The DIY PC buying thread

[dietermoreno]

"How to play AoE3 at full settings at full frame rate on my laptop: use said laptop to go to Newegg.com to order a PC."

I am on a budget. I don't want to spend more than about $500 for EVERYTHING starting with nothing (coming from a laptop), including for $500: PC, keyboard, mouse, monitor, PSU, and even a desk to put everything on.

I would look for a desk at the thrift store.

I would look for a keyboard and mouse used on Ebay.

I would look for a monitor in-store at CDW.

I would look for the PC and PSU on newegg.com

Here's a PC I found for $300: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1490631




It has AMD FX 6300 3.5 GHZ 6 core, Kingston HyperX blu Red 4GB DDR 240pin, ATI Radeon 3000 on board graphics chipset, 1 empty PCI Express 2.0 240 pin slot, dual channel memory, maximum memory supported is 16 GB, 480 W PSU included, 1x 80mm fan, Toshiba 1 TB HDD 7200 RPM 3.5 in., 16.55 in. x 7.10 in. x 16.55 in. steel case ATX mother board compatible, 5 internal 3.5 in. drive bays, 9.6 in. x 8.1 in. GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P(Rev 5.0) AM3+ AMD 760G + SB710 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard, LG DVD burner 5.25 in. CD-R CD-RW CD-ROM DVD-R DVD-RW DVD+R DVD+RW DVD-RAM, 4 external 5.25 in. drive bays, 4x USB 2.0 on board, resolutions beyond 1080p supported by the ATI Radeon, heat sinks included, more than 3.5 GB CPU obviously supports 64 bit OS



So in summary:

CPU: 3.5 GHZ 4 GB 6 core
GPU: none (integrated), unknown memory, can support resolutions greater than 1080p
HDD: 1 TB
Disc Burner: DVD
Total PCI slots: 2
Maximum supported memory: 16 GB
OS supported: Windows XP 32 bit?, Windows Vista 32 bit?, Windows Vista 64 bit, Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8 64 bit
Year: unknown, 2014?
Model: Pioneer Series EAG-3132M




Compared to my current laptop:

CPU: 1.8 GHZ 3 GB 2 core
GPU: none (integrated), 256 MB, can only handle 720p YouTube videos (flash, the new HTML 5 player works better) and 720p AoE3 at half frame rate, refresh rate 60 HZ, can handle 480p YouTube videos and 480p AoE3 at 30 fps
HDD: 75 GB
Disc Burner: CD
PCI slots: none (of course)
Maximum memory supported: 3.5 GB
OS supported: Windows Vista 32 bit
Year: 2005
Model: Lenovo Thinkpad R61



Would that PC work for me?

[peugeot407]

No.


peugeot407

[dietermoreno]

Hhm, well since the answer is no, I guess for now I will focus on making my laptop temporarily more "PC like" until I know what I'm doing.

More "PC like" as in buying a desk, mouse, monitor, RAM expansion flash drive with software so the system doesn't crash when the flash drive is removed, and external hard drive.

The external hard drive I would be getting would be the cheapest at $50 and would only be a temporary fix until I get a PC. I don't trust those cheap $50 external hard drives that have no fans for daily usage for several years. A real external hard drive with fans costs $250, and one of those lasted me from 2006-2014.

[peugeot407]

Then don't bother with an external hard drive. I wholeheartedly applaud your decision to buy a proper desktop, but the rig you posted, with its integrated GPU, won't cut it.


peugeot407

[dietermoreno]

Well my laptop hard drive looks like its going to go out soon, so today I already worked out a deal with my guy to put in a new hard drive and install Windows 7 for $180 with labor included when I decide to do it (or am forced to when the hard drive dies).

Putting a new hard drive in my laptop will upgrade its storage capabilities and enable me to upgrade to Windows 7 so I can have more RAM memory with a flash drive. Still I will first need to buy an external hard drive so I can have EVERYTHING on my laptop that I want to save all in one place to use while using the upgraded laptop.

I was asked if I wanted to upgrade to a SSD for more than double the price and only 120 Gigs, and I said no.  Any money spent on a SSD in a laptop to improve performance would be better spent on a desktop build.

However, I am thinking of getting a SSD to put in the extra drive bay to install all the programs and OS on when I get a desktop.

What are your thoughts on SSDs?  Do you think SSDs improve game performance?

Would I be better off getting the rig I posted and paying extra for a SSD, or paying more for a better rig and not getting a SSD?

[peugeot407]

SSDs are very interesting, and I've thought about installing one for a long time. What's holding me back is that for best performance, the SSD should be the drive that has Windows installed on it, and I'm not particularly keen on the idea of reinstalling Windows, and then having to spend a month or two getting everything back to how I currently have it...


peugeot407

[super7700]

SSDs don't improve frame rates, but they drastically reduce loading times if you put games on them. Personally I think it would be better to use the money to buy a better rig.

[dietermoreno]

Are we still going to be able to install Windows 7 after October 31, 2014 if we want to install Windows 7 instead of Windows 8?

Well, I guess technically you can still install Windows 95, but that wouldn't be very beneficial to you.

I suppose the more correct question is: Are we still going to be able to buy Windows 7 install discs from Microsoft after that date?

Microsoft sets Oct. 31 as stop date for Windows 7 consumer PC sales

I personally would want to install Windows 7 instead of Windows 8.

I personally want a Start button and I like the Windows Explorer how it is.

Not to mention the fact, that for the field of AoE3 modding, I suspect that some of the modding tools might not work anymore on Windows 8.  3ds Max 8, 3ds Max 10, Granny Viewer 2, AoE3ED, AoE3 Archive Viewer, popunlock.exe, SCP mod loader, and Throne Room might not work anymore.

Can someone please verify if these tools still work with Windows 8?


Is the service pack support end date an important date too?

We already passed that date last year

[peugeot407]

The clever way to do it is to always skip a generation, skipping the likes of 2000, Vista and 8. Since it can't be much longer until Windows 9 is announced, you should probably just wait for that.

Rumour also has it that Windows 9 will see the return of the traditional start menu, although that hasn't been confirmed yet...


peugeot407

[dietermoreno]

Well I'm going to be stock piling two copies of Windows 7 64 bit legally purchased just in case I don't like Windows 9 by the time I get around to upgrading.

Judging by how much I disliked Windows 8, I doubt Windows 9 could be any better as the future is touch-screen-smart-phone centric, not desktop keyboard and mouse centric.

In the time that has passed since I started this thread in early 2014, my dad has now allowed me to install AoE3 on his home office work desktop PC as long as I continue to prove to him that I won't install any viruses on his computer and won't do anything illegal on his computer.



His desktop computer is

Windows 7  64 bit

3.8 GHZ dual core

8 Gbyte CPU (7.3 useable)  

2 Gbyte graphic PCI slot x2 (4 Gbyte total)

1920x1080p 60hz monitor


His setup blows my laptop away so I have been playing Wotta on his computer lately at night when he's sleeping and not playing AoE3 on my laptop anymore.

Except I might get back into AoE3 on my laptop, just for RMS, so I can do it in the day time, without being asked if what I'm doing is illegal code.

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