New to PC gaming

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everbroken

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The main game I am really trying to play is Fallout 3, though I would like a PC because there are a LOT of games for it.

My question is, if I upgrade the video card in it, would this computer be a good place to start gaming?

Acer Aspire AM3641-ED7200A Core 2 Duo E7200

Also... I currently have a Dell Dimension 3000, and am wondering how possible it is to just upgrade it to be able to play games like that.
 
I thought it would be cost worthy to buy that desktop for 450, and then put maybe a 150 card in it. 600 bucks for what seems would be a pretty nice rig
 
Is there any worth in uprgrading the ram and card in my Dell?

It has a 2.4Ghz Pentium 4 in it. Currently has 512mb of ram.
 
well is 600 dollars your limit?

If so we can put something together for you possibly, comparable or better, then at least you can have a few options.
 
It's actually something I am researching into. I don't really have a limit, but for now, am just trying to get to where I can get the basic performance I need to run, as i said, specifically Fallout 3.
 
well I have fallout 3 as well, I know what it requires to run at medium settings on a machine. I'll post some stuff here. I'll also send rage a msg to make sure he responds with a setup as well.
 
I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO MAKE NOTE: THESE SETUPS DO NOT INCLUDE AN OPERATING SYSTEM, MONITOR OR KEYBOARD UNLESS SPECIFIED

You must have a 64 bit operating system to take advantage of the 4Gbs of ram!
600 USD INTEL SETUP
XCLIO 188A COOLZER Fully Black Finish 0.5 mm SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $49.99
Newegg.com - XCLIO 188A COOLZER Fully Black Finish 0.5 mm SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

GIGABYTE GA-P31-ES3G LGA 775 Intel P31 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $62.99
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P31-ES3G LGA 775 Intel P31 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail $164.99
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
$144.99
($129.99 after $15.00 Mail-In
Rebate
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $44.99
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Retail
$59.99
($34.99 after $25.00 Mail-In
Rebate
Newegg.com - Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Power Supplies

Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136010

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD?R DVD Burner - OEM $22.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151175

Grand Total $590.92 not including rebates




AMD SETUP $600 USD

Switch out the intel mobo and cpu for these items.

GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128376

AMD Phenom 9650 2.3GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor - OEM $165.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103284


I recommend the intel setup for gaming, but if you're like me and want to do multitasking with dual monitors the AMD setup is the way to go here. If you're going to run the AMD setup go with vista 64 bit, it handles multiple threads a lot better than xp with the 4Gb of ram installed.

The cases can be switched out, my choice of case was due to the price range of the pc. There's no point of having a low end system with a 300 dollar case. Of course that's up to you though
 
The above setups I made on another forum, all items you can find on newegg. The post is 2 days old.
 
those look really good... I was looking up the Intel stuff, and it all looks better than the Acer will deliver.

I'm actually really psyched about this! I got really bored of the console wars, and having them break every 6 months :)

It's funny, cause most of those things I realize are things I was already looking at as upgrades, that interested me.

Now, I'm not computer-building saavy, so that Intel setup is EVERYTHING I will need to build it?

And that case is slick looking to me haha.
 
some of the parts are oem, but that's no issue the mobo comes with Sata cables for the cd and hard drive. you will have to get a monitor and keyboard, mouse etc, and it is better than the acer setup. Do you already have an operating system?
 
I've got the keyboard, mouse and monitor... I am pretty sure I have an XP disk running around here somewhere as well.

Also... for Fallout and COD4, do the wireless microsoft controllers work well for the pc?
 
Wiring up the power supply and fans and whatnot... is that really hard to do?

I'm sure I can handle it, I've been disassembling and reassembling 360's and ps3's for the last year, but I'm just wondering if there is any complex wiring involved?
 
they do work, you can get help here for that, I havnt run it myself, but there are many threads here about it, or you can just ask, there are many people who will help.
 
Wiring up the power supply and fans and whatnot... is that really hard to do?

I'm sure I can handle it, I've been disassembling and reassembling 360's and ps3's for the last year, but I'm just wondering if there is any complex wiring involved?

if you been taken apart consoles puttin this thing together will be a snap, literally. If its your first build, there are some things to know that you will have to go through, driver installation after start up to get your hardware working how we like it to, pretty much everything is on the fly from then. After the first time you put a pc together it becomes a 40 mins task of installing everything, I'm sure a lot of people can do it faster than that, the longer part is the installation of software.
 
lol, being as though you come from modding consoles I'd expect that question. No you dont, if you have to solder anything with a pc, it usually means you broke that part, lol.

Everything snaps or screws into place for the most part.
 
Could I fork out a little extra money, and get a better GPU right off the bat?

Also... with my current computer, no one told me if it would be possible to get 2GB of ram, and the best PCI card I can get, and be able to play games until I am able to build my new rig.
 
You could do with a better PSU than that Thermaltake one. The Antec Earthwatts EA500 is for $65 on Newegg with free shipping. An excellent deal IMO. Everything else in that build by supersmashbrada looks great.

As for your question, there would be no point to getting a more powerful card than the HD 4850 unless you were planning to game at 1600x1200 and above with all the image quality options maxed out. FYI, if you want, you could drop down to an E7200 and grab a larger HDD if you want, like the WD6400AAKS. The performance drop from doing so will be slim to none. You can also go for the GA-G31M-ES2L motherboard if its cheaper than the one suggested by supersmashbrada.
 
I thought the psu was close to cutting it, just got back from the Ford dealership, expecting your critiques. thx.
 
Better GPUs would be:

EVGA GTX260, 55nm - $240 (after $20 mail-in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434&Tpk=896-P3-1255-AR

HIS HD4870, 1GB GDDR5 - $215 (after $10 mail-in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161247

Performance wise, the GTX beats or ties the 4870 is most of today's top games. One notable exception: Race Driver: GRiD.
Besides that, the GTX is greener, consuming less power, especially on idle and has (somewhat) better driver support.

Upgrading that Dell is not recommended as all it's hardware is far too old and incompatible with newer tech (like PCI-E cards, DDR2 RAM, SATA HDDs etc.).
 
Okay thanks Captain :)

Thanks rage I will look into your suggestions...

As far as resolutions and such go, I'm not too sure what the difference is. I have an HP 2007 20 inch monitor that I believe supports 1680x1050.

I just have some games I am looking forward to playing, COD4, GTA4, and wanna make sure I can play them all decently.
 
Nothing really, his suggestion I'd suggest for a single card solution, as far as graphics, i must have skipped over it when I made the list.
 
What do you mean supersmash?

Your card should have me playing those games just fine right? So, what do you mean "single card solution".
 
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