A friend of mine has given me their ~5 year old desktop xp, I think it could be pretty cool to rig it up and turn it into a gaming pc as an xmas project . . - . . but would it be cheaper to just buy a new pc?
I have no idea how much these things cost, so could anyone share their expertise in best performance vs best price (I'm on a small budget)
- video card (I would be surprised if it has one at all)
- memory (is this a bigie for gaming?)
- HDD (not sure how big it is but it's not really an issue, I have an EHDD)
- what else is needed? (I have screen/keyboard already)
I'm aiming to be able to run GMOD on all high settings
(at the moment, my macbook can run it on all high cept for anti-aliasing)
Detailed specs would be nice.
Like ClaB said, we're not going to be able to help, without detailed specs.
I reckon just buy a new pc probably save a bit of money but its hard to tell with no specs posted.
Firstly, we need to know your country and budget. If you're going to ask for the parts for christmas, then give a realistic budget relative to how good you've been to your parents this year, and their annual income.
If it's a pre-built computer bought straight from a store, look for a sticker somewhere on the front of the case(if it's still there), and tell us the model name of the PC. For example, an old HP computer I had was called a1630n.
Assuming you do not already know how to do this:
If it's a custom build, click Start, then click Run... type in "dxdiag" (without quotations). It will come up asking you if you want to make sure your drivers are digitally signed. Click yes or no, doesn't matter. Take a screenshot (using the Print/Scrn button) of the first tab, System, and the next tab, Display 1. Paste the screenshot into MSPaint, upload to [url]www.imgur.com[/url] and post here.
From those screenshots, we can tell if you can salvage anything from that system. More than likely there'd be nothing useful in the build, but it may be possible that you can use some of the old parts.
- video card (I would be surprised if it has one at all) - [B] If your friend just gave you a computer for free, it probably doesn't have anything worth keeping if you plan to upgrade, let alone have a dedicated graphics card to salvage.[/B]
- memory (is this a bigie for gaming?) - [B]Typically 3GB is enough for low amounts of gaming. 3GB isn't very expensive, and it doesn't have THAT much of a performance change between different parts, unless you spend a lot on it.[/B]
- HDD (not sure how big it is but it's not really an issue, I have an EHDD) - [B]You could get a cheap 500GB, which should be more than enough, assuming you don't do much downloading or installing too many games.[/B]
- what else is needed? (I have screen/keyboard already) - [B]Processor, power supply, DVD/CD drives. You're going to want to shell out the most money for your video card and processor. A 300~500watt power supply should be good enough depending on how much you think you can spend.[/B]
[QUOTE=JubeiX90;19007928]Firstly, we need to know your country and budget. If you're going to ask for the parts for christmas, then give a realistic budget relative to how good you've been to your parents this year, and their annual income.
If it's a pre-built computer bought straight from a store, look for a sticker somewhere on the front of the case(if it's still there), and tell us the model name of the PC.
Assuming you do not already know how to do this:
If it's a custom build, click Start, then click Run... type in "dxdiag" (without quotations). It will come up asking you if you want to make sure your drivers are digitally signed. Click yes or no, doesn't matter. Take a screenshot (using the Print/Scrn button) of the first tab, System, and the next tab, Display 1. Paste the screenshot into MSPaint, upload to [url]www.imgur.com[/url] and post here.
From those screenshots, we can tell if you can salvage anything from that system. More than likely there'd be nothing useful in the build, but it may be possible that you can use some of the old parts.
- video card (I would be surprised if it has one at all) - [B] If your friend just gave you a computer for free, it probably doesn't even have anything worth keeping if you plan to upgrade, let alone have a dedicated graphics card.[/B]
- memory (is this a bigie for gaming?) - [B]Typically 3GB is enough for low amounts of gaming. 3GB isn't very expensive, and it doesn't have THAT much of a performance change between different parts, unless you spend a lot on it.[/B]
- HDD (not sure how big it is but it's not really an issue, I have an EHDD) - [B]You could get a cheap 500GB, which should be more than enough, assuming you don't do much downloading or installing too many games.[/B]
- what else is needed? (I have screen/keyboard already) - [B]Processor, power supply, DVD/CD drives. You're going to want to shell out the most money for your video card and processor. A 300~500watt power supply should be good enough depending on how much you think you can spend.[/B][/QUOTE]
Hes Australian.
I'm from Australia - Max spending money ~$500 plus whatever I can ask for Xmas for now.
At the moment I'm using an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Model Identifier: MacBook5,2
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB52.0088.B05
SMC Version (system): 1.38f5
Serial Number (system): W890718Y4R1
Hardware UUID: 2F08218B-1305-5B3C-90ED-83CBEA5EA19A
So what I'm really asking for is better specs than that (for games)
I'll post the specs of the old machine as soon as I get all the parts
(oh and yes, it has DVD drive, USB, ethernet and all those standard things - even firewire so it can't be TOO old)
[url=http://www.centrecom.com.au/]Here's a starting point for you.[/url]
[QUOTE=Captainhams;19008013]I'll post the specs of the old machine as soon as I get all the parts (oh and yes, it has DVD drive, USB, ethernet and all those standard things - even firewire so it can't be TOO old)[/QUOTE]
DVD drives have been around since 1997, USB has been around since 1996, firewire has been around since 1995 and ethernet has been around since the early 90's.
The machine could easily be 10 years old.
[QUOTE=GiGaBiTe;19017529]DVD drives have been around since 1997, USB has been around since 1996, firewire has been around since 1995 and ethernet has been around since the early 90's.
The machine could easily be 10 years old.[/QUOTE]
Even a three year old machine would be incredibly out of date right now.
[QUOTE=Captainhams;19008013]I'm from Australia - Max spending money ~$500 plus whatever I can ask for Xmas for now.
At the moment I'm using an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Model Identifier: MacBook5,2
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB52.0088.B05
SMC Version (system): 1.38f5
Serial Number (system): W890718Y4R1
Hardware UUID: 2F08218B-1305-5B3C-90ED-83CBEA5EA19A
So what I'm really asking for is better specs than that (for games)
I'll post the specs of the old machine as soon as I get all the parts
(oh and yes, it has DVD drive, USB, ethernet and all those standard things - even firewire so it can't be TOO old)[/QUOTE]
It's a macbook? A laptop? I though you said it was a desktop?
Not much you can upgrade on a Mac, perhaps smack in another 2 gigs of ram?
[QUOTE=Tools;19019605]It's a macbook? A laptop? I though you said it was a desktop?
Not much you can upgrade on a Mac, perhaps smack in another 2 gigs of ram?[/QUOTE]
He's looking for a computer better than the one posted.
[QUOTE=ghostofme;19020537]He's looking for a computer better than the one posted.[/QUOTE]
hurr durr rate me good reading.
I'm not really familiar with Australian hardware sites, so I'm not really sure where to recommend you the stuff from, otherwise I'd gladly mix together something decent.
[QUOTE=Captainhams;19008013]
I'm from Australia - Max spending money ~$500 plus whatever I can ask for Xmas for now.
At the moment I'm using an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
[B] Model Identifier: MacBook5,2[/B]
Processor Name: [B]Intel Core 2 Duo[/B]
Processor Speed: [B]2 GHz[/B]
Memory: 2 GB[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Captainhams;19007259]A friend of mine has given me their [B]~5 year old desktop xp[/B],
[/QUOTE]
Please do rate me books if I am just stupid, but are those not contradictions? Is the below one the computer you're on [B]now?[/B] Because then you misunderstood our questions, we need the specifications of your [B]old computer.[/B]
[B]Edit:[/B]
Alright, I understand now, you want something better than your macbook. But we still need the specs of the old computer.
[QUOTE=Tools;19020638]hurr durr rate me good reading.
I'm not really familiar with Australian hardware sites, so I'm not really sure where to recommend you the stuff from, otherwise I'd gladly mix together something decent.[/QUOTE]
Way to be a total dick. I just made things clearer for you.
My guess from personal experience is that it is most likely a store-bought Dell or other generic brand. Therefore the case will either be Dell's propitiatory "fuck you" size, or a Micro ATX standard. Either way you would be best off starting from scratch since I can almost guarantee one thing or another in your old PC will hold you back from upgrading (motherboard, case size, psu).
I don't really know prices in Australia or stores that ship there, so I'll just give you the parts I recommend and you can look for the best place to get them. Estimated price is next to the item.
[u][b]Cases:[/b][/u]
I recommend either:
$50-65 COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 [img]http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/ProductImageCompressAll125/11-119-077-13.jpg[/img]
$80-100 Antec Nine Hundred (If you can find it on sale) [img]http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/11-129-021-TS?$S180W$[/img]
This is really all up to personal taste, but these are both cases I've used, which is why I recommend them.
[u][b]Motherboard:[/u][/b]
This part I will update once we've established whether or not you want to go with an Intel build or an AMD build. To make a quick generalization put it this way;
AMD= cheaper, but usually slower in gaming.
Intel= more expensive, but faster in gaming.
[u][b]CPU:[/u][/b]
Same thing applies here, depends on what system you want (Intel, AMD)
[u][b]Ram:[/u][/b]
Depends on the Motherboard you get.
[u][b]GPU (Graphics Card):[/u][/b]
My recommendation here would be;
$110-140 Radeon 4770 HD (Medium-end) [img]http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-129-113-TS?$S125W$[/img]
$250-280 Geforce GTX 275 (High-end) [img]http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-125-293-TS?$S125W$[/img]
[u][b]PSU:[/u][/b]
This is one of the most important parts of the build, and if you get a good one it could
outlast all the other parts in your build (assuming you upgrade again down the road).
I recommend a
$65-85 Antec EarthWatts 650W (medium-end) [img]http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/ProductImageCompressAll125/17-371-015-11.jpg[/img]
$85-110 CORSAIR 750W PSU (high-end) [img]http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/ProductImageCompressAll125/17-139-006-12.jpg[/img]
As for the Hard Drive, mouse, keyboard, screen, and CD/DVD drives those can all be recycled from the PC you recieved, although you might want to upgrade the Hard Drive if it is really old or small.
Well hope this helps! Rate me useful if this helps you!
[QUOTE=Zerg_humper;19057788]
*insert a lot of stuff about PC parts here, snipped*
Well hope this helps! Rate me useful if this helps you![/QUOTE]
I didn't know AMD was slower for gaming /sarcasm. Also, it's the worst idea possible to go and get an Nvidia card now, and why recommend a 9800 gt when you can get a 4770 that outperforms it for cheaper?
Also I'd consider a 5870 and/or 5850 a High End, not a 275.
[QUOTE=Zerg_humper;19057788][b]Simplified![/b][/QUOTE]
Don't bother with the 9800GT or GTX 275. ATI beats them in price:performance.
4770 > 9800GT Both cost the same, but the 4770 out performs the 9800GT.
4770: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102853[/url]
[media]http://xtreview.com/images/Radeon%20HD%204770%20vs98gt%2001.png[/media]
4890 > GTX 275. Again, ATI wins in price:performance. (The 4890 is nearly $50 cheaper too.)
4890: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102852[/url]
[media]http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/944/FarCry2.jpg[/media]
The 4870 is just simply overpriced right now, so I wouldn't bother buying one. It's a rip off.
I'm not being a fanboy or a troll. nVidia just doesn't have the prices to compete right now. Maybe when the 300 series comes out they will, I hope.
[editline]08:09PM[/editline]
Also, AMD Vs. Intel.
You can't say one is generally faster than the other. That's bull shit.
The core i5 is probably the ideal gaming CPU for Intel right now and the 955 for AMD.
Both are on par.
[QUOTE=ghostofme;19058308]Don't bother with the 9800GT or GTX 275. ATI beats them in price:performance.
4770 > 9800GT Both cost the same, but the 4770 out performs the 9800GT.
4770: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102853[/url]
[media]http://xtreview.com/images/Radeon%20HD%204770%20vs98gt%2001.png[/media]
4890 > GTX 275. Again, ATI wins in price:performance. (The 4890 is nearly $50 cheaper too.)
4890: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102852[/url]
[media]http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/944/FarCry2.jpg[/media]
The 4870 is just simply overpriced right now, so I wouldn't bother buying one. It's a rip off.
I'm not being a fanboy or a troll. nVidia just doesn't have the prices to compete right now. Maybe when the 300 series comes out they will, I hope.
[editline]08:09PM[/editline]
Also, AMD Vs. Intel.
You can't say one is generally faster than the other. That's bull shit.
The core i5 is probably the ideal gaming CPU for Intel right now and the 955 for AMD.
Both are on par.[/QUOTE]
I believe AMD is better due to the fact that they do not change sockets nearly as much as intel does, and on a budget *$150 or lower*, they have a better price to performance ratio on processors. Don't quote me on this, but I heard AMD processors work better with ATI GPUs considering both are the same company.
[QUOTE=anikilol;19065186]I believe AMD is better due to the fact that they do not change sockets nearly as much as intel does, and on a budget *$150 or lower*, they have a better price to performance ratio on processors. Don't quote me on this, but I heard AMD processors work better with ATI GPUs considering both are the same company.[/QUOTE]
Ohhhhhh... wow.
[QUOTE=anikilol;19065186]I believe AMD is better due to the fact that they do not change sockets nearly as much as intel does, and on a budget *$150 or lower*, they have a better price to performance ratio on processors. Don't quote me on this, but I heard AMD processors work better with ATI GPUs considering both are the same company.[/QUOTE]
the label reads: "Warning! Quote contents may contain lethal levels of stupidity and fanfaggotry!"
Wow just because everyone is pissed at Nvidia doesn't mean you can't by an Nvidia graphics card.
The three cards I recommend were cards I've used before in builds, and I was able to find those cards for really cheap. In real world scenarios they all perform admirably which is what the OP wanted good cost/benefit ratio.
@ghostofme
Benchmarks mean squat compared to what your going to get with your build. In real world use I have a GTX 275 my friend has a 4890, I get much better performance in games even though he has his card overclocked, and mine is at stock speeds. Plus it seems the GTX 275 uses less power, and is much quieter even when I run it at 60% fan speed and he runs his at 50%, his card also puts out way more heat.
I do agree with you on the 4870 and now that I think about it there a much better/cheaper cards in that same performance range.
As for AMD verses Intel I was making a [i]generalization[/i] which means that of course you going to be alble to pull one CPU out from each company and say they are on par, but in general Intel outperforms AMD, but at a higher price.
As for saying AMD is usually slower in games, it's for the most part true, but that doesn't mean they're bad, because for starters they're usually much cheaper, and they also perform very well in regular applications. This makes them good for average users and light to moderate gamers (for most of their CPUs NOT all of them).
As for anikilol, I won't even bother challenging your reasoning...
[QUOTE=Zerg_humper;19085570]Wow just because everyone is pissed at Nvidia doesn't mean you can't by an Nvidia graphics card.
The three cards I recommend were cards I've used before in builds, and I was able to find those cards for really cheap. In real world scenarios they all perform admirably which is what the OP wanted good cost/benefit ratio.
@ghostofme
Benchmarks mean squat compared to what your going to get with your build. In real world use I have a GTX 275 my friend has a 4890, I get much better performance in games even though he has his card overclocked, and mine is at stock speeds. Plus it seems the GTX 275 uses less power, and is much quieter even when I run it at 60% fan speed and he runs his at 50%, his card also puts out way more heat.
I do agree with you on the 4870 and now that I think about it there a much better/cheaper cards in that same performance range.
As for AMD verses Intel I was making a [i]generalization[/i] which means that of course you going to be alble to pull one CPU out from each company and say they are on par, but in general Intel outperforms AMD, but at a higher price.
As for saying AMD is usually slower in games, it's for the most part true, but that doesn't mean they're bad, because for starters they're usually much cheaper, and they also perform very well in regular applications. This makes them good for average users and light to moderate gamers (for most of their CPUs NOT all of them).
As for anikilol, I won't even bother challenging your reasoning...[/QUOTE]
Well that was a paragraph of bull shit.
And if your friend got worse FPS than you, either you had your graphics down, or his build is bottlenecking his GPU.
[b]4890 > GTX 275[/b] regardless of what you and your friend get.
I'd like to see some benchmarks of you and your friend playing the same game at the same settings.
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