When using this resource, please read FragKrag's opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly.
On May 03 2011 18:26 TooN wrote: Hey guys. I want my PC to have amazing sound. Is there any components that needs to be more specific if I want awesome sound?
Like do I need a specific motherboard or something?
As mentioned earlier, you want a dedicated device processing your sound, like a sound card, internal or external. What you get depends on what you want. If you're outputting a sound system to a device that takes in S/PDIF (digital), most motherboards can do that fine and you'd get no benefit from a discrete sound card. If you're looking to feed an output device that takes USB in (also digital), likewise don't bother since the sound card wouldn't be used.
If you're outputting to analog-input computer speakers, all you need is a quality line out. If you have a 5.1 or 7.1 setup, you'll need more line outs corresponding to those channels. If you're outputting to analog-input headphones, you need a quality headphone output (the difference between this and a line out is that this one needs to have a headphone amp behind it capable of supplying enough current and voltage). If you want good quality input sound quality (microphone), you want a good input path as well--though for most people, the microphone is probably the limiting factor.
If you say what you'd be connecting it to and your budget, then we can be more specific.
On May 03 2011 21:48 marvin. wrote: first of all I'd like to say that this thread is the shit and the amount of information in here is just amazing. I'm looking to build a budget computer to possibly stream on (is this even possible?)
Not possible for $400, unless you're building from used parts maybe, or if you really want to go the Athlon II X4 route. You can forget about streaming SC2 if you're getting the Core i3-2100. But keep in mind that motherboards that support the i3-2100 also support higher-end CPUs that can easily stream including ones to be released next year.
At those prices I'd take the bundle with the MSI motherboard. There are small differences between them, but the MSI one is tied for cheapest has USB3, and arguably has a better layout than the Biostar one. All ATX cases fit microATX motherboards. There's just some extra space not being used if you use a microATX motherboard.
On May 03 2011 23:12 ditkaordie wrote: Hey guys, I know literally nothing about computers but would love to stream me and my friends playing some sc2. One of my friends who does know a lot more than I about computers recommended this computer (its a little over $900 which is my budget). He said I should stick with ibuypower.com because I cannot actually build the computer myself and this will come preassembled.
With the specs listed below will I be able to stream (on justin.tv pref) at a high quality? + Show Spoiler +
Thanks in advance.
These are the specs I first looked at (Dual Monitor setup)
Case ( Azza Triton Gaming Case - Black ) Processor ( [= Quad Core =] AMD Phenom™ II X4 945 Quad-Core CPU ) Processor Cooling ( Liquid CPU Cooling System [AMD] - [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan ) Memory ( 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand ) Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 - 1GB - Single Card ) Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by ATI or NVIDIA ) Motherboard ( Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 -- AMD 870 w/ 2x PCI-E 2.0 x16 ) Motherboard USB / SATA Interface ( Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface ) Power Supply ( 600 Watt -- Standard ) Primary Hard Drive ( 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 3.0Gb/s - Single Drive ) Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black ) Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard ) Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) ) Operating System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only ) Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard - **FREE Upgrade to Thermaltake eSPORTS CHALLENGER Gaming Keyboard** ) Monitor ( 22" LCD 1680x1050 -- Sceptre X220T-Naga ) 2nd Monitor ( 19" LCD 1440x900 ) Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support ) Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
So that cyberpower build comes with two monitors and operating system for around $900? That might not be so bad then. You need an OS, and monitors?
The generally better option unless there's a killer deal is to just pick parts on NCIXUS and then pay the $50 assembly/testing fee. That usually ends up with a better price (and better customer service). You also don't get stuck with stuff like a mystery brand PSU or suboptimal configurations.
I don't know why several people here say that you should get a i5-2400 over a i5-2500K, you will be able to get so much more out of the i5-2500K than a 2400 one.
And I'd say that you shouldn't get a cheap motherboard just because you perhaps know nothing about overclocking, you can always learn, and you can learn fast. It's really simple once you read a few articles about it and your PC will skyrocket in performance compared to before. (For no extra cost, just better parts)
A decent Motherboard for overclocking, but no support for SLI or CrossFireX
Altho, if you plan to use SLI or CFX later on, you could add about 30-40$ and get a motherboard that supports it.
I also feel like with lower budgets you should go for 6850 or 6870, I don't understand why people tell you to buy 5850, which is last generation, and not that big of a price difference.
Im looking around TL for some advice on how what and why you need parts for streaming, and what parts i need, and such, but they all tell me about the setup of procaster/xsplit and so on, but i cant find where it tells me what computer i need. I'´d love it if someone could compile a short list about what parts are needed, and why. whats the minimum, and whats the best "stable" setup. can you help :D?
On May 04 2011 00:25 BumsenDK wrote: Im looking around TL for some advice on how what and why you need parts for streaming, and what parts i need, and such, but they all tell me about the setup of procaster/xsplit and so on, but i cant find where it tells me what computer i need. I'´d love it if someone could compile a short list about what parts are needed, and why. whats the minimum, and whats the best "stable" setup. can you help :D?
There's about a million threads on that in this very board, likely some on front page, and there's a search function.
Ok thx for it, i guess i dont know what to search for then, but thx for at least reading that im looking around tl / searching around tl. And esspecially the advice you gave, makes me all warm inside.
But if we then pretend i did search and didnt find a post about the requirements for streaming sc2, and we then pretend the searches yeilded alot of info about xsplit, procaster, and what requirements you have to play sc2, but not about the requirements for doing both at the same time, and some suggestions on the hardware you needed.
We’ve been looking for a laptop for my wife to go back to school. I know more about desktops and jack about macs. The current debate is between either new or used; mac or PC. I lean toward New and PC, it’s invariably more money but to me it feels safer and it should see her through 3 years of PA school. She’s leaning towards used and a mac because they're cheaper and she has a nice mac at work. Here’s her requirements:
• Going to need to last at least three years • Screen size of about 15.6”—doesn’t really need more but I think less could strain her eyes • Not going to do any sort of serious gaming on it • Primary uses include: Internet browsing (and shopping, ugh), writing papers, iTunes, PvZ (No not what you’re thinking, Plants vs. Zombies). • No photo, video, music editing (another reason I’m against mac here) • If it’s a PC she wants Win7 • Low pricetag $600 would be max.
I know this is a broad request but I was hoping to get some advice here. I guess what I’m looking for is what you guys would do in my shoes. Also, if anyone is familiar with Macs, what should I look for?
On May 04 2011 00:46 BumsenDK wrote: Ok thx for it, i guess i dont know what to search for then, but thx for at least reading that im looking around tl / searching around tl. And esspecially the advice you gave, makes me all warm inside.
But if we then pretend i did search and didnt find a post about the requirements for streaming sc2, and we then pretend the searches yeilded alot of info about xsplit, procaster, and what requirements you have to play sc2, but not about the requirements for doing both at the same time, and some suggestions on the hardware you needed.
Try searching for "hardware stream", select content only, select the Tech Support subforum. You would then find tons of posts, in this and other threads in this forum, talking about hardware and streaming.
So if we then pretend that your smartass answer came before a proper search, we can pretend that my response to your question was perfectly reasonable.
On May 04 2011 02:01 JingleHell wrote: Try searching for "hardware stream", select content only, select the Tech Support subforum. You would then find tons of posts, in this and other threads in this forum, talking about hardware and streaming.
Thx for the response, that is a post i can use, and it helped me alot. And it was not a smartass thing, its a thing about posting something along the lines "google it" when someone asks for help, and i did write i had looked around, but couldnt find it. But the last one you wrote was very helpfull, and i thx you sir.
On May 04 2011 02:01 JingleHell wrote: Try searching for "hardware stream", select content only, select the Tech Support subforum. You would then find tons of posts, in this and other threads in this forum, talking about hardware and streaming.
Thx for the response, that is a post i can use, and it helped me alot. And it was not a smartass thing, its a thing about posting something along the lines "google it" when someone asks for help, and i did write i had looked around, but couldnt find it. But the last one you wrote was very helpfull, and i thx you sir.
Your original comment actually made it sound more like you had glanced at the front page of the Tech Support board, maybe tried reading one post, and decided to just make a post asking something that's been answered many many times.
When someone comes here and says they've "looked around" and then makes a duplicate of twelve other duplicates, that's generally what it means, thus my response. Apologies for the inconvenience.
I'd get this Dell Vostro 3550 for $500. It has a latest-gen Core i3-2310M Sandy Bridge CPU with integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000, so the specs are good (aside from only 2GB RAM lol, but that can be upgraded by yourself for not too much money, if need be). Power consumption should be fairly low, and it's aluminum and hopefully decent quality to last 3 years. http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/252526
@BumsenDK
Streaming pretty much just uses the CPU to encode the video and audio content, so it's heavily constrained by the CPU and not too much else. How much CPU it takes depends on the stream output quality and settings. You can get by with less in many cases, but if you're buying these days, you should look for a Core i5-2x00 (latest-gen Intel quad core).
Streaming pretty much just uses the CPU to encode the video and audio content, so it's heavily constrained by the CPU and not too much else. How much CPU it takes depends on the stream output quality and settings. You can get by with less in many cases, but if you're buying these days, you should look for a Core i5-2x00 (latest-gen Intel quad core).
On May 03 2011 21:48 marvin. wrote: first of all I'd like to say that this thread is the shit and the amount of information in here is just amazing. I'm looking to build a budget computer to possibly stream on (is this even possible?)
Not possible for $400, unless you're building from used parts maybe, or if you really want to go the Athlon II X4 route. You can forget about streaming SC2 if you're getting the Core i3-2100. But keep in mind that motherboards that support the i3-2100 also support higher-end CPUs that can easily stream including ones to be released next year.
At those prices I'd take the bundle with the MSI motherboard. There are small differences between them, but the MSI one is tied for cheapest has USB3, and arguably has a better layout than the Biostar one. All ATX cases fit microATX motherboards. There's just some extra space not being used if you use a microATX motherboard.
Thanks for the suggestions, I have a few questions though:
Where would the setup be bottlenecked? Pretty much only at the CPU?
I'm a but puzzled because on my current laptop which is very outdated (running a Intel Core2Duo P8600 with a 9600M GT) I run sc2 on low at 1600x900 full screen on lowest with absoultely no lag. When I stream on this system there's a decent amount of lag so that my mouse movements aren't very smooth, but still usable (not for high level gaming, but for streaming replays and such).
Would the superior cpu and gpu really not be able to stream at all? Or would it be able to stream maybe at low levels (maybe 1600x900 resolution with all settings on low?)
And with a similar setup to the one I posted, at what graphics settings do you think my sc2 would run at with no lag?
The Core i3 2100 is still a dual core processor even if its architecture is superior to that of your older Core 2 Duo. Starcraft 2 already utilizes two cores so streaming would require additional cores for a smooth experience.
The Radeon 5770 that you listed in your original post would be capable of 1920x1080 on high/ultra (with possible slowdowns during army engagements).
I found it kind of surprising that the OP said Velociraptors suck. Maximum PC did a benchmark awhile back that showed they were the better buy than SSDs if you wanted that improvement in speed. Granted, SSDs have come down in price since then (not much really), it's still kind of strange.
On May 04 2011 05:07 divito wrote: I found it kind of surprising that the OP said Velociraptors suck. Maximum PC did a benchmark awhile back that showed they were the better buy than SSDs if you wanted that improvement in speed. Granted, SSDs have come down in price since then (not much really), it's still kind of strange.
Value of a Velociraptor vs an SSD is based on usage and premium. Basically, they both cost a premium, the performance increase from both is dependent on usage, and the people who will get a good value from a raptor likely aren't looking for that generic of advice to begin with. 7200 RPM on an HDD will generally suffice for any kind of home use storage application, and for random reads, an SSD smokes a velociraptor, making it wreck for boot/software.
I understand that the Bulldozer will come out by the time I start building my computer but I want to get an idea what I can get with my budget as of now. Here are my answers to the questions again:
What is your budget?
Looking to build one within a budget of $1000 - $1200 -- this is including a monitor as well.
What is your resolution?
Unsure but I'm looking at getting a monitor that is 23" or bigger. So any video graphic card that can support that in max resolution.
What are you using it for?
Mostly gaming but generally an overall good computer.
What is your upgrade cycle?
Probably 2 years so I'm looking at a computer than will last me quite a while.
When do you plan on building it?
Hopefully over this summer
Do you plan on overclocking?
I'm new to this whole building your own system thing so I'm not particularly comfortable in overclocking just yet, maybe in the future, so I will like to have the option to do so.
Do you need an Operating System?
I do but I might be able to get it for free. So please don't include it within the budget.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
Most likely not, but I wouldn't mind having the the option to be able to do so.
Where are you buying your parts from?
I work at Microcenter so I'll most likely be getting the parts there. But newegg is a close alternative. I'm also open to suggestions.
EPT
