eBay - Gaming Computer

Could somebody visit this link and tell me if this is a good build of gaming machine?
If so, could you recommend what parts are best to buy with it?
(I don't need Hard Drive and Optical Driver as I already got them)

It needs to be capable of running the Sims 3.

As far as I can tell from looking at the options, you will not be able to choose to not have a hard drive or optical drive.

And no offence, but this deal seems a bit fishy to me. All this 'pay 99p and we'll then invoice you the full order'. The seller's feedback is generally positive, but then they haven't got that much feedback either. I don't think this would be the best way to buy your new computer.

Why did you create a new topic anyway?

EDIT: I think a better option would be to build your own gaming computer. It's not hard, it saves money, and we can give you plenty of advice on components.

To give you a rough idea of the sort of build you'll need for playing Sims 3, I quote Bob from your previous topic (no point reinventing the wheel):

The deal seems suspicious and also, my laptop has better specs than that.

That looks okay for the price, which makes me wonder what the catch is. The user is only 88% positive too, so i wouldn't be too optimistic. And the power supply they recommend is only £15, so you can tell that's going to be shizzle. Basically, it's a bad idea and even if it isn't a scam then it doesn't look too good for the price, when you get all the good parts. UK right?

Best - £530


Mid Range - £400


Worst - £235


For some of the better ones you might want to invest in a better heatsink:
http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Scythe-...ooler_1119.html

And for all of them you'll probably want to use thermal paste:
http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/ArctiCl...l-Kit_7788.html
http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Arctic-...-tube_1912.html

If you wanted to use a new HDD and Optical Drive then you would probably need a new OS, but you could use Linux for free and Sims 3 works with Cegeda, although i'm not 100% on graphics card compatibility. A new Optical Drive would be around £15, and a new HDD could be anywhere from £25 (80GB) to £65 (1TB).

Yeah, it would be probably best if I just build my own. Also, it would be kinda risky having a computer delivered to you - it might get damaged during transit.

I know a computer wouldn't be decent at this price, but I don't want to spend out loads of money. Budget is around £200.
Any ideas? (I will also use some parts from my current pc - if they will work, like hard drive, optical drive, ram etc.)

Well the cheapest one i posted is £235, and if you're using the RAM you already have then that would be around £200. How much do you have at the minute, because it would probably be best to upgrade. Also, what case do you have? If it's good enough then that's another £20 off the total price:

http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/AMD-Ath...h-Fan_8954.html
http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/ASRock-...board_8735.html
http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Elixir-...odule_4120.html
http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Antler-...o-PSU_8612.html
http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/ColorsI...-24pin_161.html
http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Asus-AT...etail_6487.htm

Just read the post for my other recommendations. I'm not too sure on that PSU though, i choose the 600W one because it's not that much more expensive and it's not going to be anywhere near what it sais it is.

RAM Specs:

2x 256MB
1x 512MB

All are DDR SDRAM

As for the case I don't know the model. If this helps though, its completely black with red lines going down the sides on the front. Also has a bit of red around the power button.

Nah, it's probably best just to stick with the build i put together. 1GB DDR RAM isn't that good, and about the case i was just wondering about what form factor it takes and what fans it has.

As for CPU's which brand is better? Intel or AMD?
And when companies say 'Dual Core' do they mean there's 2 CPUs in the box, or is it just one that has the capability of two?

It's a matter of opinion really. Intel have been around longer and AMD are kind of the new kids on the block. AMD's CPUs are priced more fairly, and some say that they're slightly better at gaming, whereas Intel are slightly better at multi tasking. There's not much difference, but if you're on a tight budget then it's probably best to go for AMD.

And a Dual Core CPU is a single processor, with two cores. So in that one chip there are two processing cores running at 3GHz each.

I'm not sure on the conversion rate but for $250 u.s. i was able to build a decent PC.... 2gb ddr2ram, 200gb-hd, 3.8 pentium daul-core, with dual dvd-rw drives... not the best but for under $300 not bad

oh and by the way it's got blue LED's wwwhhhhhooooooooooo lol

oh and the motherboard used was ECS P4M800PRO-M (V2.0) got used for 50 bucks from local shop

Because Americans have insanely priced things from Newegg

As for a budget computer, how's this?

Motherboard
4GB of Ram
PSU
CPU
Graphics Card

I was unaware.... not very worldly.... so it would be more expensive for ya'll? (yeah ya'll i'm a texan)

I think the one i suggested is better suited to what the OP said they want from it. The AMD CPU i suggested is far better than that Intel.

Could somebody help me with my little problem?

I read up that hard drives are either ATA or or SATA, how can I find out what my hard drive is without opening the computer up?

Also, will a ATA Hard Drive work on a SATA Motherboard? Or will I need a ATA motherboard?

Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA - medium), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA - best) or Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE - worst) usually. The motherboard in my build has connectors for:

- 4 x SATAII 3.0 Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5 and JBOD), NCQ and "Hot Plug" functions
- 1 x ATA133 IDE connector (supports 2 x IDE devices)

So i believe this means it supports all main types of HDD. As for finding out which type you have:

-Run
-Type 'msinfo32'
-Press enter
- + Components
- + Storage
- Click 'Disks
- Under 'Model' (usually third from the bottom) it should tell you. If not, do a quick Google search on the model number and that should tell you.

1. That looks a little Fishy... Always buy from a trusted dealer.
2. Anything with a fast processor, a good amount of RAM (2GB+ is fine) and a brand spankin' new graphics card, should work for gaming. You won't need too big a hard drive, a 60-80GB should work fine with what you are looking at. Also, Desktops are usually better for games.
~Vincent

Considering how cheap hard drive space is at the moment, it is a much better option to buy a larger hard drive. I would consider 500-750GB a decent amount, but even some budget Aldi computers come with 1TB of space nowadays.
And yes, desktops are normally better for games, simply because laptops are more expensive. To get the same performance out of a laptop you will end up paying several hundred pounds more. But I believe the OP wanted a desktop anyway, so this isn't an issue.