New computer.

[Chukchi Husky]

I think it's probably time for me to get a new computer, as my current one is almost six years old. I don't know what I should look for in a new computer. I don't need one that is overly powerful, but I want one that can play games that my computer struggled to run, and maybe newer games.

 

[Abaddon]

What games.

 

[Snovvdog]

More importantly, what's your budget, then we can spec you up.

But hearing about your requirements:

Cpu:
Get a cheap dual core: Intel E2180 or something
Ram:
2gb ram for xp min, 3-4gb for vista ( 4 if you go 64 bit, 3 if you stay 32 bit) Doesn't really matter if it's ddr, ddr2 or ddr3, ddr2 is the cheapest but of course it depends on your board...
Gfx:
Ati rad 1950pro / Geforce 8600GT or something similar
rest:
400w good branded psu
250gb hdd ? ( small and cheap...)
Should be doable for around 500 € (if not much less now, mate bought an E6600/2gb/7600GS512mb pc for 450€ 6 months ago...


Will run any game to date on at least minimal settings, stuff like civ4 will fly with gfx maxed out...
Will last for minimal specs for (the newest) games for about 2-3 more years...

 

[Genocidicbunny]

You should tell us which games you wish to play and what your budget is. Its really hard to suggest a pc when one has no idea what its going to be used for primarily.

Here's a better question, what newest game on the market do you want it to be able to run at minimum settings?

 

[Ghost Ranger]

CPU: One of these

GPU: one of these -OR- this

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I don't know about budget, probably something low like below £1000.

I think Spore would be one of the games that I probably want to get when it comes out. I don't know about any other new games but there are probably some that I may get. Games that struggle to run on my computer include Black & White 2 (almost unplayable), Civilization 4, Dungeon Siege 2, and Unreal Tournament 4. I may want to get Oblivion, but I have it on the 360. I want the computer to also last at least a couple of years without needing any important upgrades.

 

[GoodGame]

Google says that is about $1800.00 which is a very healthy budget for a brand new, moderate gamer computer.

Building it yourself?


Most of those games are not cutting edge, and average hardware has bypassed their specs. I'd go for a modest 256MB video card, and probably at least 2GB of ram at about 800mhz. If you go with a 8000 series intel CPU (Wolfdale), I'd consider getting 6GB of ram and going Vista. You could go for a slower Wolfdale (2.4 ghz) and save some money.
All those would run about $800 DIY without the monitor, and probably about $1100-$1200 in a warranted system. Throw in the monitor yourself for $200-$400 more.

If you really want to save money I think you'll have to shop around for discontinued bargains, or DIY from late model stock. You could conceivably DIY for $500 if you really aim for a low target like a slow dual core.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I don't think I'll be able to build a computer for myself.

I thought £1000 won't be enough to buy a gamer computer. I thought most gaming computers were at least twice that much.

 

[GoodGame]

I say moderate in that you will be doing some gaming. Probably no Crysis or next-gen shooter games, but really that's what those crazy $3000-6000 computers are for.

Figure that most of the games you want to play are a generation or two old in computer years (including Spore which is actually designed to require low specs). And figure that the computers are usually upgraded every 1-1/2 to 3 years. And figure that the high-end gamer computers are actually designed to use the most expensive cutting edge parts (which follow the law of diminishing returns---get maybe 10% better performance at 40-50% more cost) to the extreme (e.g. Tripple video cards of cards that are cutting edge themselves). So nowadays, you can skip that bull and get a moderate computer that has decent game performance for the current generation, and of course owns the older games.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I thought it cost a lot more for a computer that can barely play recent games.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Nope. 1000USD can get you a very nice gaming computer that might even run crysis at medium or high settings. With a budget of 1800 USD though, you can get a nice computer and a pretty big LCD to boot as well as maybe even splurge a bit.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

What about for around £600-£800?

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Even that is still pretty good. Although, I dont know about prices in the UK. I was in russia recently and the prices for computer hardware there were inflated around 20%.

Lets just consider that you want to be able to run Spore and go from there.