46 replies to this topic

[LowRoad]

Hi folks,

Thanks for taking time out of your day to take a look at a new player's rig. MWO is the only intensive game I play, and I have been having very choppy performance making it hard for me to aim properly. I love the game enough that I am committed to improving the game play so I can enjoy it properly, so an upgrade or new system seem to be needed.

SPECS
Processors: Intel Xeon Quad Core W3520 2.66GHz 4.8GT/s QPI HT Processor 1366pin 8MB CPU
Memory: 8GB DDR3 PC3-10600 1333MHz Memory
Video Card: nVidia Quadro FX1700 PCI Express 512MB Dual Port

RESULTS
I was running 12-14 fps until I bumped my resolution down to the lowest setting, which pushed me back up to about 20-22 ish.

I am willing to spring for:
1) the the video card that will make the most difference given my CPU
2) a new CPU if that is better then a new vid card
3) both if it is considerably cheaper then a new rig
4) a new rig if it is the only real way to enjoy the game properly.

I have started researching it on my own, but I am a bit concerned Ill buy the wrong thing.

Thanks guys, I appreciate you.

-Low

[DocBach]

Pretty much, your system is archaic and any "upgrade" will pretty much be gutting the whole box out and putting new stuff in.

What's your budget for a new build?

[LowRoad]

1500 is probably the most i'd willing to spend, if it is feasible.

-Low

[Napoleon_Blownapart]

what is your motherboard? if its running ddr3 ram it may not be so bad? 1500? if thats usa dollars you can build a great system.that vid card looks old and not for gaming.

[xWiredx]

You can build a pretty nice system with that kind of budget. Just don't spring for workstation hardware when it comes to a gaming machine (buy a Core i7 and a Geforce/Radeon card, not a Quadro/Firepro). Workstation hardware drivers are not usually written in favor of gaming performance.

[DocBach]

LowRoad, on 24 July 2014 - 06:09 AM, said:

1500 is probably the most i'd willing to spend, if it is feasible.

-Low

You can pretty much build a gaming super computer with $1500.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M550 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($489.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1476.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-24 11:00 EDT-0400

rest of the $24 goes to buy a couple case fans

Edited by DocBach, 24 July 2014 - 07:01 AM.

[ninjitsu]

Personally, I'd buy a new power supply and video card. Your video card is your major bottle neck. If that doesn't give you the performance boost you're looking for, you can use those parts in a new computer

Maybe something like http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814202059
and .http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438014

[LowRoad]

ninjitsu, on 24 July 2014 - 08:24 AM, said:

Personally, I'd buy a new power supply and video card. Your video card is your major bottle neck. If that doesn't give you the performance boost you're looking for, you can use those parts in a new computer

Maybe something like http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814202059
and .http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438014

Forgive my noobishness, why the power supply? Will a new card not be able to run on an older supply? I would certainly prefer to just buy the card first and see if it gets me there, but I don't want to fry my supply if it is inadequate.

Thanks

[Cion]

with half of that budget you could probably max out MWO. With 1k you can get a nice gaming PC.

This is, of course, if you assemble it yourself. If you want to buy it from a retailer then add several hundred to the prices being said here.

Good luck man!

[ninjitsu]

LowRoad, on 24 July 2014 - 08:36 AM, said:

Forgive my noobishness, why the power supply? Will a new card not be able to run on an older supply? I would certainly prefer to just buy the card first and see if it gets me there, but I don't want to fry my supply if it is inadequate.

Thanks

Most stock power supplies don't have enough power for gaming video cards. Even with the cost of buying a new power supply, you'd be spending under $300 to get the game much more playable.

[Odins Fist]

NEW SYSTEM..!!!

Seriously though, yes a new system.

[Smokeyjedi]

DocBach, on 24 July 2014 - 06:59 AM, said:

You can pretty much build a gaming super computer with $1500.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M550 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($489.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1476.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-24 11:00 EDT-0400

rest of the $24 goes to buy a couple case fans

DocBach, on 24 July 2014 - 06:59 AM, said:

I would at that point not buy a K series I5 for 330$+ and instead buy an I7 non K and let the threads take care of business instead the clockspeed........more reliable and future proof.........just my .02 but overall this rig will get down to the brass taxes and slay any and all games......

Edited by Smokeyjedi, 24 July 2014 - 10:03 AM.

[xeromynd]

If that's your budget, you can build yourself a kickass system guaranteed. But keep in mind. New stuff is coming (supposedly Q4) this year. DDR4 RAM, Haswell Refresh processors and other stuff, so you might want to hold off. (Then again, that stuff could be expensive, so up to you)

Just make sure all the parts do your research into each component, and you'll be fine!
------------------------------------------------------------
My recommendations (these don't necessarily match)

Mobo: ASUS Sabertooth Series - Solid, great IO, thermal armor is cooooool, and easy setup. Looks great also. I have a Rampage III myself, but I think all the ROG features are pointless. Would've sprung for the sabertooth if I had known. 2011 Socket seems to be the way into the future for the time being.
Video Card: EVGA GeForceGTX 780
RAM - GSkill Sniper or Ripjaw Series - RAM at a great price that is quite good. Never did see the advantage of buying Corsair Vengeance
Case - Corsair Obsidian Series - I love love love this case. Super sexy aluminum, plenty of space for large GPUs, Heatsink Fans, and even Push/Pull top exhaust with some motherboards.
PSU: Seasonic X Series PSUs are GREAT. (Seasonic makes PSUs for Corsair and Antec anyway, why not go to the source?)
SSDs: Samsung 840 Evo & Pros are great right now, especially for the money. However, if you can find em and pay a bit more, Intel SSDs are ROCK solid.
CPU Cooling: Hyper 212 Plus or if you want liquid cooling Corsair H100i

Other super cool stuff:
This Silverstone cage lets you put 4 hard drives or SSDs in three of your 5.25 front bays. Looks super sexy, adds and extra intake fan, nice not-too-bright blue LED, and frees up a LOT of space inside your case.
http://www.newegg.co...9-164-_-Product

Edited by xeromynd, 24 July 2014 - 10:14 AM.

[SpDmnAdam]

Your only real huge bottleneck is your GPU as the below ratings show

CPU rating
http://www.cpubenchm...520+%40+2.67GHz

GPU rating
http://www.videocard...=Quadro+FX+1700

Memory rating (I think this is the right stick)
http://www.memoryben...16F+4GB&id=1457

as you will notice your GPU is sub 400 in the ratings where to run MWO a card should be scoring north of 700 to ensure playability at the lowest graphics. Like the card below.
http://www.videocard...GeForce+8800+GT

You could make a huge improvement by buying just a graphics card but, it is good insurance to upgrade your PSU (Power Supply) as well.

The below products should get you to a playable rig.
Nvidia GTX750 TI
http://www.newegg.co...0140724183146:s

ThemalTake Bronze power supply:
http://www.newegg.co...0140724183409:s

Edited by SpDmnAdam, 24 July 2014 - 10:36 AM.

[Barbaric Soul]

Why is everyone saying to build a new system? He has a 4c/8t Xeon that is a server equivalent of the i7 920. LowRoad, don't buy a completely new system, at least not right away. A video card upgrade should be all you need to reach playable FPS (30FPS and more). Grab a NVidia GTX 770 or AMD R9 290 and see if that is good enough before shelling out $1500 for a full system rebuild. If after doing that, you still aren't getting the performance you are looking for, do a full system rebuild and use the video card you bought.

[ninjitsu]

Barbaric Soul, on 24 July 2014 - 10:43 AM, said:

Why is everyone saying to build a new system? He has a 4c/8t Xeon that is a server equivalent of the i7 920. LowRoad, don't buy a completely new system, at least not right away. A video card upgrade should be all you need to reach playable FPS (30FPS and more). Grab a NVidia GTX 770 or AMD R9 290 and see if that is good enough before shelling out $1500 for a full system rebuild. If after doing that, you still aren't getting the performance you are looking for, do a full system rebuild and use the video card you bought.

I already said this stuff! Although, he's most likely going to need a new PSU to support a new video card.

[xWiredx]

The problem with not building a new system is essentially this: with that kind of budget, why not? If he builds a new one now, he's got a good 3-4 years before building another one (I'm guessing his current system is probably about that old right now). MWO is only likely to get more system-intensive as features get added, even if they end up doing optimization passes along the way (which they don't really seem to be doing at all). If the OP wants the best MWO experience he can get, building a new gaming system within his budget is the logical choice.

[Odins Fist]

Barbaric Soul, on 24 July 2014 - 10:43 AM, said:

Why is everyone saying to build a new system? He has a 4c/8t Xeon that is a server equivalent of the i7 920.

My bad I misread his specs...
For some reason I thought he posted Core-2 Quad 2.66ghz, you know the old Yorkfield Chip, 775 socket.

(facepalm)

[SpDmnAdam]

In the end its all up to the OP on what they think is the best option, Quickest is an upgrade, most robust and forward thinking is a rebuild.

[Monkey Lover]

I agree with everyone else. New videocard and psu.

If your board supports it upgrade your cpu for $133 cpu score on this is around 7500. your other was 5000.

http://www.amazon.co...IN%3DB003EM6CJE


150-200 bucks for a video card
133 cpu
50-70 for psu.

It will play every game on the market.

Edited by Monkey Lover, 24 July 2014 - 02:59 PM.