|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 8, 2017 14:07:26 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by tonofclay{QAW} on Feb 8, 2017 15:09:23 GMT -5
I think it would definitely run ET just fine at the very least But really, I think if you're not yuge into gaming and aren't trying to play all the latest games on the highest settings the one above would be just great for you. If you're comfortable with the price and keep in mind that while its obviously gonna be a lot better than your current PC, it's not going to run all the new stuff on max, you'll be super happy with it I think. Just trying to think of some things you might want to consider before you buy ... could check to see if the programs you use frequently on the PC has any benefits/negatives from processor type (AMD vs Intel) or gpu (AMD vs NVIDIA) ... sometimes people like to have more RAM than what systems in this range usually come with , but 8gb seems like it should be plenty ... Looks like it comes bundled with a keyboard and pc, could be nicer than what you have, could be crappy? I can't really tell from the description ... I've had expensive mice and keyboards break faster than the cheaper ones I have now that do just as good a job as the more expensive ones. Anyways just figure there could be an equivalent PC not bundled with the mouse/kb for a few bucks less if you didn't want 'em or wanted to pick your own later. One other thing would be to consider your monitor and its input/output, just to make sure it has at least a DVI connection in case its also real old. You just don't want to have only a VGA connection because you'd then need a VGA > DVI adapater or a new monitor Quick way to tell though I'll not guarantee anything is that DVI connectors usually have a white plug head where as VGA are blue. You might get some people telling you to build your own, which is great if you feel like doing that and it's not really that difficult, but obviously some people just want to have it come ready out of the box and don't want the BS of putting it together so don't listen to people that go on and on about building your own from scratch
|
|
|
Post by hoff{QAW} on Feb 8, 2017 15:34:34 GMT -5
You could just build it from scratch, though.
PS: Now for constructiveness sake - I'm the kind of dude Ton speaks about, and I'll explain my point of view.
I'm a practical man concerning technology, with this I mean: I couldn't care less how it looks my pc if it suits my needs. In example, I use Office (all of its components), I watch videos and have to show them to others, I listen to music and play ET, nothing else. So FOR ME, any new cheap pc or laptop suits me, in fact, nowadays, ALL of them exceed my needs.
BUT, in example, my brother is an engineer, so he runs latest version of AUTOCAD among other design and construction programs. He couldn't use any cheap average pc or laptop, he does need something custom made for his needs. In this case (when the cheap average pc or laptop doesn't suit you), you have two choices: either you buy one already built, or you build it yourselfe.
Here's the issue: generally, the pc or laptop speacially made for your needs (if they are higher than the average) and that comes already built is more expensive than if you built it yourself. I don't know in USA, but over here there are specialized stores in which you can buy the parts and THEY BUILD IT for you. So, you don't really have to go through the pain that is build it yourself but anyway you have a much more powerful pc at less price than if you buy an already built it in any store.
Over here, you can have that same pc you are showing for about 450 to 500 bucks. I bet you could have the same over there. The price get reduced in thing like the tower. Anyway, if you want it to look 'badass', well... thats expensive.
|
|
|
Post by SCOUT on Feb 8, 2017 19:49:46 GMT -5
It looks cool so it should work.
|
|
|
Post by Cowboy{QAW} on Feb 8, 2017 20:55:19 GMT -5
I get mine 2nd hand where ever I can and keep an extensive stock of outdated parts to keep em running as long as possible... anyway my position is a lil different im sure You can get way more bang for the buck though if you build your own. Cheers
|
|
vmax
Server Admin
ET is old. But then, so am I.
Posts: 105
|
Post by vmax on Feb 9, 2017 9:26:49 GMT -5
Over here, you can have that same pc you are showing for about 450 to 500 bucks. I bet you could have the same over there. The price get reduced in thing like the tower. Anyway, if you want it to look 'badass', well... thats expensive. Hoffster - where do you live? Porridge - have you considered Craigslist? I bought a pc off Craigslist for $100 in December - it was an old Dell Precision workstation with 64 gigs of RAM, dual Xeon processors, an Nvidia Quadro gpu, and a small SSD (80 gigs, I think). The owner was a graphics designer who was upgrading. Unfortunately Quadros will NOT run Overwatch so I had to purchase a new gpu (GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB). Total spend was $250 and now my daughter is happily gaming with her buddies...all graphics settings max'ed out. -V-
|
|
|
Post by hoff{QAW} on Feb 9, 2017 12:43:54 GMT -5
I'm from Chile, sir... where "tortas" are cakes, not sandwichs. PS: Sorry for saying that even if you don't understand why tha ... do I say it, but I have to commit to saying the truth.
|
|
|
Post by SpaceAge_Pimp{QAW} on Feb 10, 2017 3:33:47 GMT -5
Torbuck has a PC for you at rock bottom price.
Silly perhaps, but run the Error Check tool. Had pretty good success with it, fixing some old-man-XP issues
I think it's a right click on your c drive > properties, maybe u see a Tools tab? Should be fairly obvious. It'll take a bit and require a restart that will seem like a crashed restart. Long live XP.
Yes.
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 10, 2017 10:31:18 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses, hermanos. @ton - I used to be yuuuge into gaming until around 2007 methinks. I think Far Cry 2 was the last game that I purchased that I could actually play on this PC. I don't believe I could get Deus Ex 2 (was a big fan of the original) work on this system. So, that was it. Unless I wanted to load up the original Myst and replay that, I was done with "new" games. I just put that (example) machine link up there since that was the first link that showed up under "gaming computers". I was wondering if anyone had recently purchased a machine online and had a link to that. I definitely don't need a keyboard/mouse - so that's a good point regarding the machine link that I sent out. I'll look for systems only. Also, yeah, my monitor does have a DVI input. @hoff/Cowboy - I did consider building one (at some point) and in fact, if I remember correctly someone here posted specs and links to individual parts etc. that you could lego up together. But I'm too laz... I mean, I don't have the ti... what I meant to say, is that I'd rather drin... Bacon did offer to build me a machine at one point and ship it to me (for fairly cheap). I should check with him. vmax - hmmm... I didn't even consider craigslist. I'll see what's available. I do want to play some of the newer games out there. @space - thanks. Let me try that this afternoon. I'm hoping I can recover this machine to at least use it as a media/plex server or what not. Currently, I cannot keep it going for more than an hour before I get teh BSOD. Also, cannot get TS3 on it. Took like an hour to boot up the other day My laptop seems to be dying too (>8 yrs old; no sound etc). I really use my laptop for anything productive, like making QAW sigs etc. lol. I know that Quick plays on his laptop - so that might be another option (w/ a docking station)? The PC currently just has ET and an anti virus software on it. Nothing else productive, really.
|
|
|
Post by tonofclay{QAW} on Feb 10, 2017 12:53:20 GMT -5
Since you're not committed to the machine in the link per se, you could do some price shopping to see what you come up with that might have similar specs for less cost (on sale or whatever) ... some other more computer-y sites I've ordered from are tigerdirect.com and newegg.com , you could check those out to see if they have any similar systems for a good price. Some areas also have a more big-box type computer store like microcenter , you might be able to find a deal there if you have one around you.
I'm always also a fan of a fresh Windows install to make it seem like you've done something to speed up an old PC . I keep a "legitimate" copy of Windows XP handy that is already authorized upon installing, I've put it on a few PC builds here and there when I need it. You may get rid of some bloated stuff slowing you down / causing crashes by doing a fresh install. Obviously you'll have to reinstall some stuff and make sure to back up your important things ... but I've usually seen a bit of a performance boost on the old PC's I've done a fresh install of XP on.
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 11, 2017 12:20:57 GMT -5
Ton - I noticed lower prices on tigerdirect and newegg for those same specs. Imma try to find my windows XP install disks. A fresh install might help. Pimpster - ran the error check tool this morning. Didn't find any errors (although it didn't run the first time). For now the machine's behaving ok. Will jump on later today and will hope to log significant hours on the server. :fingers crossed:
|
|
|
Post by mcbain{QAW} on Feb 11, 2017 14:47:08 GMT -5
What are your current specs? I have found a fresh OS install on an SSD might be all it takes.
|
|
|
Post by boca{QAW} on Feb 11, 2017 15:08:13 GMT -5
What are your current specs? I have found a fresh OS install on an SSD might be all it takes. I second Mc'B's suggestion if your ok with your current machine. SSD drive and as Ton and Mcb have said a fresh install is always nice. Can always get a smaller ssd drive and us it as the boot/OS drive. I do this with my main machine ( only a 120gig SSD for the OS and booting ). Heck with windows XP you could us a 30 - 60 gig ssd drive for that. I have bought a lot of stuff off of newegg when going new, I trust them. And ebay has been my friend for small purchases like ram, mice, keyboards... I will second/third the idea to build one, trust me it is NOT HARD to do. One last piece of advise, do not hesitate to ask questions , on forums that sell computer parts like newegg, and ask here, plenty of peeps to help you.
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 12, 2017 10:50:04 GMT -5
I'm almost convinced by you guys, to either "fix" my current machine and/or build a new one. . Might be a decent side project. Yesterday, after I initially booted up, it looked like I could game for 2-3 hrs. But then the game froze up on me, and after that I couldn't get through a single map without the machine freezing up. As per Bacon's suggestion, I removed the heat sink and cleaned it. Also, dusted out the fan (wasn't too bad). Also, installed Speed Fan and checked the temperature. It was anywhere between 40C to 50C. Although I'm not sure whether that reading is of the temperature of the GPU or not. The machine once froze up even outside of the game (regular chrome). So, maybe that rules out doing a new ET install. I did delete old pk3 files and deleted the .pid file etc. Current specs: Dell Optiplex 745; Pentium D 3.4GHz; 3GB RAM, 256MB Radeon X1300PRO, 75 GB hard drive. At this point, I'm wondering whether something is up with either the video card or the hard drive. Did get one BSOD (0x000000D1; DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL; USBPORT.SYS). But that seemed random. I could potentially get a new video card, and a new SSD drive and then buy a copy of Windows 7/10 and install on this machine. But, how would I know what cards and drives are compatible with this machine? I considered just buying a gaming laptop and replacing both my laptop and his desktop with it. But for the price of a decent gaming laptop, I could get both a desktop and a new laptop, and it still might be cheaper.
|
|
|
Post by tonofclay{QAW} on Feb 12, 2017 13:04:33 GMT -5
I think the problem you run into with upgrading that machine is compatibility like you said ... you might find a new graphics card to buy , but then you'd probably need to upgrade your motherboard and your power supply to use it I have a Dell with similar specs that I got about 10 years ago when I was going into college ... I still have it but I don't really bother using it anymore. All the fresh installs and cleaning in the world couldn't help it heating up like crazy and sounding like it was going to explode when trying to watch a youtube video nowadays. If it were me I'd consider upgrading one or two parts a lost cause at this point. Then you're down to whether to get a laptop and a desktop or just one or the the other. For that I think maybe it'd be good to just take inventory of how you'd be using each and whether you'd really need both or just one of the two ... think about what you'd be using each for / how often / where / etc. But eventually I've found that personally I sometimes just have to say 'F it I'm gonna get this one' and click PLACE ORDER before I drive myself insane weighing the cornucopia of options. You may end up doing what I so often do though which is waffle around about upgrading for months until some part gives out for good and you are forced to get a new one
|
|
|
Post by mcbain{QAW} on Feb 12, 2017 13:16:58 GMT -5
Buying an SSD will be useable in almost any new computer (save maybe for a laptop). I don't look at that ~$60 expense as lost if it doesn't save the old machine. I remember Pentium D's...those suckers ran HOTT!
I would NOT recommend W10 with that old of a machine. You will undoubtedly find many driver errors and it won't be worth it. Stick with XP, try an SSD. If it doesn't improve, buy a new machine and put the SSD in that!
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 13, 2017 10:56:32 GMT -5
I think the problem you run into with upgrading that machine is compatibility like you said ... you might find a new graphics card to buy , but then you'd probably need to upgrade your motherboard and your power supply to use it Yeah, I did a bit of research yesterday. This is exactly right. The current motherboard only supports a "low profile" PCI Express 1.0 card. Yikes. www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/optix/en/opti_745techspecs.pdfAnd yeah, I'm not even sure whether I have to upgrade my PSU etc. to support the card. At this time, I'm thinking of burying this machine in the backyard. It's been through a lot. Friday night frag fests etc. It's seen teh porridge die consistently and often. Imma say a prayer. I'll look for SSDs etc., as McBain suggested, to see if I can resurrect this machine for a media server or something like that. But it's gaming days may be over (will try one last reinstall of OS - if I can find the XP disks) - but random (albeit, infrequent) BSODs might imply something up with teh hardware? Regarding building, I noticed these links. One config was $2K+ ... other budget ones are $500 to $800 for a somewhat modest config? Not sure. I guess I need to go through and check the specs of the budget machines in more detail. But I need to factor in the cost of OS/software too. www.pcgamer.com/pc-build-guide-high-end-gaming-pc/www.pcgamer.com/pc-build-guide-budget-gaming-pc/www.pcworld.com/article/3120287/computers/how-to-build-a-cheap-but-powerful-gaming-pc-for-500.htmlI'm somewhat tempted to click on that random amazon link I posted in my original post, and hit "Buy Now". lol.
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 13, 2017 16:39:47 GMT -5
I clicked. Also, bought a 500GB SSD. 10% off total order with Amazon move. Time for a drink! Thanks y'all.
|
|
|
Post by boca{QAW} on Feb 13, 2017 17:07:58 GMT -5
I am thinking you are going to be very very pleased with your choice my friend. AMD Radeon RX 480 ( nice card you have here, I am looking at the radeon fury and your choice might make me click ) and the i-5 is a great chip, well done sir. Next we have to talk you into a gaming mouse and keyboard ( I hear a battle coming )
|
|
|
Post by tonofclay{QAW} on Feb 13, 2017 18:55:00 GMT -5
Nice! It looks like the OS comes pre-installed on the hard drive ... generally you'd want the OS on your brand new SSD. Looking at the Q/A section though looks like somebody asked if they would be able to install on their SSD instead and the company replied that you would be able to do so with the provided disks.
Thought I would point that out just in case it didn't come to mind , so you didn't get all sorts of set up and then say wait a minute I wanted Windows on the SSD !
Glad to see I made you click the link, feel free to blame me when your new computer assimilates with all of your other electronics and takes over your house.
|
|
|
Post by mcbain{QAW} on Feb 13, 2017 21:52:14 GMT -5
Congrats on the new machine!
In my experience...you should start the machine up as is and let the W10 activate before you swap it out for the SSD. I use my outlook.com email address (Microsoft Account) to digitally activate it. That way I can just download the W10 ISO from MS whenever I have to reinstall. During setup it asks for my Microsoft Account and checks the PC against the W10 licenses I have activated and everything is good to go. You can replace quite a lot and reinstall W10 free of charge as long as it was once activated on that machine. I think the MOBO might be the only piece you can't replace without having to buy another license.
I'm sure they give you a document with the W10 license key on it, but that is just how I have been doing it without any issues. Although you do have to agree to use your MS account (which I use anyway).
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 14, 2017 12:46:22 GMT -5
Thanks fellas! The reviews made it seem like a decent mid-sized machine (altho' the specs say that it's configured for Oculus Rift etc., LOL..). Idk, I'll have to see. I'll be glad if I can get 1080p with some elevated graphic config levels. Speaking of which - I'm sure my current ET config has most graphics properties turned waaayyy down. Maybe I could crank it up a bit. Boca - it looks like there's a basic gaming keyboard included. Should be better than what I have currently. I should be set on mouse/headphones - have had razer deathadder and some version of razer headset. I will need a 1080p monitor at some point (and ditch my 10-12 yr old monitor). Maybe look at the 4K one that amigo purchased (in a thread below). But, that's for later. And yes, !blame ton for urging me to drop my research maze and just 'click'. I saw an article on getting the OS on to the SSD - www.howtogeek.com/97242/how-to-migrate-windows-7-to-a-solid-state-drive/ ... I'll try to follow that step by step. mcbain{QAW} : Re. "I use my outlook.com email address (Microsoft Account) to digitally activate it" - do you store the digital key in an email on msn or something? Not sure what you meant by that. And are you implying that you could just download the OS ISO from the microsoft.com website whenever you need - and digitally sign it / activate it via the key in that email? I'd prefer that too... since I dont want to bother and safe keep install disks etc. Currently, the stock HD and power supply are ones that I'd like to replace at some point (since that's where this machine really compromised). Also, might need to replace the MOBO at some point, if I need to put a second video card in the future. One thing I like about this machine (as compared to Dell, HP etc.) is that I don't have to rely on them for custom drivers, etc.
|
|
|
Post by boca{QAW} on Feb 14, 2017 15:11:56 GMT -5
Boca - it looks like there's a basic gaming keyboard included. Should be better than what I have currently. I should be set on mouse/headphones - have had razer deathadder and some version of razer headset. You had me at razer yes Boca will admit to being a huge razer fan ( FYI and don't tell anyone i really love my sidewinder keyboard ).
|
|
|
Post by mcbain{QAW} on Feb 14, 2017 20:32:08 GMT -5
mcbain{QAW} : Re. "I use my outlook.com email address (Microsoft Account) to digitally activate it" - do you store the digital key in an email on msn or something? Not sure what you meant by that. And are you implying that you could just download the OS ISO from the microsoft.com website whenever you need - and digitally sign it / activate it via the key in that email? I'd prefer that too... since I dont want to bother and safe keep install disks etc. Currently, the stock HD and power supply are ones that I'd like to replace at some point (since that's where this machine really compromised). Also, might need to replace the MOBO at some point, if I need to put a second video card in the future. One thing I like about this machine (as compared to Dell, HP etc.) is that I don't have to rely on them for custom drivers, etc. If you have an MS account and you use to setup W10...it automatically logs your machines internal ID (linked to mobo UEFI cache). That way you don't need to know or remember your license to reactivate on a fresh install. Yes you just download the ISO from MS for your version and install. When it asks for the key you just skip it. Once it is done and online, it will check your MS account credentials, see you have an activated license for that machine (based on same UEFI cache) and it will automagically activate it. Install 1000 times and it will work as long as you don't change the MOBO. Hard drives, RAM, graphics, even CPU should be fine. support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/windows-10-activation
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 15, 2017 8:09:05 GMT -5
Got it. Thanks McB! And Boca - I had no idea that keyboards could be that expensive (approx. $400?). Mang, I've been out of the 'hardware' game for a while.
|
|
|
Post by boca{QAW} on Feb 15, 2017 14:31:34 GMT -5
And Boca - I had no idea that keyboards could be that expensive (approx. $400?). Mang, I've been out of the 'hardware' game for a while. Yowza.. I got it from Newegg about 3 years ago for $35 shipped. Not sure why it is showing up so expensive.
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 16, 2017 13:07:59 GMT -5
And Boca - I had no idea that keyboards could be that expensive (approx. $400?). Mang, I've been out of the 'hardware' game for a while. Yowza.. I got it from Newegg about 3 years ago for $35 shipped. Not sure why it is showing up so expensive. Maybe I looked at the newest version, the X6. www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Sidewinder-Gaming-Keyboard-Port/dp/B001DWI4FM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8I'll pay that if it also does my laundry. BTW: machine arrived yesterday. Holy cow! The size of that thing is as big as a window AC unit!! I opened up the case, just to make sure it didn't have transistors and vacuum tubes inside instead of silicon chips. There's mostly large empty unused spaces inside and a giant fan that could cool a small room. Wow - I've not witnessed the insides of these newer machines for a while. Large empty spaces with ceiling fans. WTF?
|
|
|
Post by tonofclay{QAW} on Feb 16, 2017 14:06:27 GMT -5
Hehe yeah I know what you mean, these newer gaming PCs need to stay cool so its good to have it all tidy and neat in there with lots of fans. Those old Dells are also pretty neat inside from my experience but there's also not really any wiggle room in there at all. I clean my case out with compressed air pretty regularly since there's so much dust and stuff being passed through there with all the fans ... two dogs running around the house probably makes my PC suck in a little more debris than the average household though Obviously the true test for the machine will be whether it can run ET or not so we'll wait to hear whether you'll be returning it or not
|
|
|
Post by boca{QAW} on Feb 16, 2017 15:28:36 GMT -5
Yes fans are the answer if you do not liquid cool. I have 5 case fans, and a 212 evo on the cpu, and like Ton I blast it out with air every couple of months. Keep it clean and air flowing and should last you a while.
|
|
|
Post by Porridge{QAW} on Feb 20, 2017 10:30:16 GMT -5
Herro again. So, I finally set up the machine yesterday. Initially I was getting no display, and then I finally realized that the DVI port that I had connected to was on the MOBO. The graphics card just has one HDMI port whereas my monitor only has a DVI port. Had to buy a dvi to hdmi connector and now s'all good. Couple-a questions. 1. The graphics rendering looks strange. I see some flickering on objects far away (like hills etc. on fuel dump or the ramp on battery from the beach). It looks like it's trying to render fervently and doesn't look smooth (unless I'm in close quarters). Do I need to change something in the config? 2. Thinking of installing the SSD today. The SSD came without a usb cable or anything (just an install disk with drive copy tools etc.). Most websites say that I need to connect to the USB to copy stuff over and then install at the Sata port where the hard drive is currently at, and then connect the hard drive to a free Sata port. So, if I have an extra Sata cable in the device, can I just connect the SSD to that initially to copy stuff over (instead of via USB), and then switch the ports? As a side, due to where the hard drive is installed, I'll need to remove that bay in order to screw in the SSD. Thoughts? Or do I need to head back to staples, Amazon etc. to get that USB connector for the SSD? Danke.
|
|