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On April 01 2013 15:30 Myrmidon wrote:
A workable build for that kind of money is not really possible without scrounging around used markets and so on (well, not really for closer to $400), so just be warned. Even with an unlimited budget it's not possible with currently-available hardware to get close to 60 fps solid even in 1v1. Turning up graphics-related settings is just going to exacerbate things.
Overheating is pretty much not a concern for any desktop build unless you're packing multiple graphics cards or are really abusing a generic OEM case or equivalent with high-end hardware it was never intended to house, heatsinks are dusty or otherwise falling off or not in working order, and/or you're overclocking significantly.
SC2 is not a demanding game compared to most others on the GPU (even more so if you're talking screen resolutions much lower than 1080p like Belial is), but that's not true for the CPU.
Just as a reference, what were the specs of the laptop?
Thanks for the reply. It was my old HP pavillion dv7 series laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 / 2.4 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT - 512.0 MB and 6gb RAM. On lowest settings, It would be okay for a while, then after my laptop heated up too much, it would either shut down or lag like crazy. I wasn't able to play more than 5 games in a row cuz of the ovearheating. Pretty much every time a massive zerg army attacked at me, I had the opportunity to micro in slow-mo. I don't know how I got to grand master with this junk. I must've really liked this game.
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United Kingdom20326 Posts
Well you can max the game, the question is if you can max it well. I mean, all of the graphics settings dont really affect framerates where they matter once you have an adequate GPU, it's just physics and effects that murder framerates (yes, you can have twice as much fps on low as extreme staring at workers, go re-test it during any time FPS is below 60), so basically if you get a low performing CPU like the Phenom II x4 965 BE and a decent graphics card (and especially running on lower resolutions) then you can switch from low/med to max settings without your FPS being penalized (if we exclude physics, effects), but you still have like half as much minimum and average FPS as an overclocked 3570k system.
A phenom II would not be a massive upgrade from 2.4ghz core 2 duo, but still a noteable one, there's no point upgrading into a dead socket while simultaneously getting a weak-ish GPU, so there's not much that can be done at that kind of price point, not for a big improvement. The real juice comes with ivy bridge/haswell i5, and if you want to max sc2, a mid low tier GPU like the 7770 and you just cant build anything close to that for $400
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On April 01 2013 18:08 Cyro wrote:
Well you can max the game, the question is if you can max it well. I mean, all of the graphics settings dont really affect framerates where they matter once you have an adequate GPU, it's just physics and effects that murder framerates (yes, you can have twice as much fps on low as extreme staring at workers, go re-test it during any time FPS is below 60), so basically if you get a low performing CPU like the Phenom II x4 965 BE and a decent graphics card (and especially running on lower resolutions) then you can switch from low/med to max settings without your FPS being penalized (if we exclude physics, effects), but you still have like half as much minimum and average FPS as an overclocked 3570k system.
A phenom II would not be a massive upgrade from 2.4ghz core 2 duo, but still a noteable one, there's no point upgrading into a dead socket while simultaneously getting a weak-ish GPU, so there's not much that can be done at that kind of price point, not for a big improvement. The real juice comes with ivy bridge/haswell i5, and if you want to max sc2, a mid low tier GPU like the 7770 and you just cant build anything close to that for $400
Having said that, something might be possible if one goes "Belial-mode" (:D). Try sourcing a monitor an/or a HDD second hand or free from a friend. Get a second hand 460 768MB (I can attest that this does quite well in SC2, and overclocks well too). Can the poster's case be re-used?
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United Kingdom20326 Posts
Even Belial with his rig says at 1360x768 he's maxing the VRAM on his 768MB 460 and simultaneously maxing his 4gb RAM from just playing Starcraft 2
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On April 01 2013 23:37 Cyro wrote:
Even Belial with his rig says at 1360x768 he's maxing the VRAM on his 768MB 460 and simultaneously maxing his 4gb RAM from just playing Starcraft 2
It's easy to be conservative with RAM usage. (No Chrome, minimal background programmes running while gaming). I played SC2 on that card and a Phenom II 925 (2.8ghz, not overclocked), on mid-high settings well enough for 2 years at 1080p, never went above 3.5GB.
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On April 01 2013 23:37 Cyro wrote:
Even Belial with his rig says at 1360x768 he's maxing the VRAM on his 768MB 460 and simultaneously maxing his 4gb RAM from just playing Starcraft 2
SC2 does not take 4gb of RAM. Before I upgraded it ran just fine on 2gb of RAM.
@Gumbi background programs don't take up much RAM at all.
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On April 02 2013 00:21 MisterFred wrote:Show nested quote +On April 01 2013 23:37 Cyro wrote:
Even Belial with his rig says at 1360x768 he's maxing the VRAM on his 768MB 460 and simultaneously maxing his 4gb RAM from just playing Starcraft 2 SC2 does not take 4gb of RAM. Before I upgraded it ran just fine on 2gb of RAM. @Gumbi background programs don't take up much RAM at all.
I know, I'm talking about someone having lotsof unnecessary crap running - Skype, Chrome with 20 tabs, etc etc. We are in agreement anyway on SC2's RAM usage anyways.
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On April 02 2013 00:32 Gumbi wrote:Show nested quote +On April 02 2013 00:21 MisterFred wrote:On April 01 2013 23:37 Cyro wrote:
Even Belial with his rig says at 1360x768 he's maxing the VRAM on his 768MB 460 and simultaneously maxing his 4gb RAM from just playing Starcraft 2 SC2 does not take 4gb of RAM. Before I upgraded it ran just fine on 2gb of RAM. @Gumbi background programs don't take up much RAM at all. I know, I'm talking about someone having lotsof unnecessary crap running - Skype, Chrome with 20 tabs, etc etc. We are in agreement anyway on SC2's RAM usage anyways.
Is Sticky Notes, Calculator, Gomplayer running Hayden, Opera with 15 tabs & Firefox w/5 lots of unnecessary crap?  . These are the programs I basically never close.
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This is actually amazing. I think I'd be able to afford this if I drop the optical drive and go with the cheapest build you've suggested. I only play 1v1 ladder games so as long as I don't have any problems with that, I'd be more than happy. Thank you so much!!
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United Kingdom20326 Posts
3570k with decent overclock could be like 50-75% better than pentium in terms of framerates, it's hard to say though. 40% better, no problem, 50%, probably, 75%, maybe. Depends how much you gain from having >2 cores, there's very little testing recently i think, it's an amazing CPU but just too expensive to fit into such a low budget. If you could get a second hard card like the gtx260, maybe 460 then i would not hesitate to go for it (3570k and overclock) for an sc2 monster PC but that's a more difficult option
Oops wasted 5k post :/
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btw there's an inefficiency with some prebuilt systems because you're paying for an OS you don't need, but in this price range that can be a better option, especially if you don't insist on turning graphics settings all the way up (which makes almost no difference to image quality other than adding sparkles and effects that obscure the actual action).
e.g. manufacturer refurb Lenovo IdeaCentre for $300 shipped is:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-IdeaCentre-H430-Desktop-i3-2120-3-3GHz-4GB-Memory-1TB-Windows-7-2558XF4-/111044214237?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item19dac03ddd
Core i3-2120 (a little better than the G2120)
4GB DDR3
1TB 7200rpm
optical drive
motherboard
case
power supply (going to be much better than the cheapest stuff you can find but of course worse than what was linked above at over $50)
Throw in say an HD 6570 for ~$50 and you can cover medium shaders at least.
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He mentioned he's from Canada just so you all know >.>
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What would you go with GTX 660 2gb or 7850 2gb? Both are the same price and the 7850 2gb comes with Bioshock & Tomb raider
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On April 02 2013 06:49 feanor1 wrote:What would you go with GTX 660 2gb or 7850 2gb? Both are the same price and the 7850 2gb comes with Bioshock & Tomb raider
I'd get this combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1247439
Just the style of the heatspreaders and maybe different ICs (not relevant if you aren't doing hardcore RAM overclocking).
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You da man, thanks for the help
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Hey guys,
saved up a total of 1,1k Euro and I want to reward myself for my A-levels in 2weeks so after them I want to buy a new gaming PC.
!!I need a monitor aswell therefore it should be included in your calculations and I am open for recommandations.!!
What are you using it for?
So, I will use it mostly for gaming, streaming and little stuff like PPPT-s and Word... Skype, Browser etc.
Only standard stuff....
When do you plan on building it?
As I said before, I want to buy the pieces in 2weeks from today.
Do you plan on overclocking?
Not at all, i ve read what the OP wrote about it but I dont think I will use it.
Do you need an Operating System?
Yes, but I like Windows 7(have it on my laptop)
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
Do i need this for Starcraft and streaming?
Where are you buying your parts from?
I currently live in Germany, so I can only buy what I get from here.
In conclusion, I would like to build myself a new gaming pc which will be sufficient to stream and play Starcraft and from time to time some shooters with friends at Lan´s.
Greets
I am open for any adivce!
Thanks in advance.
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EPT
