Can it run it?

• Pre-installed Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit
• 3rd Generation Intel Pentium (Ivy Bridge) G2020 2.90GHz Dual-Core Processor
• AMD Radeon HD 7790 1024MB GDDR5 DirectX 11 Graphics
• 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 (2x4096MB) Dual-Channel Memory (16GB Supported)
• 60GB SATA 6GB/s (SATA-III) Solid State Drive - OS & Applications
• 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6GB/s (SATA-III) Hard Drive - Storage
• Intel H77 Express Chipset Motherboard - Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 & RAID 10
• 500W Corsair Builder Series CX500 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply
• Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced Black Mini-ITX Gaming Case
• DVDRW Dual Layer DVD Rewriter (m-Disk Support) 24x DVD±R
• Onboard 2/4/5.1/7.1 Channel High Definition Audio
• 300Mbps Wireless N Adapter (Wi-Fi)
• Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter

Thats the computer i'm considering getting, can it run civ 5/civ 4 well? I also want to play games like skyrim and borderlands 2 on it, could i run those? im not very good at computers. PS im getting windows 7

Everything is fine except the Pentium processor. Pentium does not have hyperthreading, and this means that an i3 that does, performs much better running games than a pentium.

Most think hyperthreading doesn't do much for gaming, and when it's quadcores then it doesn't. An i5 quadcore simply has plenty of cores, and so an i7 isn't much better.

But testing a Pentium against an i3, shows that the i3 is much better. The only real difference is, that the i3 can use hyperthreading on it's 2 cores, and down there in the bottom of the basket, it actually matters.

So it's abit sad for your build, it has a decent graphicscard, good RAM and everything is fine except the processor which will make everything come to a halt as soon as you try to play a game that need processorpower. Which more and more modern games do.

Edit: So if you can change the build, which I assume you can seeing as it's actually put well together. I would step up to an i3-3220. The extra cost for this, you can save by ditching the SSD. Which means a slower upstart and double clicking on stuff, but runs the games better.

Alternatively, the AMD FX-6300 is cheaper than the i3, and is a better choice infact longterm. So look into getting an FX (it should be the Vishera line whichever AMD cpu you put your sights on). The AMD motherboard might also be a few bucks cheaper, but probably not by much.

I can understand why you'd want a SSD drive. But there is sense in scraping it for now in a budget build. First of, 60 gb is just very little, and it will fill up basically running the OS and browsers and utility programs, maybe with space for a single big game title.

And if you want a bigger SSD later on, you have little use for the 60 gb one you already have. So I would delay purchasing an SSD, and then when you can afford it or it's christmas or whatever, then get a 128 SSD. Then you suddenly have a rather decent little gaming machine going.

King_Course said:

Everything is fine except the Pentium processor. Pentium does not have hyperthreading, and this means that an i3 that does, performs much better running games than a pentium.

Most think hyperthreading doesn't do much for gaming, and when it's quadcores then it doesn't. An i5 quadcore simply has plenty of cores, and so an i7 isn't much better.

But testing a Pentium against an i3, shows that the i3 is much better. The only real difference is, that the i3 can use hyperthreading on it's 2 cores, and down there in the bottom of the basket, it actually matters.

So it's abit sad for your build, it has a decent graphicscard, good RAM and everything is fine except the processor which will make everything come to a halt as soon as you try to play a game that need processorpower. Which more and more modern games do.

Click to expand...

K, so could i replace the pentium with an i3? is so im not quite sure how. Could i just buy the i3 online then replace it, and if so, how?
Sorry if its too much hassle, just im not very computer lingual. but i NEED a better computer, my current one is a hp laptop with intel integrated graphics, i can barely play civ 5

The motherboard would fit both the pentium and the i3. As long as the cpu is called socket 1155.

If you look at Newegg you can see the 1155 processors, the one you'd want is the cheapest i3, called the i3-3240.

replacing the cpu, is most easilly done if you make sure you buy with a new heatsink. You almost always get a fan and heatsink with your purchase, unless it's called out of the box or something. Just make sure you do. This is because there is thermal paste applied on the heatsink, and if you need to reuse your old heatsink, then you also need to reapply new thermal paste, which you don't have.

So buy with a new fan and heatsink, then it's all about carefully unscrewing the pentium fan and taking out the pentium. Replace with the i3, make sure you put it correctly into the sockets, there are small holes in the cpu plastic to make sure you orient it correctly.

Carefully place the heatsink upon the processor (because of the thermal paste which you don't want to touch or mess with, it's a fine layer on the heatsink) and that done it's just tightening the screws and you should be good to go.

Make sure you're not causing static electricity by the way, ground yourself, and don't moonwalk around on the polyester carpet.

i5 processors are not that more expensive than i3. Its a long term investment, so better do not save these extra 50 or so dollars :=)

I have almost same machine, except I dont have SSD but a i5 2500k processor , other than that - same graphic, also 8gb ram (corsair) , 1tb hdd etc. PSU from CM tho, but I doubt it makes any difference.

I'd not buy mini atx tho, unless space is really that important.

Here's a good place:

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/

Unless you're overly paranoid.

Prof. Platypus said:

K, so could i replace the pentium with an i3? is so im not quite sure how. Could i just buy the i3 online then replace it, and if so, how?
Sorry if its too much hassle, just im not very computer lingual. but i NEED a better computer, my current one is a hp laptop with intel integrated graphics, i can barely play civ 5

Click to expand...

If I were you I'd contact whoever you're buying it from and ask if they can swap in an i3 for an extra cost. While replacing computer hardware isn't the hardest thing in the world, if you've no idea what you're doing you can make big mistakes. If they can do it for you that may be the best option. If they're building the machine from scratch that would even turn out cheaper, as you're not spending money on a Pentium you won't use.