Mcnulty1977

Hello,

I have been shopping around for a desktop computer and thought I would seek the advice of people in the know. It seems that every store I visit has a different piece of advice. One says the desktop I am looking at is fine for everything, the other gives me a list of twenty things I need to buy to add on. I do have a fairly limited budget so I can't just go and buy the top-of-the-line model with the highest price tag. I currently have a Toshiba laptop that meets most needs but it runs like an oven. Most games and even burning a CD will cause it to overheat and shut down on me. I would like a desktop that allows me to do the basics...go online, burn CDs, listen to a radio station that streams online, and play some games. The games I would want to play are not cutting edge or online games, either. Mostly they are new versions of games I used to play...Pirates, Civilization 4, Zoo Tycoon, Roller Coaster Tycoon, SimCity 4, etc.

I have been looking at the HP Pavillion 1230n because it seems to have some nice features and is offered at a good price right now in various places...but I have not jumped at it yet. One salesman, for example, told me the graphics card was not good at all and would not handle most games...another said it was fine and there would only be a few games it would not handle. I believe the card is the ATI Radeon 200...or close to that.

Any opinions on the 1230n for general use and general gaming or any other models at a good price that would meet these needs are greatly appreciated. Thanks!