Quest for a PC

[arogon343]

Well. A few of you may know, My computer is rather old now and needs to be put down and replaced.

However. It has taken me months to wear mum down to the point at which she will buy me one.
However i still have restrictions.
Needs to be under £500-£400 (preferably)
Needs to be able to play games well. Enough to play new games coming out (IE Stronghold 3) And some ld but still difficult games to play like empire total war.
I was thinking of acer. As my school has those in the new Tech rooms.
Ill be honest. Im not entirely sure of what im looking for. So Help meh D:

[Iron_Fang]

Not even a gaming lappy?

Maybe http://www.google.co.uk/m/products/deta ... 3340551022 and attach a TV screen to it

[Darktaint]

Not even a gaming lappy?

Maybe http://www.google.co.uk/m/products/deta ... 3340551022 and attach a TV screen to it

No.

Build your own computer it'll end up being cheaper for you
And seeing as your uk have alook at www.scan.co.uk

[Jake55778]

Are we talking desktops or laptops?
If the later, do you have anything that can carry over from an older machine? Monitor, Hard drives, keyboard, mouse etc.
Are you prepared to assemble something yourself?

http://www.google.co.uk/m/products/deta ... 3340551022

"Gaming Computer" "...intergrated graphics..." lol

[arogon343]

Ill be looking for a desktop most likely. And building a pc. Hm. I could give it a damn good go but if i screw it up my moneys gone :/
Any links if you have any ideas?
PS. Not much to salvage, a few basics but most of it is outdated... :/

[Lord_Mountbatten]

It's not that difficult to put a PC together - it's more about making sure the components are compatible. Actual assembly is pretty much Slot A goes in Tab B.

[EricSmarties]

I was thinking of acer

Aspire M3802

[SneakyPie]

http://lifehacker.com/5828747/how-to-bu ... ght-school

This is an excellent place to start for newbies looking to build a machine from scratch.

[Wildwill002]

Aro in the school library there's someone magazines with high end computers and computer parts in. I believe i've seen a computer case for a make-it-yourself computer for £50 and it apparently makes making it easier with pull out draws or summin

[arogon343]

Awhy thankyou sneaky! Much valuable info. I may build one after all.

[Jake55778]

Here's a useful tool for comparing components & checking compatibility: http://www.lambda-tek.com/computing/index.htm
It's not the best place to buy, but it's a great way to get an overview of what parts are available in a given price range.

[KaosuHamoni]

The best description of building a computer I ever heard, was that it is "like a rather large, expensive jigsaw with seven or eight pieces"

Build your own. It's the cheapest, and the most rewarding option, but make sure you do enough research =]

[arogon343]

I was thinking of acer

Aspire M3802

Gaming is definitely out with this PC

[wokka1]

Using dark's link, I suggest this for an entry level gamer: http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ShowSystem.asp?SystemID=979

You can customize it and pull a few thinks off to get it below your target price range, its not quite build it yourself, but they seem to use good quality parts and it would be the same as building it yourself, plus comes with warranty, first year even onsite

This kind of system you could upgrade later as you need, more ram, more drives, faster cpu, faster video card

This also assumes you will use your existing monitor, keyboard, etc.

[SneakyPie]

I'm debating dropping about $500 on a new Mobo, RAM, and CPU.

It's an expensive hobby that's for sure.

[random980]

Dont buy anything made by HP.
It will bork fast and the customer service is useless.
You have been warned.
And make sure the graphics card is a Nvidia, they are good.

[Aenir_bEPU]

Nvidia customer service is very good, from personal experience.

[vallorn]

go with a non big brand PC in general. things like Dell and Samsung are more expensive because your partly paying for the brand logo.

i suggest the Acer 6930G Laptop (my friend has one and can play Crysis on High settings on it with no noticeable lag)

[SneakyPie]

Got this site to also learn more about parts and how they compare to each other. It's a solid bench marking site: http://www.anandtech.com/

Also, commenting about video cards, both brands have their own faults. AMD/ATI are typically cheaper than nVidia cards while also being more advanced (for example, their mid range to low end cards were capable of DirectX 11 long before nVidia).

My first build was nVidia and everything ran nicely. My second build is ATI/AMD and I saved a lot of money and everything runs even smoother.

Oh and if you are serious about wanting this to be gaming machine, don't buy a notebook. Stick with a desktop.

[Sti_Jo_Lew]

Yeah, if it's for gaming stay as far away from laptops as possible. They're just a pin to work with, hard to upgrade.

[arogon343]

Thanks for all the halp Guys
Ima start getting my shopping list together for mah computer :3
But by all means, keep the suggestions coming

[random980]

I have a gaming laptop, the only problem its ever had is that the back screen light has broken...twice.
(Its a Toshiba Qosmio btw) It plays nearly all games in high quality.
Only ever get laptops if you actually need a portable computer. Otherwise desktops are always the way to go for more power. especially for a gaming rig.

[Sabalora]

Infes is the guy u need to talk to... im gona build a computer and he has told me all about different components and recommended brands etc.