Tell me how to upgrade my toaster

[Videri]

Hi folks. I zone slowly, drop quickly when levitating (even with FPS set to 100%), and experience very laggy and choppy gameplay in zones like Emerald Jungle, Trakanon's Teeth, and the Wakening Land. What aspect of my computer should I look at upgrading? RAM, internet connection, hard drive (as in get a SSD), something else?

[Baler]

Run EQ on a Ramdisk. (You can trim down the game directory to under a 1 gb, but you may have to exclude some classic zones to get it that low) My ramdisk copy is around 1.5gbs Which is pretty darn amazing seeing as how my harddrive eq folder is 11gbs

Upgrade your gfx card. (last time I was around 200+ players all casting spells and stuff my gfx card was overclocking and at max core clock. EQ may be an older game but god damn is it not optimized for those situations. I had to turn my spell effects to only myself)

If you hit F11 (I think) it will show your latency. What is your #ms?

As for falling while levitated and running even at sow speed. I notice that I gradually fall, The time it takes me to run across DL for example I'm pretty low by the end. Even with just facing 1 direction and Num lock running.
If you click outside of the game, while levitate running you will drop like a rock. This is because when the game loses focus it drops the fps and idk.. I think wineq has an option to fix this, maybe.

Why ramdisk? Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4wJlg53hlQ
Basically with a ram disk the only thing holding your load speed back is the old client code and the server. SSD probably even falls into this catagory too but meh, ramdisk is faster.

[Videri]

Thanks. I need to upgrade my RAM to even create a RAMdisk - I intend to try it.

I guess if that doesn't help I'll look at upgrading the graphics card.

My latency is usually between 40-70. I've been playing over a wireless connection. I tried plugging right into the modem via Ethernet and it seemed no faster.

[Thulack]

Upgrade to a SSD will drastically decrease loading times and also help your computer overall with speed(wouldnt waste time with a RAMdisk just spend 60 bucks on a SSD.) Try turning your FPS down to 30 or so. The game actually runs worse higher you set FPS(it was made in 1999 when things didnt go above 30fps.

[CmaN]

Certainly going to want to cap your FPS, I suggest 60. When levitating, remember that if you are in third person, there is a chance your camera is actually looking downward. Anytime you plan on levitating zoom in to correct your camera to make it level or slightly above level.. same goes for if you do actually want to decrease your height quickly - you have to zoom in and look down.

Insofar as your chopiness, more then likely it is related to graphics. Again, cap your fps to begin with. It would help to know what the specifications of your system. EQ is not very demanding, and there should be plenty of bandwidth for your ram in almost any configuration.

Loading times can be decreased with a ramdisk, but to me that's just overkill unless you are experiencing serious or significant loading times (1 minute+).

Your internet connection sounds fine.. wireless is not so bad at all. Test your throughput on a speedtest site and although it won't be wired speed, it will be more then enough to handle EQ and about anything else.

It really just sounds like a graphics issue.. again, it would help to know what you are using to better assist you to make things more enjoyable.

Edit:
Would also be helpful to know what cpu and os you are using, as well as how much and what type of ram. You may be paging if you have a seriously low amount of ram, which would certainly cause chopiness.

[Baler]

Upgrade to a SSD will drastically decrease loading times and also help your computer overall with speed(wouldnt waste time with a RAMdisk just spend 60 bucks on a SSD.) Try turning your FPS down to 30 or so. The game actually runs worse higher you set FPS(it was made in 1999 when things didnt go above 30fps.

Throw money at your problem,. then lower your fps to 30. wtf this is terrible advice.
The titanium client is from 2006 not 1999 despite when the original client/game was released.

For anyone else I'm not saying an SSD is a bad choice. But if the OP doesn't already have one then a ramdisk is an above viable solution.

Loading times can be decreased with a ramdisk, but to me that's just overkill unless you are experiencing serious or significant loading times (1 minute+).
This is because of the client and server not necessarily the person's hardware. A ramdisk would ensure that the information is being read at the maximum potential speed. After that it's up to the client to dictate how quickly it proceeds and the server to pass back and forth information.

[Thulack]

Throw money at your problem,. then lower your fps to 30. wtf this is terrible advice.
The titanium client is from 2006 not 1999 despite when the original client/game was released.

For anyone else I'm not saying an SSD is a bad choice. But if the OP doesn't already have one then a ramdisk is an above viable solution.

Yes a Ramdisk is a viable solution but why not get a solution that will help many things then just a solution that helps 1 thing? "Throwing your money" at something like a SSD that most computers should have by now really shouldnt be a issue.

[Baler]

Yes a Ramdisk is a viable solution but why not get a solution that will help many things then just a solution that helps 1 thing? "Throwing your money" at something like a SSD that most computers should have by now really shouldnt be a issue.

You don't have to say it,. You've never used a ramdisk. I can tell.
a ramdisk is not just a solution for 1 thing. Learn about your computer and how it operates. I see you posting in Technical Dissuasion often. You do help people but you also re-enforce things that are un-true. Just because you believe so.

The OP asked how they can improve their load times and reduce choppiness. I gave them the most free and optimal answer possible. You told them to spend money and lower their fps.

[CmaN]

This is because of the client and server not necessarily the person's hardware. A ramdisk would ensure that the information is being read at the maximum potential speed. After that it's up to the client to dictate how quickly it proceeds and the server to pass back and forth information.

I think you are confusing the date the client and server are exchanging with the raw zone and model data. A ramdisk isn't going to do anything to make network data process any faster. That data would still be housed in normal ram. A slow, fragmented hard drive, or say a very large, very full hard drive with EQ installed late in it's life, may benefit. It is also why I asked for his OS - to see if hard drive defragmentation was a default schedule enable or background process.

[Baler]

@CmaN - I too wonder what OS he is using. and the additional specs of this system. cpu for example.

I just wanted to restate that when it comes to Reading files ramdisk is 10x faster then an SSD. (depending on what type of ram you have)

It is also why I asked for his OS - to see if hard drive defragmentation was a default schedule enable or background process.
If this is the case then he has bigger problems then hardware/software. :(

PS. wasn't confusing anything. Ramdisk makes loading faster up to the point where the client and server kick in. I never said a ramdisk would fix choppiness,. but if there are other factors like background programs or scheduled events the ramdisk would still be better then if it was on a hdd or ssd what windows was installed onto.

[CmaN]

I completely agree. We will have to wait for them to reply to get some more information about their hardware to help further!

[Thulack]

You don't have to say it,. You've never used a ramdisk. I can tell.
a ramdisk is not just a solution for 1 thing. Learn about your computer and how it operates. I see you posting in Technical Dissuasion often. You do help people but you also re-enforce things that are un-true. Just because you believe so.

The OP asked how they can improve their load times and reduce choppiness. I gave them the most free and optimal answer possible. You told them to spend money and lower their fps.

You are correct i have never used a ramdisk but i also know a ramdisk is just using ram as a disk drive. None of this helps your system run better just whatever you store on the ramdisk. A SSD will help your whole system run better. Thats my point. Considering OP said he needed to buy more ram just to do a RAMdisk i doubt he is going to able to afford enough ram to put his whole OS on the Ramdisk to improve its overall performace where he could a SSD.

[EQBallzz]

I can't speak to the RAMDISK suggestion but I was also having performance issues on my fairly beefy system (stuttering/hitching and abysmal loading times). I had EQ installed on a separate SATA drive (with all my other games) from my W10 install which is on an SSD. After trying many suggestions I moved my EQ directory to my SSD drive and my performance issues disappeared. I also had to turn my FPS way down because at 2k resolution I couldn't even turn.

[CmaN]

You are correct i have never used a ramdisk but i also know a ramdisk is just using ram as a disk drive. None of this helps your system run better just whatever you store on the ramdisk. A SSD will help your whole system run better. Thats my point. Considering OP said he needed to buy more ram just to do a RAMdisk i doubt he is going to able to afford enough ram to put his whole OS on the Ramdisk to improve its overall performace where he could a SSD.

That's not really what a ramdisk is. A ramdisk, is, as the name suggests, allocating part of your memory as a filesystem. The EQ directory, for example, could be assigned to a portion of your available ram. This means that all zone and model files have essentially been 'preloaded'. It simply removes the latency that occurs from disk access->ram that normally occurs. You wouldn't be loading your entire OS into ram ala a liveOS or something like that.

In reality, the zone files/model information are not that large, and shouldn't take an abnormal amount of time to load, even for a slow, standard HDD. I think some people with HDD's though, might be surprised to learn that their actual read/write speed is much slower then what it is advertised as for the unit in question. Crystalmark or others can show you that information. Typically indicative of an issue with IDE/AHCI settings, driver issues, or hard drive health. Additionally, as a HDD fills, so does the physical placement of the data on the platter, read and write times will increase.

SSD's are neat, ram disks have their niche uses, but neither should be required for acceptable loading times (given a stable internet connection) for everquest, by a long shot.

[Thulack]

That's not really what a ramdisk is. A ramdisk, is, as the name suggests, allocating part of your memory as a filesystem. The EQ directory, for example, could be assigned to a portion of your available ram. This means that all zone and model files have essentially been 'preloaded'. It simply removes the latency that occurs from disk access->ram that normally occurs. You wouldn't be loading your entire OS into ram ala a liveOS or something like that.

In reality, the zone files/model information are not that large, and shouldn't take an abnormal amount of time to load, even for a slow, standard HDD. I think some people with HDD's though, might be surprised to learn that their actual read/write speed is much slower then what it is advertised as for the unit in question. Crystalmark or others can show you that information. Typically indicative of an issue with IDE/AHCI settings, driver issues, or hard drive health. Additionally, as a HDD fills, so does the physical placement of the data on the platter, read and write times will increase.

SSD's are neat, ram disks have their niche uses, but neither should be required for acceptable loading times (given a stable internet connection) for everquest, by a long shot.

SSD's and Ramdisk have been proven to greatly increase loading time. Just saying. And yes i know you wouldnt be loading your entire OS onto RAMdisk that why i was saying get a SSD because it will improve the load times on your OS and EQ as opposed to just using a RAMdisk for EQ. Either way SSD or Ramdisk will help OP load EQ quicker. Both will cost him money.

[CmaN]

The problem is, I think you've lost sight of OPs problem. They are stuttering in certain zones. He said nothing of loading time, and you continue to pitch spending money on an SSD. I think that's irresponsible advice. I am waiting to hear back details regarding the hardware being used, and will continue then.

[Thulack]

The problem is, I think you've lost sight of OPs problem. They are stuttering in certain zones. He said nothing of loading time, and you continue to pitch spending money on an SSD. I think that's irresponsible advice. I am waiting to hear back details regarding the hardware being used, and will continue then.

Hi folks. I zone slowly, drop quickly when levitating (even with FPS set to 100%), and experience very laggy and choppy gameplay in zones like Emerald Jungle, Trakanon's Teeth, and the Wakening Land. What aspect of my computer should I look at upgrading? RAM, internet connection, hard drive (as in get a SSD), something else?

[CmaN]

Alright, was more focused on the other issues, which an SSD will do nothing for. It is my bad for overlooking that in this discussion! Just going to wait for the hardware information.

[Thulack]

Alright, was more focused on the other issues, which an SSD will do nothing for. It is my bad for overlooking that in this discussion! Just going to wait for the hardware information.

And to me those other issues arent hardware issues as they are settings issues. Turning down FPS helps with the stuttering and choppy gameplay and it changes the way you float. The other thing i have seen cause issues with choppyness is systems that run over 4.0ghz clock speed on their cpu's. Judging that the op is calling his rig a "toaster" i just kinda ruled that out. But as you have said having specs will help rule out/in things as a issue.

[CmaN]

And to me those other issues arent hardware issues as they are settings issues. Turning down FPS helps with the stuttering and choppy gameplay and it changes the way you float. The other thing i have seen cause issues with choppyness is systems that run over 4.0ghz clock speed on their cpu's. Judging that the op is calling his rig a "toaster" i just kinda ruled that out. But as you have said having specs will help rule out/in things as a issue.

Look I'm only interested in getting OP playing in an enjoyable fashion. Here you say its not a hardware issue, but settings - but your suggestion on page 1 was to upgrade to an ssd and drop fps to 30? You seem more interested in forum warrior points then actually helping.

[Thulack]

Look I'm only interested in getting OP playing in an enjoyable fashion. Here you say its not a hardware issue, but settings - but your suggestion on page 1 was to upgrade to an ssd and drop fps to 30? You seem more interested in forum warrior points then actually helping.

Slow zoning = hardware issue(suggest SSD)
Choppyness,etc = setting issue (turn fps to 30)

those were my 2 suggestions to his problems. What is your problem is another story.

And to me those other issues(my edit other issues are the choppyness) arent hardware issues as they are settings issues. Turning down FPS helps with the stuttering and choppy gameplay and it changes the way you float. The other thing i have seen cause issues with choppyness is systems that run over 4.0ghz clock speed on their cpu's. Judging that the op is calling his rig a "toaster" i just kinda ruled that out. But as you have said having specs will help rule out/in things as a issue.

[CmaN]

I have no problem, and you'll have to forgive my post suggesting you are forum warrioring. Constantly quoting and picking apart posts gave me the inclination, but even if that's the case, it's really not my place to suggest you are doing anything but trying to help. I guess the more options OP has in their toolbox to fix the problem, the better. Probably would be best to get back on track then. Hopefully OP posts that they have solved their problem, or can provide more information regarding hardware. Cheers!

[EQBallzz]

Slow zoning = hardware issue(suggest SSD)
Choppyness,etc = setting issue (turn fps to 30)

those were my 2 suggestions to his problems. What is your problem is another story.

That was what I was thinking as well but all the tweaking I did (including FPS) didn't help. After doing much searching I found some old posts about the hitching issues in EQ and people saying that there is some specific (poor) coding in EQ that requires HD access during gameplay in an unusual way that can't be prevented/limited with large amounts of RAM. When the game does this HD access it causes the hitching in game.

Since I had EQ on a separate drive and it was a SATA drive not SSD it was making this worse. After moving EQ to the SSD drive with my OS install the issue went away completely.

I suppose using a RAMDISK would achieve the same result but if the OP is spending money anyway it's probably worthwhile to get an SSD for overall PC speed and they are relatively cheap (recently got a 500Gb SSD for about 100 bucks).

[Daywolf]

Throw money at your problem,. then lower your fps to 30. wtf this is terrible advice.He's actually right about the FPS there, it does go unstable at higher settings at least with some video cards/firmware. That was what I found out after smacking into that black hole issue. Once I turned down the FPS (not as low as 30) the issues were resolved. Even WinEQ2 was unable to resolve the issue.

But as for SSD, true it is a huuuuge performance boost, though it could be possible this system is too old to take full advantage of it. I can't really give much of a recommendation without some idea of the hardware for this bad dog (unless I mised it posted..). If that were the case, then other improvements may be possible, and likely. It could even be a case of severe HD fragmentation, or spyware/viruses killing performance. Even outdated sound or video drivers clunking to the current operating system version.

If other games work properly, I'd suggest getting WinEQ 2 Lite edition (free), it solves a host of impossible issues.

[Videri]

Hey! Thanks for the replies.

Would also be helpful to know what cpu and os you are using, as well as how much and what type of ram. You may be paging if you have a seriously low amount of ram, which would certainly cause chopiness.

Intel 2.8 Ghz Pentium D
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
2 GB of ram - not sure how to tell what type. Is that "seriously low"?
Windows 7 (I always forget if it's 64-bit or 32. Computer is currently fried - having the doc take a look at it tomorrow.)

I updated the video card drivers a couple months ago. I do run WinEQ2.

About dropping when running with levitate - I mean I will be at ground level within 15 or 20 seconds. I can't hover forever like some people. I have never gotten from the ramparts of KC to that ledge in the entryway. When I lower my FPS from max, I drop even faster.

Despite my rather enviable ping of 40-70, characters are still pretty jumpy sometimes, to the point that it's hard to hit other players. I play on Red and I definitely want to improve my zone time, levitation, and "resolution" as to exactly where my and other characters are. Thanks for any input.

[Thulack]

Hey! Thanks for the replies.



Intel 2.8 Ghz Pentium D
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
2 GB of ram - not sure how to tell what type. Is that "seriously low"?
Windows 7 (I always forget if it's 64-bit or 32. Computer is currently fried.)

I updated the video card drivers a couple months ago. I do run WinEQ2.

Yep thats a toaster. Just save up 200-250 and get a semi decent laptop to use if you can since you say the pc is fried. I know thats "throwing money at it" as some like to say but if its not dead maybe upgrade to 4gb of ram if the motherboard allows it. SSD would help some but at that point you have put 100 bucks into it when your halfway to a laptop that would be 2-3x better.

[Baler]

no that's not a throw money at it solution. That's a full system 'upgrade' solution which is no problem.

Could also spend like $30 or less for a 4gb stick of memory that could be used as a ramdisk plus additional ram.

For EQ 2.8ghz cpu and a 9600 GT are acceptable. If he was to switch to a laptop it would probably be integrated graphics, which isn't terrible but it's not exactly like a dedicated card.

---
Make sure you don't have things running in the background that you're not using. Optimize your services also.

[Videri]

Innnteresting. Really, a laptop?? Wouldn't a desktop in a similar price range be preferable?

[Videri]

Could also spend like $30 or less for a 4gb stick of memory that could be used as a ramdisk.

I think I might try this first and gauge its effect.

God, it's going to be cool when I'm not struggling to keep up on the little toaster that could. I should have asked this a year and a half ago. Thanks again for your replies.

[Daywolf]

Hey! Thanks for the replies.



Intel 2.8 Ghz Pentium D
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
2 GB of ram - not sure how to tell what type. Is that "seriously low"?
Windows 7 (I always forget if it's 64-bit or 32. Computer is currently fried.)

I updated the video card drivers a couple months ago. I do run WinEQ2.

About dropping when running with levitate - I mean I will be at ground level within 15 or 20 seconds. I can't hover forever like some people. I have never gotten from the ramparts of KC to that ledge in the entryway. When I lower my FPS from max, I drop even faster.

Despite my rather enviable ping of 40-70, characters are still pretty jumpy sometimes, to the point that it's hard to hit other players. I play on Red and I definitely want to improve my zone time, levitation, and "resolution" as to exactly where my and other characters are. Thanks for any input.
Coo. memory shouldn't be a big prob unless you have tons of other programs running. When it runs out of memory, winders uses virtual memory, which is just a swap file on your hard drive (slow). I'd look closer at your hard drive, run a deep virus scan, run the defrag program with windows. Run something that looks for adware which can murder performance.

Then run task manager (ctrl-alt-del) and shut down anything non-essential if all your memory is being drained. You are likely using all your memory, but you should have enough to run essentials and just EQ. Really you should be at 4GB of RAM for Win7, it can hurt a lot when you go short on memory. But maybe you can get usage down some, including not running your web browser while you play, they usually trash free memory like mad.

Oh and about non-essential programs, you can type the names into google and get reports on what it is and if you can close them out. This will probably be the best chance to solve the problem w/o adding more memory, though you still should.

[Baler]

Make sure you check your mobo to see if it can accept another stick of ram.
I highly encourage you to do some research before buying to make sure you'll be able to use it and at its fullest capabilities.

[CmaN]

With the 2GB, I bet in those particular zones with higher asset counts, you are paging. My EQ currently is showing over half a gig of memory. So in your situation, it is extremely likely you are running out of memory and having to use the page file. You can run EQ in those zones you mentioned, and bring up your task manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del -> Start Task Manager) and click the performance tab.

Windows 7 can be alright with 2gb, but 4gb should be a minimal when running about anything, including a browser. I have a bunch of tabs open right now and my browser alone is using .3 gigs of memory, most of the time its much more then that, upwards to 600 megs.

You should certainly find compatible memory for your system and add at least 2 GB of memory. Check out your system documentation to find out the maximum and what type you need. There is a far out option of something like readyboost with a flash drive or something in the interim, but you will need to get that ram upgrade.

[Videri]

Coo. memory shouldn't be a big prob unless you have tons of other programs running.

Actually...I always run Teamspeak when playing, as well as GINA for audio triggers, and it kind of sucks not having a browser window open to research on the wiki, browse these forums, or check my DKP (religiously).

I'm not against spending some money. It makes sense to if it's going to improve my Norrathian experience.

[Videri]

Make sure you check your mobo to see if it can accept another stick of ram.
I highly encourage you to do some research before buying to make sure you'll be able to use it and at its fullest capabilities.

It can't. All 4 slots are full of puny half-gig ram twigs. I'll get some help figuring out what kind of ram to use and I'll go to 4GB or more.

[CmaN]

You can post your board make and model and someone here or myself can help you out.

[Daywolf]

It can't. All 4 slots are full of puny half-gig ram twigs. I'll get some help figuring out what kind of ram to use and I'll go to 4GB or more.
Meh yeah pull 'em when you can, if you decide to upgrade. You might be able to leave a pair in there though, but not always a good idea if the new ram is a different brand. If you want to play newer games I'd go 8gb in total. 4gb is good though. Best to get the right type of ram of course.

[Thulack]

Innnteresting. Really, a laptop?? Wouldn't a desktop in a similar price range be preferable?

i got this for 200 bucks during christmas and it came with a 120gb SSD instead of the 500gb SATA drive(was from Woot.com not Ebay). http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?customid=d8a2a48c286611e6aacad2eb178 c8ef50INT&pub=5574652453&campid=5337259887&afepn=5337259887&ViewItem=&item=331711593464&afepn=5337259887&rmvSB=true

Only complaint is the display isnt the greatest but for 200 bucks the thing is built like a tank(its military grade. you can drop this thing and it would hold up) and it can play even some modern games semi well. My son used it to play plants vs zombies garden warfare while on vacation and it easily handled EQ.i hooked it up to a monitor while playing as the display is rather small. Not saying you couldnt spent 100 dollars more and get something around that with a decent display but for me this was a very good investment for me for 200 dollars. Another 2gb of ram(if PC allows should help) but its also going towards something that sooner later is going to bite the dust.

[Thulack]

Meh yeah pull 'em when you can, if you decide to upgrade. You might be able to leave a pair in there though, but not always a good idea if the new ram is a different brand. If you want to play newer games I'd go 8gb in total. 4gb is good though. Best to get the right type of ram of course.

Honestly if he is running a single processor CPU thats gotta be a old ass mobo that might not even support more then 4gb of ram. Plus if he doesnt have 64 bit windows he would have to upgrade that as well.

[Daywolf]

Honestly if he is running a single processor CPU thats gotta be a old ass mobo that might not even support more then 4gb of ram. Plus if he doesnt have 64 bit windows he would have to upgrade that as well.
It's a 2 core chip. Now Vista, they did that, shipped systems witg 32bit OS on multi-core chips, so fail that was. But most were shipped right by the time win7 came around, though still some with poor memory specs. But in any case, the book that came with the system will say what the 'right type of ram' is for that system. Hah 2gb on 4 slots sounds like an HP.

Oh and if were the freak chance it's 32bit win7, just get at least the free win10 upgrade.

[Videri]

Update: turns out the power unit and motherboard are burned out. Doc says it'll cost $280 to have him replace them. I spent $300 on this used toaster about 2 years ago.

Looks like I'm in the market for a new one. Probably max $500. I'll look for something with a 100+GB SSD and 8 GB of ram. I'd appreciate any suggestions of other criteria to look for, places to look, or particular models.

[Doctor Jeff]

Update: turns out the power unit and motherboard are burned out. Doc says it'll cost $280 to have him replace them. I spent $300 on this used toaster about 2 years ago.

Looks like I'm in the market for a new one. Probably max $500. I'll look for something with a 100+GB SSD and 8 GB of ram. I'd appreciate any suggestions of other criteria to look for, places to look, or particular models.

This might not be quite what you're looking for, but the friends that I send this guide to have had great success in building budget gaming PCs.

You can mix and match to get what you want, but it serves as a good basis to fall back on.

It seems to be updated frequently, but I could be wrong. In any case, even the $300 PC listed should run EQ flawlessly and quickly, assuming you opt for an SSD.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PCMasterRace/wiki/builds

[JackFlash]

Microcenter :)

[JackFlash]

Update: turns out the power unit and motherboard are burned out. Doc says it'll cost $280 to have him replace them. I spent $300 on this used toaster about 2 years ago.

Looks like I'm in the market for a new one. Probably max $500. I'll look for something with a 100+GB SSD and 8 GB of ram. I'd appreciate any suggestions of other criteria to look for, places to look, or particular models.

This is Tala right?

[Videri]

This is Tala right?

Yep.

[CmaN]

Update: turns out the power unit and motherboard are burned out. Doc says it'll cost $280 to have him replace them. I spent $300 on this used toaster about 2 years ago.

Looks like I'm in the market for a new one. Probably max $500. I'll look for something with a 100+GB SSD and 8 GB of ram. I'd appreciate any suggestions of other criteria to look for, places to look, or particular models.

$280 to replace an old motherboard and power supply? Come on now. I hate to be that guy but I think you can get by with just a cheap ram upgrade to play. It's old DDR2 ram. In some places, where Goodwill repairs computers, you could buy a few sticks for under 20 dollars. A new kit of DDR3 6gb (2gb x 3) goes for as little as $40, with free shipping, just for comparison. Sounds to be like the 'doc' just wants some business building a new system. If you had a burned out power supply and janky motherboard, you would have all kinds of issues.. not even being able to turn on the system, massive instability, etc. I don't know what to tell you.. I don't disagree that you are in line for an upgrade, but come on now that's just silly.

Still willing to look up your board if you provide a make and model, and even link you to the appropriate ram and tell you your boards capacities, etc.

[JackFlash]

Yep.

If you need any help I'm right around the corner (literally.) Not playing much but happy to help you build a new toaster. Microcenter has some great deals on open box crap. 3-500 could get you going easily. I also have a bunch of stuff laying around if you need upgrade parts for your old pc.

[Videri]

If you had a burned out power supply and janky motherboard, you would have all kinds of issues.. not even being able to turn on the system...

Actually I can't. It died Wednesday night after a long neckbeard session. It suddenly and instantly turned off and it would not turn on. I probably just needed to blow the dust out of it more often. I wish I could try this RAM upgrade, but it's beyond that point now.

[CmaN]

I'm really sorry to hear that. At least you get to look forward to a new computer and hopefully will find better enjoyment out of both your game and anything else you do!
Good luck :)

[Videri]

https://www.reddit.com/r/PCMasterRace/wiki/builds

Microcenter has some great deals on open box crap. 3-500 could get you going easily.

Hm! Now I have to decide whether to buy a laptop, buy a used toaster, or build my own.

Is building one really going to save me much money and give a better result? The price range seems similar.

[Videri]

Thanks again, CMan and other wizards.

[JackFlash]

Hm! Now I have to decide whether to buy a laptop, buy a used toaster, or build my own.

Is building one really going to save me much money and give a better result? The price range seems similar.

If you want to get the most bang for your buck I would say build your own. The in-store only prices on stuff at microcenter can easily offset any savings you would get from buying a pre-made desktop. Not to mention the bloatware and low level components on base models.

[Doctor Jeff]

Building your own will result in a far better PC than you can get for a laptop or prebuilt at that price.

When you buy a laptop or pre-built PC, it comes with tons of proprietary software, boot managers, and an added cost in the form of whatever the manufacturer decided putting it together was worth.

Additionally, in 2 or 3 years when that new fancy game comes out and you want to upgrade your computer to be able to play on super high quality, you won't be able to with a laptop.

[JackFlash]

^^ Also,

Laptops and gaming (new games) don't really go together for less than 800-1000. Anything cheaper will have integrated graphics as opposed to a dedicated video card which is one of the main factors for laptops sucking at anything graphics intensive.

[CmaN]

Additionally, laptops + gaming = heat. Overall all that heat for extended periods of time can lead to shortened lifespan of all those components packed into a little box :mad:

[Daywolf]

Yeah me thinks they are screwing with you. If the system is that bad, it shouldn't even start, or would suddenly reboot w/o warning often (also other obvious signs). You would have a lot worse problems than being a little short on memory which is the very likely case here. I bet that creep doesn't even have an industry recognized tech support cert (not hard to get, but takes effort). I've had idiots try to hustle me in shops etc, it happens, that's a fact. This system should run EQ very well, with just a little more memory.

Now just wanting a new system is something else. But I wouldn't just trash the old one. Me I'd just toss more ram in and drop linux onto it, but that's just me :D

[Thulack]

Yeah me thinks they are screwing with you. If the system is that bad, it shouldn't even start, or would suddenly reboot w/o warning often (also other obvious signs). You would have a lot worse problems than being a little short on memory which is the very likely case here. I bet that creep doesn't even have an industry recognized tech support cert (not hard to get, but takes effort). I've had idiots try to hustle me in shops etc, it happens, that's a fact. This system should run EQ very well, with just a little more memory.

Now just wanting a new system is something else. But I wouldn't just trash the old one. Me I'd just toss more ram in and drop linux onto it, but that's just me :D

OP said PC isnt even working anymore in post further down from first one.

[Doctor Jeff]

Yeah me thinks they are screwing with you. If the system is that bad, it shouldn't even start, or would suddenly reboot w/o warning often (also other obvious signs). You would have a lot worse problems than being a little short on memory which is the very likely case here. I bet that creep doesn't even have an industry recognized tech support cert (not hard to get, but takes effort). I've had idiots try to hustle me in shops etc, it happens, that's a fact. This system should run EQ very well, with just a little more memory.

Now just wanting a new system is something else. But I wouldn't just trash the old one. Me I'd just toss more ram in and drop linux onto it, but that's just me :D
If you read the posts, you would know that his PC won't start at all.

Thanks for your sagely advice.

[trite]

Intel 2.8 Ghz Pentium D
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
2 GB of ram - not sure how to tell what type. Is that "seriously low"?
Windows 7 (I always forget if it's 64-bit or 32. Computer is currently fried - having the doc take a look at it tomorrow.)

........your ram count is low by todays standards for sure but the experience you're describing makes me think you didn't install the correct video card drivers and it's running on integrated graphics.....you should install the 64-bit version of windows since your CPU is 64-bit........

http://www.geforce.com/drivers/results/99994

if that link doesn't work for you google "GeForce 341.95 Driver"

[Doctor Jeff]

Intel 2.8 Ghz Pentium D
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
2 GB of ram - not sure how to tell what type. Is that "seriously low"?
Windows 7 (I always forget if it's 64-bit or 32. Computer is currently fried - having the doc take a look at it tomorrow.)

........your ram count is low by todays standards for sure but the experience you're describing makes me think you didn't install the correct video card drivers and it's running on integrated graphics.....you should install the 64-bit version of windows since your CPU is 64-bit........

http://www.geforce.com/drivers/results/99994

if that link doesn't work for you google "GeForce 341.95 Driver"

If you are talking about OP, his power supply failed and fried his motherboard.

[Daywolf]

If you read the posts, you would know that his PC won't start at all.

Thanks for your sagely advice.
Or try taking your own advice and read up one post, hah.

--

anyway, imo 2 in 1 is the way to go. f desktops.
ok, so a gaming-ish 2 in 1 will set you back, and a major architecture change is coming to outdate most systems, but still plenty of low cost laptops to be had until then which will still be useful after we reach quantum speeds.

[Doctor Jeff]

Or try taking your own advice and read up one post, hah.

--

anyway, imo 2 in 1 is the way to go. f desktops.
ok, so a gaming-ish 2 in 1 will set you back, and a major architecture change is coming to outdate most systems, but still plenty of low cost laptops to be had until then which will still be useful after we reach quantum speeds.
"my pc won't start at all"

"i think you need more ram"

k

[Daywolf]

"my pc won't start at all"

"i think you need more ram"

k
I already know that, which wasn't the issue from earlier where we (not you) were trying to help. Quit parroting other peoples helpful posts trying to troll.

[Loke]

I only browsed this thread quickly, so sorry if someone else already beat me to some of this info.

First, in reference to microcenter suggestions - if you have one near you it is definitely worth buying some components there. Their processor prices are ridiculous, however, I've been told that their strategy is often to sell processors cheap, and even sometimes at a loss for sales, but bank on the fact that most people buying a new processor are also going to snag at least a mobo and probably some memory, and potentially other components as well. So if you build your own, hit them up for the processor for sure, but shop around on other pieces.

Also if you're building your own, definitely wait for the new Pascal and Polaris video cards. Everything I've heard about the nvidia pascal cards indicates they're going to be affordable and a big step forward from the 9 series (which is crazy since the 9 series was pretty dope, at least in terms of power consuption to performance). I've also heard the new AMD polaris cards might rival the nvidia cards, but I have no idea how much that is based in reality vs just being wishful thinking from everyone who hates seeing a couple companies dominate the market. Polaris is using a smaller architecture (14nm vs 16nm), and potentially GDDR5X in their non-flagship models, so definitely worth a look.

As for laptop vs desktop, unless you plan to be on the the move a lot I can't really see a good argument for a laptop. Slowly upgrading my desktop over time has saved me a ton of money, and throwing the stuff I replace into a second PC means it is still useful. There is some upgrading you can do for a laptop, but eventually youre going to have to replace the whole thing. If you do go laptop I would definitely suggest future proofing a bit by ensuring it has usb-c and a good processor. Usb-c will hopefully let you use an external graphics card soon (razor already released a docking station), so the processor will end up being what forces an upgrade.

I've been doing some research on parts since I'm thinking about finally upgrading my i5 2500k with a broadwell-e, so if you decide to build your own, feel free to post a budget and I can probably offer some suggestions.

Edit: read some more of the thread and thought I'd add a couple suggestions...

If you do build your own and considering your price range, look for some old Haswell deals. Slickdeals.net has had quite a few deals on 4690 and 4790 + mobo combos ever since the skylake processors were released. Those are i7 processors, which you probably dont need, so look for deals on the haswell i5s (i5 4xxx) too. I'm pretty sure I saw some 4690 + mobo + memory deals in the $200-300 range though. Could definitely add a PSU, small SSD, and reuse HDD and case from your old PC to bring the total in under $500.

[lq4]

I've been grooving on these little Intel NUC systems.

Total example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856102146&cm_re=nuc-_-56-102-146-_-Product

Can even do the combo deal halfway down to tack on SSD and RAM; for like $350 you have a decent little system.

I plan on building a dedicated system for P99 later this year with one of these -- HDMI to TV so I can super couch potato!