Important PC question

I you have a Mac with an intel processor you can just use bootcamp to install windows XP or Vista... Mac users are no longer locked down to just OSX (provided you have a more recent intel Mac and not a g4/g5)

Out of curiosity what kind of processor and graphics card do you have?

I you have a Mac with an intel processor you can just use bootcamp to install windows XP or Vista... Mac users are no longer locked down to just OSX (provided you have a more recent intel Mac and not a g4/g5)

Out of curiosity what kind of processor and graphics card do you have?

tequilasunriser

also upgrading a 8yr old dell pc is going to come out the same as getting a new pc, there really isnt anything you could just "upgrade" first of all you need a dual core processor, ddr2, obviously new motherboard. and video card, 8 years ago there wasnt dual cores, ddr2 ram, nor pci-express. even if you upgrade it, youll have to find parts for it like on ebay or something cause they dont make parts for those anymore. and if you do upgrade, wouldnt be worth the money you spent cause you still wouldnt be able to play any of the new games decently

I do have an intel mac, but it's a mac mini so it's not very technically impressive. Looks like my best option is to buy a new PC then? Any recommendations for something that's not going to cost me a year's salary?jimboboklashaur

Well I have just the build for you then.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=7944148

If the PSU doesn't show up this is it.

Total cost before rebates is just under $600, after rebates its about $510.

So I get that and then I'd like to build it myself so I don't have to pay someone a ridiculous amount to build it for me. Easy way to figure that out, or should I let someone help me with that? And thank you very very much for your help by the way. After playing games for over 15 years having to ask questions about a type of gaming, it sucks feeling like a n00b, but you're all very helpful making me feel not like that.jimboboklashaur

Yeah no prob.

Order the parts and assemble them. Its not hard just read some guides. You can always take the parts to a shop where they will put it together for you for a fee. Also, I haven't included an operating system in that rig's configuration. I always leave that up to the builder to choose their OS.

Well XP would be my first choice because I hear nothing but negativity from Vista runners, or ex-Vista runners I guess that'd be. I'll wanna be playing games like Mass Effect and obviously Diablo III like I mentioned before, and I think that could maybe run Crysis, what do you think? XP my best choice? Crysis runnable, or am I just wishing for too easy a way out of this?jimboboklashaur

XP would be fine, I use XP. Vista has DirectX 10, but honestly there is hardly any difference between DX9 and DX10 so unless you are a graphics nazi you shouldn't even notice or care for that matter.

Crysis on Medium at a reasonable resolution would be ok on that 8800GS. If you felt so inclined you could get a card with a little more beef to it, but at probably double the price.

Its a good card though. If I was going to buy an card today I'd get that 8800GS since I play at 1280x1024 and I could give a **** about Crapsis.

Tequila's build is good, but I'd spend a little extra in a few places.

1: Higher-quality motherboard. The Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L offers a fair bit over its older P35 sibling, and is definitely worth a bit extra in my book.

2: A little more space wouldn't hurt. For around $25 you could double your hard drive space, which isn't a bad way to spend $25. Game installs are getting pretty big, and if you have a lot of stuff, you could find yourself without room fairly quickly.

3: A slightly better power supply wouldn't hurt either. Graphics cards are becoming more and more power-hungry, and while the Earthwatts 430w is more than enough for right now, it might not cut the mustard next time you want to upgrade your graphics card.

4: I just read an interesting article on Bit-Tech showing that running 4GB of RAM can significantly impact performance of certain games over 2GB. While the average frame-rates generally weren't generally affected, the minimum frame-rates often shot up quite a bit - and to be quite honest, minimum frame-rates are what I'd be more concerned about than average. I'd rather play a game that averaged 30FPS and never dropped below 20 than a game that averages 50FPS but dips down to 10FPS occasionally.

5: This is entirely optional, but I'd be open to spending a bit more on a case you like the look of than the cheapest case you can find. If the look of the case doesn't bother you, don't worry about it, but don't be afraid to check out a few different cases as well.

Tequila's build is good, but I'd spend a little extra in a few places.

1: Higher-quality motherboard. The Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L offers a fair bit over its older P35 sibling, and is definitely worth a bit extra in my book.

2: A little more space wouldn't hurt. For around $25 you could double your hard drive space, which isn't a bad way to spend $25. Game installs are getting pretty big, and if you have a lot of stuff, you could find yourself without room fairly quickly.

3: A slightly better power supply wouldn't hurt either. Graphics cards are becoming more and more power-hungry, and while the Earthwatts 430w is more than enough for right now, it might not cut the mustard next time you want to upgrade your graphics card.

4: I just read an interesting article on Bit-Tech showing that running 4GB of RAM can significantly impact performance of certain games over 2GB. While the average frame-rates generally weren't generally affected, the minimum frame-rates often shot up quite a bit - and to be quite honest, minimum frame-rates are what I'd be more concerned about than average. I'd rather play a game that averaged 30FPS and never dropped below 20 than a game that averages 50FPS but dips down to 10FPS occasionally.

5: This is entirely optional, but I'd be open to spending a bit more on a case you like the look of than the cheapest case you can find. If the look of the case doesn't bother you, don't worry about it, but don't be afraid to check out a few different cases as well.

RayvinAzn

You're not going to really save money if you spend $50 on a power supply now, and have to spend another $100 or so later. Might as well get the high-quality unit for around $80-$120 now if you ask me.

As for the case, you don't need to spend $100 - you can find some very good cases between $50-$75 that may suit you better. It's worth having a look-see at the very least.