Midrange P.C for my sons

Forums › Desktop computing › Midrange P.C for my sons

Listy

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#37626 15-Jul-2009 19:18

My kids have just handed me a couple of pieces of paper with some computers on and think one of them should be able to handle what they plan to use it for, world of warcraft, music and other stuff.
I'm not computer savvy in the least and need some help, are either of these any good

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83Ghz processor
Asus P5KPL/1600
4gb ddr2 Ram
geforce 9500gt 1gb graphics card
500gb hard disc drive 7200rpm
vista premium

or the second one

Intel Dual Core 2.7ghz pro.
4 ddr2 ram
geforce 9800gt graphics card
640gb
xp

Any info would be fantastic because they are nagging the heck out me, and i haven't the foggiest what most this stuff means. Also if you have any reccomendations please say, my eldest said he posted in the gaming section in greater detail, barely got through the door and they are at me like a couple of piranhas who smell blood

thanks

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38 posts

Geek

#235794 15-Jul-2009 19:25

OK I'm not a computer expert but I know a decent amount (I think I do anyway) so here's my tip, about the only thing that I could pick out of that:

The first one seems to be decent but I'd scrap a quad core, from what I've heard most apps can't take advantage of the extra 2 cores, so a duo core should be fine.

boby55

1539 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#235795 15-Jul-2009 19:26

Edit:

Ideally The best option for gaming would be Option 1

It has the 9800 in it, When it comes to gaming how much ram a video card has isn't always everything things such as core speed etc are vital but the 9800 will take the 9500 anyday.

The reason for vista is that it supports Direct X 10 where as XP doesn't and this makes a significant improvements in new games.

Also you will need a 64bit version of Windows otherwise you will only be able to use 3gb of Ram under 32bit Windows.

Having a Quadcore will future proof you for a while.

Listy

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#235797 15-Jul-2009 19:28

must be tired and feeling the pressure! the 9800gt was with the first p.c and the 9500gt 1gb with the 2nd

boby55

1539 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#235800 15-Jul-2009 19:31

In that case, go for the first one,

Better CPU, Better OS for gaming,

and Better Graphics Card.

this coming from a avid gamer :)

Listy

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#235806 15-Jul-2009 19:47

thanks for the info, I thought i was close to having this saga finished but my son has found what he thinks is another good option, oh will it ever end!

Intel core 2 Duo E8400
3.0Ghz Processor
2048 mb ddr2 667mhz ram
500gb hdd 7200rpm
geforce 9800gt
vista premium

with $1 upgrade to 4gb ddr2 800 mem

Is he correct in his thoughts that this is another good option? And anyone have experience with Advanced Computers Ltd on the North Shore?

Many thanks again for any advice or info

cdo7

30 posts

Geek

#235809 15-Jul-2009 19:53

I would stick with the first one as it's still the better one. If you can't get that this new one would be your second choice.

Raile

46 posts

Geek

#235826 15-Jul-2009 20:28

All of the computers you listed will easily be able to do the things you want. Of the things you mentioned the computer would be used for, World of warcraft (WoW) is the most demanding on your system. I would say these would all be able to run WoW on the highest settings. The first one would be the most powerful though. Maybe a bit excessive for WoW, but would be able to play more recent games well too.

If your kids start to play WoW you wont have to worry about them badgering you anymore. Chances are they will be too busy fighting each other about whos turn it is.

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Overclocker01

176 posts

Master Geek

#235886 15-Jul-2009 23:00

You may also want to check out Playtech on the shore. There a real good bunch of guys who know their stuff. I have bought two PCs from them. What kind of budget would you be looking at?

$159.00 Cooler Master Sileo 500 Sound Proofing Case Black no PSU
$189.00 Cooler Master 500W Silent Pro M500 ATX2.0 Modular Plug 135mm Ultra Silent Power Supply
$289.00 ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard
$124.96 G.SKILL 4GB kit (2GB x 2) DDR2-1066 (PC-8500) CL5-5-5-15 MEMORY RETAIL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK (8 Layers PCB)
$321.75 Intel Core 2 DUO E8400 3.00GHz Wolfdale 45nm 1333MHz FSB 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual Core Processor Retail
$121.50 Western Digital WD6400AACS Caviar GP 640GB SATA II 7200RPM 16MB Cache GREEN POWER EDITION
$399.00 XFX HD-489A-ZDE7 Extreme Edition Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Support - HAWX bundle !!!
$66.38 LG GH22NS30 22X SATA Dual Layer DVDRW BLACK OEM
$280.00 *Win7 Upgrade* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium With SP1 64bit DVD-Rom OEM + Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit upgrade Coupon !!!
$1,950.59

The above specs would be my pick :)

Overclocker01

176 posts

Master Geek

#235890 15-Jul-2009 23:09

http://www.playtech.co.nz/category.php?action=show&id=333

This page will give you a realistic price range of the type of machine you will end up buying :)

Ragnor

8218 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#235909 16-Jul-2009 00:07

Are they re-using existing keyboard, mouse and monitor? I didn't see those mentioned in the lists.

Wow has pretty low requirements compared to other games.

The Game Planet forums has a sticked thread that's kept upto date with a general consensus of what represents the best value for money at various price points, see here:

http://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/302905/

Listy

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#235941 16-Jul-2009 08:23

option 1 was $1800 and came with keyboard,scrolling mouse and 21.5" monitor
option 2 was $1500 and came with keyboard,scrolling mouse,a couple of speakers but no monitor
option 3 was also $1800 and came with keyboard,mouse and monitor.

I've allowed a budget of $2000 for the lot,P.C,monitor,keyboard and mouse but knowing my kids they'll probably weasel some speakers out of me aswell.

Though if you can reccomend something that is worth spending a few hundred more, i'm sure i can stretch it that far.

Went to that Playtech site and saw some awesome machines without understanding half of what the breakdowns of each computer meant.But did find this

option 4 $1730 exl. keyboard,mouse and monitor

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0Ghz 1333mhz Fsb 6mb L2 Cache Lga 775 Dual Core
Vista Premium 64Bit
G.Skill 4GB (2GBX2) DDR2-800 (PC-6400) CL4-4-4-12
Memory F2-6400CL4D-4GBPK
Motherboard ASUS P5Q SE Plus Intel P45 Express Gate Ich10 Epu DDR2 Lga775 ATX intel motherboard
500gb Serial ATA 3GB/S, 7200RPM w/16Mb Cache
XFX H-485X-YDDC XXX Edition Radeon Hd 4850 512Mb 256-bit GDDR3 Pci-Express 2.0x16 HDCP

Haven't a clue what 85% of that means but if it adds up to being the best buy for my kids please let me know

thanks for all the help so far and please excuse my ignorance

cheers

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek

#235946 16-Jul-2009 08:48

I think you should look at a 22" LCD which would be perfect for their gaming needs. You should also get a grunty graphics card as well - steer clear of the 9800 series if you want to future proof. Your minimim graphics card should be a Radeon HD 4870, but preferably a Radeon HD 4890.

It looks like for $2000 you can get a great system, but that's without a monitor, so you've got to somehow trim $400 for a decent LCD.

I'd probably go with Gameplanet's $1500 ATI build:

CPU: $258.00 AMD Phenom II X3 720 Triple Core 2.8GHz AM3
Mobo: $262.00 Asustek M4A78-E (not EM) AMD 790GX socket AM2+/AM3 CrossFireX ATX
RAM: $114.00 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-800 CL4 or DDR2-1000/1066 CL5 MEMORY
GFX: $319.00 ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB GDDR5
Case: $130.00 Case
PSU: $179.00 Corsair VX550 550W Power Supply
DVD: $55.00 SATA 22x DVD-RW Drive (brand varies)
HDD: $129.00 750GB Samsung Spinpoint F1 7200rpm SATAII 32MB Cache
plus Windows plus a 22" monitor.

If your budget could squeeze to say $2400 or $2500 then I'd recommend the Gameplanet $2000 build with monitor and Windows...

CPU: $919.00 Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Quad Core 8M LGA1366
Mobo: ^Bundle Intel Extreme DX58SO X58 DDR3 ATX LGA1366
RAM: $112.00 3GB (3x1GB) DDR3-1333 CL9 Memory
GFX: $385.00 ATI Radeon HD 4890 1GB GDDR5
Case: $199.00 Case (eg CM Scout)
PSU: $210.00 Corsair HX620 620W Modular Power Supply
DVD: $55.00 SATA 22x DVD-RW Drive (brand varies)
HDD: $129.00 750GB Samsung Spinpoint F1 7200rpm SATAII 32MB Cache

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cdo7

30 posts

Geek

#235999 16-Jul-2009 10:13

pricespy.co.nz

Overclocker01

176 posts

Master Geek

#236090 16-Jul-2009 13:14

I just priced up a PC from playtech and it came out $2240 (keep in mind you can probly get a slight discount as these are all retail prices). The setup below should keep everyone happy :)

Case

$159.00

Thermaltake V9 Mid Tower Gaming Case w/ Window

$136.13

Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 550W ATX12V Power Supply Retail

$59.06

Samsung SH-S223 Black 22X SATA Dual Layer Super WriteMaster SpeedPlus DVDRW OEM

Internals

$210.94

ASUS P5Q SE2 Intel P45 Express Gate ICH10 EPU DDR2 LGA775 ATX Intel Motherboard

$321.75

Intel Core 2 DUO E8400 3.00GHz Wolfdale 45nm 1333MHz FSB 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual Core Processor Retail

$124.96

G.SKILL 4GB kit (2GB x 2) DDR2-1066 (PC-8500) CL5-5-5-15 MEMORY RETAIL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK (8 Layers PCB)

$335.00

XFX HD-487A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Support

$121.50

Western Digital WD6400AACS Caviar GP 640GB SATA II 7200RPM 16MB Cache GREEN POWER EDITION

Keyboard / Mice

$69.00

Logitech MX-518 Gaming Grade Optical Mouse 1800dpi (MX518)

$45.00

Logitech Media Keyboard 600 USB Retail

Operating System

$280.00

*Win7 Upgrade* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium With SP1 64bit DVD-Rom OEM + Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit upgrade Coupon !!!

Monitor

$379.00

Samsung 2333SW Black 23" Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1920x1080 5ms 20000:1 DVI LCD Monitor

$2,241.34

dawnraid

100 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#236093 16-Jul-2009 13:18

They both would be highly capable machines, but for the love of god, dont let your kids play WoW. I have seen to many friends kids get addicted to it.

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