Curse

Dahl · Mar 11, 2007, 08:52 PM // 20:52

****EDIT****
I have chosen the components for my new PC. It is final. Nothing will be changed, suggestions will no longer be taken. Do not tell me this is better or that is faster, I don't care. I want a solid GUILD WARS and equivelant system, I don't need anything for some super deluxe new game that's coming out 50 years into the future.

Have a good one. Don't waste your time posting here anymore.

**EDIT**

A lot has changed since the OP, and I just wanted to edit this top post so that people don't come into the thread and post things based on something that is no longer relevant. I've done research, and the new system I've decided on is the following custom pc:

Hard Drive - 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0GB/s 16 MB CACHE
RAM - Aneon 1GB DDRII 667 Mhz (x2 or 3, haven't decided how many)
MotherBoard - P5B DLX WIFI 965G 775 PCI-E x 2 / 8ch / GB LAN
CPU - E6400+ 2MB 2.13Ghz
Case - Antec Nine Hundred Gaming Tower 200M Fan
Power Supply - Antec Smartpower II 500w / SATA, PCI-E
Video Card - x1950 PRO 256 MB PCI-E VID 36 PIXEL / 575Mhz CORE
Sound Card - Sound Blaster Audigy 4 24bit 7.1 Retail (+ a remote control)
Cd-ROM - Cd-ROM/Dvd Player/Dvd burner all-in-one.

eggrolls · Mar 11, 2007, 11:45 PM // 23:45

that computer won't be able to run it on max settings smoothly. intel's gma900 is garbage, and so is 512mb memory for a gaming system. you want at least 1gb memory and a dedicated graphics card. good choices would be 7600gt ($100 USD), 7900gs (~$150), or x1950pro/7950gt ($200). the site doesn't list what the power supply is, but you might need to upgrade it in order to use a new video card (another $50).

you'll probably be better off just building your own system though...

AstralizeR · Mar 12, 2007, 12:02 AM // 00:02

Don't know if you are already running a tweaked GW, but you can add these command lines to your GW startup, and it will run a bit smoother perhaps
(wont improve its looks :P)

C:\Program Files\Guild Wars\gw.exe" -noshaders -dx8

list of command lines and a guide on how to add can be found here
http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Command_line

Tachyon · Mar 12, 2007, 01:52 AM // 01:52

Personally I wouldn't go anywhere near a company that states this in it's blurb :-

Quote:

With integrated Intel GMA900 graphics … you’ll be mesmerized by the most vividly realistic graphics you have ever seen

That has got to be one of the worst pieces of false advertising I've ever seen. I guess you could buy the PC and then sue them afterwards, thus giving you the money to build a decent gaming rig. Besides the woeful graphics adapter it only has a 300W generic no-name PSU which probably equates to a lame three legged hamster on a rusty wheel.

In my opinion, steer well clear of pre-built computers! 99% of the time they're shite and the other 1% are way over-priced.

dansamy · Mar 12, 2007, 07:20 AM // 07:20

Our upstairs PC (originally purchased to be temporary) is very similar to this: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...384&CatId=2631 and it has run GW for the past year on medium settings and with decent fps and minimum lag. Of course, if you can afford to do so, I'd highly reccommend an inexpensive video card and another 1g of RAM. (Our upstairs machine came with 512 and we added 1g to total 1.5. We have not added a video card.)

Not everyone is able (or inclined) to build their own. eMachines are now built by Gateway and are not a bad value. They are basic and not made to handle intensive applications and gaming. The current upstairs PC is next on the list to be replaced with a user-built. However, in the time we've had it, it has performed quite well.

Dahl · Mar 12, 2007, 08:25 AM // 08:25

The one I currently have is self built and it is a complete disaster. Errors up and down, constant freezing, shutting down and restarting on it's own, it fried my good video card. Seriously, it's garbage.

Good news is, money isn't an issue. I live at home (I'm 19) and I have a job, without bills or rent to pay. Everything I get is mine to keep and spend as I please. I don't think I'd spend any more than $1,200 on a pc though (keep in mine im canadian so thats about $1,000 american).

I know tiger direct is screwy though, that's where I got my parts for this one. Can anyone direct me to a website that sells good computer parts, and somewhere to teach me what and what not to get? I seriously don't know anything about building my own system, it was all done for my by my brother and it turned out to be garbage.

And please do not tell me to just upgrade this one. It is not an option. It was fried a couple of times and almost everything in this stupid thing was replaced already. Some of the pieces are probably still messed up and corrupt. I want a brand new system.

Please keep in mind though, that I am looking for a system that will run EVERYTHING on max settings without a trace of lag, just as seen in that video. I am willing to pay for it, I just don't know what to get exactly. I don't know much about video cards at all either, so if you give me some weird name, I won't know what it means. I'm still trying to learn. For example if you tell me to get a radeon 7700 something something blah blah, I won't know if that's good or not, or what it's capable of, or anything of the sort. The only things I know how to compare are Geforce cards, because that's all I've ever had.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out though guys, I really appreciate it.

But simple things like ram and processor speed, yeah kind of obvious, anywhere between 2-3gb ram is normal for a higher end system, and maybe 3.2 dual ghz for the processor. Basic stuff. Trust me, I knew all along my ram was ridiculously low :P

Rakeris · Mar 12, 2007, 01:20 PM // 13:20

Well, if you built your PC, it seems you didn't check for compatibility, quality of parts or something. As my PC is self built and I have done nothing to it except put some more RAM in it for nearly 2 years now, and it run every game I throw at it great. I like never have any problems what-so-ever either.

But anyhow, a 7600 will run the game fine, as I have one in the other PC in our house, it works very well. You don't even need a dual core CPU a good single core (AMD 4000+) will run it, and any games out well. I had 1GB of cheapo RAM for quite a while and it worked fine, but I decided I wanted some better RAM so I got 2GB of OCZ SDRAM, with tight as (insert not so clean comment here) timings.

moriz · Mar 12, 2007, 01:36 PM // 13:36

keep in mind the 7600 is a NVIDIA card, not a radeon. if you get a radeon 7600, it will at least be 4 years old. i'm not even sure if it even exists. :S

EternalTempest · Mar 12, 2007, 02:08 PM // 14:08

In general specs for a gaming pc that should be good

Cpu - Dual Core (Intel Duo 2 Core, Amd Athlon 64 X2).
Ram - At least 1gb of ram, 2-4 if you can swing it.
Video - (not onboard) Geforce 7 or higher, Ati X1xxx or higher
Sound - Creative X-fi
Hard drive - SATA (interface) at least 100 gb
Pwr Supply - 650watt or better power supply ** If you know what video card, check the min power supply specs for the card.

Dahl · Mar 12, 2007, 06:46 PM // 18:46

Found out one of my alliance members actually builds PCs for a living, so we went on a REAL website, rather than junker direct, and planned out each and every component. It came to $1469 canadian but I guess it's worth it for such a suped up luxury system.

The specs are actually a lot better than all you guys have been telling me, but unfortunately I only wrote down what it is and the price, so I can't really show you guys cause the parts are scattered all over the page, as it's set up like a flyer, not a list.

And by the way... I hear a 500w power supply will do me just fine... That might be overdoing it on the ps.

If you guys are at all interested about the components I suppose I could write them down in a bit. Just let me know whether you want them or not.

Empedocles · Mar 12, 2007, 07:41 PM // 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by EternalTempest

In general specs for a gaming pc that should be good

Cpu - Dual Core (Intel Duo 2 Core, Amd Athlon 64 X2).
Ram - At least 1gb of ram, 2-4 if you can swing it.
Video - (not onboard) Geforce 7 or higher, Ati X1xxx or higher
Sound - Creative X-fi
Hard drive - SATA (interface) at least 100 gb
Pwr Supply - 650watt or better power supply ** If you know what video card, check the min power supply specs for the card.

I'd say current mobos have good enough integrated soundsystem (perhaps not ASUS p5 that has driver problems) that investing in X-Fi is hard to justify unless you have very good 5.1 system for eax - for music you should be better off getting some other card. That 100$ saved serves better in getting a more powerful gpu.

Min power specs for gpus are highly exaggerated, prolly because manufacturers want to be on the safe side. 650W is a serious overkill for 7xxx nvidia cards, future proof but very expensive though. For instance, I have antec p150 that contains a 430W Antec HE psu, which is fine for the most newer cards - perhaps 8800 gtx might warrant more power.

Dahl · Mar 12, 2007, 08:30 PM // 20:30

Well, here you go boys and girls.

Hard Drive - 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0GB/s 16 MB CACHE
RAM - Aneon 1GB DDRII 667 Mhz (x2 or 3, haven't decided how many)
MotherBoard - P5B DLX WIFI 965G 775 PCI-E x 2 / 8ch / GB LAN
CPU - E6400+ 2MB 2.13Ghz
Case - Antec Nine Hundred Gaming Tower 200M Fan
Power Supply - Antec Smartpower II 500w / SATA, PCI-E
Video Card - x1950 PRO 256 MB PCI-E VID 36 PIXEL / 575Mhz CORE
Sound Card - Sound Blaster Audigy 4 24bit 7.1 Retail (+ a remote control)
Cd-ROM - Cd-ROM/Dvd Player/Dvd burner all-in-one.

ta da.

dansamy · Mar 12, 2007, 10:57 PM // 22:57

The Antec Nine Hundred is a nice case. I don't do Intel so I can't comment on that. Why not go for an nVidia GeForce 8800 vid card and save yourself the upgrade when DX10 is released?

Dahl · Mar 12, 2007, 11:01 PM // 23:01

Nevermind what I had in before, I did some research. If I'm correct, then:

ati x1950 is in the same league as the geforce 7900 (except that the ati was rated higher) while the geforce 8800 is actually next generation. For instance ati x1950 = playstation 2 while geforce 8800 = xbox 360.

Am I right?

Also, the x1950 is only $200 while the 8800 is $600, and I'm definately not willing to spend $600 on a new card.

tijo · Mar 13, 2007, 12:15 AM // 00:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by dansamy

Why not go for an nVidia GeForce 8800 vid card and save yourself the upgrade when DX10 is released?

Sure the 8800 is nice but, why not wait a little until the second generation of dx10 cards is out and until the prices drop a little.

Dahl · Mar 13, 2007, 12:40 AM // 00:40

Yeah, no point in spending a lot of money on something that's main use isn't even released yet, and then have the price drop on me by half shortly thereafter.

I'm going with the x1950 for now.

dansamy · Mar 13, 2007, 01:10 AM // 01:10

So, $200 now + $300 later? Still $500. I certainly understand your hesitancy. I'm waiting to build our replacement for the eMachine upstairs until DX10 is released and there are more cards (for more budgets) available.

Dahl · Mar 13, 2007, 01:57 AM // 01:57

You just proved my point for me though.

200 now, + 300 later, rather than 600 right now, which means I would have to wait an extra couple of weeks for another paycheck, when I could just get 2 for cheaper and get it right away. There is no upside to buying an 8800 right now.

Geforce makes inferior cards in comparison to ati. When dx10 comes out, I'll buy the ati that is equivelant to the gf8800.

But as for RIGHT NOW, I'm going with the x1950. Besides, a x1950 is more than enough to run gw properly. I don't need the best in existance, I probably won't even need to upgrade later.

If I can run a GeForce2 mx400 on dx9, then I'm pretty sure an ati x1950 can run just fine on dx10. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I know for certain I don't need the best of the best.

So far, I don't see any reason not to get the x1950 right now. It will run ANY current game on the market, and probably many more in the future for a long time.

EiS · Mar 13, 2007, 03:26 AM // 03:26

well all i can say is the x1950 can't run DX10 it dosen't and won't support it

dansamy · Mar 13, 2007, 04:09 AM // 04:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dahl

Geforce makes inferior cards in comparison to ati. When dx10 comes out, I'll buy the ati that is equivelant to the gf8800.

That's an opinion.

Most PC builders have preferences for one maker over another due to prior history. In our household, we prefer AMD chips and Asus or Abit mobo's due to the durable performances we've achieved with them. Other PC builders prefer to steer clear of the same manufacturers. It's the Chevy vs Ford phenomenon. They have different uses, preferences, etc. However, GW seems to prefer (run more stably) on ATI cards. That's a personal observation however, having run GW on both ATI and nVidia chipsets.