Minimum specs for a PC (advice needed)

[Squeak the Rat]

Howdy,

I'm helping my old man buy a PC and I want to know the minimum specs I should get. He's mainly going to use it for surfing the net, but will play the odd game, mainly strategy type games like Age of Empires or whatever the modern equivalent is. Won't be into video editing, flight sims or anything else super draining.

What's the current recommended spec for these types of games?

Processor speed
RAM
Video memory
Anything else?


Please - it's for my old man so I'm not interested in the latest geeky stuff. I want to get the cheapest system that will do the job satisfactorily.

Help much appreciated, thanks!

[pervert]

A cheap Celeron CPU will do fine.

512MB of RAM will also suffice although hardcore geeks will disagree.

Then get a cheap graphics card and an 80 or 160 gig HDD and it will be sweet.

I'm sure plenty of people will disagree and say he needs more, but I've built plenty of similar spec'd systems for people with similar needs and they are more than happy. Especially when the price is around $500 if you get good deals on parts.

[Wasp]

whats this disagreeing business? guess im not a geek....

what pervert said, would be nice to know exactly what strategy game - the new Command and Conquer will probably need a better gfx card then the old one

[pervert]

whats this disagreeing business? guess im not a geek....

I guess I just know too many people who claim anything less than 2 gig of dual channel memory is not enough...:laugh:

[oldguy]

I'm an AMD person myself don't know much about Intel'

CPU. Intel Pentium Dual Core 2.8 GHz

Ram min. 512 DDR

Vid card. 256mb/128bit will do most

and at least 80gig of hard drive,

what ever you do don't go to Dick Smiths or Noel Leemings.

[pervert]

AMD's also good!

...but as soon as Intel Pentium comes into the equation though price goes up big time...sure they outperform cheaper ones...but at three times the price it's not worth it for such minimal needs.

Best advice would probably be to try and pick something up ex-lease, they are perfectly good machines, at great prices!

[MOTOXXX]

ive always been of the opinion if you can buy once, buy right.

spend a bit more on the ram (1gb) and a decent proc.
imo i would stay away from celerons and get a mig range intel or amd.

hard drives are cheap as chips and can be added on as they are needed.

graphics card wont need to be high spec.

maybe wait another month or two as vista is out in feb i think and that needs a bit to power it

[Squeak the Rat]

Cheers guys - what spec/speed is a "mid-range" AMD, i know not much about these.....?

[Oakie]

As far as RAM is concerned you probably need to be guided by what Microsoft's new OS 'Vista' recommends. I believe it's not far from release (like it has been for the last 18 months) so that's what I'd be doing, just as a wee 'future-proofing'. I'd suggest a gig of RAM just to make sure things keep whizzing along for a few years.
My old PC had a celeron processor and playing 'Age of Empires' got a bit tedious with the demands put on it. I'd go for the normal processor rather than the economy version.

[boomer]

in terms of ram just buy a 512 stick and if ya old needs more he can always add to it; get a 3.2 amd as that will suffice and isn't much more than a 2.4 or a 2.8 and as the rest have said re hard drives, just get a 120gig or a 200 and bobs ya unkle.. shove it in a cheap box with a half decent,400+ watt, power supply with a couple of fans and a el cheapo gfx card and hes laughing. Don't forget a mobo too.. does he want to add speakers, surround sound, dual processors blah blah blah... reviews (http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/articles.php#11)

if you want i can help get teh stuff 'cheap' and/or help build it if you don;t want to get one of the shelf ;)

You can also look here when you know what you want pricespy (http://www.pricespy.co.nz/)

edit * don't forget an lcd to go with it all, one with a decent response time, the less 'ms' teh better!~

[pervert]

hard drives are cheap as chips and can be added on as they are needed.

Much like RAM.


maybe wait another month or two as visa is out in feb i think and that needs a bit to power it

Visa's have been around for a while now...:laugh:

[boomer]

a quick search on the inter dweeb shows this muppet; pretty much hit the nail on the head and hasn't forgotton the majors like we did ( Sound cards, dvd/cd drives etc.. ) ;)

dweeb link.. helps for reference (http://www.geek.com/htbc/glanbui.htm)

[The_Dover]

in terms of ram just buy a 512 stick and if ya old needs more he can always add to it; get a 3.2 amd as that will suffice and isn't much more than a 2.4 or a 2.8 and as the rest have said re hard drives, just get a 120gig or a 200 and bobs ya unkle.. shove it in a cheap box with a half decent,400+ watt, power supply with a couple of fans and a el cheapo gfx card and hes laughing. Don't forget a mobo too.. does he want to add speakers, surround sound, dual processors blah blah blah... reviews (http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/articles.php#11)

if you want i can help get teh stuff 'cheap' and/or help build it if you don;t want to get one of the shelf ;)

You can also look here when you know what you want pricespy (http://www.pricespy.co.nz/)

edit * don't forget an lcd to go with it all, one with a decent response time, the less 'ms' teh better!~

don't forget the watercooling boomer

[McJim]

I've got an old laptop that I still use - 400Mhz, 128Meg of RAM - it surfs the net, types letters and can calculate all the niceties of a $140M turnover company.

I don't actually NEED any more than that. Never use it for games - except the odd game of Unreal Tournament when I'm of on business.

I have other priorities and have therefore stopped upgrading any home IT equipment for the past 2 years.

Haven't had a problem so all's well.

[boomer]

don't forget the watercooling boomer

ahhahaa, thats from my nerdy days when i cooked the north bridge, gpu & cpu so i could get all the horsies i could out of the old girl ;)

Now adays its just another black box collecting dust :crazy:

[kro]

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dimen_c521?c=nz&l=en&s=dhs&cs=nzdhs1

That's what I would go for, unless you know someone who can build you one from scratch. Dell aren't the gruntiest thing out there, but they are upgradeable, and you get an LCD monitor, and a good set of speakers etc.

Unless you can get PC parts at trade prices, you are very hard pressed to match a Dell price.

My only major gripe with Dells are the lack of graphics cards, but for another $145.00 you can slap a good 6600GT in there, and it will eat any strategy game, and a good number of action/shooters too.

[boomer]

Good old Dell.. cheap as chips, 24*7 cover and marketed for the masses! WHY NOT?

[madandy]

Avoid Celron! I play strategy games, AOE3 wont run too well and the warcheifs upgrade has my 2600celron right up on 100%...slow as hell.

Anyone wanna shoot some advice for upgrading RAM, maybe that's my issue only have 256! :(

[boomer]

maybe that's my issue only have 256! :(

No, your issue is that you play strategy games.,.. geek :p

[N4CR]

go for.. hrmrmr

okay

cpu: amd athlon x2 3600+ or 3800+ (dualcore) cheap as chips and spanks the pants off about 65-70% of intels total current production lineup apart from core2.. haha. and again it's cheaper than almost the entire lineup.

ram 1gb kingston valueram or corsair valueram... lifetime warranty and cheap and effective. ram speed ain't a big deal on amd platforms. but it's not no name dodgy crap ram so yeah.. all good.

hard drive well video editing chews it go get a 320gb 7200rpm sata seagate/wd/samsung etc. last check (last month) was best $$ for gb (320gb)

graphics/gpu.. hrrmmmm basically gf 7600gt/6600gt or x1600xt both 256mb. often the 512mb versions for similar price have slower memory so in the end actually run slower.. funny stuff. get a pci-e 16x card.. not agp as motherbaord dont support it.

motherboard.. go get an asus socket am2 or the like. asustek socket am2 m2n-mx nvidia geforce6100 (integrated graphics solution) would be good as you don't have to initially get a graphics card. wait and then get one cheaper down the line. ddr2 baord and pci 16x etc etc
don't get gigabyte have had multiple bad experiences with their stuff. asrock is also cheap and is an asus subsidary.

case well hell anything goes really. cooling ain't a problem with these modern cpus so go for cheap and not too flashy (flashy = $$). don't get integrated psu option they are all rubbish.

power supply enermax noisetaker 485w. psu is one of the most critical components in a computer.. with a bad one it can cause problems across the entire thing.. it's the first port of call. 485w means you can chuck in a friggen decent graphics card and it'll take it fine. i have two of these 485's in the house. one is run 24/7 the other is used occasionally.. both are perfect and in reviews spanked all the rest in that class. another 465 in another computer that has regular use is still going strong after 3 years. and that's just me.. mates have many of htem and they have no problems what so ever.

anything else just shoot mate i build computers for people all the time :)

edit: kro's reccomendation is great too, dells don't have the build quality but hey have warranty to back it up.. as he said chuck a 6600gt in and you'd be sweet as! and its easier than homebuilding.. as much as i hate to say it. you learn more homebuilding htough!

[Deviant Esq]

what ever you do don't go to Dick Smiths or Noel Leemings.

Why not? I worked for Noel Leeming not so long ago, and there's nothing wrong with the computer stuff we sold. I'd sooner buy shit from there than a Dell. Not like I'm trying to say it was a wonderful place to work, because it really wasn't all that wonderful, but if you'd come and bought a computer from me you'd have walked away happy with the product and the service.

[Brian d marge]

Oldies like me cant think that fast , so an older/slower computer may be ok !

My old clunker, is 1100 amd chip 750 ram and an newer agp graphics card ,125meg?

I use ubuntu, 6.10 and it works like a charm, The Only small gripe is that some of the newer flash and codecs arnt supported by ubuntu

they probably are, just i cant be arsed looking for them. I was looking at up grading, but this thing has been as stable as a rock , and only comes under pressure when I render a acad drawing, not often

I was playing Americas army it was fine ,, ( for me ) ...

Future next year is a big screen monitor ( 23 inch and maybe an upgrade,,,)

Stephen

[madandy]

No, your issue is that you play strategy games.,.. geek :p

BAAhahahaha....................................... .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ....fair call

[kro]

Madandy, the bottleneck in your system sounds like the lack of RAM. I would perhaps stick another 256mb, or even better, splash out on $75.00, and slap 512 in, and I would suggest you'd see a marked improvement.

AOE minimum specs.
- WinXP

- 1.4ghz Processor

- 256 RAM

- 64 MB Video Card that supports HW T&L

- Approximately 370MB of Hard Drive space (not including installer).

- DirectX 9c

You're right on the bottom end with RAM matey, so that would be my first thing to address. Note the processor is actually specs are actually quite low, and that's a nother reason the RAM should be the 1st port of call.

[Lias]

You really need 256mb of RAM just for the OS if your running XP.

1GB of ram is cheap these days, and IMHO is entry level.

Most gaming rigs have 2 or more GB now.

[MOTOXXX]

Much like RAM.



Visa's have been around for a while now...:laugh:

haha

laugh it up funny man

[insane1]

have a look at a place called the computer lounge its almost in town good stuff price not bad depends how much you spending.

[Cajun]

Andy - drop me a line and come around some stage i sort ya computer out for ya

[imdying]

Buy a Dell with a gig of ram. Doesn't matter which one, they're all fast enough now. Spend any extra on a 19" LCD, it's the gift that keeps giving.

[boomer]

have a look at a place called the computer lounge its almost in town good stuff price not bad depends how much you spending.

paul and Scott are good boys but the gears not cheap

[pervert]

Spend any extra on a 19" LCD, it's the gift that keeps giving.

Pffft, you still need a magnifying glass for a 19"...

27" widescreen is the only way to go...coming to work and sitting in front of this shitty 17" drives me insane...:rockon:

[imdying]

Pffft, you still need a magnifying glass for a 19"...

27" widescreen is the only way to go...coming to work and sitting in front of this shitty 17" drives me insane...:rockon:

Enjoy your shitty res and giant dots... the 19"s are bad enough.

[insane1]

i almost bought the top of the line gaming system a while back would have spent bout$5500 but that was top everything .

[boomer]

i almost bought the top of the line gaming system a while back would have spent bout$5500 but that was top everything .

About 3 years ago i did, from Paul and we did an article in the local news paper. My pc had the very first of everything in NZ.. top machine now worth fuck all ;)

[insane1]

cant you upgrade parts or no room for expansion on motherboard.

[DemonWolf]

Depending on how much time you actually want to spend. You can go either of two ways.. buy a prepackaged computer, or build it yourself (Most of the websites even have the option to build the pc).

Myself, I've always built my PC.. but thats because I'm a geek and I'm into it.

Your first question if you are building a PC is. What is it going to be used for now and in a years time! (Future proof as much as you can to begin with). After setting yourself a $$ figure as the limit (You need to be firm on this) you can now hunt for the components you desire/need/want..

Your major concern is going to be the Motherboard (after you have decided which CPU brand you want). Intels Dual Core duo's (Anything else from other than the Core is a power hungry hog) or AMD. Once you have your head around what processing power your'll gonna need, you need main object is to get the best motherboard, dont be stingy on the motherboard, because this allows you to future proof your computer and make it last longer with upgrades throughout its life.

So now your've gone through picked the spec CPU you want.. done the hunt for the best motherboard you can afford (pick out 3-4 as you may need to pick and choose depending on your other component requirements), you can now pick your graphics (if the motherboard doesn't have onboard graphics that meet your requirements), then spec out (as many others have already mentioned with) at least 512MB (1GB would be nice) of RAM, Sound card (though most top end boards come with onboard 5.1 sound).. now you also need a case and PSU.. and OS etc etc

If building isn't your thing. Then this is the recommended specs I would go by.

CPU: 2.66 (Nothing under and Would look at Dual Core)
RAM: 512 (minimum - 1GB would be better)
Video: Mid-High range card
Motherboard: Something that you can use to upgrade your components (i.e. isn't fully spec'd out and can handle faster RAM, CPU, Graphics etc etc)
HDD: 120GB-160GB (minimum - HDD are becoming cheaper so as your budget can afford)
Monitor: 17" LCD (minimum)

[N4CR]

paul and scott are good boys but the gears not cheap

****in ay thats where i get all my stuff from.. and mos t of my mates stuff. go chat to them they will sort you out... not everything is asian tiny room selling hardware prices but they can bargain down.

[pervert]

Enjoy your shitty res and giant dots... the 19"s are bad enough.

Depends entirely on purpose, 1360 (or close to) x 768 is perfect, and the 'dots'...or pixels as I strangely like to call them are just fine.

I don't play games, I use the internet and watch a fuckload of DivX on it...it's perfect and no-one (even hardcore) geeks have disagreed. Samsung make good gear.

[imdying]

Depends entirely on purpose, 1360 (or close to) x 768 is perfect, and the 'dots'...or pixels as I strangely like to call them are just fine.

I don't play games, I use the internet and watch a fuckload of DivX on it...it's perfect and no-one (even hardcore) geeks have disagreed. Samsung make good gear.

Ewwwww, I was assuming it was at least 1920,1200 :sick:

[pervert]

Ewwwww, I was assuming it was at least 1920,1200 :sick:

Haha, the 'dots' can go that high...but I enjoy being able to see what on my desktop...and I prefer web pages to be centred, not taking up the left quarter of the screen...bloody amatuers...:laugh:

[imdying]

Haha, the 'dots' can go that high...but I enjoy being able to see what on my desktop...and I prefer web pages to be centred, not taking up the left quarter of the screen...bloody amatuers...:laugh:

Here's a tip... you increase the font size, and get this... you can drag the web browser windows around the screen... pretty flash eh :third:

[pervert]

Here's a tip... you increase the font size, and get this... you can drag the web browser windows around the screen... pretty flash eh :third:

You can drag full screen windows around the screen? Well I never...:laugh:

Bloody amatuers...:laugh:

[imdying]

You can drag full screen windows around the screen? Well I never...:laugh:

Bloody amatuers...:laugh:
You full screen a web browser on a 27" monitor... dude, seriously, come to Christchurch, go to CPIT, and do the Computing For Free course... they'll teach you some neat tricks...

[pervert]

You full screen a web browser on a 27" monitor... dude, seriously, come to Christchurch, go to CPIT, and do the Computing For Free course... they'll teach you some neat tricks...

This is about where most people would crank out certian qualifications they possess, blah, blah, blah.

Instead of taking that option, I'll merely give you green rep. You make me laugh, it might be at you, but you still make me laugh.

...bloody amatuers...:laugh:

[imdying]

We're getting way off topic here... the man doesn't need the super wicky wicky monitor... but if he's a father, presumably getting onto 50 or over, spend the extra on the biggest monitor he can afford (Better on his aging eyes). Get a Dell, or a Compaq. They're established, they build reasonable PCs (Compaqs are better, but more $$$... although Compaq has physical service agents in major centres.), and there's someone to bitch at if it breaks. Seriously, it's all he'll need.

[Squeak the Rat]

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dimen_c521?c=nz&l=en&s=dhs&cs=nzdhs1

That's what I would go for, unless you know someone who can build you one from scratch. Dell aren't the gruntiest thing out there, but they are upgradeable, and you get an LCD monitor, and a good set of speakers etc.

Unless you can get PC parts at trade prices, you are very hard pressed to match a Dell price.

My only major gripe with Dells are the lack of graphics cards, but for another $145.00 you can slap a good 6600GT in there, and it will eat any strategy game, and a good number of action/shooters too.
Where'd you get a 6600GT for $145? Prices I'm seeing are 280 - 320...

[imdying]

http://www.pricespy.co.nz/pno_4722.html

[Squeak the Rat]

Sweet, what's the diff between all the makes? I thought a 6600 was Nvidia, so how does austek, gigabyte etc fit in, and are there any best avoided?

[imdying]

Long story short, don't worry about it. Memory speed, bus bandwidth, blah blah blah, it's not worth worrying about, and not something you can do much about on a limited buget. Rest assured the 6600GT is a proven tool, and even a crap one kicks the onboard graphics the average white box comes with all over the park.

[kro]

Listen to imdying, he speaks the truth.

I realise computery stuff isn't everyones cup of tea, and there are often lots of questions, so if you need to ask further questions, I am more than happy to converse with you on MSN. My email is D41E@hotmail.com

I would hope I could render enough advice to make the process as painless as possible. It appears there are lots of other knowledgeable chaps/chap-ettes on here, lots of them with tonnes more experience than me, I don't think you can go wrong with any advice in this thread.

[Lias]

I'll second that.

Also available to talk geeky stuff, but PM me for my MSN :-)

[Moxy]

Sweet, what's the diff between all the makes? I thought a 6600 was Nvidia, so how does austek, gigabyte etc fit in, and are there any best avoided?

It depends on the make - at worse the video card will be a replica of the nvidia reference design; at best, a more expensive brand will have a fancy cooling fan, and will be clocked a bit higher.

But in short, there's not that much difference between them, especially since the 6600 is more than a few years old - more than enough time for manufacturers to iron out any problems.

Gigabyte, and Sparkle are great brands.

[scracha]

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dimen_c521?c=nz&l=en&s=dhs&cs=nzdhs1
Unless you can get PC parts at trade prices, you are very

My only major gripe with Dells are the lack of graphics cards, but for another $145.00 you can slap a good 6600GT in there, and it will eat any strategy game, and a good number of action/shooters too.
Well I get parts at trade prices and basically there's no way I can match Dell for prices with the next day on-site support (I don't even try to). They're that good!

The reason why Dell gets a bad rep is because many shops selling PC's (Like Dork Smith or the way overpriced Noel Lemming) can't match their prices or support. Of course flogging their older models in The Warehouse wasn't the best marketing move for Dell either.

If you desire an LCD screen then go for a new system. I wouldn't get less than a 19" LCD screen tho'. If you're running vista you'll want at least 1GB, a Core Duo processor and a decent video card. DVD burner is useful too! If you can't be without your PC then hardware RAID1 combined with your normal backup can save a LOT of arsing around if one of the drives fail (less than 1% chance per annum).

If you're just after "basic business apps" then running XP with 512MB is fine (you can always upgrade later). As for hard drive, well if you're just running the average business applications on Win XP then an old 20GB/40GB will do you. It's only when you want games, lots of music stored (roughly 200 songs per GB) or video (lots and lots of storage needed) that you need the more modern drives. Lots of customer's PC's I visit have 250GB drives with about 12GB used! Bang per buck I'd say the 320GB ones offer good value for money (Seagate's have 5 year warranty and spend the little extra for one with 16MB cache).

If you can put up with CRT monitor then you can get an ex-lease PC with 3 months warranty, 512MB ram, Pentium 2.4 (I wouldn't advise a celeron), XP-home with COA, 40GB HDD, 17" CRT monitor for about 400 bucks these days.

The new systems with a reasonable spec should set you back around the 1400 mark.

[Toaster]

Come on... ya dont need much on a PC to surf for porn....

[scracha]

Come on... ya dont need much on a PC to surf for porn....

Thus the REAL reason for the interest in wireless laptops & 3g video mobile phones. I hate to say it but I carry handwipes in the car for use after fixing customer PC's.

[avgas]

A cheap Celeron CPU will do fine.

512MB of RAM will also suffice although hardcore geeks will disagree.

Then get a cheap graphics card and an 80 or 160 gig HDD and it will be sweet.

I'm sure plenty of people will disagree and say he needs more, but I've built plenty of similar spec'd systems for people with similar needs and they are more than happy. Especially when the price is around $500 if you get good deals on parts.
Cheaper than that boss, sold one about 6 months ago
Cel 1700mhz, 512mb, 40gb hd, cd/cdrw/dvd, 256mb gfx card, slimline netvista system. 17in CRT, KB and mouse Got rid of it for about $300.
So there would be cheaper out there

[Squeak the Rat]

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dimen_c521?c=nz&l=en&s=dhs&cs=nzdhs1

That's what I would go for, unless you know someone who can build you one from scratch. Dell aren't the gruntiest thing out there, but they are upgradeable, and you get an LCD monitor, and a good set of speakers etc.

My only major gripe with Dells are the lack of graphics cards, but for another $145.00 you can slap a good 6600GT in there, and it will eat any strategy game, and a good number of action/shooters too.

Don't recommend that piece of shit in the same post as a suggestion to slap in a graphics card. There are only about 2 graphics cards on the market that'll fit the pokey little fucking box it comes in.

Just as well dell have a return policy. Pity the old man aint getting a birthday present this side of april.

Fucking PC shit.

[pervert]

Don't recommend that piece of shit in the same post as a suggestion to slap in a graphics card. There are only about 2 graphics cards on the market that'll fit the pokey little fucking box it comes in.

Just as well dell have a return policy. Pity the old man aint getting a birthday present this side of april.

Fucking PC shit.


Haha, you bought a Dell an expected a quality computer? :blink:

Dell are excellent at using non-standard parts...

[Squeak the Rat]

Haha, you bought a Dell an expected a quality computer? :blink:


Fuck you dickshit, at least i've got a father to buy a present for.

[pervert]

Fuck you dickshit, at least i've got a father to buy a present for.

Gee, thats a bit below the belt isn't it you Dell-buying faggot, my father was killed about 4 years ago in an accident...

[Squeak the Rat]

Nice one, just like the time you said you had tourettes just to make me feel like a prick?

The trouble is when you spout shit all the time is that peope stop believing what your saying.

And if what you say is true then why would you laugh at the expense of some one elses father.

:yawn: - say hello to ignore list.

[pervert]

And if what you say is true then why would you laugh at the expense of some one elses father.

You misunderstood, I didn't laugh at your Father...I laughed at you...:laugh:

You were given a shitload of good advice in this thread, and barely any of that advice said "Buy a Dell"...people even offered to build PC's and hook you up and everything!

Not the brightest are you?

[avgas]

Stop fighting, or go buy honda's.
Dell can make good shit, same as IBM etc. You just have to know your stuff when you buy.

[imdying]

All right kids, quieten down or straight to be with no dinner.

Sorry I didn't follow that link, it quite clearly states that the applicable graphics cards are half height.

It appears that the E520 which is about $200 (the next model up) would take a better card, get them to swap it..