Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

[Bricklayer]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

two of my favorite things about my CM-690 are:

1) thumb screws
2) toolless hdd bays

unfortunately, it's a bit pricier (~$10) than the above cases.

[Melkiah]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

two of my favorite things about my CM-690 are:

1) thumb screws
2) toolless hdd bays

unfortunately, it's a bit pricier (~$10) than the above cases.

Thumb screws are

Just those alone are worth the extra 10 :p

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

I prefer Lian Li cases but that stems from the "old days". Back then cheaper cases were more likely to inflict a couple cuts while you were building. Then along came some higher end cases with rolled edges, thumb screws, etc....ahhhh nirvana. lol So the very first high end I bought was a Lian Li and it was love at first build. But now so many manufacturers are taking the extra step to include nice features for a decent price so it makes it hard to choose. I love the light aluminum of my Lian Li but the features on the steel case I have now are hard to beat.

[zeroeffect]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

I have a question.

I'm getting ready to order some part's so that I can run ffxiv on the 21st and want to make sure I'm getting what I need.

So here is what I'm wanting to buy.

1: Phenom II X4 965 Black AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB 45NM 125W 4000MHZ OR AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8 GHz 6x512 KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Processor - Retail HDT55TFBGRBOX

2: CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB ( 2 X 2GB ) PC3-10666 1333MHz 240-pin DDR3 CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit - TW3X4G1333C9DHX

3: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 - AM3 - AMD 890GX - DDR3 - USB 3.0 SATA 6 Gb/s - ATX Motherboard (Might get a cheaper one if I can)

4:Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and Core i5.
Not really sure about the power supply for this set up.

5: XFX ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 GB DDR5 2DVI/ HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card

Will I need anything else and does this set up look like I can do what I need it to do?

[Aeni]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

I have a question.

I'm getting ready to order some part's so that I can run ffxiv on the 21st and want to make sure I'm getting what I need.

What is your budget like? What will you also use your computer for? Just FFXIV?

1: Phenom II X4 965 Black AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB 45NM 125W 4000MHZ OR AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8 GHz 6x512 KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Processor - Retail HDT55TFBGRBOX

I'm more partial with an Intel processor and I'd go with an i7 but on a tighter budget an i5 is not all that bad either.

(i5) Amazon.com: Intel Core i7-870 2.93GHz 8 MB LGA1156 Processor BX80605I7870: Electronics

2: CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB ( 2 X 2GB ) PC3-10666 1333MHz 240-pin DDR3 CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit - TW3X4G1333C9DHX

I highly recommend getting at least 6GB of ram. Ram is still very important, so don't be lulled into a false sense of security because you see "giga" in the description. Windows Vista utilizes at least 3GB of my ram for optimal performance and games like SC2 and FFXIV eat up at least 1.5GB when running. Windows 7 will use even more ram unless you manually turn off all those fancy bells and whistles. Get more ram, you won't regret it.

3: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 - AM3 - AMD 890GX - DDR3 - USB 3.0 SATA 6 Gb/s - ATX Motherboard (Might get a cheaper one if I can)

I can't really comment on mobos but don't go too cheap. There's a fine line between a good product and a joke and usually the price will determine that.

4:Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and Core i5.
Not really sure about the power supply for this set up.

I posted somewhere about the VX550 from the same company. You don't need 650 unless you plan on multi GPU with a 5850+ or 460+.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-550VX-550-Watt-Certified-compatible/dp/B000WU2FGK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1284071762&sr=8-2]Amazon.com: Corsair CMPSU-550VX 550-Watt VX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Core i7 and Core i5: Electronics[/ame]

5: XFX ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 GB DDR5 2DVI/ HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card

Will I need anything else and does this set up look like I can do what I need it to do?

5770 is technology that is about to get kicked out of the house by ATI. You'll need at minimum a 5830 card if you want to stay with ATI. Unfortunately, ATI's mid range are all over priced by at least $50 so save yourself money and go with Nvidia. You can get a GTX460 768MB for under $200 which is far better in performance and has longevity and can scale well with OC and SLI.

If you insist on staying with the 5770 then you need to think about Crossfiring this with another 5770 card. The performance of both cards will destroy a single 5850 and for way less money if you can get a good deal on them. I've seen 5770s as low as $130 on the internet a couple of weeks back. But you'll need a motherboard that can handle Crossfire ... the VX550 PSU is enough for 2x 5770 setup.

Otherwise I recommend you either wait for the ATI price drop (good luck with that, they are still having a problem with yields on 5800 series chips) in the next two months or just go with Nvidia in the mid-range.

[wrongfeifong]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

2x2gb is very comment for amd because it is dual channel, first of all, NO AMD can use triple channel right now, you won't find 6gb at all as Aeni mention. If you put in a 6 gb (3x2gb) it will only use 2 of it no matter what. At least from my understanding. Also try get 1600 if you plan to OC.

secondly, Black edition is for OVERCLOCK so a 890GX will be great for it. You can join the 4ghz club easily.

Once again if you use 890GX there is absolutely no SLI, GTX 460 does not really outperform radeon in FFXI because it is a directx 9 game. (read benchmark scores, it reflect it).

For cheaper solution, crossfire 5770 is a lot better then gtx 460 1gb. as the card is now @ 120, and expect 80-100 on december. You can actually get 2 for 200 in the end vs 1 GTX 460 right now. But if you plan to play something else, GTX 460 1gb is better.

That's just my opinion.

[DakAttack]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

I have a question.

I'm getting ready to order some part's so that I can run ffxiv on the 21st and want to make sure I'm getting what I need.

So here is what I'm wanting to buy.

1: Phenom II X4 965 Black AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB 45NM 125W 4000MHZ OR AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8 GHz 6x512 KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Processor - Retail HDT55TFBGRBOX

2: CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB ( 2 X 2GB ) PC3-10666 1333MHz 240-pin DDR3 CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit - TW3X4G1333C9DHX

3: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 - AM3 - AMD 890GX - DDR3 - USB 3.0 SATA 6 Gb/s - ATX Motherboard (Might get a cheaper one if I can)

4:Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and Core i5.
Not really sure about the power supply for this set up.

5: XFX ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 GB DDR5 2DVI/ HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card

Will I need anything else and does this set up look like I can do what I need it to do?

A six core processor is overboard. I doubt any current games can utilize all six cores.

What you're looking for in a motherboard is something that will accept your CPU and RAM, and meets whatever plans you may have for video cards in the future. You'll most likely find one PCI-E 2.0 slot for graphics cards, but if you ever want to SLI or Crossfire you'll need two that BOTH run in x16 mode. For that, you'll need a more expensive motherboard. If you only plan on running one graphics card, the one slot is all you'll ever need.

It's usually a good idea to get a nice motherboard, because it'll most likely sit in your case for a long time, while you switch other parts in and out. With that in mind, it'll also be good to get a nice CPU cooler, because they often require you to remove the motherboard from the case to install a back plate that to cooler screws into. You'll want to set those in stone early so you don't have to spend a lot of time fiddling with them in the future.

[wrongfeifong]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

I really don't think bullozer will run AM3 socket any longer. Isn't the CPU chip is now smaller @least from an image on endgadet.

[DakAttack]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

Not only do they have bulldozer on the horizon, but there's news of their HD 6000 line.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

5: XFX ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 GB DDR5 2DVI/ HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card

Will I need anything else and does this set up look like I can do what I need it to do?

I have this card currently and I'm upgrading. You might want to think that one over.

[KeechwaTembo]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

I've been trying to build a pc as well, and my budget is about the same. $600 is the goal, not counting Windows 7(so $700 total). But after seeing all the dozens of suggestions on several forums like this one, I've had a hard time deciding which build to go with.

So I ended up asking the only friend I have that's any good with computers(I'm about as clueless as it gets when it comes to pcs), and he gave me the following suggestions after looking up the recommended specs for FFXIV.

Now, I'm running this by you guys cause he admitted he's a bit out of date regarding newer parts, since he built his last pc over a year or two ago. That, and if any of these parts can be downgraded even a little bit and still run it with little to no lag, that'd be great.

Keep in mind, I'm literally only using this for FFXIV, and nothing else. I have a laptop for everything else, and I play all my others games on PS3/360.

K, so here's his recommendations:

Case - $54.99
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Motherboard - $99.99
Newegg.com - MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

CPU - $79.99
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX445WFGMBOX

Graphics Card - $144.99
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

RAM - $86.99
Newegg.com - A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1600GB2G9-2G

Power Supply - $79.99
Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

Hard Drive - $44.99
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3320418AS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

All of that comes to $636.88 + S/H. There are $40 worth of mail in rebates as well which puts it at just under $600.

Any adjustments I should make, please let me know. Thanks^^

[wrongfeifong]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

I've been trying to build a pc as well, and my budget is about the same. $600 is the goal, not counting Windows 7(so $700 total). But after seeing all the dozens of suggestions on several forums like this one, I've had a hard time deciding which build to go with.

So I ended up asking the only friend I have that's any good with computers(I'm about as clueless as it gets when it comes to pcs), and he gave me the following suggestions after looking up the recommended specs for FFXIV.

Now, I'm running this by you guys cause he admitted he's a bit out of date regarding newer parts, since he built his last pc over a year or two ago. That, and if any of these parts can be downgraded even a little bit and still run it with little to no lag, that'd be great.

Keep in mind, I'm literally only using this for FFXIV, and nothing else. I have a laptop for everything else, and I play all my others games on PS3/360.

K, so here's his recommendations:

Case - $54.99
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Motherboard - $99.99
Newegg.com - MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

CPU - $79.99
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX445WFGMBOX

Graphics Card - $144.99
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

RAM - $86.99
Newegg.com - A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1600GB2G9-2G

Power Supply - $79.99
Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

Hard Drive - $44.99
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3320418AS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

All of that comes to $636.88 + S/H. There are $40 worth of mail in rebates as well which puts it at just under $600.

Any adjustments I should make, please let me know. Thanks^^

First cut that ram, you can't use 1600 in AMD. All AMD is limit to 1333 unless you overclock.

Secondly, why is US selling radeon more expensive than canada? I am looking @ 120 CAD here, i know radeon is "Canada" but still... get something that is on deal.

Thirdly, triple core CPU are "dead" market. Don't brother. Pay that extra for a 955 x4 phenom II BE for 4ghz OVERClock with a 870 motherboard.

and 49 buck in canada can get a 1TB sata 2 HDD or 500 gb sata 3 already...You need better sources then Neweggs. try ncix.com.

If you are willing to spend 600...@least make sure everything is OCable and make it a 1000 buck worth machine with overclocking.

[WishMaster3K]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

First cut that ram, you can't use 1600 in AMD. All AMD is limit to 1333 unless you overclock.

On the right motherboard, Overclocking is as simple as going into the Bios and selecting "1600" instead of "1333". I have 1600 on my ram easily.
Motherboard
RAM
CPU

Just depends on the components you buy. I don't have to change the voltage or anything like that (I CAN, if I want a more "Stable" OC), so for the most part, I can change ONLY the multiplier in my CPU up to 19.5x and get 4GHz.

Thirdly, triple core CPU are "dead" market. Don't brother. Pay that extra for a 955 x4 phenom II BE for 4ghz OVERClock with a 870 motherboard.

Agreed.

If you are willing to spend 600...@least make sure everything is OCable and make it a 1000 buck worth machine with overclocking.

An exaggeration, but I agree for the most part.

[KeechwaTembo]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

Now I'm wondering if I should just buy an already built tower from Best Buy or somewhere similar, seeing as how computer illiterate I am. Plus I just found out windows 7 is $200 or so if you don't have another OS to upgrade(I'm starting from scratch so I don't have a base OS like vista), so it might just be cheaper to buy a tower for like $450-$500 with windows 7 already built in, and just buy a better graphics card to pop in. Here are some that I was looking into:

Asus - Essentio Desktop / AMD Athlonâ„¢ II X2 Processor / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - CM1630-03

Asus - Essentio Desktop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 4GB Memory / 1TB Hard Drive - CM5671-05

Dell - Inspiron Desktop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - I560-2050NBK

Gateway - Desktop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 6GB Memory / 1TB Hard Drive - SX2801-01E

HP - Pavilion Desktop / AMD Athlonâ„¢ II Processor / 4GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - p6510y

Figured I could just buy one of the Asus towers and upgrade the card to the one I mentioned earlier:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Or any card in the $150-$200 range. Also keep in mind I'm gonna be playing on a 30-" 720p HD tv, and not a 1080 monitor or anything, so graphically, I won't run FFXIV on NEAR max settings.

So what I want to know is ...
A: Can I even upgrade these pre-built towers.
B: Which of the towers I listed is my best bet, at least in regards to processor power and upgradability.
C: Any better graphics card suggetions under $200, preferably closer to $150 to go with whichever tower.

Thanks again for any advice.

[wrongfeifong]

Re: Guide: Building a PC to play FFXIV

Now I'm wondering if I should just buy an already built tower from Best Buy or somewhere similar, seeing as how computer illiterate I am. Plus I just found out windows 7 is $200 or so if you don't have another OS to upgrade(I'm starting from scratch so I don't have a base OS like vista), so it might just be cheaper to buy a tower for like $450-$500 with windows 7 already built in, and just buy a better graphics card to pop in. Here are some that I was looking into:

Asus - Essentio Desktop / AMD Athlonâ„¢ II X2 Processor / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - CM1630-03

Asus - Essentio Desktop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 4GB Memory / 1TB Hard Drive - CM5671-05

Dell - Inspiron Desktop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - I560-2050NBK

Gateway - Desktop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 6GB Memory / 1TB Hard Drive - SX2801-01E

HP - Pavilion Desktop / AMD Athlonâ„¢ II Processor / 4GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - p6510y

Figured I could just buy one of the Asus towers and upgrade the card to the one I mentioned earlier:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Or any card in the $150-$200 range. Also keep in mind I'm gonna be playing on a 30-" 720p HD tv, and not a 1080 monitor or anything, so graphically, I won't run FFXIV on NEAR max settings.

So what I want to know is ...
A: Can I even upgrade these pre-built towers.
B: Which of the towers I listed is my best bet, at least in regards to processor power and upgradability.
C: Any better graphics card suggetions under $200, preferably closer to $150 to go with whichever tower.

Thanks again for any advice.

You know about the GTX 450 ? Well it is coming under 200. Should be better than 5770. It should be better than 460 768mb as well. But i am not too sure, i have only heard these by words of mouth.

You should worry about the length of the 5770, even with a full tower i almost ran out of space fitting my 5850, if i bought 5870 i definitely have to cut that card in half.

I don't know why we got so much intel lover. phenom 965 x4 BE is better OC than most of the i5 in general. While it is cheaper by half and perform as good as a stock i7 @ OC.

I like my 1055T but 1090T can OC up to 4.5 and stable which is somewhat similar performance to a i7 x6 extreme. It actually beat 930 (which is same price before) when both OC by miles.

However, AMD limit to only dual channel and 1333 by stock. Yes you can OC 1600 or even 2000 but those stat won't come until you OC. It is set 1333 even if you go buy a 2000 right now on stock.

also MSI motherboard have OC genie which auto OC even noob can do it, but my board suck so much that i limit myself to 3.7GHZ, because i know my 890-GD70 MSI will toast on 1.4v+ (which is the set require on 4ghz+) since there is actually a toasted board club with over 20 pages.

Also i don't understand why people say FFXIV is CPU intensive, i am using only 20% of my CPU