Building a computer to handle Starcraft 2??

[drift925]

So I'm thinking of either building or buying a new computer. In the title I said "handle starcraft 2" mainly because Ive read reviews that if you computer can handle SC2 it'll handle any current and most likely future games to come. How much should I expect if I budget build? Or do you guys know of any great deals on preassembled comps? I just want to make sure I spend my money on the right foundation the first time around.

Processor?
Ram?
Video Card?
Hardrive / Size? (does it indirectly effect performance?)

Do you guys think I can get one for under $700???

[silviaguy240]

yea easily, i built a bad ass comp with a case for ~$1000 on new egg.

amd x-2 something processor black edition
8gb ram
500gb hard drive
asus mother board to support processor
ati 4780 graphics card
antec 900 case


just get some more ram, processor and new video card, probably can to do for ~$500 easy.

[cuddlesthesheep]

for the guys who know nothing about computers, people that do should post some examples of some complete computers you can build from newegg.com or geeks.com just include all the things you would need and the prices.

that would be dope.. and help all of us out a lot.

[i8yourfwd]

is SC2 even going to be THAT graphic intense? RTS games usually aren't too crazy.

Yes, you can have a decent comp for $700

[murda-c]

you should build a computer to run crysis at full specs

[luftrofl]

So I'm thinking of either building or buying a new computer. In the title I said "handle starcraft 2" mainly because Ive read reviews that if you computer can handle SC2 it'll handle any current and most likely future games to come. How much should I expect if I budget build? Or do you guys know of any great deals on preassembled comps? I just want to make sure I spend my money on the right foundation the first time around.

Processor?
Ram?
Video Card?
Hardrive / Size? (does it indirectly effect performance?)

Do you guys think I can get one for under $700???

Below this are two sets of requirements which I found from a google search for "starcraft 2 system requirements."

You could probably get parts that would run the game smoothly at max settings for cheap.

Going off of the "Optimal Requirements" below... I'd estimate the following prices:
<$150 for cpu.
<$250 for gfx card.
<$75 for memory.
<$100 for HD.
<$100 for power supply
<$100 for case.
<$50 for a dvd drive.
<$200 for a good monitor.

This, assuming that you'll need all new parts, puts you at $1025.

What parts do you intend on carrying over for a new PC? Is just upgrading yours out of the question?

-------------------------------------
Minumum Requirements
GFX: GeForce 7/8 Series or Radeon 1000/2000 with 256 MB RAM
CPU: Pentium 4
RAM: 1 GB
Internet: ADSL 1 Mbit

Recommended Requirements
GFX: GeForce 8000 or Radeon 2000 series with 512 MB RAM
CPU: Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2.
RAM: 2 GB
Internet: ADSL 3 Mbit

Optimal Requirements
GFX: Geforce 9000er or Radeon 3000er Series
CPU: Core 2 Duo 3 GHz or Athlon X2
RAM: 2GB with DualChannel mode

---------------------------------
StarCraftWire.net Minimum Specifications:
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics Card: Nvidia Geforce FX 5500
Hard Disk Space: Undeterminable*

StarCraftWire.net Alternative Minimum Specifications:
CPU: Athlon XP 2500+
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 9700
Hard Disk Space: Undeterminable*

[atom]

I did the following for a friend a few weeks back

Asus P5Q-E motherboard $160
Intel E7200 $125
4 GB Memory $140
Ati 4850 $170
Antec Case + 550W power supply $170
Seagate HD 500GB $90
DVD RW Drive $50
Thermalright Heatsink $50
Random quiet fans and other miscellaneous shit $50

Thats about a grand. Overclocked to 3.8 ghz right now, I'm gonna try and get it to 4 ghz even when I get the chance. Take out the quiet fans, get cheaper memory and motherboard, and you can get it to $850 easy.

[braingone]

Your going to have to spend at least 800 but, you could possibly upgrade for 600. What are you system specs right now?

[drift925]

So I guess judging by the pricing you guys are giving, these are a pretty awesome deal considering they're both assembled and ready to go?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229025

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229031

Also, one more question, which of those 2 computer would you guys recommend?

[enkei2k]

So I guess judging by the pricing you guys are giving, these are a pretty awesome deal considering they're both assembled and ready to go?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229025

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229031

Also, one more question, which of those 2 computer would you guys recommend?


i would recommend the intel quadcore over AMD anyday . benchmark tests prove that intel quad is way better. plus that Q6600 can be overclocked like a mofo easy on air cooling. personally i was gonna go with cyberpower at one point, but after reading some reviews and doing a little research i kinda backed out.

[2Slow40]

Just don't be dumb like me and buy a new video card as soon as it comes out lol.

[drift925]

i would recommend the intel quadcore over AMD anyday . benchmark tests prove that intel quad is way better. plus that Q6600 can be overclocked like a mofo easy on air cooling. personally i was gonna go with cyberpower at one point, but after reading some reviews and doing a little research i kinda backed out.

I know I've been reading pretty infamous reviews about their comps, but they all end up saying that "overall its a pretty good comp". So I guess my best option would be to just custom build one huh?

[Dutchmalmiss]

you should build a computer to run crysis at full specs

Yeah I thought Crysis was the game to benchmark things with.

[decco]

If you don't mind still using your case, hard drives, and cd drives it will make things a lot easier. For example you could get something like this
and still be under $700:

DFI Infinity Mobo $66
Intel Q6600 (Quad Core) $200
ATI HD4870 $275
Patriot 4GB DDR2 800 $87
Antec 650W PSU $70
Total $698

[drift925]

I stumbled upon another semi-important thing to look into when building this comp. Apparently vista 32bit only supports up to 4gig of ram? While vista 64bit can support up to 8gigs? So what exactly does the 32bit/64bit part mean? It's also being stated that theres a ram support difference between editions (home, home premium and business). Is there two types of bit versions for each edition? Then not to mention the big security plus you get from the x64 version.

[decco]

It has to do with how the memory is addressed. Here's a support article that can better explain it: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605/en-us.
I've used Vista Ultimate 32bit and the 64bit and I have to say I like the 64bit better. It's faster for me and more stable.

Edit: Here's another link - http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/zanswers/1079

[Mi Beardo es Loco]

Al Gore says you guys are nerds. lol. jk. My computer could barely handle zilvia.

[elixirvtec]

So I'm thinking of either building or buying a new computer. In the title I said "handle starcraft 2" mainly because Ive read reviews that if you computer can handle SC2 it'll handle any current and most likely future games to come. How much should I expect if I budget build? Or do you guys know of any great deals on preassembled comps? I just want to make sure I spend my money on the right foundation the first time around.

Processor?
Ram?
Video Card?
Hardrive / Size? (does it indirectly effect performance?)

Do you guys think I can get one for under $700???

Yes you can.

I just built a computer for $800.
Q9300 quad core overclock at 3.0ghz with after market air cooler. Zalman
EVGA 790i motherboard. supports up 3 SLI graphics card. Buy.com has this for sale $199 but if you apply for a buy.com credit card you get a instint $30 off
Windows Vista 64bit.
8gigs of OCZ SLI ram. You can get 4 gigs for $55 on newegg after a $35 mail in rebate
dual PNY 8800gt in SLI mode 512MB each. $150 each after a 50 mail in rebate from PNY

This computer will handle any game. If it doesn't you can always throw in a Third graphics card which I think is over kill.

To bring my system down to $650 you only buy 1 graphic card. a single graphic card with 512MB should be able to handle sc2 at any level.

Im waiting for this game too. Blizzard has yet set a release date. Oh have you seen the previews for Diablo 3?? Its HOT!


I just found this deal out. EVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB SLI supported video card on newegg for only $129 after mail in rebate. There are really good deals out there. U just need to hunt them down.

Edit
Opps forgot the link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16814130359

[downshift_sideways]

Yezzir.

NewEgg

is the best place to find parts.

[elixirvtec]

Look at this. OCZ gaming SLI power supply 600w
I bought this same power supply 80 bucks. Now they have it for sale $50 bucks after mail in rebate. Im pissed!!!

Edit.

Opps forgot the link again!
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=316504

damn im pissed. i didn't get this for 50

[luftrofl]

Look at this. OCZ gaming SLI power supply 600w
I bought this same power supply 80 bucks. Now they have it for sale $50 bucks after mail in rebate. Im pissed!!!

Edit.

Opps forgot the link again!
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=316504

damn im pissed. i didn't get this for 50

Technology prices tend to drop like that. 8800GTSs were $500 at one point. Where have you been? :p

[SR2Zero]

Yes you can.

I just built a computer for $800.
Q9300 quad core overclock at 3.0ghz with after market air cooler. Zalman
EVGA 790i motherboard. supports up 3 SLI graphics card. Buy.com has this for sale $199 but if you apply for a buy.com credit card you get a instint $30 off
Windows Vista 64bit.
8gigs of OCZ SLI ram. You can get 4 gigs for $55 on newegg after a $35 mail in rebate
dual PNY 8800gt in SLI mode 512MB each. $150 each after a 50 mail in rebate from PNY

This computer will handle any game. If it doesn't you can always throw in a Third graphics card which I think is over kill.

To bring my system down to $650 you only buy 1 graphic card. a single graphic card with 512MB should be able to handle sc2 at any level.

Im waiting for this game too. Blizzard has yet set a release date. Oh have you seen the previews for Diablo 3?? Its HOT!


I just found this deal out. EVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB SLI supported video card on newegg for only $129 after mail in rebate. There are really good deals out there. U just need to hunt them down.

Edit
Opps forgot the link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16814130359

Blizzard produces the best shit always.

[cgtdream]

Hells yea, cant wait for sc2...and after realizing the requirments, building a computer dosent sound like abad idea :hs:

On another note some of the new units are kinda overpowered *cough*protoss*cough*

[elixirvtec]

Technology prices tend to drop like that. 8800GTSs were $500 at one point. Where have you been? :p

You find me a 512mb SLI card for less than $150 then. I know the current value for graphics cards like this and $150 is the market price. What do you mean where have I been.

[corwin]

If anybody hasn't really noticed, Blizzard makes amazing games that do NOT require top notch hardware to look good. Blizzard has stated in their SC2 FAQ that it will run on DirectX 9, so you don't need to blow $400 on a brand new video card that'll run DirectX 10 and then buy a copy of Vista.

[anthony240]

I would suggest to build one from the ground up, prebuilt systems are overpriced.
So first, start a list of what you need, and do your research, make sure they're compatible, ya never know these days.

FRY's has great deals! too bad they're weekly so get em when they go on sale!

Ya don't need to go quad core, Core 2 duo and Athlon X2 cpu's are still the standard today. Fry's usually has deals with CPU/Mobo combos. Got my ECS Geforce7050m w/ AMD Athlon X2 5600+ 2.9ghz for $99

You DO need a good Graphics card, and with the new Nvidia's out, the old versions have dropped in price dramatically. Just got my 9800gtx for 199 from amazon.

4gb of RAM and above can only be used by 64bit Operating systems. so if you still have Windows XP and under, you don't need it! Aim lower.

All this new stuff won't be good if it doesn't get enough power! 500w and up for the new power supply. Beware of cheap power supplies with 500+ watts, they're cheap for a reason: they don't have enough amperage and end up failing on you, or not run at all.

I go to Newegg for research. They have great product info. And the first thing I look for is customer reviews.