Ross
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compaq-cq2930ea-desktop-pc-with-e2050s-20-led-backlit-monitor-17799677-pdt.html
Answer
No, not at all. You're going to need to spend at least £600 to get something that isn't going to be awful at games £1000 is very easily possible but not needed. That PC probably can't even be upgraded. Those cheap HP computers, don't usually even have a PCI Express slot, so you couldn't even put a graphics card in it.
Let me run you through the kind of things to look for, in a gaming PC
First of all The processor. While you don't need anything too powerul here, go for an Intel based system. While the AMD FX systems aren't bad, Intel i3, i5, and i7 simply give better gaming performance. Avoid Celeron, and Pentium dual core processors though, these are piss poor at best.
RAM. Atleast 6gb ddr 3 3 is a must these days, 4GB, isn't really enough anymore, and certainly won't be enough as the next generation of games start to come out. I would recommend 8gb though.
Here's the most imporant part now. The graphics card. Avoid anything that says its integrated, or onboard, etc. Such as Intel HD These are just not suitable for gaming at all, and offer very poor performance in games, infact most games won't work at all
You really have two brands to go for. Nvida Gefoce, and AMD Radeon. I'm not getting in to which is best, that's a can of worms and a debate for fanboys. Instead, I'm going to just explain what to look for.
First of all with the Nvidia Geforce. if you notice all of them have a model number. for example Geforce GTX650ti. How to work this out, is. "GT" is a prefix in front of all the newer ones, X is the higher end gaming cards. This is really what you want to be looking for. Then the number 650 the 6 is the generation. This goes 1 (which were all crap and you don't see them anymore) 2, 4, 5, and 6. This is the generation, they're usually updated yearly here. the higher this first number the newer it is, this doesn't always mean its better than those of a previous generation though, the second number is the most important. These usually go 20 30 40 50 60 70 and so on. You want one that's at least 50 or higher, (at a push you could get away with a 640, but it's not going to be THAT good. Finally "Ti" stands for titanium. These are the higher end models of that series, and better than for example the standard gtx650.
Ideally, I would recommend a geforce GTX650, but you may not get one on your budget
With Radeon cards. Example Radeon HD 7850. These again, the 7 is the generation, 8 is the series (with these this is the most important part) and 50 is a variation (usually 50 or 70, obviously the higher number is a little better). With these cards you want atleast a 7XX, but 8XX would be better.
So with all that said, at your price range, you're not going to get much. PC world is probably the worst place you could get one from. You would be better looking on http://www.meshcomputers.com/ Or finding a small computer shop that will custom build you something. You may have to compromise on certain parts, but even then, you're likely going to be paying around 600 for something that suits your needs.
If this is out of your budget, or more than you're willing to spend, I recommend just getting a Xbox 360, or PS3, it doesn't matter which, they're both good game consoles. Sure they're not as good as a proper gaming pc. But they're a far better gaming system than any PC under £500 or so.
No, not at all. You're going to need to spend at least £600 to get something that isn't going to be awful at games £1000 is very easily possible but not needed. That PC probably can't even be upgraded. Those cheap HP computers, don't usually even have a PCI Express slot, so you couldn't even put a graphics card in it.
Let me run you through the kind of things to look for, in a gaming PC
First of all The processor. While you don't need anything too powerul here, go for an Intel based system. While the AMD FX systems aren't bad, Intel i3, i5, and i7 simply give better gaming performance. Avoid Celeron, and Pentium dual core processors though, these are piss poor at best.
RAM. Atleast 6gb ddr 3 3 is a must these days, 4GB, isn't really enough anymore, and certainly won't be enough as the next generation of games start to come out. I would recommend 8gb though.
Here's the most imporant part now. The graphics card. Avoid anything that says its integrated, or onboard, etc. Such as Intel HD These are just not suitable for gaming at all, and offer very poor performance in games, infact most games won't work at all
You really have two brands to go for. Nvida Gefoce, and AMD Radeon. I'm not getting in to which is best, that's a can of worms and a debate for fanboys. Instead, I'm going to just explain what to look for.
First of all with the Nvidia Geforce. if you notice all of them have a model number. for example Geforce GTX650ti. How to work this out, is. "GT" is a prefix in front of all the newer ones, X is the higher end gaming cards. This is really what you want to be looking for. Then the number 650 the 6 is the generation. This goes 1 (which were all crap and you don't see them anymore) 2, 4, 5, and 6. This is the generation, they're usually updated yearly here. the higher this first number the newer it is, this doesn't always mean its better than those of a previous generation though, the second number is the most important. These usually go 20 30 40 50 60 70 and so on. You want one that's at least 50 or higher, (at a push you could get away with a 640, but it's not going to be THAT good. Finally "Ti" stands for titanium. These are the higher end models of that series, and better than for example the standard gtx650.
Ideally, I would recommend a geforce GTX650, but you may not get one on your budget
With Radeon cards. Example Radeon HD 7850. These again, the 7 is the generation, 8 is the series (with these this is the most important part) and 50 is a variation (usually 50 or 70, obviously the higher number is a little better). With these cards you want atleast a 7XX, but 8XX would be better.
So with all that said, at your price range, you're not going to get much. PC world is probably the worst place you could get one from. You would be better looking on http://www.meshcomputers.com/ Or finding a small computer shop that will custom build you something. You may have to compromise on certain parts, but even then, you're likely going to be paying around 600 for something that suits your needs.
If this is out of your budget, or more than you're willing to spend, I recommend just getting a Xbox 360, or PS3, it doesn't matter which, they're both good game consoles. Sure they're not as good as a proper gaming pc. But they're a far better gaming system than any PC under £500 or so.
Gaming Desktop for around £800?
vernon
I need a new desktop, and have around £800 in vouchers for curry's / PC world. I have been researching it for a while, and gradually getting more and confused! I know what specs i would like and wandered if these were ambitious or i could get better....
Quad core Intel processor, 4GB RAM, High-end graphics cards 1GB?
i already have a monitor and other bits and pieces, just the tower is needed..... some examples and links would be much appreciated thanks
Answer
For building a PC, especially one for gaming, you should shell out a few bucks for "PC Gamer" magazine. Each month in the hardware section in the back of the magazine thereâs a current recommendation for parts to build a system. They give a dream system for those with deep pockets, a medium system that should work for most games, and a budget system for those with limited resources. They also have reviews. The best thing would be to find it at the library where you can look over the back-issues to see the articles and reviews of hardware.
These will give you an idea of what to put in a balanced system.
Remember, too, that if you use a 32 bit operating system, it cannot use more than about 3GB, so no use purchasing 4GB. Get three 1GB sticks. However, if you use a 64 bit operating system, then you can use as much as the motherboard and your budget will allow.
Be sure and use DDR3 memory. It has come down in price and is faster than DDR2.
Consider waiting until Oct. 22nd and purchase a copy of Windows 7 for your operating system when it is released. It will blow away Vista and the outdated XP.
Stick with an i7 or i5 processor, or, at least one that uses the 45nm technology - not the dated 65nm technolgy. A 1GB graphics card may be overkill. It could blow most of your budget. Look for something in 256MB or maybe 512MB.
For building a PC, especially one for gaming, you should shell out a few bucks for "PC Gamer" magazine. Each month in the hardware section in the back of the magazine thereâs a current recommendation for parts to build a system. They give a dream system for those with deep pockets, a medium system that should work for most games, and a budget system for those with limited resources. They also have reviews. The best thing would be to find it at the library where you can look over the back-issues to see the articles and reviews of hardware.
These will give you an idea of what to put in a balanced system.
Remember, too, that if you use a 32 bit operating system, it cannot use more than about 3GB, so no use purchasing 4GB. Get three 1GB sticks. However, if you use a 64 bit operating system, then you can use as much as the motherboard and your budget will allow.
Be sure and use DDR3 memory. It has come down in price and is faster than DDR2.
Consider waiting until Oct. 22nd and purchase a copy of Windows 7 for your operating system when it is released. It will blow away Vista and the outdated XP.
Stick with an i7 or i5 processor, or, at least one that uses the 45nm technology - not the dated 65nm technolgy. A 1GB graphics card may be overkill. It could blow most of your budget. Look for something in 256MB or maybe 512MB.
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