Help: Cheapest PC to run TSW smoothly?

[Qvnt]

I landed a job ( adulthood confirmed ) and am now making important purchases, such as food, furniture and rent.
But there is one thing I have craved for years: an affordable PC so I can finally play TSW again.

Any thoughts, party people? The average gaming rig now-a-days is $350+. I'm willing to put the PS4 on hold for a long time if thats what it takes.

( Try not to be Summer's Eve. I've done basic PC building research. I know TSWL is coming out. I just want to play the only MMO I ever loved again. )

[UNCLE STINKFISH]

Originalmente postado por Dongly Q Dongson:

Or is it about being a needlessly denigrating ♥♥♥♥? If that's the case, you are certainly an 'adult.'

Adult must be STRONK...!!!

[sarcastic_godot]

Real job => gaming time often enough in hotels on business trips => lap better choice...

...or: Real job => desk crammed with work taken home => laptop better choice, too.

/sarcasm

Gaming laptops are a nice option to have, if the money isn't of the issue. especially if you e.g habitually visit friends to game RL-together. Also the Desktop compares more favorably if you already have screen + kbd. If you tie that in, the prices in the mid market differ less.

The upper end of the GPU power lies way higher with desktops. They're fairly easy to upgrade, and you can adapt to your budget and needs better, also upgrading is no problem. I just buried a 3.5y gaming laptop after the 2nd GPU smolked off and there were no replacements purchaseable any more. This would eventually happen with a desktop, too, but the timescale's more in the 10y range...

...but I wouldn't call it a stupid idea on itself. Just when you're budget constrained, and have that space to set it up, the desktop is the better bang per buck.

[retrogunner]

As a working adult with kids, mortage, various loans, etc. I've a tight gaming budget.

* If you want read about how I build an affordable rigs (3 so far) that plays TSW, all Borderlands, etc at 50 - 70fps at 1080p (a few higher demanding games I'll drop to 720p), read on.

* If you want to tell me my working-for-me-rigs are a P.O.C. .. lalalalala I can't hear you. blow.

* and there's a spoiler at the bottom too.

NOTE: I watch my power limits for the whole system, you might be able to afford a powerful system, but they draw at least 350 - 600 watts. After hours of gaming it'll likely be crazy warm in your room/office PLUS think about the fact you just ran the near equivalent of a hairdryer/toaster/Window AC unit constantly for a few hours. Multiply that by daily gaming and that electric bill will be pricy - over time, costing more than the rig itself several times over.


So, here's my rough formula:

* case - I like a great case (I've an Antec Lanboy Air, Silverstone Urban, and a beater case with custom venting air channels. A biege box will work too. just make sure you have a couple of good fans and airflow not pocketing heat in it

* CPU cooling - a nice heat pipe cooler for the CPU - no fancy water here. the air flow passing through its grill & fan(s) should be fine.

* CPU & MB - http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx

Chose what you can afford in your budget. Avoid an APU if possible. Needs at least 4 cores.
if you don't have a Microcenter in your area ... I'm so sorry. Check Fry's then.
(BTW, this is great & only interview with Microcenter's CEO Rick Mershad https://youtu.be/MEZO-FuRrtQ )

The cool thing about this deal is you always get about $40 off any MB with the appropriate AMD Processor. I want to build a new one using the slightly older FX8350e as it only draws 90 watts max. I can then select an MB with the features I want. Be aware, with an AMD MB chipset, you will very likely *not* be able to SLI nVidia cards (not that you would have more than one GPU on a budget.)

* RAM - at least 8GB, preferable 16GB based on Mainboard speed limits, slots, max mem.

* Storage - up to you. I avoid Seagate due to personal experience with sub-par performant drives confirmed independently by BackBlaze reports
- https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-q4-2015/
- https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-benchmark-stats-2016/
- https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-failure-rates-q1-2017/

* OS: Windows version that can support TSW and future games you wish to play.

Here's the heart of the system - the PSU & GPU.

* PSU - a good one that has a max Wattage to support the GPU. GTX??50 & GTX??60s tend to require at least 550 watt. It should always be a Plus80 certified. That means less than 20% loss when stepping the power. Bronze is <20% Silver, Gold & Platnium have progressive less loss. It should also have a good fan for air flow.

* GPU - this is religious debate. Choose yours as you see fit - it's your gaming life experience. Here's my testimonial:

- after being burned by AMD driver support (or dropped driver support) for several very nice cards, I final switched to nVidia. I wish I had done it sooner. Why? ...

Drivers. Current nVidia drivers work on even their oldest 8800 and GT200 cards -- always. No company continues to make drivers for GPUs over 15 years old besides nVidia -- except the Linux Kernel and that's not a company, it's community. Intel built-in HDs might come 2nd.

- As to card selection: GT's are for grandparents, GTX's are for playing games. GTX??50 - GTX??90
- As for the ?? that's the generation number. GTX10?? is the current generation. (there was never was a GTX8?? generation - it was GTX7?? GTX9?? GTX10??).

Coming back to PSU, your GTX will need to be fed appropriately. You don't need to break the bank, but don't go bottom of the barrel either. Use a quality PSU and it should last 5 - 10 year easily -- and so will your GPU.

As for my GPUs, In my parts closet, I have an older MSI GTX550ti Cyclone II - with it's heatpipes, it ran 10c cooler than all it's competitors at the time -- that's a big deal. It drew around 150watts. If a Cyclone model exists of more current nVidia chipsets, it would be a consideration of mine.

Replacing my Cyclone II, I got an EVGA GTX750 when then came out. Then I got a second one for another rig. If you're not needing a GTX1060 or better, consider getting a GTX750 or GTX750ti model. Why?

- It was designed as a drop in for even consumer desktops. It draws only 60 watts!!. I dropped my rig's draw by 80 watts using an EVGA GTX750. It out performed my GTX550ti and was just as cool.
(NOTE: Some model will have extra powerplugs due to fans, not the chipset itself. Be sure to check if extra powerplugs is a consideration for you.)

- They are usually around $100, but go on sale as cheap as $70.


After all of this, you'll likely have spent at least $400 (likely more) for your very custom rig.

Spoiler ... Why not consider getting a Steam Machine.

Hell, GameStop has openbox/refurb version of an Alienware/Dell Steam Machine for as cheap as $225 for an i3, 500GB, GTX660 or so, 4GB RAM. Just upgrade your RAM and HD if you need to. If you don't get the Windows version, install it & Steam - done.

http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine

Newer Alienware steam machines have GTX960s.

There are other companies that still make SteamMachines too. Sure, YMMV as some have less commodity parts you can upgrade, but there's a decent selection that will cost the same as building a moderate rig of your own - and you can still change out the storage & ram.

Cheers, Retro.

[☠ Asasin ☠]

My humble and simple recommendation - look up the Potato Smasher, especially if you don't mind buying refurbished and used parts.

[PocketYoda]

Core i5 3.0gz or better
16gb ram
GTX 1050 or better
PSU 600watt or better

You should be good to go for a few years.

[Qvnt]

Finally! Thank you three so damn much.

Making this thread, I expected a lot more asshats to pop in - but yall fave me a lot to think about!

[GGbro]

>>______________Cheap as hell and super cool_______________<<



1) Any gaming-like case with front and read fan (about 40€)
2) Motherboard: ASRock H110M HDV I (54€)
3) Pentium G4560 (60€)
4) GTX 1050TI (150€)
5) CLS WLAN adapter (15€)
6) 8GB HyperX Fury DDR4 RAM (60€)
7) Power Supply Antec VP 500P EC (40€)
8) Buy Windows 10 licence key on eBay (4€)
9) USB DVD drive (20€)
10) Hard disk 1 - SSD 120GB (60€)
11) Hard Disk 2 -HDD 500GB (40€)

------------- TOTAL: 540€ (600€ with bonus parts)

===== BONUS PARTS=====

Gaming headphones: EasyAcc G1 (35€)
Gaming mouse: KLIM Skill Mouse (25€)


With this system you will play EVERY upcoming game in 1080p with medium to high graphics settings.

I'm sure of it, I built one PC with this specs for a friend of mine
:)

[Qvnt]

Thank you~

[TheS1X]

I reccomend u to wait and invest lil bit more.... get atleast I5 or I7 with gtx 1060 6gb and u run most games on max graphics... i think it will cost about 600 - 700 euros. Not sure, but maybe u can buy with payback. Sorry for my English.... peace

[GGbro]

Trust me, the G4560 is absolutely suitable for high level gaming and it costs three / four times less

:)

I would agree on the 1060 6gb though, you could wait for a discounted price.

A 1060 will live much longer than a 1050

[Snowskeeper]

Math came out to 603 when I did it; Gdano is clearly a liar and a traitor.

[GGbro]

Originalmente postado por Snowskeeper:

Math came out to 603 when I did it; Gdano is clearly a liar and a traitor.

Lol you are right, perfect math was not the point... but..

YES!!
YOU UNMASKED ME!

MYuAHahAhAHAhahahhaHAhAhAhAhAhA

[GGbro]

Originalmente postado por Gdano:

>>______________Cheap as hell and super cool_______________<<



1) Any gaming-like case with front and read fan (about 40€)
2) Motherboard: ASRock H110M HDV I (54€)
3) Pentium G4560 (60€)
4) GTX 1050TI (150€)
5) CLS WLAN adapter (15€)
6) 8GB HyperX Fury DDR4 RAM (60€)
7) Power Supply Antec VP 500P EC (40€)
8) Buy Windows 10 licence key on eBay (4€)
9) USB DVD drive (20€)
10) Hard disk 1 - SSD 120GB (60€)
11) Hard Disk 2 -HDD 500GB (40€)

------------- TOTAL: 540€ (600€ with bonus parts)

===== BONUS PARTS=====

Gaming headphones: EasyAcc G1 (35€)
Gaming mouse: KLIM Skill Mouse (25€)


With this system you will play EVERY upcoming game in 1080p with medium to high graphics settings.

I'm sure of it, I built one PC with this specs for a friend of mine
:)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WAIT !!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


It came to my mind a very important fact:

You can have problems installing the G4560 on the ASRock H110M HDV-

The reason is that the motherboard I mentioned needs a BIOS upgrade before being able to POST (turn on) with the G4560.

You can proceed in two ways:
1- Change mobo buying one that is alredy compatible with the 7th generation intel without any BIOS update
2- You can buy a G4400 on Amazon, use it to upgrade the mobo and turn it back with a refund

First option is clearly the best one,

I'll look for a good mobo you can use and post it here


:)

[PocketYoda]

Buy Asus over Asrock anyday of the week.

[Dongly Q Dongson]

I prefer Asus myself.

I still run an Asus Sabertooth X58-- that dates how old my computer is --and it still runs more than I need for 90% of applications. I've never been a person who MUSTHAVEBLEEDINGEDGE.

Well, never had the money to do that ^.^