Rewjeo Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 So, I need a new computer, and I'd like one that runs games that are newer than 8 years old. It's coming out of my pocket, though, and I'm a high school student, so I'm not looking at spending much money, which is a big reason I decided to build a computer. The most demanding game I want it to run is Shogun 2 Total War. Here's what I've come up with so far: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6531504&pagenumber=3&RSort=4&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=#ReviewStart http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3276575&CatId=1078 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7343096&Sku=A455-3043 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7295299&csid=_21 http://www.amazon.com/Geforce-GT240-Graphics-ENGT240-1GD3/dp/B002XFLDQU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1303491492&sr=1-1 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6076939&CatId=2459 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6753736&CatId=10 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5213932&CatId=306 Does this all work together? Are there any suggestions for things that would either save me money without impacting my performance much or would cost only a little more but would really boost performance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Envoy of the Beginning Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 OS: You're good on this one. Memory: It's better to get 2 2GB memory sticks so you can get faster performance with the dual-channel architecture as opposed to getting 1 4GB memory stick for the slower single-channel architecture. And there are faster memory modules that cost a little more (and have heat spreaders). Hard drive: I would suggest getting an SSD for your system drive in addition to the WD Black 1TB, but you said that you don't want to spend too much. The HDD is fine though. Video Card: Lol. The one you are looking at costs too much for something old and not really powerful. A Radeon HD 6790 or a GTX 550 Ti costs around as much and are easily faster. Processor: Not bad. Motherboard: Since you're using a video card, I don't recommend a motherboard with onboard video. I'd suggest something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157249 (Don't worry, it has the B3 revision despite not having it in the product description. How do I know this? I built a system around that motherboard!) Optical Drive: You're good on this one, unless you want to use Blu-Ray discs. Power Supply: Wouldn't recommend. 450 is a bit low for gaming, and it mentioned nothing about Active PFC (Read about it here) or being 80 plus certified. Case: A good choice for the price. Also, how much are you willing to spend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excellen Browning Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 (edited) Most is fine however the video card is definitely not worth the money you're paying for it. And it's kinda weak. You want more power. Also the RAM is currently unavailable. Also BLS you smartass, there is an igp on the processor. Not the motherboard. And it's something you can't avoid if you want a sandy bridge processor. Edited July 8, 2011 by Excelkitty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewjeo Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Well, I refuse to go above 1,000 dollars, and I'd prefer to stay in the 7-800 area unless the extra will really boost my computer's performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celice Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Yeah, shop around a bit more for the graphics card... there are a lot better ones out there for a lot cheaper. I mean, you don't really need something that great to run today's games unless you want everything chocked full at max... which isn't always that much better looking from normal. I have a 9800 GT from a few years back and I can run pretty much every game I've tried just fine and dandy. The only game that's really given me a little stuttering is Stalker - Call of Pripyat... and well... that's a Stalker game. What can you expect? What resolution are you looking to be running? That could help decide what graphics card you want also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excellen Browning Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 (edited) Call of Pripyat can bring top end video cards down on their knees, on the right settings =) Edited July 9, 2011 by Excelkitty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewjeo Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 (edited) So, different video card and a higher power supply and I'll be good? How much higher would you suggest? Edit: Oh, and different motherboard? Edited July 9, 2011 by Rewjeo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excellen Browning Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Different video card yes. Choose it depending on what kind of screen you're going to use it with. Spending $150 on a GPU to then have it play on an old CRT is a waste of more than $100. Higher wattage PSU no. Waste of money. Why? Because a system such as this one gets peak loads well within 400W 2 sticks of RAM is preferable to one so the setup can run in dual channel (speed boost) Also make sure your motherboard can handle the frequency the memory is clocked at (shouldn't be an issue unless you're pairing expensive RAM with a cheap motherboard). What else.... Don't be a loser and buy your games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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