Thread: Consistent Comp?

Dear All,

I have been gaming for the better part of 2 decades now but the one thing I can never get my head around was what to look for when buying a computer. During that decade and a half I've probably spent close to 8k on computers. Every time I've bought one they give great performance for 2 years then I upgrade them only for them to become game-resistant in another year or two. My most recent computer has worked well the longest but shows the age old indicators that its on its way out. I guess that puts me back in the market.

So TPG what should I look for in a decent, competent, and consistent rig that will last a while? Should I buy from a specific brand or construct one (I'm by no means an expert) from scratch.


Here's a list of the games I play (or want to play) on a regular basis:

BF3
Left 4 Dead 2
CSS and CSGO
CODMW3
World of Warcraft (I'm no longer sober)


Quack,

RepDuck

I built the computer I'm using right now by myself. Bought all the parts to it and installed them myself. It's far easier then many people seem to think it is.

I play BF3 as well, and the computer I am using right now runs it on High graphics setting.

Here's what I have.

AMD FX 4100 Quad-Core Processor

ASUS M5A97 Motherboard

Nvidia GTX560 Video card

TX650 Corsair Power Supply Unit

8 gigs of ram

Stock Hard Drive and Disc Drive.

I installed all of these components (Apart from the Processor) myself. The whole rig cost me a little over $600.

Keep in mind, BF3 is a pretty graphic intense game, a real resource hog.

My computer can run all those other games you play on their highest settings with no problems, apart from MW3.

In my experience, for a rig to last a long time, you have to be lucky enough to pick the good motherboard that also newest stable bells and whistles AND a socket that ends up getting used for a long time or is backwards compatible for years (I made an AM2 last five years and my brother is now playing BF3 on high with that rig).

So pick a good motherboard, with the newest stuff that is well reviewed. Really, like $200 minimum for an Asus, MSI, Gigabyte or even ASrock mobo if you are going on a budget. Also a good PSU that is highly rated and 80plus certified (silver or better is awesome) with a little extra power to account for the capacitors aging (ie you probably will need 550 to 850 depending on cards, so get the high end or higher to make sure it lasts extra years) again reading reviews and allowing for lots of previous owners experience to make the choice.

With a good PSU and a high end mobo it becomes a matter of buying new GPU(s) and/or processors every other year.

That AM2 I mentioned got one CPU upgrade and one GPU upgrade in five years and still runs BF3 on high and could hold a bigger GPU than it has. My current 560ti SLI runs in Ultra on a 1920x1080 with my OC'ed i5. It's all about the mobo, I just hope the socket 1155 lasts awhile so i can be using this same platform in a few years with relatively few upgrades (CPU and GPU once each).

I would say pick a newer intel socket and don't worry too much about CPU beef if you are planning to upgrade; all the new intels OC nicely and the fancy mobo will do it for you. I run my i5 at 4.5ghz constant instead of it's stock 3.3(3.7 turbo) with very little effort. You could get a relatively inexpensive i-series CPU (i5) and upgrade it in a year or two cheaply probably if you happen to pick the right socket now.

How often you upgrade depends on a number of factors and these aren't all of them:

1. What are you expectations. Do you plan on playing cutting edge PC games at 150 - 200 FPS in full resolution in ultra settings in two years without changing out any components? This may not a be a realistic expectation.
2. How much do you want to spend initially and how much do you want to spend as you go along? If you continously upgrade parts, you can have a machine last for 3 - 5 years depending on your expectations. If you buy top end initially, you may go 3-4 years again depending on expectations.

My goal is buying is biggest bang of for the buck expecting it to not last 4-5 years. Don't buy a $500 video card. Buy the $275 or $300. Expect to replace it more often though. However, in 10 years, you'll have spent less. Same with CPU's. Why buy a $600-$750 extreme processor when you can buy an i5-2500K for $219 and get nearly the same performance out of games?

Now on the positive side, processors are so overkill now-a-days, it's really the other components that need replacement more often. Specifically video cards. Buying a single video card now. Upgrade to SLI in 1 to 1 1/2 years. Net you maybe 3 -5 years out of the system. Or replace the single card with a faster model in 2 years.

If you want easy OCing, you could get an Asus. I selected Turbo Mode in the Bios and it automatically OCed everything fairly well.