Question about buying a new PC.

[Sira]

I'm looking to buy a new PC for XIV, but I'm not too computer savy and I'm on a budget. (No more than $700, small I know.)

I went and looked around Bestbuy and this is what I found:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pav...&skuId=9964106

What I want to know is

Will that computer be able to run XIV at least semi-decently until I can afford a better PC? (I would switch out the GPU of course)

Any graphics card reccomendations? Provided this computer would work.

If none of this would work. Could someone point me towards a decent computer then?

Thanks in advance!

[shaddix]

Find a friend who can build one for you. You can get a machine that can run FFXIV decently for 700 bucks, but you won't be able to buy it pre-built.

[Cooleko]

I understand you are looking for as cheap as possible, but check the tech thread in the main forums, you can build a rig that can run ffxiv decently for 600-800.

your choice of the best buy prebuilt is not a good one because you are wasting about $100 dollars on the preinstalled gpu (which there is no way you could ever resell) and then expecting to buy another gpu to upgrade it.
you are also wasting about $100 on their productivity package which is going to bog down your PC.

So before you even start upgrading that POS, you have already wasted 200 of your budget.
Also, if you read the reviews on that same page the computer is rated for "basic productivity".

try looking through here, i limited the price range to max of 750.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...537&IsNodeId=1

[ufo]

From that link these will run it out of the box:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229181

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229179

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883227274 *Out of stock

[Sira]

Ok I looked through Newegg and I can afford most of them. What are some opinions on these? (Keep in mind it just needs to run XIV decently until I can drop $1200+ in January)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883227262

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229173

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16883229187R (Open box: Bad idea? Good idea?)

Thanks for the replies so far!

[Edit] - Think it would be possible to install a wireless card on one of those?
[Edit2] - I'm currently using a 32' HDTV as my monitor. Would one of the Newegg computers support VGA?

[ufo]

Ok I looked through Newegg and I can afford most of them. What are some opinions on these? (Keep in mind it just needs to run XIV decently until I can drop $1200+ in January)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883227262

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229173

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16883229187R (Open box: Bad idea? Good idea?)

Thanks for the replies so far!

[Edit] - Think it would be possible to install a wireless card on one of those?

Those ones don't have powerful enough graphics cards.. the HD 5670 is borderline might be playable.


Take a look at this list:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...on,2646-7.html

the cutoff line for FFXIV is:

GeForce:
Discrete: 8800 GTS 640 MB, 9600 GT, GT 240 (GDDR5)

Radeon:
Discrete: HD 3870 X2, HD 4850, HD 5750
Mobility: HD 4850, HD 5850

so look for something above those on the list (only look at discrete)

you could easily install a wireless card, especially a wireless usb adapter

edit- I changed the cutoff line for Radeon, but yes they should support VGA directly or with a cheap adapter that may be included.

I would watch out for the open box because they don't have to include accessories (mouse and keyboard might be accessories, and who knows what else might be missing?)

[Sira]

Hmm, it looks like my only choice maybe the CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra 2047 Phenom II X6. If the HD 5670 could work for maybe 3 weeks I could then afford a better one.

I currently only have access to wireless internet, so I would need to buy a wireless card, which means no buying a new GPU right away.


Again, I don't need to run XIV at optimal settings, I don't mind playing at lower settings for awhile until I can get a better GPU. Basically, I just need a computer that can run XIV at somewhat decent settings for now.

How much better is Phenom II over Athlon II?

[Edit] - Thanks for being patient with me.

[ufo]

I think the 5670 could work until you can afford something better. Technically it meets the requirements.

The Phenom II is a bit better than the Athlon II because it has higher frequency (3.0ghz+) and it has L3 cache which the Athlon doesn't have. The X# afterwards signifies the number of cores, so the Phenom II X6 has 6 cores. If you are looking at Athlon II, the X4 630 or 640 would probably be good enough for FFXIV since they are decent quad cores and around 3.0 ghz.

[Sira]

Hmm, What exactly is L3 cache for?

The 2 computers I was looking at are both 2.8GHz except one is Athlon II X4 630 and the other is Phenom II X6 1055T. If the difference between the two is minimal then I'll just save the $30 and go with the Athlon II.

Are the "Open Box" PC's from Newegg fine?

[Edit] - Guess I should just get this outta the way.
Out of the two which would be the better choice.
#1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229193 (Some people have had BSOD shorlty after getting the PC, while others get Windows 7 keys that don't work)
#2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16883229187R (Not a single review on it so I don't of any possible issues. This one is an "Open Box" item. trustworthy?)

[ufo]

Most benchmarks don't show the L3 cache making a huge difference when you have a Phenom II X4 and Athlon II X4 at the same clocks. Yes the blue one is a VGA port. The difference between the Athlon II X4 630 and the Phenom II X6 is pretty big because the phenom has 2 whole extra cores. The actual price difference between the two is about 100$. It would be worth it to upgrade for 30$ for sure... but if it's between a brand new Athlon II X4 computer and a open box Phenom II X6 I probably would go for the new one just to be safe. Buying one part open box is one thing... a whole computer open box is another. They even say it might be missing accessories.. plus the manufacturer could refuse the warranty because of it being open box.

[Sira]

Well Newegg does give you a 30 day refund only, with the Open box, but should there be something missing it would present a massive hassle. I'd rather risk fixable BSOD's.

Alrighty can end this here. Thanks for everyone's answers and patience. Much appreciated.


[Edit] - Ok last question, I swear!

I noticed a iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 548D3 Phenom II X2 550(3.1GHz), the graphics card on it is an ATI Radeon HD 5570. Should this one be overclocked?
The one I thought I had settled on is CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra 2053 Athlon II X4 630(2.8GHz) with an ATI Radeon 5670.

Which would factor out better?
I'll be upgrading to the best graphics card I can find/fit into the case in about a month 1/2
So better processer, or better GPU?

[ufo]

I would take the Athlon II X4.. the Phenom II X2 550 is a dual core... sometimes can be "unlocked" to quad core.. but you really should have a quad core for FFXIV and you probably don't want to mess with unlocking.

[Sira]

I'm guessing it's difficult to unlock it?

[Edit] - Did a google search on it. Major pain in the ass. So Athlon II x4 it is!

[ufo]

Not difficult, but only a certain percent of them can successfully unlock... so its risky. You don't want to be stuck with only 2 cores. Plus, unless you plan on overclocking, if you unlocked to full quad core it wouldn't be that much better than the Athlon II X4 630.

[Sira]

Yeah I read that it takes some luck on getting them to unlock. I probably won't move into overclocking for some time so I understand your point.

Well that answers all my question. Thanks for your help and everyone elses~

[shaddix]

Don't waste cash! Just get a friend to build, or do it yourself! Then you won't need to upgrade gpu down the line, and you'll have much better warranty on all your parts.

[Sira]

Don't waste cash! Just get a friend to build, or do it yourself! Then you won't need to upgrade gpu down the line, and you'll have much better warranty on all your parts.

I managed to free about $900 total, so I am going to build my own. Having a couple friends help me pick out components and such!

[Gentaro]

Thats always the best solution. You will get way more compared to a prebuilt pc :3

[shaddix]

I managed to free about $900 total, so I am going to build my own. Having a couple friends help me pick out components and such!

/clap

[Sira]

Decided to bring my final question to the top of the post.
And for the record. I decided to go with this Corsair PSU to help hit the max on my budget.lol

My two questions and I'll leave you all alone :3
#1 I'm going with a mid case, so I was warned that I may get a CPU cooling unit which may not fit.

Dimensions on the case are 18.30" x 8.10" x 18.00" (L x W x H)
Dimensions on the COOLER MASTER are 120 x 120 x 25 mm
Dimensions on the CPU are 12.0" x 9.6"

Fit or no?

#2 I was told sometimes RAM that states it's compatible with Intel CPUs won't run on AMD mobos. True, or false?

Total Price as of now including shipping: $1,097.17.




Incoming HUGE post. Figure I should get a few more opinions on this setup.
I do have a couple stupid questions after the component list so take it easy on me.lol
Friends helped me decide on some components while others I had to choose myself.

I'm open to suggestions on better components. But it has to stay at or below $1100. It's going to take me about a month to get the money saved as is.lol

List below.

Case:
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case. link: Here

GPU:
XFX HD-585X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity. Link: Here

PSU:
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC. Link: Here

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
Link: Here (Will most likely overclock this, provided I can find someone to help me through the process!)

Motherboard:
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Link: Here

HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Link: Here

RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ Link: Here

CD Drive:
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner. Link: Here

Cooling unit:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler. Link: Here

OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM Link: Here

Everything listed above is in my Neweeg shoping cart. If I'm missing a critical component please let me know ASAP.