Computer questions?

[goldgecko4]

Alright, I'm in the market for a new desktop... nothing fancy, but something that can play most newer games, for a decent price. If I can get most of the parts second-hand and have a friend build it, how much would i be looking at? (I honestly don't need a monitor or printer or anything like that.).

Secondly, i want to keep my current laptop, but is there an easy (read: cheap) way to kick it up a notch? It's just so sluggish in it's 2nd year, I imagine there's SOME kind of easy upgrade or something I could do... thanks!

[Valkysas]

Re: Computer questions?

name some games that fit the "most newer games" criteria for you.

[Smurf Taco]

Re: Computer questions?

"Second hand"? I JUST built a HTPC:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
MSI motherboard
nMedia HTPC case (the most expensive part of the computer -_-)
2 Gigs Patriot RAM
300 GB SATA Hard Drive
And then all the bells and whistles for about $300 (after rebates). A graphics card that would suit your budget and will play most new games should run you about 50 bucks if you shop around.

Newegg.com - Your new best friend.
Also, you should check around zipzoomfly.com and frys.com.


[EDIT]Check this post out to get a ballpark of what you can do and how you can spend your money.

[Chad]

Re: Computer questions?

$300 is pretty slick for that.

What is a "decent" price range?

[goldgecko4]

Re: Computer questions?

I dunno, I be able to play most (if not all) of the games already released (ie NWN 2, or Heroes of M&M 5), not into WOW or anything like that, and I could spend around... 500? Like I said, this is sans a monitor or anything, just the box itself. Oh, and as far as my notebook goes, how hard/easy is it to upgrade the RAM on a notebook, like, in general?

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Computer questions?

RAM is super easy, there is usually a compartment on the bottom you can unscrew, and then you just pop it in. It may be a little more complicated than that on your particular machine (just depends on the manufacturer) but shouldn't be much more. Of course buying more ram won't always make up for a underpowered processor. But honestly if you want to get one together then just look at the recommended (not minimum) specs for the games you want and try to go a little above in each category, if that's all you care about.

[Smurf Taco]

Re: Computer questions?

And just keep in mind to look out for somewhat recent technologies if you're bargain shopping: i.e. get a motherboard with SATA hard drive connections, PCIe graphics (card and motherboard), probably some DDR800 RAM.

You'll be spending a lot of money in the long run if you find yourself with an AGP graphics card and IDE hard drives.