Building a Computer for Mabinogi

• Specialk wrote on 2013-01-31 01:16
  Hello,
  I am planning on building my first computer! (With the help of my dad)
  I only plan on playing Mabinogi for now. Right now my Samsung Q4300 Laptop is not cutting it. I always get the pop up warning me about how bad my graphics card is before I start the game and I have to use a laptop fan to prevent my laptop from overheating and shutting down, which I don't think is very healthy for my laptop. My lag is also terrible (I know everyone lags but still)
  
  Here are the components that I plan to buy:
  Case:http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Three-Hundred-Gaming-Computer/dp/B000GQMHBI/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359593801&sr=1-8&keywords=computer+case
  CPU: Intel i5 3570k + Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
  Motherboard: LGA1155, Intel Z77
  Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 660 Ti
  HDD: WD Blue 1 TB
  Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz
  PSU: Seasonic 80Plus Power Supply M12II 620 BRONZE
  
  Do you think this set up is overkill just to play Mabinogi? If it is, what set up should I use instead?
• Jiihae wrote on 2013-01-31 01:53
  If you're getting that i5 3570k, the stock heatsink that comes with it is good enough if you're not overclocking. The integrated graphics on the 3570k is good enough for mabi so no need to spend more money on a dedicated graphics card. Also if you're not planning on overclocking, which mabi really doesn't need, you can go for the non-K version and get a H77 instead of a z77 and save a bit of money.
• Specialk wrote on 2013-01-31 02:16
  A H77 and a Z77 are around the same price on amazon; same with the 3570 and 3570k.
  Okay so no need to fork out 300$ for a graphics card then (I don't know why I asked after you said it) should I cut out any of the other components?
• Jiihae wrote on 2013-01-31 02:22
  I first thought about buying a graphics card with my i5-3570k, but ended up seeing how well it performs without one. It seems to be holding up fine, and the option to add it later is always there.
• Evaris wrote on 2013-01-31 02:52
  First up, that is extreme overkill for mabinogi.
  Second, if you're looking for something more suitable for mabinogi and other casual games as a custom build, I would recommend the following;
  
  Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139018
  Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182261
  Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157339
  CPU+GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113280
  RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231455
  HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
  ODD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
  OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
  
  Case: A better case for $30 less. Need I say more?
  PSU: A better power supply in terms of quality, and for my build you don't need as much wattage.
  Motherboard: FM2 socket for the below reason.
  APU: AMD A10; Integrated graphics up to playing most any game at 720p, and the majority of games at 1080p at lower settings. Older games like Mabinogi will be maxed out without problem. Costs significantly less than an i5, let alone an i5+ a Geforce GTX 660. Graphics are in many cases twice as powerful or more than Intel integrated graphics. A more than good enough CPU for the vast majority of tasks and games.
  RAM: AMD APU's benefit from high speed RAM, otherwise nothing special here, a standard 8GB allotment which will be good for 3-4 years.
  HDD: Slightly faster HDD for slightly less $$$ with the same storage capacity.
  Optical drive: You probably won't use this much so you don't need to spend a lot.
  OS: Windows 7 is still the better desktop OS.
  
  One nice thing about AsRock motherboards is the Xfast LAN, which allows you to control some of your packet traffic on your internet line, and with it you could give priority to Mabinogi and possibly reduce lag somewhat.
  
  Also, given the money you save, you may want to invest in a SSD for your OS and commonalty used programs. I would recommend a Samsung 840 Pro for quality. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147192
• Specialk wrote on 2013-01-31 03:51
  Hmmm. But if I wanted to upgrade in the future (who knows what'll happen), wouldn't it be harder to do so?
• Evaris wrote on 2013-01-31 04:09
  Only for the power supply really, but a 650w version of the capstone would do fine.
• Compass wrote on 2013-01-31 07:43
  What's your price range?
  The CPU, cooler, and I'm assuming the mobo since you didn't give an exact model are great choices, but the PSU and GPU not so much.
  
  1. The you PSU listed is a 620w one. What's wrong is that you'll never need 620w. 550 is the recommended for single card setups, 650w is recommended for dual-card setups, and 850w for triple.
  My suggestions is a XFX 550w PSU. Don't worry XFX are just rebranded SeaSonics if you're worried about brand names and such.
  
  2. The Nvidia 660ti isn't the best card for the price range, the AMD 7870 is. AMD cards can handle PhysX if they have a strong CPU, which your build does. The only Nvidia graphic cards that is better than a AMD one around the range is the Nvidia 670.
  
  But I have to agree with the other posts in this thread, this build is an overkill for just Mabinogi, although if you plan on getting into PC gaming it's a nice build.
  
  Also here's my recommended build. The only thing you need to add is a hard drive.
  
  Edit 2: I got my PSUs wattage mixed up :V
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2013-01-31 07:55
  In terms of price tiers, the 7870 is actually the one in 660 ti's price tier
  but significantly less in price
• Compass wrote on 2013-01-31 08:05

  Quote from BobYoMeowMeow;1023086:

  In terms of price tiers, the 7870 is actually the one in 660 ti's price tier
  but significantly less in price

  
  
  Ah, you're right. I thought 7950s were cheaper. I'll edit the post right away.
• Knightmehre wrote on 2013-01-31 16:08
  GTX 660. A good cheap dedicated card that will play High settings on most games, 33% lower price than the Ti version.
  
  You also want a good processor and an SSD (Higher I/O's will benefit an old game like Mabinogi which has trouble loading)
  
  A graphics card and motherboard capable of using Lucid's Virtu MVP is a great thing too. The technology works by using unused cpu cycles and recycles them to be used to process the game (makes it a bit faster or seemingly faster). If you do get it, just disable the v-sync on virtumvp or mabinogi will not load (and set to D mode)+ - This one is largely optional and it doesn't work well with some GPU's.
  
  Everything else is up to you but this is the configuration build I run with (note I play a lot of other games but what I said above is what helps me run Mabinogi the best and those key hardware are the most important)
  
  http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/580/rigupdatejan282013.png/
• Evaris wrote on 2013-01-31 18:13
  I would disagree on 650w power supplies as being the odd one out, they're good on an overclocking single card setup, but yes if you're not overclocking a 550 watt is what you're looking at.
  
  The Rosewill power supply I recommended is a rebranded Superflower Golden King, which is a better platform than the Seasonic M12 II platform.
  
  And again, all the other recommended builds here are for high overkill systems if all you're sticking to mabinogi, casual games, and most console ports.
• Mystickskye wrote on 2013-01-31 19:39
  Personally I feel even a 550W is excessive, power usage for casual gaming and such tends to be so low these days that a good 400W+ PSU like the one Evaris recommended is well sufficient even if you include a modest GPU (not that you really need a GPU with your needs and the AMD APU, Mabi is almost entirely CPU dependent).
  
  I back Evaris' recommendations here, if you really are only going to be playing mabi or other casual games and aren't too fussed about high end performance Evaris' build will suit you just fine.
• Knightmehre wrote on 2013-01-31 19:46

  Quote from Mystickskye;1023297:

  Personally I feel even a 550W is excessive, power usage for casual gaming and such tends to be so low these days that a good 400W+ PSU like the one Evaris recommended is well sufficient even if you include a modest GPU (not that you really need a GPU with your needs and the AMD APU, Mabi is almost entirely CPU dependent).
  
  I back Evaris' recommendations here, if you really are only going to be playing mabi or other casual games and aren't too fussed about high end performance Evaris' build will suit you just fine.

  
  
  Yeah but you want to scale your PSU around your entire system (remember you are adding case fans and stuff too).
  
  Most importantly, scale it on your GPU. The 660/660ti needs 450 but it won't use all of them. Get about 500.
• Mentosftw wrote on 2013-01-31 19:59
  Funny that you made this thread.
  
  I just saved up enough cash to grab a i5 3570k with a gtx 660 ti (along with the rest of the comp parts) two days ago and I just tried out mabi yesterday. As for my psu, I got a 520 since the store I was at ran out of the 550. My friend told me that usually it'll only ever need 200-250 in unoverclocked situations and gets close to 500 when overclocked.
  
  It's absolutely amazing how much of a difference it was compared to my older computer. Considering I was playing games on the pc for 6 years and only able to run min settings WITH fps issues, this is an incredibly huge step.
  
  I built my computer in mind that I'd move on from mabinogi eventually and I think it was a wise decision. I want to play games like TES online and PSO 2 while running near max settings.
  
  And as for mabi, I've never seen it look so good before OR run as smoothly as it did. The post film shader really makes everything look great and max settings are really cool too. Not to mention I'm loading my SMs faster than any of my friends so far is pretty fun.
  
  I also tried vindictus last night and played it for the first time as it was intended to. I was loading stages in 5-8 seconds and I never got any lag except for a 1/6th second freeze right after the slow motion boss kill scenes.
  
  Oh and funny thing about mabinogi, turning on quest notifications STILL gives me fps problems as it did before but hardly as bad as it was. I simply turned it off since I only turn it on when I need to.
  
  Weird thing is, after all of these improvements, I kinda feel a little hollow inside xD It's as if I'm not sure what to do anymore and I'm just "done".
  
  If you're only content with running mabi, I'd suggest you get a cheaper GPU. You can always buy another down the road and use a SLI connection between them if you ever need more power.