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Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

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Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#181

Post by redacted »

xienze wrote: post #147
xyzzyz wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can guarantee that if you spend $1000 on new PC today, you'll be able to run all games at console quality for at least next 3-4 years, almost all in the next five years, and then still most of the games beyond that range. You'll also be able to run any of the thousands of games that have already been released on PC, a feat no console is able to do. I bought my PC 3 years ago for around that much (in country with hi…

> I can guarantee that if you spend $1000 on new PC today, you'll be able to run all games at console quality for at least next 3-4 years, almost all in the next five years Or I could spend $400 on a console and play every single available game at "console quality" for the life of the console, which is a good deal longer than 5 years. That, coupled with the fact that console games in general look pretty good, is the…

You're missing the point: if you buy a PC that is capable of playing games with console-quality graphics today, you will be able to play games with console quality graphics until consoles become more powerful. The fact that consoles are a fixed target means that multi-platform games almost necessarily include that fixed target as a lower bound.

I game (infrequently) on a 2010 MacBook Pro. It has a 512MB GPU, not enough to play new PC-exclusive games by a long shot, but if the game has a Xbox360 or PS3 port then I'm good. Turn everything as low as needed (as close to console quality to be frank) and off I go. Hook up a PS3 controller and my TV and I couldn't tell you the difference - I played Skyrim that way.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#182

Post by cloudwalking »

Ditch the notices/warnings. Eg:

  > Don't worry about hardware compatibility, the following components are safe to be used in the same PC build.
It looks like an error, which it isn't. Instead, convey this in the UI--eg a small "100% compatible" / "compatibility guarantee" badge next to each product.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#183

Post by maxds »

I would like to offer some critical feedback. I just took a look at PcPartPicker and it seems so much better.

On my monitor I can see at most 9 components at a time on your site. On PcPartPicker its about 28. I don't see the images serving any purpose. Why should I look at an image of the processor's box? What information does it give me?

I also recommend the book Visual Display of Quantitative Information. It's in the YC library and its fantastic.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#186

Post by mrkipling »

sspiff wrote: post #158

Nice site! Some suggestions: * Allow users to specify a form factor (like HTPC, μATX, mini ATX, ATX, ...) and filter components like mainboard and case by this. * Allow users to use a different Amazon site for pricing info (.de/.fr would be nice for me personally)

Agreed on the form factor filter. I'm currently planning out a high-powered mATX gaming/dev machine, but this site as it currently functions wouldn't let me do this.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#188

Post by makomk »

groovy2shoes wrote: post #130
sthatipamala wrote: post #75

I like how polished this site is. It would be a good companion to this parts recommendation guide: http://www.logicalincrements.com/ However, I disagree that a "Pro" build is necessary for software development, as suggested by the description. I've gotten by writing software on a netbook.

Likewise, I've gotten by writing software with a pen and paper. There's an unfortunate consequence of the tendency for developers to have "Pro" hardware: their software often doesn't get tested on older hardware. Some examples: About 8 years ago, I tried to install a KDE-based Linux distribution on a PC that was then only 2 years old. The screen resolution defaulted to 800x600. I opened the settings panel to try and…

> Web browsers and desktop environments are especially bad

Most web browsers are actually pretty memory efficient these days. Unfortunately, the websites they're viewing aren't because they're designed and coded by people with "pro" hardware too.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#189

Post by yaeger »

jjcm wrote: post #115

Your obvious rival here is PCPartPicker. Having used that extensively, here's some things I don't like about yours: Expert mode removes compatibility checks. This shouldn't be the case - as soon as I select an item, it should cull the results and show me only the intersection of items that are now compatible with my chosen piece of hardware. The lack of an ability to filter. Maybe I want to splurge more on a graphics…

Speaking of compatibility:

Does nobody care to check the mainboards support site for compatibility lists?

This one, for example: http://uk.pangoly.com/en/build/configure/pro

When you select the asrock mainboard, you are presented with these three choices of RAM: http://uk.pangoly.com/en/review/corsair-vengeance-16gb-2x8gb...

http://uk.pangoly.com/en/review/patriot-viper-3-16gb-2x8gb-2...

http://uk.pangoly.com/en/review/corsair-vengeance-pro-16gb-2...

And if you venture to that mainboards support site, it shows you a list of compatible RAM: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20Z97%20Professional...

End Result: Not one of the mentioned RAM options is on that list.

Why would that be important? Well, for one thing, it it weren't, there wouldn't be the need for the asrock people to maintain such a list, right? And, speaking from personal experience, I have had brand new builds bluescreen like nobody's business. Was the RAM faulty? Nope, send it back and got replacement of same make/model. Still bluescreens. It was only after I checked the mainboards compatibility lists and chose a RAM from that list when the bluescreens stopped! Nothing else was changed. And both types of RAM were "the same" as far as part pickers like this one is concerned. So, same Type, Speed, Dual Channel etc. The "only" difference here was that the one that caused bluescreens was not on the mainboards compatibility list.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#190

Post by wink »

flomo wrote: post #152
bitJericho wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would it shock you if I told you you can hook it up behind or under your living room TV, use a wireless mouse/kb/remote and use xbox controllers?

No, because I addressed that point with the reference to Steamboxes (or MediaPCs or whatever other name they have.)

I don't see your point how it's any more a lifestyle choice to have a (bigger) TV for your console.

Playing games on my 360 in the living room takes up a lot more space than the desk+chair in the other room.

And yes, I hardly use the living room, actually more often for games than watching TV or movies.

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