FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

Advice needed for a limited budget.

Post Date: 2012-07-09
 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
Siobhan View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 08 Jul 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3 		  Quote Siobhan Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Advice needed for a limited budget.
    Posted: 09 Jul 2012 at 9:09am
Budget:
1200, but will pay out for the ODE level 1 if it's more suitable.

Expectations:
To last a few years.

Usage:
Casual gamer; World of Warcraft, Star Wars the Old Republic, some Sims 3 with add ons, and web surfing. Possibly a few steam games; Resident Evil, Bio-ware, Mass effect.

I'm very much interested in the ODE level 1. What caught my attention the most was the high end graphics card. But it's a little out of my price range, but if you feel it's an overkill to what I'm looking for, then I'll drop it back down to the Maurader level 3. However, depending on the responses, if you feel the ODE level 1 is suitable with promise to exceed a few years of gaming, then I'll just break the bank.

My current rig is just over 5 years, and I was sad to see the graphics card burnt out, resulting in numerous blue screens till a friend pulled it out, and it's been working okay ever since. I then took it down to best buy, and they could only offer me a Nvidia 260. I didn't feel it was worth the 100$ to install and buy. So I just took it home. It's no surprise that I can't even run some of the more less demanding games; orignal World of Warcraft, Star wars, and it has some issues just running Sims 3.

With that being said, I think it's time to upgrade for the upcoming future.

Like I said, I don't do alot of gaming. The most my current rig has had to endure was two years of World of Warcraft, a few months of Star Wars the Old republic, some Sims 3 with add ons. I want to look more into maybe steam, and think about downloading games like Resident Evil, Bio-Ware, and Mass Effect.

With that being said, I had a different friend object to alot of the higher end computers due to my monitor. I realize its not a 1900x1080 LED with 3D capability. It's a mere 1680x1050, 23 inch LCD. He said with that kind of monitor, I wouldn't really be doing alot of the components justice. Is this true? I like his insight and his honesty, but I need this new rig to last.

Also, some concerns; I read somewhere on a different website that Digital Storm was equipping all their computers with Ivy Bridge, and the Maurauder was no exception to be left out. Is this true?

I'm not fond of going AMD, as everyone saying they just don't compare to Intel. So, if I were to sacrifice the i7-3770k for the i5-3850k am I going to regret it?

AMD Raedon 7850 2gb? Is that okay? I heard that the AMD Raedon 7770 2 gb was a bit of a let down, so I thought about the former instead.

So what would you suggest in honesty? I had a current rig built and sitting in an online cart at ---------------, but after some of the horror stories, I'm thinking about putting my faith into Digital Storm.

Thanks so much.
 
[EDIT: Competitor name removed - Alex]


Edited by Alex - 09 Jul 2012 at 10:47am
Back to Top
bprat22 View Drop Down
DS ELITE
DS ELITE

DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!)
Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 08 Jun 2011
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 09 Jul 2012 at 10:16am
Hi Siobhan....Welcome to the forums.  Digital Storm is the right place to buy your next rig.  They have great customer service, a forum with other customers and DS employees stopping buy regularly to help in any way they can.  And they use great components in their builds.  They stress test before shipping.
 
For the games you mentioned and the monitor you play on the Marauder lvl 3 will play great.  The HD 7850 is a real nice card and will give you longevity if you stay at your level gaming. 
 
The Marauder lvl 3 and 4 and most other rigs are Ivy Bridge.  The marauder lvl 1 and 2 are not. 
 
Obviously, the more powerful the pc now the longer it will hold its own.  But, budget does have a deciding factor and Marauder 3 is nice with the Ivy Bridge i5-3570k chip and the 7850 video card.
 
The ODE lvl1, for $300 more, gives you a better case with more cooling, the much better gtx670 card and a cpu overclocked and the cooler to keep it cool and safe.
 
Here;s a link to compare the Marauder 3 7850 and ODE lvl1 gtx670. 
 
The 670 is much better, but not neccessary for your needs right now.  But, if you ever in 2-3 years, went with a 23" monitor at 1920x1080 res or decided to play BF3, Crysis or other more demanding games then you'll be glad you have the gtx670.
 
As far as your monitor and doing the components justice, that's really not true and I would disagree with your friend, with respect.  For your games maybe, but other games still require a real good video card as the link I showed you illustrates.  1680x1050 gaming is nice.   
 
It's all about budget now and what you want down the road.  For now the Marauder 3 in my opiion is great for your needs, but later on I can't say.  Another $300 now might save you buying another $1200 pc in 2-3 years.
 
Hope this helps and good luckBig%20SmileBig%20Smile
 
 


Edited by bprat22 - 09 Jul 2012 at 10:23am
Back to Top
Alex View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group

Digital Storm Supervisor


Joined: 04 Jun 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 16314 		  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 09 Jul 2012 at 10:47am
@bprat22, well said! Big%20Smile
Back to Top
Siobhan View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 08 Jul 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3 		  Quote Siobhan Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Jul 2012 at 3:21pm
Thank you bprat22 for the helpful opinion. I'll keep everything said in mind. I'll be making a decision as of Thursday which model to go with.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.0390625 seconds.