Bare Basic Computer

[me_ntal]

Now i have herd of people having 5+ computers and running armies of them, seeing as i have won a reasonable amount of money of an online texas game i figured id go and buy some new hardwear.

Now i want a computer that will be able to successfully run scar and not lag all to much what do you reckon the specs are? below is a link to site to buy the parts, try and use there stuff
http://www.scorptec.com.au/

Also in terms of my internet connection what type of broadband plan should i get?

[Markus]

If you really want no lag at all, and I mean absolutely no lag, then it will cost you many money (around $1000,-)
But for good autoing I'm using a four year old computer (P4 2.0 ghz 256mb ram).
For normal autoing you can use a cheap CPU (celeron/sempron), 256mb ram and a small harddisk. It will cost you around $200 to $300 a computer (excluding monitor and stuff, but you can use a KVM switch for that). They may have a little bit lag, but not much at all.
Internet connection, I have a 3 megabit cable connection, and hardly any lag (only one computer).
Runescape only uses 5kb/s, for no lag I would recommend 60kb/s a computer.

[tarajunky]

Hmm, I have no idea what kind of stuff is available in Australia and for what price.

I just built a new system (no monitor) for around $200, and it's pretty nice.

You can get a whole dual core computer from places like Fry's or Dell here in the US for $300-400, including a monitor.

It all depends on how much money you want to spend, and what kind of deals are available where you live.

[IEatJ00erBaybees]

I'll put one together on Newegg..just a second.

Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147066)
Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138032R)
Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819112206)
RAM: 512MB and it's a bargain! (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231105)
Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822140118)

Total: ~172.23 USD.
That would take a lot of mils to buy that =\...in all seriousness, just go down to your dump and go to the computer section..if you are allowed to, take stuff, (I advise that you learn, if you don't already know, how to build a computer).

My compo is nasty..$560 and it's got an AMD Dual Core 3800+ Processor, 1 GB of OCZ Ram (512 MB x 2), 500 W Power Supply, 160GB HD, Great motherboard, and unbelievable video card =]

[Mjordan]

Wow, is building your own computer really that cheap!?

[me_ntal]

I know how to build a computer built two already, and yeah australian parts are a tad more expensive than america but that doesnt bother me.
Heres an australian site that is trusted
http://www.scorptec.com.au/

In a few weeks ill have the army ready!

[Mr.Klean]

Wow, is building your own computer really that cheap!?

Yea it is.


I can built a cheap computer for about $150 that will run scar pretty easily with very little lag. Internet i would get about a 3-6 megabit connection. I have a 3meg down and a 256 up connection and i can run all 6 of my computers on rs at the same time.


EDIT: i forgot what to have in it. I would get 1ghz to 1.5ghz cpu, 256mg ram, basic 32 bit video card or onboard video and about a 10-20gig hdd

[lolpie]

Lol yeah it's about 1/3 the price of buying one with the same specs :D

j00: The mobo and memory aren't compatible. The mobo needs a DDR2 533, the memory has DDR2 667.

[Mjordan]

Someone build me one lol! Just show me the parts like IEatJ00 did. The best you can make, price ranging from $200 - $800.

[me_ntal]

What about this? http://www.scorptec.com.au/system/51?s=1=21059x1,2=21743x1,6=11655x1,7=20781x1,9=217 77x1,12=12918x1,21=22196x1_51&q=1

[Mr.Klean]

The parts are OK. I would suggest building it yourself because its almost always cheaper because they have a mark up.

[tarajunky]

I don't think you have Fry's in Tennessee, but they have by far the best deals on CPU+motherboard combos.

Ram is getting INSANELY cheap. You can get 1 gig for 40 bucks without any rebates, or like 5-10 bucks if you want to do a rebate.

There are cases free after rebate all the time as well, and cheap or free power supplies after rebate.

I bought my components when RAM was more expensive, but this is what I did.



Case - Free after rebate
PSU - $20 after rebate
CPU/Mobo - Athlon X2 3800+ and MSI mobo - $89
Hard drive - 250 Gb - $50
Ram - 2 Gb DDR2 - $90


The mobo has on-board video, so the total price was $250. Like I said, RAM is insanely cheap now so I could have gotten that for half what I did.

[Dunceiam]

Ooo...really Tarajunky? I thought RAM was the most expensive :p. I guess that's my Christmas present then, a couple more gig of RAM. :) (I only have 1 gig atm, and with 60 gig of random programs, it lags my computer up a bit. :)).

Here are my comp specs.

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4318/computerspecszq0.png

Oh, and how cheap are graphics cards these days? (This computer has a really sucky one, and can only get 20 FPS in most games. (NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE))

-Dunceiam

[Boreas]

At tarajunky or anyone else who knows: Which socket is a good balance between being old enough appropriate for a cheap autoing machine, but new enough to be upgradeable without going to pawn shops for parts?

[tarajunky]

Well, my new mobo is a socket AM2, which is the most advanced AMD socket now. It will be upgradeable for quite a while.

One step back from AM2 is socket 939. That is a very mature chipset, so it should be very stable. There are dual core CPUs available for 939, still. Also, most AM2 will use PCI-Express for video cards and Serial ATA for hard drives and burners, which is more 'future-proof'. 939 has PCI-express and SATA as well, but AGP and PATA are more common. So, 939 is better if you already have a bunch of components, like PATA hard drives and DVD burners, or AGP video cards, and AM2 is better if you don't already have a bunch of stuff.

939 is now being phased out, so you should be able to find some pretty good deals on them. AM2 is the latest technology, but there are inexpensive options there. I would suggest that you get AM2 now, unless you find a really smokin' deal on a 939 chipset.

If you're looking for an inexpensive computer, then AMD will give you more bang for your buck, but Intel's Core2Duo and the brand new Core Quad are pretty amazing technology if you have the money for them, or are willing to wait for future price drops.

By the way, if you live in the US, then Fatwallet is your friend.

(expired deals)
http://www.fatwallet.com/t/74/708724
http://www.fatwallet.com/t/74/728471
http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA4354023
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=730201
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=731046
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=725461

[Secet]

I would say with 200 $/€/£ you will get good enough computer to macro on it, maybe a little lag but not much. Just get only one monitor, and switch the cables when you need to reconfig your scripts or loot your accounts ;)

[PwNZoRNooB]

My autoing computer (= my main when I'm not playing on it :) )

1024 Ram
3.2 Ghz
Nvidia 6600 GT

And I got 2Mbps Net connection.

[Jason2gs]

How much does it cost to build a laptop as oppose to a desktop?

[lolpie]

Newegg > fatwallet :D

Like TJ said, either AM2 or 939 are good. But I prefer LGA 775 since Core 2 Duos kick ass

Jason: You can't really build laptops since you can't buy those parts. You can buy stuff like RAM and another LCD, but that's usually it

[lordsaturn]

Just use VM's! So much easier.

[tarajunky]

Pretty good current price here for a 320 Gb Hard drive. Either PATA or SATA available.

http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/732204/

[Jason2gs]

Dang.

Is there a way to make a Desktop have Wireless-Internet feature of a laptop? (Not really sure what questions to ask.)

[Smartzkid]

:p Get a wireless card

I have one in my desktop (though wired is always better...)

[Jason2gs]

Wireless Card?

These go into the tower of your computer somewhere, right? (:p)

Picture pl0x? (:D)

[lolpie]

They go into a PCI slot on your mobo, and what pic are you looking for?

[tarajunky]

There are also Wireless adapters that plug into your USB port if you don't have a spare PCI slot, or if you don't want to crack open your computer case.

[IEatJ00erBaybees]

Lol yeah it's about 1/3 the price of buying one with the same specs :D

j00: The mobo and memory aren't compatible. The mobo needs a DDR2 533, the memory has DDR2 667.

I did that reaaaaaaallllllllly quickly..and yeah..Sorry. I only checked if the processors were compatible with the mobo. I'm sorry.. :(

@Michael Jordan - Lemme find you a reallllllllly good link that helped me. I knew pretty much how to do it already, my friend taught me..but here it is.

http://www.computerforum.com/16363-building-computers-101-a.html

Down the page, you'll find 101's for basically every part. It's a really great source. =]. It'll teach you which ones you will need to buy for different tasks, so you are certain you are getting what you want and no more =]], meaning no extra $$$.

www.computerforum.com

There's the link for the forum.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_To_Assemble_A_Desktop_PC

That source is so big, just print it out (click Print form @ top next to PDF) or get it in PDF form. You'll love me =]

[tarajunky]

j00: The mobo and memory aren't compatible. The mobo needs a DDR2 533, the memory has DDR2 667.

It doesn't matter if the memory is TOO good for the motherboard. All memory is backwards compatible. The board needs DDR2 and the memory is faster DDR2.

[tarajunky]

Here's a couple more sweet deals at Fry's.

2 Gb DDR2 dual channel RAM $45 after rebate...
http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5220847

Core2Duo 4300 + mobo $99
http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/732418/

[Jason2gs]

They go into a PCI slot on your mobo, and what pic are you looking for?

PCI Slot? Mobo? Grr, I'm not as much of a geek as I thought :(

I'm not sure what a Wireless card looks like. I'd kinda like to have an image in my mind of what you guys are talking about.

I'm pretty clueless about "Wireless Cards" :) Tell me everything.

[tarajunky]

Here is an example of a PCI adapter.

http://us.zyxel.com/web/product_family_detail.php?PC1indexflag=20040520161 256&CategoryGroupNo=PDCA2006059

You have to open your computer and plug it into a PCI slot on your motherboard. The antenna sticks out the back of your computer and communicates with a wireless router.

Here is an example of a USB adapter.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0243527

You plug it into the USB port on your computer. Some of these have cables that allow you to move the actual adapter/antenna around.

[lolpie]

It doesn't matter if the memory is TOO good for the motherboard. All memory is backwards compatible. The board needs DDR2 and the memory is faster DDR2.

If the deskstop memory is faster than the mobo memory, doesn't the desktop memory speed get "downgraded" so it matches the mobo one? While it would work, wouldn't it be cheaper to get a speed that matches both?


Here's a couple more sweet deals at Fry's.

2 Gb DDR2 dual channel RAM $45 after rebate...
http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5220847

Core2Duo 4300 + mobo $99
http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/732418/

OMG, best deal ever. I need a 4300. Too bad it's only in Dulles :( :( :( :(

[Jason2gs]

Here is an example of a PCI adapter.

http://us.zyxel.com/web/product_family_detail.php?PC1indexflag=20040520161 256&CategoryGroupNo=PDCA2006059

You have to open your computer and plug it into a PCI slot on your motherboard. The antenna sticks out the back of your computer and communicates with a wireless router.

Here is an example of a USB adapter.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0243527

You plug it into the USB port on your computer. Some of these have cables that allow you to move the actual adapter/antenna around.

Ooh, sweet.

Do different adapters (USB or PCI) only work with certain types of computers?

[Markus]

They work with every computer with an usb connection or a pci slot. Pci has almost every computer, so I'm sure it works on almost every computer.
If you have Linux, prepare yourself for a hell to get it to work...

[IEatJ00erBaybees]

I wouldn't trust a bull site like Fatwallet...I'd only go from a retailer store like Circuit City/Best Buy or Newegg.

[Jason2gs]

Any computer? Awesome :D

So you put it into the USB port (If it's a USB adapter) and it'll say that new hardware was detected. Then it'll give you an option to use that adapter?

[Markus]

Yes, but be sure to read the manual. Sometimes you need to install the drivers first before connecting it.

[Jason2gs]

Alrighty, thanks ;)

[Smartzkid]

And another small piece of advice: With wireless, newer is almost always better. (To an extent, of course. Not January 2007 < February 2007; more like 2005 < 2007)

I recently purchased a 30$ wireless (g) PCMIA (or w/e they're called nowadays) card. It was from a pretty well known company, but it was made back in 2005. That card turned out to be very unreliable, with low connection speeds and little range. When I got fed up with it, I went out to Circuit City and bought a new Netgear (my router is a netgear; if you match router + adapter, things go faster) wireless card. It works like a charm; enough range to get across my house, and fast enough that I can browse the web without falling asleep in between page loads.

[nfskid]

The day after thnx giving is best buy ussally sells a emchine for 150 with moniter. Mine was good enought to auto on wow so should be good enought to auto runescape.

[tarajunky]

Here's another sweet deal on 1 gb of DDR2 RAM.

http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA4354032