New Desktop

codo

I need to buy a new desktop computer. It will be used for kids homework, iTunes, Microsoft office and minor gaming (sims). I sometimes work from home and would have a few tabs open in crome, along with excell and word at the same time.

From my investigation I believe my requirements should be good processor, 4-8g ram and 500gb - 1tb hard drive.

Can anyone advise which of the following would suffice or recommend one that would. My budget upto £400 but don't want to spend on kit that is not required for our usage

http://www.tesco.com/direct/cube-midi-core-i3-wireless-home-series-desktop-pc-with-microsoft-windows-81-bing-cu-midi-intel-core-i3-dual-core-36ghz-processor/197-0988.prd

http://m.ebuyer.com/720449

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/CB-CAi3-665HG-Cube-Caiman-Micro-ATX-Desktop_1660041.html

Thanks

megaginge

You should aim for Windows 10 if at all possible it's a huge upgrade on 8.

Only the eBuyer link actually gives CPU spec, which is going to be the most important think when comparing machines that all have spinning point disks (Not SSDs) and 4-8GB of RAM...

None of hose machines have discreet graphics, but for this price point you may not find it. They'll basically be useless for gaming

Have you looked into Dell? Their machines are quite incredible value for such a trusted brand

This machine for example, whilst more money is HUGELY better than any of the three above..

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-3650-desktop/pd?oc=cd65010&model_id=inspiron-3650-desktop

It has dedicated graphics so will play most games on basic settings, and the CPU comparison is very marked...

Dell machine: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-6400+%40+2.70GHz
The eBuyer zoostorm machine: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-4170+%40+3.70GHz

..the Dell is almost 30% faster CPU wise ...

They do a comparative model to the zoostorm too, albeit for £50 more. But for the trusted brand I might be inclined that way. Same CPU and no discreet graphics this time, but arguably a "better" machine than the zoostorm ... http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-3847-desktop/pd?oc=cd84701&model_id=inspiron-3847-desktop

So really you're paying £100 for 30% more power and a proper graphics card for some gaming if you compare the two models.

But of the three you posted, the zoostorm definitely - for me.


ps, no need for a new monitor, keyboard, mouse or anything else?

Dave

bengalknights

I would go with the tesco spec mainly as its cheap and you arent a power user

stboard

If you are going to play SIMS like you mentioned then you'll need an i5 Processor at least (depending on the SIMS version of course).

And the bigger the memory the better, so try to go with at least 8GB of memory.

agrinnall

megaginge wrote: »

None of hose machines have discreet graphics, but for this price point you may not find it.

Are 'discreet graphics' ones that don't let on when you've been on a naughty website?

GunJack

http://www.ebuyer.com/735865-zoostorm-desktop-pc-7260-0146

will run the latest sims fine, it's not the most intensive of games, all-in for £300...

spadoosh

stboard wrote: »

If you are going to play SIMS like you mentioned then you'll need an i5 Processor at least (depending on the SIMS version of course).

And the bigger the memory the better, so try to go with at least 8GB of memory.

I run sims 4 with all expansion packs on a 5 year old latop that cost £300. Theres no way it has an i5 processor and i doubt the processor its got is even comparable to the i3. It might be running sims in laptop mode (for lower power computers although ive never activated it) but its more than tolerable for me especially for sims, not a fast paced shooter is it?!

Specs for playing sims 4....

PC MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

REQUIRED: Internet connection required for product activation.
OS: Windows XP (SP3), Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, or Windows 8.1
PROCESSOR: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core 4000+ or equivalent (For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-62 or equivalent)
MEMORY: At least 2 GB RAM
HARD DRIVE: At least 9 GB of free space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
DVD-ROM: DVD ROM drive required for installation only
VIDEO CARD: 128 MB of Video RAM and support for Pixel Shader 3.0. Supported Graphics cards: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better, ATI Radeon X1300 or better, Intel GMA X4500 or better
SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0c Compatible
DIRECTX: DirectX 9.0c compatible
INPUT: Keyboard and Mouse

Any of those computer will play sims 4. Bold claim when i havent even looked at the specs. :eek:

GunJack

^^^^^ exactly, none of the sims games need massive spec (or a discrete gfx card)..in fact a lot of games don't need a discrete card to be able to play them, especialy as the onboard AMD gpus have got so much better...

Cisco001

I would choose this instead
http://www.ebuyer.com/719685-zoostorm-gaming-desktop-pc-7260-5101

stboard

spadoosh wrote: »

I run sims 4 with all expansion packs on a 5 year old latop that cost £300. Theres no way it has an i5 processor and i doubt the processor its got is even comparable to the i3. It might be running sims in laptop mode (for lower power computers although ive never activated it) but its more than tolerable for me especially for sims, not a fast paced shooter is it?!

Specs for playing sims 4....



Any of those computer will play sims 4. Bold claim when i havent even looked at the specs. :eek:

At least post the link with full details...if the OP is even playing sims 4 lol

https://help.ea.com/uk/article/the-sims-4-system-requirements/

What you say is the minimum spec but you do not show the "recommended spec", of course using the minimum spec and in laptop mode will reduce the quality of game play and if you haven't run SIMS on the latest PC's then how do you know that you would not like the improvements and think you've been putting up with poor quality? It's like going from a normal telly before HD was available to an HD TV of today...the quality is far superior.

GunJack

the i5-750 recommended is one of the slower ones, benchmarks around 3700, the amd A8-7600 comes in @ 5100, so don't rely on the "headline" cpu/gpu name to make a decision