PC Gaming Requirements??

[disturbed360900]

Hello,
i am planning on buying a HP Pavilion G5410uk Desktop PC, it is: General Information
Processor Dual Core Intel Pentium E5800 (3.2GHz, 800Mhz, 2 MB L2 cache)
Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
RAM 4 GB
Graphics card Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD (up to 1.26 GB)
Hard drive 1 TB 7200 rpm
Optical disk drive DVD Writer
Memory card reader 6-in-1 memory card reader
USB 6 USB 2.0 ports
Modem/Ethernet Ethernet 10/100BT integrated network interface
Video interface VGA
Audio interface 1 audio line out; 2 analogue audio out
Expansion card slot 1 PCI
2 PCI-Express
Keyboard & Mouse USB Optical Mouse, USB Keyboard
Software included This PC is optimized for Microsoft® Office 2010. Purchase a
Product Key Card or Disc to activate full-featured Office software preloaded on this PC. HP Power Assistant; Windows Live Essentials; HP Link Up; Cyberlink DVDSuite; HP Music Station; HP Games Console; Norton Online Backup (30-day trial); EasyBits Magic Desktop; Microsoft Internet Explorer; Adobe Reader; Adobe Flash Player; Skype Windows Media Center
Size 169 x 426 x 377 mm (L x W x D)
Weight 9.53 kg

i was hoping that someone would be able to let me know if these specs would be high enough to be able to play RPG games such as dragon age, oblivion and upcoming Skyrim.

if not then what is the problem with this tower and how could enable myself to play these types of games without spending huge amounts of money.

 

[Gothams Finest]

Hello,

You will need a new graphics card.

A dual core CPU may also struggle a little bit on those games but the main issue is the graphics card. What is your budget?

 

[disturbed360900]

my budget is rather low im afraid, the tower will cost me £330 which i believe is quite good, then got some speakers to buy. So all in all not a lot. what are the prices for the sort of graphic cards for them sort of games?

If you didn't realise already i'm very new to all of this stuff.

would i be able to buy a graphics card separate as install it myself or have it installed?

 

[Gothams Finest]

Yeah you can buy a graphics card separate and easily fit it yourself, they are very very easy to install, probably the easiest part to install on a computer.

You would be better off saving the money for your speakers and put it towards a graphics card, games don't need speakers to run but do need a graphics card, I know its not ideal but at least you can play games and use some cheap headphones while you save up.

I don't mean to sound rude but it would be easier for you to say a rough budget before I can suggest any cards.

 

[disturbed360900]

ah ok then and i have a few head phones so your right about the speakers not being essential.
Erm well i do not know really. i have no idea the price range for graphics cards. Nothings over £100. But even that's pushing it. i have a feeling im going to need to save up to get a decent i'm arnt i? lol

 

[Gothams Finest]

A GTX 460 is the best graphics card for around £100, but ofcourse the more you can save the better parts you can get.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-evga-gtx-460-superclocked-3800mhz-gddr5-gpu-763mhz-shader-clock-1526mhz-336-cores-2x-dl-dvi-i-mi

Also I forgot to ask, what power supply does the computer that you are planning on buying come with?

 

[disturbed360900]

im sorry, power supply?

 

[Gothams Finest]

Yes what power supply does that computer come with?

 

[disturbed360900]

i feel as if i'm being a complete idiot but i thought you just like plug it into a socket? i don't seem to be able to find any information about a power supply?

(link to tower) http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-g5410uk-desktop-pc-10452256-pdt.html

 

[Gothams Finest]

I really can't recommend that computer it really isn't good value for money. The computer plus a GTX 460 comes to £460. For £525 you could have something so much better like this which includeds a GTX 460 and a much better/faster CPU. It also come with better case, better PSU, better memory

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-210-OK&groupid=43&catid=2040&subcat=

 

[Gothams Finest]

It doesnt come with Windows but it is a much better computer for your money.

If you can't stretch that far, then the HP from PC world and a GTX 460 will manage the games but it would worth saving for just a while longer.

 

[disturbed360900]

hmmm ill save for now and look into getting the one you put a link to.
the graphic cards that are listed, will they all be able to handle big RPG games or just the GTX 460 ???

 

[Gothams Finest]

The 6770 will be fine too

 

[disturbed360900]

ok then, thanks mate you been a great help.
i'm going to wait until after Christmas so i can save up and get the titan krypt. reading the reviews and its nothing but praise.
one last thing though, is the site safe and secure? (overclockersuk)

 

[Gothams Finest]

No worries mate, glad to help.

I've never bought a pre built computer from overclockers uk but I have bought parts from them and have had no problems at all. You can pay with paypal aswell if you use it, so its safe and secure.

 

[gwarriornoob]

If you go for an AMD chip (rather than intel) a 4core at 3.2ghz should run the games well and save you about £100 over the Intel. Scour site such as ebuyer.com and dabs.com. For my rig I picked up an ATI 5850 ddr5 1gb for £180 (sapphire) when the similar spec cards were all in the £250 price bracket.

If budget is an issue I really would look at building it yourself rather than buying from PCWorld or the like - that will save you another 10-20% easily and it really is quite simple to do as most components slot in (and this forum is great for help too!)

I had a quick look and for similar money mentioned (300-400 + monitor/windows software) you can get the following:

{Disclaimer - This was literally a 5 minutes check for components - before you buy everything make sure that a) all products are compatible - e.g. the mother board is for the Intel/AMD chip you buy and can connect to the other components - the RAM is the right type - the PSU has enough power to run the machine - all products can fit inside the dimensions of the tower}

PSU:
http://www.ebuyer.com/124927-arctic-power-700w-psu-4x-sata-1x-pci-express-p2-arctic-700td
£43.98
(You may not need 700w - but any lower than 500w would be pushing the limits. Bear in mind this option means you can upgrade components as you need to, so for an extra £10 today, saves you another £50 later down the line. You may also save cash by buying the PSU and case together)

CPU:
http://www.ebuyer.com/190673-amd-phenom-ii-x4-955-black-edition-socket-am3-3-2-ghz-6mb-hdz955fbgmbox
£91.52
(Black Edition means you can easily 'overclock' it (speed it up!) if you want a bit more performance later in life - but don't worry about it for now!)

I think this one would do the job: http://www.dabs.com/products/amd-phenom-ii-x2-555-3-2ghz-black-edition-socket-am3-6mb-80w-6NCH.html?refs=4294946173 at £66.50 (3.2ghz dual core) but this is pretty much the lowest spec for today's games, so in 6 months time you would find games only worked on their lowest resolutions, were a bit sluggish.

RAM:
http://www.ebuyer.com/173122-corsair-4gb-2x2gb-ddr3-1600mhz-pc3-12800-xms3-i5-memory-kit-cl9-9-9-9-24-1-65v-cmx4gx3m2a1600c9
£24.58
(A steal at £24.58)

Monitor:
http://www.dabs.com/products/philips-v-line-18-5--led-monitor---dvi-vga-5ms-built-in-speakers-7NQ3.html
£80.00
Nice size, HD, built-in speakers

Motherboard:
http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-am3--amd-760g---sb710-ddr3-atx-7JG3.html
£38.46
(Great budget board, works with the Phenom II chip - just make sure the RAM is also supported)

Graphics:
Check this out!
http://www.dabs.com/products/gigabyte-ati-radeon-6850-820mhz-1gb-pci-e-hdmi-oc-windforce-2x-7QM3.html?refs=55570000
£120 - amazing for the spec and a free game to boot!

Tower:
http://www.dabs.com/products/best-value-ezcool-h620-case-with-window--no-psu--7QZN.html
£27.99
(It's just a box! Just check a) if you need any extra fans for cooling - an extra £5-£10 if you do and b) the graphics and components will fit in (read all of the component and tower dimensions/size info - some of the GPU cards can be quite bulky))

Hard Drive:
http://www.dabs.com/products/seagate-1tb-barracuda-sata-600-7200rpm-32mb-7C63.html?refs=52780000
£79.99
(1TB HDD, pretty good spec. If it is purely for gaming (not music or videos/films etc) you could get away with one at 320gb and save £15:http://www.dabs.com/products/western-digital-caviar-blue-320gb-s300-8mb-7200rpm-3-5--4H9D.html?refs=56330000-52080000) for the extra money, the 1TB is worth it long-term.

HDMI Cable to plug into Monitor:
http://www.dabs.com/products/cablestogo-2m-velocity-hdmi-digital-video-cable-63NT.html?q=hdmi%20cable
£15

Sound Card:
http://www.dabs.com/products/best-value-5-1-pci-sound-card-via1723-chipset-sc-1723-6LZ8.html
(Dabs.com do a lot of 'value' cards (like Tesco!) won't be the best sound ever but it will do the job nicely-some motherboards already have sound built in so check that too)
£5.80

If you need a mouse and keyboard you can get basic ones for again £5-£10 each

Software:
http://www.dabs.com/products/microsoft-windows-7-professional-with-service-pack-1-64bit-oem--licence-and-media-7GCQ.html?q=windows%207
£108.64
(Windows 7 - use 64 bit to get the most out of your RAM (32bit really only works for 32b) the Home edition is fine. It is always worth checking if you have a copy of this knocking around or you know someone that does)

Grand Total £636 - a bit of savvy shopping* and some time spent on researching components would probably bring that down to £600. I didn't check the link Gothams gave but his graphics card at £100 would save you £20. (On dabs they were £130 so the ATI is a bit cheaper with a free game - I haven't checked the performance of either though so the 460 may still be a better option!)

If you already have a monitor (the link you gave to PC world didn't have one) and / or windows software (Gotham's link didn't include it but the PC World one did). The like-for-like price of a DIY PC is £431 (minus 80 for monitor, 15 for cable and 108 for windows).

The option for the pre-built machine was very good for the money (and windows 7 only £66!) so this isn't to say Gotham was wrong, just that there is another option.

The bonus here is that for similar money as a pre-built one you have the knowledge of building the system and so can upgrade bits as you go along, as games require more memory/faster speeds better graphics you will need to upgrade the system to keep up. You may spend an extra £50 today, but you are saving hundreds over the next few years - in 2 years the pre-built PC's would be close to obsolete - by upgrading components as you go along and as you require/can afford them, you can get 5 years use for the same sort of money, or 2 years use and still have a PC you can use with the newest games/tech.


It is actually VERY easy to build your own PC - components slot into pre-determined slots and cables are all unique. The key is making sure all the components work with each other before you buy. I stress again if you go down this road DO NOT take these recommendations as standard - do some research and ask experts here to confirm all products mesh!


Good luck!

*Use google shopping to search the sites: I have brought from all of these with no problems:
ebuyer.com, dabs.com, amazon.co.uk, overclockers.co.uk

They also do random deals and offers which can save you 10% per component - also check out bundles - sometimes you can save an extra few quid by buying stuff together. It help to order from as few sites as possible so you can get free delivery too.

 

[disturbed360900]

wow a lot of info. thanks for the help both of you, you have given me much to think about and consider. i do already have a monitor but only a small ish one. not the greatest but would rather gegt a decent tower first.

thanks again guys

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been moved from the section Video Games to section Systems by Mousemonkey