Opinions on how it will work?

[legacy-Holy Red]

Hi, first post, great resource and i read most threads.

Heres the deal, i bought this game to play on my system which is:

LOL

Intel Celeron 1.1
256MB pciram
64MB Geforce2 MX/MX440

With a 56k modem. (the UTTER shame of it, god i suck)

IT works with everything on lowest, averaging about 25fps but i get massive slowdown if on ONS.

Now heres whats happening next week:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+
1024 mb DDR RAM
ATI radeon 9800 se 256mb(Thats what the spec says, but i suspect its either a 256mbPRO OR a 9800se 256bit)
And a 560k broandband connection. (MUhahhaha i have entered the REAL world)

What level of performance will i see compared with my old system and how much difference do the 2 possible video cards make?

Thanks guys.

[legacy--Twista-]

It will make a huge difference,lthough I´m not sure about the work the r 9800 se will do.How much do you pay for it? (but I think you should about 85 fps anyways ;) )

[legacy-Holy Red]

I got a deal online.

Take a look.

http://www.tiny.com/packages.php?prodid=10690

Works out at around $1500 which i think is REALLY good value.

Although the Exact name of the Video card has been bugging me. I sent them an email asking the Exact name and the replied with this concise and accurate answer.

" its the se"

Not too helpfiul as a 256mb se dosnt exisit as far as i know.

Any ideas?

[legacy-Mostly_Harmless]

Well compared to your old system this new one will be very quick. But dont ever buy anything ATI that says se after the number, those cards suck (my last card was a 9600se). On my current card I run all my settings high and get 85fps in onslaught (except during big battles then it slows down to 50-60) . If you can try to get a different card like the x800 pro. Have fun with you new toy!

[legacy-Holy Red]

about $1500

[legacy-IdleHand]

Originally posted by Mostly_Harmless
But dont ever buy anything ATI that says se after the number, those cards suck (my last card was a 9600se). On my current card...
whoa, you went from a 9600se to a BFG 6800 GT, that's quite a jump considering the cards only came out within 1 year of each other.

[legacy-Holy Red]

IF it is the 9800 se then i wont be all bad, as i can soft mod it into a 9800pro and change the cooling.

The reason i cant pass up this deal is ecause of the budget im on, im quite a poor guy and can only afford this thing due to my incredible exploits on online poker(turning $25 into $2500, the other $1000 went on buying carpets for my gf so no video card outta that.).

If softmodding wont work then its back to $1-$2 No-lmit Texas holdem with a x800 in mind!

[legacy--Twista-]

Originally posted by Holy Red


The reason i cant pass up this deal is ecause of the budget im on, im quite a poor guy and can only afford this thing due to my incredible exploits on online poker(turning $25 into $2500, the other $1000 went on buying carpets for my gf so no video card outta that.).



wtf luxx0r :mad: ;)

[legacy-Holy Red]

Originally posted by Twist4
wtf luxx0r :mad: ;)

What?

[legacy--Loric-]

I have a similar system
3.2 GHz
1 Gig DDR
ATI Radeon 9800 XT.

Online I can play with high settings at 50/60 Fps at 1024x960.
Offline I can crank the settings up to Holy sh*t and still keep these fps.

You're finally going to be able to enjoy the graphics and the gameplay at the same time.

[legacy-Holy Red]

I know i cant wait man. 5 years on a 56k connection(3.2kbps actual speed).

Finally broadband is available to me and im going up to 560K!!!!!

Personally with my current crappy system with everything on lowest i still think the graphics are good, i cant imagine what it will be like with better settigs AND a better Framrate.

Im extremly excited.

[legacy-IdleHand]

you do realise that the 'k' in 560k stands for 'kilobit', not kilobyte. it can be confusing, and i don't want you to be disappointed.

[legacy-Holy Red]

Originally posted by IdleHand
you do realise that the 'k' in 560k stands for 'kilobit', not kilobyte. it can be confusing, and i don't want you to be disappointed.

Thanks man. I do know what im getting though. My current internet connection is 3.2kps(about 20-30 minutes to download a 4mb mp3).

it will be at least 32kps so it should take me 2-3minutes.

I know im not getting 560kps download rates!

[legacy-Maegrim]

560kbps is +/- 70kb/sec, which is a nice improvement :)
i've got 2240kbps tho, and lots of people here have 8mbit :bulb:

[legacy-Foo]

Oh boy, that's quite a leap in all respects.

You're gonna love it :up:

[legacy-IdleHand]

yeah, i have 1 megabit connection and get about 112kb/sec download speed which works well for the moment. but as is always the case, the more bandwidth the general populace has, the more content will become available and the more bandwidth you will need to remain sane.

[Boksha]

From my experience, getting a system that's 4 times as fast will give you 2 times as good framerates. :p
Still, 50+ framerates is very good (better than what I get in some maps)

[legacy-M0rtus]

You are going to notice one heck of a leap. Have fun! :up:

[legacy-Holy Red]

Thanks guys. Lots of positive replies.

Now i remember why i once loved forums.

[legacy-JUJUM4N]

Your gonna love it its going to make such a diffrence!

Looking foward to fragging ya! :cool: :up:

[legacy-[D]Despair]

The 9800SE isn't really a good card... and you have to remember, only few of them can be modded to 9800 Pro. I'm not even sure can you mod any of the current versions.

What I would recommend, that since the CPU is very expensive, you could go for the +3000. Get a good cooler for it and it overclocks nicely with the right motherboard. You could use the money you saved for a better card, maybe even a X800 Pro. :)

Those PC packages aren't the best choice either. If you want a package, better choice would be to look for a "smaller" shop that lets you choose every component and assembles it for you. You know exactly what you get and not some cheap low-quality components.

[legacy-Holy Red]

Originally posted by [D]Despair
The 9800SE isn't really a good card... and you have to remember, only few of them can be modded to 9800 Pro. I'm not even sure can you mod any of the current versions.

What I would recommend, that since the CPU is very expensive, you could go for the +3000. Get a good cooler for it and it overclocks nicely with the right motherboard. You could use the money you saved for a better card, maybe even a X800 Pro. :)

Those PC packages aren't the best choice either. If you want a package, better choice would be to look for a "smaller" shop that lets you choose every component and assembles it for you. You know exactly what you get and not some cheap low-quality components.


I hear ya dude but its all i can get, i have a very small budget and this is the best machine i can get for the price. I will of course upgrade the card when i get the chance. I simply cant afford to spend another $500 on an equally specced pc from elsewhere.


Take a look at the machine, here.
http://www.tiny.com/packages.php?prodid=10690

This isnt an expensive pc its only $1500 US over here in the uk a similar spec will cost no less than $2000 US.

Take a look anyway and tell me what you think, as im not even sure its an 9800se. It says 256mb ATI Radeon 9800 graphics.

[legacy-[D]Despair]

That really looks a bit suspicious man. :( The way they don't give actual manufacturer names on components, the memory is PC2700, when PC3200 would be the right choice. Also they say the AMD 64 +3400 CPU comes with 512kB cache when +3400 is supposed to have 1MB :weird: (look here for example : http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/roundupmobo/athlon-64-3400.html ).

Personally, I would hold on to the money right now and try to look for some other place to buy. If you can't wait, go for it. But you can easily say from the looks of the PC already and by looking at the component list, that you're not getting a good deal. It's common for places like this to sell cheap packages with low quality components (I would bet that 9800 is the SE version, but of course they won't say it). You might think you can save some money, but in the long run you might regret + the crappy choice of components has a hit on the performance, the PC2700 memory alone will affect the +3400.

[legacy-Holy Red]

I noticed that when i was first looking, But i found some reviews of the system and they quote the specs to be what you said, 1gb cache and PC3200. The reviews are very good and from respected PC mags and sites. The only gripe they have with the system is the after sales and customer service. It is a highly recommended pc with apparently great performance. I think that the specs on the site are not very accurate , as they have been quoted differently in some reviews.


Heres hoping anyway, as i cant spend anymore than this and for the same price elsewhere in the uk im only looking at a P4 2.8 with 9600.

[legacy-Fnix]

I have the same video card and only 400 mghz higher than you. And I know that the new system will be almost like going from 1024x768 low settings and still 20 fps to 1800x1600 high settings and 80 fps everywhere.

[legacy-Holy Red]

I just want to clarify something.

I know im not looking at a Top-end computer for the budget im on.

But this seems like it will be a very good system in relation to the price that im paying. Bearing in mind that i will be upgrading whenever possible( by that i mean when i find an outragously cheap processor, card, RAM.)

[legacy-C.Caveman]

I want to turn $25 into $2500.... :(

Fortunatly, I realize that I am a gambling problem WAITING to happen.

:up:

[legacy-Holy Red]

IF you play it right, this is no gambling involved.

if ure 3-1 on, that isnt gambling. Thats when i bet it all.

[legacy-ToothlessHero]

One other thing I just noticed on that system that no one has said anything about. The Power Supply is anorexic for a gaming rig...I wouldn't go lower than 350W...especially if you're wanting to add cooling fans or any lights or other gizmos...

if Im reading correctly this thing has 3 optical drives? plus one sata HDD...plus your video card...you're gonna run out of power before you can even get the game installed on this thing. 250W ain't cuttin it anymore in today's faster pcs

just something else to look at...

Toothelss

[legacy-Airjrdn]

Originally posted by Holy Red
I got a deal online.

Take a look.

http://www.tiny.com/packages.php?prodid=10690

Works out at around $1500 which i think is REALLY good value.

Although the Exact name of the Video card has been bugging me. I sent them an email asking the Exact name and the replied with this concise and accurate answer.

" its the se"

Not too helpfiul as a 256mb se dosnt exisit as far as i know.

Any ideas?

IMO $1500 is a bit much for a machine only. I'd be happy to help you if you'd like. Just send me a PM if you're interested.

[legacy-lddbck]

Red nothing wrong with that system at all. You will be very happy with it. And man I jumped from 56k to just 256kb cable and it was one heck of a nice thing. Downloads that took a hour. Were cut to about 5 mins at most. You will be pleased.

[legacy-Holy Red]

Update.

Ive finally found the card which matches the specs given by the site.

Sapphire Technology Atlantis Radeon 9800 256 MB (DDR SDRAM) Graphics Card

http://www.dealtime.co.uk/xPF-Sony_SAPPHIRE_R9800_128MB

(EDIT): Pretty sure this is better than the 9800se

[legacy-Holy Red]

OK guys, time to concentrate.

You get to critise this computer for free!

I was going to get this for £1030.

amd 3400+ (with only a 562k cache?!?!)
200gig HD
1gb RAM(2700)
and a radeon 9800se.
And a 240 voltpower supply.

moniter, warrenty, delivery....etc.

This was from a big company, link further up.

So i read you good replies and was happy with your positive comments, until a couple of you guys hit the link and dug a little deeper(thank you). You found some crappy little components and little cut corners in the specs. I tried to dismiss it, but i couldnt.

I looked around and found this, for a mere £70 more.

Processor: AMD 64 3400+ 1GB L2 Cache CPU- Genuine - Supper Fast CPU
CPU Fan: AKASA Heavy Duty Cooling Fan With Heat Sink
Motherboard: Asrock K8S8X (up to 64 3400+ support)
Memory: 1024MB (1GB RAM) DDR400 PC3200 RAM
Video Card: 128MB ATI 9800PRO Video Card TV-OUT DVI-OUT
Hard drive: 200GB 7200RPM 2MB cache
CD drive1:
CD drive2:
DVD-RW NEC 2500A 8X +/- drive
16X48 DVD Drive - separate drive
Floppy drive: Alps 1.44MB 3.5" drive
Sound: AC 97 Full duplex digital sound 5.1 Channel
Network: 10/100 RJ45 network card (Ethernet, cable or DSL)
Modem: A little 56k one, until i get bBroadband
Ports: Six USB 2.0 ports,1 serial, 1 parallel, 1 microphone jack
Case: I-Cute Stylish Case w/ 400W Power Supply Unit
Keyboard: PS2 Windows Keyboard
Mouse: PS2 Scroll Mouse
Speakers: Not included
Windows XP
And a free warrenty.



My question is, am i right in thinking this second set of specs completely blows the first set outta the water?