Buying a simple computer

J

jamesmorgan

New Member
Hi, i'm buying a new computer and I'm on a pretty low budget, i'm also buying a 22" screen, so i can't buy something too expensive.
I'v found a computer that fits my budget:

Intel core i3 530
2GB 1333 ddr3
gigabyte Geforce 8500gt

Now, I know it ain't much, but I only need it to run:

games like assassin's creed 2, cod mw2, crysis on low/medium.
and games like cod mw or oblivion on high.

My older computer did this things, but he kept shutting down after playing an hour or so. it was a pentium d, 3.00Ghz.

Is the i3 stronger then the pentium d? and will it run this games on those graphics i'v mentioned?

And also, the computer comes with only 300w psu, is that enough?

Thanks:)

Edit: Does the i3 has any chance of shutting down like my pentium d? because that was kind of annoying...
 
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daisymtc said:
300W not enough for further upgrade in future.

Is $610 too expensive for you?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229193

core i3 is a lot faster than pentium D. And the current LGA 1156 will be replaced by LGA 1155 next year.
Click to expand...

I'm buying a screen too, and the 8500gt is from my older computer, so its very cheap... i'm on a really tight budget:(... Do you think it will handle the games without problems? And about the psu, maybe i'll upgrade it later, but will it be enough for now?
 
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What is your existing set-up? You could upgrade the existing.
If you looking for gaming PC, first thing to do is get a good video card before upgrading CPU.
And what budget have you got?
 
daisymtc said:
What is your existing set-up? You could upgrade the existing.
If you looking for gaming PC, first thing to do is get a good video card before upgrading CPU.
And what budget have you got?
Click to expand...
I bought my computer about 5-6 years ago, so I don't think i can upgrade it, because is parts are ancient now... I actually gave it to my brother, i'm using my laptop now. i just want a simple computer that with addition to surfing the net and watching movies, will be able to play my favorite games, even if on low graphics... I'm not really a gamer, i just play once in a while... my older computer actually did all i wanted, but it kept shutting down, so i want to replace him. I played crysis on low/medium with my older computer, but games like assassin's creed 2, and mw2 work on low/medium but keep shutting the computer down! Will the i3 handle them without problems?

Edit: I know i sound kind of noob... I just lost my 'passion' for computers recently lol
 
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BIOSTAR A770E3 + AMD Athlon II X3 440
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.478082

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP + Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.466038

SILVERSTONE PS05-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower + Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437504.11-163-168

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148194

PowerColor AX4670 1GBK3-PH Radeon HD 4670 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131179

Sony Optiarc Black SATA CD/DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039

Acer G215HAbd Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1(ACM)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009264

$599, exclude shipping and MIR
 
daisymtc said:
BIOSTAR A770E3 + AMD Athlon II X3 440
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.478082

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP + Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.466038

SILVERSTONE PS05-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower + Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437504.11-163-168

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148194

PowerColor AX4670 1GBK3-PH Radeon HD 4670 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131179

Sony Optiarc Black SATA CD/DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039

Acer G215HAbd Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1(ACM)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009264

$599, exclude shipping and MIR
Click to expand...

Wow man, thanks! Thats great!
But listen, I don't really know the AMD CPU's that well, is this processor strong like the i5? Thanks again!
 
Not quite, but there's not a huge difference and it'll definitely be powerful enough, while still allowing enough money for that video card.
 
Drenlin said:
Not quite, but there's not a huge difference and it'll definitely be powerful enough, while still allowing enough money for that video card.
Click to expand...
More powerfull then the i3-530?
Edit:
What about this computer (will it run the games i'v mentioned):
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115222
Mother Board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121421
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145246
Hard Disk: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104953
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134088
DVD/RW: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175
And some random case...
And this screen: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001390

Will it handle simple games on high and new games on low?
 
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Drenlin said:
Nope, but again, it's less expensive as well. Look at this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/...=on&prod[4487]=on&prod[4454]=on&prod[4447]=on

That includes the Athlon II 445(only .1GHz difference form the 440) and the i3 530, as well as the quad core Athlon II 635, the dual core i5 661, and the quad core i5 750.

It's well matched with the 4670, I think.
Click to expand...
my previous computer was a pentium d 3.0ghz, with a 8500gt and 1gb of 667mhz ram, and crisis worked on it on low, so does assassin's creed 2, and mw2. they were really playable... Why does the i3, with gt 240 and 2gb of 1333mhz can't do it?

Edit: At first I thought of buying this:
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
Mother Board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128405
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145246
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150322

A nice looking case with 400w PSU and all the rest regular stuff...
But then i decided i want a screen too.
 
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It can, but you can't afford it. There's no operating system in your build...Windows will be another $100.

You also didn't mention that you were Canadian, or that you could go $40 over budget...both of those make a big diference. :/
 
Drenlin said:
It can, but you can't afford it. There's no operating system in your build...Windows will be another $100.

You also didn't mention that you were Canadian, or that you could go $40 over budget...both of those make a big diference. :/
Click to expand...

The operating system is not a problem, i'll just use my old computer's window 7...
I also have a win xp that came with my older computer (I bought win 7 last year.)

I'm actually not Canadian.

I'm just not familiar with AMD, so i don't know if to get it...

Do you think the i3 with gt 240 can run the games i'v mentioned?
Thanks for the help:)

Edit: When you said nope i thought you were referring to the question "will it run the games?" did you refer to "Is it more powerful then the i3?"
 
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Why did you post links to newegg.ca, then? :confused:

AMD really is the best choice for budget systems right now. The equivalent AMD processor by price is the Athlon II x4 640, which while still technically a bit less powerful, should do better in multithreaded games. Thing is, though, it's still $10 less, and AMD motherboards are typically cheaper as well. That frees up space for a better GPU.

The other thing is that Intel is going to kill the socket that the i3 and i5 are on next year, so no upgrades will be possible. On the other hand, the new AMD processors will supposedly be backwards-compatible with the current AM3 boards, and besides that, you can still upgrade to a 6-core...those are out now.

So you don't need an OS, can buy from the US site, and can go a bit over budget if need be?
 
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Drenlin said:
Why did you post links to newegg.ca, then? :confused:

AMD really is the best choice for budget systems right now. The equivalent AMD processor by price is the Athlon II x4 640, which while still technically a bit less powerful, should do better in multithreaded games. Thing is, though, it's still $10 less, and AMD motherboards are typically cheaper as well. That frees up space for a better GPU.

The other thing is that Intel is going to kill the socket that the i3 and i5 are on next year, so no upgrades will be possible. On the other hand, the new AMD processors will supposedly be backwards-compatible with the current AM3 boards, and if they aren't you can still upgrade to a 6-core.

So you don't need an OS, can buy from the US site, and can go a bit over budget if need be?
Click to expand...

Oops, sorry, lol. i didn't notice the ".ca", it's the first time i visited newegg ...
I'll edit it.
And you're probably right, i'll get the AMD.
One thing though, my previous pentium d kept shutting down under pressure, the AMD won't do it?

Edit: Wow, the ".com" is a lot cheaper! thanks
 
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It was either overheating, or overloading the power supply. Being a Pentium D, it was probably overheating...those are terrible about producing heat.

However, it's important to get a good quality power supply to avoid the latter problem. Most cheaper ones don't produce anywhere near what they're rated for. We can help you find a good one, though. (that 400W FSP wasn't going to cut it...)

Another thing, when are you planning to order? Newegg has a TON of combos, discounts, and special prices, but they often only last for a few days at a time...sometimes only a single day, or in that case of the shell shocker, only a few hours. The best thing to do is spend an hour or two just before you order to find the best prices on everything. If you're planning on waiting a while, we can give you a rough estimate on what the build should look like, but if you're ordering now, we can also give you an extremely optimized build for the price.

One thing I would suggest is signing up for Newegg's promotional emails. You can only use the promos if you subscribe, and they have some crazy deals from time to time. After rebates, I got a ~$120 PSU for $40, a $140 motherboard for $85, and a $60 case for $30.
 
Drenlin said:
It was either overheating, or overloading the power supply. Being a Pentium D, it was probably overheating...those are terrible about producing heat.

However, it's important to get a good quality power supply to avoid the latter problem. Most cheaper ones don't produce anywhere near what they're rated for. We can help you find a good one, though. (that 400W FSP wasn't going to cut it...)

Another thing, when are you planning to order? Newegg has a TON of combos, discounts, and special prices, but they often only last for a few days at a time...sometimes only a single day, or in that case of the shell shocker, only a few hours. The best thing to do is spend an hour or two just before you order to find the best prices on everything. If you're planning on waiting a while, we can give you a rough estimate on what the build should look like, but if you're ordering now, we can also give you an extremely optimized build for the price.

One thing I would suggest is signing up for Newegg's promotional emails. You can only use the promos if you subscribe, and they have some crazy deals from time to time. After rebates, I got a ~$120 PSU for $40, a $140 motherboard for $85, and a $60 case for $30.
Click to expand...

I don't know... I'm doing fine with my laptop for now. It'll either be this week or sometime this or next month... Meanwhile i'll try to find the best deal. Do you think Newegg has the best offers?
And, will a 500w PSU be enough?

Thanks again for your help:)
 
500W should be good for most any application.

Newegg typically has the best offers, but there are a few other good sites as well, such as Directron, SVC, Zipzoomfly, and frozencpu. There's also a few non-computer-specific sites like Amazon.com, Buy.com, and Overstock.com that occasionally have good deals.

I'll put together a rough build real quick to give you an idea...
 
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