On July 11 2009 20:37 HDstarcraft wrote:Haven't seen a post like this yet... How many of you guys are gamer-enthusiasts or just gamers in general that have been setting up your rigs in anticipation of the next generation of video games? [sc2, d3, etc] Now the game we are all most interested in here is of course SC2, and the nice thing is that blizzard tends to keep a generation or two behind. But seeing as how they ramped up the system requirements for WoW expansions, it wouldn't surprise me if they up the ante for the two SC2 expansions as well.
With 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.htmlMobo: 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 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
Also... post your rigs and discuss/ask questions! lets hear what you guys have and what you guys think =)
EPT
