Need help selecting a desktop computer that is great for gaming but satisfies a budget?

Question

Hey guys. looking for a computer that is great in the way of gaming and other media such as music. My budget is roughly £1000, I have a little leeway but not too much (this is an investment more than anything I want to make sure this is future proof). I have found several that looking intriguing but being as computer illiterate as I am, I turn to sites such as this for help... I must add however, building a computer is a bit ambitious for the likes of me so these are pre-built (I think)

The first is from overclockers.co.uk

"Titan Onyx" Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz @ 4.00GHz Quad Core DDR3 System

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-025-OP&tool=3

I need to know a great graphics card to complement the processor that can run most modern games on the highest setting graphically and generally if it is worth the money. I read at some point that the i7 processor is meant to be pretty spot on but really I'm stabbing in the dark here.

The second really confused me because it's lower in price than the Titan Onyx and has an i5 processor which I assume is not as a great but a higher GHz... Anyway here it is...
"Titan Spinosaur" Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz @ 4.60GHz DDR3 Sandybridge System

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-176-OE&tool=3

I was always going to go for home premium (the cheapest) in order to further increase the quality of the graphics card but there's such as massive choice it's mind melting (for some of us at any rate)
And the SDD thing just killed my chance of understanding it.
Again advise is always welcome.

The last is the Dell XPS 7100 which seems to handle gaming pretty well anyway it allowed me to build it online rather simply here is the specs:

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T (3.20GHz, 512kx6)
OS Media MUI Windows® 7 SP1 Home Premium (64 BIT) Resource DVD
DVD +/- RW Drive (read/write CD & DVD) with Roxio Easy CD and DVD Burn software
8192MB (4x2GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory
1.5TB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
1GB ATI® Radeon™ HD 6770 graphics card with Vision Black label
Integrated HDA 7.1 Dolby Digital Audio

This clocked in about £1000 but this is with a 23inch HD monitor and speakers so you know seems pretty good to me... but then again don't know to much about these things...

One more thing what difference does it make if the Ram is separated into 2Gbx4 or 4Gbx2?

And finally I don't understand the SDD on the overclockers site so i'd really be appreciative if someone could explain that would be a great help... in fact if anyone could explain any of it that would be a great help.

Thanks

Answer 1

Actually for gaming purposes the Core i5 2500K is the best processor you can buy. It's gaming performance is almost identical to the Core i7 2600K, but costs almost $100 less.



http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20



For gaming 70% of your performance is determined by your graphics card anyway (not your processor) so how you allocate money on your gaming build becomes very important. A $200 processor paired with a $250 graphics card is much better for gaming than a $300 processor paired with a $150 graphics card.



The applications where the i7 2600K performs better are tasks like video editing/encoding or running scientific/design applications, NOT gaming! And the i5 2500K is faster than most earlier generation Core i7 processors.



SSD's are very high-speed storage devices. Capacities are much lower than conventional hard drives and prices are much higher. Having an SSD can greatly reduce the amount of time that Windows itself or large applications like AutoCad or Photoshop take to initially load, but the technology is still new and isn't a suitable replacement for hard drives in all situations.



On the RAM, both configurations function equally well but having 4gb x2 makes it easier to upgrade in the future, since you'd have 2 of memory slots still empty. But for gaming 4gb of RAM is plenty. There aren't any titles on the market which benefit from having 8gb so your money is better spent elsewhere, like on a better graphics card or power supply.

Answer 2

If you are a darn hard gamer, AMD is immediately out of option.



SSD: They are a super speed HDD's, I have one right now and I can't live without it anymore... Pick the 60GB one. They will boot Win7 in less then 10 seconds.



Mem: Go for 2x4GB, 2 simple reasons, command rate and upgrading capabilities.



If you want a gaming pc you will need at least a 68xx, 69xx, or a GTX that's 550 or higher.

I would go for the i7. Either though Sandy Bridge is new and more of that stuff, i7 is made for gaming. The i7 will crush the i5, with or without the overclock.

Answer 3

With a funds you could have the potential to play video games at no concern in case you equipped it your self or had somebody build it for you. you could play all those video games without problems on severe settings as much as 1080p you may get a 6870 with 4gb of ram and a phenom II 955 quad middle for decrease than 850 touch me in case you prefer help on choosing aspects

Answer 4

The key of a good gaming computer is to have an excellent graphics card or video card.