Computer suggestions

[LordCaledus]

So after finding out just how bad my computer sucks when it comes to gaming, I decided to buy a new one, using Supreme Commander as the game standard for my choice of computer, seeing as it's by far the most demanding game I have.

My problem is that I've...never actually bought my own computer before. Even my current one was a Christmas gift that was bought completely without my knowledge. I have absolutely no idea where to even start, so I was thinking that I could start with some suggestions.

My starting budget for this is about $500, though I could save a little longer and get to $600 if I needed to. I'm not looking for a computer that can play SupCom on maximum graphics without slowdown - I'm pretty sure that's out of reach. What I'm looking for is a computer that can play it reasonably well: with only a little slowdown on large maps with AIs, and able to play on medium graphics settings, though if being on low graphics is the only way to have smooth gameplay, I could live with that.

Any suggestions?

[Softly]

I use an intel i5 2500k, which runs the game pretty fast. I also use it's integrated graphics, so I didn't need to buy a graphics card (save some dosh). It runs the game fast enough not to slow down anyone else, and fps is fine except when things start getting really busy. Even then there's things you can do to improve it.

There's probably a newer and better version of that cpu for the same price now, my advice is that integrated graphics work fine if you're on a budget :)

Another great site for system building is:
http://www.logicalincrements.com/

[Firestorm65]

I'm just going to throw this out there as a suggestion: a PC in your price range with excpetional single thread performance and enough expansion room to upgrade to whatever graphics you want (I'd recommend the 750 ti up to the 770, depending on budget). It's under budget so if you need more storage, dvd drive, OS, just add it in. SSDs really do make every second of using a computer more pleasurable, but it technically a luxury you can eschew.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fPRN) / (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fPRN/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fPRN/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-4340 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i34340) | $159.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [Asus H81M-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h81ma) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml8gx3m2a2133c11b) | $95.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $86.98 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-case-ps08b) | $46.98 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx430) | $44.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $499.92
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-24 19:46 EDT-0400 |

A zippy system that will be in the top 5% for SupCom for sure. I also suggest buying from NewEgg since they fight the patent trolls instead of capitualte. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Sheppy]

Intel Core i3-4340 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor
wouldnt go for that.. go for the i5 quad.. not much more expensive but a lot better
also go for an additional cooler for the CPU (the default one sucks in terms of noise and cooling even under low load) and also go for an SSD and extra sielent boxcoolers (should make like +30 for the better coolers +20 for the CPU cooler and +30 for one step better CPU)

[Softly]

I've used the stock i5 cooler from day 1 and its been great. Its not silent for sure but I've never had any overheating problems with it under max load.

[Sheppy]

Originally posted by Diligence:

I've used the stock i5 cooler from day 1 and its been great. Its not silent for sure but I've never had any overheating problems with it under max load.

so? that thing was about as loud as my coffe machine... and i constantly had 65°C+ (which is still in the ok-level but meh)

[Firestorm65]

Originally posted by Sheppard:

Intel Core i3-4340 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor
wouldnt go for that.. go for the i5 quad.. not much more expensive but a lot better
also go for an additional cooler for the CPU (the default one sucks in terms of noise and cooling even under low load) and also go for an SSD and extra sielent boxcoolers (should make like +30 for the better coolers +20 for the CPU cooler and +30 for one step better CPU)

It really depends. This particular i3 is 10% faster in single threaded applications than the i5 that is $20 more, and the difference between 2+2HT and 4+0HT is small in many applications. Furthermore the i3 is running on lower wattage so it will be significantly cooler running. If he/she wanted to step all the way up to an i5-k that would be a different story and a much larger investement (PSU, cooler, motherboard all should be upgraded for overclocking). Since he is specifically asking about gaming and particuarly RTS (which are brutal on CPUs) clockspeed is king. Could he go cheaper on the CPU and still have excellent performance? Yes, especially if he went AMD, but those are hotter machines that you have to overclock just to match a pentium in STP. Speaking of pentiums, the Intel Pentium G3430 is less than $100 and nearly as good as the i3 but now you are down to 2+0HT which is noticable if you tend to multitask (like keeping a browser with 20 tabs open in the background, game streaming, uncompressed voice coms, etc).

Just for variety, here is an AMD option:
[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fXjk) / (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fXjk/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fXjk/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6350frhkbox) | $124.99 @ Newegg
**CPU Cooler** | [Silverstone AR02 56.0 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-cpu-cooler-ar02) | $27.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a78lmlxplus) | $56.18 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c9d8gao) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st500dm002) | $54.99 @ Newegg
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43751kr) | $160.66 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-case-ps08b) | $46.98 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx430) | $44.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $581.77
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-24 23:16 EDT-0400 |

A more well rounded machine that can safely be overclocked to close the STP gap but 3x2 cores as a worthy tradeoff. If I was building a gaming machine for RTS in the $500 range I would still choose the first one. I would also rather wait for the 800 series to arrive and purchase a ~$250 card than fit the whole package in OP's budget, since none of the AMD options are price competitive due to the cryptocraze.

[Softly]

I'm not sure its been specifically mentioned above, but the best way to make your money go further is to buy the components and assemble it yourself.

If you're not too comfortable with this then thats fine too, I'd advise just having a really good browse around online before buying. For FA, cpu speed is undoubtedly the most important factor to consider.

[LordCaledus]

Wow...

Thanks for all the answers, guys! This helped a lot.

Originally posted by Firestorm65:

I'm just going to throw this out there as a suggestion: a PC in your price range with excpetional single thread performance and enough expansion room to upgrade to whatever graphics you want (I'd recommend the 750 ti up to the 770, depending on budget). It's under budget so if you need more storage, dvd drive, OS, just add it in. SSDs really do make every second of using a computer more pleasurable, but it technically a luxury you can eschew.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fPRN) / (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fPRN/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fPRN/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-4340 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i34340) | $159.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [Asus H81M-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h81ma) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml8gx3m2a2133c11b) | $95.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $86.98 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-case-ps08b) | $46.98 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx430) | $44.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $499.92
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-24 19:46 EDT-0400 |

A zippy system that will be in the top 5% for SupCom for sure. I also suggest buying from NewEgg since they fight the patent trolls instead of capitualte. Let me know if you have any questions. [/quote]

I'm thinking this is the one I'm gonna go for. I've never been one for extras: all I want is good gaming and enough juice to do homework and whatnot, and this looks like one that'll do that for a good price.

[Firestorm65]

Originally posted by masterofThardus:

Wow...


I'm thinking this is the one I'm gonna go for. I've never been one for extras: all I want is good gaming and enough juice to do homework and whatnot, and this looks like one that'll do that for a good price.

Just make sure you are aware that the memory is slightly premium "fast ram" and the hard drive is trading size for speed (you lose/gain extremely noticable amounts of each). Furthermore, the PSU and case were both recommended with allowing the option of a discrete GPU in the future. You could easily save $20 getting 1600MHz RAM and another $20 getting a 1TB 5400RPM HDD. A dirt cheap case+PSU combo could run $20 together but be dangerous for your hardware and no upgrades down the road. I take the philosophy of buy what gives you the best performance/$ for what you use the machine for now, and if you need more (gpu, storage space) just add it on. True it's more expensive overall, but you end up with the best experience the entire life of the machine, which is maximizing the benefits of the modular PC. For example, if one day you decide you want to play BF4 with lots of explosion effects, you can just add in a $200 card like the GTX 660. I don't believe there is a modern GPU (including the dreaded integrated ones!) that will bottleneck SupCom specifically, but the game still rapes top of the line CPUs. As Sheppard Correctly pointed out, it will lose out in some scenarios, but that particular i3 is the best CPU for SupCom south of $280.

Hope that helps, and if you have any other questions just ask. Putting a PC together is as simple as Legos.

[podsherk0]

Dude if you're on a budget AMD processors are a good alternative A reasonable graphics card is a must just watch the cooling, I have lost 2 amd cpu's to insufficient cooling. An i3 is no way to go I wouldn't even look at an i5 as Intel just rape the consumer and really offer very little advantage when you factor cost into it plus they are about to launch the new series of cpus. Hard drives are outdated and should be used for emergencies only solid state is really the only option for gaming. In short 8 core amd cpu with a good nvidia 660ti or above solid state drive and water cooling and that will sort you out for quite a while.

[BambusTech]

couldn't be all that bothered to read it all. but as far as this game goes, it's horribly optimized. I run an AMD Phenom II 3.4 ghz quad and a radeon 5850 OC edition grfx on a SSD, even a friend of mine who runs I7 quad and radeon 5870 has problems with this game.. early game, no problems what so ever, even at x10 speed.. mid game, no problems unless going to x5+ (higher gives lag), late game, game slows down and speed cannot be increased, as game progresses slowdown becomes even more severe to the point of happening at -10.. on the big maps even with only 4 players and a max of 2000 units on map, even at mid game game, game slows down, again eventually to -10. games should be finished in less than 40 minutes. regardless map size and players... in supcom2 I run max settings and regardless of how many players and units on the screen, I cannot bring my machine to it's knees.. but supcom1, even games on a tiny map with only few units, games longer than 45 minutes tops, will slow down to the point where you just don't care to give up.. should you have a battle that drags out, a game can easily take 8 hours to complete even though only lasting 1½ hours ingame. (these are not the exact numbers to game time vs. real time. but it's in that area). even my old 3.4 dual core can run this game and has the same issues. it's the game. not the machine, that is the problem. this is being a bit of a better game than the second one, but the second one is as it should be, doesn't slow down to über slowness just because you have a hard time killing the enemy.

[T-Bone Biggins]

To be honest, if you are talking ~$500 for a PC box then you really get more building it yourself, you won't get much from computer companies for that money. Go with an AMD CPU for further money savings with minimal if any performance loss (varies game to game) and AMD makes good quad-cores for under $120. Go with standard HDD's instead of SSD's, cheapest 120gb SSD's are about (pending brand) the price of a 1TB HDD.

ATI/AMD video cards are scarce right now due to the crypto-currency 'mining' craze, so for gaming purposes you are left with Nvidia. EVGA is my go-to company, I did not have an EVGA die on me ever and had 6 cards total. I'd pass them off to friends and family as I upgrade and all still run. For cheap yet still capable gaming cards, look at the 50 series of Nvidia cards. I have a 550Ti, because it was newest at time I bought it. 650Ti is still decent, currently though 750Ti looks very good, is smaller than the 550/650's and has good performance for it's cost. Any time you buy a 50 series Nvidia card, it will be able to play the newest games for at least 3 years after it's release with little to no effort on medium game settings with a card that cost you $125-$150. It's not maxing out the hottest games, but really all you need is 60FPS because your eye cannot see the difference beyond that.

I built my first functioning PC alone at 10. It's not a hard thing, there is truly only a few fairly difficult things to do like applying thermal grease and those are not too difficult. Most of the parts are keyed to fit together one way, and there is a lot of info on assembling a PC nowadays that is given freely. You won't get a manufacturer warranty for the PC itself, but keep track of warranties on each of your parts you order and you will be fine.

[BambusTech]

T-bone, I'm very intrigued by your comment that your eye can't detect more than 60 fps.. if this is actually true, then I don't understand why they have invented 120 fps tv's. if the eye can't detect more than 60, why on earth spend money putting more hi-tech stuff in tv's to display more fps? - why not save that money since noone will be able to detect that it's there to begin with?
I know most computer monitors can't display more than 60 fps. but that has nothing to do with your eyes' capabilities. I would like to have some documentation from somewhere, explaining that the eye is simply incapable of detecting more than 60 fps.

from personal experience, I find 120 fps tv's to be much nicer to look at than just 60 fps tv's. it simply looks more alive, more fluidly, or is this just me?

how I understand things.
the slower things are the less frames you actually need for it to look "smooth". the faster things move, the more frames you need for it to look smooth.

random note: does real life have lag if you move fast enough?

what if you are in a completely dark room. total darkness, no light from anywhere.
and then for just 1/100th of a second, a completely white image is shown to you. are you sure you wouldn't notice this? would you still be completely blinded by darkness, or would you have caught the flashing image of brightness?

or do the opposite, look at a completely black image, and then for just 1/100th of a second, it turns completely white. you wouldn't notice the sudden change?

if you are outdoors, and the sun is up, and you look at it for as few milliseconds as you possibly can, and close your eyes, don't you have some bright sphere image on the inner side of your eyelids?
if you just toss your head from one side to the other, as fast as you can, in such a way that your view crosses path with the sun, would you simply not notice that the sun is there?

but like said, document your statement. I am willing to spend hours reading about it.

just to mention it one last time: just because your monitor can't show more than 60 frames, doesn't necessarily mean that it can't detect more than that..

if the source only delivers 60 fps, obviously it can't detect more than that, since there are no more to detect. but what if the source gave 120 frames, would you be able to see the difference? what if it was 500? 5000? 50000 fps? would you see any difference between either of those and just 60 fps? (I'm not saying the eye can spot 50000 fps, I'm just saying that I highly doubt that it's limited to just 60)
(eg. a movie at 60 fps. wouldn't be viewed any better on a 120 fps tv, than on a 60 fps tv (since the source is the same (can't show what is not there to begin with))))

[Magron]

The thing with SC is, apparently, the longer a game goes on and the more things built the bigger the load is. I have a nice 4 core OC to 3.9Ghz (AMD phenom II X4 975 and an nvidia 460 GTX) that bogs in this game with just 1 computer player and 500 units each if I let it go on too long. and this thing cost me $1200 to build almost 3 years ago. This is still a pretty good build It certainly kicks butt on the build firestorm outlined for ya....I could spend about $1800 to go to the high end Intel I7 and less than triple current performance.
Note that some of the options these enthusiasts are mentioning..like Solid State drives would more than use up your 500 all by themselves.

[Sheppy]

Originally posted by Magron:

I have a nice 4 core OC to 3.9Ghz .

SC is single threaded