recommend me a gaming pc that doens't cost to much

[Ryusiangel]

well i did reasearch ppl keep saying bad things bout cyberpowerpc :\ i am thinking of an asus laptop for gaming it has all the requirement for aion to play seems cool i just hope laptop is ok =(

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1218122578847 only bout 600 bucks too

[chikorita157]

Originally Posted by Ryusiangel

well i did reasearch ppl keep saying bad things bout cyberpowerpc :\ i am thinking of an asus laptop for gaming it has all the requirement for aion to play seems cool i just hope laptop is ok =(

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1218122578847 only bout 600 bucks too

nVidia Geforce 9400 although it can handle some of the older games, it won't be able to handle the newer games or most games at high quality. This model is most likely contains a integrated Geforce 9400, which is slightly better than Intel GMA for gaming, but it's still not strong enough for the latest games nor it will handle the poorly optimized ones like Crysis or GTAIV.

[Ryusiangel]

well in the reviews they said the graphics card is really NVIDIA GeForce G102M with 512MB Ram

[chikorita157]

According to Notebookcheck, the Geforce G102m is a slight upgrade from the Geforce 9400m, but it's still a integrated graphics card with dedicated RAM... but it's not going to play games at very high settings and you will be stuck with low settings in order to play these games which might not give the best gaming experience.

[hobbes_fan]

You do know that minimum requirements are just that right? The game might run on a laptop but that doesn't mean it will run smoothly. Anyway good luck. I strongly urge you not to bother with a laptop and go with a desktop on a limited budget but if that's what you're comfortable with then go for it.

[chikorita157]

I have a laptop (Macbook Pro) that have only the nVidia Geforce 9400m and the gaming performance, although the WEI gives it a 5.4, the Geforce 9400m isn't really designed for gaming, but mainly for accelerated playback, basic 3D stuff and Aero.

Test Machine Specs are: Intel Core2 Duo P8700 at 2.53 GHz (3 MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus), 4 GB DDR3 RAM at 1066 Mhz, 250 GB 5400 RPM HD, nVidia Geforce 9400m

Reference Computer: Intel Core2 Duo P8600 at 2.4 GHz (3 MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus), 2 GB DDR3 RAM at 1066 Mhz, 500 GB 5400 RPM HD, Geforce 9400m and 9600m (only 9600m used in Windows)

Both are running Windows Vista Business with the latest nVidia Drivers and I will be testing with Audiosurf and Fraps at native resolution. Audiosurf although isn't really a intensive game, the highest graphics settings makes it alot more intensive because it uses SM 3.0 and alot more of the CPU:

Geforce 9400m: High: 30 fps Low: 20 fps FPs during game play stay in the low 20s, but depends, unplayable

Geforce 9600m; High 91 fps Low: 59 fps FPs during game play stay in the low and mid 60s to 70s, but depends, playable

Even though Geforce 9400m is a better card than GMA, it's still far away from the dedicated graphics card... even the Geforce 9600m managed to be 3x faster than the 9400m and I think most cards would beat it as well. I suggest saving more money for a better computer so that you can play these games better at higher quality.

[Urzu 7]

You want

CPU = Intel E8400 or AMD X2 550
Motherboard = Intel P45 chipset or AMD 780 or 790 Chipset
Videocard = NVIDIA GTS250 or ATI 4850

I'm looking at...

This CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103680

And this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128398

And this graphics card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150351

Basically everything you said. Is there a GTS250 card that is better than the card I'm looking at, or are they almost the same?

Anyway, if I bought those parts, and then put in 4 GB of RAM...this gaming PC/general use PC that I'd make for myself...how well would it play Oblivion? I think that might be a stupid question, it probably plays Oblivion great with all of those things, but someone tell me how well it'd play Oblivion.

What else would I need other than a CPU, GPU, motherboard, and RAM? I'll get my OS and salvage my DVD burner, monitor, mouse, and keyboard from my current computer. I'm going to buy a much better hard drive.

What else would I need? Just a case and power supply? Do I need a system fan? I could get a PC that is much better than the one I have now for like $500. My current PC is from 2002. T.T

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

I'm looking at...

This CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103680

And this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128398

And this graphics card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150351

Basically everything you said. Is there a GTS250 card that is better than the card I'm looking at, or are they almost the same?

Anyway, if I bought those parts, and then put in 4 GB of RAM...this gaming PC/general use PC that I'd make for myself...how well would it play Oblivion? I think that might be a stupid question, it probably plays Oblivion great with all of those things, but someone tell me how well it'd play Oblivion.

What else would I need other than a CPU, GPU, motherboard, and RAM? I'll get my OS and salvage my DVD burner, monitor, mouse, and keyboard from my current computer. I'm going to buy a much better hard drive.

What else would I need? Just a case and power supply? Do I need a system fan? I could get a PC that is much better than the one I have now for like $500. My current PC is from 2002. T.T

I still have to question the logic of going dual core when a 2.6ghz quad is basically the same price - yeah, a lot of games run better on a fast dual than a slower quad, but how many of those games are CPU limited? GTA IV is not the only game that is CPU limited on a dual core - I remember Tom's Hardware found that Resident Evil 5 jump from 38 to 60 fps when going from two to three cores. Sure, it's a worst case, but those are exactly the kind of scenarios I buy more powerful hardware for.

As for the video card, at $125 you're only a few dollars short of the new HD 5750, which is a little faster. Although you can find 4850s as low as $99 if you're willing you don't need a 1GB version.

It's hard to say if the GTS 250 or HD 4850 is better, since it seems to vary a bit by benchmark, but you can see a comparison between those and the HD 5750 here:
http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3658

The GTS 250 does have a couple features the Radeons do not, basically support for PhysX and GPU acceleration under CoreAVC (which apparently is compatiable with many files that standard DXVA GPU acceleration isn't compatiable with), if either of those matter to you.

Any of those cards should run Oblivion fine at most resolutions - they run Fallout 3 really well, which is a newer game based on the same core rendering tech.

And finally, while I don't know what monitor you have and whether your budget would allow an upgrade, but I consider moving from my 17 inch CRT to a 22 inch widescreen LCD to be one of the best computer purchases I have made.

[hobbes_fan]

Id you want to go AMD quad don't bother with an x4 620 is the point I'm trying to make. Even that article you refer to concludes there isn't much separating the x4 620 and x2 550be at stock speeds in 3 of the 4 bechmarks. Hell, overall the x2 550be had a higher minimum framerate overall. Couple that with the fact the x2 550 is better at non optimised games (still by far the majority) and the massive o/c potential on the x2 550be then it's a no brainer to me. If you are going to go X4 you may as well go all in and get an x4 945 at $50more . There's no dispute there. It will be faster in everything over an x2 550be because of the clock speed,multi cores and cache.

Don't bother with NVidia gt series. They're being pulled off the shelves/EOL because they can't compete with ATI's stuff this generation. This mean Warranty/RMA will be a massive pain in the ass. You'll have to question driver support as well and how long will they continue to support an EOL product considering NVIDIA has bigger fish to fry with FERMI. Personally DXVA is moot in this case if you go with any sort of decent mainstream quad or dual core. The processor is fast and powerful enough to do decodes on its own so I don't think it's a massive deal breaker.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

I'm looking at...
....snip

You could do a couple of things to save some $$$IMO depending on if you want to crossfire (which IMO is a waste) or if you plan to overclock. If no to either you could go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...pk=ma770t-ud3pBasically its a stripped down version of the 790gx with no integrated gfx which you don't need

[0utf0xZer0]

Actually, I was referring to Tom's Resident Evil 5 performance guide... I hadn't seen the $100 CPU shootout yet. Given that Urzu 7 seems to have a bit of an idea what he's doing that's probably worth linking, since it's extremely relevant to what he's doing:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...-cpu,2439.html

I don't know much about overclocking on the AMD side at the moment... what would be considered a "safe" overclocing on an X550?

(Even when I've looked at overclocking I've tended to go pretty conservative... my dad and I tend to keep old PCs around as secondary boxes for various purposes so we like them to last a good 5-6 years.)

[hobbes_fan]

safe as in standard cooling no voltage modification? 3.5-3.7ghz seems to be the standard. 3.7 seems to be the golden egg scenario.

with upgraded air cooling and and a voltage bump to around 1.38- 1.4v it seems to get around 3.9ghz. Note stock volts are 1.29v for 550be. I've seen 4.1,4.2ghz at around 1.5v with w/c but that's the top end and I wouldn't be using it for 24/7. Most though prefer to unlock the 3rd core (occasionaly they are able to unlock the 4th) and run aroun3.5-3.7ghz

Yeah I don't like messing with the voltages other than under volting it. my q6600 is overclocked but under volted. You may ask what's the point, well it's about 10c cooler undervolted.

[Urzu 7]

Haha, I kind of know what I'm doing. I won't be doing OCing or crossfire...in fact, I don't even know what crossfiring is.

My computer skills/knowledge is average, about intermediate. In all honesty, I've never built a computer of my own before, but I know that if I build one, i'll save hundreds of dollars over a machine that is pre-made.

I haven't kept up with what are the latest graphics cards in years. I have no idea how current those PC parts are I linked in my previous post. I just know they seem to be good for a budget gaming PC.

I want a new PC because, for one thing, my 2002 Dell doesn't cut it any more. It isn't so hot nowadays. For one thing, the hard drive is way too small for multimedia (talking 40 GB). Secondly, I can't stream HD videos (so I can't watch HD anime that is streaming). This and the lack of hard drive space means I haven't been watching too many fansubs these days (keep backing up things on DVD, but it is a pain in the butt).

I want a decent gaming rig, though, yeah. Something that will play new games well. Oblivion is one of the latest games I want to play. Honestly, I've been almost exclusively a console gamer my whole life. I wanna check out more PC gaming, and most of the games I want to play on PC will run great on the kind of system I'll buy. I'm talking about old games like Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Knights of the Old Republic, Half Life 2, and Jedi Knight II and Jedi Knight III. I never played through a WW II shooter yet, either, so the original Call of Duty and the expansion packs will probably enthrall me. LttP, I know.

[0utf0xZer0]

Crossfire (ATI) and SLI (nVidia) are technologies that allow you to use two graphics cards for rendering. The caveat is that they're highly driver dependent, so they don't deliver a 100% performance increase, and on occassion just plain doesn't work. It's more expense and complexity than its worth for most users.

One question would be whether you have access to a copy of Windows. If not the amount you'll save by building your own is a lot lower since MS charges end users a lot more for Windows than they charge manufacturers.

None of the games you list are very system intensive but there's nothing that says you might not get interested in newer games once you have a rig capable of playing them, so I'd still grab a decent video card and such. Also, remember that having a large hard drive doesn't give you a license not to back up.

[Urzu 7]

Originally Posted by 0utf0xZer0

Crossfire (ATI) and SLI (nVidia) are technologies that allow you to use two graphics cards for rendering. The caveat is that they're highly driver dependent, so they don't deliver a 100% performance increase, and on occassion just plain doesn't work. It's more expense and complexity than its worth for most users.

One question would be whether you have access to a copy of Windows. If not the amount you'll save by building your own is a lot lower since MS charges end users a lot more for Windows than they charge manufacturers.

None of the games you list are very system intensive but there's nothing that says you might not get interested in newer games once you have a rig capable of playing them, so I'd still grab a decent video card and such. Also, remember that having a large hard drive doesn't give you a license not to back up.

I back up files. It is the smart thing to do. Also, I can get Windows 7 for a discount. My brother is in college. He can use a student discount.

What do you mean by "I'd still grab a decent video card and such "? Is there a better video card to get to go with that rig I have in mind?

Also, is 4 GB of RAM good enough?

[hobbes_fan]

Well pretty much whatever you choose is going to kick some serious ass at least at 1680x1050 resolution for the games you've listed. Honestly PC building is not that hard. I think of it as jigsaw puzzle. Looks hard but it's not really. Everything only goes in one particular spot. You can't install RAM backwards, You can't install a cpu backwards and you can't jam an Pciex16 card in a PCI slot. You'd pretty much need a hammer to make those things happen. It's damn near idiot proof. The two hardest things you'll have to do in your first build IMO is wiring the led, power and reset buttons because the pins are so tiny and installing the cpu heatsink correctly is quite a PITA for 1st timers. Although the heatsink attachment method on AMD systems is quite easy to do the pushpin system on Intels is just extremely poor in design.

4gb's of ram is your windows 64bit or 32bit? If 32bit don't bother with anymore 32 bit o/s can't use anymore han that. if 64bit go for as much as you can afford

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

I back up files. It is the smart thing to do. Also, I can get Windows 7 for a discount. My brother is in college. He can use a student discount.

What do you mean by "I'd still grab a decent video card and such "? Is there a better video card to get to go with that rig I have in mind?

Also, is 4 GB of RAM good enough?

Just remember that the student discount versions of Windows 7 are upgrades, so you'll still need an older copy of Windows too. I only mention the backing up files thing because many people get lazy about it when they no longer have to worry about drive space.

The HD4850 and HD5750 are both good graphics boards as long as you don't need to game at very high resolutions like 1920X1200 or 2560X1600. I'm just saying don't go for the really cheap cards.

For gaming 4GB is more than enough - in fact, you'll need a 64 bit version of Windows to be able to use all of it. And quite frankly unless you get into very serious media editing or multitasking it'll be enough as well.

There are a few risks in building a PC. Static can be a killer in dry climates (humidity reduces the risk), so ground yourself by touching something metal. Be careful when mounting the heatsink too, that's one of the spot where some people end up damaging things. And you might want to check that your mainboard screws aren't stripped before you mount the mainboard.

If you have a magnetic screwdriver, they're a godsend.
I agree that heatsink installs can be the hardest part for new builders - it's not that easy to damage things but it is possible. And yeah, I think AMD CPUs are easier to install in this regard. Intel used to be easier to install in the socket 478 days but I know the newer LGA 775 mount is a PITA to work with... not sure about the newer LGA1156 and 1366 mounts. Also, make sure that the screws that you'll be using to mount the mainboard aren't stripped before you mount the motherboard, it makes things easier. You might want to consider

[Urzu 7]

This is great that you guys are so helpful and nice. Oh, btw, Outfoxzero, who is that foxgirl, and what series is she from?

So, I've heard about grounding. I touch something metal before I start constructing a PC? I built some PCs for my school back in high school. Not hard, on the whole. I just absolutely don't want to do something wrong with all those expensive parts, of course. Someone please specify how to properly ground. I know it is simple, I just don't want to do this improperly since grounding is so important. I hear that not doing it right can be potentially bad for PC parts (electric currents/static and such).

I want a 64 bit OS. I'll skip Vista and go for Windows 7. I don't think I'll play on the highest resolutions, as well. I mean, I'll go as high as a game can handle on my hardware while still running great. Oblivion will probably be good at a decently high resolution.

Someone suggested that if I have a 64 bit OS, I should go for more than 4 GB of RAM. Anyone second that opinion, or is 4 GB of RAM truly enough? Someone else suggested 4 GB is enough for the type of gaming I'm looking at. Or would it not hurt to go up to 6 GB?

Also, that ATI card I'm looking at...there is the HD4850 and HD5750; so two cards I'm looking at, actually...how close to the cutting edge are they? Are they near the top of the line? Also, I take it that the HD5750 is more powerful; the more powerful card of the two. Should I just spend the extra money and get that card?

Edit: I find that the HD5750 is quite expensive. Should I go with the HD 4850, HD 4870, or HD4890?

I might as well also ask...what type of RAM do I get? Is DDR3 the good stuff nowadays? And does it matter what brand I get? Are there some brands to go for and some to avoid?

Thanks to all the people helping me with advice/answers.

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

This is great that you guys are so helpful and nice. Oh, btw, Outfoxzero, who is that foxgirl, and what series is she from?

She's Mashiro Mito from Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity, specifically in the loli form she reverts to when her mana gets drained.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Someone please specify how to properly ground. I know it is simple, I just don't want to do this improperly since grounding is so important.

I don't know if there's a "best practice" for grounding yourself or not. Personally, my dad and I just take a short length of copper wire, strip the rubber insulator off the ends, and then tie one end around an ankle (making sure to make contact with the skin) and the other around something with a metal frame.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Someone suggested that if I have a 64 bit OS, I should go for more than 4 GB of RAM. Anyone second that opinion, or is 4 GB of RAM truly enough? Someone else suggested 4 GB is enough for the type of gaming I'm looking at. Or would it not hurt to go up to 6 GB?

Going above 4GB for games is kind of pointless at the moment, most games can't even use all that. Many mainboards also have four RAM slots, so if you use a 2X2GB kit (4GB total) you'd still have room to add another such kit later.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Also, that ATI card I'm looking at...there is the HD4850 and HD5750; so two cards I'm looking at, actually...how close to the cutting edge are they? Are they near the top of the line? Also, I take it that the HD5750 is more powerful; the more powerful card of the two. Should I just spend the extra money and get that card?

Both are modern video cards (the HD5750 is one of the first cards with Direct X 11 support and has only been out for like a week), but they aren't top of the line the HD5850 ($275) and HD5870 ($380?). I'd describe them as "entry level enthusiast boards" - they offer what you need to make a good gaming rig (unlike the really cheap stuff) but cost far less than top of the line cards.

It's harder to recommend a specific one of the pair since neither the cost nor performance difference between the two is very big:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3658

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

I might as well also ask...what type of RAM do I get? Is DDR3 the good stuff nowadays? And does it matter what brand I get? Are there some brands to go for and some to avoid?

Most important part is you need to make sure you get RAM your mainboard supports - DDR3 for a DDR3 board, DDR2 for a DDR2 board. The performance difference is pretty minimal but I'd tend to go for a DDR3 based system just because it'll probably be easier to get replacement parts and upgrades for in the future.

[synaesthetic]

This thread has been pretty helpful to me, also, since I've been wanting to put together a good gaming desktop. It's a starting point, at least--I'm sure better hardware will be out and things will be cheaper by the time I have the money to consider doing this.

Now if only some good games would come out to play on said good gaming rig... =(