[Kristian Joensen]

So for a couple of months now I have been saving for and looking into buying a new gaming desktop which will be my first desktop since my Athlon 64 3500+ that I bought in 2005. Now I have gotten to the point where I have gotten the first two offers(with another on the way). These two are from the same company. They are the following:

1. an Acer Predator G5920 with a Core I7 3770, 12 GB RAM, a 1 TB HDD and a Geforce GTX 670 with 2 GB RAM + a Samsung Syncmaster SA950 27" 3D monitor
2. A customized PC from their (presumably Danish) supplier + a 27" 3D monitor from Asus with the following specs:

Quote

MSI Z68S-G43 (G3) Intel Z68 SATA6 DVI/HD
Intel Core i5 3570 3.4GHz 6MB Box S1155
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB 32MB SATA6
Pioneer BDR-207EBK BD-RE DL BD-XL blu-ra
Enermax NAXN Basic 450W PSU - 2x PCI-E 6
Enermax Vostok Midi Tower Case Black/Sil
Kingston Value RAM DDR3 8GB 1600MHz CL11
MSI GeForce GTX670 2GB DDR5 OC 2xDVI/DP

Offer 1 is 2500 DKK more expensive than offer 2.

So what do you guys think? What is the better offer? What could I expect as far as gaming performance goes? What would you go with?

[Hendricks266]

The only differences I can see are an i7 3770 vs i5 3570 and 12 GB RAM vs 8 GB RAM. Unless you are virtualizing a lot, from what I have read you don't need the extra power afforded by an i7, but I would need someone with experience to verify this. For a savings of $445 USD, I'd say take the cheaper one. You can always add RAM later if necessary. Are there any more details you can provide on the first rig?

[Kristian Joensen]

I don't know how upgradable the latter option is, they claimed that the Acer was non-upgradable. I get a 4000 DKK discount on the Acer for being a demonstration model. The latter offer was supposed to be on a i7 with 16 GB RAM, but the guy at the store must have misunderstood me.

My thinking for asking for an offer on a i7 with 16 GB RAM was that since UE4 was demonstrated on a such a system it should be enough for most games for a while. Of course I can't plan for it to work with say UE4, but I can try to keep it in mind.

But even 12 GB of RAM is 24x of the current consoles. I don't know how important RAM is for gaming. The GPU is obviously the most important thing in that regard and while I originally had asked for offers with a GTX 680 reading benchmarks and reviews it seems the performance difference is only slight while the price difference is meaningful.

Edit:

As far as the first system goes the specs they have provided doesn't fit with anything on any version of the Acer site I have found, the closest is this on the danish Acer site: http://www.acer.dk/a...el/DT.SJNEQ.013

Except the model they have is supposed to have Windows 7(Not Windows 8, thankfully!), A i7 3770(not the i7 3770k) and 12 GB RAM(not 16 GB RAM).

[Micky C]

Games like real time strategy games tend to be more CPU intensive compared to FPS games which tend to be more GPU intensive as far as I've read.

Do you think you could wait a bit for an actual UE4 game to come out and see what specs it takes? It can't take that much longer I hope (or can it?).

[Kristian Joensen]

Kristian Joensen, on 17 January 2013 - 03:29 AM, said:

Edit:

As far as the first system goes the specs they have provided doesn't fit with anything on any version of the Acer site I have found, the closest is this on the danish Acer site: http://www.acer.dk/a...el/DT.SJNEQ.013

Except the model they have is supposed to have Windows 7(Not Windows 8, thankfully!), A i7 3770(not the i7 3770k) and 12 GB RAM(not 16 GB RAM).

Turns out I was slightly wrong about this since it IS an i7 3770k. Anyway after talking to the store that gave me those two offers I learned that they were mistaken about the i5 one, it actually does have 16 GB of RAM included in the offer. I also asked them to make some changes so that now the offer looks like this, I have bolded the changes and additional details/clarifications:

Quote

Asus 27" TFT VG278H FUllHD 120Hz with Nvidia 3D Vision Kit
MSI Z68-43 (G3) Intel Z68 Sata6 DVI/HDMI
Intel Core i7 3770 3.4 Ghz 8MB Box S1155
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB 32MB SATA6
Pioneer BDR-207EBK BD-RE DL BD-XL blu-ray
Enermax NAXN Basic 750W PSU - 2x PCI-E 6
Enermax Vostok Midi Tower Case Black/SIl(ver?) 1Retail
Kingston Value RAM DDR3 16GB 1600MHz CL11
MSI Geforce GTX670 2GB DDR5 OC 2xDVI/DP/
2 x DVI - 1 x HDMI - 1 x DISPLAY PORT
Wifi
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit.
4 x USB 2.0 - 2 x USB

For 16999 DKK(Whereas before the Core i5 -> i7, 450W PSU -> 750W PSU upgrades and the addition of a Wifi card it was 15498 DKK). So it is 1000 DKK cheaper than the Acer one even though it has got 4 GB more of RAM and a Blu-Ray Burner instead of a regular Blu-Ray drive.

Edit:

Micky C, on 17 January 2013 - 03:42 AM, said:

Games like real time strategy games tend to be more CPU intensive compared to FPS games which tend to be more GPU intensive as far as I've read.

Do you think you could wait a bit for an actual UE4 game to come out and see what specs it takes? It can't take that much longer I hope (or can it?).

I don't except to guarantee UE4 compatibility prior to the release of the first game or at least the first set of system requirements for a UE4 game, but the time for me is right to do this now. I can only try my best at aiming reasonably high and hoping for the best. There will always be something around the corner that will out date whatever I buy in some sense or the other.

[LeoD]

16GB RAM usually means wasting money, unless you definitely know why you'd need it. 8GB should do for now. 12GB is worst because you'd have to replace the two 2GB modules when upgrading.
750W is completely over the top, too, unless you plan some dual graphics card setup. 450W should be enough, get 550 too feel good.
Unless you know why you'd want to burn BluRay (like for safer backups), a reader should do as well.
Use the saved money to get a 128GB SSD for faster boot and game data loading times.

If you want a silent PC (at least when not playing) I'd recommend the Sharkoon Vibe Fixer for your HDD, and a tray CPU plus a decent cooler. Ask your dealer about the case cooling fan's size (120mm minimum).

[Kristian Joensen]

Thanks very much for the comments guys Does anyone know if this is a good cooler?

[LeoD]

Kristian Joensen, on 21 January 2013 - 10:51 AM, said:

Does anyone know if this is a good cooler?

Dunno, but I'd recommend a device with a somewhat vertical airflow which can also cool the RAM and onboard voltage regulators. In addition that design style will allow for a bigger (= slower = silent) fan (depending of the case you choose). You won't need a behemoth like this (which I actually own), but the image should give you an idea what I mean.

[Person of Color]

I don't like the i7. Not at all.

Honestly I would just buy an i5 and overclock it to 4.5GHz. A $30 Hyper212 EVO heatsink would do the job fine for that.

Yeah, the i7 is faster, but when it's overclocked, who gives a shit. It's 10% more overkill. No one needs that shit. I just made my friend buy an i5 for that reason.

If you wanna go balls out, save the money and put it towards a 7970 GHz Edition. Or just spend it on pot, your choice. I'm not happy with nVidia's current gen cards - short on RAM, bus width, and value. High on profit margins.

Also, I don't know what LeoD is talking about, 450W is NOT enough for a rig with those specs. It's not an issue of wattage but amperage. A 450w PSU will not have 12V rails beefy enough to support a GTX 670.

Furthermore, even if it could support it, why skimp? I never cheap out on the PSU. Ever. 450w not only gives you zero headroom for upgrades down the line, but a 450w PSU will be under serious load during power intensive scenarios, shortening the life of the unit.

If I'm going to spend $700 on a machine I'm not going to skimp on the part that could kill everything.

[Kristian Joensen]

Thanks guys for all the input.

LeoD, on 17 January 2013 - 03:00 PM, said:

16GB RAM usually means wasting money, unless you definitely know why you'd need it. 8GB should do for now. 12GB is worst because you'd have to replace the two 2GB modules when upgrading.
750W is completely over the top, too, unless you plan some dual graphics card setup. 450W should be enough, get 550 too feel good.
Unless you know why you'd want to burn BluRay (like for safer backups), a reader should do as well.
Use the saved money to get a 128GB SSD for faster boot and game data loading times.

If you want a silent PC (at least when not playing) I'd recommend the Sharkoon Vibe Fixer for your HDD, and a tray CPU plus a decent cooler. Ask your dealer about the case cooling fan's size (120mm minimum).

The 750W PSU is to be extra careful and for upgrade room. I have been burnt before buying underpowered systems, laptops in particular. My current laptop is okay-ish for gaming but I want something more beefy this time around, which is one of the reasons I am not buying a laptop again. But I can't afford anything too lavish like say 2 x 690's or anything. I went with the 670 over the 680 because looking at benchmarks and specs it doesn't seem the 680 is worth the price difference. The Blu-Ray writer is indeed intended for backup purposes in addittion to the use of external HDD's.

"Ask your dealer about the case cooling fan's size (120mm minimum)."

It is indeed a 12cm fan.

But as a result of your recommendation and a recommendation of a friend/family member I actually asked them to change the offer to include a SSD and a bigger HDD, in the process they changed the motherboard as well, this is the new spec, with changes in bold:

Quote

Asrock B75 PRO3 ATX USB3 SATA6
Intel Core i7 3770 3.4GHz 8MB Box S1155
Seagate Barracuda 2TB SATA6 64MB 7200RPM
OCZ Agility 3 Series SSD 240GB 525/500 M
Pioneer BDR-207EBK BD-RE DL BD-XL blu-ra
Enermax NAXN 82+ 750W PSU - 80+ Bronze m
Enermax Vostok Midi Tower Case Black/Sil
Kingston Value RAM DDR3 2 x 8GB 1600MHz CL11
MSI GeForce GTX670 2GB DDR5 OC 2xDVI/DP/

486DX2, going with Nvidia was a conscious choice.

[Person of Color]

That board is decent, but I'd rather get 8GB RAM and a Z77 board.

Also, OCZ is shit, their SSD's are mad unreliable. Sure, they may have 4 eggs, but look at the reviews. Their longevity sucks, as does their DOA rate.

Get a Crucial M4 256GB and a 3.5" bay adapter. I have the 128, my friend has the 256, they are very fast and bulletproof reliable.

http://www.newegg.co...CFUOK4AodmDgAWw

[Kristian Joensen]

Thanks for link but as I am in the Faroe Islands I can't get stuff from newegg(or pretty much anywhere) I am basically limited to 3 stores here and whatever they can get from their suppliers. I will see if they have something like that drive though for sure.

[Kathy]

Alright.

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R (just bought)
MB: ASUS P8H77-V
RAM: 8GB (haven't chosen yet, some 2x4GB Kingston probably)
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220
HDD: 1TB, Western Digital Caviar Blue 7200, WD10EZEX
PSU: Thermaltake Smart SE 530W
GPU: Asus GeForce GTX660 Ti DC2 2GB GDDR5 (probably buy way later)

Considering it's for GNU/Linux desktop am I going overboard with this? I doubt I'll need that kind of GPU and maybe it's better to throw money at SSD.

[Person of Color]

Uhhh....wow. Talk about going over board.

A6-5400k, 8GB RAM, 500GB WD Blue, integrated graphics.

It's Linux. Who gives a shit?

[TerminX]

I'd definitely do a SSD.

[Kathy]

How idiotic seems to buy 512GB SSD for a ridiculous amount of money compared to HDD? Geez, it's more expensive than GPU...

Okay, then I should go for 256GB SSD. Down the line I can add 512GB HDD for storage.

[TerminX]

You might also look at hybrid drives... a hard drive with 8-16GB of SSD cache is way cheaper than a full SSD and approaches the speed of a SSD in a lot of cases.

[Kathy]

Yeah, it's an interesting alternative, but they are scarce. I could only find Seagate drives, but I don't see anywhere SSD cache characteristic. And it's Seagate...

[TerminX]

WD has a 1TB Black SSHD that's supposed to be coming out soon... might be worth waiting for.

[Kathy]

Maybe, I'm not in a hurry. But not gonna wait too long.

[Person of Color]

If the PC is just a secondary PC that's used for Linux why would you want to pour mad dough into it?

[TerminX]

Where did he say it was going to be his secondary computer...? I ran Linux on my primary desktop for like 10 years.

[Person of Color]

I dunno. I was kind of under that impression.

lol Linux as a main OS

[Kathy]

Viper The Rapper, on 31 August 2013 - 05:38 PM, said:

If the PC is just a secondary PC that's used for Linux why would you want to pour mad dough into it?

My Windows PC will remain, but Linux PC will become the primary one.

What part of the new PC is 'mad dough'? Except for GPU which is indeed over the top considering games available. Might buy it for Windows with old 560Ti going to Linux.

[Person of Color]

The 560 Ti is still very capable and faster than a PS4.

[Forge]

nice thing about linux, doesn't matter if the bios is set ide or ahci, as long as the kernel isn't compiled hardware specific it's pretty easy to hot swap it into another box

[Mr.Deviance]

Viper The Rapper, on 01 September 2013 - 09:07 AM, said:

The 560 Ti is still very capable and faster than a PS4.

I can guarantee that if you place a 560 Ti in a rig with 4gb of ram and a dual core amd processor, you will not be saying that it's faster than a ps4.
It's not all about the videocard when it comes to comparing gaming performance between pc and a console.
Even if you ran the 560 ti with the fastest and newest i7 + 16 gb of the fastest ddr3 out there, all on raid 0 SSDs, I still don't think you would match the gpu of the ps4 for now.
I think that to match the gpu of a ps4, you need at least a 680 or a 780 gpu but I'm not exactly sure(I could be able to tell it with more precision if I actually knew the full specs of the ps4 gpu)
The ps4 and x1 are indeed outdated when compared to the newest and most expensive gaming rigs on the market and as these very high end pc parts are just going to get replaced by even faster ones in the upcoming months and years, the ps4 and x1 will go down under pretty fast.
At the moment I an happy because for the first 2-3 years, the multiplatform games will tend to look better on pc due to having the ps4 and x1 less limited than 360 and ps3.
As a pc only gamer, I can only be happy that pc games are going to be less limited these first years into the life of the new consoles as they take over the main games from the 360 and ps3 and push this extremely slow moving industry a bit forward.

[Kathy]

I don't see many PCs sporting 8GB GDDR5 in shared mode between GPU and CPU.

[Person of Color]

The PS4 is cut down, IIRC it's like the performance equivalent of a 6870.

Also the PS4 is an octo core 1.8GHz...based off of AMD's netbook chips.

The Microsoft NSABox is 30% slower.

A Haswell and a 560 Ti will spank them.

[Kathy]

Bought everything except GPU and hard drive. Gonna test it a bit and decide about the hard drive. Onboard GPU will do for now.