Hardware Requirements for Torque 3D 1.2
by Weston Elliott · in Torque 3D Professional · 05/18/2012 (12:34 pm) · 31 replies
Hello, I'm building a new computer as my old computer was just barely able to run the Chinatown demo included with Torque 3D 1.2. I've looked at the minimum system requirements for Torque 3D and I would like to build a system able to run large detailed maps in Torque 3D smoothly. What would be your suggested build that would do so? I would like to stick to Intel processors as all the benchmark tests I've seen shows Intel i3/5/7 blowing AMD processors away. However, if you disagree and think AMD processors would work better for Torque, please let me know and explain why (so I may learn). I would also like to stick with Nvidia graphics cards, just because I am more familiar with them and Blender offers better support for Nvidia. Again, if you disagree and think a Radeon card would work better with Torque, please let me know and explain why. My budget is about $700 - $900max (anything lower would be better for my wallet though). Thank you for your input in advance!
#2
I'd also like to say that, regardless of my opinion one should check 3rd party hardware review publications and make an educated choice based on objective research. I have hopped back and forth over the Intel/AMD line and the Nvidia/ATI line many times over the years and I'm not a fan-boy of either one, but bang-to-buck ratio has usually kept me with AMD.
My current rig is an AMD hex-core 1055T processor, I'm running 4 gigs of RAM (on 32 bit Win7, so actually only about 3.2gig), and an ATI Radion 6500 HD series video card with 2 gigs VRAM. Onboard sound, can't remember the Motherboard manufacturer at the moment. Minus case, power supply and monitor/keyboard/mouse I spent about $600 around 2 years ago.
05/18/2012 (1:27 pm)
I'm taking the opposite tack from Scott - I usually run AMD/ATI and have had great luck.I'd also like to say that, regardless of my opinion one should check 3rd party hardware review publications and make an educated choice based on objective research. I have hopped back and forth over the Intel/AMD line and the Nvidia/ATI line many times over the years and I'm not a fan-boy of either one, but bang-to-buck ratio has usually kept me with AMD.
My current rig is an AMD hex-core 1055T processor, I'm running 4 gigs of RAM (on 32 bit Win7, so actually only about 3.2gig), and an ATI Radion 6500 HD series video card with 2 gigs VRAM. Onboard sound, can't remember the Motherboard manufacturer at the moment. Minus case, power supply and monitor/keyboard/mouse I spent about $600 around 2 years ago.
#3
- Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0Ghz / AMD Phenom II X2 3.2Ghz
- At least 4Gb of RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1Gb / AMD Radion 6000 series 1Gb
Will these hardware configurations with Windows 7 Home Premium allow me to run large detailed maps on high graphics settings smoothly? Or will I need to aim higher with my hardware / bump it down to medium graphics settings? Thanks for all your help thus far!
05/18/2012 (2:29 pm)
So, what you two are basically saying is that in order to run Torque 3D smoothly, I will have to have at least the following?:- Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0Ghz / AMD Phenom II X2 3.2Ghz
- At least 4Gb of RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1Gb / AMD Radion 6000 series 1Gb
Will these hardware configurations with Windows 7 Home Premium allow me to run large detailed maps on high graphics settings smoothly? Or will I need to aim higher with my hardware / bump it down to medium graphics settings? Thanks for all your help thus far!
#4
If on a budget the GTX460 will be very nice. I've had one since they cost twice as much, and I can play everything I need to. I also have a 2.4GHz C2D in that desktop, and it handles T3D very well. The i-series of CPUs from Intel are a magnitude+ faster, but aren't actually that necessary for *playing* games. You'll definitely want something of that level for development, though. Plus, it's really all they'll sell you these days ;)
I'd also say at least 8GB RAM. 2x4GB sticks will be very cheap. Most motherboards can handle at least 4 sticks, so that leaves room for another pair if you suddenly start using some demanding stuff.
There really isn't much to building a modern system; the only gotchas are getting a decent powersupply (#1 priority in my book!), and not being conned into buying a motherboard 2-3x as expensive as you need. Prices are all over the place, and a few USB3 ports less can save you $100+. Unless you don't use dollars, in which case you'll save even more :)
Harddrives are up to SATA-3, at 6 gigabits per second potential speed. You know that'll never happen. Get an SSD if you want to get close for the system. Get another for games if you're too rich for your own good. Plain old HDDs are screaming fast now, though. This is one of the most important components when compiling stuff; 80%+ of your compile time is waiting for something to load into RAM.
So, minimum long-lasting gaming and development system:
-i5 or i7 (recommend getting the recent i7s if you can swing it)
-Appropriate motherboard ($100-$150 should give you a good one, but do compare)
-GTX460 or GTX560 (1GB VRAM or more! Especially important with the older model, as the 768MB variant is also clocked slower, usually)
-8GB RAM (two sticks of 4GB)
-A solid PSU (been happy with Corsair - I stopped having monthly explosions after switching to that)
-Win7 HP to use up to 16GB RAM (every edition above can use 192GB)
-SATA-3 HDD
-Check Anandtech and similar sites for reviews
When looking at a case to put all those bits into, look for anything with rounded corners inside and as few screws as possible. You don't want to bleed, and if you can help it, avoid ever using a screwdriver. Cases with all thumbscrew design are common now.
Note the lack of mention of sound cards. That's up to you if you even care. Latency of built-in sound is pretty low these days, good enough for gaming. Only if you do serious audio work should a fancypants sound interface be necessary.
05/18/2012 (3:24 pm)
I specced out an Intel system with AMD Radeon, and that worked out really well for the person using it. So a combination is just as good. The difference between AMD and Intel usually is that the low-end is the realm of AMD, while the high-end is where Intel rules, and in the mid-range it's a battle that flips once a year. I go with Intel for convenience; the sockets change about as often for both, but switch at the beginning and end of a cycle between new socket types, and you'll get the most out of an existing system. PCI-Express slots on current motherboards have a very long lifetime.If on a budget the GTX460 will be very nice. I've had one since they cost twice as much, and I can play everything I need to. I also have a 2.4GHz C2D in that desktop, and it handles T3D very well. The i-series of CPUs from Intel are a magnitude+ faster, but aren't actually that necessary for *playing* games. You'll definitely want something of that level for development, though. Plus, it's really all they'll sell you these days ;)
I'd also say at least 8GB RAM. 2x4GB sticks will be very cheap. Most motherboards can handle at least 4 sticks, so that leaves room for another pair if you suddenly start using some demanding stuff.
There really isn't much to building a modern system; the only gotchas are getting a decent powersupply (#1 priority in my book!), and not being conned into buying a motherboard 2-3x as expensive as you need. Prices are all over the place, and a few USB3 ports less can save you $100+. Unless you don't use dollars, in which case you'll save even more :)
Harddrives are up to SATA-3, at 6 gigabits per second potential speed. You know that'll never happen. Get an SSD if you want to get close for the system. Get another for games if you're too rich for your own good. Plain old HDDs are screaming fast now, though. This is one of the most important components when compiling stuff; 80%+ of your compile time is waiting for something to load into RAM.
So, minimum long-lasting gaming and development system:
-i5 or i7 (recommend getting the recent i7s if you can swing it)
-Appropriate motherboard ($100-$150 should give you a good one, but do compare)
-GTX460 or GTX560 (1GB VRAM or more! Especially important with the older model, as the 768MB variant is also clocked slower, usually)
-8GB RAM (two sticks of 4GB)
-A solid PSU (been happy with Corsair - I stopped having monthly explosions after switching to that)
-Win7 HP to use up to 16GB RAM (every edition above can use 192GB)
-SATA-3 HDD
-Check Anandtech and similar sites for reviews
When looking at a case to put all those bits into, look for anything with rounded corners inside and as few screws as possible. You don't want to bleed, and if you can help it, avoid ever using a screwdriver. Cases with all thumbscrew design are common now.
Note the lack of mention of sound cards. That's up to you if you even care. Latency of built-in sound is pretty low these days, good enough for gaming. Only if you do serious audio work should a fancypants sound interface be necessary.
#5
05/18/2012 (4:44 pm)
Remember, if you want to see more than 3.2ish gigs of RAM you have to install the 64 bit version of your OS of choice.
#6
05/18/2012 (7:24 pm)
How would the 2Gb DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 530 perform with Torque3D? Should I just shoot for a GTX 550 TI? Also, thank you all for the very helpful information! 
#7
after buying one from them u will get special promo code (only for u ).
each of which save 30 to 80$.so buy slowly(if u have time)
if u are patient about saving money,then newegg will save u around 150$ for whole pc.every day they give shell which save 10-12$.but wait for weekly and monthly deal which save much more.
*******************
see this:
http://www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/129866
i have bought core i5 2500k.
with it's built in gpu i get (92-100) FPS in low configuration.
which drops to (70-80)fps in chaina town level.
using this resource(http://www.garagegames.com/community/resources/view/21374)i can gain 30-55 fps in midium settings.
10-15 fps with all settings high.
if u prefer to go with amd then may be u will take new 8 core cpu(which is far behind of i5 2500k for gaming ).less expensive.but i think for t3d 8 core will not be much helpful.biggest problem with them is temperature.no way without a water cooler.
that is all from my last 2 months buying experience.still need a lot to buy.
05/18/2012 (9:16 pm)
to save money subscribe into (http://www.newegg.com/).lower right corner.after buying one from them u will get special promo code (only for u ).
each of which save 30 to 80$.so buy slowly(if u have time)
if u are patient about saving money,then newegg will save u around 150$ for whole pc.every day they give shell which save 10-12$.but wait for weekly and monthly deal which save much more.
*******************
see this:
http://www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/129866
i have bought core i5 2500k.
with it's built in gpu i get (92-100) FPS in low configuration.
which drops to (70-80)fps in chaina town level.
using this resource(http://www.garagegames.com/community/resources/view/21374)i can gain 30-55 fps in midium settings.
10-15 fps with all settings high.
if u prefer to go with amd then may be u will take new 8 core cpu(which is far behind of i5 2500k for gaming ).less expensive.but i think for t3d 8 core will not be much helpful.biggest problem with them is temperature.no way without a water cooler.
that is all from my last 2 months buying experience.still need a lot to buy.
#8
05/19/2012 (9:14 am)
I can recommend the new Asus Maximus Gene-Z motherboard. It's low in price and gets great reviews. I've just built one with one in combination with a Radeon card. I tend to stick to AMD/ATI cards, they just work without any hassle. With any system the cheapest and easiest way to bump the framerate is to simply lower the resolution.
#9
my first choice is ATI.but nvidea is tooooooo much rich on library support for their card.AMD have some best tools+library.but too few.if i go for nvidea than that will be only for their library support.not for their hardware.on hardware,ATI is far better than nvidea.
05/19/2012 (9:37 am)
Quote:i am still on confusion between nvidea and ati.
I tend to stick to AMD/ATI cards, they just work without any hassle.
my first choice is ATI.but nvidea is tooooooo much rich on library support for their card.AMD have some best tools+library.but too few.if i go for nvidea than that will be only for their library support.not for their hardware.on hardware,ATI is far better than nvidea.
#10
So far, I've been looking at preconfigured systems from the major companies like Dell and HP as well as shopping around on newegg.com to see if it really would be best to build my own system or just buy a prebuilt one. Right now I am looking at a prebuilt computer from HP for about $820 and it includes the following:
> Windows 7 Home Premium [64-bit]
> 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3770 quad-core processor [3.4GHz, 8MB Shared Cache]
> 8GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [2 DIMMs]
> 2GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 530
> 460W Power supply
Do you think this will cut it for what I am wanting to do? (run large detailed maps in Torque3D on Medium / High graphics settings smoothly)
05/19/2012 (12:59 pm)
First, thank you all again for all your great feedback. I appreciate it and it's really helping me a lot.So far, I've been looking at preconfigured systems from the major companies like Dell and HP as well as shopping around on newegg.com to see if it really would be best to build my own system or just buy a prebuilt one. Right now I am looking at a prebuilt computer from HP for about $820 and it includes the following:
> Windows 7 Home Premium [64-bit]
> 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3770 quad-core processor [3.4GHz, 8MB Shared Cache]
> 8GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [2 DIMMs]
> 2GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 530
> 460W Power supply
Do you think this will cut it for what I am wanting to do? (run large detailed maps in Torque3D on Medium / High graphics settings smoothly)
#11
no idea about t3d's smoothness on that card.
pay more attention on grafics card than other parts.even dual core processor enough for t3d 1.2. u can manage t3d in 2 gb ram.
but without a good grafics card ,latest core i7 or 4gb ram will not help u.
i have tested t3d in different pc.i know which one affect much on t3d
05/19/2012 (4:45 pm)
do not know how old this card is( 2GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 530).but 460W Power supply indicates not a powerful one.no idea about t3d's smoothness on that card.
pay more attention on grafics card than other parts.even dual core processor enough for t3d 1.2. u can manage t3d in 2 gb ram.
but without a good grafics card ,latest core i7 or 4gb ram will not help u.
i have tested t3d in different pc.i know which one affect much on t3d
#12
05/19/2012 (4:58 pm)
It is rather strange that I cannot seem to find that card on newegg.com or find any place comparing it to other cards. What would be the minimum graphics card you would recommend? Would a GeForce 550 be good enough?
#13
see first two list:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_family.html
" any place comparing it to other cards."
most of those comparison are based on gaming.
i think a game engine like t3d needs more power than playing a game.
moreover GT series is out of market.
why not buy a custom built?
if u want then i can post my choices with links of newegg?
05/19/2012 (5:39 pm)
go for a gtx series.see first two list:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_family.html
" any place comparing it to other cards."
most of those comparison are based on gaming.
i think a game engine like t3d needs more power than playing a game.
moreover GT series is out of market.
why not buy a custom built?
if u want then i can post my choices with links of newegg?
#14
As for your offer, sure, what parts would you recommend? Thanks for your help!
05/19/2012 (7:06 pm)
Well, I was trying to decide whether or not to build my own system (custom built). I was trying to see if I would get more value out of buying a ready made system from a company like Dell of HP, but I guess it would just be better to go with a custom built system. As for your offer, sure, what parts would you recommend? Thanks for your help!
#15
my one is this(now on sale,but price will be reduced 10-20$ in next 1 month):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
this one latest(but do not know anything about it):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116505
around 200$ there are no good alternative of these two.u better do a search on their comparison.
mb:
for motheboard go with msi/asrock.do not go for asus.their recent product's record very bad.asrock has some of their own technology which makes them unique from others.and msi have some of their best software to control everything.my one is msi z68.
to save money go with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279 (not good)
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
(look into it's PCI Express 3.0 x16 description.so confusing.but this mb has won "Customer Choice Awards (Mar. Apr. 2012)"
)
but best would be this one(excellent one):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264
it's open box version can be found here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157250R
(if u can manage one than can take risk for save some $)
psu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139024
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139025
buy psu with 800watt or higher.u will need 1000-1200W if u want to make a system of dual gpu using recent gpu.
ram:
for ram buy G.Skill ARES or rapjaws.buy 2 sticks(each one 4/8 gb).never buy 1 stick.also newegg is giving sale on ram of 20XX bus speed(40-50$).although most of the motheboard do not have support for 20XX bus.but all of them have functionality to reduce bus speed.and reducing bus speed will increase your Latency time.so try to buy ram with high bus speed.
gpu:
(not sure to buy which one.amd or ati?)
my choices:
ati:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127608R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419---OUT OF STOCK.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121623---OUT OF STOCK.
Nvidea:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127608&Tpk=560GTX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127578&Tpk=GTX560ti%20Hawk
1st one better then last one for it's 2gb memory.u can find suitable one using this Power Search:
newegg.com:
Home
Home >
Computer Hardware >
Video Cards & Video Devices >
Desktop Graphics Cards >
Power Search
there are combo deals for every product.if anything match then buy them together.u will save 20-30$.also do not forgot to check your mail for their weekly deals.if u lucky then can buy your pc at 2/3rd of your price.
that is all from me.
05/19/2012 (10:45 pm)
processor:my one is this(now on sale,but price will be reduced 10-20$ in next 1 month):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
this one latest(but do not know anything about it):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116505
around 200$ there are no good alternative of these two.u better do a search on their comparison.
mb:
for motheboard go with msi/asrock.do not go for asus.their recent product's record very bad.asrock has some of their own technology which makes them unique from others.and msi have some of their best software to control everything.my one is msi z68.
to save money go with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279 (not good)
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
(look into it's PCI Express 3.0 x16 description.so confusing.but this mb has won "Customer Choice Awards (Mar. Apr. 2012)"
)
but best would be this one(excellent one):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264
it's open box version can be found here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157250R
(if u can manage one than can take risk for save some $)
psu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139024
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139025
buy psu with 800watt or higher.u will need 1000-1200W if u want to make a system of dual gpu using recent gpu.
ram:
for ram buy G.Skill ARES or rapjaws.buy 2 sticks(each one 4/8 gb).never buy 1 stick.also newegg is giving sale on ram of 20XX bus speed(40-50$).although most of the motheboard do not have support for 20XX bus.but all of them have functionality to reduce bus speed.and reducing bus speed will increase your Latency time.so try to buy ram with high bus speed.
gpu:
(not sure to buy which one.amd or ati?)
my choices:
ati:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127608R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419---OUT OF STOCK.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121623---OUT OF STOCK.
Nvidea:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127608&Tpk=560GTX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127578&Tpk=GTX560ti%20Hawk
1st one better then last one for it's 2gb memory.u can find suitable one using this Power Search:
newegg.com:
Home
Home >
Computer Hardware >
Video Cards & Video Devices >
Desktop Graphics Cards >
Power Search
there are combo deals for every product.if anything match then buy them together.u will save 20-30$.also do not forgot to check your mail for their weekly deals.if u lucky then can buy your pc at 2/3rd of your price.
that is all from me.
#16
A Z77-based motherboard will support the latest CPUs. MSI, Asus are both good. I'm particularly happy with some MSIs I've had which could recover from destroying the BIOS (even the 1-BIOS models). ASRock can also be alright, but they are *very* Chinese; they like mixing too many things. There might be *too much* crammed on each. They have a Z77 board with floppy and IDE support, for example. When we have flying cars and teleporters, they'll be teleporting people in boats.
If you're getting an NVidia GPU it should´start with "GTX" and end in "60" or "80" for mid-range or high-end, respectively. Don't be stuck just checking Newegg, either.
You have lots of options when it comes to RAM. It doesn't have to be G.Skill. The usual recommendation is Crucial. Really, these days you'll only go wrong if you buy a completely unknown brand or somehow get mismatched sticks.
PSU: www.anandtech.com/show/2624
tl;dr: It doesn't need to be 1000W, or even 800. Especially not with a GTX560. A GTX560 is only about 10% faster than a GTX460, so you could save some money just going for the 460 if you can't afford a top-range card right now. The power-draw is slightly less, too. In fact, the 460 is generally a tiny bit more efficient per watt in tests, if you care about that sort of thing. It's something like >10% higher draw for ~10% speed increase - speeds you won't really notice. If you want something better than the GTX460 which is also worth the money, get a GTX480 or 580. One will be much cheaper by now, another will be a good bit faster. And of course there are 680s out now.
i5 vs. i7: Two things might matter - hyperthreading and the memory speeds they run at. Your RAM will have a maximum, which clocks down if it's higher than the motherboard's maximum speed, which again clocks down to the CPU's bus speed. Read carefully on Intel's site :)
05/20/2012 (11:35 am)
Asus have the top mobo: www.anandtech.com/show/5833/asus-p8z77v-deluxe-review-know-your-sku. It's also priced accordingly :)A Z77-based motherboard will support the latest CPUs. MSI, Asus are both good. I'm particularly happy with some MSIs I've had which could recover from destroying the BIOS (even the 1-BIOS models). ASRock can also be alright, but they are *very* Chinese; they like mixing too many things. There might be *too much* crammed on each. They have a Z77 board with floppy and IDE support, for example. When we have flying cars and teleporters, they'll be teleporting people in boats.
If you're getting an NVidia GPU it should´start with "GTX" and end in "60" or "80" for mid-range or high-end, respectively. Don't be stuck just checking Newegg, either.
You have lots of options when it comes to RAM. It doesn't have to be G.Skill. The usual recommendation is Crucial. Really, these days you'll only go wrong if you buy a completely unknown brand or somehow get mismatched sticks.
PSU: www.anandtech.com/show/2624
tl;dr: It doesn't need to be 1000W, or even 800. Especially not with a GTX560. A GTX560 is only about 10% faster than a GTX460, so you could save some money just going for the 460 if you can't afford a top-range card right now. The power-draw is slightly less, too. In fact, the 460 is generally a tiny bit more efficient per watt in tests, if you care about that sort of thing. It's something like >10% higher draw for ~10% speed increase - speeds you won't really notice. If you want something better than the GTX460 which is also worth the money, get a GTX480 or 580. One will be much cheaper by now, another will be a good bit faster. And of course there are 680s out now.
i5 vs. i7: Two things might matter - hyperthreading and the memory speeds they run at. Your RAM will have a maximum, which clocks down if it's higher than the motherboard's maximum speed, which again clocks down to the CPU's bus speed. Read carefully on Intel's site :)
#17
+
6 Core Phenom
+
4GB RAM
+
Decent ASUS Motherboard
=
Runs T3D 1.2 just fine and then some. Actually I can run 2 of them without any hiccups. Haven't tried 3, yet. China town runs great. Not sure what the frame rate is, but it does not stutter.
05/20/2012 (10:58 pm)
ASUS ENGTX460 1GB GDDR5+
6 Core Phenom
+
4GB RAM
+
Decent ASUS Motherboard
=
Runs T3D 1.2 just fine and then some. Actually I can run 2 of them without any hiccups. Haven't tried 3, yet. China town runs great. Not sure what the frame rate is, but it does not stutter.
#18
So I have decided to just build my own system since that is what you all are suggesting. Here is the configuration I am looking at right now which will run me around $830:
> EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1Gb 192-bit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130749
> Antec Three Hundred Illusion Blask Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066
> G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8Gb (2 x 4Gb) DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
> Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031
> Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3Ghz (3.7Ghz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&Tpk=2500k
> ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 LGA 1155 SATA 6Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279
> Western Digital Caviar Blue 500Gb 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769
> Windows 7 Home Premium 64-BIT
The reason I went with a Z68 chipset and a Sandy Bridge processor is because it would cost about $100 more to go with a Z77 chipset and Ivy Bridge processor putting me slightly over budget. Also, ASRock was more in my price range than MSI, although I do understand what you're saying, Ronny, about them being "very Chinese" as they do cram a lot of stuff into their motherboards that I won't ever need.
How does this configuration seem to you guys? Anything you would recommend changing?
05/21/2012 (9:56 am)
Wow, thanks everyone for all your detailed replies! Especially ahsan, as I can tell you really put a lot of effort into your list for me and probably spent a decent amount of time searching around on newegg.com too.So I have decided to just build my own system since that is what you all are suggesting. Here is the configuration I am looking at right now which will run me around $830:
> EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1Gb 192-bit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130749
> Antec Three Hundred Illusion Blask Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066
> G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8Gb (2 x 4Gb) DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
> Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031
> Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3Ghz (3.7Ghz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&Tpk=2500k
> ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 LGA 1155 SATA 6Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279
> Western Digital Caviar Blue 500Gb 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769
> Windows 7 Home Premium 64-BIT
The reason I went with a Z68 chipset and a Sandy Bridge processor is because it would cost about $100 more to go with a Z77 chipset and Ivy Bridge processor putting me slightly over budget. Also, ASRock was more in my price range than MSI, although I do understand what you're saying, Ronny, about them being "very Chinese" as they do cram a lot of stuff into their motherboards that I won't ever need.
How does this configuration seem to you guys? Anything you would recommend changing?
#19
05/21/2012 (11:11 am)
Looks good. Might want to spend the extra $50, and update to 16GB. If you do, go with 2x8GB chips so you can still go to 32GB later.
#20
i prefer this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
for 19$ u will get an Extreme3 series over pro3.see the differences between their features.
do not know how good is antec.i prefer Corsair or XFX.read that one's feedback.if sounds ok then go for 30$ sale.
other looks ok.
[edit]
here,is another choice for u:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200
still it is upto u. sli/crossfier(for recent cards) is not possible on both psu.
05/21/2012 (11:28 am)
that mb is asrock's cheapest one.i prefer this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
for 19$ u will get an Extreme3 series over pro3.see the differences between their features.
do not know how good is antec.i prefer Corsair or XFX.read that one's feedback.if sounds ok then go for 30$ sale.
other looks ok.
[edit]
here,is another choice for u:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200
still it is upto u. sli/crossfier(for recent cards) is not possible on both psu.
Associate Scott Burns
GG Alumni
I would suggest not using the min requirements for T3D as your starting base, but the recommended.
Here's a post I made last year about what we use in the QA Lab. The High End machines there were actually repurposed artist rigs. Totally overpowered for what we needed. The mid level spec on that list I built for about $500, and when we built a third one of it I believe it was even lower than that.
That mid spec will run T3D pretty well, so that should give you an idea of where to start.