Cheapest and Best Mac to use with MW:LL?

[Mitchpate]

I was actually going to install the one that was compatible with the PS3 a while back (Yellow Dog, I think?), but Sony decided to force us to update that feature out of the PS3 (thank you very much, to all the idiots who called Sony's technical support with questions on that... <_<).

Don't blame the users, that was Sony's plan all along.

[Bloodycrow]

Quick edit/additional two cents: I realize Sony said they disabled it due to 'security concerns'
...
I mean, really, why would Sony care about security on everyone's PS3 at home?

I don't want to turn this into a debate thread, but I do want to point out that the "security" Sony was worried about was towards their own PS3 software, not the end-user's data security.

[Mitchpate]

They sold ALOT of units to people who intended to use them for folding and mass-computing.  Allowing linux was a quick and easy way to tap a market that usually doesn't even consider consoles.  Classic bait and switch IMO.

[Bloodycrow]

To be fair, the people who did buy them initially to use for folding and mass-computing didn't suddenly lose that ability once the patch rolled out. Only if they signed onto the PSN network with that system, would it require an update. And if they've already installed Linex and are using it for folding/mass computing, they would never do such a thing.

But eliminating that opportunity for other users down the line is a dirty thing to do, despite the costs of the feature and worry about piracy.

[Gouty]

It was a dickmove, end of.

I had friends at uni that were using it as a desktop substitute, and using it to run/model experiments, as well as a games console.  They were royally screwed.  Since then some of them Jailbroke them, which again is a very grey area.
 
Way I see it it, I bought hardware, I can put whatever software I want on it.  It is like buying a washing machine and being told you are only allowed to use it to wash T-Shirts... ok I admit not the best analogy, but you get the idea.

https://www.jailbreakingisnotacrime.org/

[Mitchpate]

To be fair, the people who did buy them initially to use for folding and mass-computing didn't suddenly lose that ability once the patch rolled out. Only if they signed onto the PSN network with that system, would it require an update. And if they've already installed Linex and are using it for folding/mass computing, they would never do such a thing.

There have been a number of firmware updates that the linux side would benefit from.

[~SJ~ Atlessa]

My personal recommended MWLL System Requirements for optimal performance:

CPU = 3.2Ghz (or higher) Quad Core i7
RAM = 4GB (or higher) 
GPU = 1GB (or higher)
SC = 128 Channels

After reading this I felt like going over to my usually preferred computer-hardware shop ('s website) and try and build a PC just for MW:LL.
I added a couple things that I, personally, would probably not buy since I can re-use them from my current computer (display, HD, case, Power Supply)

Here's what I came up with:
AMD AM3+ FX-4100 Quad-Core 4x3.6Ghz Box         108.90€
Mainboard ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+                  77.90€
2x4096MB G.Skill Ripjaws-Serie DDR3 1333Mhz         42.90€
NV GF GTX560 1024 MB GIGABYTE GTX 560 OC        166.90€
600 Watt Corsair CX600 V2 Builder Series Netzteil     62.90€
61cm (24") TERRA 2450W Greenline Plus LED Display 139.90€
Miditower ATX Arctic T11                                                39.90€
1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 64MB S-ATA/600     102.90€
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit                                   90.90€

Total: 826.70€
(about 1 092.31 US$)


Did I miss anything? (sound is on-board and should be sufficient, I think)
I'm pretty sure I could scrape off another 100 or 150€ if I'd spend some time comparing various shops etc. but since this took me only like 10 minutes...


Also: why does an AMD 4x3.2GHz cost about 1/3 of an (pretty much) identical i7? I know intel has the bettter CPUs at the moment, but by that much?

[Mitchpate]

In the US, you can get a similarly spec'd computer for less than $800.

[Terragent]

Amusingly enough, Defender's minimum-requirement specs fit my 2007 iMac almost to the letter - a 3.0GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of main memory and a 512MB video card. And while the game obviously does not run perfectly, the only serious irritation is the truly monumental delay between launching Crysis Wars and hitting the main menu (usually in the order of 20-30 minutes - enough time for the windows screensaver to kick in). The game itself runs fine at 1920x1200 and most of the crashes I've experienced have been caused by software rather than hardware.

To the topic creator, I'd offer the following advice: a computer can be cheap, powerful, or a Mac; pick two. If you want a single Mac-branded computer with enough grunt to handle MWLL without hiccups then you're going to be putting a lot of money into it. Not necessarily a bad thing if you can afford it, but obviously not the budget option. What exactly do you want out of a Mac? It might be worth following some of the earlier advice in the topic and getting a low-end Apple laptop and also a DIY gaming PC. I'd only advise going the deluxe Mac route if (a) you really don't want two computers and your wallet can survive the purchase, or (b) you're actually going to be using some of that grunt in Mac OS (if you're doing heavy-duty video editing or graphic design or what-have-you).

[Freeborn_Toad]

I wouldn't buy an Acer notebook though...

I've had my $800 Acer 5740G for almost two years, and it's been running nearly 24/7 with a pretty decent GPU OC for most of that time, no real issues. Yeah, the speakers are garbage and the monitor has the contrast of something out of the mid 90s, but for the money, I have been very impressed.

Well, the mobile variant of the Radeon HD 6970 probably can't compare to the dedicated variant, but my guess would be, that the 6970M can do the job fairly well.

The 6970M is the same thing as a slower clocked desktop 6850. It will run MWLL fine, but not at highest details.

My personal recommended MWLL System Requirements for optimal performance:

CPU = 3.2Ghz (or higher) Quad Core i7
RAM = 4GB (or higher) 
GPU = 1GB (or higher)
SC = 128 Channels

After reading this I felt like going over to my usually preferred computer-hardware shop ('s website) and try and build a PC just for MW:LL.
I added a couple things that I, personally, would probably not buy since I can re-use them from my current computer (display, HD, case, Power Supply)

Here's what I came up with:
AMD AM3+ FX-4100 Quad-Core 4x3.6Ghz Box         108.90€
Mainboard ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+                  77.90€
2x4096MB G.Skill Ripjaws-Serie DDR3 1333Mhz         42.90€
NV GF GTX560 1024 MB GIGABYTE GTX 560 OC        166.90€
600 Watt Corsair CX600 V2 Builder Series Netzteil     62.90€
61cm (24") TERRA 2450W Greenline Plus LED Display 139.90€
Miditower ATX Arctic T11                                                39.90€
1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 64MB S-ATA/600     102.90€
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit                                   90.90€

Total: 826.70€
(about 1 092.31 US$)


Did I miss anything? (sound is on-board and should be sufficient, I think)
I'm pretty sure I could scrape off another 100 or 150€ if I'd spend some time comparing various shops etc. but since this took me only like 10 minutes...

The FX-4100 is garbage.

The higher end FXes would be salvageable, if they didn't have out of control power consumption (and thus expensive motherboard and cooling requirements) when overclocked (which is necessary to get them to competitive performance levels, even relative to Phenom IIs).

The GPU while not bad, could be far better.

Also, most onboard audio CODECs, even the better ones, are limited to 32 simultaneous voices/channels, so will drop a lot of sounds. A competent 128 voice sound card can be had for ~30 dollars/euro/quid, so there isn't much reason not to get one.

Also: why does an AMD 4x3.2GHz cost about 1/3 of an (pretty much) identical i7? I know intel has the bettter CPUs at the moment, but by that much?

You see identical, but I see not even remotely in the same ballpark.

The performance competitor of the FX-4100 is a Pentium G6xx (which is 60-80 dollars).

The slowest current gen i7 (a 2600) is notably faster, overall, than the fastest 8-core AMD Bulldozer (currently the FX-8150).

[=CJW= Dhalrin]

He's right. As much as I love rooting for the underdog, AMD at the moment just isn't remotely up to par. And since MWLL is leaning quite heavily on the CPU, I'd suggest you don't save on the wrong end and go with an Intel.

-Dhal

[Mitchpate]

Also: why does an AMD 4x3.2GHz cost about 1/3 of an (pretty much) identical i7? I know intel has the bettter CPUs at the moment, but by that much?

The quadcore Core i5 2500k outperforms the 8-core FX 8150 in virtually every metric. It does this with slower cores and a $40 lower price tag.  The CPU race isn't about cores or MHz anymore, it's about code execution and efficiency.

[Mattk50]

To be fair, the people who did buy them initially to use for folding and mass-computing didn't suddenly lose that ability once the patch rolled out. Only if they signed onto the PSN network with that system, would it require an update. And if they've already installed Linex and are using it for folding/mass computing, they would never do such a thing.

But eliminating that opportunity for other users down the line is a dirty thing to do, despite the costs of the feature and worry about piracy.

Dont forget the sudden forced choice of picking between new games and the linux box aspect. New games require updates to play even in singleplayer.

[Bloodycrow]

Dont forget the sudden forced choice of picking between new games and the linux box aspect. New games require updates to play even in singleplayer.

My point was that if it was bought for folding/mass computing, there wouldn't be any more gaming on it.

I wholeheartedly disagree with Sony pulling the feature.

[Mattk50]

The lawsuit against them was thrown out too. I wonder how much they bribed the judge.