Need advice building a new comp....[somewhat a challenge!]

[Domun]

Well I somewhat know what I want.....

I basically want a machine that can run two instances of a game...this game would be Darg Ages of Camelot: catacombs client

Several people say they rvr on this client with anywhere from a 2.8-3.2 ghz p4 and about 512 to 1 gig of ram and a 128-256 card....

Im pretty confused on what to get...

Was thinking of getting a dual cpu comp with 2 3.0+ ghz athlon with HT and 2 gigs of ram....

Or a 4800+ x2 overclocked to about 2.7-3.0 ghz and 2 gigs of ram...

Not sure /shrug

And of course run mp3 player,aim,etc

What do you guys suggest?

 

[dhlucke]

Are you wanting to run a server and playing the game at the same time?

 

[Domun]

No i just want to run two instances[clients] of the game

It is a MMORPG


How exactly does Hyper transport work?

x2 MOBO's hypertransfer 2ghz in one link

 

[fishmahn]

You won't be able to get a dual cpu Athlon, to go dual CPU you need to move to Opteron, and that can get expensive fast. A dual-core would be your best bet. If money is no object then the x2 4800+, otherwise the 3800 or 4200 if you're on a budget. The 3800 is like having 2 of the single core 3200+, the 4800 is like have 2 4000+'s.

Get the best GPU you can get - if your budget allows it, get a 7800gt, otherwise there's a bunch of lower priced, and lower-powered cards. I'd even drop your CPU choice to get more GPU. Do you know if DAOC can use SLI and/or Crossfire? and do you desire/see a need for it?

So, what you should do next is search around a couple stores (online or whatever) and get some ideas (There are many, many good products, and we could suggest something not available in your area - besides, its part of the learning experience, getting an idea whats out there). Put together a system (CPU, mobo, video card, HDD, Case, PSU, RAM, etc.) and post it here for critique.

Hypertransport is what the A64 uses as its FSB. It serves as the link between the CPU and the rest of the system. It runs at 800-1000mhz and is full duplex (both ways at the same time), so marketing says its' 2x1000mhz, or 2000mhz.

Mike.

 

[Domun]

I must agree even the game's website says the tsamething you said...

GPU first
RAM second
Processor third

http://support.darkageofcamelot.com/kb/article.php?id=764

If I get the 3200/3800 x2 and overclock it to about 2.4-2.5 ghz...I should be fine considering processor speed

I think what I may do is invest in a motherboard which has 2 PCI express slots and maximum of 3-4 gigs of ram

I pretty much doubt I need a powerhouse machine like an Opteron

My spending limit is about 1000-1500

I should be gtg then...

Just curious...well..

The game I play when you go into PvP it loads the enemy characters skins somewhat right there and then...its an mmorpg like I said

I was thinking of purchasing a 15000 rpm hard drive to handle this issue

What do you suggest?:l

 

[pickxx]

i would say GPU, CPU, RAM

You dont need top notch expensive or abundant RAM for A64's

yes, if you get either of those you will be good for cpu speed

DO NOT GET 3-4GB OF RAM...PERIOD!! Get 2GB max but i would say 1GB would do you best.

Get a board with one PCIe slot because SLI isn't for you....by the time you have 400bucks for an upgrade you will want a whole new card, not another one of what you have to SLI.

DO NOT GET A 15000K hard drive....for gaming its pretty much useless...it will load things faster as a crazy premium in price....use a WD rapto if you have to get a fast drive....cheaper as the 15K's and just as fast for that

 

[fishmahn]

15k rpm hard drives are all scsi, so not only are they more expensive (because they're scsi), they require a controller card, adding another couple hundred $ to the price.

Based on your budget, I would say no SLI. Get an X2-3800+, an Epox or DFI mobo (both good for OCing) that uses the nForce4 Ultra chipset, 2gig of RAM (if $ allow, otherwise 1gig will be ok), and a 7800gt (if $ allow).

Mike.

 

[pickxx]

Get a DFI board....
get 1 gig of tight timing ram 2-2-2-5
Get 7800GT
Get two SATA drives and put them in RAID-0 if you want the faster load times....otherwise just buy for space.


you could get the 3800 X2 if you do a lot of multitasking but the 3200+ is better for games because you wont be using the dual core for gaming right now. and the single cores OC more....

 

[fishmahn]

Actually, in his case I think 2gig and the X2 will be good because the express purpose of the system is to run 2 instances of DAOC simultaneously.

X2 for 2 instances, 2Gig because DAOC likes more than 512M per instance.

Mike.

 

[Domun]

"Actually, in his case I think 2gig and the X2 will be good because the express purpose of the system is to run 2 instances of DAOC simultaneously.

X2 for 2 instances, 2Gig because DAOC likes more than 512M per instance.

Mike."

Yep you got it

ATM im just researching different GPUs.....I would like to get a 4800 but man a 7800 gt/gtx is pretty costly =|

Id even rather get two 6800s instead of one 7800 heh.........

 

[cgcaver]

I have been a hardcore DAOC addict since week1 of its release. I currently have:

2.8ghz 800fsb P4
1gb PC2700 RAM
Geforce FX 5700 256mb

I have all gfx settings to low/off. I can run 2 instances of TOA client flawlessly. Its when I run 2 DR/Catacombs client that I start to notice system lag, especially in the cities or highly populated RvR areas. Even with only 1 client, I still get some lag with DR client when a zerg comes into clip range.

Dunno if this helps you at all, and I dunno what kinda budget you're on here, but you CAN get by with the system I have. Of course, if you have more to spend, then go for it, as I know you can do better

 

[Domun]

"I have all gfx settings to low/off. I can run 2 instances of TOA client flawlessly. Its when I run 2 DR/Catacombs client that I start to notice system lag, especially in the cities or highly populated RvR areas. Even with only 1 client, I still get some lag with DR client when a zerg comes into clip range.
"

Can you run two toa clients fine in RvR?DR atm in some zones/high pop areas has major graphics issues...

Mythic said they are currently fixing the issue hehe

 

[pickxx]

THats cool...i guess i dont understand how the game works like that but go with a 3800+ X2 and a 7800GT....
DO NOT GET TWO 6800GT's insted.....1 they will use about 3 times the power, 2 they wont run as fast in some games. At best they are equals, 3 A LOT more heat in your case to mess up any OC'ing, 4 it costs twice as much

you can get a 7800GT for 310bucks, a whole bunch more under 350 plus a free copy of COD2 thrown in sometimes.

 

[Domun]

I was just thinking of putting 2 SLI supported 6800s but I have my doubts...

In my mind two 256 cards=512 card which would be > than a good 256 card but Im guessing thats not how it works

I think Im just going to get a somewhat decent card with a mobo to SLI the same card later...I dont know...

/shrug

the game isnt all that video card hungry...

Its preferred system specifications...well for video cards is a 128 mb card

Most run it with a 128 card np it seems so im somewhat guessing two 256 cards might be good..or not....

 

[cgcaver]

Yeh, i can't honestly remember ever having an issue running 2 TOA clients in RvR... just make sure you have them both set to /clientsleep background. As far as I can recall, it ran perfectly, and I pwnt many a noob.


Oh and btw, I think when I used to run 2 TOA clients, I used windowed mode 100% of the time. Ran 2x DAOC 800x600 windows on a 1024x768 WinXP desktop resolution.

 

[Domun]

Id like to run in 1600x1200 resolutions /shrug

Difference in max resolution between the 7800 and 6800 doesnt seem to be any at all...

Plan on getting a 22-24 inch monitor soon and run that baby at 1900x 13xx

And ya I play on windowed mode all the time..I dunno why people play full screen in RvR :|