BEST rig to buy today that will still be good tomorrow...

[jamesdietz]

Also posted over at Community help at Il-2/Pacific Fighters site...
After 2 years of waiting to buy new rig & visitring this site daily to see no new info about SoW for quite a while ( quite ,quite a while...)
I 've finally hit the wall in waiting for specx for SoW to be made available...I really want to buy a new rig today!So with that in mind has someone got the ideal set up for me to give to one of my local ( Seattle) commercial builders ( or order on the internet)that will not only handle the future add-ons that may be necessary for SoW , but will run Il-2 (all I play currently,although I might want to give & the other Silent Hunter Ubisift markets a try...) perfectly? The reasom I add that Caviat is that I have read threads recently where guys have bought the newest & best & found problems getting Il-2 to play on perfect settings.I know I want the best of both worlds here,but its only because my budget won't allow me to buy a new rig when SoW finally appears.I'm no computer whiz so I need something that basically plays Il-2 nearly straight from the box...

[Kira]

Really need some sort of budget. A pc that will run IL2 on perfect isn't expensive, but if you want to run BoB with some decent settings...

As nobody knows when it comes out, you would have to get expensive stuff.

[jamesdietz]

Budget??I hoped to keep it below $3000.As mentioned I want this rig to replace my aging fully updated HP Pavillion 701 ( with an FX5700 graphics card & two wheezingCPUs its gone as far as it can go...with 20 fps at the best of times)I will spend more to get the job done,but all things considered I'd rather get below $3000.
BUT you bring up an interesting prospect ...maybe there's a dirt cheap replacement available now that will do the best possible job with IL-2 ( i.e handle graphics like flak & big formations on aircraft & perfect water etc.) then later I could afford to upgrade or replace for needs on SoW?

[Tbag]

That was my solution in December:

Intel Core2 Quad Q6600, 4x 2.40GHz S775
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 P35 Rev.2.0
4096MB DDR2RAM
512MB 8600GT SilentFX
500GB 3,5" Samsung

In December this Rig was around 900 Euro. All I need to do when SOW comes out is to replace the graphics card. And probably a new OS to finally use the 4GB of RAM.

[crazyivan1970]

Budget??I hoped to keep it below $3000.As mentioned I want this rig to replace my aging fully updated HP Pavillion 701 ( with an FX5700 graphics card & two wheezingCPUs its gone as far as it can go...with 20 fps at the best of times)I will spend more to get the job done,but all things considered I'd rather get below $3000.
BUT you bring up an interesting prospect ...maybe there's a dirt cheap replacement available now that will do the best possible job with IL-2 ( i.e handle graphics like flak & big formations on aircraft & perfect water etc.) then later I could afford to upgrade or replace for needs on SoW?

Few things that consider:

Things to build on with approx prices:
Case ~ 200
PSU ~ 150-200
HDD`s ~ Depends... couple of raptors raid0 is niceee but not enough benefits to justify cost. I say couple of SATA 7200 Rpm drivers for raid0 (prim. partition) and backup drive, whatever size you like.. knowing you.. probably 1TB no less :) 400 bucks all in all..
DVDROM ~ 50-100
Motherboard ~ 300-350 DDR3
Memory 4GB DDR3 at least 1600 ~ 300

Total of lets say $1500
_______________ 70-80% of your system cost

Things you dont want to buy Top of the line:
CPU - i would get Q6600 what is it, like 200 bucks?
Video - single 8800 GTX or If you like ATI 3870 X2 ~ 400 dollars range
Sound - PCIe Creative goes for like 60 dollars...

Total roughly 660
_________________


So, there is no need to blow 3k on the system... especially paying top dollar for something that will be half price tomorrow... When SOW or whatever comes about, you`ll have a strong base to built on... then you can upp the video and CPU... Reality is...CPU and video cards that cost a fortune nowdays will be at least 50% cheaper by the time SOW is out, and possible much better CPUs and GPUs will be avail by then.. It is very easy to let go CPU that you paid 200 dollars for...and really painfull to let go one for 900+ :D

But that is just my approach.. :D

p.s. I honestly dont think that you can buy a rig today that will be good tomorrow :D

[nearmiss]

I have recently finished building my new system. It is awesome. I got alot of help from other IL2 users.

I will outline my exact system here for you.

-----------------------------------
Motherboard: Abit
IP35 PRO
http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=IP35+Pro&fMTYPE=LGA775
------------------------------------
Processor: Intel
Q6600 Quad
------------------------------------
CPU Cooler Fan: Arctic Cooling fan Pro 7
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/cpu2.php?idx=79&disc=
------------------------------------
Video Card:EVGA 8800GTS 512 KO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130337
-------------------------------------
Memory:4 gigs Corsair XMS2
http://www.corsair.com/_datasheets/TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX.pdf
-------------------------------------
PSU: Tagan 700Watt
http://www.tagan.com/index.php?c_id=32&products_id=173&p_cata_id=66
-------------------------------------
Computer Case: Antec 900
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15900
-------------------------------------
Monitor: Acer x241W
24" LCD monitor
-------------------------------------

The links should be good for awhile longer.

I am doing a dual boot between XP and Vista Ultimate.

I had a good Computer case from my previous system, but with all the newer system stuff a large number of fans is too important to ignore. So.. I bought a new case that comes with 5 fans.

I am not using SLI, but it is possible with my motherboard. Reseaching the system I realized that one slot solution is still better for current gamer applications.

Check around the different help forums on Il2 type sites. You'll get some competent suggestions.

[Kira]

That was my solution in December:

Intel Core2 Quad Q6600, 4x 2.40GHz S775
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 P35 Rev.2.0
4096MB DDR2RAM
512MB 8600GT SilentFX
500GB 3,5" Samsung

In December this Rig was around 900 Euro. All I need to do when SOW comes out is to replace the graphics card. And probably a new OS to finally use the 4GB of RAM.

Good idea. As graphics cards are the fastest to get old in a system, it's better to buy a cheap one which is still able to easily run IL2 on max. Then you get a real good graphics card when BoB comes out.

[F19_Klunk]

quote from lacrits @ simhq

Yesterday Intel officially announced their new mainstream chipset "P45" yesterday. This chip will be replacing the current "P35". New features are a 45nm [edit note: 65 nm] architecture meaning smaller component and lower heat dissipation, PCI-E ver. 2.0, higher bus speeds (1600Mhz) and a new south bridge (ICH10). Performance wize it's very close to the high-end X48 but with not so many PCI-E lanes. New motherboards with P45 should be starting to hit the market within days, both with DDR2 and DDR3 RAM support.
This should mean that Intel chip X38 and P35 board pricing should take a drop and become more affordable as they are no longer "the latest and greatest"..

On the graphics side both ATI and nVidia are releasing new series of GPU's. ATI is focusing on the mainstream market with their Radeon 4800 while nVidia are looking to improve performance even more with GTX200.. These new graphics cards will be release in around 2 weeks (17 June). Expect ATI's boards to be decent performers with attractive pricing while nVidias new ones will be expensive hot and power hungry monster performers.
I hope and expect this to positively impact the price of todays nVidia 9800- and 8800- series cards as well as ATI 38-series cards.

Intel will also be releasing new Core 2 Duo and Core Quad CPU's during third quarter year. A new top performer E8600 (3,33Ghz) and new revisions of existing E8xxx CPU's are maybe the more intresting for the mainstream market. Price reductions of existing will also follow with the new CPU models.

So those of you that have been holding off buying new gear can start looking again at the online retailers for pricing in a few weeks time. The stuff you kept from buying because it was a bit pricy during spring I predict will now be much more affordable during the summer and autumn!

[Zoom2136]

Also posted over at Community help at Il-2/Pacific Fighters site...
After 2 years of waiting to buy new rig & visitring this site daily to see no new info about SoW for quite a while ( quite ,quite a while...)
I 've finally hit the wall in waiting for specx for SoW to be made available...I really want to buy a new rig today!So with that in mind has someone got the ideal set up for me to give to one of my local ( Seattle) commercial builders ( or order on the internet)that will not only handle the future add-ons that may be necessary for SoW , but will run Il-2 (all I play currently,although I might want to give & the other Silent Hunter Ubisift markets a try...) perfectly? The reasom I add that Caviat is that I have read threads recently where guys have bought the newest & best & found problems getting Il-2 to play on perfect settings.I know I want the best of both worlds here,but its only because my budget won't allow me to buy a new rig when SoW finally appears.I'm no computer whiz so I need something that basically plays Il-2 nearly straight from the box...


1st - Get a QUALITY PSU... the PSU is what make the difference between a trouble free rig and one that can go up in smoke at anytime.... Don't skimp out on the PSU... Check Johnny Guru PSU review site for more info...

For flight simming get the FASTEST QUADCORE CPU you can afford... actually the bulk of your $$$$ should go toward the CPU as flight sims ARE VERY CPU intensive... Quadcore are not necessary today but will be the norm shorthly.... Or you could buy a slightly slower CPU and overclock the hell out of it. This will give you top of the line performance for a fraction of the price... If overclocing is not your thing... well cough up the $$$. Aslo get an after market CPU cooler like the Zalman9000 or an Ultra Chill Tech if you can afford it... I have the later and its rock solid...

Motherboard... go for a quality MB (i.e. ASUS Striker)... here you got to decide between SLI or Crossfire... its all up to you... remember flight sims PRESENTLY don't benefit much from killer GPUs (graphic cards) they are bottledneck by the CPU... All that being said I prefer ATI (but presently have a SLI rig... go figure). ATI are... IMHO simpler to setup... But ask around as I have read about problem with the 38xx series ATI card with Il2... For the moment for iL2 I would by a single 9600GT (or 8800GT) as these 2 cards will suffice and could be upgraded somewhere down the road... If you go with a single card for now... Crossfire or SLI MB is not an issue... but could become one down the road when you decide to upgrade so think ahead....

3rd RAM you want to get 4 GIG of quality RAM. Check for low timing. You don't need to buy expensive RAM as overclocking your RAM yeild the less benefit...

Harddrive... well go with what you like...

Finally get a large case with a good ventilation... and thats about it...

[TheFamilyMan]

If you go Intel, consider these new processors (http://www.intel.com/technology/architecture-silicon/next-gen/whitepaper.pdf) slated to come out by end of this year. I'd bet there'll be a new socket and chipset for it as well, which will pretty much obsolete the latest and greatest mobos available now. Good Luck!

[RXMAN]

RAM , get 4 GB as above, but specify 2x2GB leaving 2 slots open for future.
You will want 32 bit OS for now, but the 64 bit as a standard is near.
Maybe have it set up as dual boot, for use as 32 bit and 64 bit boots.
Be sure nothing but the OS gets installed as your base, add
only what is absolutely necessary after that.

[BadAim]

You can get a 3Ghz dual core for about $250, 2Gig of ddr2 for less than $100 and a decent Mobo for $200. Couple that with something like an 8800 GT or Gts for less than $300 and you'll have a rig thet will kill on IL2 and will probably run KOTS and SOW halfway decent on 1/3 of your budget (with enough left over for a power supply if you need it), then you can save annother couple grand by the time they actually come out and build an up to date machine to run them on thier actual specs.

[jamesdietz]

Here's part of the discussion over at community help on the other site:http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=49310655&m=4911048466&r=8331030566#8331030566






Urufu_Shinjiro Posted Wed June 04 2008 09:24 Hide Post
Intel E8400 or E7200 CPU
DFI DK P35 or DFI DK X38/48 Mobo
2x2gb G.Skill 1066 ram (with the blue heatspreader)
PCP&P 750W silencer PSU
Graphics are up to personal choice:
Nvidia 8800GT or 8800GTS 512
ATI 3870 or 3870X2

You might want to wait a month or two for the new nvidia and ati cards to come out, the 4870 looks really good as does the GT260 or GT280, altho the ati will be much cheaper than the nvidia.

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Unless something is dying or showing its age and not able to run this sim with all its bells and whistles then why upgrade yet? There is no reason to upgrade for SOW, it won't be out for a number of years unless there is something else you are also waiting for. What's your rig look like now? If anything wait just 2-3 weeks for the next ATI cards to come out and hopefully drop the price on some current ones. If you are at least running a 939 dual core and a decent amount of ram or better hold onto your money for the time being, but in all reality its totally up to you.





With a budget like that, go with the QX9650 for a cpu. One of the mobo Urufu mentioned is fine as long as it has the X48 chipset because it supports 1600MHz on the FSB. But the Foxconn X48A is a good mobo along with the offerings from Asus. Also go ahead and pick up some DDR3 memory. This stuff, the Super Talent Project X DDR3-1800 is the best out there for tight timings and overclockability. Read more about those here:

http://aphnetworks.com/reviews/super_talent_project_x_ddr3_1800_2x1gb

Also when ATI releases their 4800 series, pick up two 3870 X2's and run a quad gpu setup. With the rest of the components you will need that should pretty much use up your budget of $3000.

But to be perfectly honest, the advice staticline offered is sound and makes more sense. Save your $$$ until BoB is released because technology will be allot further down the road by the time it is released and you would probably be better served by waiting and picking up components when BoB is released.






Ha Ha..good timing James...
Just lately I have had this horrible urge to upgrade my already great computer.
It plays il2 just fine with my ATI X1900XT all the other good stuff..

My only problem is my eyes..They ain't as good as they use to be & I have always had a hard time picking out the aircraft against the ground.

I was just wondering if anyone could comment on whether or not those pixels show up any better on the Nvidia 8800 etc or the ati 38xx vs my x1900.

I remember going from the 9700 pro to the x1900 actually I just don't see that much differrence. Its a bit better, but not a whole lot...

I believe Urufu...'s advice is about the best though...


Any comments ? Here's my reply:



I appreciate your sentiments
Let me try to explain & if you say its still better to wait I will take your suggestion to heart.
All I really play now is Il-2( except flirting with BoB2 which needs more computer power than I've got to work well & quickly...ditto Silent Hunter sims which currently sit on my shelf...))& have played it from the beginning with my current HP Pavallion710 PC which has been upgraded in memory, a CPU added & a new graphics card ,all about 2 -3 years ago...otherwise its stock & will not take any further improvements ..period.It worked wonderfully well with Il-2 Sturmovik & currently works okon simple missions in newer versions Water=0 Perfect . ....I get about 20fps-not fast but usable...but get more than 10-16 aircraft in a flight & flak,well FPS goes to hell& the only way I can get thru a mission is to do it at 1/2 speed and time acceleration ,well it just doesn't want to do its job. A bit frustrating with all the possibilities of this sim,yes? You bet! Obviously I'd like for this sim that I already have in hand so to speak play to perfect settings if I could,while waiting & waiting & waiting for BoBSoW!
Not being a computer whiz , but tight with the $$$ I've been waiting on BoB SoW to make the big step up to a new rig.Well you can figure out or know the history of waiting on this sim:first due out in late 2007 , then late 2008 ...now late in 2009. I have been patient too waiting & flying at half speed & fps's down at 8 somewhere- I don't want to waste time & money on a PC that won't cut it for SoW or have to be massively rebuilt after its release.
When I started this thread I thought the time may have come for a compromise ( after all each year I wait ,everyone says just wait 6 more months...they said it 2007 & say it now...)but I figured maybe now someone has read the tea leaves & knows which way to jump.Judging from the postings there is quite a variety of opinions,wouldn't you say?
As mentioned I 'm not a PC expert ( all I've learned is actually from this sim!!!) and I do not want to screw this up...I really want my next rig soley to play the next generation of Oleg's & Ubisoft's work . I guess I can wait as much as I don't want to...
So now what's your opinion or suggestions?