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Good computer for netplay

bigbabyjim

Smash Rookie
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
Messages
5
Hi guys,

I've been into competitive melee for about a year and I'm looking to get netplay and download unclepunch or 20xx. The obvious first step would be buying/ building a decent computer (which I don't have), but I have no idea where to start. I have decent money to spend on this (like 700-$800). If anyone has some suggestions/ recommended computers or builds, please let me know.

Thanks!
 

Pauer

The Pauerful
Moderator
Joined
Dec 25, 2013
Messages
592
Location
Linz, Austria
I've written a lot on this subject before. I'd like to link to some of my previous postings but the PC market changes all the time and I'm don't know if a lot of my posts still apply today.
Please let me know what you would like to do with that PC. Are you going to be using it a lot? Do you want to play other games? Which ones in particular? Do you just want to play melee netplay? Do you already have a mouse/keyboard and monitor and would that be included in your budget? The choice of monitor in particular will make a significant difference in terms of input lag.
 

bigbabyjim

Smash Rookie
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
Messages
5
I've written a lot on this subject before. I'd like to link to some of my previous postings but the PC market changes all the time and I'm don't know if a lot of my posts still apply today.
Please let me know what you would like to do with that PC. Are you going to be using it a lot? Do you want to play other games? Which ones in particular? Do you just want to play melee netplay? Do you already have a mouse/keyboard and monitor and would that be included in your budget? The choice of monitor in particular will make a significant difference in terms of input lag.
Thanks for the reply. No interest in other games and I really couldn’t care less about graphics, if that’s helpful. I’d also like to be able to produce music. No mouse or keyboard. Planning on buying a benq xl monitor in addition but would rather not go over 200 for it. Thanks
 

Pauer

The Pauerful
Moderator
Joined
Dec 25, 2013
Messages
592
Location
Linz, Austria
Since you only want to play melee netplay and produce music, I would recommend buying a used/refurbished desktop with a modern CPU that has high single core performance since that is what determines dolphin performance and it's also what's important for music production applications (according to some quick research I did). Depending on how important music production is for you and whether you are willing to buy used/refurbished, you could of course look at something new instead.
One thing that's very important for music/video production is an SSD. It's where you would store your operating system, programs and all the music/video files for your current projects as SSDs are much faster than HDDs and will improve the overall responsiveness of your system and reduce loading times for accessing music tracks.
Getting both those things does not cost a lot, this refurbished PC looks pretty perfect for your purposes and it's less than 200$.


Now, that PC alone would be sufficient for playing netplay, even though it does not come with a graphics card - the CPU's integrated graphics are enough to play netplay just fine. Unfortunately, most integrated graphics chips cause small amounts of lag - starting from about half a frame to a frame on average, according to Kadano's tests. So you could consider buying a graphics card to minimize lag.
For your purposes, a GTX 950 or GTX 960 would probably be ideal as the GTX 900 series has been shown not to introduce any lag. The GTX 950 or 960 in particular are affordable and low power, meaning you do not need to upgrade your power supply to use them. Installing them in your system is as easy as undoing a screw and slotting them in place. You should be able to get the GTX 950 for less than 70-80$ used. GTX 960 will be slightly more expensive but is more capable at playing games. You will find the best deals on your local craigslist or similar used-goods-marketplaces/apps.

Lastly, regarding monitors - the BENQ RL2455HM was tested to have particularly low input lag and should be below or around 150$. In order to have even less input lag (a couple ms), you could also buy a CRT monitor for the best experience. These are usually 0-30$. Tell me if you want more info about CRT monitors.
 

bigbabyjim

Smash Rookie
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
Messages
5
That’s actually much cheaper than I would’ve originally spent (would’ve possibly gone up to $700) so thank you! I actually have 2 crt set ups for when I host, but they only have video inputs as far as I can tell. Not sure if there’s a workaround for this. Thanks again.
 
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