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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 19th Oct 2014 at 10:49 AM
Default Help buying new computer
So my current computer seems to be just at the end of it's life finally. The hard drive is completely full, it is slow, won't play any games etc. I'm looking to get a new computer and I'm not very good at all the computer tech stuff so I need help with what to buy.I have read all the topics and guides and stuff but none of it really makes any sense to me.
I will be using the computer for games likes sims 3 & 4, lots photos, lots of music, lots of videos, and general desktop publishing like MS Word etc. The photos, music & videos take up about 4/5ths of my hard drive.
I'd prefer a fully built computer and not something I have to custom build myself or buy parts separately. I'm not entirely sure of my budget but the cheaper the better. I live in Brisbane, Australia. I'm not sure exactly what specs I should be posting but I went to 'My Computer' > 'Properties' and these are what is listed;
Microsoft Windows XP
Professional Vers 2002 Service Pack 3
Dell Vostro 2205
Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
2.93GHz, 3.00GB RAM
Hard drive capacity: 465GB

Any help would be greatly appreciated
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Scholar
#2 Old 21st Oct 2014 at 4:56 AM
I don't know what computer stores there are in Brisbane, so I can't tell exactly where out go and exactly what to buy. I can however give you a good idea of what you should look for. Once you find something that looks a bit like what we've talked about here, post the link and we'll check it out and tell you if we think its a good buy.

CPU: It should say "4th gen intel i5" or i7. In the fourth gen there quite a few i5 and i7 processors, but any will do. Get the cheapest one. All the model number start with 4... So for example you could see i5 4550 or i5 4560 or i7 4770 etc. Normally the smaller the model number the weaker and cheaper the CPU, but for you and for the sims, even the weakest one will be powerful enough.

Motherboard: It should say "B87", or "H87" or "H97". There are "Z87" and "Z97" boards out there but generally they include extra features that you will pay for but never use.

RAM: get 8gb of ddr3 ram. Don't get less, don't get more.

SSD: You should only get one of these if your budget allows for it. Don't get one that is smaller than 128GB in size.

HHD: Go for a 1TB (1000GB) or 2TB (2000GB) hard drive. I prefer western digital brand.

GPU: There are two companies that make gaming graphic cards; Nvidia and AMD. Get an Nvidia GTX 750 Ti or better, or an AMD R9 270 or better. Generally, the bigger the model number, the better the card.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 21st Oct 2014 at 8:06 AM
Thank you very much for your help. I'll start having a look around for what you mentioned and keep you posted. Thanks again
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 25th Oct 2014 at 11:44 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
CPU: It should say "4th gen intel i5" or i7. In the fourth gen there quite a few i5 and i7 processors, but any will do. Get the cheapest one. All the model number start with 4... So for example you could see i5 4550 or i5 4560 or i7 4770 etc. Normally the smaller the model number the weaker and cheaper the CPU, but for you and for the sims, even the weakest one will be powerful enough.


would it also be okay for playing games like skyrim? I'm not sure if that would make a difference on what i need
Scholar
#5 Old 25th Oct 2014 at 1:55 PM
What do you mean by "it"?

If you get any 4th gen i5, vanilla Skyrim will run great. I cannot comment on Skyrim + mods because performance will then depend entirely on which mod and how you use them. I know some mods can be extremely demanding.
 
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