Budget Gaming On The Cheap

[Guest]

Ive been looking through these boards and trying to figure out what kind of desktop i would need to run Starcraft 2 on like a 22 inch monitor at mid-high settings.

I keep seeing computers spec'd at 1,000-2,000 USD which seems quite high. I built my current desktop but that was back in the days of pentium II...

Is it unreasonable for me to just buy a budget business pc that has a decent processor (from my research AMD Athalon X2 (or x3) and intel I3 seem good) and just splurge on the graphics card. This is what I would have done 5 years ago.

will the computer massively overheat or something if i buy a fancy graphics card and put it into a low-mid range desktop.

here is an example of one i might choose:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5688200&CatId=1889

systemax AMD Dual Core Desktop PC - AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.8GHz, 2GB DDR2, 500GB HDD, 22X DVDRW, 9-in-1 Media Reader, HDMI, No Operating System, Refurbished



Also, can someone explain to me what theall of the different numbers after Athlon mean.... im just guessing that it goes X1-X4 (worst to best) but I may be way off.

Thanks for your help. Appreciated.

 

[Lmeow]

Is it unreasonable for me to just buy a budget business pc that has a decent processor (from my research AMD Athalon X2 (or x3) and intel I3 seem good) and just splurge on the graphics card. This is what I would have done 5 years ago.

If it's just mean for office work a Core i3 or Athlon II would work fine. For a bit of gaming a discrete graphics card would be required.

will the computer massively overheat or something if i buy a fancy graphics card and put it into a low-mid range desktop.

No, a more powerful card may produce a bit more heat and depending on its cooler design it may release more hot air into the case. However, these temperature increases are mainly negligible, a few degrees Celsius at most. The stock power supply that the computer comes with may not be enough for a more powerful graphics card or discrete card.

Also, can someone explain to me what theall of the different numbers after Athlon mean.... im just guessing that it goes X1-X4 (worst to best) but I may be way off.

The X'n' means how many cores it has. A X2 processor has two cores, X3 three, X4 four etc. The II means its the second generation of Athlons. In reality, Athlon II CPUs are just Phenom II CPUs with disabled or no L3 cache, and with the Athlon II X2 and II X3, disabled cores as well. The Athlon II X2 is a true dual core though.

 

[digvijaysingh]

Your configeration is okay. but add graphic card i.e. MSI R 5770 for decent gaming with PSU of 500 watt in the cabinet.

 

[damasvara]

Athlon II X2 means it has 2 cores, a dual core. As for X3 and X4 means 3 and 4 cores. So the numbers basically represent the number of cores on the CPU.

There are opinions from experienced members here about more cores are better to play latest games. That would mean you'll need an X3 or X4 to be on the safe side. I myself am using an Athlon II X2 240 2.8GHz, just like the one you have in mind

About the CPU and GPU combo, just try to balance it so that it won't bottleneck the other component. An expensive GPU paired with a low budget CPU is usually not a wise combination. It would be a different story if you OC the CPU though, but that would be out of the topic.

If you're going to get the dual core Athlon, make sure to get a mid-level GPU to pair it with. Something like the HD5670 ar maybe the better HD5770, the reviews tell that they match each other just fine. Maybe someone experienced with the GPU can fill you in on this one, since I haven't got the chance to buy a discrete GPU myself

Good luck!