Need Pre Built PC Help

[Geesus]

Ok first SSDs only help for start up and a few other things, games are not effected really. PSU (power supply) is important but try this DIY @ Newegg.com.

As far as adding a second card GPU (graphics card) as in Crossfire or SLI, every gamer and builder I have spoken to says it's not needed.

Heat sinks for your CPU and GPU are very important especially running FFXIV! My new GPU is running rather hot as the stock cooler is crap and my usual brand at the time I purchased my GTX 560 was not available. Case and room are important as well as is routing your wiring to keep air flow moving and cooling your components properly.

I have to agree with EVERYONE on here, build it yourself it's actually REALLY easy. Look at that link. See if your comfortable with what they explain and show. As other's have suggested, get anyone you trust that can and knows how to build you a great XIV PC with 1.4k. Any money you save, get a 2nd monitor, also really helpful when playing in game for ... omg SOOO much stuff this would become TL;DR. lol

Good luck!

Edit: Also as for SSDs, do some research on them. What I have read is Intel is best on market for not failing as much as others. There are also two different types of SSD. Here is a great article on SLC (single layer Cell) and MLC (Multi layer cell) SSDs and a quick wiki on SSDs. This will help a lot too in your decision.

[REDace0]

I heard that FFXIV tends to read in those .dat files from the disk pretty frequently. Do you know if this is the case or not? If it is, I think an SSD could help with loading times significantly.

[Geesus]

I heard that FFXIV tends to read in those .dat files from the disk pretty frequently. Do you know if this is the case or not? If it is, I think an SSD could help with loading times significantly.

I can check RQ for you if you like?

Edit: Friend in LS is of COURSE AFK lol. Unless someone else knows I'll have to get back to you on this one.

Edit 2: The answer is no. 2 Reasons; 1) SSDs have a limited # of R/Ws as they work off the same premise as a Flash Drive. 2) XIV actually doesn't access files more than any other game and was told in honesty any speed increase would be negligible.

[Dann]

Well thats good to know that'll save me some cash lol

[acpowell]

not sure if someone answered this or not, but I do play with 2 GFX cards, and it does make a difference. The only issue is that you will need to play in True Full Screen mode, not Windowed mode at full screen. Weather you get AMD or nVidia, they only dual/tripple in full screen mode.

Edit: I run 2 XFX 5770's (not the best card in the world) on a OCZ 600W power supply, so if you do go the build your own route, which I agree with also, just make sure you know what power your video cards require. Some require more than others even though they are the same GPU. Example: one of my 5770s require 500 the other 550. FYI it is SUPER SUPER simple to build your own computer.

[acpowell]

All of the links below are DIY combos from newegg. They come with everthing you need but software. And all will be more than you need for FFXI!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.827606
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.791304
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.827614

And they are all below your budget!

[Dann]

Thanks for the information on dual cards! Ill have to pick that option on the website.

[Judge_Xero]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.827606 - Good value (the FX8120 is so close to the FX8150 for the price difference, as well as they both Overclock to around 4.6Ghz to 5.0Ghz) You will definatly want to swap out the 5900RPM Hard Drive for either a 7200RPM or an SSD for better loading times. 2GB is way overkill if you are just gaming anyways. A great SSD is the Crucial M4 or Corsair Force Series 3. (The Intel SSD's are very reliable though, but a bit slower)
I'd also recommend picking up an aftermarket CPU cooler for this style of build, as the AMD FX CPU's run warm. Even if you aren't overclocking it's nice to have a bit more thermal headroom. Aftermarket coolers are also a great deal quieter than the stock AMD cooler.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.791304 - Although a bit above your price range this is a nice choice.
You can't go wrong with the i7 2600k. The AMD 6970 series video cards are nice. A 60GB SSD is kinda small even for gaming, you'd want one a bit bigger (around 120GB at least) Gigabyte motherboards are decent, but if you could switch it for an ASUS board, it'd be better.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.827614 - A bit overpriced, not a good choice

For video card selection - Single powerful graphics card is good for MMO (unless you are playing WOW, then you just need a Comodore 64 to play max at 60FPS)

First Person Shooters benefit from Crossfire or SLI (Multiple Graphics Cards) setups to get insane FPS to gain an
advantage on speed.

[Judge_Xero]

Something else you may want to consider is the monitor you are using. If you are running (for example) a 17 inch flat screen with 1024 X 900 Resolution, it'd be a good idea to put some money into a nice 22"+ 1920 X 1080 (1080P) LED flat screen monitor. Some decent brands for monitors are ASUS, Acer, LG. You could probably pick one up for around $140 or less. Don't forget to grab a 64-bit version of Windows as well. 32-Bit versions wont let you use any more than 3.5GB of Ram.

[acpowell]

Thanks for the information on dual cards! Ill have to pick that option on the website.

In all reality it is better to get a single card solution if at all possible because it frees up avaible power for your other devices, allows you to add a second card at a later date, and can be much less confusing to setup; plus you can run in windowed mode (at higher graphic settings) which will alow you to play FFXIV and still browse a website or what not, or if you are like me, plug in your iPhone. Everytime I plug in my iPhone while in the game it boots me out because of the windows autoo play, which of course I can disable if I ever remember to do it.