Video Games

[TheCADJockey]

Brands are hard to recommend when it comes to pre-built machines.

Man I was afraid of that, just hoped someone knew of a pre-built that was sufficient. I'm really only looking for something to rock Diablo and Path of Exile on; nothing with insane graphics. I bought that ASUS laptop off Amazon a few months back for less than $200 and it can play PoE if I turn the graphics down to Atari level. I expected nothing more, it was just for paying bills really.

My last machine I spent $1200 on, picked out all my parts and bought it from a company called CyberpowerPC.com who built it for me and it was the worst experience in my life purchasing anything. Kind of bummed out, really miss my PC.

 

[mredge73]

Man I was afraid of that, just hoped someone knew of a pre-built that was sufficient. I'm really only looking for something to rock Diablo and Path of Exile on; nothing with insane graphics. I bought that ASUS laptop off Amazon a few months back for less than $200 and it can play PoE if I turn the graphics down to Atari level. I expected nothing more, it was just for paying bills really.

My last machine I spent $1200 on, picked out all my parts and bought it from a company called CyberpowerPC.com who built it for me and it was the worst experience in my life purchasing anything. Kind of bummed out, really miss my PC.

You should be able to get a cheap machine that should play those titles well.
I would tend to lead you to look at the new AMD APU machines. These are cheap builds where the CPU and GPU are integrated in the same chip just like the PS4 and XBONE. It won't be a beast but they are cost comparative to the consoles. I cannot see why it wouldn't be able to play D3 or xb360 console ports but I really haven't had any experience using one of these builds yet.

 

[TheCADJockey]

You should be able to get a cheap machine that should play those titles well.

Thanks dude. I guess I'll just have to shop around. I've never had a computer last more than two years so I really distanced myself from them, but there are so many things I miss.

 

[Roland_deschain]

As it goes with every Fallout game, I have reached the point of diminishing returns........
I love the game but I have reached the point where Im level 52, X-01 power armor all tricked out, finished the main quest(All to early, I may add), and have an arsenal of tricked out weaponry.......Even at high difficulty the game has become too easy. I can kill Deathclaws with several head shots and take minimal damage......

BRING ON THE DLC!!!!!!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

As it goes with every Fallout game, I have reached the point of diminishing returns........
I love the game but I have reached the point where Im level 52, X-01 power armor all tricked out, finished the main quest(All to early, I may add), and have an arsenal of tricked out weaponry.......Even at high difficulty the game has become too easy. I can kill Deathclaws with several head shots and take minimal damage......

BRING ON THE DLC!!!!!!

I need more time.

Level 20, something. 4 suits collecting dust (T-51 most recent). And have barely touched the questlines. I mostly wander around looking for something to kill.

So, I ask. WTF is the deal with not having any crafting stations available in the Diamond City house? It has the workstation but no option to add any crafting tables. I know there are several around the home plate but so far I have to carry everything in order to use them.

 

[drainbamage]

As it goes with every Fallout game, I have reached the point of diminishing returns........
I love the game but I have reached the point where Im level 52, X-01 power armor all tricked out, finished the main quest(All to early, I may add), and have an arsenal of tricked out weaponry.......Even at high difficulty the game has become too easy. I can kill Deathclaws with several head shots and take minimal damage......

BRING ON THE DLC!!!!!!

I'm around level 50. I hardly touch the power armor (except for places like the Glowing Sea where you need it), still stalling on doing the main quest.

Right now, I'm trying to find a better sniper rifle to upgrade from the fully-modded .50 rifle I've had forever.

 

[Rhetorik]

I'm lvl 44. I'm going clear-cutting mode right now: wiped out the institute, wiped out covenant, wiped out railroad, just finishing the quest line with BoS then wiping them all out too. Going to install crafting mods tonight so I can upgrade the living hell out of my weapons with whatever I want... I've been using the same friggin' baseball bat for like 30 levels now and it's getting stale. I know I'm going to have a hard time deciding when to stop playing, so my tactic is going to be to kill all the quest givers so I don't have a choice.

PS - you can kill that whiny jerk Marcy Long! https://www.reddit.com/r/fo4/comments/3simga/f_marcy_long/cxrd4rt

 

[drainbamage]

PS - you can kill that whiny jerk Marcy Long! https://www.reddit.com/r/fo4/comments/3simga/f_marcy_long/cxrd4rt

I'd rather off Mama Murphy. I got her off the chems for the XP, but now I'm sick of hearing her mope around constantly like some kind of junky Eeyore.

 

[Rhetorik]

I'd rather off Mama Murphy. I got her off the chems for the XP, but now I'm sick of hearing her mope around constantly like some kind of junky Eeyore.

Just keep giving her chems! She OD's and dies.

 

[drainbamage]

Just keep giving her chems! She OD's and dies.

If I'd known the long-term implications, I would've gone that route.

 

[mredge73]

I am level 47 with over 100 hours now.
Took a break from the game for the last 3 weeks and about to get back into it.
Still haven't completed the reunion quest but finding plenty to do.

I do agree that Bethesda games get a bit repetitive and boring after so many hours.
I haven't even completed Skyrim after 180 hours, I don't want to leave FO4 hanging but the "explore one more location" drive is diminishing.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I am level 47 with over 100 hours now.
Took a break from the game for the last 3 weeks and about to get back into it.
Still haven't completed the reunion quest but finding plenty to do.

I do agree that Bethesda games get a bit repetitive and boring after so many hours.
I haven't even completed Skyrim after 180 hours, I don't want to leave FO4 hanging but the "explore one more location" drive is diminishing.

This one just isn't pulling me in as hard as FO3 did. But then I never really "finished" that one either. I did complete the main quest but never did explore every location.

I keep meaning to get back to Witcher3 but I am stuck in a area I struggle to win in and there are too many other games calling my name.

 

[BrewingTravisty]

I am level 47 with over 100 hours now.
Took a break from the game for the last 3 weeks and about to get back into it.
Still haven't completed the reunion quest but finding plenty to do.

I do agree that Bethesda games get a bit repetitive and boring after so many hours.
I haven't even completed Skyrim after 180 hours, I don't want to leave FO4 hanging but the "explore one more location" drive is diminishing.

I find that most open world games are like that. They just spread themselves thin on content because the world is so big. Great games, but I get bored after so many hours in them.

 

[JawZziff]

I keep meaning to get back to Witcher3 but I am stuck in a area I struggle to win in and there are too many other games calling my name.

saw my buddy playing this the other day. boring to watch but looks like it would be hella fun to play. long though, which is what I like.

 

[m_c_zero]

Great video on the struggles of FO4 and perseverance (slightly **** due to language):

 

[TheCADJockey]

Great video on the struggles of FO4 and perseverance (slightly **** due to language):

Wow. That was amazing, even without sound and I was severely turned off from the game after an hour of gameplay. Awesome.

 

[h22lude]

You don't want to spend that much on a I5. If you are going Intel you should go I7; the hyper-threading can potentially double your non-gaming performance. Also, keep in mind that most games are still single threaded as in they lean heavy to one core for the majority of the processing. They may push off a few aspects to other cores but they don't load share very well. This is why a faster 2 core processor will out preform a slower 4 core machine on gaming. So the bottom line is that this new processor will not be much better then my 5 year old AMD processor that sells for under $50.

That motherboard is a beast, very nice but if you aren't over clocking then you can get a $100 board and put the money saved toward more ram. The cooler that you choose will not let you overclock much anyway but should keep it well chilled at factory specs.

I haven't kept up with cases and power supplies, just get one with lots of airflow and is easy to modify. Full-tower tool-less cases are a better investment long term if you plan to stick with it and upgrade parts every 3-5 years.

In retrospect, I wish that I would not have bought a XBONE and spent the money on a new GPU. I play more games on steam and got a steam link for Christmas so can now play console ports in my living room for a fraction of the price.

Not a bad parts list. I have a couple suggestions for your consideration:

CPU: Get an unlocked (K) version - the 212 EVO is a nice cooler, and you can easily squeeze out more power from a CPU with it. Consider the i5-4590k (this would switch you to an LGA1150 socket, thus requiring a different mobo) which is a great CPU for only $35 more, or if you want to stick with LGA1151, the i5-6600k (though it's $75 more). Getting the unlocked version is well worth it - I have a comparable cooler (Xigmateck SD1483) on my i7-4770k and I've boosted it from 3.5ghz to 4.6

Ram: Go for 16gigs. 8gigs used to be the gold standard, but with games becoming more and more demanding nowadays, 16gigs puts you in a much better spot for future-proofing at a minimal price increment.

If you need to cut price anywhere BTW, start with the mobo. You can get a cheaper mobo that has 99% of the functionality of its more expensive counterparts.



Speaking as someone that games with an i7... you don't need an i7 for gaming - an i5 will be perfectly workable and will not be the bottleneck in performance for gaming.

You are right, I5 is fine for gaming.
Hyperthreading is not used for most games, most are single threaded.
But I would never pay $200 for a I5; I would take the AMD route over this and save some money to spend on the GPU.

I'm not looking to overclock all that much (if at all) which is why I went with the non k version. Going from the i5-6500 to i5-6600k is about $60 which isn't bad but I would actually like to lower the cost a little if anything.

I went with i5 to try and keep cost down a little and not really thinking I needed to go i7. The i5-6500 seemed to do really well gaming.

Just did a quick parts list with an i7 to see the cost difference and it isn't much at all but I do want to try to lower my price a little and not really sure I need to go i7 over the i5.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rtszt6

How big of a difference is the ddr3-1600 vs the ddr4-2400?

 

[mredge73]

This one just isn't pulling me in as hard as FO3 did. But then I never really "finished" that one either. I did complete the main quest but never did explore every location.

I keep meaning to get back to Witcher3 but I am stuck in a area I struggle to win in and there are too many other games calling my name.

Witcher 3 is sitting on by my TV taunting me still wrapped up in plastic from black Friday. I told myself that I would not play it until I finish FO4.

FO3 was a different beast, it was fairly short. I put in 20-30 hours in it and finished the game satisfied with the experience. Same with FO NV, a little longer at about 40-60 hours and I finished the game. Something is different with Skyrim/FO4; I am pouring hours into it and not really getting anywhere. My map is almost illegible now due to all the icons but there are still so many places that I have not been. The amount of content and attention to detail in these games are unreal but I am getting burnt out. Come to think of it, Oblivion was also exceptionally long if you were determined to close down all the hell gates toward the end of the game.

 

[mredge73]

I'm not looking to overclock all that much (if at all) which is why I went with the non k version. Going from the i5-6500 to i5-6600k is about $60 which isn't bad but I would actually like to lower the cost a little if anything.

I went with i5 to try and keep cost down a little and not really thinking I needed to go i7. The i5-6500 seemed to do really well gaming.

Just did a quick parts list with an i7 to see the cost difference and it isn't much at all but I do want to try to lower my price a little and not really sure I need to go i7 over the i5.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rtszt6

How big of a difference is the ddr3-1600 vs the ddr4-2400?

The difference is in the ram speed and you have to do some research to maximize the speed in the bios. Dialing it in on my AMD machine is a chore but it should be much easier on the intel chipset. Intel's main competitive advantage is that their "northbridge" or memory controller is built into their "I" series chips so it can take advantage of faster memory on the market and reduce this major bottle neck. You will want to get the fastest ram that your cpu will use; not the fastest that it will support (while being cooled with liquid nitrogen). 1600 is the default speed that my system uses and it is 5 years old; I can get stable right under 2000 when overclocked using 2133 memory. The new Intel rigs should be able to do 2400 out of box.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I'd rather off Mama Murphy. I got her off the chems for the XP, but now I'm sick of hearing her mope around constantly like some kind of junky Eeyore.

I stuck her in the ceiling when I placed her chair and left her there.

 

[Venari]

I really need to upgrade my video card. I'm currently using a GT 640, and the graphics in Ark look like those old clay animation tv shows. From what I've seen on youtube i should be seeing GOOD graphics.

But my computer can only handle low settings, with low memory

Here is a sample of what it looks like for me. I'm sure you can see better examples of how it should be on Youtube.

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198027001549/screenshot/357274621777904420

 

[Rhetorik]

Want an ASUS GTX 660 Ti? I was going to sell it on Kijiji to some sap for more money than it's worth (I'm a bad person, I know) but I can pass it your way for a very fair price if you're interested. Sigh... I keep giving away pc parts. Last month it was a CPU cooler, 1.5 years ago it was a full PC with i5-750, mobo, gtx 460, etc.

So yeah, let me know if you're interested. Since I switched to a 980 Ti it's been gathering dust, and I was planning on selling it anyways to fund a new mash tun.

(need any other parts? What's your current set-up? I have 8gigs ram, a CX600 PSU and some other knick-knacks kicking around)

 

[TheCADJockey]

I really need to upgrade my video card.

I've also got a spare video card. I can't remember what it was, but I didn't even use it. That computer I had built, I opted for crossfire or whatever so it should've had two linked video cards. The ******* company sold me the only two video cards that apparently can't be crossfired. So, I've got a decent nvidia card that I didn't even use.

I'll find out exactly what it is. If you're interested. I'll send it to you for like.. a cool postcard or something.

 

[Venari]

Want an ASUS GTX 660 Ti? I was going to sell it on Kijiji to some sap for more money than it's worth (I'm a bad person, I know) but I can pass it your way for a very fair price if you're interested. Sigh... I keep giving away pc parts. Last month it was a CPU cooler, 1.5 years ago it was a full PC with i5-750, mobo, gtx 460, etc.

So yeah, let me know if you're interested. Since I switched to a 980 Ti it's been gathering dust, and I was planning on selling it anyways to fund a new mash tun.

(need any other parts? What's your current set-up? I have 8gigs ram, a CX600 PSU and some other knick-knacks kicking around)

PM sent

I've also got a spare video card. I can't remember what it was, but I didn't even use it. That computer I had built, I opted for crossfire or whatever so it should've had two linked video cards. The ******* company sold me the only two video cards that apparently can't be crossfired. So, I've got a decent nvidia card that I didn't even use.

I'll find out exactly what it is. If you're interested. I'll send it to you for like.. a cool postcard or something.

Definitely interested. Since I'm no longer in canada's arctic, I don't have any unusual postcards. Perhaps some funds?

Let me know what you have

 

[TheCADJockey]

Perhaps some funds?

Not interested in your funds buddy. I'm not using it so there is no point in me hoarding it. Don't get too excited until I find out what it is, you may not even be interested. All I know is it was an Nvidia GForce something or other. It's really all I've ever used since I don't know crap about computers.

 

[Rhetorik]

Replied to your PM, but definitely inquire about the option of a free card! I unfortunately can't quite give the 660ti away for free... SWMBO would be upset. I'm supposed to be saving my money for "important" things, like "weddings" and "buying a house" and garbage like that... so to fuel my beer-making endeavour I have to sell some things, like PC parts and my BMX bike

 

[TheCADJockey]

Replied to your PM

Sorry man, didn't mean to undercut you like that.. I can hang on to it if it was out of line. Brain is burnt out from work.

 

[Rhetorik]

Sorry man, didn't mean to undercut you like that.. I can hang on to it if it was out of line. Brain is burnt out from work.

No! No concern on my part or reason for you to feel bad! I'm 100% supportive of free stuff and genuinely recommend he follow-up with you first.

edit - Venari actually replied and is going to pass on my card, as it's only a minor upgrade (which I understand completely)

 

[iijakii]

Reinstalling Hearthstone. Game makes me rage due to how pay2win it is, but so bored of other games. Gets old playing TF2 when youre 2gud

 

[hunter_le five]

Playing counterstrike. Classic. The one from '99.

Somehow I still find it more compelling than most modern games.