Re: Looking to buy a new laptop Are you building it completely from scratch.. as in, you need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, etc?
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop I haven't done a scratch build in about 12 or 13 years. And that was so long ago, the pricing is no longer relevant. When I do my big overhaul every 5 or 6 years I spend around $600-800. I reuse the case, power supply, optical drive, hard drives, keyboard, mouse, and monitor. So I'm just buying a few things. This is what I would go with in your case: An Intel Extreme Series motherboard is a good choice for n00bs because the documentation and support is all in clear English on Intel's website. You're not dealing with Chingrish. Also, don't go cheap on the power supply. You're going to reuse it so get a good one. Corsair, Antec, and Seasonic are good brands. I don't know what the equivalent of NewEgg is in Britain, so you might be kind of screwed on pricing. In the US, computer parts are very cheap on NewEgg and they have great service. Maybe use Amazon to buy the parts?
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop I have no idea what situation that is but you literally don't need your game discs anymore this day and age. You can even throw everything away if you bought a physical version of a steamworks title. The only reason you'd keep the physical disc and serial number of a steamworks title is if you have a piss poor internet connection to download it if you need to reinstall it in the future. Otherwise, you can throw it all out. It's been this way for years. Even blizzard busted out their digital content delivery system with their battle.net overhaul back in 2009 so you could add your old ancient blizzard title keys to your battle.net account and have it ready to download anytime in the future.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop Yeah I have no idea what he's talking about. PC went to digital distribution way before the consoles. I was on Steam back in 2003. Which is not surprising, because PC gaming is always years ahead of the consoles. We had HD gaming all the way back in the late 90s. Consoles didn't get it until 2005. Consoles are fine for kiddies, girls, dudebros, and n00bs, but if you want to get serious about gaming and be at the forefront of technology you'll step up to a PC.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop With your budget I don't suggest you go Intel. BUT just for kicks I put together the cheapest Intel Box I could honestly suggest using that site. I included a cheap DVD drive, KB, Mouse and Monitor as I'm pretty sure you'l want one with monitor, KB, mouse anyway and though you don't NEED a DVD (optical disk) drive you should get one as things like your OS come on DVDs and it's still safest to get one. The least that I could get this down to was 904.62 with VAT, it'll play your games for years and years to come though Computer Case Silverstone Precision PS04B CPU Intel Core i5 2550K (4 x 3.4 GHz) 6MB (Includes Free Order Of War Game) CPU Heatsink Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 Memory 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Arctic White, PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC, CAS 9-9-9-24, 1.35V Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD 6850 - 1 GB - (Asus) (PCI-E) Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V LX (Intel Z68) Sound Card Motherboard Integrated HD Sound Networking Motherboard Integrated Ethernet Lan (Broadband Ready) Power Supply Corsair 600W (CMPSU-600CX) PSU - Low Noise Hard Drive #1 250 GB SATA-II HDD 7200 RPM 8MB (FREE UPGRADE TO 320 GB ORDER BEFORE 06-04-12) Optical Drive #1 Samsung 22x DVD Re-Writer/Reader /- RW- Black - (SATA) Operating System #1 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included) Backup Software Restore DVD & Original Operating System DVD DVD Playback Software FREE - CyberLink PowerDVD 9 DVD/CD Burning Software FREE - Nero V10 Essentials Suite 2 Monitor #1 21.5" HD Widescreen TFT - Black - 5ms Keyboard Logitech K120 Keyboard Slim with Full Keys - Spill Resistant - (USB) Speakers Logitech S220 2.1 Speaker System Black 17W RMS Free Gift FREE - Cooler Master Gaming Mouse Mat Monitor Cables & Adapters FREE - DVI Port to VGA Monitor Port Adapter Gaming Mice Microsoft SideWinder X3 Gaming Mouse, Black, Laser 2000dpi, Programmable I sorta cheapened out on the monitor, just getting the cheapest 1080p one. No, I didn't get a 10:9 one though that's the best for gaming, dudebro here is working on a budget! I was gonna go 1440x900 but 1920x1080 was actually cheaper and for anything other than gaming the bigger resolution is just a no brainer! As a video editor I'd shoot myself if I didn't go 1920x1080 (1080p). It's the cheapest one of the bunch, I'd go one higher if you can afford it. In computer part shopping ALWAYS go name brand. If they don't give you a name brand don't buy it. Obviously I didn't follow my own advice :/ Now if you made this yourself you wouldn't get any warranty (except for the one on each individual part, if you can specify the problem) but it'd probly save you like 200 pounds (just guessing, but in the US it's about 30%). Yeah Monkey's build is WAY too expensive. I hesitated on getting you a 'K' version proc as your hardly gonna overclock anyway, in my estimation. so... if your interested in overclocking I wouldn't hesitate on my build here. It'd be a little cheaper (30 pounds?) if you just got the 2500 and a default cooler. I'll make an AMD (Phenom II) build, Computer Case Silverstone Precision PS04B CPU AMD Phenom II X4 965 (4 x 3.4 GHz) 8MB - Black Edition CPU Heatsink AMD Heatsink & Fan Memory 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Arctic White, PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC, CAS 9-9-9-24, 1.35V Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD 6850 - 1 GB - (Asus) (PCI-E) Motherboard Asus Crosshair IV Formula (AMD 890FX) Sound Card Motherboard Integrated HD Sound Networking Motherboard Integrated Ethernet Lan (Broadband Ready) Power Supply Corsair 600W (CMPSU-600CX) PSU - Low Noise Hard Drive #1 250 GB SATA-II HDD 7200 RPM 8MB (FREE UPGRADE TO 320 GB ORDER BEFORE 06-04-12) Optical Drive #1 Samsung 22x DVD Re-Writer/Reader /- RW- Black - (SATA) Operating System #1 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included) Backup Software Restore DVD & Original Operating System DVD Monitor #1 21.5" HD Widescreen TFT - Black - 5ms Keyboard Logitech K120 Keyboard Slim with Full Keys - Spill Resistant - (USB) Speakers Logitech S220 2.1 Speaker System Black 17W RMS Free Gift FREE - Cooler Master Gaming Mouse Mat Monitor Cables & Adapters FREE - DVI Port to VGA Monitor Port Adapter Gaming Mice Microsoft SideWinder X3 Gaming Mouse, Black, Laser 2000dpi, Programmable 817.86 GBP (w/ VAT) I went with the Phenom II x4 over x6 cuz 1) it's faster (don't believe AMD's turbo speeds... Intel's turbo speeds aren't all that great either, though their MUCH better than AMDs) 2) it has more cache and cache is golden for video editing.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop Even the Sandy Bridge i3 is faster than just about any of AMD's processors, and it won't bottleneck any GPU at this point. AMD is banking on a future where everything is heavily threaded, but most games only use two or three threads, and the Intel CPUs have way better single thread performance. I said in my first post that if he wanted to drop the price, he could go with an i3-2100 and a Radeon 7770 instead, but keep everything else. I want him to go with an Intel Extreme Series motherboard because they're stable and have good documentation in clear English, and you can get an actual English speaker from America on the phone if you have trouble. They're the way to go for first time builders. Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, etc, make great boards, but everything is in Chingrish, which is definitely going to confuse dudebro here.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop but... is the 7770 worth the 20 GBP more than the 6850? lol I was surprised about that... but I am about 5 months behind on my reviews so I hadn't looked at the actual benchmarks yet... not sure what you mean about intel. That might be true but he didn't say (that I read) that he was gonna put all this stuff together, I'm assuming he'd get support from these guys anyway not Intel/ Asus/ Gigabyte. Here's a pentium based one I could recomend for 720.57 GBP w/ VAT Computer Case Silverstone Precision PS04B CPU Intel Pentium G620 (2 x 2.6 GHZ) CPU Heatsink Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 Memory 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Arctic White, PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC, CAS 9-9-9-24, 1.35V Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD 6850 - 1 GB - (Asus) (PCI-E) Motherboard Asus P8H61-M LE/USB3 (Intel H61) Sound Card Motherboard Integrated HD Sound Networking Motherboard Integrated Ethernet Lan (Broadband Ready) Power Supply Corsair 600W (CMPSU-600CX) PSU - Low Noise Hard Drive #1 250 GB SATA-II HDD 7200 RPM 8MB (FREE UPGRADE TO 320 GB ORDER BEFORE 06-04-12) Optical Drive #1 Samsung 22x DVD Re-Writer/Reader /- RW- Black - (SATA) Operating System #1 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included) Backup Software Restore DVD & Original Operating System DVD Monitor #1 21.5" HD Widescreen TFT - Black - 5ms Keyboard Logitech K120 Keyboard Slim with Full Keys - Spill Resistant - (USB) Mouse Standard Black Gaming Mouse (USB) Speakers Logitech S220 2.1 Speaker System Black 17W RMS Free Gift FREE - Cooler Master Gaming Mouse Mat
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop 6850 is slightly faster, 7770 uses much less energy and is quieter. They're the same price on newegg, $140. Which card you go with depends on your priorities I guess. 7770 might end up being faster in the long run with better drivers. If he's not going to put it together himself then there's no point. Knowing about hardware is part of being a PC gamer. Also, he'll just get frustrated and go back to consoles as soon as something breaks. He needs to learn what does what and how to fix it. This shit isn't that hard. AKS was a total n00b awhile ago, but he built his own PC and now he knows what he's doing.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop ya, i highly doubt that arma is going to put this together himself. if he doesn't know the hardware itself then there's no chance he'll know how to piece it together. all of his support concerns will go back to the people he bought it form. aks is no dudebro though.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop so the AMD machine at 100 gbp more gets you a VASTLY superior motherboard (more expansion space and overclockable mainly...) and would be MUCH faster than a pentium (dual core) or i3 (dual core w/o HTT) at video editing. I'd say it'd be (if only a little) faster at games too... it IS 1ghz faster and twice the cores... if your game is multithreaded it'd leave the i3 in the dust. Arma just needs the time, also there is no Newegg in UK not sure what 7770 vs 6850 prices are on Amazon, but yeah, if their the same the 7770 is a no BRAINER. Ya gotta speak the Dudebro's language . Besides I wouldn't call customized Boutique computers POINTLESS... if your willing to spend needless dough. It'd take him about a day to put together his first computer. It's just time, and trust me I aint to sharp and I put my computer together when I was 16!! 14 years ago. Plus it was a bit more complicated than with mainly generic parts w/ no manuals, internet was new so guides weren't common (I did mine at a local shop) and you had to put washers and fuzzy things on your motherboards!! You kids have it so easy nowadays. ArmaDave you can take the components we tell you to buy to a local shop and they'll put it together cheap and maybe offer you a waranty as well!! Or don't take the warranty and it'd be SUPER cheap! Sweatin it out cuz you flipped the switch and the computer won't turn on should be YOUR problem not somebody elses.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop Don't forget that the i3 is hyperthreaded, so it can handle four threads. It's faster than a Phenom II X4. It's actually more comparable to a Phenom II X6, but still faster in most cases. i3-2100 is a good way to save a lot of money and still get the most out of your video card.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop Computer shops are a pointless ripoff, and anyone with a brain should be able to assemble a desktop computer these days in an hour or two. Motherboards generally come with big fold out diagrams that show you how to put it all together. There are only two hard parts. The pinout for the power switch, and putting on the heatsink, and even those aren't that hard. More just annoying and a little bit time consuming.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop lol WTF is that?? an i3 beats the i7 980??? LMAO. You really shouldn't put so much stock into Anandtech graphs... I don't know what to say as that's Intel v Intel, but they never NEVER tell the whole AMD story... well they did have an EXCELLANT AMD K6+ artical back in the day, but other than that if you want the real AMD skinny (Anand was big of Barton too actually) you don't go to Anandtech. They tell the truth, but obviously biased as well. lol i3 beating the previous gen i7?? and that's supposed to be usefull how? half these cpu benches are at incredibly low resolutions and most of the gpu benches are at very HIGH resolutions, I don't play those. That's how Anand gets you. But your right, in many cases an i3 is better than a Phenom II x4 I can't argue that. I'm betting though, not in the cases Arma would use it in. Depending on your physical shape (fat? disabilities? Yeah, I have both) it's more than a little annoying. But yeah, it's doable even if you have ham-fingers and only half your nerves work.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop The Sandy Bridge architecture has monstrous single thread performance, which is the most important thing in games. This should only come as a surprise if you haven't been keeping up with hardware. The i5-2500K is actually faster than the previous generation Extreme Edition i7 that goes for $1000 in many cases. Sandy Bridge was a massive leap forward in performance, and AMD has no answer to it. And intel has Ivy Bridge coming soon. AMD should just fold their CPU division and stick to making video cards. That's all they're really good at. It's pretty sad when their lineup gets shown up by a $100 budget chip. The only people who buy AMD CPUs these days are fanboys.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop In my post I was referring to the fact that I downloaded a game off steam a while back and it asked me for the CD key which it said was on the back of the manual, which I didn't have, because I downloaded it, as I said. I then read that the code I needed was in the email they just sent me, which never arrived. After much fucking about I finally discovered that when I got to the screen requiring the code it was already in there, just waiting for me click ok. Then the game ran like shit. That's the kind of hassle I'm talking about that simply isn't an issue when it comes to consoles. Also, all this talk of hyperthreading and power GPU's and overclocking and benchmarking has convinced me not to get a gaming PC. I simply don't have the slightest interest in the inner working of computers so not only does it sound like hassle it sounds boring as hell. The dudebro has spoken.
Re: Looking to buy a new laptop Seriously dudebro? Shift + tab takes you to the steam overlay, then just click on cd-key. Console games run like shit. They're on low settings, they stutter, and they have long load times. I never experience anything like that on PC. The only reason games run so bad for you is because you're running them on a laptop. So you're basically saying you're too lazy to read a few articles here or there on tech sites that might help you make an informed purchase and save a lot of money? PC gaming can be even cheaper than console gaming. It's just a matter of knowing what to buy and when.
What game was that? I have yet to run across a game that had that issue. Like cmdrmonkey said, any game that generally isn't a steamworks game, Valve supplies you the code upon the launch of the game. It pops up in a window that tells you instructions and in the text box it has the serial number which you can hit shift-tab to pop up the steam overlay and easily insert it upon request. You have to totally not be paying attention to miss this since it literally pops up instantly when you double click the game to launch it.
Just get the laptop I mentioned. It will play most any game on medium to high. Load up on the next steam sale and you'll be set for the next year or two.