Hardware for StarCraft II

[Hero_Lief]

I'm just going to help some people out and find quick, inexpensive hardware that can play StarCraft II well, as well as show them some great things that they don't need but really would enhance their gameplay.

First, I'll review some graphics cards, as that's a major stumper.


Product Name: EVGA NVidia GeForce 9400GT 1GB 128-bit
Price: $64.99 / €48.15
Type of Product: Graphics Card
Memory: 1GB (1024MB)
Model Type: GeForce 9400GT
Manufacturer: EVGA
Web Site: www.newegg.com
Review for SC2: This card should be able to handle most things on high, some on medium, and some killers like effects on low/medium. Should be able to do 3D portraits, enabled reflections, medium/high terran, and ultra textures. You should get about 40-60 FPS, depending on your resolution. (These estimates are based on a 1440x900 (widescreen) and 1280x1024 (5:4 ratio))
Other Features:

• GDDR2
• x16 HDCP Ready
• SLI Support Video Card
• PCI-Express 2.0

Then, if you have some money to flop around, this one will help you alot.


Product Name: PNY XLR8 GTS 250 1GB
Price: $136.99 / €101.51
Type of Product: Graphics Card
Memory: 1GB (1024MB)
Model Type: GTS 250 VCGGTS2501XPB
Manufacturer: PNY
Web Site: www.amazon.com
Review for SC2: This card should be able to get you high/ultra graphics on a normal moniter. Also, the DVI output is definitely a plus.
Other Features:

• VGA + DVI output
• PCI-Express 2.0
• Full Microsoft DirectX 10 support
• NVidia CUDA Technology support
• NVidia PhysX Technology support
• NVidia 3-Way SLI Technology support
• Windows 7 Support

Now, it's time for some moniters. These aren't really "computer components", per say, but they're still required and you still need ones large enough for good play.


Product Name: FOVI F19S 19" Monitor
Price: $129.99 (Does not ship internationally, continental US only)
Type of Product: Monitor
Size: 19"
Model Type: F19S
Manufacturer: FOVI
Web Site: www.amazon.com
Review for SC2: This monitor looks great. Judging by the back it should have both DVI and VGA inputs. The unfortunate thing is that it looks like this monitor is fixed in place at one angle and cannot be changed, and the angle it's at might become a pain in the ass. If you can, try mounting it on something.
Other Features:

• VGA + DVI input (Not confirmed)
• Native 16:9 ratio with ability to view natural 4:3 (disables parts of the screen)

Product Name: Acer X183HB 18.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Price: $109.00 / €80.77
Type of Product: Monitor
Size: 19"
Model Type: B001U2P9E4
Manufacturer: Acer
Web Site: www.amazon.com
Review for SC2: Very cheap for a monitor. Flatscreen and widescreen. Looks possible.
Other Features:

• Widescreen

Now, we'll do some keyboards. Special keyboards aren't really required at all, but they'll definitely help. I'll also add the special SC2 Razer keyboards when info about them is released.


Product Name: Razer Arctosa Gaming Keyboard
Price: $49.99 / €49.99
Type of Product: Keyboard
Model Type: Arctosa
Manufacturer: Razer
Web Site: www.razerzone.com
Review for SC2: A high-end gaming keyboard, and fairly cheap as well.
Other Features:

• Fully-programmable keys with macro capabilities
• Selective anti-ghosting for WASD gaming cluster
• Slim keycap structure with Hyperesponse™ technology
• Easy access media keys with heat sensing buttons
• Gaming mode option for deactivation of the Windows key
• 10 customizable software profiles with on-the-fly switching
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response time
• Detachable wrist rest
• Two different color styles; Silver on Black and Black on Black.

Product Name: Razer Lycosa Mirror Special Edition Gaming Keyboard
Price: $79.99 / €79.99
Type of Product: Keyboard
Model Type: Lycosa Mirror
Manufacturer: Razer
Web Site: www.razerzone.com
Review for SC2: A VERY high-end gaming keyboard, and fairly cheap as well. This keyboard works perfectly for me for SC2; it's the very same keyboard I use so I can tell you all about it.
Other Features:

• High gloss mirror finish keytop
• Backlit illumination (blue) with WASD cluster lighting option
• Fully-programmable keys with macro capability
• Gaming cluster with selective anti-ghosting capability
• Slim keycap structure with Hyperesponse™ technology
• TouchPanel™ easy access media keys (heat sensing)
• Gaming mode option for deactivation of the Windows key
• 10 customizable software profiles with on-the-fly switching
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response time
• Earphone-out and microphone-in jacks
• Detachable wrist rest
• One integrated USB extension port
• Comes available with rubber finish or glossy finish.

Now, for some mice. No, I'm not going to spam Razer things. First, I'll show you the mouse I use.


Product Name: Logitech MX™ 1100 Cordless Laser Mouse
Price: $79.99 / €54.99
Type of Product: Mouse
Model Type: MX™ 1100
Manufacturer: Logitech
Web Site: www.logitech.com
Review for SC2: I understand some people hate Logitech, but damn. This mouse is really amazing. It's got an AMAZING scroll wheel, plus the wheel can move left and right as well as be the center button. It has an AMAZING battery life... I got mine back in November 2009 and I haven't ever changed it's batteries yet. Though it's supposed to run on two AA's, I removed one and it still worked without slowing down... Simply amazing. Plus, like most Logitech mice, it has an adjustable mouse sensitivity using two buttons on the mouse itself, and it also displays the battery life. Plus, like most Logitech mice, it also has forward and back buttons just above where your thumb should sit. And lo and behold, there's also a hidden button where your thumb should sit, which can be reprogrammed to be many things... For SC2, it could be select Larvae, use Chrono Boost, or Liftoff. On top of all that, this damned thing fits perfectly into a hand, no matter big or small (well, you should be old enough to fit into this if you're playing SC2... Obviously little kids can't use this mouse)... It's simply amazing. Well done, Logitech. Well done.
Other Features:

• Elegantly contoured shape
  Fits your hand for maximum comfort. Designed to support the naturally curved shape of your hand.Comfortable hands like comfortable mice.
• Full-size design
  The big, broad shape helps give you support from your palm to your fingertips.
• Hyper-fast scrolling
  You’ll fly through documents and Web pages with a single spin. Click-to-click scrolling gives you the precision you need when navigating lists, slides, and images.Excited about hyper-fast scrolling?
• Logitech® Advanced 2.4 GHz wireless
  You get the reliability of a cord with cordless convenience and freedom—fast data transmission and virtually no delays or dropouts. Learn more about Logitech wireless technologies.
• Adjustable-dpi laser engine
  Provides two smooth-tracking modes (up to 1600 dpi) for customizable precision. Choose the dpi setting that’s right for you—from pixel-precise to ultra-fast for customisable precision. Curious about cursor control?
• Stealth thumb button
  Makes it easy to jump from one program to the next. One of ten programmable buttons that put total control at your fingertips.Change the cursor speed? Change the cursor? Change the programmable buttons? Find out more about SetPoint™ software.
• Nine-month battery life
  Minimize the hassle of changing batteries with nine months of battery life. On/Off button saves even more power. Battery-indicator light eliminates surprises. Big on battery life? We are, too.

Product Name: SteelSeries World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse
Price: $99.99 / €89.99
Type of Product: Mouse
Model Type: WoW MMO
Manufacturer: SteelSeries
Web Site: www.steelseries.com
Review for SC2: Kind of obvious... However not only does it work with WoW, but it works with pretty much any game, it looks badass, and of course, the colors don't have to look like WoW... Turn it blue if you're playing Terran, turn it tealblue/gold if you're playing Protoss, and of course, turn it Red/Orange if you're playing Zerg. It not only looks badass, but it works badass. The only disadvantage is that it's slightly expensive... Heh.
Other Features:

• Bind all 15 mouse buttons without ever leaving the game
• Mouse buttons are truly unique, not just keyboard shortcuts
• Macros up to 160 characters
• Over 130 predefined commands for drag-and-drop macro creation
• 16 million illumination choices with 3 intensity and pulsation levels

Now for some headsets, since StarCraft II fully supports in-game voice chat...


Product Name: Razer Carcharias
Price: $79.99 / €79.99
Type of Product: Headset
Model Type: Carcharias
Manufacturer: Razer
Web Site: www.razerzone.com
Review for SC2: In-ear bass, adjustable mic, full over-ear pads... What else do you want?
Other Features:

• Extended Comfort Circumaural Design
  Full over-ear coverage ensures a comfortable fit.
• True-to-Life Gaming Audio
  Superior clarity and deep, thumping bass.
• Noise Filtering Microphone
  Cuts out the noise and focuses on your voice.

Now, my headset. Well, until it broke because I accidentally ran it over with my chair... Hey, it's not like I MEANT to... Anyways.


Product Name: Plantronics .355 Multimedia Headset
Price: $22.85 / €14.02
Type of Product: Headset
Model Type: .355 Multimedia
Manufacturer: Plantronics
Web Site: www.amazon.com
Review for SC2: I just loved this while I still had it. It was extremely comfortable during long hours of use, the sound quality was amazing, as well as the voice quality, and the fact that it plugged in via the stereo/mic plugs instead of USB made it work with other things as well that tended to be a bit older. All in all, I would suggest this to a friend, any day. Plus, look at the price!
Other Features:

• 40mm stereo speakers deliver rich, resonant stereo with maximum bass response. Don’t just hear it—feel it.
• Lightweight and flexible, the headset is comfortable for hours.
• Pillow-soft, swivel-mounted ear cushions focus stereo sound for maximum enjoyment.
• The QuickAdjust™ microphone telescopes and rotates for precise placement. When not in use, it rotates discreetly out of the way.
• The noise-cancelling microphone reduces background noise so you can easily be heard.
• Convenient in-line controls let you adjust music volume or mute the microphone with just a touch.

 

[The World Is Flat]

Thanks for the nice info...

I might just buy the PNY XLR8 GTS 250 1GB...

 

[Hero_Lief]

Thanks.

I'll be adding more hardware soon.

 

[The World Is Flat]

Cool.

 

[Hero_Lief]

Yup. Added keyboards and mice. Now I'm going to start adding some headsets, since SC2 supports voice chat.

EDIT: Headsets added.

 

[redmarine]

You could post the least required hardware specification that can run the game so people can get an indication on how the game runs.

 

[JakeCake]

I lol'ed at the WoW mouse ^^ good one

You obviously believe that you need special hardware for gaming - Your post perfectly describes what hardware one of those idiotic sells-men in the major hardware stores would tell you to buy, because the case says "Gaming" and the hardware have pretty glowing colors all over it, and therefore they take a lot more money for it.

The fact that you only post NVidia cards, only confirms my statement above. NVidia is what people without any knowledge or research in graphic-cards would buy 9 out of 10 times. Again, because they look at the case, and not what's inside, or the truth of which is the better one, and not just what they've been told by a sales-man. People should also get the choice of ATI. ATI makes awesome mid-end Graphic cards, but you probably never heard of them anyway.

Get some research before posting, or proff to me that you know anything about the stuff that you are telling others to buy!

 

[Hero_Lief]

No, I've heard of ATI. Unfortunately I don't know the exact required ATI Radeon equivalent card of the GeForce 6600 required for StarCraft II. I also know that apparently some ATI users have had trouble.

Do note I also state, especially with keyboards, headsets and mice that they are NOT required, but really do help.

Plus, look at some of the things. They don't have glowing colors. Only one of the mice does which is just a nice little feature, one of the keyboards does which helps a little bit of playing late at night but is also not needed, and the headsets don't glow or anything. Plus, only one of the cards looks fancy, while they both work.
Don't even complain about moniters glowing, lul.

You could post the least required hardware specification that can run the game so people can get an indication on how the game runs.

There's already a thread about the required specs. However, do note these aren't exactly required as my brother has a 6150LE, not a 6600, and can still run the game. Not well, but he still can run it.

 

[The World Is Flat]

the eqivilant of the 6800 is the ATI X800. both very old cards.

 

[Mr.Cheese]

I'm in SC 2 beta, and I have it running butter smooth at max settings. Here is my video card: PNY - XLR8 NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT EE 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express Graphics Card

It is very cheap card too costing $100 at many places now. The reason why I like it so much is that it is very anti-heat. It has a very low power design. I hate buying computer hardware so I want it to last forever. Less heat, less power often means less things can go wrong.

I also have 4 gb of ram.

I play SC 2 with hundreds of units with all settings maxed out. Smooth.

I learned that Blizzard games are very hardware sensitive with Warcraft 3 (had a computer with some dodgy ram and only Warcraft 3 was affected). I think going for an efficient video card (not one of those $500 monstrosities) and spending money on quality ram is the winning ticket.

 

[Dark.Revenant]

HD 5870. Max out StarCraft II and then some. It can even just nearly max out Crysis smoothly.

The 9400GT is probably not the best option, to be honest. Yes, it's cheap, but you're way better off getting a newer card. 9800GT at the least. The GTX 260 is a great option if you're strapped for cash, though the prices for the GTX 270 and GTX 280 are dropping. Then there's the Radeon equivalents in the HD 5xxx series.

 

[Hero_Lief]

Well, it's not the best option, but it's fairly cheap if you just need to play and don't really need to play high and you don't have much money. Which was the situation I was in.

Another reason I don't use ATI cards is because I run Linux and the drivers for them are absolutely horrid. I mean, they don't work half the time.

 

[MGCǂSpectre]

I see cool mice and keyboard like Alienware ones but such prices just for a cool kb or mouse.. that's ridiculous to buy. Especially since someone who plays lots is likely to break/damage/erase key letters on his kboard.

 

[Hero_Lief]

Haha that's the cool thing. The keys on the keyboards are actually plastic of different shades, not printing on them, so they can't fade. Well, the Arctosa anyways. The Lycosa is actually a clear piece of plastic with a blue underglow that shouldn't be fading anytime soon, unless the LEDs break, in which case you can send it in under warranty.

 

[Bloody_Turds]

Im looking for a good cheap PCI card, for my old comp to make it sc2 accessable.. atleast with medium settings (i can go without some of the costly effects)

any suggestions?

and for my newer system im getting: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HD-477A-YDFC-PB-R

 

[Hero_Lief]

Well I got a 9400GT (not the one listed here) and I run it medium/high/ultra, it costed like 40 bucks. Unfortunately, I can't find it anywhere now D:

 

[Bloody_Turds]

This?" http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=GeForce+9400+GT&cid=6690512522240540893&ei=dE3PS6CbN4P8M6ensOUD&sa=title&ved=0CA0Q8wIwATgA#p

 

[Hero_Lief]

No, it was a Sparkle, and it was 1GB. Pretty sure I got it off NewEgg.

 

[Hiruty]

lol could these setting help?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1ZALOZ6INPHMT