Some advice from any Hardware Guru's (computer spec for Civ5)

[migkillertwo]

Well .... I've bought the game, now I need a system to run it. I've been saving my pennies since May and I'm looking at Dell.ca (I'm in Canada...)

Dell XPS9100 ~ $1400

Intel® Core™i7-930 processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.80GHz)
6GB Tri Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz- 3 DIMMs
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English


I'd appreciate any feedback, suggestions, recommendations on changes to the spec, any better deals etc..

thanks in advance

Newegg started shipping to canada a while ago. See if you can build that same computer yourself for cheaper. If you haven't built one before, believe me (!), it is incredibly easy. The hardest part isn't actually building the computer, it's choosing your parts and making sure that they are both
(A): upgradeable (as in you will be able to install new parts in the future like memory, processors, video cards, etc.), and
(B): Compatible. Nothing is more frustrating when building a computer than discovering that you ordered parts that weren't designed to work with eachother.

Go to Toms Hardware and ask around there for advice on these two points. Once you get the right parts together, putting the computer together and loading the necessary software will be a piece of cake (I still can't believe how easy it was to do with Windows 7)

 

[Hustapha Thool]

My 2 cents... You can get a better deal than dell, check out newegg canada, they have some pre-built or partially built systems. If you are a real newbie, maybe not build the whole machine yourself, even though it is easy it can be a spiral of hell for the totally uninitiated.

Essentially, if you can get a box with the power supply,, motherboard, ram, cpu and fans already put together, adding your hard drive, dvd drive and graphics card are easy and are low risk.

Some people say to buy the OEM version of WIN 7, I say no, if you do so be aware of these limitations:
You can never transfer it to a new PC.
You can never switch from 32 bit to 64 or vice-versa.
You can never get support from microsoft.

Obviously the first limitation is the most important and it is limited to the motherboard but if/ when that board dies...

 

[nomikos]

Speaking of upgrading hardware for Civ5...

For $169.xx one can purchase either a E8400 3.00 GHz 6MB L2 Core 2 Duo or a Q8400 2.66 GHz 4MB L2 Quad.

What's the current "conventional wisdom" these days on Quad vs a very slightly faster Dual Core for a reportedly multi-core aware program like Civ5?

Is a clock increase of ~13% greater or lesser than the gain of using two extra cores?
Which would you prefer?

Thanks in advance.

[While I'm soliciting and appreciate advice, I'm only interested in LGA775 CPUs under $200 at this time. If giving more general recommendations the GPU is a 9800GT/512 and the other primary uses are VideoReDo, Picasa 3, Photoshop. Thanks.]

 

[aziantuntija]

My 9800 GX2 suddenly broke (it gave me 'code 43' wich means hardware failure, yes i tried installing drivers many times but it makes no difference) and now i have to buy a new one. The card was BFG and it had lifetime warranty but unfortunately BFG went bankrupt just a few weeks ago. Talking about a bad luck.


I was looking for GTX 470 or HD 5850 to replace my broken 9800 GX2, i play at 1900x1200 res and currently it looks like im going for the GTX 470 because its clearly faster than the HD 5850. Yes it heats alot but i have a good case for cooling and GTX 470 also has a 3 years warranty so i should be safe.


Any Thoughts?

 

[tokala]

Speaking of upgrading hardware for Civ5...

For $169.xx one can purchase either a E8400 3.00 GHz 6MB L2 Core 2 Duo or a Q8400 2.66 GHz 4MB L2 Quad.

What's the current "conventional wisdom" these days on Quad vs a very slightly faster Dual Core for a reportedly multi-core aware program like Civ5?

Is a clock increase of ~13% greater or lesser than the gain of using two extra cores?
Which would you prefer?

Thanks.

[While I'm soliciting and appreciate advice, I'm only interested in LGA775 CPUs under $200 at this time. If giving more general recommendations the GPU is a 9800GT/512 and the other primary uses are VideoReDo, Picasa 3, Photoshop. Thanks.]

It makes almost no sense nowaday to choose a C2D over a slightly lower clocked C2Q at the same price, especially if you are upgrading from another dual core.
BUT ... you should be aware that the performance advantage of the C2Q 8400 in games will be limited. Benchmarks with different numbers of active cores seem to indicate that the 2+2 architecture of the C2Qs is really hurting them in games, and you will see a performance more akin to a "true" triple core. This will be excarbated by the comparatively small L2 caches of the Q8400, as the fast and big caches of the Core architecture are needed to mask the the performance weakness of the FSB memory access. For non gaming, well threaded, applications the Q8400 will show a very clear performance advantage, though

You might want to consider a switch to a an AMD X4 as a more cost effective upgrade path, if the primary focus is on games, which would also be doable at around $200.
Edit: Just saw that the Phenom II X3 is available again, that's would be by far the best bargain upgrade if you reuse your old RAM.

I was looking for GTX 470 or HD 5850 to replace my broken 9800 GX2, i play at 1900x1200 res and currently it looks like im going for the GTX 470 because its clearly faster than the HD 5850. Yes it heats alot but i have a good case for cooling and GTX 470 also has a 3 years warranty so i should be safe.
Any Thoughts?

GTX470 and HD 5850/70 are all valid choices in the $300 range. You might want to look at the GTX460/1024MBs, too. There are quite a few factory overclocked models that pretty much reach the GTX470 performance for about $240

 

[City Builder]

If you're dead set against putting a computer together yourself, have you checked out Gateway? The last prebuilt computer that I purchased was a Gateway in the FX series and it was a rather nice computer for gaming, and priced ok.

Not that there was anything wrong with the Gateway but when I wanted to upgrade and buy a new computer, I went back to building my own out of the components and saved about 700 dollars from what I would have spent to buy a computer prebuilt that was somewhat close to the specs of the computer I built.

 

[Furkmyster]

If building a computer yourself is out of the question, check out NCIX. They are a Canadian company and offer some decent pre-built systems. I have a pre-built Dell, and I will never do that again. Proprietary power supply, motherboard, CPU cooling makes upgrading for more complex than it ever should be.

 

[wilebill]

If you do get Dell, make sure you get their best warranty. Experience of a friend with a gaming Dell suggests you will make a lot of use of that warranty. Check out all the suggestions in this thread before you dive into hell with a Dell.

I had same experience as City Builder above. I was going to build my own, but I came across a "returned" Gateway FX at my local computer superstore. The price was outrageously low! Much cheaper than I could build my own. Came with Vista HP, had to shut down all the media center crap, get rid of various trash commercial software, dispose of Norton replace with AVG. Found lots of useful tweaks on various hard sites. In the end Vista and the FX has left me nothing at all to complain about.

My friend with the troublesome Dell replaced it with a top end Alienware. He got the best warranty. The new Alienware broke two days later. Tech showed up and fixed it. So, it's not like you get a more reliable computer if you buy a pre-built. No.

 

[ImperialGuard]

Hey thanks everyone for all the feedback... I really appreciate it !

Sadly now, I don't know what to do

I am definitely not thinking of Dell (as much) anymore, thanks to your feedback, but I am really stuck on what I should do ...

Someone mentioned NCIX, and I was actually on their site today, checking things out, and cross referencing @ Toms Hardware..... my biggest fear I'm going to order up a system that has an incorrect power supply, or does not have enough cooling etc.. (I mean there is a section on adding custom heat sinks .... should I ? shouldn't I ? how do I know? )

If I can impose upon the kind and knowledgeable people who've posted here, I'll post some spec scenarios and solicit further advice...

cheers mates !

 

[ImperialGuard]

Okay.... here's a starting point based on "build a system at NCIX" ... I chose a stock system, then changed the CPU, Graphics Card, RAM, added a sound card, no network card was included, so I selected "use motherboard integrated Ethernet" (?)

I will cross reference prices to newegg.ca etc. just to see if prices are better there on components, but any suggestions on components would again be much appreciated.

Processor (CPU) Intel Core i7 950 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 3.06GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 4.8GT/S $349.99
Motherboard ASUS P7P55D-E LGA1156 P55 DDR3 2PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFireX USB3.0 SATA 6GB Motherboard $166.49
DDR3 Memory (RAM) Corsair XMS3 CMX6GX3M3A1333C9 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1333 CL 9-9-9-24 Core i7 Memory Kit $149.99
Video Cards Radeon HD 5870 850MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.8GHZ PCI-E 2XDVI HDMI Display Port $459.99
Computer Case Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio $69.99
Power Supply Seasonic SS-400ET 400W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 80PLUS 6PIN PCI-E 120MM Fan OEM $56.37
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM $123.77
Hard Drives Western Digital Caviar Blue SE16 640GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM 3YR MFR Warranty $55.99
DVD Writer LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM $29.99
Network Card Please Use The Onboard Network Ethernet Card Integrated On My Motherboard $0.00
Sound Card Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Audio 24BIT Sound Card 7.1 PCI Retail Box $47.85
Full assembly and testing of the system. $50.00

All quoted prices are in CANADIAN DOLLARS $1,560.42

 

[Furkmyster]

Check this one instead from NCIX:

Vesta i5 3050 SLI Performance

1 x Intel Core i7 870 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.93GHZ Hyperthreading 8MB Cache Retail Box
1 x Please Use The Heatsink Included with My CPU -NOT Available with OEM Processors
1 x MSI P55A-G55 P55 ATX LGA1156 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SLI CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard
1 x Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9K2/4G PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL9 240PIN DIMM Memory Kit
2 x MSI GeForce GTX 460 Fermi Cyclone OC 725MHZ 768MB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini-HDMI DX11 PCI-E Video Card
1 x Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Mid Tower Silent Computer Case 2X5.25 8X3.5INT No PS Front USB
1 x Seasonic S12II 620W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 80+ Bronze 6+8PIN PCI-E W/ 120MM Fan
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1500GB 1.5TB SATA2 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM
1 x LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM
1 x Please Use The Onboard Sound Card Integrated On My Motherboard
1 x Please Use The Onboard Network Ethernet Card Integrated On My Motherboard
1 x PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased)

$1,364.32 CDN

 

[ImperialGuard]

Check this one instead from NCIX:

Vesta i5 3050 SLI Performance

1 x Intel Core i7 870 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.93GHZ Hyperthreading 8MB Cache Retail Box
1 x Please Use The Heatsink Included with My CPU -NOT Available with OEM Processors
1 x MSI P55A-G55 P55 ATX LGA1156 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SLI CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard
1 x Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9K2/4G PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL9 240PIN DIMM Memory Kit
2 x MSI GeForce GTX 460 Fermi Cyclone OC 725MHZ 768MB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini-HDMI DX11 PCI-E Video Card
1 x Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Mid Tower Silent Computer Case 2X5.25 8X3.5INT No PS Front USB
1 x Seasonic S12II 620W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 80+ Bronze 6+8PIN PCI-E W/ 120MM Fan
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1500GB 1.5TB SATA2 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM
1 x LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM
1 x Please Use The Onboard Sound Card Integrated On My Motherboard
1 x Please Use The Onboard Network Ethernet Card Integrated On My Motherboard
1 x PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased)

$1,364.32 CDN

Hey thanks Furkmyster, that does look pretty good ! quick question...

1) How good will the integrated sound card be ?
2) the dual GTX 460 cards will provide performance as good as a ATI 5870 (maybe better?)
3) is there any good value in getting the dual 460 1gb cards (for an extra $120)

 

[IdleEnergy]

Well .... I've bought the game, now I need a system to run it. I've been saving my pennies since May and I'm looking at Dell.ca (I'm in Canada...)

Dell XPS9100 ~ $1400

Intel® Core™i7-930 processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.80GHz)
6GB Tri Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz- 3 DIMMs
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English


I'd appreciate any feedback, suggestions, recommendations on changes to the spec, any better deals etc..

thanks in advance

That computer will wreck this game hardcore. Run it on the highest settings no problem.

Yes, that computer will run civ 5 easily. I bought a similar rig (only with the i7 860 2.8GHz) for substantially less money... but it was a scratch and dent off of dell outlet.

 

[smackthewise]

Building your own PC these days is like putting together a basic Lego kit. Screw motherboard to case. Plug in the Power Supply sockets into the mobo (better safe than sorry), connect the CPU & fan, memory, graphics card, hard drives and anything else you bought (which all slot in, cannot really be installed incorrectly if you have common sense).

The only possible thing that could confuse you is where to plug in the cases wires on the mobo (which will be outlined in the manual anyway).

Its easier than Lego to build, will make you more familiar with your system and make future upgrades incredibly easy. You don't need custom cooling or any of that mumbo jumbo, the stock fans are usually fine for almost all users.

Vesta i5 3050 SLI Performance

This is a absolute beast, my only reservation would be using ASUS or Nvida hardware as their support and drivers are junk. In this case the GPU. I'd go with an ATI Graphics card for sure, not to mention the mobo is optimised for CrossFireX (ATI). Despite that it says "SLI CrossFireX" I am sure this mobo is no for SLI (Nvidia)

The onboard sound is absolutely fine, unless you're doing music production or something.

 

[tokala]

Hey thanks Furkmyster, that does look pretty good ! quick question...

1) How good will the integrated sound card be ?
2) the dual GTX 460 cards will provide performance as good as a ATI 5870 (maybe better?)
3) is there any good value in getting the dual 460 1gb cards (for an extra $120)

That looks indeed like a reasonable system, though in my opinion it could use some streamlining.
- For gaming the i5-760 will be as good as a i7-870
- If you do not know what you are doing, SLI/Crossfire is not such a good idea
- A single GTX460/1GB would be my recommendation as a video card, as it not only has more memory (not so important) but also a wider memory interface and more rasterizing units (very important)

Re:
1) If you do not need a dedicated sound card for something specific, the X-Fi tend to be more hassle than useful
2) When just measured in fps, a Dual GTX460 will be competetive with a HD 5870. But you have always the potential for driver issues and the "microstuttering" problem with dual cards. Even a single GTX460 will be more than sufficient for the most demanding games, if you do not plan to use superlarge/multiple monitors in combination with costly Antialiasing modes. And if you DO have multiple monitors, SLI won't work anyway.
3) If you insist on using SLI, you should take the 1GB models, as memory is NOT adding up for SLIed cards. You might run out of video RAM if push the cards to the limit.

 

[VikingMaekel]

A link to some performances about GPU's: GPU Performance DX11 for Battleforge

You can see how much an SLI set up for the nVidia GTX 460 gives you over an ATI 5870.
The pages following those include more games.

If you do go with the 460SLI set up I'd advise you to buy a heavier PSU. 620W PSU is a bit to close to the edge under full load. You have to understand that PSU's have a maximum efficiency around 80-90% (dependent on load, less efficient under minimum load, max efficiency between 20-50% load). Going with the worst figures: 80% of 620W = 496W. The total power draw in a similar set up for a complete system could reach as high as 528W.

 

[[Ant]Wimp]

ImperialGuard:

- The onboard sound on the ASUS mobo is adequate for normal use
- I'd get a slightly beefyer powersupply. >500W


If you are tight for money, I'd say save on the Graphics card for now, and upgrade it when needed.

If you've some money to spare, I'd say get a dedicated SolidStateDisk (SSD) for ~200 Can$ just to run windows on. Gives you kickass startuptime. Also, get 8gb of RAM

 

[MisterBarca]

I have a related question:

I have a computer similar to the one posted by the original poster. But I am going to likely upgrade to 24, 26, or 28 inch monitor. In that context, does the ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 suffice? Or do I need a better graphics card?

 

[tokala]

In that context, does the ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 suffice?

Yes, it does.

 

[12agnar0k]

The computer posted in OP is fine, it will run Civ5 like a dream, don't listen to all these people saying don't buy at dell or to build it yourself, if your not comfortable building it or self-customising computers then just go with the shop brought PC's, but they are right that Dell will charge you more money for the same amount of spec's that you could get from possibly another retailer or even if you build yourself, but its your money and you do what you want with it. Shopping around to see if you can get a better deal at another retailer wouldn't hurt though.

However as for, "is this computer good enough" yes, it will run Civ5 perfectly, your good to go.