General new computer purchase advice needed

[danfrodo]

Hey all, I have an old desktop that has been making more & more disturbing noises like fan going out of control for very long periods.  Plus it's just old.  So I am thinking of a new desktop.  I want it to be good for CM and also for what CM might be in a few years.  I don't do any reflex-oriented games.  Just CM & a very occasional other strategy game.

My question:  what are the basics for what to get and what to avoid?  Like is intel less problematic than AMD?  General tips? 

I will probably buy an HP because I still get discount there from my friends there (I just left there after 22 years) -- they are very much allowed to buy for friends w employee discount, so can say it here.  I don't really want to build a PC, though I know that's what smart people do.  Of course, anyone who's seen what I post on the forum knows I am not a smart person already. 

So, what tips, both pos & neg, do y'all have?

[waffelmann]

The most important thing is that you don't use an AMD graphics card...better for CM is one from NVIDIA...

[ratdeath]

When it comes to graphic cards I would recommend nVidia

I have nVidia myself (RTX 2070 Super) and usually my impression is that nVidia has less problems. There is probably also cases where AMD is the better option, but if the AMD thread in this sub forum is any indication I would go with nVidia for CM!

Personally I have only had one AMD CPU (X2 Athlon) and I was very happy with it, so can't say much of pros/cons for the CPU when it comes to CM.

Probably want 16-32 GB RAM (future proofing for CM3) and probably at least a 512 GB SSD drive for all CM games, will work with 256 GB but CMBN, CMBS, CMCW, CMFB, CMFI, CMRT & CMSF2 take up 74 GB.

No need to go crazy with the graphics card for CM I think some midrange nvidia card will do the trick, save the $$ for an upgrade later

Edited May 6, 2023 by ratdeath

[Simicro]

1 hour ago, danfrodo said:

I have an old desktop that has been making more & more disturbing noises like fan going out of control for very long periods.

Until you buy a new desktop, you might want to clean all the dust inside your current desktop. It will facilitate air circulation and then reduce the need for the fan to work full speed, and then the noise.

Otherwise, agree with the other mates, go with Nvidia graphics cards to avoid potential known issues.  

[danfrodo]

Thanks everyone, this is great advice, very much appreciated.

I know I should clean out this desktop but it's like 8 years old and I kinda just wanna get into the modern world.  It was a very expensive engineering workstation back then but was obsoleted when I rec'd upgrade machine every few years from work so I just started using this for gaming since it was just sitting here at home already doing nothing.

 

[Redwolf]

The problem with buying a HP/Dell/Lenovo is that the power supply has the right power output. You want the option to pump more power later to change your graphics card to a more powerful one when they are cheaper. This is very bad if the power supply is not standard format. Buying a HP/Dell/Lenovo with a powerful card in the first place is relatively more expensive than their smaller boxes.

So in summary, get a HP that has standard part dimensions for power supply and everything else.

GPU wise, for CM you want NVidia. CPU wise, AMD has a bit of trouble with running 4 sticks of memory and right now new BIOSes come down on you like an avalanche. But if you get a 12th/13th gen Intel than you need Windows 11.

[danfrodo]

16 minutes ago, Redwolf said:

The problem with buying a HP/Dell/Lenovo is that the power supply has the right power output. You want the option to pump more power later to change your graphics card to a more powerful one when they are cheaper. This is very bad if the power supply is not standard format. Buying a HP/Dell/Lenovo with a powerful card in the first place is relatively more expensive than their smaller boxes.

So in summary, get a HP that has standard part dimensions for power supply and everything else.

GPU wise, for CM you want NVidia. CPU wise, AMD has a bit of trouble with running 4 sticks of memory and right now new BIOSes come down on you like an avalanche. But if you get a 12th/13th gen Intel than you need Windows 11.

Oh, so you are saying that buying HP/dell/Lenovo I might end up w non standard power supply that might not be upgradable later?  How would I know? 

So you would build your own?  Or other suggestions for pre-built?  I mentioned HP because I can get a pretty good discount on some of their machines -- but maybe not really saving money because of what you mention above.

 

[womble]

9 minutes ago, danfrodo said:

So you would build your own?  Or other suggestions for pre-built?  I mentioned HP because I can get a pretty good discount on some of their machines -- but maybe not really saving money because of what you mention above.

 

Personally, I'd build my own, but if you don't want to, go to one of the parts sites (Overclockers, or whomever) spec your machine and they'll probably offer the option to build and even configure it for you and ship you the whole completed thing. You'll probably still get more bang for your buck, and you'll not be stuck with any "proprietary" limitations like odd cutouts in the back of cases. It will also have been spun up and any problems with DOA parts should have been detected and resolved.

[Redwolf]

2 hours ago, danfrodo said:

Oh, so you are saying that buying HP/dell/Lenovo I might end up w non standard power supply that might not be upgradable later?  How would I know? 

So you would build your own?  Or other suggestions for pre-built?  I mentioned HP because I can get a pretty good discount on some of their machines -- but maybe not really saving money because of what you mention above.

 

 

My ex-wife once bought a random Dell which not only had a non-standard-format PSU but also an unreliable PSU. And everybody else had the same problem so Ebay prices for the PSU shot up. Most expensive and wimpiest PC ever.

The technical data presented to you pre-purchase is not sufficient to judge issues like this. You will have to resort to reviews on the web. But that is not popular content, most reviews are for parts to make your own.

If you are near a Microcenter that might be your best best. They assemble a PC from parts you buy there for IIRC $120-150. And you get to choose all the cool parts.

Assembling it yourself is annoying if the thing happens not to boot. Is it the CPU, the board, the RAM or the PSU? You have no parts to cross-check with.

[Redwolf]

LOL build

 

[danfrodo]

3 minutes ago, Redwolf said:

 

My ex-wife once bought a random Dell which not only had a non-standard-format PSU but also an unreliable PSU. And everybody else had the same problem so Ebay prices for the PSU shot up. Most expensive and wimpiest PC ever.

The technical data presented to you pre-purchase is not sufficient to judge issues like this. You will have to resort to reviews on the web. But that is not popular content, most reviews are for parts to make your own.

If you are near a Microcenter that might be your best best. They assemble a PC from parts you buy there for IIRC $120-150. And you get to choose all the cool parts.

Assembling it yourself is annoying if the thing happens not to boot. Is it the CPU, the board, the RAM or the PSU? You have no parts to cross-check with.

Thanks RedWolf.  I gave the current machine a thorough cleaning and will limp along for now.  But I really like the microcenter idea.  I cleaned it a while ago but was not rigorous.  I will get a new one soon, but feeling less urgent -- until the fan goes off again

[Redwolf]

While I am at it, here is a positive review on a HP gaming desktop. But the stupid review doesn't mention with a single word what format the PSU is or what wattage. Useless review.

https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/hp-omen-30l-gaming-desktop

[Redwolf]

1 minute ago, danfrodo said:

Thanks RedWolf.  I gave the current machine a thorough cleaning and will limp along for now.  But I really like the microcenter idea.  I cleaned it a while ago but was not rigorous.  I will get a new one soon, but feeling less urgent -- until the fan goes off again

If you have a standard PC now you could look into putting a better graphics card, maybe requiring a better PSU.

And your heatsink on the CPU could probably use new thermal paste, if that is the one making noise you could replace the whole heatsink with a quality unit. And old RAM is cheap, so why not? 

[danfrodo]

2 minutes ago, Redwolf said:

If you have a standard PC now you could look into putting a better graphics card, maybe requiring a better PSU.

And your heatsink on the CPU could probably use new thermal paste, if that is the one making noise you could replace the whole heatsink with a quality unit. And old RAM is cheap, so why not? 

interesting thought.....

 

[womble]

If your fans are intermittently noisy, it may just be because they're having to work too hard to keep temperatures in range. As well as getting rid of the dust within the case, make sure you clean out any filters and grilles to improve air flow. Fans are cheap as chips to replace, too, so if it's just "tired" equipment, you can cure the noise with a replacement. If you elect to upgrade components, it may also be worth seeing if you can fit more or better fans, since newer GPUs and more RAM will increase the need for cooling breezes flowing through your rig.

[ALBY]

I got this machine around thanksgiving last year:

https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GF63-Thin-10UX

It has been playing CM on all the modern titles and biggest maps/scenarios with reshade and has yet to puke. 

I got mine for under $500 so watch for sales. I have built 3 gaming computers over the years and this one is not as fast as a desktop. It has a low end Nvidia GTX1650 mobile processor but it has zero issues running CM. It does all my other chores well too.  If you are looking to hit the easy button, this machine is legit. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by ALBY

[Artkin]

2 hours ago, Redwolf said:

non-standard-format PSU

Cringe.

[Heirloom_Tomato]

@danfrodo I hope I am not too late with this info but here goes. All the advice in this thread has been about graphics cards but nobody said anything about CPU. CM shines on CPU with a high single thread performance rating. When I bought my new computer three years ago, I used the following website to compare off the shelf pre-built computers and selected the one with the best cpu and graphics card I could afford. My cpu has a score of around 3000, smashing my old score of 950. 

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

 

[danfrodo]

Thanks HeirloomT, I have fortunately been given a reprieve by a (this time thorough) cleaning the current old beast.  GREAT tip, thx