PC for general use and some gaming

burnleymik

Hi there, looking for a little help and advice...

I am looking to get an idea of roughly what I would need to spend to get a PC that is capable of running some of the new games (specifically battlefield 4 when released). I am not looking for incredible gameplay, just something playable.

What sort of graphics card should I be searching for when looking? Processor speed?

Any advice appreciated, I am not looking to spend a fortune, just want to know what I should be looking out for and whether it's financially feasible.

Chickabiddybex

Easiest way to find out:
Pick a game you want to play, check out the spec requirements on the back of the box.

Battlefield 4 isn't out yet though so no box! Here is a link to estimated requirements http://bf4central.com/battlefield-4-system-requirements/

In all honesty you might be better with a tablet/netbook and a next gen games console though! Will be roughly the same price but you're guaranteed to be able to play the latest games.

bluenoseam

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

Easiest way to find out:
Pick a game you want to play, check out the spec requirements on the back of the box.

Battlefield 4 isn't out yet though so no box! Here is a link to estimated requirements http://bf4central.com/battlefield-4-system-requirements/

In all honesty you might be better with a tablet/netbook and a next gen games console though! Will be roughly the same price but you're guaranteed to be able to play the latest games.

I can get a gaming PC that'll most likely be powerful enough to run BF4 for under £500, what I'd struggle to do is buy a reasonable netbook and a next generation console for less than £550.

Problem with the console route is it's closed in so much as once you've got it, it has a limit, it cannot be upgraded thus games will always be limited to the absolute power of the console. With a PC however you CAN upgrade it, thus you will always have the top end option graphically as ultimately as soon as Xbox One & PS4 are released they're already being left behind by graphics cards. (albeit at considerably higher prices)

If you go to MMO Champion they do a monthly computer setup for various "budgets", ranging from budget to "oh my god you spent how much?!?". The community there is also capable of providing good advice on technical stuff as well, as it's centrally composed of PC gamers it's a good place to go to.

Cycrow

what kind of budget do you actually have ?

if it was me, i would go for something like the i5 processor, and Nvidia 670/760 or AMD 5850.

This would give you a pretty decent spec for current and future games without costing the earth.
unless you are on a really tight budget

sniggings

I agree with Chickabiddybex, either buy a cheap ipad or similar, and a new PS4 or a desk top, a laptop doesn't care if you only want to play "a little gaming" it still needs to be as capable as a laptop only used for gaming, so unless you want to spend a lot more money, go for the PS4 or desk top.

[Deleted User]

sniggings wrote: »

I agree with Chickabiddybex, either buy a cheap ipad or similar, and a new PS4 or a desk top, a laptop doesn't care if you only want to play "a little gaming" it still needs to be as capable as a laptop only used for gaming, so unless you want to spend a lot more money, go for the PS4 or desk top.

Disagree here... as he said PS4 will be limted in gameplay compare to PC.. i struggle to see how you guys can buy a laptop/tablet + PS4 for less than 5-600....

Mercenary

Decide on your budget, research some big games (look at the specs for big games like CoD, BF3 & Far Cry 3 for a starting point) and go here to configure a PC to fit what you can afford:

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/

You can juggle almost everything in the drop-down menus by adding, removing or changing components.
Research graphics cards that will be a reasonable price and that will also be adequate for any games that you're interested in.
The forums are very helpful if you ask questions https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/

You don't have to buy from there, but they are very good. It gives you an idea of your options.

burnleymik

Mercenary wrote: »

Decide on your budget, research some big games (look at the specs for big games like CoD, BF3 & Far Cry 3 for a starting point) and go here to configure a PC to fit what you can afford:

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/

You can juggle almost everything in the drop-down menus by adding, removing or changing components.
Research graphics cards that will be a reasonable price and that will also be adequate for any games that you're interested in.
The forums are very helpful if you ask questions https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/

You don't have to buy from there, but they are very good. It gives you an idea of your options.

Just a thankyou for this. Excellent site.

Tropez

Iain79 wrote: »

Disagree here... as he said PS4 will be limted in gameplay compare to PC.. i struggle to see how you guys can buy a laptop/tablet + PS4 for less than 5-600....

I agree with this.

I purchased a laptop a few months ago in the "budget" range for £375 (this was with a discount though, normally I see it around the £400 mark) which isn't greatly more expensive than a PS4 will cost at launch.

Although by no means did I purchase it for gaming it is quite capable of running modern games, not on the highest settings, but at sustained playable if not jaw dropping framerates. Skyrim, BF3, Mass Effect 3 etc. have all run without a hitch, and in the case of the ME3 it runs the game on graphics settings in the mid-to-high area.

If the OP is aiming for a desktop PC, you could build a decent gaming PC that will last for a few years without needing to upgrade for £500, less if you have some of the parts you need already.

The important thing to remember is not to blow money on an expensive high-end CPU like an i7 unless the other work you do on the PC demands such power. The overwhelming majority of games still don't have proper multi-core CPU support, and many that do have implemented it poorly. Few games also require extremely powerful processors. For the best gaming experience, you should save money for the graphics cards and I would recommend that since AMD will be launching their next flagship cards in the coming months to hold off as this will almost certainly result in their existing cards lowering in price.

It doesn't hurt having a decent CPU but I built a system for someone several years back now with a Phenom II 965 BE Quad-Core CPU, something which can be picked up these days for £50 or so, and they can still run the latest games like Tomb Raider on very high settings because I advised them to invest more heavily in the graphics card which they also have yet to replace.

RAM isn't overly expensive right now so it's worth making sure your system has a minimum of 8Gb but if you have some spare cash left over pushing it a bit higher is not a bad idea.

If you're buying a ready built desktop PC make sure you find out what PSU it has. A nasty little trick that some manufacturers pull is to add a low wattage PSU that will inevitably fail early. Someone I know bought a Packard Bell desktop with a mid-range graphics card, i5 and such only for the PSU to fail after 15 months - it was only a 325 watt PSU.