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Would this be a good gaming computer?

Discussion in 'Building a new PC' started by Ph0BoLuS, Jul 7, 2010.

  1. Ph0BoLuS

    Ph0BoLuS Regular member

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    Intel core 2 duo 2.66ghz
    4gb memory
    80gb hard drive, i pulled out my 500gb one
    Windows 7 updated and loaded
    Two dvd burners - sata
    Also has floppy/usb/two card readers on two seperate slots.
    Ati radeon 512mb graphics card
    Tv tuner
    Dvi/hdmi input/ouputs...

    I'm thinking about buying it off craigslist...Will it be able to play CoD: MW2? or TF2?

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. KillerBug

    KillerBug Active member

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    "Ati radeon 512mb graphics card"
    -This is rather generic (there were dozens of card series that would fit that description of various speeds and costs); we know that it is an outdated card by the ram size, but it might be extremely outdated, or it might only be about a year out of date.

    "Tv tuner"
    -Again, very generic termonology here...it might not even have support for digital TV.

    "Dvi/hdmi input/ouputs"
    -This is a lie. While some custom built systems might include HDMI or DVI inputs, it is rare, and the cards to do it are expensive. Since the formats are compatible through converters, you will probably never see a system that has both...and unless it is a digital video box owned by a studio, even having one of them is very rare.

    "80gb hard drive, i pulled out my 500gb one"
    Those old 80GB hard drives are slower than a moped going uphill. Not to mention the fact that windows 7 and a page file will use up about 1/3 of the drive.

    The listing does not give enough info to tell if it will play CODMW2, but I am guessing that it will not play very well, as they probably would have listed part versions if there were any good parts to list.

    If nothing else, avoid this seller because he is a liar. It is one of the most vague listings I have ever read, and he still managed to lie!
     
  3. hooter007

    hooter007 Regular member

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    should check what the minimum requirements "you need" on a computer to play the games you want to play and what ever else you need it for!
    and work it from there
     
  4. Ph0BoLuS

    Ph0BoLuS Regular member

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    Ok, I asked him and the guy never replied. So I just found another one. This one looks pretty good, but my knowledge of graphics cards is very low so i thought i'd ask you guys.

    The specs are as follows: AMD Athlon Dual Core Processor, Asus M4A77TD Pro Motherboard, TX 750W power supply, GeForce 9500 GT Graphics Card, DDR 3x2 2 gig sticks of RAM. The computer is running Windows 7..

    I asked him the memory on the graphics card and he said it was 2gb.
     
  5. DXR88

    DXR88 Regular member

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    GeForce 9500 GT does not have 2GB of memory, it comes in a 256MB/512MB configurations.

    it seems the guy got cheap on both the processor and the GFX, the Athlon line of CPU's are no longer the top performance line, the phenom line is the new performers.

    the exception is the Athlon x2 7750BE, its really a phenom with 2 cores cut out. not top of the line but great performers non the less. all other athlons are no better than intel celerons and i wouldn't give a brown pile of stink a celeron.

    for a GFX card look for something with a 256-bit bus. the 3870's are dirt cheap and a crossfire setup of the two can handle all games to date at around 40 FPS.
     
  6. Ph0BoLuS

    Ph0BoLuS Regular member

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    Found another CL post his description was a bit non specific, but these are the rough specs 3 gigs ram 120 hdd amd 64 2.40 ghz cpu, DL burner, and I asked him about the video card all he said was it was a PNY 64...Searching through newegg i didn't find any hits except for the 64 bits. He's asking for 200, but I'm sure I could probably get it for 100..
     
  7. DXR88

    DXR88 Regular member

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    a PNY video card, my god. i haven't seen one of those since the early 90's.

    What is your budget, i only ask because i know a few good system builders.
     
  8. Ph0BoLuS

    Ph0BoLuS Regular member

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    My cap is probably 300-350, but if I could get a mid-range rig for lower than that'd be great. I don't play that many games on it now, but just buying it for the future (Guild Wars 2)
     
  9. Ph0BoLuS

    Ph0BoLuS Regular member

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    My cap is probably 300-350, but if I could get a mid-range rig for lower than that'd be great. I don't play that many games on it now, but just buying it for the future (Guild Wars 2)
     
  10. DXR88

    DXR88 Regular member

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  11. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    A Phenom X4 9850? You do realise how horrifically outdated they are right? That 400W Rosewill unit is also likely to catch fire if you run something like an HD4850 off it.
    Typically a midrange PC that won't fall to pieces would cost around $600. $350 is going to be second-hand and/or unreliable, or bottom end that won't be able to play upcoming games.


    Athlon II X2 250: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103681
    Gigabyte MA74GM-S2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128342
    4GB Corsair XMS3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145251
    HIS Radeon HD5670: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161319
    Corsair CX 400W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

    364/50
    This setup is $364 shipped, with $50 of mail-in rebates. Despite being a dual core instead of a quad, in the majority of cases the CPU is much faster since it's not an awful CPU like the 9850.
    It uses decent components that shouldn't fall to pieces, and it has 4GB of RAM, having any less is inexcusable nowadays, 2GB in x64 is useless.
    However, DXR's list does not include storage drives, which you will need to make a fully functioning PC.
    At minimal cost:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167
    That's $80 shipped for a decent hard drive and DVD drive.
    Overall you're looking at $444 initially, $394 ultimately (unless you pay tax on top).
    You can't really reduce costs any further on this system, that's the cheapest CPU, board, decent RAM, reliable PSU, and graphics card that can actually play games that you can get.
     
  12. DXR88

    DXR88 Regular member

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    Sam it was a suggestion not a declaration...though i must admit i have tendency to be lazy when comes to browsing newegg. the phenom may be outdated still the L3 cache and the quad aspect of it would help it along more than a L3 less Athlon at least you'd think.
     
  13. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    Not really. The Athlon II at 3Ghz is 35% faster than the 9850 per-core, so unless you routinely use four cores, it's a much better CPU to have, not to mention not a power-guzzling, bug-ridden chip like the original Phenom.
     

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