there is always something new around the corner but I am thinking the new chips might push prices down for existing machines. I'd be pretty happy with any i7 processor and Nvidia 650+ gfx card but if I'll get it a lot cheaper in a month's time then I'd be even more pleased! I'm not particularly well up on my techy stuff so if any responses can be directed at novice level I'd be particularly grateful Any alternative advice on what is good value at the moment is also welcome - but bear in mind that we get hammered on the pricesof hardware in the UK and (unfortunately) I don't have a fortune to splash on a new laptop Thanks in advance!
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Post by Cowboy{QAW} on Jun 2, 2013 23:39:44 GMT -5
just my opinion and not really too subject related..but how can u stand those tiny little machines I use the biggest keyboard i can find cause my hands cramp so bad ( I think i wrecked my hands over the last 10 yrs with constant exposure to mineral spirits, solvents, carb cleaners..etc ) and the biggest ancient desktop..more cooling airflow. my experience with laptops is rather limited but have they got past the cooling issues yet?
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jun 3, 2013 13:09:31 GMT -5
Absolutely fair comment, and one of the reasons i haven't bought a laptop in the past few years. BUT, I would still use my keyboard and trusty G1 mouse for gaming i think. I daresay i would probably keep a monitor knocking around for when i really want to spend some proper time gaming.
I would love to know if laptops hve got over heat issues though? Anyone play on a laptop? I just don't have space in the flat for a full computer set-up ya see!
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Post by Cowboy{QAW} on Jun 3, 2013 22:10:30 GMT -5
on a sidenote...I should probly post some pics of my full comp setup..in my 3 room apartment, along with wife-3 kids- and next week her grandmother is coming to live with us for 3 months. I usually work with a couple breaks till 2 in the mornin, but i can sense some serious overtime comin on Ill also add i havnt heard anything about those haswell chips..but i do believe they should be pretty good. Intel seems to have been leaving AMD way behind lately.
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Post by Daddy on Jun 4, 2013 12:58:30 GMT -5
Well, I have been using my laptop for a year or longer now. I have a USB gaming keyboard and mouse attached though as I could never game using a laptop keyboard and touchpad. (FFS Fat Finger Syndrome) As far as the overheat issue, I do have to take certain measures to keep it cooler such as propping it up with a mini-fan blowing underneath. As long as I do this when gaming, I'd say 95%+ of the time I have no problems with overheating while playing ET. So if you don't mind taking extra measures if necessary, a laptop should be ok IMHO... with an attached keyboard that is!
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 6, 2013 21:51:18 GMT -5
Sorry Baron, Bacon gave me a heads up on this awhile ago, and jes with biz, never got back much other than shootin'.
Hopefully I can give u an answer + some interest for being late..
here goes..
"I need a laptop. It doesn't need to be a 'gaming laptop' but I need to be able to game on it"
client to car salesman, "Yes, I would like a new car, but I want it to fly", hehe
One or the other, or a happy medium in between. What do you use PC most for? Gaming or other? And do you wish to play current games? (any PC 6mnths old is considered 'old').
Moore's Law, we're dbling PC pwr every 18-24mths. So running 'new' games is something that needs new CPU power.
If you have old games (anything you have now) you would like to run for next few yrs, then you can get into laptop cheaper.
As for small keyboards/mice. Plenty of options with USB ports. And can always port vid/screen to a large screen.
I have a PC biz. I've been telling my customers for awhile not to be buying PCS,..hehe Or laptops... unless you reall y need to.
It's going to be a tablet world. Very soon, you will have something that is the size of your phone, you take it with you, you set it down, it connects to local vid/snd/net/kb&ms thru near-wifi or blutooth. It will be 10x (more prob.) faster than whatever u have now, (except Bacon's server, hehe),...and,..it slips in ur pocket.
that all said. Be sure u want to put ur $$ that direction. Devil is in the details. You have to fill your needs for your top priority, or see where you sacrifice.
Post what you want to do with it. (devil is in the details, be as exact as u can be, list of progs/apps)
It's going to be a mobile/tablet/cloud world coming.
*ps
Go Intel CPU and chipset, (srry Z) I only build computers w/ Intel mobos, CPUs and SSDs. I never have any hardware probs for the amount out there.
OH! And definetely an SSD in whatever you may choose.. non negotiable.
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jun 10, 2013 12:53:03 GMT -5
Hi DaBa, thanks very much for the detailed response! Sorry for the delay, been waiting to find some time on the work laptop to respond properly rather than from the tiny screen on my phone! Ok, so here goes with my PC wants/needs: - I'd like to run windows simply due to familiarity with it - though have heard of some people having problems with Windows 8. - I need to be able to run ET at 125 fps ;D but I don't really play any other FPS on PC. Other games I have enjoyed in the past and would like to be able to play are Age of Empires 3, City of Heroes (MMORPG), Heroes of Might and Magic aaaaaaand Football Manager. That's not too much to ask is it? I'm guessing AoE3 is the most demanding out of that lot? - I already have a reasonable sound system/monitor/USB mouse so being able to hook those up would be beneficial and help to keep the price down in terms of buying other bits. - I dabbled with Photoshop on my old PC so that would be preferable if not absolutely necessary. - I am guessing that being able to watch HD video on any new machine would bump the price up considerably? Your suggestion about a tablet is intriguing. Surely we are a little while away from affordable tablets that can meet all of my above preferences? I'd be happy to spend in the region of GBP700 if need be but I don't really know if I need to? My point of reference for all this is my old beasty of a PC which I bought in 2005 and lasted me through to late 2011. So the most advanced graphics I have seen were on a Radeon x700 series (which started to melt after slightly too long a session on the QAW servers lol). What I'm trying to say is, I'm pretty sure anything these days will seem lightyears ahead of what I'm used to! Once again, sorry for being such a luddite! Hugely grateful for the advice.
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 10, 2013 16:24:09 GMT -5
-Win8 - Not as of right now, if any way avoidable. Promises of upcoming update in fall of Win8.1/Blue. And pushing against it is a 'user uprising' pushing for for Win8 'Red' (updates user-forum wants), hehe, we'll see after a few service packs/updates to win8. 'mean'time'stay'away. It'll be tough to solve that problem through 'normal' channels of supplies. You need to get online to reputable site and see what works for your price. That plus getting a SSD. chances slim to none, sorry. Unless you live near me, hehe Any laptop I supply now, it will require +$160CAD for Win7 and ~+$125CAD for the SSD, +$20 for an external USB hard drive caddy which thier original drive that the SSD replaced, goes in. So they get to have a nice large handy back up drive. You can only do what your budget allows. SSD most important. Or LOTS or RAM, and tweak ET to use more RAM. Win7 will save you your wits,.. over Win8,..for now.. As for most games, (ones you mentioned), lots of RAM. (SSD solves/eases this problem).(btw, did I mention a laptop with an SSD runs cooler and gets longer battery life?). Laptop video cards/chipsets fall under 'tweaky' for sure when it comes to gaming. And things change when you plug in an external monitor/tv. What can't be displayed on laptop will now display ok on external monitor. Most new laptops (99%?) come with some form of vid/screen/HDMI out. Giving you lots of options on out put. (too many options btw ). You won't save anything/much for op-ting out of external-display, pretty much standard now. we'll revisit this, no worries on the Luddite thing, I have done both, I've set computers on fire and thrown them for high structures, hehe
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jun 15, 2013 7:11:08 GMT -5
Thanks, DaBa :-) So have been doing a bit of reading around SSD's and it sounds like the right way to go. I know that greater capacity will always be better and therefore more expensive but what do you think is the minimum capacity and also what capacity would you recommend? I have a 1TB external hard drive hooked up to my router which stores all of our video/music files so presumably if I continued to keep such files on that and only had windows, games and other applications on the SSD then I'll still have the benefits of the speed without suffering from a lack of capacity? Stupid question time... Will I still need RAM if I opt for an SSD? What do you mean about gfx cards and chipsets in laptops being tweaky? I presume it is not like a PC where I can swap out a gfx card for a new one. I need to make sure the laptop I go for has a gfx card which is capable, right? I'm not really sure what else I ought to be thinking about? So I can get the following for £600 (used-some minor cosmetic scuffs) or £750 (new): www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00B2HVYRI/ref=sr_1_3_olp?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1371297892&sr=1-3&keywords=Lenovo&condition=usedWhat do you think? That leaves me some funds to buy an SSD (no idea which though) and I can se the Ultrabay at some point too? Thanks again!
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 16, 2013 9:39:08 GMT -5
Hi Baron, I posted yesterday, big long post, and before I could clik post, computer froze, had to reboot, and lost it all. @#$# computers! Here goes again.. SSDs - I use 32GB SSDs on biz workstations. Small, but it works, and also lets me know when someone is dling junk and filling up computer. They get exposed quick. (Biz Owner signs my cheques, so I make Owners happy, not users). Recently started using 64GB/80GB SSDs because prices have dropped. On a home computer, at least a 64GB, prefer a 128GB, if can afford, 200GB+. My netbook has a 32GB SSD, my PC has a 64GB SSD and 4TB of regular hard drives. For the laptop you spec'd, I'd look at a 128GB min., and 250GB max if can afford. You can get away with 64GB, but you would be installing/uninstalling games to get room to play. You will need some sort of off-laptop storage. I luv your router-cloud. That works. And you'll reuse the HDD that comes out of laptop. RAM - Always as much as you can afford. SSDs are fast, but RAM is still waaaayyy faster. SSDs allows you to MAX out the hard drive data channels. SATA III is 6gb/s. SATA II and I are 3gb/s and 1.5gb/s. Hopefully laptop will be SATA III, make sure SSD you get is SATA III. (I use Intel SSDs. I have used Crucial and PAtriot SSDs in past, but after a few years had a few issues with them. So now I only use Intel). And RAM, can be dual-channel or triple-channel, which again, increases its speed way above SSDs. (kinda like RAID for RAM). Makes RAM 2x and 3x faster. I have gone 'cheap' on RAM on biz computers, knowing it would put more demand on SSD, but still fast computer. SSDs have a 'limited life'. The chips will only take so many read/write cycles. SSDs have a small reserve of 'extra' chips on board, and they are called into service as chips go bad on SSD. Lifetimes have increased, and not so much an issue as it once was, but something to be aware of, as a difference between the old HDDs and SSDs. You have to disable 'hard drive optimization' in Windows, and do not Defrag them. It shortens their life, and not required. Fragmentation is a non-issue on an SSD. Video - ATI is now owned by AMD. Intel and AMD don't 'play well together'. In customers' computers I use nVidia. Works well with Intel. (However, Intel and nVidia have been giving each other dirty looks lately because nVidia wants to move into making chipsets). I have an ATI card in my PC, but ATI is known for 'iffy' drivers, finicky settings. Computer nerds use ATI (because we can figure out probs), reg. users use nVidia. They are about the same in power and performance, giving the slight edge to nVidia. The laptop you spec'd, fine with nVidia. (And reason for more RAM. Vid cards built-in usually use some system RAM). I like the Lenovo. Lenovo bought out IBM's old laptop division. (Remember IBM thinkpads?). Reason for the 'Ideapad' monikor. I recommend Lenovos to customers, and had one myself that I really liked, until I had to sell it to a customer to solve a problem. I missed it, and customer said they liked it. So bodes well for Lenovo. Lenovo usually has less bells and whistles than other-makes, but usually what is on-board is better quality. I remember the old IBM thinkpads, they always looked pretty 'plain', but seen them covered in grease and dirt in truck shops, still working. now if (ballpark) 1GBP = $2CAD: You'd never catch me spending $1200CAD on a laptop!. Any customers that ask me now for laptops, I try and talk into a tablet or netbook. PC's/laptops are 'dead'. As dead as the CD format. It's going to be a tablet world. That said, only you know for sure if a laptop is what you need/want. (shows cheaper direct from: shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y500/?redir=y ). Try Lenovo for UK, see if cheaper direct from them) Keep in mind, in 2-3yrs, what you spent $1200 on will only be worth around $300. ($400 if you put in the SSD). If you can handle that kind of depreciation, ok. So laptop (what you linked, fine, nice piece of hardware) -$1200 ($850 new/direct from Lenovo) SSD drive - $125 2.5" USB hard drive caddy - $20 Win7 Pro 64bit - $150 You'll need someone to remove hard drive, and install SSD. (there should exist, a YouTube vid to show how, usually is) Then set up Win7 Pro. Bypass the 'enter serial' on install. You get (3) installs per Win-DVD. Then you gotta call Microsoft and explain what you are doing. So install with no serial, (gives you 30days, nothing is crippled or disabled)(*Do not install 'Microsoft Genuine Advantage' update until AFTER you are ready/put serial number in). Reason being, that if you have problems during install, and have to do it again, then you don't use up 'one of your chances'. Install Win7, use it for a couple of weeks or longer. When happy with install, then activate/put serial in. Sometimes I do an install, and it might seem to go well, only to find an issue later, and simple just to start over since didn't use up a serial. Laptops are very finicky to set up, lots of drivers to install. Therefore, it may take you a few tries to get it right. Enter serial only after you get it right. Now you can see why I didn't have it in me to retype this 2x yesterday, hehe Use Microsoft Security Essentials for Anti-virus, all you need (Make sure you do full back-up/disk image (app included with Win7) once you get an install you're happy with.)) And use Spybot S&D for spam/malware protection and detection). Both are free. Nothing works better on Microsoft, than more Microsoft,...unfortunetly... If you have problems, you can use the disk-image to restore, instead of using up another serial-number-chance and doing install again. Backups are a pain in ass, but you'll be happy if you need it. And you're playing Murphy's Law against itself. Because you now have a back up, you won't need it. Murphy's Law = What happens is whatever you didn't plan for. So by planning for the worse, (making disk image), you shouldn't ever need it. You're playing Murphy's Law against itself.
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 16, 2013 9:59:44 GMT -5
ps. Maybe ordering directly from Lenovo, you can get them to send you one with no HDD or Win8. Might save you a few bucks. Chances are slim, but never hurts to ask.
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jun 16, 2013 10:06:59 GMT -5
Thank you DaBa and double thanks for writing that up twice! That is love right there haha.
I am going to have a quick look at what sorta spec netbooks i can get. Part of me knows you are absolutely right about it becoming a netbook/tablet world but I don't really need portability per se. But then on that basis i might as well take all of what you've explained to me and put it into a desktop PC! On the other hand, netbooks do seem to have certain advantages. Tough choice!
Man I am terrible at spending money lol. Will report back when i've done a bit more browsing.
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 16, 2013 13:59:14 GMT -5
If you don't need the mobility, then put your $$ into a desktop. Consider Mini-ATX and Mini-ITX form mobos. (Intel of course, may not be the fastest, but stable for sure). A nice gaming rig at home, and a small tablet to take with you may suit you better. Keeps one foot in Old-School, other in New-School. I have a Blackberry Playbook for a tablet I take with me, a netbook I carry to make invoices on the road, and home desktop. Laptops cost about 20-30% more for same power/equipment for desktop. Because of the mobilty/smaller sizes/odd shapes of parts. So the 20-30% you save by not going laptop, and going desktop instead, should leave you with some $$ to purchase a tablet later. Don't get now unless a package-deal with desktop. You'll be a couple of months 'playing' with new desktop, so prices will come down in that time. I traded an extra HDMI cable I had here for the Playbook I got. But they only run about $100 (16GB). I really like it. However, I feel like I have Edsel. The future of Blackberry is up in the air right now. They are not 'crushing' the market like they used to. But, there were rumours that IBM might be interested in buying them. At least back when the stock price was low (~$7 last fall), but now stock is about 2x that price, so not as attractive for a buyout. 2c on Blackberry. I like it. Just don't know how long they will be around sorta thing. Desktops are more bang for your $$. fyi (There, I think I may have convinced you away from laptop, now I just have to convince you desktops are dead too, hehe j/k'n) If you have a desktop now, you can salvage parts from it to save $$. (Mouse, KB, monitor, DVD-drv, and resuse hard drive for storage in new PC until afford a new, larger, HDD). You have mannnnny options. That's what makes deciding tough. Keep asking Q:s, eventually you'll feel comfortable with something.
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jun 17, 2013 16:26:55 GMT -5
Haha yes you've got me looking at PC builds now. This was the original plan long ago when my PC started falling to pieces and I have to admit I feel a bit more at home looking at PC parts and there is definitely more freedom to pick and choose what is 'right' for me. The fact is that I don't need a top of the range machine. My 2006 build wasn't even top of the range at the time but it did what I needed. If I can build a cheap PC for under £500 that will play ET at 125 fps then it is already an improvement on what I had before! So my old PC wasn't even true dual-core, so I'm thinking I won't even need to go i7 to notice a huge improvement. I'm looking at the Intel i5-4430 (Haswell) which retails at £150. With that in mind, I need a mobo with a 1155 socket. However, I have absolutely no idea what else to consider for a mobo and the prices seem to vary a lot. Looks like there are a lot of different chipsets but what difference do these make? Does it all come down to speed again? I can grab a 120GB Intel SSD for around the £110 mark which will mean I don't need an additional HDD as I already have 1TB external HDD hooked up. Nvidia GTX650 2GB GDDR5 looks like it can be snapped up for £90 which looks like it will be more than capable of what I am after? I'll be honest, I get a bit stuck on RAM. 2 sticks of 4GB is plenty but I don't really know which 'channel' if any I need in terms of getting the right balance of value and speed. I'll do a bit more reading up on that I think! I can keep my old keyboard/mouse/monitor for sure. I don't know about the case though? Is a new mobo guaranteed to fit in it? Or are cases mobo-specific? There had to be at least one stupid question to keep up my reputation... Thanks!
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 18, 2013 7:07:49 GMT -5
i5 CPU with an SSD, lots of RAM, would be plenty fast. I'm an Intel guy, so I would recommend an Intel board. If you get a mobo with 2 PCI-Express slots, you can run dual vid cards in future. (just an option, not required). Ignore what I said about single/dbl/triple channel RAM for now. Still will be plenty fast. If your case is 'generic', then it will most likely fit your new mobo. Just look up your old mobo specs and see what form-factor it is (ATX, Mini-ATX, etc.). Your 'generic' case should fit a few different form factors. But if you get a new mobo with same form-factor, it will fit. You may need to upgrade your power supply, to get SATA pwr connections and PCI-Express connector to power vid card. Cases usually will fit more than one size of mobo. First place to start your build is with mobo, then CPU, then RAM, SSD, Vid, Case. What is going to make the biggest difference for FPS is the video card. The rest 'doesn't really matter' kinda. The card you mentioned should be plenty to get you 125 FPS. But it is relative. Depends on resolution you want to run too. 320x400 should be fine, hehe Once you get up to 1024x or 2048x etc. Then you need the power. I gotta run out for a bit, I'll post again later. *I find the prices you post high. Kinda surprises me because UK is closer to production of most of these parts than Canada is.
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jun 18, 2013 15:05:55 GMT -5
Only on my phone so this will be brief too. I don't know what sales tax is like in Canada but we get a 20% VAT added to the price and i think import duties on manufactured goods is high (i could be wrong on that though). I can get a Samsung SSD 120GB 6gb/s for £80. Any particular benefit to having an Intel SSD with an Intel processor? Surely it will do the same job regardless, right? Please that you think it will be plenty fast enough. This is looking genuinely affordable! Been reading about saving a bit of £ by buying an OEM version of Win7 too, is that advisable? I'm going to rely on Youtube and the DaBastard helpline to get me through the actual building of the hardware btw lol. All i know right now is that static is not my friend. I'm staying grounded
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 18, 2013 17:04:53 GMT -5
Canada tax in my location is 13% VAT.
Samsung I have used, no issues with, would have no poblem going with.
CPU is Intel. non-negotiable. But I only build Intel. Less headaches for me (support) over the long run.
Static-strap - After 30yrs of beating on computers, the only time I used one was on equipment that was worth more than I make in a year, (rarely)
If it worries you, mount power supply first and plug it in. Once power supply is plugged in, then it will ground the case. Then as you're building computer, just make sure you touch the steel on the case frequently. ie. no static.
OEM Version of Win7 Pro 64 same as any other. It's 'used' when you build a computer from scratch yourself. If you go to the local store, that's a RETAIL version.If you can get your hands on OEM, fine, it will save you $$.
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 20, 2013 15:14:11 GMT -5
* so you know, 'quad-core' gives you no improvment in ET (kinda, but trying not too get techy)
More processing power is always better, but for ET, it comes down to RAM and GPU power (vid card).
Get a vid card with lots of RAM, 2GB at least. Check out DDR5 cards.
Good GPU, lots of fast GPU RAM, and an SSD will give you what you seek.
You have a few tweaks to ET also, 'hunks' bit. Sorry, don't know for sure, but tweak ET so it uses as much RAM as you you can.
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jun 23, 2013 16:54:13 GMT -5
Yo DaBa! So I think fate is telling me to build a computer, but will probs mean waiting a couple months now anyway... The flat me and teh Baroness are living in has been sold by our landlord so we're gonna be moving somewhere smaller temporarily but with a view to buying a property which will allow for desk and PC space! Want to thank you for your updates and advice, will definitely return to this thread in a couple months or so
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Post by DaBastard on Jun 24, 2013 14:32:58 GMT -5
Waiting only works in your favor..
prices come down as newer products released and you'll settle on more of what your are looking for/need in computing power.
Something to remember, and works for Biz, applies other areas too.
Three ways to do something. Fast, Cheap, and Good. From those threee, you choose two. The other won't apply 'to the deal/whatever you're doing'
So since postponed, you're now looking at getting something 'Good & Cheap', won't come Fast.
(ie. prices comes down, you have time to search for deals, meet your needs better)
If you needed something tomorrow, then it would be Good&Fast, Cheap doesn't apply.. You pay $$$ you just ran out and grabbed any laptop.
Time works for you. Get RL out of the way, in the meantime, be narrowing down what you really need & want and where sacrifices will be made.
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Post by The HITCHER on Jul 6, 2013 19:35:10 GMT -5
Baron you still haven't built the PC we were talking about in 2008?!? Shame on you! Got 2 cents or so when you get round to it. Hope you and the baroness are awesome... hit me up IRL.
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jul 7, 2013 3:24:32 GMT -5
Haha Hitch how nice of you to drop by!
I have all sorts of excuses I could bore you and DaBastard with but I should really focus on the positives of finishing exams forever in less than 3 weeks now and finally building a new one!
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Post by Zohar{QAW} on Jul 8, 2013 19:09:49 GMT -5
hey guys. I dont know crap about computers these days. I am fairly good at playin the geetar though, and I can change a diaper with one hand.
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jul 9, 2013 1:19:52 GMT -5
Haha Zo. Concurrently?
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Post by The HITCHER on Jul 12, 2013 20:33:27 GMT -5
C'mon baron, Zo can dual wield those mama jamas!
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Post by The HITCHER on Jul 14, 2013 20:28:51 GMT -5
Right... feel the need to get this thread back OT. Agree with all of what DaBs said, but would like to put my 2c in anyway... An SSD is non-negotiable. Let me say that again... NON-NEGOTIABLE. They are the most felt performance increase in any system and thats that. Take an i7 monster with a pair of geforce Titans and it will still feel slow as balls with a spinning disk drive with the OS on. The sweet spot atm seems to be a 120GB SSD with a 1 or 2TB spinner for all of your legally purchased* films and tv. SSDs are a little expensive atm compared to 6 months ago, but a reasonable 500+mb/s each way one can be had for around £95. The spinner is around £50 for 1TB and £70 for 2. I'd go with 2... but I have OCD about keeping TV shows I might never watch again. CPU choice comes down to whether you want to overclock or not. If you dont, get the lowest i5 ivybridge/haswel and 8GB of whatever ram and be done with it. With the graphics card you buy it wont make a fat lot of difference in games and will be good for 2-3 years. However... if you spring for a K (unlocked) series ivybridge/haswell, with a decent motherboard then fairly serious (compared to CPU model versions) increase can be had... .like 3.4Ghz to 4.6Ghz increase. Will require lots more messing and testing though. Feel dirty for saying this as a tweaker (currently running a clarkdale i3 2.9GHz at 4.2Ghz), but it might be a LOT less hassle just getting an locked chip and leaving it be. Ram – As with SSDs, the stuff is expensive atm. The price of both move a lot during the year (heard the phrase, RAM is a commodity?). So 8GB of 1600Mhz stuff with around 8-8-8-etc timing is the only real option, used to be 16GB a few months ago, but that was just because it was so cheap, not because any real world application had use for it. Annnnnd the big choice. GPU! You want to play wolfen at 120fps? Literally any card over £70 (probably some others less as well) will do that. What I'd look for in a card atm is 2GB of ram (pretty sure db said this), and low power consumption. I have a GTX480 atm, because it TEARS through cuda stuff, plays most games on ultra as well, but it get HOT as a mutha, so must be using serious juice (dont tell my housemates). Speaking of housemates, one of mine has a 650Ti that you mentioned, really nice card for the money, and if you drop a second in at a latter point, better than gtx680 performance. Assume your going for one card and a looooong time till upgrade (what we on now, 9 years?? ) so its a toss up to me between an ATI 7850 2GB (£150)/Nvidia 650ti 2GB(£130) at the low end, and a 660ti(£190)/760(£200) at the higher end. All four cards would provide tasty wolfen, but in my mind only the higher ones a satisfying experience when you occasionally want to dip into modern games (for the next few years). Cheeky bit of BF4 etc.. Sorry for long post... just a little conversation on my view of the market at the moment.
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jul 17, 2013 15:17:49 GMT -5
This IS going to happen when my exam is finito...
Hitch dude, i'll be in touch! DaBas, will be sharing any prospective build with you too!
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Post by perry on Jul 19, 2013 4:29:53 GMT -5
If u don't mind me asking but what is your price range/
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Post by Baron{QAW} on Jul 27, 2013 9:35:59 GMT -5
Hi Perry, sorry took a while to get back to this! I don't realllly know, it's flexible but was thinking around £600-£700 but I don't need monitor or other peripherals. The UK prices will be more much worse than US prices though so taking a direct exchange rate won't really work!
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