X200 PC and Video Card Question

[Marco.A.Aguilar1 0]

I am getting a new PC soon for future BI games/sims and I was wondering if the Dell X200 will be able to let me upgrade to the latest video card. You can select a dedicated video card but I don't know if size would matter since the X200 seems to be awfully slim and most video cards now-a-days are a little big. Can someone back me up on this? Oh yeah, I don't like building my own computers...

Also...

I was thinking about buying another computer for $500- to specifically run dedicated ArmA or VBS1 servers. I never hosted a dedicated server and I am wondering if this is how it can be done. If so, would I need a powerful PC or can I settle with an average one instead? Is there anything I need to know about?

Thank you...

[codarl 1]

For gaming PC's, I suggest you get a case that does not belong to any brand . It takes some knowledge on how to built PC's, but the reward is much more satisfactionary.

For dedicated servers, processing power / memory are the most important things .

Just as a sidenote: I once read Dell PC's come with pre-installed Spyware, Though their reason for this is "understandable", the fact that they do this without giving you the option to remove it, and the fact they are not willing to remove it, is erm.. well, it would be enough reason for me to never touch a dell .

[shinRaiden 0]

For the tech specs there's two problems with the X200.

First off, it does have a single PCI x16 slot, but the fine print says that both it and the adjacent single x1 slot are both half-height. Good luck finding any 3D accelerated card to fit in there. Dell offers an optional X600, Newegg has a limited functionality g6200, but in general your options are extremely limited. That's why it ships stock cursed with an IGP.

Secondly, it's a BTX case on the smaller end of the spectrum. This means that the vast majority of aftermarket components such as CPU fans and what not are likely to be not compatible with the case. So not only is the video card upgradability a liabilty, so is a lot of the other components unless you fork over enough cash in support contracts that you should have DIY'd from the beginning.

There are unsubtantiated reports though that recent XPS shipments have been significantly cleaner than previously in terms of the classic Dell "preferred partner" spam/spyware bloat.

For a dedicated server, it depends on just how dedicated you're willing to make it. If it's another box stuffed under your desk, you can scrimp on all the needless frills. My servers all run TNT2 video cards off KVM switches for the rare times I need to look at them directly, otherwise I just use ssh remote terminals. (Linux and FreeBSD servers btw). Case's are old cheap ones, though I need one with a significant more amount of hard drive rail slots after adding in some more w00t refurb (roxor! hard drives. You don't have to go for a big fancy-schmancy RAID rig and everything, a 40gb OS drive and a 250gb data drive is more than enough to balance performance and push data, then you can turn around and pile the maximum amount of cash into the CPU and ram.

[Marco.A.Aguilar1 0]

Thanks for the replies guy, really helpful.

I haven't played on any server online, only on LAN so I don't know if there are any here in South United States (Specifically Texas). So that is why I want to make it dedicated to bring a community within the area together.

I was also wondering if I was to be present at all times to run a server 24/7? Does it cost money? Would a game like OFP1/VBS1 require me to restart everytime? I know the ArmA world is persistant but what does this mean once all the vehicles are busted? There is no vehicle respawn is there? Is it up to me to respawn them?

Edit: Can I just use Windows OS to run servers? I have to have all the contents from that game/sim installed into the computer I am using as a server, right?

[shinRaiden 0]

Hmm, first you need to determine the likely number of concurrent users you want to support.

If you're just looking for a way to offload the backend load to another machine, and maybe offer connectivity to a few others, then a good DSL line at home is enough with scrap parts.

If on the other hand you want to run more than a half dozen infrequent users, you're going to need to run a 'real' server. By that I mean you're going to need a box at a hosting center. That's really the only economically viable option to get the bandwidth needed, and secondarily suitablely low enough pings. There's two options then, either you rent a box from a specific gameserver shop (which may only do preloads, you'd need to see if they allow custom loads or support OFP) or go the colocation route. If you want to run a VBS1 server in that form, you're probably going to need to do a colo so the USB dongle gets installed. (while you're at it, you might want to make a internally secured USB port, take a slot header for extra USB plugs, unscrew and reverse the ports, and snake the cable out through an adjacent uncovered slot. This way the dongle's less like to wander off.)

Now for the management. For game session management, most of what you need to do can be done ingame through the admin controls. Some things such as the server settings can be done externally, but you don't need to play with those on a regular basis. Uploading content can be done via simple ftp and so forth. As for getting OFP or VBS on the server, the easiest way is to install a unique licensed copy on your system, follow the porting proceedures listed in various places on these forums (mainly in "Troubleshooting" iirc), then remove that installation from your prep machine or just install a seperate licensed copy on the client.

There's a wealth more information on how to manage a server over in the OFP:Multiplayer forums here as well.

Those cases are almost all way over-kill for a black box. You should be able to scrounge something for ~$25, though you may need to up the powersupply for reliability. If you go the colo route, you're best off getting a rackmount case. If you do that, check ebay or a pc recycler first.

[Marco.A.Aguilar1 0]

Okay, thank you shinRaiden.