Please Recommend a Desktop

[Antarticaa]

I've been playing on a 17" gaming laptop but it's 6 years old.  About time I got a desktop computer but the problem is, I don't know anything about computers.  I could buy one off Amazon or get a local company to put one together.  I need a computer for general purposes like Word, YouTube and of course CoH.  What computer do y'all recommend, or what components do you recommend?  I'll need everything, including a monitor.  I believe this is the community to ask!  Thanks for your input!!!

[Apogee]

1. Whats your budget

2. Windows, Mac, or Linux?

3. For what you state you want to use it for, any PC made in the last 15 years with a discreet graphics card should suffice.

[Clave Dark 5]

I started a thread about this recently, here's a link you can look over:

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/11704-new-computer-recommendation/?tab=comments#comment-115080

 

I went with this one here, suggested in that thread, and have been pretty damn happy with it, the step up in quality was breath-taking, like amazingly so:  https://www.amazon.com/SkyTech-Blaze-Gaming-Computer-Desktop/dp/B07RHBLV7F/ref=pd_sbs_147_1/144-8664744-6642208?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07RHBLV7F&pd_rd_r=da236151-fb8b-4809-862f-5810620915a2&pd_rd_w=Erf73&pd_rd_wg=dcaqL&pf_rd_p=bdd201df-734f-454e-883c-73b0d8ccd4c3&pf_rd_r=3PG7TS7E66703WVETNGB&psc=1&refRID=3PG7TS7E66703WVETNGB

 

Good luck!

[Without_Pause]

The biggest thing is avoid Intel in terms of graphics. A general purpose desktop outside of gaming could be in Raspberry Pi to be honest, and CoH is old enough to not really require that much of a workload.

[Snarky]

8 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

The biggest thing is avoid Intel in terms of graphics. A general purpose desktop outside of gaming could be in Raspberry Pi to be honest, and CoH is old enough to not really require that much of a workload.

Why avoid intel graphics?

[Rathulfr]

52 minutes ago, Snarky said:

Why avoid intel graphics?

Because they suck.

 

(edit: non-snarky)  Intel graphics aren't usually designed for gaming, but for general-purpose computing.  Displaying text and basic video is all it's designed to do, rather than the calculation intensive work required for rendering a dynamic 3D environment for "virtual worlds" like CoH and other immersive games. 

 

Technically, some of the newer and more advanced Intel video chipsets can run CoH at basic or even medium settings, but if you're going to spend money on a dedicated desktop, you might as well include around $100 (+/-50) in your budget for a dedicated graphics processing card (GPU) with a chipset from AMD or nVidia (I prefer the latter).  Those will allow you to run CoH at high or ultra settings.

 

I bought a used HP Z230 desktop workstation with an i5 CPU (4 cores), 8GB RAM, and a nVidia GeForce 1050Ti CPU for about $400 from MicroCenter.  I was able to run CoH on High/Ultra (I tweaked a few settings to improve performance).

 

Edited January 31, 2020 by Rathulfr

[Seigmoraig]

Since you are most likely looking for something prebuilt, something like this will run CoH on max settings, and most of the games released in recent years on high setting in 1080p resolution 60fps.

https://www.newegg.com/abs-computer-technologies-rogue-se-ali328/p/N82E16883102793R?&quicklink=true

 

If you don't want to go the "Open Box" route and get something sealed, something like this will do the trick nicely
https://www.newegg.com/abs-computer-technologies-mage-e-ali290/p/N82E16883102721?&quicklink=true

 

Once you get the tower, all you will need is an monitor, a keyboard and a mouse to get the ball rolling. Usually a 1080p monitor in the 100-150$ range will be just fine for general purpose gaming. Something like this should be good
https://www.newegg.ca/benq-gw2480-24-full-hd/p/N82E16824014466?Item=N82E16824014466

[Hyperstrike]

If you're looking from the big box providers, like Dell.

The baseline for the Dell G5 Gaming is a very nice machine for the money.
Also, the upgrade from a 1TB HD to a 128GB SSD + 1TB HD is $0.00 (zero bucks, zero cents).

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-and-games/dell-g5-gaming-desktop/spd/g-series-5090-desktop/nd5090g510s

Edited January 31, 2020 by Hyperstrike

[Without_Pause]

2 hours ago, Rathulfr said:

Because they suck.

And to my knowledge the original devs did themselves no favors when coding the game. On the recent side, the game ran fairly fine until a patch hit. After much back and forth, I was told to update my RAM even though again, the game ran fine before the patch. I tested on a laptop with more RAM, and it ran fine.

[Rathulfr]

9 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

And to my knowledge the original devs did themselves no favors when coding the game. On the recent side, the game ran fairly fine until a patch hit. After much back and forth, I was told to update my RAM even though again, the game ran fine before the patch. I tested on a laptop with more RAM, and it ran fine.

Well, they did use an engine that's now 20 years old, so it's remarkable that it runs at all, much less on newer hardware.  Not everything can be backwards compatible forever, unless you treat it like a museum piece.  If we want to enjoy the game in the future, we need to embrace the future.

 

[Number Six]

10 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

And to my knowledge the original devs did themselves no favors when coding the game. On the recent side, the game ran fairly fine until a patch hit. After much back and forth, I was told to update my RAM even though again, the game ran fine before the patch. I tested on a laptop with more RAM, and it ran fine.

If you’re short on RAM, try running the 32-bit version. The 64-bit client (which is now the default) will use about 25-30% more RAM simply because pointers are twice as large on 64-bit architecture.

[Troo]

Something like this could work if you're not doing video editing or graphic design.

 

I just added one for around $550: HP NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti Intel i5-9400F 4.1GHz 8GB RAM 256GB SSD Gaming Desktop  amazon link

 

 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Troo

[Without_Pause]

27 minutes ago, Number Six said:

If you’re short on RAM, try running the 32-bit version. The 64-bit client (which is now the default) will use about 25-30% more RAM simply because pointers are twice as large on 64-bit architecture.

I tried "everything."

[WillowManson]

I built my own gaming PC for half the price of a pre-built one. Super easy and super fun.

[RikOz]

I've been very happy with the CyberpowerPC gaming desktop I bought in early 2018.

[MunkiLord]

On 1/30/2020 at 10:12 PM, Antarticaa said:

I've been playing on a 17" gaming laptop but it's 6 years old.  About time I got a desktop computer but the problem is, I don't know anything about computers.  I could buy one off Amazon or get a local company to put one together.  I need a computer for general purposes like Word, YouTube and of course CoH.  What computer do y'all recommend, or what components do you recommend?  I'll need everything, including a monitor.  I believe this is the community to ask!  Thanks for your input!!!

Is City of Heroes the only game you play? If not, what's the most recent/best looking game you know you're going to play?

[Antarticaa]

On 1/31/2020 at 10:16 AM, Seigmoraig said:

Since you are most likely looking for something prebuilt, something like this will run CoH on max settings, and most of the games released in recent years on high setting in 1080p resolution 60fps.

https://www.newegg.com/abs-computer-technologies-rogue-se-ali328/p/N82E16883102793R?&quicklink=true

 

If you don't want to go the "Open Box" route and get something sealed, something like this will do the trick nicely
https://www.newegg.com/abs-computer-technologies-mage-e-ali290/p/N82E16883102721?&quicklink=true

 

Once you get the tower, all you will need is an monitor, a keyboard and a mouse to get the ball rolling. Usually a 1080p monitor in the 100-150$ range will be just fine for general purpose gaming. Something like this should be good
https://www.newegg.ca/benq-gw2480-24-full-hd/p/N82E16824014466?Item=N82E16824014466

Thry sounded good but unfortunately two of the recommended rigs are no longer offered

[Antarticaa]

On 2/2/2020 at 3:22 PM, MunkiLord said:

Is City of Heroes the only game you play? If not, what's the most recent/best looking game you know you're going to play?

CoH is the only game I play.  Once a CoH fan, always a CoH fan

 

[Seigmoraig]

38 minutes ago, Antarticaa said:

Thry sounded good but unfortunately two of the recommended rigs are no longer offered

Those builds aren't available on newegg.com, you can probably find them elsewhere for a similar price, just note down the specs and look for other manufacturers to see if they have anything in that ball park
Here is an example build from ibuypower

https://www.ibuypower.com/Store/AMD-Ryzen-5-3rd-Gen-Configurator/W/880550

[Techwright]

On 1/31/2020 at 10:53 AM, Hyperstrike said:

If you're looking from the big box providers, like Dell.
 

Respectfully, and noting this is entirely my opinion, I'd personally never recommend Dell.  I'm 20 years into IT Desktop Support, and the stuff I've seen in regard to Dell, both technological failings and cover-up practices in their customer service, has made me decidedly anti-Dell.  I know from multiple talks with many of my peers that they share my sentiments.  I'm not overly crazy about HP either, (it's the second major name that keeps surfacing) but I've never seen the level of problems from them that I've seen with Dell.  YMMV.  I accept that there's quite probably smarter IT people on the forums than I am, and they may hold another viewpoint.  I'm just stating mine

 

In those multiple talks with my IT colleagues the last couple of years, I've learned we tend to be interested in Lenovo, ASUS, and MSI.   There's some other brands I could mention, but the discussion was highly polarized:  you loved it or hated it.   Of course, this all comes from the perspective of business computing.  We do consider some graphics heavy applications, like digital X-rays, but otherwise, high-quality movies or marketing department projects are usually our biggest stresses to test.   If you're after a true gaming computer, there may be information with which I'm not familiar.

[MunkiLord]

52 minutes ago, Techwright said:

Respectfully, and noting this is entirely my opinion, I'd personally never recommend Dell.  I'm 20 years into IT Desktop Support, and the stuff I've seen in regard to Dell, both technological failings and cover-up practices in their customer service, has made me decidedly anti-Dell.  I know from multiple talks with many of my peers that they share my sentiments.  I'm not overly crazy about HP either, (it's the second major name that keeps surfacing) but I've never seen the level of problems from them that I've seen with Dell.  YMMV.  I accept that there's quite probably smarter IT people on the forums than I am, and they may hold another viewpoint.  I'm just stating mine

 

In those multiple talks with my IT colleagues the last couple of years, I've learned we tend to be interested in Lenovo, ASUS, and MSI.   There's some other brands I could mention, but the discussion was highly polarized:  you loved it or hated it.   Of course, this all comes from the perspective of business computing.  We do consider some graphics heavy applications, like digital X-rays, but otherwise, high-quality movies or marketing department projects are usually our biggest stresses to test.   If you're after a true gaming computer, there may be information with which I'm not familiar.

As an end user of a Dell at work, there is a lot of bloatware that came installed. 

[Hyperstrike]

17 hours ago, Techwright said:

Respectfully, and noting this is entirely my opinion, I'd personally never recommend Dell. 

Unless you're going to build your own box, the differences between various manufacturers are largely cosmetic (and therefore unimportant when talking about performance).

I've had HPs, Lenovos, Dells, Asus, Acer, etc, etc.  At some point in my relationship with all the vendors, I've had their product just absolutely shit the bed and multiply my work load..

In the end it all comes down to hardware loadout.  I've got very little bandwidth for brand snobbery.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Hyperstrike

[Scarlet Shocker]

On 2/2/2020 at 2:30 PM, WillowManson said:

I built my own gaming PC for half the price of a pre-built one. Super easy and super fun.

This is true, and I went through a phase of building two a year, usually each build being roughly 6 months behind bleeding edge. I saved boatloads over time and I would normally be able to sell my older rig for only a little less than I paid for it.

 

BUT...

 

that presupposes that your'e capable of doing so and while it's not brain science, it does take some learning and confidence and usually knowing how to get to your components to talk to one another. So for the novice it's probably a non-starter.

 

In the UK, we regularly have computer fairs, where traders hawk their wares and there are usually several PC vendors who will sell you the parts you want and even build the rig on site live to your spec - my gaming rig is such a machine and runs every game I want. For my day to day machine I use my older rig which runs Fedora linux and if I need to work remotely a chrome book.

 

Pay your money, take your choice.

[Scarlet Shocker]

50 minutes ago, Hyperstrike said:

Unless you're going to build your own box, the differences between various manufacturers are largely cosmetic (and therefore unimportant when talking about performance).

I've had HPs, Lenovos, Dells, Asus, Acer, etc, etc.  At some point in my relationship with all the vendors, I've had their product just absolutely shit the bed and multiply my work load..

In the end it all comes down to hardware loadout.  I've got very little bandwidth for brand snobbery.

I'd agree with this but add that one reason I build my own boxes is twofold: I know what's in them but I also manage to completely avoid the "added value" that many manufacturers put into stuff. In my book, added value is something that works for them, not the consumer.

[biostem]

I may be in the minority, but having built my own computer for many years, I've just grown tired of having to install the motherboard and connect all those small header leads.  To that end, I've changed my approach to where I buy decent/good "barebones" computers, (sometimes used), and upgrade/customize them to my liking.  This can drastically cut down the cost of your computer.  I've started with something like the below links, then added an SSD, a dedicated video card, and other features as desired.  Hope that helps!

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hp-Compaq-8300-Elite-intel-Core-i7-3770-3-40-GHz-8-GB-RAM-500-GB-HDD-WINDOWS-7/401741768523?hash=item5d89ace74b:g:eFUAAOSwohVco3Mu

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Compaq-8300-Elite-CMT-TWR-i7-3770-3-4-GHz-16-GB-RAM-1-TB-HDD-Windows-10-Pro/184144198963?hash=item2adfd97d33:g:1LgAAOSwSXFeK3MK

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Compaq-Elite-8300-CMT-i5-3470-Quad-Core-3-2GHz-8GB-RAM-500GB-HDD-3061/163982877865?hash=item262e2424a9:g:ciMAAOSwzahdjlmv

 

*Note - Just be aware that unless you change the power supply, you may need the below additional components in order to supply power to a dedicated graphics card:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pin-Molex-to-6-Pin-PCI-Express-PCIE-Video-Card-Power-Converter-Adapter-Cable/222637300975?hash=item33d6379cef:g:Np0AAOSwqYZZsP4d

https://www.ebay.com/itm/15pin-SATA-Power-to-6pin-PCIe-PCI-e-PCI-Express-Adapter-Cable-for-Video-Card/122880279778?epid=0&hash=item1c9c3c44e2:g:SCIAAOSw9~5ZPZns