I'm after a new computer. I've read through many of the threads and just had some noob questions.

I use Poker Tracker 4 and Holdem Manager 2 with over 2 million hands in the database and have a few different computers which are very slow when I load the databases.

I know nothing about computers, so here are a few questions.

1) The standard reply seems to be to get the biggest SSD you can afford which I'm not sure which one is required as they range from $200 to $1200.

2) i5 vs i7 vs Xeon

Would appreciate is someone can explain the difference between them and from what i have read adn YouTube videos it seems most say to not get the Xeon but on other computer forums they say Xeons are better computers so

I asked a guy here in Australia to build me a computer and he quoted me around 4k and another guy said $3500 I was wondering if it was possible to buy something for $1000 $1500? I said to them that from this forum some were buying them for around 1k 2k they replied yeah that's in the USA there much cheaper there then Australia.

When i enter i7 32gb ram into ebay the first one is

Intel Core i7 4790 Quad 3.6GHz Computer 240GB SSD 32GB RAM 1TB HDMI Desktop PC
AU $1,229.00

This is the link or just type i7 32gb ram into ebay http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_o...ram&_sacat=179


You can click on that computer and it has options to add a bigger SSD if required? And other extras, I was wondering if someone could have a look at this computer and if it was suited as it was the cheapest that fit all the requirements from the other threads and if i needed a bigger SSD or other extras to go with it?

There are also some other computers in that ebay link there and maybe they were better options?

Any advice would be really appreciated thanks

This is another for AU $1,149.00 with the tower cooler feature.



http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Intel-i7-...item25ac6f0c6b

lol 32gb ram

$3.5k to $4k sounds ludicrous, particularly given the top of the range Alienware machines from Dell (admittedly with 16Gb not 32Gb, but with GPUs that far exceed what you appear to need) are only about $2k.

I wouldn't buy those machines from eBay without a cast iron guarantee as to what components will actually be used in your machine - the listing is deliberately opaque and suggests that many components will be budget.

Nothing in your post suggests you need anything like 32Gb RAM. 8Gb should be plenty; 16Gb will be way more than enough.

Are you just playing poker on one (or a very few sites), using HM2 and PT4, and not gaming or anything? If so, your requirements are likely to be i5 or i7 plus SSD plus 8Gb RAM. Go beyond this as much as you like, but that's all you're likely to need. But if you tell us what you need to be able to do with this computer we can tell you much more about what to get.

Do not buy a Xeon.

Try searching reputable Aussie sites for reviews of PC custom builders - not random guys on eBay but proper well reviewed commercial outfits. Try configuring something with one or two or them. That will give you a ballpark cost. By all means then try to shop around for something cheaper but not before you have any idea of what you actually need.

Bonus tip 1: at all times prioritise quality of key components (e.g. motherboard, PSU, etc).

Bonus tip 2: I think the developers would tell you that running HM2/PT4 together while playing is more likely than not going to harm performance unless you've configured things very carefully. Are you really running both? Why? In what way?

These are just some of the quotes from other threads

Thread http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/48...nitor-1564136/

Yes its just for poker.



Ok thx, but can you explain why its not ideal?



Yeah i mostly run one on its own for those reasons but just wondered with a better computer set up if it would make a difference and be ok to run both.

Which SSD do you recommend as they seem to go from $200 here to around $1200?

i could quote from some strat threads saying it's a good idea to fold aces preflop first hand of the wsop, it doesn't make it right

I would recommend an i7, 8gb-16gb RAM, a good gfx card and 250-500gb ssd + 1-2TB HDD.

It all depends on your needs but you wont have to spend more then $1200, if you do that you are insane really.

You have described no requirements that suggest your needs are anything like those of the other posters.

As was pointed out by the poster who corrected my initial advice in that last thread, the OP in question is looking at playing a lot of sites in several virtual machines. These are very specific requirements.

I reiterate: tell us what you want to do with the machine (including why and how you are running PT4 and HM2 together) and you'll get better help. If you're just playing 2 or 3 sites with a tracker then everything in my initial post stands.

Yes your right and i wasn't saying you are wrong, its just that I'm a computer noob and just stuff that i read in other threads.

Virtual machines can you explain what these are?

I usually have a few sites open say four sites and was just using PT4 and HM2 because of some features one had over the other, but i don't need to have both open tbh.

I have a couple other softwaare tools all allowed btw open also at times.

Its just that inbetween waiting for some action I'm using these other software tools doing off table work and when i am....that's when the computer is just taking a while to load HM2 PT4 replay hands etc and the other software tool features i use to review game.

I'm just curious why someone would use holdem manager 2 &
poker tracker 4.

Is there any specific reason / advantages to having both.

Did HM2 not buy poker tracker,,, or they merged or something

Virtual Machines are "virtual/emulated" operating systems. If you don't know what they are you probably don't have a need for them and thus don't need 32gb ram.

That eBay site also lists the processor as being the latest but last time I checked 4th generation i7's weren't the latest.

Build something on PCPartPicker, get feedback, order parts and put together yourself. Newegg might be a place for you to look. If you end up building yourself make sure you get everything you need, so you don't go to put it together only to find that you need a fan or something. Building is easy and will probably save you some money.

Not sure why someone would use them at the same time but for post game analysis each has different features that make them both worth using. I prefer HM2's post game but PT4's HUD.

They did merge but still two separate pieces of software.

This, up to a point, although bear in mind that 1200 Australian dollars is not the same as 1200 US, or €, or £, or whatever.

Okay, so it's just for poker, and you're only playing one or two sites, with one of those two tracking programs?

In that case I still recommend that you get an newish i5 or i7, with 8Gb RAM (or 16Gb RAM if you're paranoid about 8 not being enough, but certainly not 32Gb) and a decent size SSD (perhaps with one or more traditional HDDs for storage if you're not buying a particularly big SSD).

As for what SSD, something like a Samsung Evo 850 (256Gb) would be plenty, but I think other drives are better from a performance point of view - there must be some comparative reviews online if you just look for them. Try sites like overclockers.co.uk for more information.

You should ask in the HM2 or PT4 support threads about running both at the same time (they'll give you an idea of why that may or may not be a good idea for performance, as well as optimal hardware requirements, which are likely to reflect what I suggested above).

If your machine is only lagging when you have these mystery other tools open then it might be worth telling us what they are in case someone has specific advice for you.

Oh, and if you get a Xeon (designed for servers, not for you) I think you have to worry about hardware compatibility issues that you wouldn't have with an i5 or i7 (even if they now play nicely with consumer motherboards I think you still need ECC RAM etc).