EPTWith that in mind, use this thread to post your rig, and discuss, criticize, speculate, and help others improve their rig for SC2.
Its unfortunate, but if any of you guys are still running computers that don't run at least warcraft 3 TFT in full quality at 30+FPS, it may be time to shell out some cash!
I'll start:
OS: Windows 7 64bit
Cpu: i7 920d0 Overclocked @4ghz
Mobo: Evga x58 TriSLI
Memory: 6gb triple channel OCZ Platinum 7/7/7/24
Graphics: 2x SLI EVGA 260 core216 at Overclocked @737/1487/1140
Hard Drives: Velociraptor 10krpm (runs OS and Games) + 500gb Seagate 7krpm (storage)
PSU: Corsair 850watt
Ill admit my computer is probably over the top, but I am a perfectionist at heart... so when I go out to make a purchase I usually try to get the best deals and the best equipment. =)
With that in mind, if you guys are looking to upgrade, you guys shouldn't worry about spending too much. A good computer to run SC2 will cost anywhere around $400 at the low end, to $1000+ at the high end.
We know for a fact that Starcraft 2 will require pixel shader 2.0 at the very least. We also know that it is being optimized to run on multiple core processors. With that in mind we can safely assume that to build a computer to run Starcraft 2 well will require the following components:
OS: XP, Vista, Windows 7, OSX and pretty much everything under the sun since Blizzard is developing this game.
Cpu: Dual core processor or better. Anything on this chart will run SC2 very well.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
Mobo: A good motherboard is the backbone of your computer. If you guys are looking to eventually upgrade to possibly Crossfire or SLI then always make sure to buy a mobo that supports at least 2x pci-e x16 slots. EVGA , ASUS, & Gigabyte are brands that come to mind.
Memory: 4gb ddr2 preferred. 2gb at the very least. 6+ DDR3 if your crazy like me =) Ram is super cheap these days anyways, a few sticks can improve your computer's performance by leaps and bounds. Corsair makes very good ram.
Graphics: This is where everybody is interested. Many people go out and buy the latest and greatest cards, but don't realize that a good graphics card needs to be supported by a good CPU and Powersupply. Otherwise it runs the risk of being bottlenecked, or not being fed enough power. With that in mind I would recommend anything on this list ABOVE the 9800GT if you want to play Starcraft 2 at High Quality and not take hits to your FPS.
http://service.futuremark.com/hardware/graphicsCardsList.action
![[image loading]](http://img301.imageshack.us/i/gfx.png/)
The higher on this list the better. If budget is an issue, the cards between the ATI Radeon HD 4550 and the 9800GT MAY be able to handle Starcraft 2 at the lower quality/resolutions. As always, the higher on the list the better, but I truly recommend looking at anything above these cards. At any rate, Starcraft 2 looks to be more CPU intensive than GPU intensive, so you might be able to get away with skimping on your graphics card. Ati or Nvidia, make your pick.
Hard Drive: Its always a good idea to have a high performance hard drive, especially if you game alot. It will reduce any read lag when you are playing your game, which of course translates to FPS lag. Western Digital makes great gaming hard drives, and the raptor velociraptor series are very very good.
PSU: aka Power Supply Unit. Dont ever ever EVER skimp on your psu. This is the Heart of your computer. It pumps the energy for all of your components, and if its faulty or can't handle the load, it could go down... and take parts of your computer with it. When going for a power supply always remember to meet the minimum recommendations of your Graphics Card, but also keep in mind that you need extra juice to run the rest of your components and peripherals. Don't make the mistake of buying based off the Wattage reading. The Amperage on the rails is extremely important, and having a good high amperage (30+) on the 12V rails will keep your computer safe from electrical death. Corsair is the top brand of power supply makers.
As you guys read this keep in mind that Blizzard has not officially released the system requirements for starcraft 2. I used a mixture of common sense and small word from Blizzard to compile my post. Use this thread if you guys know your system isn't up to par (say in WC3 or WoW) and you need to upgrade.
(Besides... the future is just around the corner)
-HDstarcraft
Here's a great post in this thread by ghermination if you guys are confused as to what to buy for your computer. (Click the spoiler)
+ Show Spoiler +
On July 13 2009 22:38 ghermination wrote:
Because i'm bored, i'll take the liberty of building a budget computer for people who are confused as to what to buy. This will easily play SC2 and other games at mid rates buy dont expect it to play crysis.
I'll put this all together off of Newegg to show you how easy this is.
RAM: Can't go wrong with Kingston. I've put in 2gb, but go ahead and order 4GB if you're feeling saucy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134797 $23.99
Hard Drive: Can't go wrong with Caviar, 320GB, not the biggest, but i'll include an alternative 1TB if you feel you need the extra storage space.
320GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136109 $59.99
1TB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433 $89.99
Graphics Card:
The 9600GT is the perfect card for the budget gamer. While it may not be as powerful as its big brother the 9800GT, many people are very happy with it as it can easily play most modern games. Protip: You don't need a gig of GDDR5 to play Dead Space. Go ahead and buy two if you feel like SLI'ing it up.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127386 $69.99 (after rebate)
Also, if you feel like spending a little extra money, There is the GTS 260, Which is basically at the same place as the 9600GT in the 2xx hierarchy. Its a "budget" card but packs way more punch then you'll ever need for SC2 or even games for the next couple years. Go ahead and buy two if you feel like SLI'ing it up.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130441 $229.99
Case: A case is a case is a case. These things are deceptively pricey. You want a good balance between price and reliability. If you aren't going for a full blown balls-to-the-wall gamer rig, i reccomend a mid atx case because of the cheaper price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121035 $31.99
However, if you want a little bit more room or feel like upgrading a bit, you can always go with a full atx case, which are quite a bit more expensive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144196 $79.99
Processor: I'm sure some people will reccomend AMD chips, and thats fine with me. I've just never had consistently reliable performance out of an AMD chip, so i'm going to use Intel chips for this build.
First off, for those of you who don't like to spend a lot of money, We have the E2200. A cheap, simple, 65nm processor, that will most likely power you through browsing, some mild-moderate gaming, and maybe some mild overclocking. I really don't reccomend this processor as it is cheap and 65nm is on the way out. Its not particularly bad though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116063 $69.99
The E6300 Is a baller. It overclocks phenomenally, really you CANNOT go wrong with this processor because 45nm is the way to go.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116091 $87.99
For those of you who feel like going a bit spendy, there is always the Q8400. I have two friends with these and they both say they overclock phenomenally. I've never heard anything bad about these processors, so if you feel like making the price leap This really is worth it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057 $184.99
Motherboard: There are a wide range of motherboards floating around, but i think i'm qualified to make some pretty good reccomendations.
First, for those of you who have tight wallets, theres the Foxconn G31AX-K. Its pretty much perfect for the build up until now, although 1 PCI-E slot might be a drawback for some people. Still, it fits our needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186146 $49.99
Honestly there are so many comparatively priced motherboards you could go with, but this one just happens to be my favorite as i just used it in a computer build for my girlfriend. This is a bit spendier than the previous board, but is DEFINATELY worth it. 3 PCI-E slots for $69.99? Yes please. Only those of you who feel like ordering more than one graphics card can benefit from this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186153
Power Supply: If you've been following the build up until now, this is the last required item. If you've deviated (2 graphics cards, hard drives, whatever) you will need the more powerful power supply.
The Rosewill RG530 is perfect for anybody looking to build a low-mid cost box. Again, i've just used one in a build and it runs perfectly and is easy to install, as well as having a good number of connectors for the price. 530w, with the 6 pin connector we need for our 9600GT, as well as some 4 pins for extra fun, if we decide to get into that.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182160 $54.99
If you've deviated from the recomended build, decided to go with the GTX 260 (or two, why are you following this guide?) Have decided to get 3 hard drives etc, then i definately have to reccomend a 700w power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159089 $69.99
Also, if you decide to go with a lot of things to plug in, as in multiple hard drives or video cards, please realize that even 700w may not be sufficient, however i won't list every possible power supply.
Now that we're done with the essentials, lets get on to the fun stuff.
Monitor: While i assume most of you have a monitor, I can recommend this one because i just bought one and it looks great.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145 $149.99
CD-Drive: Not really a necessity nowadays, although we will probably need one for SC2, unless you plan on using an ISO (GASP!)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827249042 $49.99
Fans & Heatsinks: These are so fun to play around with. I cut four holes in my case and attached four case fans on.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150007 Just buy 10 of these. Shipping is free if you do, and i mean, why not have 10 for only $12.99? Sounds like a deal to me. Find things to do with them.
Intel's stock heatsink/fan combos blow. Very badly. If you feel like spending the extra money, invest in one of these, and your idle temps will drop from ~49 degrees (bad) to ~35 degrees (good) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134 $31.98
Also, if you're going to be replacing the heatsink/fan, you need some of this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $7.98
Remember, only use a dot the size of a grain of rice.
Okay guys. There is a cheap computer build. I'm sure you could find thousands on google, and i'm sure most of you could do it yourself, but i did it for you. Total cost of my recomended build? $449.93. Although that doesn't include shipping OR the multiple rebates i forgot to mention, assume your total price will be around there. Also, i didn't include the OS on purpose. I would obviously recommend a 64-bit OS to get the most out of 4GB of RAM (if you decide to go with that) but it can be more expensive. Go ahead and use XP, Vista, Solaris, Ubuntu, Fedora, i do not care. I'm sure you can take care of the OS.
Because i'm bored, i'll take the liberty of building a budget computer for people who are confused as to what to buy. This will easily play SC2 and other games at mid rates buy dont expect it to play crysis.
I'll put this all together off of Newegg to show you how easy this is.
RAM: Can't go wrong with Kingston. I've put in 2gb, but go ahead and order 4GB if you're feeling saucy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134797 $23.99
Hard Drive: Can't go wrong with Caviar, 320GB, not the biggest, but i'll include an alternative 1TB if you feel you need the extra storage space.
320GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136109 $59.99
1TB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433 $89.99
Graphics Card:
The 9600GT is the perfect card for the budget gamer. While it may not be as powerful as its big brother the 9800GT, many people are very happy with it as it can easily play most modern games. Protip: You don't need a gig of GDDR5 to play Dead Space. Go ahead and buy two if you feel like SLI'ing it up.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127386 $69.99 (after rebate)
Also, if you feel like spending a little extra money, There is the GTS 260, Which is basically at the same place as the 9600GT in the 2xx hierarchy. Its a "budget" card but packs way more punch then you'll ever need for SC2 or even games for the next couple years. Go ahead and buy two if you feel like SLI'ing it up.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130441 $229.99
Case: A case is a case is a case. These things are deceptively pricey. You want a good balance between price and reliability. If you aren't going for a full blown balls-to-the-wall gamer rig, i reccomend a mid atx case because of the cheaper price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121035 $31.99
However, if you want a little bit more room or feel like upgrading a bit, you can always go with a full atx case, which are quite a bit more expensive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144196 $79.99
Processor: I'm sure some people will reccomend AMD chips, and thats fine with me. I've just never had consistently reliable performance out of an AMD chip, so i'm going to use Intel chips for this build.
First off, for those of you who don't like to spend a lot of money, We have the E2200. A cheap, simple, 65nm processor, that will most likely power you through browsing, some mild-moderate gaming, and maybe some mild overclocking. I really don't reccomend this processor as it is cheap and 65nm is on the way out. Its not particularly bad though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116063 $69.99
The E6300 Is a baller. It overclocks phenomenally, really you CANNOT go wrong with this processor because 45nm is the way to go.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116091 $87.99
For those of you who feel like going a bit spendy, there is always the Q8400. I have two friends with these and they both say they overclock phenomenally. I've never heard anything bad about these processors, so if you feel like making the price leap This really is worth it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057 $184.99
Motherboard: There are a wide range of motherboards floating around, but i think i'm qualified to make some pretty good reccomendations.
First, for those of you who have tight wallets, theres the Foxconn G31AX-K. Its pretty much perfect for the build up until now, although 1 PCI-E slot might be a drawback for some people. Still, it fits our needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186146 $49.99
Honestly there are so many comparatively priced motherboards you could go with, but this one just happens to be my favorite as i just used it in a computer build for my girlfriend. This is a bit spendier than the previous board, but is DEFINATELY worth it. 3 PCI-E slots for $69.99? Yes please. Only those of you who feel like ordering more than one graphics card can benefit from this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186153
Power Supply: If you've been following the build up until now, this is the last required item. If you've deviated (2 graphics cards, hard drives, whatever) you will need the more powerful power supply.
The Rosewill RG530 is perfect for anybody looking to build a low-mid cost box. Again, i've just used one in a build and it runs perfectly and is easy to install, as well as having a good number of connectors for the price. 530w, with the 6 pin connector we need for our 9600GT, as well as some 4 pins for extra fun, if we decide to get into that.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182160 $54.99
If you've deviated from the recomended build, decided to go with the GTX 260 (or two, why are you following this guide?) Have decided to get 3 hard drives etc, then i definately have to reccomend a 700w power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159089 $69.99
Also, if you decide to go with a lot of things to plug in, as in multiple hard drives or video cards, please realize that even 700w may not be sufficient, however i won't list every possible power supply.
Now that we're done with the essentials, lets get on to the fun stuff.
Monitor: While i assume most of you have a monitor, I can recommend this one because i just bought one and it looks great.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145 $149.99
CD-Drive: Not really a necessity nowadays, although we will probably need one for SC2, unless you plan on using an ISO (GASP!)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827249042 $49.99
Fans & Heatsinks: These are so fun to play around with. I cut four holes in my case and attached four case fans on.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150007 Just buy 10 of these. Shipping is free if you do, and i mean, why not have 10 for only $12.99? Sounds like a deal to me. Find things to do with them.
Intel's stock heatsink/fan combos blow. Very badly. If you feel like spending the extra money, invest in one of these, and your idle temps will drop from ~49 degrees (bad) to ~35 degrees (good) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134 $31.98
Also, if you're going to be replacing the heatsink/fan, you need some of this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $7.98
Remember, only use a dot the size of a grain of rice.
Okay guys. There is a cheap computer build. I'm sure you could find thousands on google, and i'm sure most of you could do it yourself, but i did it for you. Total cost of my recomended build? $449.93. Although that doesn't include shipping OR the multiple rebates i forgot to mention, assume your total price will be around there. Also, i didn't include the OS on purpose. I would obviously recommend a 64-bit OS to get the most out of 4GB of RAM (if you decide to go with that) but it can be more expensive. Go ahead and use XP, Vista, Solaris, Ubuntu, Fedora, i do not care. I'm sure you can take care of the OS.
)
