Good Computer for gameing?

Started by Pikachuie September 10th, 2013 10:10 AM
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  • 21 replies

Pikachuie

Go Seahawks!

Age 24
Male
Vancouver Washington
Seen January 23rd, 2018
Posted February 3rd, 2014
79 posts
9.7 Years
So i'm moving and i have to get a computer but i dont know my price range so i've picked 2 laptops and 1 desktop to see the ones that are good and then i can tell my mom that these ar ethe ones that i've benn eye balling :3

Laptops:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+15.6%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Lime+Green/9230107.p?id=1219007769624&skuId=9230107
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Aspire+15.6%22+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive/1659834.p?id=1219058820058&skuId=1659834&st=Acer%20laptop&cp=1&lp=5

Desktop:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gamer+Ultra+Desktop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive/9177183.p?id=1218994543715&skuId=9177183&st=desktops&cp=1&lp=2
PUMA
"we do have a lot in common the same earth,the same air,same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, .....Well who knows?"
PC build:

Tsutarja

Age 28
he / him
Florida
Seen 4 Hours Ago
Posted 13 Hours Ago
27,327 posts
13.2 Years
Just an fyi, the links 404. If you can, please fix those so we can see what you're looking at. :)

Pikachuie

Go Seahawks!

Age 24
Male
Vancouver Washington
Seen January 23rd, 2018
Posted February 3rd, 2014
79 posts
9.7 Years
Just an fyi, the links 404. If you can, please fix those so we can see what you're looking at. :)
I fixed them :3 tell me if they broke again
PUMA
"we do have a lot in common the same earth,the same air,same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, .....Well who knows?"
PC build:

Tsutarja

Age 28
he / him
Florida
Seen 4 Hours Ago
Posted 13 Hours Ago
27,327 posts
13.2 Years
I would go for the desktop if I were you.. it has a much faster processor than both the laptops and I would certainly recommend expanding its RAM up beyond the 4GB that comes with it as well, and try looking into getting an external GPU (graphics card) if you plan to game. Or if you can, try building your own machine, which might be out of your price range for, but it's better to build your own than to buy manufactured.

New Eden

Ascension to heaven

Age 29
Female
My Nevereverland
Seen September 20th, 2014
Posted September 13th, 2014
406 posts
9.9 Years
Desktop > Laptop 1 > Laptop 2.

The desktop is probably the most destitute thing I'd recommend for anyone. It'll certainly play games on medium with 30fps. I'd suggest maybe expanding the memory though, which is pretty cheap. A lot of people suggest building yourself, but I honestly only recommend it if your knowledge in computers is more than the average consumer.

Pikachuie

Go Seahawks!

Age 24
Male
Vancouver Washington
Seen January 23rd, 2018
Posted February 3rd, 2014
79 posts
9.7 Years
So I need to but some RAM and a GPU not to bad, does it need like a special type of RAM and GPU? I never have done anything to a computer :S

Is this a good RAM card thingy?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Ballistix+Sport+2GB+DDR3+SDRAM+Memory+Module/1306159768.p?id=mp1306159768&skuId=1306159768&st=DDR3%20SDRAM&cp=5&lp=11
PUMA
"we do have a lot in common the same earth,the same air,same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, .....Well who knows?"
PC build:

Legendary Silke

You like dragons?

Seen December 23rd, 2021
Posted April 22nd, 2020
5,925 posts
12.5 Years
Before I even begin suggesting anything, I'd like to know what you play now and what you would like to play in the near future. Getting a system that is either not up to snuff or is overkill seems wasteful.

Remember that even modern Intel integrated is usable for lowest settings for pretty much everything :)

Pikachuie

Go Seahawks!

Age 24
Male
Vancouver Washington
Seen January 23rd, 2018
Posted February 3rd, 2014
79 posts
9.7 Years
Well theres Minecraft,Zoo tycoon 2, Garry's mod,maybe Sims 3,and spore maybe more games later on but thats all I have that i cant really run on my old laptop.
PUMA
"we do have a lot in common the same earth,the same air,same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, .....Well who knows?"
PC build:

Legendary Silke

You like dragons?

Seen December 23rd, 2021
Posted April 22nd, 2020
5,925 posts
12.5 Years
The games you play rely way more on the CPU, especially The Sims 3! You're way better off with the Asus. A Celeron or any AMD won't cut it.

I would suggest that you find a deal for a Core i5 or better processor, especially something from the Haswell generation. Remember that even the best SLI rig won't do jack to Sims 3 if the CPU performance is poor - sure, you'll get 60 frames per second, but do you want Ultra speed that is more like 1x speed?

Pikachuie

Go Seahawks!

Age 24
Male
Vancouver Washington
Seen January 23rd, 2018
Posted February 3rd, 2014
79 posts
9.7 Years
As long as sims 3 dont just lag the crap out.
PUMA
"we do have a lot in common the same earth,the same air,same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, .....Well who knows?"
PC build:
Age 32
Male
United Kingdom
Seen October 28th, 2013
Posted September 23rd, 2013
342 posts
15.6 Years
If you're looking to just buy the computer straight up, then the desktop PC would be fine. The 2 laptops have poor graphics cards so they would not perform well when it comes to gaming performance.
I use AMD and I haven't had problems running games with the 6 core bulldozer series along with my ATI 7700 Series GPU.
The Desktop seems to have a reasonable ATI graphics card along with an AMD APU series processor which are meant to work in conjunction with each other when it comes to graphical processing more so than any standard CPU/RAM configuration.
Of course I would recommend teaching yourself how to build computers so that you can always pick and chose what you want for your PC but with pre-made desktops you're not inclined with much choice. Most of the games you wish to play won't even need anything higher than a dual core CPU. I remember playing many games using just an AMD 6000+ dual core such as DOTA 2, Counter Strike, World of Tanks, Skyrim. Sure the frame rates weren't ridiculously high but the games played fine.
Even if you wish to seek computers with an I5 CPU, most likely you'll just get crappy office PCs with integrated graphics which is not what you want or have to pay more just because you're looking for an I5 in a pre-made gaming computer.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Essentio+Desktop+-+6GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive/1306374703.p?id=mp1306374703&skuId=1306374703

See the difference in price already X_X !

Legendary Silke

You like dragons?

Seen December 23rd, 2021
Posted April 22nd, 2020
5,925 posts
12.5 Years
If you're looking to just buy the a computer straight up, then the desktop PC would be fine. The 2 laptops have poor graphics cards so they would not perform well when it comes to gaming performance.
I use AMD and I haven't had problems running games with the 6 core bulldozer series along with my ATI 7700 Series GPU.
The Desktop seems to have a reasonable ATI graphics card along with an AMD APU series processor which are meant to work in conjunction with each other when it comes to graphical processing more so than any standard CPU/RAM configuration.
Of course I would recommend teaching yourself how to build computers so that you can always pick and chose what you want for your PC but with pre-made desktops you're not inclined with much choice. Most of the games you wish to play won't even need anything higher than a dual core CPU. I remember playing many games using just an AMD 6000+ dual core such as DOTA 2, Counter Strike, World of Tanks, Skyrim. Sure the frame rates weren't ridiculously high but the games played fine.
Even if you wish to seek computers with an I5 CPU, most likely you'll just get crappy office PCs with integrated graphics which is not what you want or have to pay more just because you're looking for an I5 in a pre-made gaming computer.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Essentio+Desktop+-+6GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive/1306374703.p?id=mp1306374703&skuId=1306374703

See the difference in price already X_X !
The games you mentioned are in a different type of "resource intrusive". Some games do rely a lot more on CPU grunt than anything else.

Yeah, a proper, pre-built i5 machine is pretty expensive when you think about it...

It's actually kind of hard to suggest a gaming system when it's rather obvious that the games involved run fine on integrated solutions - at least modern ones.

donavannj

Age 32
Male
'cause it get cold like Minnesota
Seen 4 Days Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
22,513 posts
18.2 Years
Considering that the Minimum requirements for The Sims 3 on Windows Vista are just looking for a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 or an equivalent processor, I'd say the dual core that the AMD A6 in that desktop likely is would be adequate, but you'd need to get a dedicated video card to chance avoiding lag on anything above "low". Whichever way you go for a processor, you'll want to get a dedicated graphics card to see a marked improvement in performance because this way the video rendering and the process handling for the game aren't being done through the same processor, which can severely limit performance. For your games you listed, you should be able to find an adequate enough video card for between $50 and $100.

What's your budget limit? To get something that will be almost guaranteed to handle The Sims 3 pretty well, we may have to go over $500.
whoops

Pikachuie

Go Seahawks!

Age 24
Male
Vancouver Washington
Seen January 23rd, 2018
Posted February 3rd, 2014
79 posts
9.7 Years
I really dont know my budget :/ My moms buying the computer, so yeah.... But if it cant run sims3 i dont care that much becuase i have it on ps3 so not much lost there but it would run all the other games with good fps or no? :$
PUMA
"we do have a lot in common the same earth,the same air,same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, .....Well who knows?"
PC build:

donavannj

Age 32
Male
'cause it get cold like Minnesota
Seen 4 Days Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
22,513 posts
18.2 Years
Minecraft could be problematic, but for that you can turn your settings way, way down. You'd still want a dedicated video card, simply so that the video rendering for the game isn't sharing the system's processor with the background simulation and world generation that Minecraft does in the background. Many speed issues with Minecraft can be solved by uninstalling the 32-bit version of Java that your computer will probably come with and then installing the 64-bit version in its place, at least if you have a 64-bit operating system, which the Desktop you linked to looks like it will come with.
whoops

Pikachuie

Go Seahawks!

Age 24
Male
Vancouver Washington
Seen January 23rd, 2018
Posted February 3rd, 2014
79 posts
9.7 Years
Minecraft could be problematic, but for that you can turn your settings way, way down. You'd still want a dedicated video card, simply so that the video rendering for the game isn't sharing the system's processor with the background simulation and world generation that Minecraft does in the background. Many speed issues with Minecraft can be solved by uninstalling the 32-bit version of Java that your computer will probably come with and then installing the 64-bit version in its place, at least if you have a 64-bit operating system, which the Desktop you linked to looks like it will come with.

how much is a video card and is it hard to install?
PUMA
"we do have a lot in common the same earth,the same air,same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, .....Well who knows?"
PC build:

Legendary Silke

You like dragons?

Seen December 23rd, 2021
Posted April 22nd, 2020
5,925 posts
12.5 Years
It depends on the video card you want to install.

Anyway, a desktop system certainly will give you better bang for your buck, so to speak. If you really want to have something optimal, I'd suggest looking into AMD APU solutions and build one such system yourself, or with help.

(A system with an A10 should play pretty much everything out there at 720p, medium settings, so long as the memory is installed in pairs (Trinity and newer APUs need all the bandwidth they can get as their GPUs don't have their own memory.) I've suggested someone else to make a gaming HTPC based on an AMD APU, and it works. Bonus: you dint have to buy a video card that way.)

Excuse me while I build a recommended configuration for you.

If you're able to spend for this set http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1CxyY you pretty much can run everything.
Age 32
Male
United Kingdom
Seen October 28th, 2013
Posted September 23rd, 2013
342 posts
15.6 Years
Video cards will need a certain amount of power from your power supply unit in order to run them.
Most GPUs require a minimum of 500-600 WATT with a power supply cable (if required). The adapter is usually supplied if you don't have one which is simple to install.
They can of course vary in price depending on how powerful you want them so it's best to just shop around and spend at least $100 on a newer series GPU.
There are many websites/videos showing you how to build computers and install new video cards on desktop PCs.
You cannot do very much with laptops, so I would avoid a gaming laptop as they are very expensive and above your budget.

Serene Grace

Pokémon Trainer

Age 28
Male
England
Seen September 25th, 2016
Posted December 31st, 2014
3,424 posts
14.1 Years
Alright bro, I'll break things down for you to make it a little easier. In terms of computers for gaming, the two most important parts in the system that you will want to familiarise yourself with are the processor and graphics card.

Processors
Processors are the brain of the computer and what allows it to rock the tasks set by programs in the computer, including the games you wish to play. Clock speed is a good measure of how a fast a processor is - to an extent. A faster clock speed isn't always the best thing for a computer, due to heating problems that happen when the clock speed is set to high. The amount of cores is also important. For the games you require, a dual core processor with 2.0 GHz per core will more than suffice. A computer isn't a machine you should think about buying for the current times. I recommend future proofing it somewhat buy buying it with at least an Intel Core i3 dual core with a 2.5GHz or higher processor or higher. If you wanted to really get a decent processor - an Intel Core i5 quad core with 3.0GHz per core or faster would suffice. Again, it's up to what you can afford. Of course, AMD's are also a suitable alternative.

Graphics Card
Integrated graphics for gaming are a no-no. Even if your gaming needs don't require a dedicated graphics card, any future games you want to play will more than likely require it. Anything with 1GB or higher is fine. I recommend nVIDIA. It's worth more to spend more on your computer now and save yourself buying extra parts in order to upgrade it.

Other points
Unless you strictly need a laptop, get a desktop. They outclass a laptop in every way for gaming. I decided to purchase an Apple MacBook Pro because I knew I wouldn't game on my laptop. They are better value for money, easy to upgrade and cheaper price per parts (mostly) if you choose to build it yourself.

Get at least 4GB of RAM. 8GB is preferred, but 4GB is fine if you can't afford it.

Get a 64-Bit OS.

Oh, and please don't rush your purchase. Make sure you get everything you need to know in check before buying. Nothing worse that buying a computer that doesn't come in handy for you.

Feel free to leave more information (such as specific budget and other needs) so I can go into more detail for you. Also ask questions on anything you're not clear about.
Friend Code: 2251-6505-9781
Male
Seen May 24th, 2021
Posted May 13th, 2018
56 posts
10.2 Years
While there is some really good advice I'd disagree with quite a few statements.

Processors
[... snip...]
While generally solid advice, for a (pure) gaming device priorities do shift somewhat. Games generally make poor use of more than 2-3 cores. But the OP seems to have heavy budget constraints, and while I am a big fan of Intel's CPUs I think there is much better value for the money with AMD when you are talking about the $50-$150 range.

Some options for budget builds:
Intel G2020 - $67.99 a cheap decent low end CPU that will easily handle most mainstream games.
AMD FX-4100 - $99.99 a cheap powerhouse QuadCore, that should handle mostly any game you will throw at it in the near future.

Graphics Card
[... snip...]
Yes integrated graphics are definite no-no. But, as with Intel, NVIDIA really starts to shine in the high-end sector. There are few NVIDIA cards that can compete with the raw power/price of AMD cards at lower price points. I do agree though that it is probably better to spend a little more money to in order to future-proof the PC.

Suggestion
RadeonHD 7850 - 189.99$ it might seem to be slightly above budget, but it is a great card that will run games for many years to come.

But as Serence Grace mentioned it will be much easier to make specific suggestions once you post a few numbers like your preferred price range and an absolute maximum you are willing to spend.

Generally speaking $450-$500 could net you a quite decent gaming PC with some later upgrade options. $700-$1000 will get you a pretty decent PC that you will probably last you quite a few years and a lot of room for later improvement/upgrades.
Male
Seen January 2nd, 2014
Posted November 28th, 2013
180 posts
11.6 Years
AMD A10-6800K is quite a decent processor and GPU integrated for $150. It's a quad-core at 4.1GHz and is able to play Starcraft 2 at least at 30FPS at 1080p resolutions on medium settings, and no external video card required. You can get a good graphics card later down the road.

8GB of RAM is really all you need, even for high end gaming. More memory does not necessarily mean faster computer. Having more RAM just allows more applications/programs to be open at the same time without slowdowns. You still need enough for your operating system, and 8GB gives plenty of headroom.
Faster speeds of RAM doesn't increase your frames per second in games all that much if you have a stand-alone graphics card (maybe 1-3% difference between DDR3 1333MHz and DDR3 2133MHz for example). If you go for the processor like the one I mentioned above though, it's beneficial. Faster memory in this case means it can handle more graphics at once.

Stay away from "green" hard drives. ALWAYS make sure the hard drive you're getting is a solid 7200RPM at least. Green hard drives, or NAS hard drives run at either 5900RPM, or a variable of 5400-7200RPM; even those variable ones are pretty slow in comparison. As far as size goes... that's completely up to you. The norm is 1TB (terabyte... or roughly 1000 gigabytes), and even then that might be more than enough.

One final point, and this is about manufactured (pre-made) computers. It can be a little difficult to find a decent pre-made budget gaming PC . If you have any friends at all that are computer savvy, ask for their assistance in building your PC. Next, for you, I'll have some price ranges I know of off the top of my head.

- AMD A10-6800K - $150
- Decent motherboard for the processor- ~$80-$100 (ASRock is a decent budget motherboard manufacturer, but AFAIK they can only be found in online stores, otherwise ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI are good)
- DDR3 8GB 1333 RAM - $50-$60
- 500-600W Power Supply - $50-$70 (Antec, Corsair, Thermaltake are good. Coolermaster and Enermax are decent budget power supply manufacturers. The higher wattage you go, the more room you have for higher end graphics cards).
- 1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive - Roughly $60-$90. Choose whichever brand has the best deal, results vary for everyone as far as brand preference so no one is better than the other.
- Windows 7 Home 64-bit OEM - $100. Even if you buy a pre-built system, it's always... ALWAYS a good idea to have an operating system disc on hand if they don't provide you with one (and I don't mean a recovery disc!!). Also there's no good reason to get a 32-bit OS anymore. It's obsolete, and everything runs on 64-bit now.
- OEM 24x CD/DVD drive - $15-$30 - Just buy whichever brand has the best deal.
- Computer case tower - Corsair 200R, or Coolermaster 430 Elite, about $45-$70. I'd just look at those yourself and decide.

With all that, at the highest price range I gave, it's $670 (before tax). Good luck!