Is this spec suitable for games?

ItchyFeet

Hi,

Please could somebody tell me if they think this spec computer would be suitable for surfing the net and playing games (Sims)?

It's an Acer Aspire 5552 - on offer at the moment at PC World.

ProcessorAMD Athlon II Dual-Core P320
- 2.1 GHz
- 1MB L2 cache sizeOperating SystemWindows 7 Home Premium 64-bitRAM3GB, DDR3, Maximum memory 8 GBGraphics cardIntegrated, ATI Radeon™ HD 4250, 256MB of dedicated system memoryScreen typeActive Matrix TFT Colour LCDScreen size15.6"Screen featuresHD, CrystalBrite, 16:9, 16.7 Million ColoursHard drive250GBOptical disk drive8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive, Read: 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-R, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD-ROM, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 6X DVD-ROM DL, 6X DVD-R DL, 6X DVD+R DL, 6X DVD-RW, 6X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM, Write: 24X CD-R, 16X CD-RW, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 4X DVD-R DL, 4X DVD+R DL, 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAMMemory card readerSecure Digital (SD) Card, MultiMediaCard (MMC)USB3x USB 2.0FireWireNoModem/EthernetGigabit EthernetWiFiIEEE 802.11b/g/nBluetoothNoVideo interfaceNoAudio interfaceBuilt-in mono speakerTV outputExternal display (VGA) portExpansion card slotNoSoundHigh-definition audio supportWebcam1.3 mpKeyboard & MouseKeyboard and TouchPadBatteryLi-Ion, Up to 3 hours 20 minutes

Many thanks!

macman

Any modern computer will do what you need it to do.
That PC has an older and slower processor, and a meagre-sized hard drive-250GB is simply not adequate for most people on a new PC. It should be 320GB minimum.
If it's really cheap, then it will probably do the job for you, but you could do much better (starting with buying almost anywhere but PCW).
It won't be at all suitable for gaming (as opposed to games), as it only has integrated graphics.

gonzo127

the graphics chipset on that laptop should be able to play sims3 in low to medium detail settings however its certainly not going to be a gaming system by any stretch of the imagination as it will struggle with most other games

ItchyFeet

Many thanks for your replies macman and gonzo.

redcard

Get an Xbox360 if you want to play games. You can probably pick one up for around £70 on ebay.

Humphrey10

redcard wrote: »

Get an Xbox360 if you want to play games.

Not for The Sims though - personally I'd really want a keyboard and mouse for that.

Hammyman

macman wrote: »

-250GB is simply not adequate for most people on a new PC.

Absolute rubbish.

JasX

ItchyFeet wrote: »

ATI Radeon™ HD 4250, 256MB of dedicated system

Not really, 2nd digit is key on Radeon HD graphics cards, 6, 7 or 8 will be ok to top end for gaming. A low number is a low end 'basic' computing option.

I've never seen PC world have a 'good' offer on a computer. they tend to just overprice them by £200 or so for 2 months then try to con you into thinking you're getting £200 off..

DWatts

macman wrote: »

Any modern computer will do what you need it to do.
That PC has an older and slower processor, and a meagre-sized hard drive-250GB is simply not adequate for most people on a new PC. It should be 320GB minimum.
If it's really cheap, then it will probably do the job for you, but you could do much better (starting with buying almost anywhere but PCW).
It won't be at all suitable for gaming (as opposed to games), as it only has integrated graphics.

250gb is plenty if you're not storing a large amount of films or music - people manage with 128GB or less Solid State Drives, after all. You'd struggle to use over 100gb without a lot of programs. Also an ATI 4250 isn't integrated graphics - at least, no more than any other laptop graphics are 'integrated'.


In regards to the specs, it looks like that would run the Sims 3. I'm not exactly sure how ATI label their mobile graphics cards, but the processor and RAM are fine.