About a new pc

[MortAr]

Hey people! Long time no see...

Anyway, Im about to make a purchase of a new pc I really need and I was wondering if anyone with better knowledge of computers could tell me if its worth it.

Specs #1:

Core: AMD A4 X2 5300 3.4 GHz, 1 MB
HDD: 1000 GB (no model stated)
RAM: 6 GB DDR3 (no fraquency stated)
VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 7480D
POWER: 400 W ATX
MB: s. FM2, 2xDDR3,1xPCI-Ex16,GLAN

Price: €285,30

Specs #2:

CORE: INTEL DUAL CORE G3220 3GHz 3MB
HDD: 1000 GB (no model stated)
RAM: 4GB DDR3 (no fraquency stated)
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 2 GB
POWER: 500 W ATX
MB: INTEL H81M,s1150,PCI-EX,GLAN

Price: €300.61

Both come without an OS and with a DVD+RW.

I can't really decide which should I pick. My friend is telling me their a both equally good, but Im kinda going to choose the second.

I need it for some gaming (DotA2, Archeage, Neverwinter[probably] and some other) and for my editing purposes, both video and image.

Whats your thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 219079]

Do you know if the #2 has free ram sockets? 4GB is very low, especially if you're going to do editing.


There's always the option to wait for couple of months and gather more funds for better specs

 

[Gilles]

Those are fairly low end for your goals. You're going to be playing modern games at low settings. You can probably run the games you mentioned on med-high.

As far as editing goes, the computers are fairly slow and while they of course will work, it's not ideal for that purpose.

As far as price goes, they seem reasonable. I would personally look for sales and not buy computers at full price. I am not used to Euros though, so it's a bit of a guess.

The computer are pretty much equal to each other. I'd probably go with the AMD since it has more RAM. Everything else is equivalent (I didn't double check the video cards, but I am pretty sure they are comparable).

 

[MortAr]

Do you know if the #2 has free ram sockets? 4GB is very low, especially if you're going to do editing.


There's always the option to wait for couple of months and gather more funds for better specs

I can't really tell if they have, there isn't much info stated on the salesman website.
No option for more funds, Im pretty much in a rush and thats what I can afford for now.

Those are fairly low end for your goals. You're going to be playing modern games at low settings. You can probably run the games you mentioned on med-high.

As far as editing goes, the computers are fairly slow and while they of course will work, it's not ideal for that purpose.

As far as price goes, they seem reasonable. I would personally look for sales and not buy computers at full price. I am not used to Euros though, so it's a bit of a guess.

The computer are pretty much equal to each other. I'd probably go with the AMD since it has more RAM. Everything else is equivalent (I didn't double check the video cards, but I am pretty sure they are comparable).

If Im able to run the first three games smoothly on mid graphics it will be just fine. Im kind of used to low graphs (been dealing with it for almost 6 years ^_^).

Could you, if possible, build a PC with better parts for the same amount of money?
Im not into hardware that much as Im in software, so Im facing real difficulties while chosing a computer and its parts.

My only desire so far is playing the games and eventually, when funds come, I can save for (or upgrade the current) system so I can procced with the editing parts, no big deal.

 

[Gilles]

Can you give a link to the website? If it's not a website, can you provide one that you would use to order parts? Again, I don't know the Euro at all, so I would need to research a bit.

Generally, building doesn't save you money, but it is more fun and you know what parts you're getting. Companies will, for example, put cheap power supply units into their computers to keep the price down. This is something I would not do when I build a computer.

 

[MortAr]

http://www.technopolis.bg/b2c/details/507071/P11010201/Desktop-KTN-AMD-PRO-PC -- amd one

http://www.technopolis.bg/b2c/details/517081/P11010201/Desktop-KTN-DESKTOP-PRO-G3220 -- intel one

If it doesn't open in english, theres an option at the menu at the top.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

Okay, so, although I don't consider myself very knowledgeable I took a detailed look at them and from what I know I can say that 4 Gigs of RAM is not enough and will probably be an issue for you. 6 is okay but 8 is the number that is optimal for modern games and editing software (especially video). As for the CPU, dual cores are a pain to use. I know first hand. I advise you to look for a quad-core. Maybe Intel i5? No idea bout the GPUs or MB though. I also don't know your budget so it's hard to say what's possible. Anyhow, hope I can be of some use и късмет с търсенето

EDIT: I re-read the top comments you made and if you plan on upgrading later then the AMD one is by far better. You get more RAM for a lower price and if the GPUs are indeed identical then you're better off just buying a new CPU later instead of adding on RAM as well.

 

[Gilles]

As far as the CPU is concerned, quad core won't help that much with gaming. Unless things have changed in the past year.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

As far as the CPU is concerned, quad core won't help that much with gaming. Unless things have changed in the past year.

Not sure either but my CPU is slightly bellow the AMD one and is starting to give me trouble to the point where I'm running the newer games I can run at low settings.

 

[Gilles]

Could also just be A)old B)low speed.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

Could also just be A)old B)low speed.

AMD Athlon II X2 250 running at 3 GHz.

 

[Nuclear]

I suggest you buy used with those funds, otherwise it'll be very difficult to build anything worth getting.

 

[MortAr]

I suggest you buy used with those funds, otherwise it'll be very difficult to build anything worth getting.

Used ones are by the far the worst choice here.. Can't imagine what kind of systems I've occured during my research.

Anyway, I'm probably gonna take the AMD one, as it seems the more RAM is much better choice since the GPUs are identical (Nvidia benchmark is a 10 points higher than the Radeon one).

Even if I don't get either, I'm gonna look forward if they run any promotions for the winter holidays and get something better.

Currently they have this:

Core: INTEL CORE i3-4150 3.5 GHz 3MB
HDD: 2000 GB (no model stated)
RAM: 4 GB (no fraquency stated)
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 2 GB
POWER: 300 W
MB: Intel H81 Express Chipset

Price: €431.40

This one also comes with a keyboard and mouse and it also has several more ports (HDMI, etc).
I know it's a little bit better, but it is currently not affordable for me.

 

[Gilles]

That 300 watt psu is a bit sketchy. It should be all you need, but I don't like using less than 400, and even that is rare. I usually go 500 to leave room for larger video cards and whatnot.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

The CPU on the currently on sale is good I believe but the 2 TB HDD is a bit overkill if you ask me. I don't know about you but I have trouble filling up even 500 so 1 TB should be enough. As for the GPUs, I prefer ATI cards though admittedly they do eat up more power.

 

[Gilles]

The CPU on the currently on sale is good I believe but the 2 TB HDD is a bit overkill if you ask me. I don't know about you but I have trouble filling up even 500 so 1 TB should be enough. As for the GPUs, I prefer ATI cards though admittedly they do eat up more power.

I have no problem filling 1TB. I currently have a 1TB external, 500GB internal, 125 SSD, and another 1tb portable external. Only the portable external (which is new) has much space.

 

[MortAr]

Buddy pls. I can fill 10TB if I had it.

 

[Dr Super Good]

The NVidia ones have non-gaming GPUs due to their numbering (anything X10 or X30 is low end). Not sure about the AMD ones. In any case they will only handle low settings.

 

[MortAr]

The NVidia ones have non-gaming GPUs due to their numbering (anything X10 or X30 is low end). Not sure about the AMD ones. In any case they will only handle low settings.

So you're are telling me that this:

PC

Core: AMD A4 X2 5300 3.4 GHz, 1 MB
HDD: 1000 GB (no model stated)
RAM: 6 GB DDR3 (no fraquency stated)
VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 7480D
POWER: 400 W ATX
MB: s. FM2, 2xDDR3,1xPCI-Ex16,GLAN

Won't be able to run DotA2 at least on medium?
If so, im doomed.

 

[Gilles]

No idea. My best guess is yes, but here:

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php

It's pretty low on the rankings.

 

[Dr Super Good]

Won't be able to run DotA2 at least on medium?
If so, im doomed.

As I said, I do not know about the AMD ones. I only know that the NVidia ones might have graphic performance issues as those cards are not really aimed at gaming (they are quite a bit weaker than what is generally sold in their gaming range).

 

[MortAr]

Sounds bad. I should start play lottery than, cause there's no other way getting big money for a better system.

 

[Velmarshal]

To be blunt. You can't get a new "gaming" PC for 300$. ATM, 450$ ~ 500$ is the very bottom for anything decent.
At 300$, get a secondhand PC.

GTX 610 and HD 7480 are the second worst cards in their generations, so they won't offer you significantly better performance than the integrated graphic, if any.

Second, 4Gb of RAM is perfectly fine for such a low budget build, it's not as good as 8Gb, but we have to stay reasonable.

I could list a decent build off that site (about 500$), but for 300$, plainly speaking impossible.

 

[Gilles]

Velm, these are is Euros, so it would be about $500 US.

 

[MortAr]

I could list a decent build off that site (about 500$), but for 300$, plainly speaking impossible.

Do so, im looking forward for more options.

Velm, these are is Euros, so it would be about $500 US.

I post the prices in euros because I thought most of us here live in Europe, apparantly not. The prices are in BGN (Bulgarian Lev). You can use USD or EURO, no much difference.

 

[Velmarshal]

Velm, these are is Euros, so it would be about $500 US.

300 EUR is around 370 USD. But my bad anyway, I'm used to everyone using USD when refering to PC components.

Anyway, is building your own PC an option? Because buying a premade ones limit you quite a bit.

Also none of these PCs are meant for gaming (on the site you linked). The best GPU I saw on those is GTX 630, which is still crap.
Do you have any other sites to buy from? Preferably single components instead of whole desktop PCs.

 

[MortAr]

I haven't done any research on such sites (building a system yourself) and Im not aware of any. It is an option as long as the price is reasonable, since I can't spend that much on a system for now.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

I'd suggest checking eMAG.bg but I don't know how to change the language to english and if it is even possible :/

 

[MortAr]

I'd suggest checking eMAG.bg but I don't know how to change the language to english and if it is even possible :/

All the offers I've checked there so far are with intergrated graphics and I don't want that exactly.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

All the offers I've checked there so far are with intergrated graphics and I don't want that exactly.

I meant checking for individual parts. That's probably the best way to get a PC since the prebuilt ones usually aren't worth it.

 

[Velmarshal]

I'd suggest checking eMAG.bg but I don't know how to change the language to english and if it is even possible :/

Regarding that site, their stock is quite limited, they only have like 270s and 250s, but no 260s, which is weird, but I managed to assemble something, for about 330e.
The picture is in the desciption. OS and DVD drive are not included, but the gaming performance should be perfectly fine at 720p.

 

[MortAr]

Regarding that site, their stock is quite limited, they only have like 270s and 250s, but no 260s, which is weird, but I managed to assemble something, for about 330e.
The picture is in the desciption. OS and DVD drive are not included, but the gaming performance should be perfectly fine at 720p.

Damn this looks really fine... and the price is good as well. I'll see what I can do to get the extra funds now and see if I can get this one.

Thank you.

 

[Gilles]

That 4bg seems low, and the RAM seems expensive. Why not get cheaper RAM and more? Is the bus speed worth it?

 

[Velmarshal]

That 4bg seems low, and the RAM seems expensive. Why not get cheaper RAM and more? Is the bus speed worth it?

The price difference between 1333 and 1600 is marginal.
Prices sometimes flip around and besides the hyperx fury are some of the best budget ramsticks around.

Also, you'd be surprised at the amount of games I managed to run on my tablet with its 2gb. (Including LoL, DotA2 and SC2.

 

[Gilles]

Edit: I thought that site was in Euros. I realize now why the prices seemed off.

 

[Nuclear]

I'll just drop my suggestion here.

The site is hardwareversand.de, a German site. I've ordered from there before and I remember that the shipping was pretty cheap, something like 15 eur.

So, explanations:

• 8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9
  Frankly the first ones I saw when I entered the category. Trustworthy brand, decent speed and price.
  
• Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s
  A generic 1 TB drive.
  
• XFX PRO550W Core Edition Full Wired Power Supply
  These Core Editions are manufactured for XFX by Seasonic, the best brand for power supplies.
  
• ASUS A88XM-A, FM2+, mATX
  A budget motherboard by a trustworthy brand.
  
• AMD A-Series A10-7850K Box mit AMD Radeon R7 Series Graphics (95W), FM2 +
  Now this is an AMD Kaveri APU. It's a decent CPU with an integrated GPU. The integrated graphics is the main selling point for these, I think it'll outperform any 50€ discrete piece of crap. So for your budget, I'd definitely get one of these instead of a budget Intel and a cheapo nvidia.
  
• BitFenix Prodigy M - weiß, ohne Netzteil
  A beautiful Bitfenix Prodigy, mATX version. Has tons of other color options too.

And when I suggested buying used, I meant browsing forums and places where computer enthusiasts buy and sell their components, not going to your local flea market to look for 20 year old relics.

 

[Velmarshal]

The availability and prices vary from country to country, Germany gets much better prices and a wider selection of brands than any country on the Balkans.

 

[Nuclear]

Yeah, that's why I recommend buying from there. Mindfactory is another German shop with similar prices, but with a bit higher shipping cost. Oh, and I'm not German, so the shipping cost I mentioned wasn't domestic.

Amazon.co.uk/.de can also be a good option sometimes, and they have free shipping into some European countries. For example, I found this R9 290 for 280€, which I find amazing since it costs around 400€ where I live:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HFA44YQ/

And another tip; http://geizhals.eu/ is a good site for comparing prices. Just search for the product you want, and it'll list different online shops and their prices. Obviously you'll want to ignore some of the more obscure looking stores that might have an expensive shipping and non-English site, and look for major and well-known shops like Mindfactory and Amazon instead.

 

[MortAr]

I'll just drop my suggestion here.

The site is hardwareversand.de, a German site. I've ordered from there before and I remember that the shipping was pretty cheap, something like 15 eur.

So, explanations:

• 8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9
  Frankly the first ones I saw when I entered the category. Trustworthy brand, decent speed and price.
  
• Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s
  A generic 1 TB drive.
  
• XFX PRO550W Core Edition Full Wired Power Supply
  These Core Editions are manufactured for XFX by Seasonic, the best brand for power supplies.
  
• ASUS A88XM-A, FM2+, mATX
  A budget motherboard by a trustworthy brand.
  
• AMD A-Series A10-7850K Box mit AMD Radeon R7 Series Graphics (95W), FM2 +
  Now this is an AMD Kaveri APU. It's a decent CPU with an integrated GPU. The integrated graphics is the main selling point for these, I think it'll outperform any 50€ discrete piece of crap. So for your budget, I'd definitely get one of these instead of a budget Intel and a cheapo nvidia.
  
• BitFenix Prodigy M - weiß, ohne Netzteil
  A beautiful Bitfenix Prodigy, mATX version. Has tons of other color options too.

And when I suggested buying used, I meant browsing forums and places where computer enthusiasts buy and sell their components, not going to your local flea market to look for 20 year old relics.

This is beyond my reach, I won't be able to afford it and I don't really want an intergrated graphics at this moment. On top, it has a shipping fee. Im really looking for a local (bulgarian) seller. If you could use the websites I provided above, that'd be really nice.

 

[Nuclear]

No can do, I don't have a Cyrillic keyboard and have no idea how to navigate those sites. You can do it yourself though, just search for the items in the screenshot.

Regarding the integrated graphics; what's the problem with them? They aren't inherently inferior to discrete ones, and you can add a discrete card later. Besides, the graphics chip integrated in A10-7850K which I suggested is roughly equivalent with the R7 250 that someone above suggested. With that budget, buying them separately would be a waste.

 

[Velmarshal]

No can do, I don't have a Cyrillic keyboard and have no idea how to navigate those sites.

First of all, use google translate.

Second of all, component names are named in latin alphabet so you can look for them easily enough.

A10-7850K which I suggested is roughly equivalent with the R7 250 that someone above suggested.

That someone reads benchmarks before saying random things.

Medium Settings 1080p - 28fps (average) - A10 7850K (100%)

High Settings 1080p - 38fps (Average) - R7 250 (136%)
+ take into account that this is 38 fps at high settings and not medium, so the gap is even wider.

 

[edo494]

ugh, y u suggest AMD

And yes, I have AMD too, and they are cheap, but they will eat electricity like there is no end to it

 

[Deathcom3s]

While AMD is losing ground quite quickly when it comes to the high-end CPU market, they are still a great option when it comes to price/performance.

 

[edo494]

yea I agree, AMD is the way to go if you dont have immediate cash, I just wanted to point out that they lose absolutly epicly when it comes to energy usage

 

[Velmarshal]

Because AMD CPUs were the only ones fitting the budget. Personally I'd go with Athlon X4 860 and spend the rest of the money on the GPU.
Yes AMD eats electricity, but between Intel's Pentium G3258 and 4690K there are no overclockable CPUs in between. (Theres the 4670k, which costs the same as 4690k)

 

[Gilles]

How much electricity are we talking about though? PCs don't generally take that much to power.

 

[edo494]

well AMD can eat about 130W, whereas most Intels(even the high end ones) go around up to 95W.(Note: The highest-end AMD actually eats like 270 or something)

It is not much, I know, but it builds up over time

 

[Velmarshal]

140W for normal AM3+ CPUs and 220W for the FX9590 and 9370.

Current Intel CPUs pull 84W on LGA1150 and up to 150W on LGA2011.

 

[Nuclear]

First of all, use google translate.

Second of all, component names are named in latin alphabet so you can look for them easily enough.

Of course, I just didn't want to bother.

That someone reads benchmarks before saying random things.

Medium Settings 1080p - 28fps (average) - A10 7850K (100%)

High Settings 1080p - 38fps (Average) - R7 250 (136%)
+ take into account that this is 38 fps at high settings and not medium, so the gap is even wider.

Those benchmarks are from two different entities and thus tell us nothing about their actual relative performance.

 

[Velmarshal]

I don't see you supporting your statement with any facts. Not to mention that 250 is pretty much a repainted 7770, which is significantly more powerful than any of the currently available APUs.