buying a new PC

[jm4civ4]

Hey, my PC has outlived its usefulness and need to replace it, OK OK OK... I want to replace it and am giddy about getting to speediness.

I don't want to sink more than $1000 in to it, even that is alot....so I saw the cheapest "Game Desktop" as advertised by Best Buy and wanted feedback on this machine's suitability for CIV4 BTS. Are these components good, bad, average...

A better question is...what is the best/most popular graphics card and other eessential components for smooth play, I usually play small or standard maps but would like to move up someday to the larger maps...Earth 18 civs!!!....

Thanks so much....

Velocity Micro - ProMagix E8500 Desktop
Model: E2055 | SKU: 8700293

Intel® Core™2 Duo Penryn desktop processor E8500
With 2 processing cores, 1333MHz system bus, 6MB L2 cache and 3.16GHz processor speed per core.

Corsair 3GB PC6400 DDR2 memory
For multitasking power, expandable to 4GB.

LiteOn DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Also supports LightScribe direct-disc labels with compatible LightScribe media. Secondary LiteOn DVD-ROM/CD-ROM combo drive.

500GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)

Velocity Micro Edition ATI RADEON X3850 graphics

With 256MB dedicated video memory and DirectX 10 support. S-video output for flexible viewing options. Intel® 5.1 HD Audio support for crisp, clear surround sound.

 

[Steve2000]

Looks like it will be generally fine.

I am not sure exactly what "Micro Edition ATI RADEON X3850 graphics" is though. If it is the same thing as a HD 3850 then you are okay - that is an pretty nice card. But the "micro" and the "x" thing sort of make me nervous.

The part below that that says "With 256MB dedicated video memory" makes me think maybe it is an integrated graphics card, rather than a discrete card. This is not automatically a bad thing, but it could be. All things being equal, I would much rather have a nice discrete graphics card for a gaming PC.

Can you post the link from the site you are buying the PC from? That way I could see more details.

 

[jm4civ4]

Thanks Steve

The prior ad was from best buy, but my impatience led me to order a PC from Dell which has this card...
AMD Radeon HD3450 256MB PCI-Express x16 RV620

Any thoughts there?


John

 

[Steve2000]

The HD 3450 is basically a nice entry-level graphics card. You will be able to play Civ 4 for sure, but don't expect all the eye-candy. The 3450 is definitely not a gaming card.

Don't feel bad though - as when you buy a pre-built system on a budget you will almost never get a good graphics card with the system. The HD3450 is a PCI-express card, so you can easily swap it out for another one once you get your computer.

If you are looking to upgrade the graphics card - I would go with either:

Nvidia Geforce 9600 GT or GSO (should be around $100)
or the Radeon HD 4670 (Should be around ~$80)

Play Civ 4 a bit first though to see if you can deal with the 3450 - it might be sufficient depending on your personal demands for the game. (what size maps you play, and what level of graphics is acceptable to you).