25 replies to this topic

[Gabriel Bekker]

I am heading off to college next week, and I am looking for a new (or refurbished) computer. I am fine with either a laptop or a desktop, though a laptop is preferred, and hopefully under 600 dollars. I am not looking for anything fancy, just enough to run MWO, quick internet, Itunes, and Microsoft Word.

Any suggestions for specific models? I am also fine with swapping out graphics cards and such if it will save me a hundred dollars or so. And while we are on the topic, what sort of minimum system requirements would I need to run MWO smoothly?

[Stickjock]

MechWarrior Online Minimum System Spec:

CPU:
Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz
Athlon II X2 245e

GPU:
GeForce 8800GT
Radeon HD 5600/5700

RAM:
4 GB

OS:
Windows XP 32-bit SP3

DirectX:
DX9

HDD Space:
4 GB


MechWarrior Online Recommended System Spec:

CPU:
Core i3-2500
AMD Athlon II X4 650

GPU:
GeForce GTX 285
Radeon HD 5830

RAM:
8 GB

OS:
Windows 7 SP-1 64-Bit

DirectX:
DX9

HDD Space:
4 GB

[Vulpesveritas]

First question: Are you willing to build your own? If so, you should get a desktop.
Second Question: If the answer to the first question is no, are you content with low settings in MWO? if no, then you may want a slightly larger budget. If the answer is yes, then I recommend this; http://shopping.hp.c...3D0&PageSize=15
With an upgrade to the APU to an A8 Quad core and add on a 1GB Radeon HD 7670m, bringing the total to just under $600, and giving you a decent Xfire solution.

I will post a parts list for building your own soon.

[Vulpesveritas]

Building your own;


Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811147153
PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817182132
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128521
CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103727
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150602
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820139075
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136769
ODD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827135204
OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986
Heatsink: stock
TIM: stock

Sale Combos: http://www.newegg.co...t=Combo.1046194 , http://www.newegg.co...t=Combo.1024962 ,
Promo Codes: EMCNBJF32 , EMCNBNA24

[Gabriel Bekker]

I am not looking to build my own. I do not have the knowledge or experience required to safely do such a thing.

I went through the selection process for the cheapest laptop on the list you sent me, Vulpesveridas. I do not have too much experience with computers, but do you think this would be sufficient to run MWO?

HP 2000z-2a00 Notebook PC


Operating system AMD Dual-Core Processor E2-1800 (1.7GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) + HD 7300 Series Discrete-Class Graphics Memory 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive Office software No additional security software Primary battery 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768) Primary optical drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support

[darknothing]

That amd 965 is good for this game? 100$ is a great price but the benchmarks are poor.
Im also on a tight budget but was thinking amd 8120 has a great bunchmark and is 165$ on sale.
However if the 965 runs this game on ultra settings ill go for that.
Anyone running the 965?

Gabriel Bekker, on 15 August 2012 - 01:23 PM, said:

I am not looking to build my own. I do not have the knowledge or experience required to safely do such a thing.

I went through the selection process for the cheapest laptop on the list you sent me, Vulpesveridas. I do not have too much experience with computers, but do you think this would be sufficient to run MWO?

HP 2000z-2a00 Notebook PC


Operating system AMD Dual-Core Processor E2-1800 (1.7GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) + HD 7300 Series Discrete-Class Graphics Memory 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive Office software No additional security software Primary battery 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768) Primary optical drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support

The cpu is way below min specs and its dual core.
I have a min spec dual core laptop and the game dosnt run so well

[Oderint dum Metuant]

The 965 is a quad core CPU and perfect for the game, the GPU matters significantly more on Cry Engine 3 so make sure this is adequate

[Chrystoph]

http://www.shopping....100-Notebook-PC

This should do for what you need, and it is (barely) within your price range. There are, of course, other choices.

This is a good blance between work and play, but there are a couple of choices that could make it better. For instance, there is an option for the video card to use dedicated RAM which would be a better choice for gaming. It adds $50.00 to the price, so you would need to decide whether that is viable.

[Vulpesveritas]

Gabriel Bekker, on 15 August 2012 - 01:23 PM, said:

I am not looking to build my own. I do not have the knowledge or experience required to safely do such a thing.

I went through the selection process for the cheapest laptop on the list you sent me, Vulpesveridas. I do not have too much experience with computers, but do you think this would be sufficient to run MWO?

HP 2000z-2a00 Notebook PC


Operating system AMD Dual-Core Processor E2-1800 (1.7GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) + HD 7300 Series Discrete-Class Graphics Memory 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive Office software No additional security software Primary battery 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768) Primary optical drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support

Yeah. That won't cut it.

Chrystoph, on 15 August 2012 - 01:53 PM, said:

http://www.shopping....100-Notebook-PC

This should do for what you need, and it is (barely) within your price range. There are, of course, other choices.

This is a good blance between work and play, but there are a couple of choices that could make it better. For instance, there is an option for the video card to use dedicated RAM which would be a better choice for gaming. It adds $50.00 to the price, so you would need to decide whether that is viable.

This is what I thought I linked, with the recommendation to up the APU and add on the 1GB Radeon HD 7670.

Gabriel Bekker, on 15 August 2012 - 01:23 PM, said:

I am not looking to build my own. I do not have the knowledge or experience required to safely do such a thing.

If you can plug a cord into a wall outlet, use a screwdriver, read a book, and not break a ceramic plate every time you wash dishes, then you have all the skills you need to build a PC. Honestly, most everything is covered in the manuals, and there are plenty of online guides to follow while you're building. All it takes is a couple of hours and to put away the incorrect concept that "Putting a computer together is hard"... because it's not. I've been building computers since I was 6. If I as a 6 year old could do it, you can do it with the ease of accessible materials out there today.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

Well you're likely going to spend 600$ or more just to properly run MechWarrior Online if the PC is new. If you're looking for a used PC; make sure it still hits the recommended requirements or it won't run at an enjoyable performance.

[Gabriel Bekker]

So in a nutshell, I will have to spend at least 800 for a solid game-capable rig, whether it is a laptop or a desktop?

How much would I be looking to spend if I decided to build my own?

[Vulpesveritas]

Gabriel Bekker, on 15 August 2012 - 04:37 PM, said:

So in a nutshell, I will have to spend at least 800 for a solid game-capable rig, whether it is a laptop or a desktop?

How much would I be looking to spend if I decided to build my own?

$600 + Depending on what you want to build your own.
I maintain weekly suggestions here; http://mwomercs.com/...ds-of-the-week/
With the $700 ($600 without windows 7

Spoiler

$600

Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811147153
PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817182132
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128519
CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103727
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130664
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820139075
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148728
ODD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827135204
OS: Windows 8 beta
Heatsink: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835999048
TIM: stock

Sale Combos: http://www.newegg.co...t=Combo.1046194 , http://www.newegg.co...t=Combo.1024962
Promo Codes: EMCNBJF32

+ windows 7 disk) as being my recommended budget build.

And for a PC with gaming performance on par with that $700 desktop, you're looking at $950 for a prebuilt desktop or $1150 for a laptop (you have to add windows to that laptop)

Edited by Vulpesveritas, 15 August 2012 - 05:22 PM.

[Gabriel Bekker]

Vulpesveritas, on 15 August 2012 - 02:25 PM, said:

Yeah. That won't cut it.




This is what I thought I linked, with the recommendation to up the APU and add on the 1GB Radeon HD 7670.

How will this do? I am worried that the RAM may be a little low. This is an upgraded version of the g7z-2100


Operating system AMD Quad-Core A8-4500M Accelerated Processor (3.0GHz/2.1GHz, 4MB L2 Cache)

Graphics card FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1Dimm)

Hard drive $40 OFF Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010

Security software 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery

Display SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support

[Gabriel Bekker]

Ram is 4GB on that model. No idea why that did not post.

[Vulpesveritas]

Gabriel Bekker, on 15 August 2012 - 05:35 PM, said:

How will this do? I am worried that the RAM may be a little low. This is an upgraded version of the g7z-2100


Operating system AMD Quad-Core A8-4500M Accelerated Processor (3.0GHz/2.1GHz, 4MB L2 Cache)

Graphics card FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1Dimm)

Hard drive $40 OFF Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010

Security software 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery

Display SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support

Add on a Radeon HD 7670 1GB to it for hybrid Xfire for gaming. ($50)
Keep in mind this will only be able to in all likelyhood play at low settings, medium if you're lucky, lower resolutions if you're unlucky.

Whereas building your own $600 desktop will guarantee you high-very high settings and that it last longer.
As far as RAM goes, I recommend adding your own as it is a very easy, very quick swap, and 4GB will still be enough at first, but 8GB will give your system more longevity.

[Gabriel Bekker]

Maybe I will just wait until I have the money for all of this. Or until everything we are talking about becomes obsolete and cheap in ten months, whichever happens first.

[Chrystoph]

Vulpesveritas, on 15 August 2012 - 02:25 PM, said:

This is what I thought I linked, with the recommendation to up the APU and add on the 1GB Radeon HD 7670.

Mea culpa, I didn't check your link.

[Osski]

Just thought I'd comment here as Vulpes and some of the others have helped me purchase a PC lately.

Right now I've completed construction, everything is moving smoothly, downloading a game off of Steam and licking my chops to try a game out for the first time!

Building really is a cinch, so if you want a desktop you should consider it and not be intimidated...these guys convinced me and I'm glad I did...I feel like I got a very good system for gaming for $750 including shipping (and still working on $40 in rebates).

Edited by Osski, 15 August 2012 - 07:48 PM.

[DJPhased]

DV McKenna, on 15 August 2012 - 01:47 PM, said:

The 965 is a quad core CPU and perfect for the game, the GPU matters significantly more on Cry Engine 3 so make sure this is adequate

This would explain a lot for me, as that is this PCs weak point. My card is fine for most games, but it's still aging. Will be replacing it sometime with better equipment.

[Sam Slade]

God they're so cheap in the U.S.! I have a pretty crap Toshiba Sat. Laptop (i5 quadcore@ 2.33, NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M, 8 Gig RAM) and that cost over $1000 new... can't believe how cheap it is to get stuff in the US... and the Australian doller is higher then the Greenback damnit!