Help! Buying a New Desktop

[RainMaker]

My desktop is about 4 years old and just doesn't have the juice needed to play some of the newer games like Civilization V. I'm also looking for an upgrade so that I can play some larger universes in FM 11.

I've always just bought a mediocre Dell computer that I could use for home and work. Nothing special as I normally don't play computer games at all. But I'm guessing I'll want a more high performance machine for this so that I don't have to worry about performance issues on these games.

But I'm totally lost on where to look or what brands are seen as good these days. Can anyone recommend a solid PC that would easily be able to handle those two games and also allow me to use it for work without a problem? I'm using a dual monitor setup right now, but a 3-monitor setup has actually intrigued me a ton.

Price isn't a huge issue, although I'm not looking to drop thousands of dollars on a setup. But I'm also not really shopping on a tiny budget. Any help is appreciated.

[stevew]

I'm kind of interested as well, my very new laptop crapped out. It was only about 8 months old. I want to get a good setup which i can later add a graphics card to. I'm looking on the lower end of the budget, but I think I want at least an i5 processor(if not i7)

[Edward64]

I used to buy the typical on-sale, Dell Dimension desktops. I am not FPS gamer so my GPU requirements were the integrated or lower end cards.

I don't play FM 11 but am now playing Civ 5 on self-built i3 (from newegg) with GT240 card. Although playable, its a little slower than I would like while thinking about turns. It also plays Dragons Age well, there are crashes to the desktop intermittently but can live with it. Son has been playing Fallout 3 on it and it works find for him. So at a minimum, I would recommend i3 with GT240 or equivalent.

No experience with 3 monitors.

If you want to get another Dell, check out slickdeals.net, gotapex.com, techbargains.com etc. They will have good deals posted pretty often.

I think the biggest concern would be the GPU you would buy. Would the Dell cases be able to handle the power requirements, airflow etc? I had a GT6600 card in a Dimension case that died. When I took out the card, you could see the fan had partially "melted".

So all in all, if you have some time and care to try it out, buy yourself a kit from newegg and build it yourself.

[weegeebored]

Just to get an idea about prices try digitalstormonline.com. They let you customize gaming computers so you can get an idea of costs for the hardware you might want. This is not an endorsement of Digital Storm; I haven't used them as I build my own boxes. But at least you can make a comparison using different videocards/CPUs/RAM amounts, etc.

For multiple monitors you might want to look into ATI cards that support Eyefinity. Make sure to check the requirements of your monitors. I think that you need at least one Display Port connector.

Also, you might want to stick with Intel CPUs as they give you more bang for the buck. As playing games are important to you don't worry about hexacore processors. Stick with an i5 or i7 quad-core and you will be good to go. Don't forget that i7s use tri-channel RAM so you have to think in terms of "3s" to get the best performance. You could choose to go with an i5 with oodles of RAM if you want to save some $$$ but still have very good performance.

If you can, check out this month's Maximum PC. They have a budget gaming box built for $1500 and it might give you some idea of the parts you might want in your 'puter.

[RainMaker]

Thanks. My problem is that I'm really not versed in what parts I need. For instance, I don't even know what an ATI card is. Is there a site I can just buy a pre-built ones that would run the kind of stuff I'm looking to run?

[MizzouRah]

Alienware Aurora Desktop Details | Dell (http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-aurora/pd?oc=dpdodz1&model_id=alienware-aurora&~ck)=

[Passacaglia]

RainMaker, are you near MicroCenter, on Elston between Fullerton and Logan? I got a Dell Studio XPS 8100 (I think) for $1k, and it seems pretty good so far (runs FM10 great, but haven't tried Civ yet).

[weegeebored]

Thanks. My problem is that I'm really not versed in what parts I need. For instance, I don't even know what an ATI card is. Is there a site I can just buy a pre-built ones that would run the kind of stuff I'm looking to run?Ah, I see. The big question then would be do you want to buy local or online? Probably better deals and more flexibility online but there is the return/repair convenience of buying local. And are you talking about spending $1000, $1500, $2000 or more?? I am thinking that for around $1500 you could get something really, really nice. Not bleeding- or even leading- edge stuff, but enough to run most games at a decent resolution. If you give us a number a lot of us puter-types would try to find something that would work for you so that you could make an informed decision. As I mentioned before I build my own machines, but others here probably have made purchases from some of the boutique builders online and can make a recommendation.

[stevew]

When it says that certain i5 processors have a GPU and intel HD graphics included, what does this mean? Could I play something like Civ5 on a medium resolution with that?

[weegeebored]

Maybe, stevew, but I am not a big fan of using integrated graphics for games unless it's something like solitaire. You will probably want a decent budget graphics card. And in your earlier post you mentioned perhaps going with an i7 but scrap that idea, go with an i5, and put the savings into a video card.

[CAsterling]

I purchased a new desktop a few months ago.

I dislike Dell's intensely, every Dell I have ever brought has had problems and the support is terrible.
I looked at Alienware, but was a bit skeptical after Dell purchased them a while back, and the reviews from after that time regarding their quality and support put me off......it may just be fan boys of the old Alienware stuff complaining, but for the prices I wasn't willing to take the risk.

I eventually settled on HP, I have owned a few HP's over the years and have never had a big problem with them, their quality seems good and their support (once you get past their first level support) has always been better than Dell.

I too wanted something that would run FM fast with a lot of leagues and a large DB, and I also wanted to set up two monitors (in my case 2 32" TVs as monitors), so I went for this PC. It wasn't cheap but it's fast, it plays FPS games, Starcraft and FM very well and very fast.

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-190t customizable Desktop PC
• • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-980X six-core Extreme Edition [3.33GHz, 1.5MB L2 + 12MB shared L3 cache]
• • 16GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
• • 2TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s - two 1TB hard drives
• • 1.8GB NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
• • Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
• • 16x max. DVD ROM (player)
• • Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
• • 15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
• • Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
• • HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse

It has been problem free and worked out really well for FM and other games.
Hope this helps.

[stevew]

Maybe, stevew, but I am not a big fan of using integrated graphics for games unless it's something like solitaire. You will probably want a decent budget graphics card. And in your earlier post you mentioned perhaps going with an i7 but scrap that idea, go with an i5, and put the savings into a video card.

So it's more on the par of having an integrated chip on the motherboard? It's gotta be better since it's a part of the processor right?

[RainMaker]

Ah, I see. The big question then would be do you want to buy local or online? Probably better deals and more flexibility online but there is the return/repair convenience of buying local. And are you talking about spending $1000, $1500, $2000 or more?? I am thinking that for around $1500 you could get something really, really nice. Not bleeding- or even leading- edge stuff, but enough to run most games at a decent resolution. If you give us a number a lot of us puter-types would try to find something that would work for you so that you could make an informed decision. As I mentioned before I build my own machines, but others here probably have made purchases from some of the boutique builders online and can make a recommendation.
I'm looking more in the $1000-$1500 range. Considering I'm not playing many games outside of Civ 5 and FM 2011, I likely don't need all that much juice. But I would like enough to run games of Civ 5 and FM 2011 that require a lot of processing (larger maps, bigger databases).

I was thinking something like this and customizing it so that the graphics card was a 2GB ATI Radeon HD 5570.

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-450t series | HP® Official Store (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=desktops&a1=Category&v1=High+performance&series_name=HPE450t_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/desktops/High_performance/HPE450t_series)

[thealmighty]

What better, ATI of NVIDIA (given same spec/speed/whatever you compare with on vidcards)?

[weegeebored]

So it's more on the par of having an integrated chip on the motherboard? It's gotta be better since it's a part of the processor right?From pretty much every article/review I've read the GPU is just barely adequate. This is from an article at techspot.com:"The gaming performance of Intel's built-in GPU was nothing spectacular. Although Intel claims that you can do a little gaming with this IGP solution in more modern games, such as Resident Evil 5 and World of Warcraft, do not expect to do so using respectable quality settings at a worthwhile resolution."

I personally think you would be disappointed if you went that route but it will save you $100-$150 over a decent budget card.

As far as ATI or Nvidia cards, there is really no significant difference between them now IMO. Find the one with the features that you want or at the price that you want to pay and you'll be fine with your choice.

[stevew]

Thanks, there's just so much to read on this shit, and I don't have all the time. Some of the case options I kind of liked didn't have graphics expansion slots, so I was hoping the GPU onboard option might be sufficient. I'll have to reconsider now.

[weegeebored]

I was thinking something like this and customizing it so that the graphics card was a 2GB ATI Radeon HD 5570.It's about a $90 or so card and better than integrated graphics. I also think that it supports Eyefinity for your potential three monitor setup. But, if you can afford three monitors you could probably afford a really nice $140 card like an ATI 5770 1 GB. lol

[Passacaglia]

Maybe, stevew, but I am not a big fan of using integrated graphics for games unless it's something like solitaire. You will probably want a decent budget graphics card. And in your earlier post you mentioned perhaps going with an i7 but scrap that idea, go with an i5, and put the savings into a video card.

So if you have an integrated graphics card, then buy a separate video card, do the graphics become non-integrated?

[weegeebored]

Thanks, there's just so much to read on this shit, and I don't have all the time. Some of the case options I kind of liked didn't have graphics expansion slots, so I was hoping the GPU onboard option might be sufficient. I'll have to reconsider now.The expansion slots would be on the motherboard; the case would just need room for the card size-wise and a removable slot cover for access to the vga/dvi/hdmi port. And the integrated graphics may be just fine for you if you don't want to run at a resolution higher than let's say 1280 x 1024 and you're ok with some of the graphics options turned down. That said, I don't own CIV 5 and it's probably not that graphically intensive.

[weegeebored]

So if you have an integrated graphics card, then buy a separate video card, do the graphics become non-integrated?I think that I'm supposed to put a "dola" here.

Yes. You would just need to disable the onboard video chip in the BIOS so there is no conflict between them. Keep in mind that the terms "integrated" and "non-integrated" really just tell you whether the motherboard comes with chips on it that allow you to have video or a network connection or sound. Non-integrated is better because the expansion cards themselves provide better performance/features than the onboard stuff.

[stevew]

I want at least a ________ watt power supply? 600?

[stevew]

Dola

Hybrid drives seem to be the way to go, right?

[Edward64]

Tom's hardware does low-mid-high systems build. Lots of good discussions in it on components even if you don't build your own.
System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2010: Value Compared : Performance Is Value (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-a-pc-overclock-components,2725.html)

They also do a best GPU for your money every quarter or so.
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September 2010 : September Updates (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gts-450-radeon-hd-4850-gpu,2732.html)

[weegeebored]

Yeah, 600W should be fine as long as it's a quality PS. If you plan on a i7 with lots of RAM and a power-hungry GPU then you'll need about 750.

SSDs are the way to go if speed is your goal. But they are expensive; in the neighborhood of $250 for 120GB. Hybrids are a decent compromise (like the Seagate Momentus XT) but they are still around $130 for 500GB. So like any other component, how much money do you want to spend on it?

[k0ruptr]

I purchased a new desktop a few months ago.

I dislike Dell's intensely, every Dell I have ever brought has had problems and the support is terrible.
I looked at Alienware, but was a bit skeptical after Dell purchased them a while back, and the reviews from after that time regarding their quality and support put me off......it may just be fan boys of the old Alienware stuff complaining, but for the prices I wasn't willing to take the risk.

I eventually settled on HP, I have owned a few HP's over the years and have never had a big problem with them, their quality seems good and their support (once you get past their first level support) has always been better than Dell.

I too wanted something that would run FM fast with a lot of leagues and a large DB, and I also wanted to set up two monitors (in my case 2 32" TVs as monitors), so I went for this PC. It wasn't cheap but it's fast, it plays FPS games, Starcraft and FM very well and very fast.

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-190t customizable Desktop PC
• • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-980X six-core Extreme Edition [3.33GHz, 1.5MB L2 + 12MB shared L3 cache]
• • 16GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
• • 2TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s - two 1TB hard drives
• • 1.8GB NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
• • Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
• • 16x max. DVD ROM (player)
• • Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
• • 15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
• • Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
• • HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse

It has been problem free and worked out really well for FM and other games.
Hope this helps.

It may just be me, but 16 gigs of ram seems a little uhm overkill.