What Spec for Custom PC?

[Darksky]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of having a custom-built PC made, just for Civ 4. I haven't got Warlords yet, but probably will.

Would any of the more technically-minded members please mind giving me a few tips on the spec for such a machine?

And I'm almost completely clueless about tech-specs, so if you reply could you spell it out for a dummy like me please?!

 

[maximus pianus]

At least a 2,8 GHZ CPU, 1GB RAM, and "the most expensive video card you can buy" (to be honest a GeForce 6600 or 6800, for example, should be ok ) ...

And remeber a powerfull power supply unit (>500W)

 

[BirraImperial]

You should get as much RAM as possible. That seems to help the most.

 

[Artosoft]

I have this:
- Intel 2.4B 533MHz FSB.
- 1GB DDR333.
- 40GB hardisk 7200rpm 8MB cache, IIRC.
- ATI PowerColor x1600pro 512MB AGP with zalman GPU cooler VF900CU-LED.
- Sharp 16" 1280x1024.

How much is your budget?

Anything above that 4 years old PC is excellent. Now is cheaper also.

Regards,
Arto.

 

[Artosoft]

At least a 2,8 GHZ CPU, 1GB RAM, and "the most expensive video card you can buy" (to be honest a GeForce 6600 or 6800, for example, should be ok ) ...

And remeber a powerfull power supply unit (>500W)

I prefer the most CPU than the most GPU you can buy. Civ4 is not a game like those graphics hungry.... It is more to calculation, so prepare on CPU and memory.

Regards,
Arto.

 

[Powerslave]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of having a custom-built PC made, just for Civ 4. I haven't got Warlords yet, but probably will.

Would any of the more technically-minded members please mind giving me a few tips on the spec for such a machine?

And I'm almost completely clueless about tech-specs, so if you reply could you spell it out for a dummy like me please?!

What's your budget? I'll narrow everything down to a few choices. Consider the low-end parts to be an enjoyable experience, the mid-range parts to be luxurious, and the high end parts to be, in general, overkill. You can go even higher in terms of overkill, but I wouldn't recommend it. You get diminishing returns.

CPU
Make sure that you specify that you want "socket AM2" if you buy the AMD model. This part is important. This is a transition time for AMD, and the old part is obsolete (yet still sold). I recommend the Core 2 Duo.
Minimum: AMD Sempron 64 2800+ for socket AM2 ($50)
Low end: AMD X2 3800+ for socket AM2 ($150)
Mid-range: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 ($350)
High end: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 ($550)

Motherboard
This is a good, solid choice. Anything cheaper would be poor quality. Anything more expensive would be a waste.
AMD: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI ($140)
Intel: ASUS P5NSLI Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition ($120)

Video Card
Anything $100 and over will work very well. I recommend the X1800XTX 256MB. If you intend on playing TES 4: Oblivion, then I recommend the X1800XTX 512MB.
Minimum: BFG Tech GeForce 7300GS 256MB ($60)
Low end: eVGA GeForce 7600GS 256MB ($100)
Mid-range: ATI X1800XTX 256MB ($210)
High end: ATI X1800XTX 512MB ($350)

Sound Card
This is not a very important part of the system. Onboard sound is high enough quality for most casual gamers. I suggest the Creative sound card, for better quality.
Low end: Use the sound on your motherboard.
High end: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 ($120)

Power Supply
Please be careful in your selection of power supply. This is a critical system component, and poor quality parts will affect system stability and lifespan. Just buy the damn Antec models below. It'll make me sleep easier at night, even if you don't care about the brand of your power supply.
Low end: Antec True Power II 480W ($70)
High end: Antec True Power Trio 650W ($160)

Case
This is completely a matter of aesthetics, and I don't think that I can tell you what you'll like. Steel is heavy and bulky. Aluminum is light and keeps your system cooler. I suggest the aluminum case.
Low end: Generic steel ATX case ($50)
High end: Generic aluminum ATX case ($100)

Optical Drive
They're all basically the same now... unless you want to spend over $500 on Blu-Ray.
Low end: Sony 16X DVD-RW ($30)

Hard drive
RPM stands for "revolutions per second". Without getting technical, it's a general measure of how fast a hard drive is. I recommend the Samsung. It's plenty fast enough, and it's inexpensive.
Low end: Samsung SpinPoint P Series 160GB 7200 RPM ($50)
High end: Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10,000 RPM ($200)

Memory
More is always better. I recommend 2GB or 4GB. Off-brand parts sometimes suffer quality problems.
Minimum: Kingston Value RAM 1GB DDR2-667 kit ($90)
Low end: Kingston Value RAM 1GB DDR2-800 kit ($140)
Mid-range: Crucial Technology 2GB DDR2-800 kit ($210)
High end: Crucial Technology Ballistix 2GB DDR2-800 kit ($350)

There you go. Complete new system should run you between $750 and $1500, after taxes, shipping, keyboard, mouse, etc.

edit: typos.

 

[JMaltman]

I may as well piggyback on this thread, and see if I can get some additional advice from Powerslave or other hardware-knowledgeable types.

I've been playing Civ IV for a while on a slightly under-spec onboard graphics setup. It tells me I'm under-spec, then lets me play. But I have all the graphics settings turned down to the minimum, which makes me sad. And after seeing some of the very pretty screenshots from other people, I'd love to upgrade.

Problem: in my non-gaming phase of a couple of years ago, my wife and I got a friend to make up a system with onboard graphics, but a slot to potentially upgrade later. Well its upgradeable, but not as much as I'd like.

My motherboard:
http://www.asrock.com/PRODUCT/775i65GV.htm

Its allowable compatible graphics cards for its AGI (proprietary sort of AGP compatible slot): ( )
http://www.asrock.com/support/AGP/P4i65GV.html

Most of these aren't available anymore, and I don't think any of them are as good as what you're saying you'd buy as a minimum.

So what should I do? Are there any on that list that would be minimally acceptable? Or should I just buy a new motherboard that supports a regular AGP or PCI Express slot, and reasonable new graphics card.

If so, what would you recommend that would still allow me to use everything else from my current machine, only upgrading the MB and graphics card.

Thanks!

 

[Powerslave]

I may as well piggyback on this thread, and see if I can get some additional advice from Powerslave or other hardware-knowledgeable types.

I hope this helps.

So what should I do? Are there any on that list that would be minimally acceptable? Or should I just buy a new motherboard that supports a regular AGP or PCI Express slot, and reasonable new graphics card.

I looked at the specs you mentioned. Here're my thoughts: ASRock is a rather low-end brand, and you'd probably be best served with higher quality parts. On the other hand, if your computer is plenty fast enough and stable enough, then there's no reason I can see for you to change out something as complicated as the motherboard. The list of video cards, like you said, is old and generally not very well supported under Civ IV. The nVidia FX5600 and 5800 are okay, I guess, but I can't imagine where you'd find them for sale today. The ATI cards are perhaps a little bit easier to find, because you can search eBay for people upgrading their older 9700s. There's potential there, but I don't know if it's worthwhile to pursue it. Do you really want an obsolete, second-hand video card? If that doesn't scare you off, then try an eBay search like this http://search.ebay.com/radeon-9700-9000-9100-9200-9500-9550-9600_W0QQbsZSearchQQcatrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQcopagenumZ1QQfposZQ5AIPQ2fPostalQQfromZR10QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQsacatZQ2d1QQsadisZ200QQsargnZQ2d1QQsaslcZ2QQsatitleZradeonQ209700Q20Q2d9000Q20Q2d9100Q20Q2d9200Q20Q2d9500Q20Q2d9550Q20Q2d9600QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZunknown

From my cursory examination, these cards look very expensive! Why? I guess because people stuck in your situation are willing to pay way more money than they reasonably should, in order to give an old computer new life.

If so, what would you recommend that would still allow me to use everything else from my current machine, only upgrading the MB and graphics card.

Your current motherboard uses DDR1 RAM, and Intel has moved on to using DDR2 RAM. This means that you'll have to buy an older motherboard that doesn't support much in the way of CPU upgrades. This isn't a big deal. It's just a heads-up, so that you know you'll eventually have to replace your motherboard again, should you decide to upgrade to a better performing CPU. Since that's unlikely to happen for a long while, don't worry about it. There will be much better technology out there, by the time you feel like upgrading. You can just leapfrog the current state-of-the-art and upgrade when the new series of CPUs and motherboards are out, in six months to year.

I did a little searching, and I came up with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813186048 this board, for $75, that'll work fine. It uses DDR1 RAM, has PCI-E support, and will work fine with your current CPU. If you decide that you'd rather upgrade your RAM, motherboard, and video card, then you can try out the boards that I mentioned in my previous post. I'm not sure I'd recommend that, since the cost is so much higher (and so much of the performance improvement would come from the video card, rather than the memory or motherboard). However, you'd be doing your job as a consumer, making our economy that much stronger. Your choice, of course!

As far as video cards go, try to stick to cards that are $100 or more, to get the best performance. An nVidia-based 7600GS should be able to run every graphic option at maximum, at 1280x1024 resolution. Even TES4: Oblivion is quite playable on a card like this (most graphic options maxed, at 1280x1024).

 

[Darksky]

Thanks very much everybody, and especially Powerslave.

Now, I just have to get that budget together!

Cheers

 

[gusi]

Thanks for all the useful tips.

What would you say is the critical factor in a CIV4 machine.

I use a Athlon2000, Abit NF7-S, 1.5G ram, GeForce FX5500.

Anything above small world runs very slowly indeed. I usually play small or tiny worlds. I do enjoy the scenarios as well but often they just get too slow in the end phase.

Does it just need more CPU and faster memory? I have been eyeing one of the new dual cores when prices drop a bit.

What is a "normal" or typical delay time between turns in the end game on large and huge maps? 20s+, 40s+ 1min+???

cheers
Gus

 

[JMaltman]

So I'm up to 1.5GB RAM now, and tried my friend's old Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB card to see if it would work - and it does.

And everything looks very pretty now, and is sooooo much faster.