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Gaming Computer

So yeah, my birthday is coming up soon enough. My parents and I started brainstorming some ideas, and we came up with a new computer. I, of course, wanted one that could run games decently well. Of course, we figured out that we knew nothing about gaming computers. So of course, i have a couple questions.

1) Which would be better, a desktop or a laptop?
2) What do you need to look for in a computer you want to be running games?
3) Is there any common things in computers nowadays that should be avoided like the plague?
4) Would i need to get a certain OS?
Later.
It's hard to know for sure which would be better. A lot of it depends on whether you want to go all-out on game performance as a top priority (desktop) or if you want to be able to bring your computer with you (laptop).
Well, for power, you'll definitely want a desktop. One of the biggest things is the video card, so you'll need to make that a priority. Next you'll want to focus on the CPU. It should at least be a dual-core, and a quad-core is nice if it won't break the bank. Third, you'll want to look at RAM. 4GB+ of DDR3 RAM should be fine. Finally, you'll want a power supply that can handle everything.

Now for some details.

As far as video cards go, the numbers can be a bit confusing. For example, 820 is a higher number than 770, so which one is better? It's actually the 770. The easiest way to figure this all out is to just Google the video card and find some benchmarks for popular games so you can see how they perform. AMD and Nvidia are both good options. AMD tends to be cheaper, while Nvidia has a better reputation. I'm not really too knowledgeable about them. I'd say get a card with at least 1GB video RAM that's at least DDR3. GDDR5 is super fast, but it's expensive.

Next, the CPU. As I said, dual-core minimum, quad-core preferred. As for clock speed, anything above 2.5GHz should be fine, really. 3GHz+ is ideal, however. Again, AMD is cheaper, but Intel CPUs have some nice features like hyperthreading. Go with what your budget permits.

RAM is pretty easy. As I said, go for 4GB+. With, say, 8GB I guarantee it'll perform well for a while, and anything over 8 is overkill, to be honest. Definitely go for DDR3 RAM over DDR or DDR2. Try to find some that's at least 1066MHz.

Finally, the power supply. A powerful video card will draw a lot of power, with the CPU also being a fairly big power consumer. Check out this page to get an estimate on what kind of wattage you'll need.

Hope that helps #fim{:D}
You shouldn't really judge CPUs by clock speed. Clock speed is only a small part of what determines actual CPU performance. For example, you'll find that a 2.1GHz Core i3 tends to perform faster than a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo, both being dual-core processors. There really isn't a preferred or ideal clock speed.

And game performance depends a lot more on the GPU than on the processor anyway. Processor shouldn't be a high concern on your list unless you have another reason to be concerned with it (e.g. specific software). Most currently-available CPUs that aren't at the very entry level are more than powerful enough for most users.

This kinda applies to laptops and desktops both: Two of the components that'll affect you most are your GPU (for gaming), and your display (in general). Spend your money on those. The GPU is where you get your game performance from, and your display resolution (which essentially determines how much you are able to fit onscreen) makes a lot of difference in day-to-day use. In laptops there's also the issue that most of the "base"-resolution displays tend to be very poor in quality, but for the most part you don't have to worry about that for desktop monitors.

C:\WINDOWS>

I would recommend a PC made by Gateway. Besides their BS customer support, their PC's are amazing. I've had no problems with mine.

Model: Gateway DX-4860-EF12P

Specs:

CPU: i7-2600 3.40GHz

RAM: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM

Graphics: AMD Radeon 6670 2GB

More specs here: http://ca.gateway.com/gw/en/CA/content/model/PT.GCPP2.021

I run Portal 2, GMOD 13, and Minecraft at max settings and get 250+ FPS (Minecraft at 500+ on a good day), and can render full HD video in Sony Vegas Pro 12 in a matter of minutes.
Layout by algorithshark.
I'm busy IRL. I'll come back someday, but until then, I'm taking a break.
My laptop:
Intel Pentium T4500 @ 2.30 GHz

4GB RAM DDR3 1333MHz

Intel GMA 4500M (integrated graphics)

I can run GTA SA, Counter-Strike
Amazing layout by JackTheSpades
Well i got it.

I don't have the specs on hand, but i showed my parents what they should have looked for, and they got it. It's an Lenovo Ideapad laptop, and it looks absolutly friggin sweet.

So uh yeah.


#w{:>}
Later.