530$ gaming build for PS2

[Maskills]

Hey guys, First post on the site and i would like it to be a helpful one. I recently worked put together a virtual build with with the help of some Followers and Moderators of Buzzcutphycho's stream This build is not meant to play Every game at Max settings at 120 fps, but is for your budget gamer.PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jYEW) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jYEW/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jYEW/benchmarks/)

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-hdz965fbgmbox) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ECS A885GM-A2 (V1.1) ATX AM3 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/ecs-motherboard-a885gma2v11) ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f310666cl9d8gbrl) ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd5000aakx) ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-01gp31561kr) ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Zalman Z11 ATX Mid Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zalman-case-z11) ($45.94 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu600cxv2) ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $527.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
This is a very capable build and can play most if not all games on high settings 60fps+. I know its not intel but on this budget to have a quad core is key for ps2. Let me know what you guys thing in the comments.

[Ghost Runner]

I would go for the AMD Phenom II X6 1075T Thuban 3.0GHz Socket AM3 125W honestly it cost a little bit more but performs much better. The rest looks decent for a budget build

[Vancha]

Be wary of the PSU. It's not typical Corsair quality and more of them turn up DOA than they should. I don't remember if it was the 500w or 600w, but I know one of the posters here received a dead Builder PSU.

[camycamera]

wow.

[Neolitejukebox]

Don't you wanna think about the i3 solutions ?

especially the i3 3220

[Goku]

Are AMD processors still pretty bad in terms of performance for PS2? If that is the case junk that whole build. The new i3 Neo mentioned will probably give a better playable experience.

[Baladanga]

+1 to the i3

[Maskills]

Don't you wanna think about the i3 solutions ?

especially the i3 3220

The i3 is 1. to expensive for this build and 2. the Phenom would out perform the i3 in task's such as streaming your game on twitch via xplit or doing 3d rendering. The i3 is good for strictly gaming, but this build is good for gaming and more. The extra cores really do help, like running PS2, teamspeak and xsplit and a browser with a wiki open all at the same time, besides the game is optimized more for quad cores vs duel cores. Intel is not always the answer, at this price point amd wins hands down.

[Vancha]

I kind of doubt you'll be able to run PS2 and stream it with a 965?

[Goku]

The i3 is 1. to expensive for this build and 2. the Phenom would out perform the i3 in task's such as streaming your game on twitch via xplit or doing 3d rendering. The i3 is good for strictly gaming, but this build is good for gaming and more. The extra cores really do help, like running PS2, teamspeak and xsplit and a browser with a wiki open all at the same time, besides the game is optimized more for quad cores vs duel cores. Intel is not always the answer, at this price point amd wins hands down.

You are stretching the purpose of this machine too far. The number 1 priority needs to be running this game the best you can at a given price point. Streaming is not something everyone does, so I wouldn't bother with this unless someone states they want to do it. Rendering is not that common for anyone to do so that throws that one out the window.

That is why you should be going with the i3 for this build. Its only $30-$40 more. Besides that Phenom II will not be purchase able soon anymore.

[Goku]

Here is what I would do for a budget build.

Intel Core i3-3220 - $129.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116775)
ASRock B75M-DGS - $54.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157335)
Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 - $31.89 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820576006)
Corsair CX430 430W PSU - $45 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026)
PowerColor 7850 1GB - $169.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131482)
Western Digital 500GB HDD - $69.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769)
Antec Gaming Series One Case - $50 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129181)

Total = $551.83

Better gaming CPU and a stronger CPU. This is $20 more than your build and will provide a better gaming experience in everything. If you must have Nvidia I would go with the 650 Ti (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130839), subtracting the 7850 that makes the total $541.83. The 650 Ti is about tied with a GTX 560 and uses less power, which is a nice bonus.

If someone wants a quad core you can swap out the i3 3220 for a Core i5-2310 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115089) and the 7850/650 Ti for a 7770 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131477). Oddly this quad and lower end vga combo comes out to the almost same total for $551.81 as the other build.

Right now I think that i3 and 7850 will give a better experience compared to a i5 and 7770. When I was testing out two cores compared to 4 cores on my 2500K I was getting about the same performance with some hiccups here and there. Would be great if we could have a processor run down review with PS2 to see where everything lands. Really comes down to what the user wants in the end in terms of their personal needs.

Don't forget chances are someone will need an OS and even a DVD drive, so that another $100-$120 right there.

[Maskills]

Here is what I would do for a budget build.

Intel Core i3-3220 - $129.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116775)
ASRock B75M-DGS - $54.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157335)
Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 - $31.89 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820576006)
Corsair CX430 430W PSU - $45 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026)
PowerColor 7850 1GB - $169.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131482)
Western Digital 500GB HDD - $69.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769)
Antec Gaming Series One Case - $50 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129181)

Total = $551.83

Better gaming CPU and a stronger CPU. This is $20 more than your build and will provide a better gaming experience in everything. If you must have Nvidia I would go with the 650 Ti (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130839), subtracting the 7850 that makes the total $541.83. The 650 Ti is about tied with a GTX 560 and uses less power, which is a nice bonus.

If someone wants a quad core you can swap out the i3 3220 for a Core i5-2310 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115089) and the 7850/650 Ti for a 7770 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131477). Oddly this quad and lower end vga combo comes out to the almost same total for $551.81 as the other build.

Right now I think that i3 and 7850 will give a better experience compared to a i5 and 7770. When I was testing out two cores compared to 4 cores on my 2500K I was getting about the same performance with some hiccups here and there. Would be great if we could have a processor run down review with PS2 to see where everything lands. Really comes down to what the user wants in the end in terms of their personal needs.

Don't forget chances are someone will need an OS and even a DVD drive, so that another $100-$120 right there.

Thats a very sturdy build, and trust me i like amd cards better than nvidia. Its just that my friend had 2 builds with ps2 on it, one with a i3 and one with a phenom ii x4 945. He ran multiple benches with the same gpu in each system ( in this case it was a 6850) with similar ram and hard drive in each system. The phenom ii got better performance in ps2 because the game is focus is quad core processors. Duel cores only recently gotten optimized. Also you will be surprised how common it is to stream games these days. Fraps also works better on a quad core vs a duel core. Trust me i have nothing against intel, I know they beat the living day light out of amd cpu's but at a 90 dollar price point intel has no competition there. Im really on a tight buget and 530 is the absolute max. If you can get me a i5 in that price range i will be happy to say my build is completely out dated.

[Goku]

Not claiming that you are saying isn't true, but I had a opposite experience. My 2500K with two active cores was giving me better experience compared to my Phenom II X6 both running a 7950. I'll launch the game tonight to compare the two systems again to see if anything has changed with the recent patches.

The i5? Do you mean with the 7770? Thats easy enough to do. Just get cheaper case and you probably can find a cheaper HDD around also. HardOCP (http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/02/14/xfx_r7770_black_edition_super_overclocked_review/1) determined the 7770 to have the same playability experience as a GTX 560 Ti. The performance isn't as good, but its a decent card. Especially if you are running a resolution lower than 1920x1080.

[FireWater]

If you could, I would step up to a 2500k i5.

AMD processors are shit for games, trust me.

[Maskills]

Not claiming that you are saying isn't true, but I had a opposite experience. My 2500K with two active cores was giving me better experience compared to my Phenom II X6 both running a 7950. I'll launch the game tonight to compare the two systems again to see if anything has changed with the recent patches.

The i5? Do you mean with the 7770? Thats easy enough to do. Just get cheaper case and you probably can find a cheaper HDD around also. HardOCP (http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/02/14/xfx_r7770_black_edition_super_overclocked_review/1) determined the 7770 to have the same playability experience as a GTX 560 Ti. The performance isn't as good, but its a decent card. Especially if you are running a resolution lower than 1920x1080.

How about this, If you plan to build a budget rig for gaming and only gaming( no rendering, video editing or fraps) get the i3. If you do plan to do those things get the phenom. I personally like using fraps and editing the videos i capture, i also work on a couple mods and such that need good multicore support. Thats why i say the phenom is better FOR ME not everyone

[Vancha]

How about this, If you plan to build a budget rig for gaming and only gaming( no rendering, video editing or fraps) get the i3. If you do plan to do those things get the phenom. I personally like using fraps and editing the videos i capture, i also work on a couple mods and such that need good multicore support. Thats why i say the phenom is better FOR ME not everyone
Did your friend try streaming PS2 with the 965? Considering how CPU intensive it's supposed to be, I'd be surprised if streaming it with anything less than an i5 wasn't unpleasant.

[Maskills]

Did your friend try streaming PS2 with the 965? Considering how CPU intensive it's supposed to be, I'd be surprised if streaming it with anything less than an i5 wasn't unpleasant.

It was actually surprisingly good quality. It was being streamed at 27 or 28 frames because of how he has xsplit set up, but it was streaming at 720p. If he decided to lower that to 480p he could stream at 30fps no problem

[camycamera]

guys, is this a good PC or not? i'm planning on getting this to run for PS2. and no, don't bombard me with upgrade suggestions on that PC, i just want performance above 30FPS

[Goku]

guys, is this a good PC or not? i'm planning on getting this to run for PS2. and no, don't bombard me with upgrade suggestions on that PC, i just want performance above 30FPS

If it was me? No I wouldn't. I've already stated my reason why in this thread.

If you want advice make your own thread so we can do a customized build for you. I don't particularly like having one generalized build for people to use just due to people normally having different needs for a computer...

[camycamera]

If it was me? No I wouldn't. I've already stated my reason why in this thread.

If you want advice make your own thread so we can do a customized build for you. I don't particularly like having one generalized build for people to use just due to people normally having different needs for a computer...

well actually i checked the specs against the requirements for PS2, and it all checks out. sure, other computers can run it better, but they cost more, and this PC is in the middle between recommended and minimum, and that is damn fine by me.

this'll be a good build to run anything (not on max settings and max FPS, of course, but it would still be damn playable).

but i may plan on recording with FRAPS and editing etc. so i go with the OP.

[Goku]

well actually i checked the specs against the requirements for PS2, and it all checks out. sure, other computers can run it better, but they cost more, and this PC is in the middle between recommended and minimum, and that is damn fine by me.

this'll be a good build to run anything (not on max settings and max FPS, of course, but it would still be damn playable).

but i may plan on recording with FRAPS and editing etc. so i go with the OP.

Its your money do with it as you wish. Its rather obvious computers that cost more will run the game better. What I have been saying is the component setup for this computer is not even good at its price level. It uses all last gen components when you can get newer gen ones that perform at higher levels for a similar price point.

[camycamera]

well, i don't really care though. as long as it can run almost all games at 60FPS (like he said), this is damn fine by me.

[Goku]

well, i don't really care though. as long as it can run almost all games at 60FPS (like he said), this is damn fine by me.

What is so hard to understand? What I'm saying is at the same price point you can get parts that will perform better therefore netting you a better experience. Myself and others in this thread have already said why. If you want to blindly order over $500 in computer parts in last gen parts be my guest.

[camycamera]

i'm sorry, but when it comes to building a PC, there are WAAYYY too many options. i was then going to consider going with your build you mentioned with the i3 and the 650 TI (and the 650 TI is cheaper than the GPU you mentioned before), but the i3 is a duel core, but the i5 is a quad core, and apparerntly PS2needs quad core, but then you mentioned the i5 didn't have a better experience than the i3.....

i just want a PC that can play games, record, and edit. so, i3 or i5?

Intel Core i3-3220 OR i5 2310- $129.99/$189.99
ASRock B75M-DGS - $54.99
Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 - $31.89
Corsair CX430 430W PSU - $45
650 TI- $159.99
(i already have a case (any case'll do) and a hard drive... well technically it is a 1tb USB :P)

total: $421.86 OR $481.86


I CANT CHOOSE!!!!

[Goku]

Go for the i5. Easily worth the extra $60 IMO.

Are you taking out the HDD out of the enclosure to use it as a internal HDD? I've never heard of anyone using USB drive as their main OS one. Even if it was possible I wouldn't recommend it at all due to the slow transfer speeds compared to using the SATA connection.

For the video card either get this cheaper 650 Ti (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006662&IsNodeId=1&Description=gtx%20650%20ti&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20) or spend the extra on a 7850 for a extra $10. Only reason not to if is you don't want a AMD card. Difference between the two can be seen here (http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=680).

[camycamera]

i do have an internal hard drive, it's just that it has like, 20gb left in it, so i just use the USB i got to put all of my games on. i don't mind transfer speed anyway. and yeah i don't like ATI cards anymore... and apparently these nvidia cards are "Better"

thank you for responding about the CPU. so you say that this will give better performance than the OP's PC? if so, that is awesome, and this might as well be my build. thank you.

EDIT: i checked these specs against the recommended specs, and they match :DDDD and are better than the OP's PC for about the same price. i bet this PC will run everything :D

[Goku]

Alright on the HDD. I've seen people have crazy ideas on what they can do with computers is all.

Everyone has there preference. In terms of pricing in that bracket a cheaper $140 650 Ti is the way to go IMO. The next best Nvidia card is over $60 more expensive.

Yes it will. The difference will be noticeable.

I suggest getting this CPU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116782). Same price as the 2310, higher clocks (plus more IPC), and it uses less watts.

[camycamera]

just my list of "to get":

Intel Core i5-3450-$194.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=5414526&SID=skim19668X770041X60667a7c18e95ff504448b95589fe a80

ASRock B75M-DGS - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157335&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=5414526&SID=skim19668X770041Xf22974136fd77044bad38bd851b82 b1f

Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 - $31.89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820576006&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=5414526&SID=skim19668X770041X4aa8b102cca02885ecfa00b0240f6 f11

Corsair CX430 430W PSU - $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=5414526&SID=skim19668X770041X19062e7744cdf849056ef8ab32920 29d

650 TI- $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130839&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Video+Cards-_-EVGA-_-14130839

total: $486.85

okay, thanks. integrated graphics means better graphics, and for an extra 5 bucks. yay.

[Rbstr]

The "p" cpus lack integrated graphics, which is the main reason for lower TDP. That's fine, because you don't really care about the integrated graphics.
But you do miss out on cool stuff like Quicksync video encoding/decoding.

If you have $5 I'd get this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506 you also get a bigger Turbo clock (3.5 vs. 3.3)

[Goku]

The "p" cpus lack integrated graphics, which is the main reason for lower TDP. That's fine, because you don't really care about the integrated graphics.
But you do miss out on cool stuff like Quicksync video encoding/decoding.

If you have $5 I'd get this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506 you also get a bigger Turbo clock (3.5 vs. 3.3)

That I didn't know. Thanks for pointing it out.

I'll one up you on the CPU too ;). 3550 for $195 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116505).

[camycamera]

The "p" cpus lack integrated graphics, which is the main reason for lower TDP. That's fine, because you don't really care about the integrated graphics.
But you do miss out on cool stuff like Quicksync video encoding/decoding.

If you have $5 I'd get this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506 you also get a bigger Turbo clock (3.5 vs. 3.3)

well, obviously intergrated graphics means better graphics, so i guess i will change the CPU to the one you suggested, thanks.

[camycamera]

That I didn't know. Thanks for pointing it out.

I'll one up you on the CPU too ;). 3550 for $195 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116505).

actually that one is $209 so i'll go with the one Rbstr mentioned, it is only 5 bucks more, not $15 or whatever.

[Vancha]

actually that one is $209 so i'll go with the one Rbstr mentioned, it is only 5 bucks more, not $15 or whatever.
It has a $15 off bonus code until the 20th. It's effectively $194.99.

well, obviously intergrated graphics means better graphics
It's more like a vestigial organ that suddenly becomes useful if your GPU ever breaks down. I don't think it does anything while your dedicated GPU is installed (except for quicksync).

[Maskills]

If it was me? No I wouldn't. I've already stated my reason why in this thread.

If you want advice make your own thread so we can do a customized build for you. I don't particularly like having one generalized build for people to use just due to people normally having different needs for a computer... I didn't say anyone had to use my build. i started this tread to show that i could make a good cheap gaming build. I also said if you could get a i5 at the same price or cheaper that it would be the better build by default. Its just that people don't see that YES the i3 outperforms any phenom ii in SINGLE threaded applications. But in MULTI-THREADED ones like i dont know...Planetside 2, the phenom will do better simply due to having that extra head room.

just my list of "to get":

Intel Core i5-3450-$194.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=5414526&SID=skim19668X770041X60667a7c18e95ff504448b95589fe a80

ASRock B75M-DGS - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157335&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=5414526&SID=skim19668X770041Xf22974136fd77044bad38bd851b82 b1f

Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 - $31.89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820576006&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=5414526&SID=skim19668X770041X4aa8b102cca02885ecfa00b0240f6 f11

Corsair CX430 430W PSU - $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=5414526&SID=skim19668X770041X19062e7744cdf849056ef8ab32920 29d

650 TI- $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130839&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Video+Cards-_-EVGA-_-14130839

total: $481.86

okay, thanks. integrated graphics means better graphics, and for an extra 5 bucks. yay.
Nice to see you have a i5 build that's cheaper than mine. Very good for gaming.

[Maskills]

also watch this..PlanetSide 2: Touched By An Angel (graphics test) - YouTube
He is running on a Slower cpu, 4 gigs less ram and a slower gpu than the one in this thread. He is getting 75 fps on medium-high settings. That seams very playable to me.

[FireWater]

Best of luck streaming and playing with on a 965 alone. I did tried that out with Team Fortress 2, and barely got over 20 FPS.

If you are going to stream with this build, you NEED a capture card.

[Maskills]

Best of luck streaming and playing with on a 965 alone. I did tried that out with Team Fortress 2, and barely got over 20 FPS.

If you are going to stream with this build, you NEED a capture card.

as i stated before in a previous post, my friend who has this same processor streams in 720p no problem via xsplit. Did you ever calibrate your settings to get better performance?

[Goku]

also watch this..PlanetSide 2: Touched By An Angel (graphics test) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9U1cVCfDqA)
He is running on a Slower cpu, 4 gigs less ram and a slower gpu than the one in this thread. He is getting 75 fps on medium-high settings. That seams very playable to me.

Hes running around with no action going on. That doesn't show how his rig really handles the game...

EDIT: Hes using custom settings at 1024x768 with a low viewing distance. Texture quality is set to 0 and shadows at 2 which is low I think. Thats the only reason it runs like that. If he likes it sure, most won't want to run at such a limited resolution and viewing distance.

[Maskills]

Hes running around with no action going on. That doesn't show how his rig really handles the game...

EDIT: Hes using custom settings at 1024x768 with a low viewing distance. Texture quality is set to 0 and shadows at 2 which is low I think. Thats the only reason it runs like that. If he likes it sure, most won't want to run at such a limited resolution and viewing distance.

True, i didnt see that the textures are on low and thank you for correcting me, but the shadows set to 2= medium settings (highest=4) and render of 700 would be equal to medium because by default it is set to -1 which is infinite render distance. So by leaving those settings alone and bumping up the resolution to 1280x720 he would be getting 60-65 fps instead of the 75 fps. Based on how other people perform, he would most likely be getting around 30 fps in a large scale battle. Not the best but it is still playable.

[Goku]

True, i didnt see that the textures are on low and thank you for correcting me, but the shadows set to 2= medium settings (highest=4) and render of 700 would be equal to medium because by default it is set to -1 which is infinite render distance. So by leaving those settings alone and bumping up the resolution to 1280x720 he would be getting 60-65 fps instead of the 75 fps. Based on how other people perform, he would most likely be getting around 30 fps in a large scale battle. Not the best but it is still playable.

Is rendering distance based on settings now? Used to be -1 regardless of settings when I messed with it anyway.

[Maskills]

Is rendering distance based on settings now? Used to be -1 regardless of settings when I messed with it anyway.

It might, probably part of the optimization they have been doing to get this game in shape for release. Im glad sony stated that you only need a duel core and a dx9 card with 256mb of video memory for the minimum requirements. Most people on budget builds or laptops only have duel cores. The last thing this game needs at release is to still be poorly optimized. Also the max you can do on textures is 5, not 4 as i stated

[Rbstr]

DUAL
It's DUAL. DUAL IS TWO.

Not DUEL. DUELS ARE FIGHTS.

Sorry, but I can't stand it anymore. It's like fucking "turrents".

[Maskills]

DUAL
It's DUAL. DUAL IS TWO.

Not DUEL. DUELS ARE FIGHTS.

Sorry, but I can't stand it anymore. It's like fucking "turrents".

Sorry bro, i know the feeling though haha. But yah the game is getting really optimized, might run decently well on my quad core laptop im getting ( by well i mean at least 30fps in busy areas)

[termhn]

Here's a $520 (before rebates) build I would do... though this is i3 which I know you guys have discussed so... yeah just my contribution :P

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=25945427

[MrSmegz]

Please, Listen to Goku. You are going to get a vastly better gaming experience on Intel hardware, its just a sad fact. I want AMD to be as competitive performance wise as the next guy, but they just are not. Even if they did have comparable performance in gaming, they still nearly double the power and heat of Intel CPU's.

So ill settle this argument by showing you that you can build a potent gaming system for less that $500, with an i5 Ivy Bridge. On this machine you will be able to play PS2 all freaking day, and stream, record whatever the hell you want without a problem and you won't have to be fooling around arguing w/ us about i3's or Phenoms, or FX or Trintiy or whatever else AMD is still selling. The i5 will probably still be bad ass CPU 3 years from now, and next spring when AMD comes out w/ 8000 Series GPU's and you get your Tax return back or save some scrap up. You can easily pop that HD7770 and put an HD8870 in the your box, and sell the Old GPU w/o having to remove more than about 4 screws and a power connector.

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/oMKb) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/oMKb/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/oMKb/benchmarks/)

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53470) ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-b75mdgs) ($61.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd5000aakx) ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r7770pmd1gd5) ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-fbm01) ($28.42 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu430cxv2) ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $447.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-22 09:59 EST-0500)

[Maskills]

Please, Listen to Goku. You are going to get a vastly better gaming experience on Intel hardware, its just a sad fact. I want AMD to be as competitive performance wise as the next guy, but they just are not. Even if they did have comparable performance in gaming, they still nearly double the power and heat of Intel CPU's.

So ill settle this argument by showing you that you can build a potent gaming system for less that $500, with an i5 Ivy Bridge. On this machine you will be able to play PS2 all freaking day, and stream, record whatever the hell you want without a problem and you won't have to be fooling around arguing w/ us about i3's or Phenoms, or FX or Trintiy or whatever else AMD is still selling. The i5 will probably still be bad ass CPU 3 years from now, and next spring when AMD comes out w/ 8000 Series GPU's and you get your Tax return back or save some scrap up. You can easily pop that HD7770 and put an HD8870 in the your box, and sell the Old GPU w/o having to remove more than about 4 screws and a power connector.

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/oMKb) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/oMKb/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/oMKb/benchmarks/)

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53470) ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-b75mdgs) ($61.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd5000aakx) ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r7770pmd1gd5) ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-fbm01) ($28.42 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu430cxv2) ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $447.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-22 09:59 EST-0500)

Now THIS is a system i can get behind. Also its not that i wanted amd, its that i wanted Atleast a quad core. This build takes the cake, and with that 7770 ( which is very close to a 6850 in performance) and a i5 this build can hold its own in every game out there. So thank you sir for sharing this very cheap and powerful build with the planetside community.

[camycamera]

personally i'd stick with the 650TI because it is Nvidia, and PS2 runs better with Nvidia, and it has better drivers, but yeah, great and cheap build! can't believe how cheap that GPU is!

[Maskills]

personally i'd stick with the 650TI because it is Nvidia, and PS2 runs better with Nvidia, and it has better drivers, but yeah, great and cheap build! can't believe how cheap that GPU is!
Yah ,its as cheap as a 6770, but gets the performance of a 6850. Not a bad deal by any standards.