I'm going to buy a new computer. Is this good?

L

lelle

New Member
Hi!
I'm going to buy a new computer, but I'm not up to date with what is "good" these days. When I last bought a computer 2,7 Ghz single core processor, 1 GB ram, 256 mb graphics and 250 GB hard drive was good, if you get my drift :P

Here are the computers I'm considering. What do you know about the brands and the hardware inside? Is this anything trustworthy/good?

My goal is to use the computer for some serious gaming, so I want a computer that is optimal for todays and future gaming (I want to run games like Crysis and Mass Effect on highest settings and future games like Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 as well).

I don't have the courage to buy parts and build an own computer yet :)

acer ASM 5300
AMD Phenon 545
6 GB RAM
750 GB harddrive
ATI HD 4650 1024 mb


HP W 2309V
AMD Athlon II 215
4 GB ddr3 <- whats the difference between ddr3 and ddr2?
ATI Radeon 4650 1024/2815 mb (what does it mean that it has two different numbers of memory separated by a slash?)


acer M5810-MLF75
Intel Core i7 860
4 GB Ram
750 GB
nvidia GTS 240 "up to" (whatever the hell that means) 3455 mb

acer M5300-UCW7R
AMD Athlon 620 x4
6GB ram
1 TB HDD
nvidia GT22o 2431 MB <--- obviously this computer is better in every aspect than the previous except graphics + its 300 euro cheaper.

Acer AS m3203
AMD Athlon X2 240 (2.8 ghz)
8GB ram
1 TB HD
ATI Radeon HD 3200 1 GB

and lastly

Packard bell IMEDIAD564ONC
Intel Pentium Dual Core E6300
4GB ram
1500 GB Harddrive
nvidia GT230 1,5 GB


Are any of these worth buying? (They're all around 600 EUro except acer M5810-MLF75 which is around 900 euro) Help me out in my ignorance, I want to buy a computer that is safe for the future and gaming :)
 
None of those games will do " serious gaming " - particularly CRYSIS - which is a video card thrashing game.

All of the video technologies on those builds are older technology. As to the 512 MB / 1024MB - that's the memory on the video card - focus on the Technology first - and then look at the memory. Pretty much anything at 1GB will play any game today with all but the highest end graphics setting ( beyond 1080 p ) of the newest games. - and

1 of the systems you posted had a 3200 Graphics card < That sounds like on-board video card < built into the Motherboard > that is definitely " NOT FOR GAMING ". would work fine for a Media PC - and High Def video play though.

You can select a few of the Video Cards at this Link and compare them in both game speed and benchmarks to get a feel of what I'm talking about.

Others will be able to advise as to what is a card that can do what you want - I entered the Gaming market with a 9800GTX+ last year - and it suits my needs fine for the few games I play - but far from the fastest card out there.

Here's a Buyer's guide for Gaming Video Cards - as you can see the lowest end card recommended is the 4650 - and if you read the summary
Great 1280x1024 performance in most games, 1680x1050 with lowered detail
Click to expand...

I've never played Crysis - but my understanding is it would eat up hat card and spit it out.
 
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None of these are real gaming machine. Would you consider building yourself?
However, amount all these, my choice would be -
acer M5810-MLF75
Intel Core i7 860
4 GB Ram
750 GB
nvidia GTS 240

or

acer ASM 5300
AMD Phenon 545
6 GB RAM
750 GB harddrive
ATI HD 4650 1024 mb

depends on budget.
 
daisymtc said:
None of these are real gaming machine. Would you consider building yourself?

However, amount all these, my choice would be -
acer M5810-MLF75
Intel Core i7 860
4 GB Ram
750 GB
nvidia GTS 240
Click to expand...

+1 - the Core i7 860 is the only Current Technology Processor - and it's high end to boot.
 
All of the video technologies on those builds are older technology. As to the 512 MB / 1024MB - that's the memory on the video card - focus on the Technology first - and then look at the memory. Pretty much anything at 1GB will play any game today with all but the highest end graphics setting ( beyond 1080 p ) of the newest games. - and
Click to expand...

Does that mean any card with 1024 MB that is not a card integrated on the motherboard is a decent gaming graphics card? What do you mean by focusing on the technology? What should I look for there?

EDIT: Oh and another thing;

If I, say theoretically, would build a computer, what kind of performance would I be able to get out of a 600 euro budget if I supply Mouse, keyboard and screen but not operating system? (I want windows 7) would I be able to build a more effective rig for that price if I built it myself? (since I'm not that advanced state it in raw performance facts like GHZ, number of processor cores, amount of ram, video ram, etc)
 
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lelle said:
Does that mean any card with 1024 MB that is not a card integrated on the motherboard is a decent gaming graphics card?
No - I'm saying you're focusing primarily on the wrong aspect for game performance. It's like comparing a Core i7 920 @ 2.66 mhz < high end modern CPU > - to a Pentium 4 running at 2.8 Ghz < 5 year old CPU that's slow and outdated >. 2.8 Ghz is faster than 2.66 Ghz, but the 920 will smoke the Pentium 4 in any comparable way - by a big margin.

What do you mean by focusing on the technology? What should I look for there?
Click to expand...

GPU Technology as in
* GTS220
* 4650 ATI Radeon 4650 1024/2815 mb I think on this board - I would guess that the 1024/2815 might be 2 cards run in SLI mode - but that's just a guess. I'm a bit perplexed by the number myself - but 4650 technology has limits regardless of the Memory it has.
* HD3200

My 9800 GTX+ video card technology comes in 512 mb / and 1GB models. The actual performance in most games is not noticable between the two but the price diff might be $10.00 between the two versions. Some of the newer cards come in 1GB and 2 GB versions - but the 2GB is unnoticable with current games.

Look at Graphics Card technology first and foremost - and the memory is a distant second in what card you would consider - after you've chosen the GPU technology you want to buy for your needs.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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lelle said:
Does that mean any card with 1024 MB that is not a card integrated on the motherboard is a decent gaming graphics card? What do you mean by focusing on the technology? What should I look for there?

EDIT: Oh and another thing;

If I, say theoretically, would build a computer, what kind of performance would I be able to get out of a 600 euro budget if I supply Mouse, keyboard and screen but not operating system? (I want windows 7) would I be able to build a more effective rig for that price if I built it myself? (since I'm not that advanced state it in raw performance facts like GHZ, number of processor cores, amount of ram, video ram, etc)
Click to expand...

if you buy the parts and build yourself, your computer will be considerably better than anything you posted up. Otherwise, definetely go with what Daisy said, preferably the one with the core i-7 processor and GTS240 card.
 
For up to €900 the cheapest and best thing to do is to build a PC of your own, choosing your own hardware parts
 
So lets say I have decided to build a computer on my own. My budget is 600-700 Euro. I got keyboard, mouse and screen, but I need the computer and an operating system (Windows 7).

Where do I start? How do I know what parts go together etc? How do I know what the best things I can get for my money are?
 
lelle said:
So lets say I have decided to build a computer on my own. My budget is 600-700 Euro. I got keyboard, mouse and screen, but I need the computer and an operating system (Windows 7).

Where do I start? How do I know what parts go together etc? How do I know what the best things I can get for my money are?
Click to expand...

Start with your budget - you have that

Next decide the general application of your build. Are you looking for a General use PC - do you have specific uses that are demanding like video rendering / editing - Photoshop - Gaming - and prioritize your build priorities - and back that budget into parts.

I'd start in this order of choosing parts

CPU - Intel or AMD < Intel core i series technology is a bit ahead of AMD Phenom II cpu but you pay a premium for it. Dollar for Dollar - you get about what you pay for in terms of performance >. Quad core makes alot of sense for a new build with some longevity - unless you're trying to eek out a Gaming PC - and want to spend on a high end Video card and shave some on the CPU.
Motherboard - Your CPU choice will determine what Motehrboards you can choose from. You must match the CPU socket to MOBO socket. And your RAM will be matched to your MOBO. i.e. a DDR3 Motherboard can not take DDR2 RAM. ASUS / and Gigabyte are 2 reliable brands - I think MSI has a good reputation too.

Look at the pictures online of MOBO to get familiar with layout / features / read the 2 sites I listed above til you feel comfortable in your knowledge. Higher priced MOBO's will generally have more features - better heat dissipation - more pciex16 slots - better BIOS features for overclocking.

Do you need a Video card for gaming - or are you buildign a general user - and want to save money by getting onboard GPU < doesn't cost much more than without onboard video GPU >

GPU < video card > if you want modern gaming - Video Card is a must - if you don't think you'll ever game or use multiple monitors - you can get by with an Onboard Video card on your motherboard and save $$
Case - Air Flow is priority for Gaming PC's
Power Supply -
HDD - Seagate / Western Digital good brands to start with
O/S - Windows 7 Home Premium OEM works for most.
CD / DVD Drive With the Exception of Plextar - I see these as a commodity and pick one that's cheap and has good reviews. Get a SATA model rather than IDE

Do a little research on parts - this site is good - but I also like TomsHardware.com and techreport.com. Toms Hardware has some great articles easily searchable via tabs - and part. Lots of Benchmarks and comparisons for various tasks and games to compare. Read as much as you can - and you'll start to get an idea of price / performance.

When you think you're getting an idea of what you think you want - log onto newegg.com - or some other online retailer and build a PC with parts you think would work - and post em here for opinions. i.e. Would this system work for a Gaming build - or should I spend more money on this part or that part for my intended use. I want a gaming PC - but I'd like to do some photo editing - you get the drift.

I was planning on researching for my first build from scratch about 6 months - but after about about a month of online research and reading forums like this - I figured out what I wanted to build. It's more than I needed - but I'll get alot of life out of it. and it handles everything I throw at it - with room to grow for things like HD video rendering that I was tinkering with over the weekend for the first time.

Taking time lets you get some killer deals on parts too - sign up for online retailer weekly e-blasts for coupons and discount prices on parts. I bought parts as they went on sale - and couldn't replace a single part on my PC at the price I paid - except for the CPU.
 
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If you really want to build a kick ass system to play crysis, one i would suggest continue to saving your money though it may sound painful as it is but if you are really set on running mass effect 2 and crysis on high settings that would be the right thing to do (No need to rush getting a computer). Number 2, continue to stay on this forum and learn to navigate and begin your own research and try to learn as much as you can on here before making a purchase. Dont get caught up into the techincal/jargon unless you are willing to learn. Number 3, never hesitate to ask about anything. The computers that you listed will not meet your needs for maximum gaming. Nothing hurts more than buying a computer and you cant really do anything with it due to the lack of research. Thats my take...
 
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