What does it take...?

Scholar

546 posts

I was looking into purchasing a new gaming computer, but also for general purposes, as well as Design programs. I have spent a few weeks considering various websites to purchase from (ibuypower, cyberpowerpc, velocity micro, etc). I have concluded on purchasing the new dell xps 620, costing upwards of $2,300 dollars. Far from the cheapest, however, my decision was swayed by the access of a dell prefered account, allowing me flexibility to pay. I have not yet purchased this computer, and elected to come to the forums here and inquire a bit about graphical settings, within Lotro specifically.

Here is the desired system spec's on the potential purchase:

~ IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.40GHz,1066FSB)
~ 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs
~ 500GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
~ 22 inch UltraSharp 2208WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor
~ nVidiaÂ® GeForceÂ® 8800 GTX 768MB (also was considering dual 8800 GT 512 Cards, which would be $100 cheaper, however I've been told all games don't support SLI set-ups, so I am not sure which would be better)
~ OP will be XP Pro (I am not ready for Vista yet >.< )

Based on the spec's I've provided, do you guys think I could run Lotro on the best graphic settings? If not, what changes might you make? Also any additional comments on the coponents, etc, would be much appreciated!

I've just always wanted a system that could play some of my favorite MMO's (EQ2, WoW, lotro, etc) on the max graphic settings. My current system only has a single 2.66Ghtz processor, a Nvidia 6000 series 256MB graphic card, and 2GB of ram. This would be a pretty big upgrade for me, and before I put down the money on it, I want to inquire further about what kind of gaming experience I may expect.

#2 Mar 04 2008 at 9:27 PM Rating: Good

paulsol

Sage

4,158 posts

Quote:

Based on the spec's I've provided, do you guys think I could run Lotro on the best graphic settings?

Yes. Easily.

____________________________

"If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders". Carlin.

#3 Mar 05 2008 at 1:14 AM Rating: Decent

__DEL__1592779340739

7 posts

Shouldn't be a problem... I only have half of what that pc you want to buy has, and i can run Lotro in Very High graphics...

#4 Mar 05 2008 at 8:07 PM Rating: Good

__DEL__1591895140622

Sage

1,160 posts

I run LOTRO on the highest settings with no problems on a machine with half the Ram, a much weaker video card, and a slower processor. You will be just fine with that set-up.

#5 Mar 05 2008 at 10:16 PM Rating: Decent

Scholar

546 posts

Thanks for all the replies everyone! I still haven't place the order yet, because I am debating a few things with my configuration. Maybe you guys could give me some input, if you would be so kind? These are some of the things I am kind of curious about:

Graphic Card:

I have the option to choose:
~ a single Nvidia 8800 GT 512 MB Card
~ a dual 8800 GT 512 MB SLI configuration
~ or finally, the single Nvidia 8800 GTX card I listed

Currently I only have a system that runs a 6800 256 MB card, so any of the options is an upgrade. Some of you had said you were able to play Lotro with max graphic settings, with a weaker graphic card than the GTX. Would a single 8800 GT be enough ? Also, does this game support SLI ? I could go with the dual GT's, for $100 bucks cheaper than the single GTX.

Ram

I've come to understand that if I were to purchase 4GB of ram, I would actually get about 3.5 or less, due to op support issues. Concerning this, I think I may go with 2 or 3GB to go along with the XP Pro OP.

Any additional thoughts or help, anyone could provide me before I make this purchase, would greatly be appreciated! Thanks again!

#6 Mar 06 2008 at 5:39 PM Rating: Good

__DEL__1604276305077

Sage

3,183 posts

I had to make a similar choice just about a year ago. For more than a decade I've been building my own PCs, choosing all the components and then doing the assembly but in Dec 2006 when I was ready to build a new rig a friend suggested I at least "talk" to the folks at Dell first and see if they could build me as nice a machine at a competitive price.

So I did my research and made a list of all the components I wanted in a dream machine then called them (figuring the final price wouldn't even be close).

Amazingly enough, they were able to build me the same machine for just under $100 more than the aggregate price on the parts. And when they threw in the shipping, a 2 year warranty, 18 months of no interest financing and a copy of Windows XP pro, buying from Dell ended up being a no brainer!

Regarding the specs on your machine -

I know plenty of people who are running dual vid cards and I have never heard that MMOs (in general) don't support SLI technology. Personally I have a gig of vid ram (across 2 cards) and the game looks amazing!

I run pretty much flat out with everything at max settings and I have never seen lag in LOTRO or in EQ2. With my rig I normally get between 45 & 60 fps.

If you go with Win XP don't bother with more than 2GB of ram - the OS isn't designed to use it (nor does it need it like Vista) so it's a waste of money to slot any more than that. If you're going with Vista then that's a horse of a different color. 4GB will be a good starting point for you. Regardless of what the application can use, the OS is a hog and will suck up all the ram you have available for it to use. (with all the pretty graphic garbage, Vista thinks it's a Mac OS!)

Overall, your system will be outstanding and I think you'll be very happy with it. (and the quad core is gonna SCREAM!) But don't be afraid to squeeze the salesman for all the discounts and perks you can. Times are hard - the economy has grown sluggish and he would LOVE to sell you that machine. Just make him work for it!

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

#7 Mar 06 2008 at 11:28 PM Rating: Decent

Scholar

546 posts

Quote:

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

Thank you for all your information! This is the system I just purchased today:

XPS 420

IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ 2 Duo Processor E8500 (6MB L2 Cache,3.16GHz,1333FSB)
Genuine Windows VistaÂ® Ultimate with Digital Cable Support
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs
750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) and 16x DVD+/-RW
24 inch E248WFP Entry Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor
nVidia GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
Integrated Sound BlasterÂ®Audigyâ„¢ HD Software Edition
TV TUNER & VIDEO XCELERATOR Hauppauge HVR1250 Hybrid TV Tuner and Remote

I also had a 2 year warranty thrown in. This system actually was cheaper than the XPS 630. I've heard good things about the nvidia Geforce 8800GT 512MB card, and hope that a single 8800GT will do the trick (in terms of max graphics in Lotro)! I am missing out on a SLI configuration, however, this system offers more overall. In addition, a larger Monitor, 2 year warranty, and I elected to go with a Duo Processor after reviewing its performance up against the 2.4Ghz Quad core (The duo was better for games), in the test on tomshardware.

This system is a big upgrade across the board to what I have now. Hopefully, it will run nicely, and be able to play Lotro on quality settings. Thanks again for everyone's help.

Edited, Mar 6th 2008 11:31pm by Pjstock

Edited, Mar 8th 2008 1:48pm by Pjstock

#8 Mar 07 2008 at 10:56 AM Rating: Good

paulsol

Sage

4,158 posts

Quote:

OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine WindowsÂ® XP Professional with re-installation CD

and

Quote:

~ OP will be XP Pro (I am not ready for Vista yet >.< )

You do realise that you wont be using DX10 with that?

I'd reccomend using Vista. I know lots of people say its a load of ***** but I've never had a problem with it, LoTRO looks ace and runs well with DX10 and AoC is out soon as well.

Its down to personal preference of course but I think a year or so from now, most people will be using vista.

Why do you say you are not ready for it??

____________________________

"If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders". Carlin.

#9 Mar 07 2008 at 6:53 PM Rating: Decent

Scholar

546 posts

Quote:

You do realise that you wont be using DX10 with that?

I'd reccomend using Vista. I know lots of people say its a load of ***** but I've never had a problem with it, LoTRO looks ace and runs well with DX10 and AoC is out soon as well.

Its down to personal preference of course but I think a year or so from now, most people will be using vista.

Why do you say you are not ready for it??

Yes, and now I have just purchases the XPS 420 with Vista Ultimate with 4GB ram. Hopefully, I won't experience any problems.

Edited, Mar 8th 2008 1:35pm by Pjstock

#10 Mar 07 2008 at 8:47 PM Rating: Decent

Scholar

546 posts

Edited (double post)

Edited, Mar 8th 2008 1:34pm by Pjstock

#11 Mar 08 2008 at 4:36 PM Rating: Good

paulsol

Sage

4,158 posts

Quote:

I have just purchases the XPS 420 with Vista Ultimate with 4GB ram

Gratz

____________________________

"If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders". Carlin.

#12 Mar 08 2008 at 6:17 PM Rating: Decent

Scholar

546 posts

Quote:

I have just purchases the XPS 420 with Vista Ultimate with 4GB ram

Gratz

"purchases" ~ just noticed that lol. I'm pretty sPeCial! Anyway, thank you sir, and thanks to everyone else who helped me out.

#13 Mar 31 2008 at 5:27 AM Rating: Decent

__DEL__1594573600605

Scholar

33 posts

Once you go Vista, first go 64-bit, you won't regret it. LOTRO is so smooth under 64-bits, it's the best. Though dump nVidia graphics. Here's why: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080325-vista-capable-lawsuit-paints-picture-of-buggy-nvidia-drivers.html

There are so many folks trashing Vista, and it turns out that nVidia is why. The nVidia driver for Vista are just plain bad. My experience is the same here too. I have 4 machines I could be playing LOTRO on at any time. The one with nVidia graphics usually is the worst. Not unplayable, but certain problems keep it from being as good an experience as the other machines, which are ATI based. I attempted to build an SLI machine with nVidia chipset motherboard, and the drivers wouldn't even allow 64-bit Vista to load! nVidia + Vista is a bad experience just waiting to happen.

Edited, Mar 31st 2008 9:32am by scottwilkins