Buying a gaming computer

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woody599

New Member
Hey guys. I'm not the best with computers so i don't think i'd risk building one myself, i'd probably miss something out or buy the wrong component knowing me. :rolleyes:

Well my limit is about £600ish (around $1000-$1100) and i'd probably prefer buying the base unit all together ready to play from a website. But i don't really know where to look for the best prices, and i'm not even sure what specs i want.

I know i'd want 2gigs of RAM, probably a AMD processor and a good graphics card etc..

Could you guys help me out and see what you can come up with. Basically, could you just post links to computers that you would buy PURELY FOR GAMING (play the latest games smooth)if you had $1000~ to spend.

Thanks! :D
 
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1. Build your own, you wont mess up becuase we are here to help. :D

2. You want in an Intel Core 2 Duo, not an AMD.

3. I am assuming you dont live in the US. I do not know any pre built sites that ship to the UK or what ever.

Just to get a clue, take a look at these sites:

www.ibuypower.com

www.cyberpowerpc.com
 
Before giving up on building your own computer, atleast open your tower up and read some of the build your own 101 threads. Once you figure out all the parts in your tower, it's not really that hard. Or atleast not as hard as people make it out to be.

You could always take your tower apart and put it back together lol.
 
Firstly, you can't buy computers, pre-built, for £600, that excel at gaming. This will be the best you can get pre-built.

So, building your own looks like the best option. You will need an OS; XP Home will set you back £56.62.

So, we're working with a budget of £540... ..and Core 2 Duos are NOT an option for those on a budget like this.

CPU: AM2 Athlon 64 3000 - £48.05
MOBO: ASUS M2N4-SLI NF4 SLI - £62.85
Memory: 2Gb (2X1Gb) CorsairTwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC6400 - £180.94
Hard Drive: 250 Gb Samsung - 51.18
GPU: 512MB Connect3D X1650 Pro - £80.28
Case: Coolermaster Cavalier 3 Black - £44.64
PSU: 485W Enermax Noisetaker - £58.15
CD Drive: Samsung SH-S182DB DVD/RW - £19.14

Altogther, with OS, £601.85, before P&P, and is MUCH better than that I linked to at the start. The motherboard is dual-core compatible, so some time in the future you can upgrade to a dual-core CPU.
 
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CPU: AM2 Athlon 64 3000 - £48.05
MOBO: ASUS M2N4-SLI NF4 SLI - £62.85
Memory: 2Gb (2X1Gb) CorsairTwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC6400 - £180.94
Hard Drive: 250 Gb Samsung - 51.18
GPU: 512MB Connect3D X1650 Pro - £80.28
Case: Coolermaster Cavalier 3 Black - £44.64
PSU: 485W Enermax Noisetaker - £58.15
CD Drive: Samsung SH-S182DB DVD/RW - £19.14
Click to expand...

For some reason I think he can do better.

In Computer Specs 101 the $900 gaming build had a X2 4200+ when it was priced at $300+. I am sure he could fit in a low end C2D and 2GB of RAM.
 
Thanks for the replies up to now guys. I guess i should build my own if it can save me that much money.

Are these the only components i need to purchase to build a computer?

CPU
MOBO
Memory
Hard Drive
GPU
Case
PSU
CD Drive

If so, well.. that doesn't sound too hard. It's just making sure everything is compatible with each other is what confuses me. It would be a nightmare if things didn't fit with each other.

In terms of the hard drive, i don't need tons of space. I've found that on this computer (80GB) there has been sufficient space for me. So around a 120GB hard drive would be enough for me if that helps lower the price.

I've heard alot about dual processors and they sound really nice, i wouldn't mind stretching to about £700 to get a decent one. I've even heard about dual graphics cards.. but that sounds pricey.
 
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The cheapest Core 2 Duo is £117 (seeing how your budget has risen), and is MUCH, MUCH better than the current Athlon's. A LOT better.

The problem is I cant find SLI or Crossfire motherboards. Which doesnt really matter to be honest.
 
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woody599 said:
Thanks for the replies up to now guys. I guess i should build my own if it can save me that much money.

Are these the only components i need to purchase to build a computer?

CPU
MOBO
Memory
Hard Drive
GPU
Case
PSU
CD Drive

If so, well.. that doesn't sound too hard. It's just making sure everything is compatible with each other is what confuses me. It would be a nightmare if things didn't fit with each other.

In terms of the hard drive, i don't need tons of space. I've found that on this computer (80GB) there has been sufficient space for me. So around a 120GB hard drive would be enough for me if that helps lower the price.

I've heard alot about dual processors and they sound really nice, i wouldn't mind stretching to about £700 to get a decent one. I've even heard about dual graphics cards.. but that sounds pricey.
Click to expand...

I think you should stick with single solutions, although you might find a nice x2 within your budget. A dual graphics configuration is probably out of budget, but you could afford a decent single card.
 
Hmm.. so it seems the best i can see at the moment is what thealmightyone suggested but perhaps with a dual processor.

CPU: AM2 Athlon 64 3000 - £48.05 - Maybe replace with dual processor
MOBO: ASUS M2N4-SLI NF4 SLI - £62.85
Memory: 2Gb (2X1Gb) CorsairTwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC6400 - £180.94
Hard Drive: 250 Gb Samsung - 51.18
GPU: 512MB Connect3D X1650 Pro - £80.28
Case: Coolermaster Cavalier 3 Black - £44.64
PSU: 485W Enermax Noisetaker - £58.15
CD Drive: Samsung SH-S182DB DVD/RW - £19.14

Would something like this be good enough to play the latest games such as Oblivion on highest (or almost) settings? Is the gfx card good enough? Do you guys think i should get the dual processor or perhaps tweak other areas?

Cheers
 
woody599 said:
Hmm.. so it seems the best i can see at the moment is what thealmightyone suggested but perhaps with a dual processor.

CPU: AM2 Athlon 64 3000 - £48.05 - Maybe replace with dual processor
MOBO: ASUS M2N4-SLI NF4 SLI - £62.85
Memory: 2Gb (2X1Gb) CorsairTwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC6400 - £180.94
Hard Drive: 250 Gb Samsung - 51.18
GPU: 512MB Connect3D X1650 Pro - £80.28
Case: Coolermaster Cavalier 3 Black - £44.64
PSU: 485W Enermax Noisetaker - £58.15
CD Drive: Samsung SH-S182DB DVD/RW - £19.14

Would something like this be good enough to play the latest games such as Oblivion on highest (or almost) settings? Is the gfx card good enough? Do you guys think i should get the dual processor or perhaps tweak other areas?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Let me see what I can come up with.
 
That graphics card may not play Oblivion on highest settings; I'm not sure. It's definately not going to play future games on highest settings.

And, you want a dual-core? Ok then, I would suggest Core 2 Duo, and a compatible motherboard.
 
Case: NZXT LEXA Tower 400W Case W/ Side-panel Window
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 CPU @ 1.86GHz 1066FSB 2x1MB L2 Cache
Motherboard: Asus P5N-SLI nForce 570 SLI Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1066 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394&7.1Audio
Memory: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Value Select or Major Brand)
Video Card: NEW !!! NVIDIA Geforce 7900 GS 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
Video Card 2: NONE
Monitor & LCD: NONE
Hard Drive: 250GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive
Hard Drive 2: NONE
Optical Drive: SONY DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: SONY 16X DVD-ROM (BLACK COLOR)
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/uk_inf900.asp?v=d

602 Pounds.
 
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monkeysims said:
Case: NZXT LEXA Tower 400W Case W/ Side-panel Window
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 CPU @ 1.86GHz 1066FSB 2x1MB L2 Cache
Motherboard: Asus P5N-SLI nForce 570 SLI Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1066 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394&7.1Audio
Memory: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Value Select or Major Brand)
Video Card: NEW !!! NVIDIA Geforce 7900 GS 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
Video Card 2: NONE
Monitor & LCD: NONE
Hard Drive: 250GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive
Hard Drive 2: NONE
Optical Drive: SONY DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: SONY 16X DVD-ROM (BLACK COLOR)
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/uk_inf900.asp?v=d

602 Pounds.
Click to expand...

Thats not counting XP and I don't trust PSU's that come with such cheap cases.
 
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