cRPG

Off Topic => General Off Topic => Topic started by: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 04:00:54 am

Title: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 04:00:54 am
Hola, i'm thinking about buying a new laptop. These are the specs:

Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-3230M 2.6GHz
Grafik: Intel® HD Graphics 4000
Ram: 8 GB

I'm really bad at computers but it's cheap and the spec seems good. It only costs 400 dollars


Mount and Blade (A Clash of Kings) is pretty much the only game that i play. Will i be able to play it on atleast medium grapichs? I'd also like to play Shogun and Rome 2 if possibly but not necessary:s Any answer regarding the FPS would be lovely
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Christo on June 27, 2013, 04:05:12 am
Quote from: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 04:00:54 am
Grafik: Intel® HD Graphics 4000

What, gaming with the on-board graphics card?

That's cute.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 04:08:22 am
Read around on forums and it says it can run AC3 on low settings  :rolleyes: Just making sure if anyone of you have it
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Casimir on June 27, 2013, 04:41:19 am
My mates uni laptop is less powerful than this and runs shogun 2 reasonably.  Occasional crashes as he has only 4 GB ram. I think you should be fine with this if you're willing to cut down on graphics.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Varadin on June 27, 2013, 05:42:59 am
processor is Ok, ram is more than enough , and grahpics are uh.... :shock:
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Taser on June 27, 2013, 06:34:11 am
Quote from: Waradin on June 27, 2013, 05:42:59 am
processor is Ok, ram is more than enough , and grahpics are uh.... :shock:

Basically this. I'd put a little more money into it if it was me. To ensure that I don't have to worry too much about future games (bannerlord perhaps?).

Its definitely alright in any case. RAM is pretty high for a setup like that though.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Everkistus on June 27, 2013, 07:12:10 am
Onboard graphics are generally shit. I'd reconsider if I were you. Putting a 100$ more into the computer is much better than getting pissed at it all the time it spends lagging in games.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Torost on June 27, 2013, 09:40:02 am
I have a standard acer laptop.. maybe 2 years old now... same specs almost as you are talking about.

I play on low/medium setting in warband.

It overheats after a while or start to perform poorly.
Been thinking about getting a real dualscreen rig for a long time now.. would solve alot of problems... or create new ones :D
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Ninja_Khorin on June 27, 2013, 12:11:16 pm
Getting a dedicated graphics card is definately worth it.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 12:33:16 pm
I've been playing warband for over a year now with Intel HD Family = 10 FPS, but cRPG i can handle on 25 FPS ish. Alot of optimising?  But the thing is that the computer i'm buying is a laptop as i'm travelling alot, the computer is cheap so i don't mind spending 200 dollars on a new grapich card. The question is tough if you can change grapichs on laptops :s If not, do you think i could go to the guys in the store and 'exclusively order' ?


Edit;

• Intel Core i5-3230M
• Nvidia GeForce 740M
• 8 GB Ram


Would these specs handle Shogun 2 total war on high?
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Lennu on June 27, 2013, 12:58:22 pm
With laptops it's much more difficult to change the insides of your computer. And if you're a fan Mount&Blade, you might want to buy yourself a machine that can roll M&B 2 as well. Expecting that it'll come out within 2 years  :lol:

I bought myself some HP packet laptop (= lots of useless shit inside that I didn't want) for 700€ (~900$) 2 years ago. Running Mount&Blade with smooth 120 fps, Skyrim with 60fps etc... Nowdays you can probably get the same laptop for half the price. So I suggest you keep looking  :wink:
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Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Ginosaji on June 27, 2013, 01:17:01 pm
A core i5 and 8GB of RAM for 400$ means a completely different problem: it's too cheap (Acer?) and will most probably overheat when used for games.


Quote from: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 12:33:16 pm
• Intel Core i5-3230M
• Nvidia GeForce 740M
• 8 GB Ram

Would these specs handle Shogun 2 total war on high?

Not on high, I think, but it should handle medium to high-ish.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 03:21:28 pm
Thanks guys!

Yep, it's an acer. What's the sort of company i should buy gaming laptops from?
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Tibe on June 27, 2013, 04:18:42 pm
Quote from: Christo on June 27, 2013, 04:05:12 am
What, gaming with the on-board graphics card?

That's cute.
Thats exactly it. If you get a laptop with an onboard its byebye gaming. I think like 30% of games wont even start up on it simply cause it is an onboard and there is no way to tell which ones will or wont. And you cant upgrade to a better one either, if you have an onboard. Atleast that has been my understanding.

ASSus makes pretty good laptops imo. There is also alienware, but that shits too blingy even for rappers and pointlessly overpriced. Personally I avoid HP PCs in general. Ive had bad experiences with em.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Hirlok on June 27, 2013, 04:54:31 pm
yep, onboard chip is a pain in the butt - I have played some time on a 9400 (old MacBook Pro), and the 4000 ain't that much better...

in regards to value: recently bought a Lenovo y500 with i7 and two 650m in SLI (you can swap one for an additional hd, optical drive or fan) and it runs pretty much everything at maxed out settings and more than decent framerates.

quite silent & cool, even at 20% overclocked, quality is good, and has really good sound for a laptop.

The version without the full hd display is pretty affordable (if I need higher res, I plug in a large screen anyways...)
Highly recommended!
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: The_Bloody_Nine on June 27, 2013, 10:04:08 pm
why do you want a laptop?

I bought me a desktop together last year for around 300€ that runs most games smooth and I can upgrade easily. For uni work I got me an old IBM for 100€ (you could get some new netbook instead if you prefer that). Don't know what you exactly want with a laptop but for me this setup works great.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Gnjus on June 27, 2013, 10:07:58 pm
Quote from: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 04:00:54 am
Hola, i'm thinking about buying a new laptop.
Grafik: Intel® HD Graphics 4000


visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Sniger on June 27, 2013, 11:19:14 pm
lol, you said laptop
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 28, 2013, 01:35:38 am
Derp as stated, i'm really bad at computers  :wink:


Quote from: The_Bloody_Nine on June 27, 2013, 10:04:08 pm
why do you want a laptop?

I bought me a desktop together last year for around 300€ that runs most games smooth and I can upgrade easily. For uni work I got me an old IBM for 100€ (you could get some new netbook instead if you prefer that). Don't know what you exactly want with a laptop but for me this setup works great.


Do you think you could give me the name of the computer you bought?
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Kafein on June 28, 2013, 02:23:29 am
Quote from: Hirlok on June 27, 2013, 04:54:31 pm
yep, onboard chip is a pain in the butt - I have played some time on a 9400 (old MacBook Pro), and the 4000 ain't that much better...

in regards to value: recently bought a Lenovo y500 with i7 and two 650m in SLI (you can swap one for an additional hd, optical drive or fan) and it runs pretty much everything at maxed out settings and more than decent framerates.

quite silent & cool, even at 20% overclocked, quality is good, and has really good sound for a laptop.

The version without the full hd display is pretty affordable (if I need higher res, I plug in a large screen anyways...)
Highly recommended!

Lenovo are pretty good laptops, but I don't think that specific beast is in the target budget.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Christo on June 28, 2013, 04:44:24 am
Quote from: The_Bloody_Nine on June 27, 2013, 10:04:08 pm
why do you want a laptop?

I bought me a desktop together last year for around 300€ that runs most games smooth and I can upgrade easily. For uni work I got me an old IBM for 100€ (you could get some new netbook instead if you prefer that). Don't know what you exactly want with a laptop but for me this setup works great.

This is a very good idea that I agree with.

The most important laptop parts aren't interchangeable, you are stuck with whatever you get.


Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Senni__Ti on June 28, 2013, 01:57:02 pm
If your really set on integrated graphics, get a 4000 series Intel chip (Haswell).
It's integrated is much better (a graphics card would be even better!).

AMD also does integrated now, so if the above is too expensive, it would be worth a look.

If you plan on doing any kind of gaming on the laptop, get one with a real graphics card.
You can save a bit of money getting a AMD CPU + Graphics card.

Brand wise, I find MSI makes reasonable laptops. Build quality is pretty cheap, but the parts inside tend to be pretty good.

What is your price range?
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 28, 2013, 05:49:27 pm
I live in sweden so... give me a second

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 28, 2013, 05:56:20 pm
Alrighty then, 8000kr with the USD changing around every day and with the recent rush in 'murica it should be something around 1194.364986 dollars, transfering to common european currency and the daily change it should lie around 912.983637 euros. My budget is 912.983637 euros.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Son Of Odin on June 28, 2013, 06:08:38 pm
Quote from: Bittersteel on June 28, 2013, 05:49:27 pm
I live in sweden so... give me a second

(click to show/hide)

Fix'd it for ya.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 28, 2013, 06:33:53 pm
 :lol:


On another note found this.


(click to show/hide)


Seems like a good enough computer for a very good price. Should i strike?
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: [ptx] on June 28, 2013, 06:50:50 pm
Seems okay'ish. A few specs are not listed there, that could be of interest and i'd probably separately buy and put in an SSD drive in that, to serve as system drive.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Tore on June 29, 2013, 01:46:17 am
Quote from: Bittersteel on June 27, 2013, 04:00:54 am
laptop

visitors can't see pics , please register or login
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Senni__Ti on June 29, 2013, 02:37:21 am
Rough decent build from a UK website (Self assemble, much easier than it sounds ;) ).
(click to show/hide)

You could get a NVIDIA GTX 770 instead, but it pushes you close to your budget limit (not sure on conversion rates + your tax rates, we have 20%). Or you could get an AMD card, they tend to be slightly cheaper.

Try and find a local computer part website, aim for similar parts. (Or try and go for better rated parts).
Hopefully it will be cheaper with less tax! :)

Note: Motherboard doesn't support SLI (2 x Nvidia graphics), but it does support AMD Xfire. However you would also need a new powersupply. (current is too small for 2x)
And you won't be able to upgrade to a different generation of CPU. (Though this should be fine, and the intel 4670 isn't much better)

Also you should get a better cooler for the CPU, I use the Zalman CNPS10X-PERFORMA for my intel 4770k. (It was ~£25 and works like a dream, and you can stick a second fan on it easily!)

Side note: Build you posted is OK, just seems a little expensive. (All pre-built are :/)
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Leshma on June 29, 2013, 03:17:19 am
Quote from: Bittersteel on June 28, 2013, 05:56:20 pm
Alrighty then, 8000kr with the USD changing around every day and with the recent rush in 'murica it should be something around 1194.364986 dollars, transfering to common european currency and the daily change it should lie around 912.983637 euros. My budget is 912.983637 euros.

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00ARUBEHG/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=computers
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Tigero on June 29, 2013, 10:21:20 am
Quote from: Christo on June 27, 2013, 04:05:12 am
What, gaming with the on-board graphics card?

That's cute.

Runs M&B with full graphics, no AA (the GPU sucks with AA) @200fps. That's all it needs to do...
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Senni__Ti on June 29, 2013, 12:35:20 pm
Quote from: Leshma on June 29, 2013, 03:17:19 am
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00ARUBEHG/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=computers

Nice find, expect it to get very hot though ;). (Get a laptop cooling stand)
And the Battery life will suck, you will have to have it plugged in to use it properly.

It's not a bad price though ;).

MSI 660m (GPU) EUR 729,00 from second website
http://www.amazon.de/MSI-GE60-I760M245FD-Notebook/dp/B00BFX6R94/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1372501116&sr=1-1&keywords=msi
http://www.notebooksbilliger.de/msi+ge60+i760m245fd+gaming+notebook

Won't be as powerful, but it'll still run most things very well. (I have a very similar laptop with the previous generation of CPU and graphics card, it won't run things on max, but 720p medium -> high detail).

It should have a slightly longer battery life (as 1 more powerful GPU, instead of 2 less powerful.)

For reference:

660m Lenovo EUR 928,15
http://www.amazon.de/Lenovo-Ideapad-Notebook-3630QM-NVIDIA/dp/B009M5E17M/ref=sr_1_13?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1372501545&sr=1-13&keywords=lenovo

Probably a better build quality, but not worth the extra EUR 200 ;). And it's more expensive and slower than Leshma's :P.

Also to keep in mind, dual GPUs tend to be not as smooth as single, and will make the whole system run hotter.
Though the smoothness thing shouldn't be overly noticeable, as Nvidia tend to be pretty good.

A desktop would be faster still. *Hint Hint* ;P
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Zaalback on June 29, 2013, 01:39:16 pm
http://www.topachat.com/pages/detail2_cat_est_ordinateurs_puis_rubrique_est_w_porgam_puis_ref_est_in10068269.html
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Leshma on June 29, 2013, 02:09:25 pm
Quote from: Senni__Ti on June 29, 2013, 12:35:20 pm
Nice find, expect it to get very hot though ;). (Get a laptop cooling stand)
And the Battery life will suck, you will have to have it plugged in to use it properly.

It has nice cooling system but laptop cooling stand is a must, especially if you plan to play games for longer than half an hour. Battery is pretty much the same for every gaming laptop. There isn't a gaming laptop that will last more than 90 minutes under full load. Both are valid remarks, but both can be said for every other gaming laptop on the market. If you want to game on laptop, it has to be plugged in.

Y500 is last year model, that's the reason for good price. New model is Y510p and it has Haswell CPU, more RAM and most importantly, it has matte screen. Thanks to Haswell CPU, battery lasts 5 hours instead of 3 hours when you're surfing (under full load is the same). But it cost 200 euro more, which makes no sense (Haswell and matte screen aren't worth 200 euro difference).

There's also MSI GE60 for similar price, but it has single GPU (GT660M) and looks fugly imho (I like MacBook elegant design, other gaming laptops look like child toys). It's also MSI which means that model you buy can end up being awesome or utter garbage. Lenovo laptops were IBM in the past, I trust them more than other brands.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Senni__Ti on June 29, 2013, 02:34:19 pm
Quote from: Leshma on June 29, 2013, 02:09:25 pm

Yeah I should have clarified: All gaming laptops need a cooling stand + plugged in for full performance.

The battery comment was more for non-gaming / lite-gaming -> battery life wouldn't be as great there as a single GPU.
(I'm not sure how good the powersaving options are, whether you can 'turn off' the physical GPUs. And many applications use GPU acceleration)

Tbh I'd only really go haswell if you plan on using the IGP (integrated graphics), not enough of an improvement to justify the hefty increase in price. (Slightly cheaper desktop wise, but still a mark up e.g. Motherboard + CPU)

Agree on the last part, MSI laptops tend to be very hard on the eyes + pretty cheaply built.
It would be worth looking up reviews.
But you do get decent hardware at a lower price and MSI has a pretty good warranty + RMA service.
(I would check out the warranties on all the laptops, don't want to get shafted with some minimal excuse for warranty).

Lenovo is a higher tier brand, you pay the extra for the guaranteed quality build + looks.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Lannistark on June 29, 2013, 02:59:05 pm
Laptops are normally bad for gaming. If it has to be a laptop, try to get one with at least a GT 540M or something like that.

Intel Graphics are a solution for desktop handling and some minor video encoding. Don't even try to run a game on that, you'll fry the PC while watching an uncompelling slideshow.

Regardless, I suggest you take a look at notebookcheck.net. They have plenty of useful reviews on mobile graphic cards.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on June 29, 2013, 03:21:17 pm
Guys, thanks for your help, very appreciate but after reconsideration i'm going for a desktop.


Processor; AMD A-serien A8-5500 / 3.2 GHz
RAM; 8
Card; Radeon HD7560D


(click to show/hide)

It seems like it got the same specs like this one and it's VERY cheap.

(click to show/hide)

He might have done some changes tough, will i be able to run these kind of games smoothly?
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Tore on June 29, 2013, 03:56:37 pm
Build your own pc, or atleast choose your own parts and get it built. :)
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Zaalback on June 30, 2013, 12:11:34 am
Quote from: Bittersteel on June 29, 2013, 03:21:17 pm

(click to show/hide)


Well ... wait, if your budget is 8000 kr. Why are you looking for a 3900 kr computer ?  :shock:
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Senni__Ti on June 30, 2013, 12:35:24 am
HP isn't a good brand.

Generally they don't have enough ventilation on the cases (both holes and fans).
And usually overpriced and mass produced.

Quote from: Tore on June 29, 2013, 03:56:37 pm
Build your own pc, or atleast choose your own parts and get it built. :)
^
It will be cheaper than buying a pre-built and you know what you can add later ;). (Some pre-builts make it very difficult to add anything later on)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roFb3TNePIg
This is reasonable guide for the general gist.

There are more indepth guides for building, just a nice intro.

I recently built my first ever desktop (~3 weeks ago). Instructions were clear, video guides helped; it went without a hitch ;)!
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on July 01, 2013, 08:37:46 pm
ATI Radeon HD 5850 any good? Can it handle AC3 on medium settings?


EDIT: ATI Radeon HD 5850 vs GeForce GTX 650ti? Got a really cheap offer
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Taser on July 01, 2013, 08:44:14 pm
Not sure if its been posted but..

http://www.logicalincrements.com/ (http://www.logicalincrements.com/)

Decent place to check out a guideline for making a desktop.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Senni__Ti on July 01, 2013, 09:10:28 pm
I'd go 650ti out of the two.

5850 is a bit old, they are roughly equal in performance.

But your budget easily allows for something better :O.

EDIT: AC3 performance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOSJl860hXA

Over 100 on medium 1080p.

Though if your doing 1080p, you should be doing more than medium :P

http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/4147/8/nvidia-geforce-gtx-650-ti-boost-review-incl-frametimes-hq-full-hd-for-less-than-e200-assassins-creed-iii---1920x1080-+-frametimes

38.2 fps on very high.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: ForGO_of_Acre on July 01, 2013, 10:56:47 pm
dnt know what your budget is but I got a alienware m14x r2 for 900 usd. has i5 3230 8gb ddr3 and dedicated gt650m gfx chip as laptops are to small for a "card" per say. what im saying is look around. also for around 500-600 usd you can build decent gaming pc.
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on July 02, 2013, 12:00:37 am
Quote from: Zaalback on June 30, 2013, 12:11:34 am
Well ... wait, if your budget is 8000 kr. Why are you looking for a 3900 kr computer ?  :shock:


Call me a gamer or not but i'm trying to save as much money as possible  :lol:


Found these 2 great computers both for 3000kr,

Computer 1
http://www.blocket.se/stockholm/Speldator__I7_3_74GHz__GTX_470__8GB_Ram_47965569.htm?ca=13&w=3 (http://www.blocket.se/stockholm/Speldator__I7_3_74GHz__GTX_470__8GB_Ram_47965569.htm?ca=13&w=3)

Computer 2
http://www.blocket.se/orebro/Kraftfull___snabb_begagnad_speldator_47965966.htm?ca=13&w=3 (http://www.blocket.se/orebro/Kraftfull___snabb_begagnad_speldator_47965966.htm?ca=13&w=3)


Which of 'em should i buy? Sorry for the swedish shit but the setup is in there  :oops:
Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Senni__Ti on July 02, 2013, 12:34:12 am
Number 1

It's ~3 years old afaik.

It's quite a bit better than number 2.
But it has been OCed, so that is something to keep in mind. (It's been running hot for however many years)

It's better than the other 3900kr computer too.

The thing with second hand pcs, pretty much 0 warranty. If it dies, game over.

Also you would be starting with a 3 year out of date PC. It's a bit like handicapping yourself.
I don't think the 470 has DX11 capabilities, and will probably be lacking other newer features introduced in the last 3 years.

Though if you plan on gaming on medium, it's fine. (Will probably outperform the 650ti too)

Also since it's barely scratching your budget, if it does die, you can always get another :P.

PS: I'd still go for the build your own option ;)

Title: Re: New PC.
Post by: Bittersteel on July 02, 2013, 01:00:01 am
Thank you very much for the help bud!