A computer that can handle games?

[boofhead]

I like to build computers, but avoid the higher cost bits which means my teenager after a while says his PC cannot handle the demands of the games he tries to run, and they are not the most modern games and not internet based. However I would like to either upgrade the PC I last built for him a year or so ago or make him a new one or simply buy one that would do the job.
So I have some idea of what is needed for comparison shopping, what would you guys recommend; for power supply, Mother Board, processor (I usually use P4?), RAM (type and capacity), video card and HDD. I have normally found the video card to be the most critical, and bought a high end one last time I upgraded his computer, but he still complains that the games run slow, or clunky, or won't run at all.
My own computer runs just fine and I built it five years ago, but I don't run games.

[Parapunter]

In my experience from building media centre pc's ok, not high end gamers but you get the idea, the two most crucial elements are ram, gpu & cpu. And remember, there are only three types of people in this world - those who can count & those who can't.

[spannersatcx]

Get an xbox 360 or ps3, easier, cheaper and just as many if not more games.

[JamesT73J]

Depends also what he's trying to run. There's a few titles out there that will bring a decent-spec machine to it's knees. FSX, Eldar Scrolls Oblivion and Armed Assault are good examples of contemporary titles that will not run maxed-out on many machines. Half-life 2 and Bioshock are the other end of the scale - they work well on a broad range of systems.

I'd go for at least a 4.4 ghz dual-core (although not all titles will use both cores), 2gb of RAM (I'm not a believer in 4..got some kit at work running games for the design workshops and I can't see a difference), and a mid-range GPU.

You don't need to spend a fortune. It's better to have it all balanced.

[boofhead]

Para, early in the morning, but I got it...
Thnx for the help..

[Gonzo]

I run a Core2Duo E6600 2.4GHz with 2GB Ram, 320MB Nvidia 8800GTS graphics which I built myself.

I only run games on one 19in monitor, at 1280x1024, but I've not seen a game yet which cannot run smoothly.

If you get to higher resolutions, I'd imagine a beefier graphics card would be needed. IMHO once you reach high-end specs, the graphics accelerator has a lot more impact on frame rates than processor.

[Parapunter]

IIRC with a graphics processor, it's best to have one that doesn't pinch memory off the machine. Now I may have that backarsewards but I'm sure I've read somewhere that there is a best configuration for gaming gpu's. Best thing is to read up on gamer forums or even graphics forums. Nvidia's website certainly has user forums.

Spanners prolly has a point that a games machine is best for gaming unless of course your son needs to use a pc for work too.

[Saab Dastard]

Power supply: min 400W, 500w should be sufficient for most purposes.
Mother Board: supports your preferred CPU, requisite no. of PCI / PCIX / PCIExp / AGP slots depending on what you have to fit in; built-in SATA, sound (not video), network, etc.
Processor: dual core, speed - most you can afford
RAM: min 1, pref. 2 GB, whatever type and speed mobo requires
Video card: best you can afford.
HDD: SATA, biggest you can afford
Then compare the cost of building that against buying new from whoever.

Upgrades: Best components you can get that are compatible with existing setup. If you start changing mobo, then you are really building from scratch.

SD

[joeflys256]

Where in the Pacific are you?

Once you know what you are going to buy, try a website by the name of pricespy, I know there is one in NZ: http://www.pricespy.co.nz/ and another in AU: http://www.pricespy.com.au/.

It lists every computer retailer in each country respectively and then lists their prices so you can quickly see who is selling each component the cheapest.

As for a gaming rig, well as already said, you are best getting a Xbox 360 if your only need for upgrading is for games. Otherwise you will be upgrading every year just to keep up with new requirements. With an Xbox 360 you are gauranteed that all games made for the 360 will run...

Having said that, if you are like me and like builiding computers, you will build a new one anyway...

Best way to start is to identify how much you want to spend and then build the best within your price range...

How much do you want to spend?

By the sounds of things you prefer Intel over AMD so you can also build a system around that CPU if you like.

Just be careful you do not create bottlenecks and waste your money. Remember your systems performance is only as good as its worst component.

In my opinion the most cruitial component is the motherboard, get one that supports quad core etc... You can always start with a cheaper dual core cpu and less ram, slower gpu if need be and upgrade later...

Also don't get enticed into a cheap PSU that claim a high Watt rating, look for brand as it can make a big different, anyway if you can let me know your budget I can be much more specific.

Good luck.

[NeoDude]

My current pc is a Core 2 Duo E6600 (Overclocked to 3GHz), 2GB Ram and a GeForce 8800GTS (Overclocked to 660MHz). Total cost for MB, CPU, RAM & GPU was around 400 quid (I Already had a case, monitor, keyboard & mouse). This can handle all the latest games at a resolution of 1680x1050, currently playing Crysis with all settings on high, looks fecking gorgeous.

[Chaffers]

Personally I'd advise building a system with upgrades in mind. The Mobo and RAM are my primary concerns though RAM is so cheap now as to be insignificant.

I recently built a system using a M2NPV-VM mobo and put a Sempron 3200 and 2 gig into it. It has an integrated gpu (Gforce 6150) which frankly will only just run the most intensive games, there are a few out there which may be a bit beyond it. However once the high end express video cards come down in price to a reasonable level its an easy and cheap upgrade. Same with the processor, very little out there requires a faster cpu than the Sempron so I'll wait until the dual core Athlons are cheap and bang one in.

You pay a big premium for the latest kit, I find it to be better to buy a good quality mobo with lots of upgrade potential. total cost to upgrade was ~ £130. Total cost of putting all the latest stuff in the same mobo would be somewhere above £400. Upgrading again in a year or so will probably set me back another £70.

I doubt the above system would necessarily suit your needs but you get the idea. I don't really play games anymore though my system would happily run 90% of those currently on the market. The only computer I've ever bought in order to run a specific game was tailored to Frontier. Imagine my suprise when it came on a single floppy disk... :)