Hey I'm Zane and I just got into level design maybe 1 1/2 weeks ago, and I love it. However, I have a small problem. I use the unrealEd 4 that comes with gears of war for the PC. It's naturally unstable, and crashes a lot, but thats just how the engine is. My problem is that my computer can barely even run the editor, takes nearly 15 minutes just to get the editor booted up. Also, my PC cannot even run the actual game. I'm planning on getting a new computer soon, so I was just wondering if any experienced level designers/ PC gamers have any suggestions as to wich computer to get?

This depend on a lot, of course if you use a older editor you won't need a computer as good, and if you use editors of future games it will ask for more than Unreal3 (4??? GOW use U3).

The real question is how much are you ready to spend on it. And if there are things on your current computer you can recycle in it (it can't be that bad if it runs GOW). The more you spend the faster you will be able to work. For level editing you should boost ram at maximum though, video card would come second.

it is a common mistake to give developers top-of-the-line computers. since most people aren't technophiles, you will be developing a game for a computer which most people don't have and will have poor performance for most of your audience. I'd suggest using something midline.

If you can't even play the game, why are you using the editor for it? You can design level meshes in DeleD Lite, Blender, trueSpace 7.6, and a few others, which are free, and won't require a new PC to run. You might even want to just buy an old copy of Unreal, like '2' or Tournament 2004, and use an older copy of UnrealEd.

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Original post by mpipe it is a common mistake to give developers top-of-the-line computers. since most people aren't technophiles, you will be developing a game for a computer which most people don't have and will have poor performance for most of your audience. I'd suggest using something midline.

You might be able to make that argument for people who are just interested in level editing, but programmers need strong machines. We need a machine strong enough to muscle through debug builds, which can run many times slower than the actual finished product. Either way though, the value of the money you spend on the hardware is small compared to the value of the productivity you gain from not having to wait around for the game/tools to process stuff, even for the artistic side of things. Machines are dirt cheap these days, and unless you are talking about building your own cluster at home to crunch on stuff [in which case you should take a closer look at cost], investing in high quality hardware is well worth it.

First off, thanks a bunch for the replies. Dunge, I am aware that GoW uses unreal engine 3, but the unreal editor that comes with gears is UnrealEd 4. As for why I am using the editor if I can't play the game, I am using the editor because I would like to get into the industry as a level designer (I also have gears on 360), and when I asked developers what they were looking for as far as requirements go, they said they wanted an impressive portfolio, so I have begun working on my own maps. what I mean when I say that the game won't run, is that I cannot play campaign or multiplayer because my computer cant handle it, it crashes as it tries to load. I can, however, play my maps inside the editor, because none of my maps are very large or complex yet as I am still learning. But even as I play my edited maps, it runs very very slowly. what I am looking for is not something so advanced that it will be impractical, as mpipe stated, but a computer that will allow me to run recent editors quickly and efficiently. Something that will allow me to use other programs simultaneously with the editor(wich mine cannot do, and I hope to begin learning to use maya soon), and run actual games nicely, because I would love to see actual gameplay on maps and levels that I make. Drigovas pretty much hit the nail on the head. I simply would like a computer that will not have to "wait around for the game/tools to process stuff." thanks again for the replies.

zane a.k.a. xxxZOMBIExxxx

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Original post by xxxZOMBIExxxx Hey I'm Zane and I just got into level design maybe 1 1/2 weeks ago, and I love it. However, I have a small problem. I use the unrealEd 4 that comes with gears of war for the PC. It's naturally unstable, and crashes a lot, but thats just how the engine is.

It's still in that state? That sucks so bad it's hard to believe!

As far as a computer goes I recommend building one yourself. Its pretty easy and you can generally get a far better deal than you can buying from someone else.

ok, so for editors and games to perform fast, what would I need?

First off I'd get a nice processor. There really isn't any reason to not get a 3.0ghz core 2 duo. I don't think its going to matter much if you get penryn vs whatever the previous gen core 2 duo is. After that I'd focus on a nicer graphics card (at least the 9800GTX or above / ATI equivalents). Followed by 2 gigs of ram. Don't get a DDR3 motherboard. The cost per performance is not that good. I'd go 4 gigs of DDR2 over 2 Gigs of DDR3 anyday.

Other random thoughts... I would not go with SLI at this point. Just upgrade to the next level of graphics card before you do SLI.

After all of that the only major peices that I can think of are motherboards and hard drives. I don't think the hard drive matters too much. The motherboard might but I haven't looked into them lately.

Edit: I don't know if your software can make use of quad cores but unless it can... imo don't get a quad core.