Recommend me a new PC please :)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Aldo
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Aldo

Aldo

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Aldo_GTP
Hi
I'm going to get a new PC sometime but I'm on a kinda tight budget after buying a new bike. I would like it to be under £250 but I can stretch a little.
I don't need a screen because I have 2 already :p
I have been looking on PC world and I saw this Compaq
Good value? Would it run Race 07 with my additional RAM and my graphics card?
Also, I have another hard drive. Would I be able to put that in alongside the one that comes with the computer with XP on it? Then if I want to play older games that won't work on Win 7, could I boot up the pc on that HD and play them?
Thanks
Allyn
 
Well this computer is a little above your budget but it has way better performance for the price. It has a triple core cpu and Nvidia GeForce 9200 graphics. You can get most of today's games at mid graphics with this machine.

Also it would be better to get a external enclosure such as this one for your hard drive. That way you can backup data from the computer that are important to you.
 
Thanks for the reply!
This topic is fairly redundant now as my dad just told me he ordered the one I linked to for me which is a big surprise! :lol:
Just out of interest, what difference does the third core provide as I noticed they are roughly the same clock speeds?
I already have a 1TB external HD which is pretty much the household backup drive :p

I'll be happy with whatever performance from this PC to be honest as my previous one (now has fried cpu cause the psu fubar'd it (don't ask)) was proper old but could still run FS 2004 and rFactor perfectly fine (somehow).
One more thing, is Wn 7 kinda backwards compatible (i.e. would I be able to run old games like Mafia and GTA3)? Or would I need to crate a partition for XP to run them?

Thanks once again!
Still in a state of mild shock that my dad just bought me a new PC as I was expecting to have to pay for it myself :lol:
 
Cool thanks for the link
I have a genuine XP disc so can I create a partition or put it on my spare HD or something?
 
Well the extra core will help you in multitasking and most games nowadays make good use of 2 or more cores to help speed up the fps. Well the one thing I really don't like about the Compaq is that they don't tell you what type of integrated graphics is in the computer. I can't really make a comparison of the graphics because I don't know what type the compaq has but I do know if it has intel graphics it will be able to do a bit of gaming in low graphics. The one I posted has a Geforce 9200 and that will easily get the graphics in mid to high.

It would be best to get a program that you can burn to a cd to make partitions with. That way you can reserve about 50GB to XP for gaming when you need it.
 
I'm ok on the graphics front as I have a graphics card somewhere. Its one of the Radeon HD series with 512mb Vram. Can't remember exactly which card it is.
Ok, I'll have a look for a program like that. Thanks :)
 
I have used a program called GParted before and it's a real nice graphical program. You just download the latest iso image here and then you burn the image onto a cd. You can read the FAQ here if you run into any problems.
 
Thanks, I'll be sure to use that when my pc arrives in a couple of days time.
Would it be worth putting my other HD in to put game data and program data on? Just so that my main HD can be free of all that.
I just read that the CPU that comes with my computer can be overclocked to over 3 GHz :D I'll have remember to download Speedfan to monitor temperaatures etc. before I start fiddling.
 
Yes it would be worth it. You can use the 320GB HDD that comes with the computer for your media files. Then just use your old hard drive to hold your games.

It's a better idea not to overclock your CPU since the CPU cooler is most likely not made to cool down a overclocked processor. Though I have check what socket type that cpu is and it's a LGA 775. I have came across these cpu coolers on pcworld:
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/cpu-cooler-domino-a-l-c-cpu-liquid-cooling-system-03651497-pdt.html
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/ak-965-cpu-cooler-for-intel-lga775-sockets-00926012-pdt.html
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/ak-922-evo-cpu-cooler-00772860-pdt.html

I'd go for the water cooling method because it's pretty cheap and easy to set up compared to doing things like fitting the tubes and such by yourself. Even though you will have to remove the motherboard to attach the CPU cooler; it is well worth it for the cooling.
 
Great!
Cool, I'll take your advice and look into that before I mess everything up :lol:
 
I would be very surprised if the bios in that Compaq will let you OC. They are usually very limited in that area for a reason. They don't want you heating up the parts and thats what OCing does.
 
Overclocking also reduces the life span of the parts if it is not cooled correctly. It's best to wait for the computer to come in the mail and check the bios. I also think your computer does not come with a PCI-E x16 expansion port so that can be a problem if you want to upgrade the graphics.
 
Well...It came today and I am now typing with my PCI Exepress x16 gfx card in :lol:
I was papping myself all day wondering if I would have to use my PCI card but no I didn't :D
Thanks for the help guys with the hrad drive/XP stuff etc.
Windows 7 feels different :(
So, so used to XP!
I'm sure I'll learn to love it ;)
Edit: One question, I have my 2 monitors plugged into my graphics card and everything is working greatly. But to get from my left screen to my right screen I have to move the mouse to the left of the screen which makes the mouse appear on the right side of the right hand screen... Its gonna be some easy fix isn't it?!
 
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Try switching the video cables on the monitors or you could just switch the monitors themselves.
 
Facepalm for me! I knew it was gonna be something horribly simple! :lol:
Thanks
My PC manages Race 07 on high graphic settings with perfect frame rate and Windows 7 is growing on me. I just found the weather and clock things for the desktop :D
 

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