Getting a New Desktop

  • Thread starter Matty
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I know, but I didn't mean to mislead anyone.

Anyway, PC with TV that can run iRacing for under 800, best PC and TV for that? I really haven't a clue about what I need.
 
Did you even looked at his budget????????? Or will the fairies of shark loan companies save him? Can you answer that?

As for advice, Matty, it's late tonight and I'll post back in the morning when I'm fully awake.
 
nick09
Did you even looked at his budget????????? Or will the fairies of shark loan companies save him? Can you answer that?

As for advice, Matty, it's late tonight and I'll post back in the morning when I'm fully awake.
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Thanks, you really have been a massive help to me. I was thinking maybe a BUSH 40" HD Ready 1080p which I seen in Argos for €350+ but most certainly below 400, and then most desktops I've seen are around 3.3Ghz. And I think it was a i3 that I seen with that.
 
^ +1 to @nick09. Mac's are good as work machines, but ShortAznGuy, did you even take a second to look at any posts in this thread? He wants it to play some games (iRacing which won't run on Mac unless you use Wine wrapper, trust me, I've tried), and has a budget of 500 quid. That Mac is 1200 quid on it's own, let alone all the other doodads you'll need along with it.

Please, from now on, read more before you post.
 
I personally think 1080P should be used on 45" and more. 720P sounds really ideal for a 40". So you could save budget that way. Problem you will have is that the text will be too small if you are viewing from a distance(I own a 34" HDTV and I have this problem even with 720P so I have to use an odd resolution under 720P).
 
Viewing distance would be no more then 4-5 metres ( 12-15 foot) and don't think it will be too much of a problem. If so I could always just zoom in a bit. But if I'm able to make the TV cheaper it also gives me a bit of leeway in relation to the PC.
 
For my 34" HDTV I'm about 8 feet away and numbers like 0 can be hard to see. I'd suggest 720P at least.
 
I sit 12' away from a 1080p, 50" plasma watching TV and movies but for gaming I'm usually about 5'. If you're planning on a 40" set from 12' away, I don't think it's even close to large enough. Personally speaking, anyway.
 
Oh that's for internet use. Currently I sit about 2-3' away as my wheel is on the keyboard part of my desk with the telly I currently have taking up 90% of the deskspace.

With a flatscreen I would have it wall mounted and maybe invest in a wheelstand so I'd be a bit further back. Or closer. Who knows :lol:
 
If you plan on going with a laptop, remember that if the laptop screen is say 720p then you wont be able to output to a TV at 1080p.
 
I'm not going with a laptop any more. Changed to a PC. Thanks for the info though.
 
Yeah I've set a weird resolution on my TV since 720P is unreadable and overscans. It's like 622P lol.

Well for your budget that you are putting towards the computer(I'm assuming 400 pounds since the TV takes half of that), you will be expecting i3 cpu(or FX-4100 but the i3 is still the better cpu) and then HD 6670 or HD 6770 graphics with 4-8GB of memory. That's what I'm getting from looking at pre-built gaming PC's. Granted that they have to have a profit overhead and always seem overpriced. It's about the limits of your budget without going into the idea of building your own and a regular user may not want to do that, which is reasonable, since you would not be comfortable with making your own computer.

If you plan on going with a laptop, remember that if the laptop screen is say 720p then you wont be able to output to a TV at 1080p.
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Uh, no, no, and no. Many basic laptops can output to 1080P with HDMI and similar high resolutions with VGA. HDMI is becoming a standard port on almost all laptops and even the most basic laptop can play HD movies.
 
I have seen a few i3's around that are 3.3GHz. Most have had 4GB RAM and upto 2TB of HDD.

So I would be safe grabbing an i3 with 3.3GHz?
 
nick09
Uh, no, no, and no. Many basic laptops can output to 1080P with HDMI and similar high resolutions with VGA. HDMI is becoming a standard port on almost all laptops and even the most basic laptop can play HD movies.
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Quoted for truth, my fairly basic laptop outputs beyond it's native screen resolutions when using the VGA.
 
Matty
I have seen a few i3's around that are 3.3GHz. Most have had 4GB RAM and upto 2TB of HDD.

So I would be safe grabbing an i3 with 3.3GHz?
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Yes you would. You can't really get anything like an i5 with a dedicated GPU on your budget. Get the i3 and HD 6670 or better yet HD 6770 graphics.
 
Okay, that's sorted then. What size TV would you recommend? I was think maybe if I could 42".
 
You could look at a 47" TV like this one. With currency conversions that one comes to 400 pounds roughly. My home has a 26" one which can go as much as 720P and it looks great. I would look for a similar TV if it's in the same budget.
 
Cool. Will check that link now.

Preferably it would need 2 skarts and a HDMI. But I can do that search for myself.

Anyway if theres anyway I can thank you with my iRacing referal or anything.
 
A referral would be nice. I've been thinking of trying out iracing but not knowing if it was worth paying money to try it out. The TV was just an example. You'd have to find a version for ireland. USA does not use a skart connection.
 
Well I think this isn't a bad idea Samsung 43" Plasma as I honestly think that's a steal.

And this PC would bring it up too €800. Dell Inspiron

And I have yet to try iRacing as well, but you can get a year's worth of rookie cars and tracks for 50$ and after you membership runs out you get to keep all offline stuff.
 
You won't be able to play iracing with that computer. It only has Intel HD 2000 graphics. You will need to find something better.
 
Oh right. Didn't know that. Will look for something better.

Best I can find is 6450. 👎

And thats already 130 over my budget.
 
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nick09
Uh, no, no, and no. Many basic laptops can output to 1080P with HDMI and similar high resolutions with VGA. HDMI is becoming a standard port on almost all laptops and even the most basic laptop can play HD movies.
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Oh sorry, I thought they couldn't seeing as my laptop can only output the resolution of it's own screen. My mistake :P
 
That's not the best option since the graphics is rather low compared to what I see here is the US. I would recommend looking at other options and avoid offers with no OS installed.
 
Would Asus CM1740-US-2AG be any good for iRacing?

EDIT: This also fits into your maximum budget of 550 euros, you can upgrade the PSU and GPU later.

EDIT2: I found this one, it should do well with iRacing.
 
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Matty
Decent sized HDD. (Preferably 500gb upwards.)
Big screen as I would most likely run iRacing on it unless I get a new TV soon, which I probably will but nevertheless. (Preferably 17" upwards.)

I have a budget of 500 euro.
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As the owner of an 18.4" leviathon Toshiba, I will say stay away from the big screens. There is such a thing as too much. I see my laptop as a slightly portable desktop computer. It is nigh on useless for your lap as the screen is so big that its not the most rigid thing when open on your lap...always wobbling, and the battery life is.....well crap - its such a thirsty machine. I have learnt to deal with it. I love using it as a desktop, and have it linked to a 24" monitor all the time on the desk next to a powerpoint and that's now how I use my laptop - I never carry it around the house and neither does my brother who has a 17" Dell - they're just too chunky. Personally I am aiming to get a 15" MacbookPro soon as they are just such nice....objects. :P

I say you should work out what you need the computer for more - either iRacing or the flexibility of having a laptop. If you are getting a screen then I would say opt for a smaller laptop and link it up. If you only want something for iRacing, get an actual desktop. Sadly I don't think you can have a brilliant laptop that excels at being an easy-to-live-with laptop, have a 17" screen and play iRacing. Especially for 500 euros.

You might not be so into sim racing a year or two down the track anyways - don't get something which you'll be using for 3-4 years for running a program you want to run now, think long term as well. ;)

Edit: Well it appears you are going down the desktop route anyways lol :P
 

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