Building/Upgrading a PC for TS2
Hegelian:
UPDATE, 16 January 2008: As I am sure is apparent, I am not inclined to keep this thread current. Much has changed since the last update (Sept. 2006), so there is a lot of out-of-date information here. If someone else wants to do something along these lines and keep it current, perhaps a new pinned thread should be started and this one unpinned and left to sink down the list on its own.
One development I will mention here is the move toward greater energy efficiency. We can see this in the latest generation of Intel's Core 2 duo and quad-core CPUs, some video boards (ATI's HD3000 series, for example), the 80 PLUS initiative for high-efficiency power supplies (such as the units manufactured by SeaSonic and marketed under both its own name and others like Corsair and Antec's Earthwatts series), and even hard drives (Western Digital's GP series). I find this a welcome development.
There have been a lot of questions recently about building or upgrading a PC to (at least in part) make TS2 run better. Here are a few resouces folks might find helpful.
Added 08 September 2006: ATI's New High End and Mid Range: Radeon X1950 XTX & X1900 XT 256MB
Quote
With five new cards being introduced, ATI is hoping to slowly phase out all of its other offerings to simplify its product lineup. Unfortunately, it will take some time for all inventory to dry up, but when it does ATI hopes to have the following cards in its lineup:
Enthusiast:
ATI Radeon X1950 XTX $449
ATI Radeon X1900 XT 256MB $279
Performance: ATI Radeon X1900 GT $249
Mainstream:
ATI Radeon X1650 Pro $99
ATI Radeon X1300 XT $89
Value:
ATI Radeon X1300 Pro $79
ATI Radeon X1300 256 $59
ATI Radeon X1300 64-bit $49
Note the absence of the X1800 series. It may be that over the next few months, X1800 prices could become quite attractive as the remaining stock is liquidated.
Mid Range GPU Roundup - Summer 2006
Update, 29 August 2006: Core 2 notebooks ("Merom") are about to hit the market. Given how closely these new CPUs match the performance of their desktop equivalents, these new laptops should outperform by a wide margin current models that use "mobile" processors.
Dell, others roll out Core 2 Duo notebooks
Core 2 Duo notebooks offered from $850
Mobile Core2 Duo: Performance at a Cost
Also, Tom's Hardware Guide has updated its interactive VGA charts to include the latest boards from nVidia (7900 GTX) and ATI (X1900 XTX). See how your current or anticipated graphics board stacks up:
Red Hot VGA Charts! (explains the charts)
Interactive VGA Charts
Update, 14 July 2006: Core 2 is almost here, and the first independent lab tests are starting to appear.
The Core 2: Intel Goes for the Jugular
Intel's Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors: Conroe at last
Update, 15 June 2006: For those considering building/buying a new machine in the next few months, Intel looks positioned to retake the performance lead from AMD with its Core 2 dual-core processors (aka "Conroe"), at competitive prices; scheduled release date is 24 July. The word for today is "wait"!
Intel Core versus AMD's K8 architecture
Hot Summer for CPU Companies
Benchmarking Conroe: First Look at Core 2 Extreme Edition
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Preview from Taiwan
At least two Web sites have recent articles on building a sub-1000 USD gaming PC, Tom's Hardware (500 & 720 USD) and Extreme Tech (800 USD):
The $500 Gaming Machine
Build It: $800 Gaming PC
Your DIY 4 GHz Dual Core Gaming Rig For $720
In print, the June 2006 issue of the American magazine Maximum PC features a DIY gaming rig for 1000 USD:
For more general useful information, try these:
Power supplies (the oft-overlooked heart of your PC):
Pumping Out the Juice: Power Supplies Explained
Power Consumption and the Modern Geek
Stress Test: Power Supplies Under Full Load
5 Power Supplies Get the Full Juice Treatment
PCI, AGP, PCI-E, Firewire, etc.: What are they?
PC Interfaces 101
All about RAM:
Don't Forget the Memory—RAM Explained
Navigating the Memory Upgrade Jungle
How Much RAM Do You Really Need?
Ups and Downs: Memory Timings Put to the Test
Navigating the BIOS: How to set up your PC to run right using its Setup utility
BIOS from A to Z
Which Graphics Board Should I Buy?
Graphics Card Buyer's Guide Spring 2006, Part 1
ATI Graphics Card Buyers Guide 2006, Part II
ATI Buyers Guide, Part III: All Graphics Cards!
For the TS2 Gamer on a budget:
Don't Throw Out Your ATI Radeon X800 Yet
And charts for performance tests that include TS2:
VGA Charts VI: PCI Express Update Summer 2005
VGA Charts VII: AGP Update Summer 2005
Install, Clean Up, and Otherwise Tweak Your Video Drivers
ATI Catalyst Tweak Guide
Nvidia Forceware Tweak Guide
Hope this helps!
Credits and Thanks to these sites:
www.anandtech.com/
LOSTCIRCUITS
BlueSoup:
It's very helpful so I am going to pin this topic, thank you Hegelian!
witch:
I recently upgraded my PC - well, built a new one - and I found Tom's Hardware was a brilliant resource. They have interactive charts where you can compare the performance of a variety of hardware in a number of ways - very helpful.
Jabberdau:
Toms is good but if you really want to dig into it there is really only one site to visit and thats www.hardforum.com
witch:
Quote from: Jabberdau on 2006 May 21, 12:24:03
Toms is good but if you really want to dig into it there is really only one site to visit and thats www.hardforum.com
I just get a database error with that link.
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