Poll: Super Computer

[Nutcase]

One bonus about building your own, you know what's in it and how it works.

He can know what's in it anyway, if he wants to. And you don't really figure out anything about computers by building them, except how to build another one.

That said I don't know where you get the impression it'd be cheaper - if anything it costs you more as you look at parts and go "oh, for a few quid more I could have this, oh, for a few quid more I could have that" and before you know it you've got something three times the original budget.

For recommendations on where to buy depends on where you're based - if you're UK

His profile says USA, but doesn't give a city or state.

checkout www.CCLonline.com - they do some great gaming rigs on the cheap or you can use the custom build service for the parts you want plus a warranty or you could get a cpu/mobo/memory bundle and put the rest together yourself (as that would be the "hard part" i guess).

No, the hard part is when you put it together, hear the fans go on but don't get a picture. If you don't have spare parts that fit, you are then basically guessing whether the problem is with the processor, motherboard, memory, graphics card, power supply, or some combination of those. That's a situation where you definitely want to have a warranty that covers the whole thing for troubleshooting, not just a pile of parts.

 

[mfserious]

A lot of opinions out there on pcs. I'm seriously thinking about each one and will make a choice in a week or so. Feel free to keep posting ideas or links or anything that can help me get an idea of what I should consider. I'd like to point out that this PC will be used for probably 5 or more years, granted we can't all wait around for the next best thing, because every day better pcs and parts are being thought up and put into practice. I do think it would be awesome to upgrade the hardware, if necessary, so keep your posts coming.

 

[SimuLord]

No two ways about it, you should wait for Windows 7. I'm very likely going to build myself a new PC in mid-2010 (or whenever Elder Scrolls 5 comes out), and I'm pleased as punch that I'll have 7 and not that piece of junk Vista as my OS. I've got some Vista-upgrade discs sitting around here somewhere from when I got them with my XP-based PC in December of 2006, but never even bothered to install them after I got a chance to work with Vista in my then-job as sales rep at Dell. It got awfully difficult to sell PCs to people until the manufacturers got Microsoft to let them sell computers with XP on them after Vista flopped.

 

[SimuLord]

Pardon the double post, but I had to address these points individually:

That said I don't know where you get the impression it'd be cheaper - if anything it costs you more as you look at parts and go "oh, for a few quid more I could have this, oh, for a few quid more I could have that" and before you know it you've got something three times the original budget.

- That's more a matter of lack of impulse control, you could do the same thing on Dell.com or any other "customize and ship" prebuilt website. Part-for-part, it's a LOT cheaper to build your own, which ultimately means that if you set your budget based on "I'm going to pay X for a PC" and stick to it, the one you build yourself will be a LOT more powerful than a prebuilt for the same price.

No, the hard part is when you put it together, hear the fans go on but don't get a picture. If you don't have spare parts that fit, you are then basically guessing whether the problem is with the processor, motherboard, memory, graphics card, power supply, or some combination of those. That's a situation where you definitely want to have a warranty that covers the whole thing for troubleshooting, not just a pile of parts.

Well certainly if you don't know what you're doing, you're going to screw it up. With today's PC architecture, only a fool (or a self-righteous idiot who doesn't RTFM) has difficulty putting a computer together. The one thing I'd say to home-builders is that you might want to buy the motherboard and CPU as a package deal since CPUs are notoriously fickle and the easiest part to accidentally break during installation, but if you get a barebones mobo/CPU and a pile of parts, it's easy to put them together---so easy that they pay people in the single digits per hour (as in barely above the US minimum wage) to do it for the big manufacturers.

 

[A random person]

If OnLive turns out to be a total success, an expensive gaming PC will be rendered a waste of money.

OnLive will be available this winter, hence I voted next year.

This is what I'm doing.

Also, if Santa becomes supreme ruler of the world from his North Pole fortress and the fourth wall is destroyed, we will live in a utopia where bacon is good for your heart and law enforcement is being befriended by magical girls (cookie if you get both references).

But seriously, OnLive isn't going to work. The bandwidth would be hilarious, not to mention inherent lag that would happen with single player games.

 

[mfserious]

Hopefully after 100 votes, I'll see where everyone stands.

 

[Nincompoop]

If OnLive turns out to be a total success, an expensive gaming PC will be rendered a waste of money.

OnLive will be available this winter, hence I voted next year.

This is what I'm doing.

Are people seriously putting stock in OnLine? I'll stick with my existing gaming consoles thanks, at least until Australia has good enough broadband to support this cloud service.

I most certainly do not have the money to upgrade my PC every 2-3 years to fit the requirements of high-end games.

I don't get what's so hard to understand by 'if'. Even if it's a long shot, IF it will be a total success, what I mentioned before is valid.

 

[Nincompoop]

If OnLive turns out to be a total success, an expensive gaming PC will be rendered a waste of money.

OnLive will be available this winter, hence I voted next year.

This is what I'm doing.

OnLive won't work. It's 1960s-1980s technology translated to a modern audience who don't need it. Basically, time-sharing became mostly obsolete when people got home computers which worked properly.

Keep in mind how fast the internet is growing. If it's possible on paper, it should be at least be given a chance.

My computer DOESN'T work properly... That's the whole fucking point! I don't want to spend money on buying new PC's every time mine gets fucked up or obsolete.

 

[Flying-Emu]

You posses the ability to build a pc by hand, trust me a monkey with one arm and a screwdriver can put together a basic rig.

Want to teach an Emu with a crowbar how to put together a rig?

 

[Agrosmurf]

My dad works for Microsoft, and he says Windows 7 is pretty snazy. so I would wait for it =D

 

[axia777]

If OnLive turns out to be a total success, an expensive gaming PC will be rendered a waste of money.

OnLive will be available this winter, hence I voted next year.

This is what I'm doing.

On-Live will crash and burn like the buildings on 9/11.

 

[ActionDan]

Also, crysis really isn't a huge benchmark anymore, a $400-500 pc can run it easily.

$400-500 will NOT easily run Crysis, no way on this EARTH will that ever happen.

 

[Nincompoop]

If OnLive turns out to be a total success, an expensive gaming PC will be rendered a waste of money.

OnLive will be available this winter, hence I voted next year.

This is what I'm doing.

Also, if Santa becomes supreme ruler of the world from his North Pole fortress and the fourth wall is destroyed, we will live in a utopia where bacon is good for your heart and law enforcement is being befriended by magical girls (cookie if you get both references).

But seriously, OnLive isn't going to work. The bandwidth would be hilarious, not to mention inherent lag that would happen with single player games.

You really think that the idea of cloud computing is impossible? I'm sure the internet providers would adjust prices and bandwidth, to suit the needs of gamers.

 

[axia777]

Also, crysis really isn't a huge benchmark anymore, a $400-500 pc can run it easily.

$400-500 will NOT easily run Crysis, no way on this EARTH will that ever happen.

He is right. That is BS. Try a minimum $800-$900 to get it running smoothly.

You really think that the idea of cloud computing is impossible? I'm sure the internet providers would adjust prices and bandwidth, to suit the needs of gamers.

ROFL. Yah right. Comcast and TW being nice to us consumers? They will charge more. It is simple and true. They could give a rats ass about "us gamers".

 

[Nincompoop]

If OnLive turns out to be a total success, an expensive gaming PC will be rendered a waste of money.

OnLive will be available this winter, hence I voted next year.

This is what I'm doing.

On-Live will crash and burn like the buildings on 9/11.

Go to Hell. Are you really that cold? People actually died. It's not to be joked about.

 

[ActionDan]

Also, crysis really isn't a huge benchmark anymore, a $400-500 pc can run it easily.

$400-500 will NOT easily run Crysis, no way on this EARTH will that ever happen.

He is right. That is BS. Try a minimum $800-$900 to get it running smoothly.

And upto $3000+ to get it running everything maxed out.

 

[Nincompoop]

If OnLive turns out to be a total success, an expensive gaming PC will be rendered a waste of money.

OnLive will be available this winter, hence I voted next year.

This is what I'm doing.

You forget, alot of people have gaming PCs because they get a superiority complex over people who dont have godly computers. Oh wait, that's just me...

Lol =P.

If I ever get rich, then I would get me the nastiest beast on the planet. Have scientist from everywhere building me something that could devour every other PC in the world.

 

[axia777]

If OnLive turns out to be a total success, an expensive gaming PC will be rendered a waste of money.

OnLive will be available this winter, hence I voted next year.

This is what I'm doing.

On-Live will crash and burn like the buildings on 9/11.

Go to Hell. Are you really that cold? People actually died. It's not to be joked about.

People die every day man. What is the difference? Even as we type this people are dying by the thousands around the globe. Americans just get worked up because it was a black eye against out nation. As for human life it was not really that huge in the grand scheme of things. Go to the Sudan if you want to see a real tragedy in motion.

Also, crysis really isn't a huge benchmark anymore, a $400-500 pc can run it easily.

$400-500 will NOT easily run Crysis, no way on this EARTH will that ever happen.

He is right. That is BS. Try a minimum $800-$900 to get it running smoothly.

And upto $3000+ to get it running everything maxed out.

True that. I have a ripping $1600 PC. I could run Crysis at a good 50 FPS with NO Anti Aliasing. It looked great but damn if I turned on even 2X AA it bogged me down to around 30 FPS. Then if I turned on 4X AA it got way worse. Everything else was on Max setting at 1680x1050 Res.

 

[The Political Gamer]

Do yourself favor and get one with 7 and spare yourself the pain of the crappy programing that is Vista.