Which PC? Can it play Games?

unholyangel

I used saveonlaptops when I bought a new one earlier this year - worth a look as you can get some really good deals. From memory I think their own built ones rival alienware in specs for a fraction of the cost. Seemed to have some good reviews.

Just remember to pay by credit card so if anything goes wrong, you can approach your card company for help. (i dont have experience of their customer service just i'm a regular on the consumer rights board). Even if you're going to pay off the balance straight away, you have protection under section 75 of the consumer credit act.

There are sites that can help you find out what a system will run. If you google gpu benchmark/cpu benchmark, it will give you a list of processor rankings which you can search by model number and compare them that way to get a rough idea.

I agree with others it really depends on what you want to play. However I'd also recommend considering speccing up if the price difference isnt too big to above what you require - so that way you wont find it struggling to run games a year down the line etc.

Coffeekup

i-7's - is top end stuff really ideally for editing video's and rendering, i-5 are good all rounders, and i-3's will suit your needs. but may start to struggle in a couple of years where an i-5 should give you another couple of years on top of that.

As for graphics cards its hard to say as your unsure what your going to play, but there is a good chance after a while you'll get the bug and want to play something more demanding which is where a graphics card will come into play. However the i-3's/i-5's/i7's have on-board graphics which will play stuff like league of legends/diablo 3 and plenty of older games.

Have you ever thought of building a PC by yourself? I would really recommend it, think of it as Lego for big kids, it really is remarkably easy and you'll wonder why you never did it before. You will also end up with a PC that a retailer will charge you £200 more for, also you will feel obliged to buy warranty on it for 2 or more years, but if you built it yourself all the components come with 1 year to a lifetime warranty anyway.

There is good help over at.... Linus tech tips, and plenty of video tutorials on how to install CPU/RAM/hard drives etc on you tube.

tekkendp

When it comes to a gaming PC, the GPU is the most important element. This is the beauty of PC gaming, you can swap out parts when you have the money. Have a look at the systems recommended by pcadvisor - best budget gaming pc 2014 (sorry I can't post the link as a new user - use google search). The systems they recommend seem to be pretty solid.

Also, look into APU's. The PS4 and Xbox One both run these CPU/GPU combo's. They are not beasts, but can provide a pleasant gaming experience.

Hope the above helps.

dgtazzman

On a budget, go for an AMD CPU and Radeon GPU. AMD just reduced their pricing and certain Radeon models will get a 25% price cut next week so they can clear stock (suggesting they are getting ready to release new models soon).

If you built it yourself, you might just about buy a reasonable rig with your budget. Retail, it's going to be a struggle. Maybe look for a second hand rig? See a lot of them on Ebay.

duggan1

http://imgur.com/gallery/tovM2

Aimed at Americans but principles (and pricing) applies.

If you can justify the extra cost on an Intel CPU over an AMD I'd advise going for it, especially if you can stretch to an i5.

HiMyNameIsLauren

This is quite a good website to checkout for understand PC performance requirements - can even tell you if your current setup is any good > http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/

fitz_the_viking

asus m5 a97
amd fx6300. no they arent as fast as an i 7 but have a look what processor is in modern consoles.
r9 270 dual x
8 gig coursair ram
genuine copy windows 8
64 gig ssd makes an insane amount of difference. buy the tb storage later.
case and powersupply, yes there are better ones out there but mine was 20 quid for a case with a power supply. runs everything on max. skyrim on ultra with loads of high def mods. will walk over any console. i got that for about 500 quid. about 3 quid under if i remember. but there are an infinate amount of options and millions of opinions,

that build is on youtube playing all sorts. have a look. you ont be disappointed.

d70cw6

id go for an i3 processor, 750Ti GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, budget compatible motherboard for that budget.