In need of technical/computer advice.

[BriaZz]

Dear residents,

This character is very new here on Second Life. But no worry, I'm using Second life since 2009. So I know how Second Life is, and how it works. I owned a store a couple years ago, and now I would like to start over again. Only I do have one problem. I need to buy a new computer. My laptop asked me to let him die in peace... And so I did this morning. So as you see... I really need a new computer.

What would I do with my new computer? Well... I would use it to play Second Life. Also I would love to play other games on that computer. I would love to use other programs like Blender and Maya. just to design some mesh clothes for Second Life. Oh... I almost forgot it... I need to work for school on that computer.

It would be nice if some of you could tell me what to buy. I want a good computer and not to expensive. Since I am a student, I don't have that much money. But... The fact is, I want to buy a descent computer. I don't want to play any games with to much lag or crashing. And I think I will buy a desktop, because I could change some parts when something is broken or too old. 

Maybe you could use some information about my (old) laptop? Click here to find my laptop's profile.
(My laptop couldn't run Second Life without crashing.)

Please help to say which one is the best for me. Should I buy one in a store? Should I create one with the parts I want? Which parts do I use? I need some advice... Give me some examples of computers that you should buy. Because I don't know anything about a CPU or something. Please help me...

Some extra information: I want to play Second Life with nice graphics and I also want to run 3D-programs without lag or crashes. I want really nice graphics.

Thanks a lot!
Looking forward to hear from you,
Brian

[Cathy Foil]

I can't give you specifics for which computer to buy but I can give you my option and general advice.

I think it is a good idea you had to go with a desktop instead of a laptop because you can easily upgrade and replace parts on a desktop yourself way more so than a laptop.  Plus parts for laptops cost way more and generally last way less because laptops are super hard to cool with the one or two little fans they use which get easily clogged.

I would go with a windows machine over Mac or Linux for Second Life simply because LL puts way more of an effort for windows compatibility than either of the other two though Mac is a good choice too.  I have no experience with Linux.

I would get at least a quad core processor and you want as much ram as you can that is the fastest you can afford.  You are also going to need to spend at least $200 USD for a decent graphics card and you want at least 1 GB of ram on the card if not 2 and you want it to be the fastest ram possible as well.

Power supply you probably want at lest 500 watts or more so that isn't going to be cheap.  I would go with two drives.  One SSD (Solid State Drive) as drive C and one regular hard drive as drive D to back up drive C everyday.  SSD drives are way faster and will really speed up the performance of the computer but when they break they give no warning at all unlike regular hard drives which usually give you some warning that something is wrong but not always.

I would go with a Mid Tower to Full Tower case.  You want a full size motherboard so there are plenty of expansion slots and room to add things.  Smaller than a Mid Tower desktop case will make it hard to fit everything and have to use a smaller motherboard which will probably not have as many expansion slots.

I am finally getting ready to get a new computer myself after 10 years with my current one.  Really the only reason I am getting a new one is that a new program I got in January that I need to use is 64 bit only and my machine is 32 bit.  Yea I can get a different operating system but it is time.  Despite being 10 years old she still keeps up very nicely with most of the new computers today.  I get frame rates in SL in the 50s and 60s.  I had her custom built and spent $2000.  I told the guy I know there is usually a huge price leap going from second best to the very best and to give me just below that price leap.  I have upgraded the graphics card 3 times and increased and upgraded the ram once.  I have tweaked the heck out of XP but didn't over clock the CPU.  Overall she has been a great machine and I am going to keep her as my backup.

Don't buy a Dell or other name brand PC.  Dell especially makes it hard to upgrade parts from what I hear.  I wouldn't by a computer off the shelf.  I suggest finding a local computer guy who builds computer and tell him exactly what you want the computer to do and how much you have to spend.  Believe me his knowledge is worth the several hundred dollars you will be paying him to build it for you.

I am a Maya user myself and regularly have Maya, SL, Photoshop and several web pages open all at the same time while I am working with no problems.  Not bad for a 10 year old machine.

Hope that helps.
Cathy

[filipsimo12]

agree with everything said in post above mine!

 

dont buy laptops for SL!

 

tell me your budget and ill advice you to buy COMPONENTS, never ever buy brand pc like dell, lenovo etc...

go with quad intel, nvidia gtx, and BRAND powersupply, SSD

 

If you short on budget, there is some parts you can get cheap on ebay and save you tons of money (even with warranty)

[DKTitan]

There is a little wiggle room on the type of processor but mostly solid advice. You can get away with using amd processors  and the multi cpu aspect  my be useful. Keep in mind Buying intels are very solid advice from the stand point of bench marks. They are pound for pound more capable. I don't benchmark race so I ended buying a amd cpu. Otherwise you look at some higer end I5's or I7's. I7 are good since you worth with other programs, not just gaming. 

[BriaZz]

Thanks Cathy! Vey useful! 

[BriaZz]

Thanks for the Ebay-tip!

[Bree Giffen]

I too recommend a desktop. SL tends to bring non-gamers into the world of 3d gaming requirements. Most non-gamers have regular non-gaming laptops and tend to want what they have but upgraded for 3d. The main difference between a gaming laptop and standard laptop is the graphics card. 3d graphics cards draw a lot of power and create a lot of heat which are both difficult to accommodate in a laptop. To see the better graphics you also need a bigger screen. Heat, power, and a large monitor are all better handled by a desktop.

 

Want to still have a laptop? Keep your old one. Optimize it. Clean out the old software. Then buy a desktop purely for gaming. No shame in owning two computers. Plus, if one breaks down, you use the other to search the internet and download fixes.

 

For buying, try newegg.com, eBay and Craigslist 

[BriaZz]

Could anyone give me some names of good parts for a computer? Like which motherboard or videocard?

[LlewLlwyd]

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BriaZz wrote:

Could anyone give me some names of good parts for a computer? Like which motherboard or videocard?

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A motherboard should have a female name obviously, like Sharon (unless you are Israeli) or Elizabeth.

It really depends how butch your videocard is; if you have a 2GB monster you should call it something like Chuck, or Randy, but if you have a wimpy 128k Intel graphics card something like Julian or Tristan would  be better.

 

[Coby Foden]

      :matte-motes-big-grin: