Buying a Restricted Budget PC Dos and Don'ts.

[pjknibbs]

My computer has 2 CPU cores and 1 GPU core, but my case is special.

Your GPU is noway, nohow, a single core. Just to give an example, the GeForce 750Ti I have in my machine--which is a budget card from the last generation--has 640 cores. The sort of processing that graphics cards do is very easy to turn into parallel threads, so that's what they do, and have done for years. This is why graphics cards are used for mining Bitcoin and other highly parallel jobs.

[kohlrak]

My computer has 2 CPU cores and 1 GPU core, but my case is special.

Your GPU is noway, nohow, a single core. Just to give an example, the GeForce 750Ti I have in my machine--which is a budget card from the last generation--has 640 cores. The sort of processing that graphics cards do is very easy to turn into parallel threads, so that's what they do, and have done for years. This is why graphics cards are used for mining Bitcoin and other highly parallel jobs.

Perhaps, but it is registered as a single core. Have fun finding out the actual number of cores. I read before that a single CPU core is often many cores as well on some AMDs. However, are you sure it's threads and not SIMD or vector operations?

[Morkonan]

...Polycounts are not just a number you can change in a settings menu.

It's in reference to things that may have been added since release.

("GPU is almost always slower than CPU" - Uh.. wat?)

Yep. The GPU's job is to unload the CPU's workload. And, as a shock to many, many graphics operations are still CPU calculated, as opposed to GPU calculated.

...

Aren't you going a bit overboard with generalizing, here? Pretty soon, you'll say "everything is done by the CPU." The CPU can be a huge bottleneck and that used to be a common problem.

They're also "different." Apples vs oranges. If you're looking at intended targeted tasks, there's no comparison. They're different whole "units", not just core vs core. If I build a render farm, I'm not gonna stock up on CPUs beyond what I need for shuttling tasks to the "units" designed for those tasks and that handle them much more betterer.

I agree, except in terms of the HDD. Games that are heavy on the drive benefit from being on the SDD. ...etc <sic>

Cost is a consideration here, too. Prices continue to equalize, but when you're optimizing for costs, there are other considerations. Everything could just be on an SSD, but then the machine would have limited storage and the cat gifs would start to crowd out cache space.

...Perhaps, but it is registered as a single core. Have fun finding out the actual number of cores. I read before that a single CPU core is often many cores as well on some AMDs. However, are you sure it's threads and not SIMD or vector operations?

There are thousands of "cores" in a GPU, no matter how they're logically assigned. Not sure how you're using that term, but GPUs have multiple logical cores.

[Chips]

Someone wants a hand trying to figure out what to buy, not to wade through a knowledge waving contest of irrelevance, even if the forum is "Off Topic"

[Santi]

With a bit more information maybe a monitor and graphic card upgrade, both easily done could be a better option.

[Mightysword]

I want to buy a PC for my daughter but I only have about £700 max to spend.

She does the usual kid stuff and plays the Sims with all the wallet draining packs installed and her old PC is starting to feel the strain.

Can someone give me some recommendations and the dos and don'ts of buying a cheaper gaming PC? I don't have a clue and am worried about getting burned by a slick salesman.

Thanks.

Is she playing Sims 3 or Sims 4?

When it comes to the Sims, especially if your daughter want to have everything on it, I would say the 2 most critical stuffs to get are an SSD drive to install the game on and good RAM, especially if she plays Sims 3. Other stuffs won't matter much if she got decent rams. The same things can be said for Sims 4 as well, but if she only play Sims4 then a normal HDD will do, the game has better loading. I think a good I5 or I7 core is standard these days no matter what your budget, just don't pick an overly expensive one. 8GB Ram is decent, can always add more later.

What you DON'T need:

- An expensive Video card: a budget one is enough for that game.
- A killer Motherboard.

And if you're not looking to build one, this is decent option for your price range:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ADMI-GTX-1060- ... =gaming+PC

or this one if you also want the monitor included:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fierce-APACHE- ... =gaming+PC

[Chips]

A 1060GTX with 6Gb of memory?

The recommended specs for the game are

REQUIRED: Internet connection required for product activation.
OS: 64 Bit Windows 7,8, or 8.1
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5 or faster or AMD Athlon X4
MEMORY: 4GB RAM
HARD DRIVE: At least 9 GB of free space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
DVD-ROM: DVD ROM drive required for installation only
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 650 or better
SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0c Compatible
DIRECTX: DirectX 9.0c compatible
INPUT: Keyboard and Mouse

The card in the recommended specs is £80 - so a £250 gfx card is a bit overkill.

Again, this needs way more info. Is the computer supposed to be good for other games, or is it literally just playing the SIMs as that's it?

At the moment this feels very much like when you go to a shop and say "I just want a laptop that i can use to check email and perhaps watch some youtube" - to which they reply "Well, you would need an i5 minimum, but really an i7 is best for checking email"...

Codswallop

[Redvers Ganderpoke]

My daughter has been playing Overwatch on an AMD 5350, 8gb ran 120ssd and a Nvidia 1030. That was way under £700.

[Magnu]

Wow. It seems I have a lot to consider.

Sorry I haven't responded too the replies but I've been so ill I can barely lift my head from the pillow. I'll read through the thread again in a few days when I'm feeling better.

Thanks for your time, all.

[Rice]

Wow. It seems I have a lot to consider.

Sorry I haven't responded too the replies but I've been so ill I can barely lift my head from the pillow. I'll read through the thread again in a few days when I'm feeling better.

Thanks for your time, all.

A 1060GTX with 6Gb of memory?

The recommended specs for the game are

REQUIRED:
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5 or faster or AMD Athlon X4
MEMORY: 4GB RAM
HARD DRIVE: At least 9 GB of free space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
DVD-ROM: DVD ROM drive required for installation only
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 650 or better

The card in the recommended specs is £80 - so a £250 gfx card is a bit overkill.

Again, this needs way more info. Is the computer supposed to be good for other games, or is it literally just playing the SIMs as that's it?

At the moment this feels very much like when you go to a shop and say "I just want a laptop that i can use to check email and perhaps watch some youtube" - to which they reply "Well, you would need an i5 minimum, but really an i7 is best for checking email"...

Codswallop

the actual summarize would be, what is present and maybe salvaged for the new PC if theres the option you can Plug the compoments together on your own ( sacred of an operation at the PC or not) . besides 1-2 answers based up on their own childs which plays overwatch or other games.
But keep in mind other recommendations may be not optimal atleast on this broad topic of dos and don'ts,
for one its a don'ts to grab a "lowbudget" PC instead of looking what i need and not and plug them together on my own.
The most Multimedia pcs lacking a decent GPU ( if any atall as they may just have the onboard or GPU chip build inside the CPU) and only have so-so CPU atall etc.
and it seem we are lacking Experience on which Rigs the Sims 4 ( ? ) with each addon runs pleasant at all.
if i have to reference to the previous installments Sims 1 & 2 with each addon, the recommendated Specs were still not enough for mid-late game

My daughter has been playing Overwatch on an AMD 5350, 8gb ran 120ssd and a Nvidia 1030. That was way under £700.

Is she playing Sims 3 or Sims 4?

When it comes to the Sims, especially if your daughter want to have everything on it, I would say the 2 most critical stuffs to get are an SSD drive to install the game on and good RAM, especially if she plays Sims 3. Other stuffs won't matter much if she got decent rams. The same things can be said for Sims 4 as well, but if she only play Sims4 then a normal HDD will do, the game has better loading. I think a good I5 or I7 core is standard these days no matter what your budget, just don't pick an overly expensive one. 8GB Ram is decent, can always add more later.

What you DON'T need:

- An expensive Video card: a budget one is enough for that game.
- A killer Motherboard.

And if you're not looking to build one, this is decent option for your price range:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ADMI-GTX-1060- ... =gaming+PC

or this one if you also want the monitor included:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fierce-APACHE- ... =gaming+PC

For reference a friend of mine recently got this build https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/QJGqYr
It is in AUD and a bit over budget but if you sub out the GTX1070 in that build with a 1050 then you would probably have something more in your price range (it would move the price to around $1200 AUD which is roughly £700).

[theeclownbroze]

Don't skimp out on a cheap Power supply unit, no matter the budget, or at least get one with good warranty, for example, some PSU's come with 5-10 year warranty so go with them.

Having more watts may mean you have enough wattage to upgrade to more powerful hardware in the future too.

[pjknibbs]

Having more watts may mean you have enough wattage to upgrade to more powerful hardware in the future too.

However, you should bear in mind that the efficiency of a PSU tends to tail off markedly when it's running very close to its rated output or when it's running at a very low power output--if you over-specify the PSU you'll be wasting more electricity as heat losses in the PSU. If you get one which is rated "80plus" then it's guaranteed to be 80% efficient when running at 20%, 50% and 100% of rated load, which mitigates that somewhat.

[Magnu]

Hi.
I'm sorry I haven't responded. I caught the flu and developed pneumonia, was taken to hospital and suffered a minor stroke while I was there. I'm told I have a good chance of mking a full recovery but finding some things very difficult at the moment.

Thanks to you all and I hope to be back soon.

[pjknibbs]

Jeez, you don't need to apologise for being ill! Get well first, then worry about frivolous stuff like new PCs.

[zazie]

If you haven't decided yet and if you want to think about different approaches I'd suggest you check this thread on the Forums of "Computerbase".
Yes, it is in German, but the names and specs of the PC-Hardware are 'international'.
Why do I 'promote' that thread here? The recommandations for a GAMING rig (and the alternatives to every recommandation) are tested by the community, free of commercial interest, always up-to-date (last update today, February 6) and in most cases based on Hardware that is available (so paper launches are not taken into consideration).

You will have to find a shop for that hardware in yourt country though, as long as you do not want to buy in Germany.

[Tamina]

If you haven't decided yet and if you want to think about different approaches I'd suggest you check this thread on the Forums of "Computerbase".
Yes, it is in German, but the names and specs of the PC-Hardware are 'international'.

Only an i3 for an >1100 $ PC.
GPU and RAM got way too expensive.

[korio]

If you haven't decided yet and if you want to think about different approaches I'd suggest you check this thread on the Forums of "Computerbase".
Yes, it is in German, but the names and specs of the PC-Hardware are 'international'.

Only an i3 for an >1100 $ PC.
GPU and RAM got way too expensive.

The new i3-8xxx are powerfull, they are like old i5.

GPU and RAM is starting to "lower" their price, and you can find some good deals, atleast here on spain.

They are still way overpriced.

[burger1]

If you haven't decided yet and if you want to think about different approaches I'd suggest you check this thread on the Forums of "Computerbase".
Yes, it is in German, but the names and specs of the PC-Hardware are 'international'.

:O Only an i3 for an >1100 $ PC. :O
GPU and RAM got way too expensive.

It looks like they started using RAM production facilities for other stuff so demand has increased but supply hasn't. This effects v ram also. It might take a few years for production facilities to adapt/grow. Computer sales have decreased.

[Redvers Ganderpoke]

I priced up a budget build for my daughter and roughly:-

CPU ~£100
MB ~ £50 to £100 (depends on CPU that new Kaby Lake i3 needs that fancy MB!)
RAM 16mb ~£200
PSU ~ £50
SSD ~ £70 (240mb)
GFX ~ £150 (1050ti - anything above this seems to be siily prices!)

I wonder if the new Ryzen with built in GFX or the new Intel Kaby LAake G chips will make good budget PC.

It's the DDR4 RAM that's expensive - my build from last year used DDR3 and 16gb was £75.

[Axeface]

I just built a budget pc and it runs great, can run all games on medium settings well (even games like the witcher 3). Intel G4560, GTX 1050 2gb, msi H110M Pro-vh plus, 8gb ram.

I'de recommend these parts for a budget build.

PS: Buy Intel/Nvidia, not AMD. I built 2 budget amd pc's a while back, 1 CPU came with ALL the pins bent to one side (I had to used a credit card to bend them back straight....) and one of the amd gpus has already burnt out - i've owned so many intel/nvidia pc's over the years and only had 1 failure (I ignored temps on a 6 years old gpu and it fried).