Curse

Bristlebane · Dec 26, 2010, 04:19 PM // 16:19

I'm planning on buying a new computer, I don't plan on a ultrapowered gaming machine, my main concern is that it plays GW well and hopefully GW2 as well. I favor a cool energi-efficient computer so I'm considering a Phenom II X4 65w TDP with it.

Now I wonder if anyone else plays on the built-in Radeon GFX on AMD 890X motherboards or if I should just go with an external gfx card.
Theese are the ones I had in mind:

CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 910e 2.6GHz 8MB AM3 65w

Memory
Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x4GB) (CL9)

Mainboard
MSI - AM3 mATX AMD 890GX (890GXM-G65) - DDR3 / SATA3.0

If anyone do play on a 890X without a dedicated gfx card, what resolution are you running? Any complications? Cooling?

Thanks for all comments. Been playing mostly on my laptop so far but I want a computer that will run GW1 fairly well and (hopefully) GW2 as well.

---
As an alternative, I'm also considering a new laptop instead of a stationary, any suggestion of a good laptop gfx for GW1? GeForce GTX 460M maybe?

Haggis of Doom · Dec 26, 2010, 05:15 PM // 17:15

Don't plan on gaming on a Laptop. They are not durable, have poor cooling, poor performance/price ratio (compared to desktops) and should be reserved for tasks which require them to be moved around.

A dedicated GPU should always be considered as a better alternative than an integrated one. As it is now, your planned integrated GPU is a HD 4290. It will run GW1 fine (though you may want to turn off some things at higher resolutions), but I do suggest something more beefy for GW2. As a point of comparison, the GTX 460M you mentioned is 6 times as powerful.

Memory-wise, are you sure you will need 8Gb? I'm asking this because your RAM is really head and shoulders above the rest in your setup. It depends on what you plan to do, ofc; but generally speaking, most people settle for 4-6 Gb total (this includes high performance gaming machines).

Before starting to make concrete suggestions, let me ask you one very important question: what's your budget?

Bristlebane · Dec 26, 2010, 05:26 PM // 17:26

Thanks for your comments. In essense I want a computer that can run cool and energy-efficient running GW1 fairly well, computer fans makes me feel drowsy and I prefer a quiet setup rather than a full fledged gaming desktop. As for budget, I'm guessing around 500-1000 euro will do.

As for RAM I mostly considered 8GB of RAM as I also need to run other things on the computer at times (like an eval of Microsoft Exchange for my studies) and figured it wouldn't hurt with a lil extra ram for it.

Haggis of Doom · Dec 26, 2010, 05:56 PM // 17:56

That budget should get you something nice, some suggestions:

CPU: (~200$)
Phenom II x4 910e or i5 750 (see this review for the ups and downs of the two chips)

MB: (~100$)
- GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX (for AMD)
- GIGABYTE GA-H55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 ATX (for Intel)

RAM:
The set you mentioned is fine, but 4x 2Gb would be cheaper than 2x 4Gb if you don't plan on adding many more memory sticks. 4x 2Gb is around ~100$

GPU: (~100$)
- NVidia GTS 250
- Radeon HD 4850

HD: (~100$)
- WD Caviar Black 1Tb

PSU: (~80$)
- CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2

Optical Drive, keyboard, mouse: whatever (~50-70$)

Total of about 750$ CAN, excluding monitor (price checked on newegg.ca). This is around 570 euros.

Bristlebane · Dec 26, 2010, 06:20 PM // 18:20

Thanks for the link and tips, I'll look into it

Might consider another CPU also based on those test results.

Haggis of Doom · Dec 26, 2010, 06:31 PM // 18:31

Haha I'm so dumb... forgot the casing and the OS ^^

An Antec 300 ATX tower case does the job very well. Solid, excellent cooling, not noisy, and at a reasonable price. (70$) Note: putting the optical drive on the 3rd slot (from top) may be a good idea.

For the OS, Win7 64-bit is a given. 64-bit system is a must for using RAM bigger than 3Gb.

Also, do try to match AMD chipset with a Radeon GPU, or Intel chipset with an NVidia GPU. It's not a very big deal, but compatibility should be better.

This bumps up the price, I hope it's still within what's acceptable for you

Bristlebane · Dec 26, 2010, 07:09 PM // 19:09

Currently considering the i5 750, as even if it has higher tdp than the 910e, it's overall much more energy efficient. Slightly more expensive but that will pay back itself in performance and lower power bill ^^

Budget is really that not much of a concern as I plan on upgrading the system over time. I want a mainboard with Sata 6.0gb as I eventually plan on running raid 2-4 disks.
I do appreciate all your imput, I was looking blindly at the 65w tdp but the test you linked me opened up my eyes for the i5 instead, and virtually all customer reviews for it are more or less 10 of 10.

Bristlebane · Dec 26, 2010, 08:42 PM // 20:42

Currently considering this setup:

Asus - Socket 1156 - mATX Intel H55 (P7H55-M/USB3) - DDR3 / PCI-E / SATA / USB 3.0
Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2X2GB) (CL9) (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9)
Gigabyte GeForce 9800GT Silent 1GB (GV-N98TSL-1GI) - PCI-E / DVI
Intel Core i5 760 2.80GHz / 8MB / Socket 1156 (Boxed)
OCZ PowerSupply (PSU) 500W ModXStream Pro
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1GB (11180-00-40R) - PCI-E / DVI / HDMI / DP
2x Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB (7200RPM / 64MB Cache / SATA6)

It's approx. 700 Euro (slight expensive in Sweden ^^)
Then I need a good chassi with that, preferrably with room for 120-200cm fans and a good cpu cooler.

Geez.. GW1's not gonna be the same jumping from a laptop to this rig :P

Haggis of Doom · Dec 27, 2010, 04:08 AM // 04:08

Hmm, you've got 2 GPUs on there (9800 GT and HD 6850), I'm guessing that's unintentional?

In case you're aiming for the HD 6850, which is more or less a high-end GPU, a comparable NVidia unit would be the GTX 460 1Gb, for better compatibility overall with Intel and better performance whenever AA is enabled. GW2 should run fine on a card comparable to the 9800 GT, imho (though all we have on GW2 reqs are speculations), but it should look better with a better GPU.

Your setup looks fine otherwise. The only thing I would change is the motherboard: the Asus unit is in micro-ATX format. This means that everything on it will be more crammed together, meaning it's easier to break and has much more cooling issues. If you've got the space to spare for a mid-tower desktop, full ATX MB is the way to go.

Also, if you're going for the higher-end GPUs (such as HD 6850 or GTX 460), you should consider a slightly more powerful PSU if you're planning on raid, possibly around 600-650W. Granted, the wattage won't add up that high, but having the power supply work at an easy load will make it live longer and allow further upgrades without worries.

For the casing, the Antec I mentioned works wonders. Cooler Master is another excellent brand to consider. Go for a mid tower: a full tower grants better cooling, but is huge and really unnecessary unless you're building a power gaming rig with two GPUs or something like that.

Good luck, and be sure to either have someone experienced nearby or do a lot of research for the actual building (if the service isn't offered)

Bristlebane · Dec 27, 2010, 08:32 AM // 08:32

Ah yes, two GPUs was a mistake, I was going for the 9800 as it was on sale. I will look into a full ATX alternative althought I was even considering a HTPC casing for it, but I guess that would have been silly ^^ As for building it, that's the fun part and I did many times before although it was a few years ago.
I will probably buy this setup within a month, if so then I can post a bit stats here as well, might be useful for other guruians planning to do something similar.

Iron Monkey · Jan 08, 2011, 01:22 PM // 13:22

That board has a HD 4290. There are a couple of gaming videos. Looks pretty competent, and I know GW works on laptops (GMA4500HD), which is very, very low spec. GW is comfortable on a HD5470 mobile / GT310M.

But yeah, if you can, go with dedicated. like a GTX460. Cheap(ish) and powerful. Or try to score a second hand graphics card, even a 8800GT will play GW easy.

bsoltan · Jan 11, 2011, 12:40 PM // 12:40

If you haven't bought it or are still waiting then you should look at getting an Intel Socket 1155 CPU now as they have come out to replace the Socket 1156s.

If you're looking to future proof for GW2 then you'll want a good Mid-High range card from the last or current generation. GTX460 is as low as I would go.

If cool and quiet is the key then don't get a small case for a good specced PC. You'll want some 120mm fans, if it fits your budget buy some good ones and if you like you can get a fan controller so you can control the fan speeds.

Lourens · Jan 12, 2011, 09:26 AM // 09:26

hd6850 would be nice its on $180, its faster than a gtx460