Did a little messing around on pcpartpicker.com and found that site to be very helpful. Makes picking parts for a PC a breeze and kind of fun.
Where are my Satellite Guy's gamers at?
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I played Episode 2 of TWD season 2 tonight. I'm still enjoying the series but I can't believe how poorly it runs on PS3. It's not like we are looking at The Last of Us here. This game runs on iPad. For it to drop frames and become as jittery as it does is unacceptable at this point. They brought in a ton of money from Season 1 and their staff size increased. It's time to start putting a little effort into quality testing. The Wolf Among Us runs so much better on PC and I would chalk it up to aging hardware if not for the fact that I have played much prettier games on PS3 that didn't have this problem.
I think they're just awful console developers. TWD ran flawlessly on my PC, and TWOU on the 360 ran like ass as well (as I mentioned in my review.) They probably sell games better on PCs and iOS devices, so those probably get the most resources and care. But yes I agree if you can get games like The Last of Us and Crysis 3 to run on that generation of consoles, a cell shaded adventure game should be WELL within the capabilities.
The more I look at gaming PCs and watch videos on how to build them the more I want to do it. It would be great to have a PC that has the capabilities to play most of the games on Steam without worrying about it being slow.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/12/watch-dogs-minimum-specs-revealed
The Watch Dogs official minimum PC system requirements have been released. The 6GB of RAM is less than the 8GB in the specs that leaked out a few months ago but I think it's still a higher RAM requirement than any game I own. Keep in mind that these are the minimum specs and the recommended specs will likely be higher. The video card section doesn't list specific card models but it looks like you will need a card with at least 1GB of video ram. My card has 2GB of VRAM but the PC specs are slowly starting to creep up.
The Watch Dogs official minimum PC system requirements have been released. The 6GB of RAM is less than the 8GB in the specs that leaked out a few months ago but I think it's still a higher RAM requirement than any game I own. Keep in mind that these are the minimum specs and the recommended specs will likely be higher. The video card section doesn't list specific card models but it looks like you will need a card with at least 1GB of video ram. My card has 2GB of VRAM but the PC specs are slowly starting to creep up.
- Processor: IntelCore 2 Quad Q8400 2.66Ghz or AMDPhenom II X4 940 3.0Ghz
- Memory: 6GB RAM
- Video card: 1024 VRAM DirectX 11 Shader 5.0
- Sound Card: DirectX9
- Hard drive: 25 GB
Yeah I don't anticipate running this on the "High" setting on my machine, but I'd like to think it'll still look good, although I actually have it in my GF queue. Of course I may abandon some games like that in lieu of getting the Wii U games.
What are your thoughts on this GPU? The price fits my budget at $190 on Newegg.[h=1]GIGABYTE GV-N660OC-2GD GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card[/h]
According to videocardbenchmark.net it's a good deal. Keep in mind there's more to a card than just a benchmark, but it is a decent indicator.
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+660&id=2152
FYI, it's got good reviews on Amazon, and if you order through them and have Prime you'll get quick, free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00942TK8I/?tag=satell01-20
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There are just so many options it's overwhelming. I've already built 6 different PCs on pcpartspicker.com The more I look around the more I get interested in it and the more questions I have. The latest thing I've seen is a package deal put together by Newegg.
This seems like a great deal, http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1585073 My biggest concern with it is can it play Dayz since it doesn't have a stand alone graphics card. I read some reviews on the CPU and I saw some people say they were able to play it just fine. To me it just doesn't seem like a CPU with integrated graphics would be strong enough to get the job done but for over $300 maybe it can. If it can get the job done then $300 seems like a good deal for a good processor that can also handle great graphics.
By the way, sorry for all the questions on this. I get pretty worked up when I get interested in something if you couldn't tell already.
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The idea that integrated graphics cards can't play modern games is a farce. Granted, 5 years ago this thinking was VERY true. With each iCore generation, Intel is doing a lot to increase the graphics abilities of their integrated cards. Will you be able to play Crysis 3 at high detail? No, but you'll likely be able to handle a game like DayZ and many other modern games. Keep in mind though you'll just be able to RUN them. They won't look very pretty, but at least with the computer you can always throw in an dedicated card later.
Here's a page reviewing that chipset and giving some examples. I strongly suggest you read the conclusions.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_4770K_Haswell_GPU/22.html
I'm considering just telling an expert what games I want to play and how I expect them to run and have him tell me what I need for it. I like the DIY combos on Newegg since the parts are already meant to be compatible and it looks like I can get them at a discount. The only thing I'd have to add to them are a keyboard and Windows 8.1.
The combo I mentioned above seems like a sweet deal and if that CPU can handle the games I want to play for now it seems like it should be good enough to last me a few years and I can add a GPU down the road as needed.
Luckily I can't do this until I get the wife's approval so I don't have to stress out on deciding just yet.
The combo I mentioned above seems like a sweet deal and if that CPU can handle the games I want to play for now it seems like it should be good enough to last me a few years and I can add a GPU down the road as needed.
Luckily I can't do this until I get the wife's approval so I don't have to stress out on deciding just yet.
One thing you have to remember though is that a powerful CPU will only get you so far. Yes it does future proof the processor, but in terms of performance you can actually appreciate, you may be better off with a lower processor but throw in a SSD. All the processing power in the world can't make your HDD spin any faster. Sadly though SSDs haven't reached the price point yet where they can completely replace a HDD unless you plan on being a super miser with your programs and media. Just something to think about. Honestly I'd say wait about 6-12 months before you invest in a new computer. Prices will come down, new stuff will come out, and DayZ will be much more playable.
Yep, that is a solid GPU. Pair it with an AMD FX 6300 or better CPU (or you can use an i5 CPU if you want to stick to Intel but it will cost you a bit more), and 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM and you will have a solid gaming PC.
Edit: oops! I somehow missed an entire page of posts and thought the conversation ended after the posts I quoted.
I don't recommend buying that machine. The i7 is expensive and overpowered as a processor for most gaming needs. For the same $320 that CPU costs on Amazon you could get a separate lower end CPU and GPU that would put out better gaming performance than that i7 if you are relying on it for integrated graphics. The i7 is just more than you need for CPU performance and not very good for graphics performance.
It also says right in that article that yourbeliefs posted that the i7 is 25% slower for graphics than AMD's APUs. The APUs are an all in one solution that includes GPU and CPU on a single chip and they are much cheaper than that i7 with better gaming performance. The APU is basically AMDs answer to Intel integrated graphics. Modified AMD APUs are what they put in the PS4 and Xbox One. The APUs they used in the consoles are special order items that are probably better than the ones you can buy as a consumer. You can get their best consumer APU the A10 for $120 on Amazon.
Yourbeleifs is right. You can play games with integrated graphics but if you are going to spend nearly $600 like that set is listed for you can get a separate CPU and GPU and you will have much better performance. The GTX 660 you posted earlier along with a separate CPU is a much better option.
Here is a quote from the article. http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_4770K_Haswell_GPU/22.html
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37YfB
Here's the latest one I put together and it's relatively inexpensive. The only thing I don't have with it is a keyboard.
I considered adding an SSD drive but as everyone knows they can be expensive. Is there a certain size to the drive at which it wouldn't really help much, like a 128GB one?
Here's the latest one I put together and it's relatively inexpensive. The only thing I don't have with it is a keyboard.
I considered adding an SSD drive but as everyone knows they can be expensive. Is there a certain size to the drive at which it wouldn't really help much, like a 128GB one?
SSDs like the 128GB one you mentioned are still good for installing Windows on. Your computer will boot up from being shut off in about the same amount of time it used to take to wake from sleep. You won't be able to fit many games on it though. If you put something like that in you would probably need a 1TB HDD to store all your games and other media in addition to the SSD.
I have a 240GB SSD in mine and I run Windows off it and put 5 or 6 games on it that I happen to be playing at the moment. It will speed up load times but it won't really increase gaming performance. I didn't put one in when I first built my computer because I wanted to maximize performance for my dollar first. The beauty of PC gaming is that you can always add stuff later to make it better.
The build you put together will give you pretty good performance. There are little things that can be swapped out for a slightly better model but each time you do that you are just tacking more money on to the total cost and there is always another step up. For example you could bump that 6300 3.5GHz CPU up to a 6350 3.9GHz CPU for an extra $20. That list of stuff you put together looks pretty solid to me though.
It depends on how many different programs you use frequently. The essential is to put the OS on the SSD, but many people put their most commonly used programs on there too (for the added performance) with the traditional HDD reserved for media and the installation of less frequently used programs.
Honestly, a SSD that's big enough to house your OS will give you the majority of the SSD benefits. Running other programs from it is just a bonus.
Thanks, I feel like I'm getting the hang of this a little more and understanding how things need to be compatible. One of the big draws towards me doing this myself is the fact that I can get more bang for mu buck and that I can always add to it in the future. I figure I'd start with the 1TB WD Blue HDD and if it doesn't get the job done I can always add an SSD drive to it later.
I know that I want to get 8GB of RAM right away with 2 4GB sticks. From what I've seen the power supply and cooler I picked are great especially for the price and it should fit my system fine. The case seemed fine for the priceas well. My biggest concerns are making sure I get the proper CPU and GPU for my budget. I'd hate to put this all together and find I still can't play DayZ worth a crap. Now, I feel that I need to have that game on the highest settings either. I just want to be able to play it smoothly and I'll most likely just be using one of my TVs in the house.
The reason I keep using DayZ for all my comparisons is because I think it looks like a ton of fun and more importantly the fact that I already bought it on Steam. I'm assuming if I get a new PC I'll be able to use my same Steam account on it so I can play the games I've already purchased.
That's good to know. If I build a PC it's going to have Windows 8.1 on it but I don't know how much space that takes up. I generally do not run a lot of programs on my PC, at least not on purpose. I'll either be searching the web and watching YouTube videos or I'll be playing games. That's about it.
Yeah, 8GB of RAM should be good. A quick look through my Steam library shows that most games seem to recommend 4GB of RAM. Watch Dogs is the first game I have seen list 6GB of RAM on the system requirements. I'm sure there are exceptions but I haven't seen that in listings before. Having 8GB is good for a little bit of future proofing. People with ridiculous rigs with 32GB of RAM are just throwing money away because no games need that much.
I don't have DayZ but the system you listed should be able to play it at 1080p with high settings. It's an open environment but it doesn't look like the most graphically intensive game. I think it will do a nice job with modern games and you will rarely have to turn many of the settings down if you are playing on a TV.
