Guild Wars 2

Hello!

I need a new computer. And I’ve done some looking on ibuypower.com.
I would like any input on what I chose. The maximum I want to spend is $1500.

I don’t know a thing about the components for a computer. I’ve read some of the posts here over time and I feel like I’m reading another language. I am completely stupid when it comes to the inner workings of a computer. I have been told that going with a full size tower and a cooling system is a bonus, but I’ve no idea the difference between the cooling systems. I was also told that having an SSD is better. That is partly the basis of my choices.

What I plan on using the computer for: Obviously Guild Wars. I don’t play any other online games. I still use iTunes (because I’m stuck on it and I like my playlists for certain things). I do the basic on the web, FaceBook, Gmail. I will do some writing (as in stories) as well, so.. not really a lot that I do. But I want this computer to last a long while.

That being said, here is the link: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer-Mage-D245/W/369253

Any feed back is much appreciated.

When Guild Wars 2 is the most demanding thing you want to do with your PC 1500$ is about 2-3 times the amount of money you need.

GW2 isn’t new and not really demanding at all. And it’s not programmed to really use high end hardware either…

Things to look for:
- a mid class graphics card (you don’t need more as the game’s bottlenecked by cpu most of the time)
- a pentium cpu (while amd gives you more cores and more overall power for the same money intel’s single core performance is better. and GW2 is really bad at using multiple cores, so low number of processor cores with higher single cpu performance is better for playing than a setup with more cores and higher overall performance but lower single core power)
- ram (the more the better; mmorpgs are very demanding when it comes to memory, GW2 is no exception. i would prsonally aim at 16GB at least.)
- ssd’s are fine for speeding up things but if you have enough ram heavy loading only occurs when switching maps. your choice if it’s worth the money for you, if it only makes the difference between waiting for 5 seconds instead of 15 when you change to another map… you will rarely ever see any difference while actually playing

As a general bit of advice, you definitely want to look a bit around for stuff as deals pop up every day.

I wouldn’t buy that particular computer either. It’s terrible.

• It’s using an AMD processor and not a good one; AMD CPUs haven’t been relevant for a long time. (Might change soon!). This is disastrous for Gw2 which is CPU heavy. Go for Intel Core atm. They should be under the name of I3/i5/i7, with the 6xxx or 7xxx numbers.

• Ram. If the most intensive thing you’re doing is Gw2, I would settle for 8GB. Personally, I’ve never even gotten close to 8gb of usage even when recording this game, but if you want to play new games, or run like intensive things in the background all the time, then you can consider 16 GB. If you don’t know why you need more ram, then 8 is fine.

• Liquid cooling (lol) for that processor is overkill.

• And of course, it uses some no-name power supply. Coming from someone that has had a PSU blow up next to him, a no-name power supply is a big nono

• Full Size Towers aren’t really necessary though yes bigger cases have their benefits with cooling and are easier to work with, but most users will do fine with a mid-tower.

Sticking with the site, this is a better choice:
http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Intel-Z170-Core-i5-Configurator/W/369310
Weirdly enough, it comes with a overpriced motherboard, but the one with the proper motherboard costs a lot more, so I guess it’s on sale so who really cares. :p The i5 processor will serve your needs well.

This is what I did

(Wow, their site is such a pain to navigate)

• Increase the graphics card to a RX 480. Hey, the upgrade is free! EIther 470 or 480 are good cards and way more than enough to handle matters. The Nvidia counterparts are the GTX 1060 3gb, and the 1060 6gb, but since the RX 480 is so much cheaper, it’s a no-brainer.

• Better Power supply (yikes these choices still kinda suck).The PSU is overkill but at least it’s a good one, can also cheap out a bit by getting the corsair CX but it’s really not that good— had one for 4 years, didn’t explode at least.
• And yes, SSDs are godsends for this game. They help with loading and Windows starts in seconds. For most casual users, I see SSDs being the biggest impact on day to day tasks. Do you sometimes not want to shut down your computer because you don’t want to wait for it to boot back up? With an SSD, that excuse is gone— just turn it off and save power.

I’d just get the 240gb +1 TB HDD myself. If you want more storage space, that’s fine too. You don’t need a gigantic SSD either. Use the hard drive for storing big files, and Windows/Guild Wars 2 and whatever other programs you use should be on the SSD. that is okay, but I think external HDs are fine for that sort of thing.

• You get a free upgrade to 16gb of ram, so take it.
• Normally I would have picked the i5-6500/7500 but it’s giving an upgrade to the 7600k for not much more…. and we can’t unpick the z170 motherboard and the liquid cooling. So….

That adds up to $1167. For +241 you could get a GTX 1070, but that’s not going to benefit Gw2.

Note that you could get by on much less; you can reduce the graphics card to an rx 460/gtx 1050. It’s also possible to get an i3 CPU too, but that might actually hurt things (still manageable) Could probaly stick with the CX PSU then.

I’m not spending time time to sift through the site to find the best stuff, but hopefully that should give you an idea on what’s good.

Edit: It doesn’t come with an OS…. yikes. I added it in, and that puts the price up to 1167!

Anyhow, I had a pretty good experience thus far with Digital Storm, might want to give that a look; level 1 is really all you need (well, get a bigger SSD for a bit more), but you can definitely go for more: http://www.digitalstorm.com/vanquish-5.asp

ex: https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1598374
https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1598376

EDIT: Please don’t actually buy anything yet; I’ve edited the post multiple times so there may still be things to discuss/confirm.

ArchonWing.9480:

• Liquid cooling (lol) for that processor is overkill.

On that note (noticing the number of “cool” choices for closed liquid cooling… I would never recommend them to anyone thats not hardcore into computers… and even then its meh. Twice as costly, noisy pumps, the fans are usually kitten and the cooling capabilities equal a good air cooler which is 100x simpler to handle with custom fans, especially if you want a silent PC (water cooling =! silent).

Dawdler.8521:

ArchonWing.9480:

• Liquid cooling (lol) for that processor is overkill.

On that note (noticing the number of “cool” choices for closed liquid cooling… I would never recommend them to anyone thats not hardcore into computers… and even then its meh. Twice as costly, noisy pumps, the fans are usually kitten and the cooling capabilities equal a good air cooler which is 100x simpler to handle with custom fans, especially if you want a silent PC (water cooling =! silent).

This

By a long way, the best CPU cooler I’ve found is Noctua. Not expensive and with a performance far better than anything else in the price bracket.

Plus, strongly suggest you get an M2 SSD for your OS, at least 250Gb, more if you can afford it. Plus SSDs.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=m2+ssd

I just built a rather affordable system with an i5-6600k, ASUS Z170-AR motherboard, 16gb ram, SSDs, and it works great with GW2. I have my eye on an RX-470 video card, but even the built-in Intel graphics work much better than my old AMD-based system. I do games like GW2 and Civilization 6, nothing too terribly intensive. Boosts instantly, works great.

Dawdler.8521:

ArchonWing.9480:

• Liquid cooling (lol) for that processor is overkill.

On that note (noticing the number of “cool” choices for closed liquid cooling… I would never recommend them to anyone thats not hardcore into computers… and even then its meh. Twice as costly, noisy pumps, the fans are usually kitten and the cooling capabilities equal a good air cooler which is 100x simpler to handle with custom fans, especially if you want a silent PC (water cooling =! silent).

…. and it’s a pretty cheap cooler too. Plus the chances of leaking. But it looks cool! I think that’s the only real reason.

Unfortunately they didn’t seem to offer an air cooling solution for whatever reason. I’m guessing it’s to sell for higher prices.

I was just appalled they’d put the cooler such a crappy CPU though selling it for that much even for prebuilt standards was certainly worth an intervention! Unless that CPU really heats up….

DeanBB.4268:

I just built a rather affordable system with an i5-6600k, ASUS Z170-AR motherboard, 16gb ram, SSDs, and it works great with GW2. I have my eye on an RX-470 video card, but even the built-in Intel graphics work much better than my old AMD-based system. I do games like GW2 and Civilization 6, nothing too terribly intensive. Boosts instantly, works great.

That’s pretty much the perfect system for someone that wants to play Gw2 and maybe dabble into other games. The unlocked i5 is pretty much the best thing for this game. As you noted, even the onboard graphics will beat a comp using an AMD CPU; silly CPU bound games. ;;

The RX 470 has some really good deals. My relative just got one for 159, and now there’s a bit of regret because apparently it’s getting cheaper (along with the 480). But the card is good and that’s all that matters.

Yes, I am aware that people with older computers often say the only game that really needs a computer is Gw2 but I think things will change once they actually get a new piece of hardware that opens up possibilities. I’m one of them.

Thank you all for the input. With the information here and what I was given in PM’s I’ll be able to order a good computer.

The help of fellow players is what makes this the best community!

Thanks again!