Help with buying a new pc?

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Right now I'm looking at getting this computer.
http://www.centrecom.com.au/game/produc ... 82&mid=128
Devil - i5 3570K, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 60GB SSD, XFX 7850 1GB (DEVIL)

My special interest is video games and I usually play on the PS3 but lately I've been interested in playing more pc oriented games (like sim city or guild wars just to name a few).

Right now I have an imac, which in the first place isn't very powerful for playing games like minecraft, but also doesn't have a very wide range of available games.

Basically my question is would the above computer with its specs be good for playing things like skyrim with an okay frame rate. I am aware that the above computer only has an i5 processor which isn't the most powerful, but is the i7 worth it.

I don't know much at all about the technical side of computers, and I'm just looking for help on what specs you would recommend on someone with a limited budget. (I don't have a job and am earning money for this computer with chores ).

If you know of any better builds available for pickup from shops in the melbourne area (if you happen to be from melbourne) that would be great, or if you could give me some tips of what to go for and what to avoid in a computer.

Any help would be great thank you ^_^

Also sorry if I got anything wrong in the case of technical terms or anything I'm really quite a newbie to all this. And sorry if I rambled or made grammatical errors.

From Ellen

- You may wanna get a Core i7 for more power, though the i5 is good.
- 60 GB will fill up fast as a system drive. Get 120-240 GB SSD. OCZ Vertext drives (Sata 3) are quite good and fast, make sure the motherboard has a Sata 3 connector though.
- 16 GB ram will have you a longer lasting setup.
- 2TB (mechanical) harddrive space or more is recommended if you want to install more games at the same time. Though if you get a 240 GB SSD drive, there will be sufficient space to install a few games that runs fast. Large games with many installed expansions like "The Sims 3" will be very good to have on an SSD.
- Graphics card is sufficient for the next 3-4 years. Or even longer if the next generation consoles suck as much as the ones we have now.
- You may want to look into how much power the PSU can deliver. If you add more stuff later on, or get a futuristic monster graphics card, the PSU won't be able to power it unless it has more effect. Many prebuilt gaming PC's have around 400W, i'd go with a 700W-1000W one, just to make sure. Remember that a PSU does not CONSUME that much power, it can DELIVER that much power - so electrical bills will be whatever power the computer USE.

While you are at it, ditch the monitor and get a Projector, the Benq W700+ series (LED) are awesome. Mine gives me a 120" image on my wall, and once set to econo-mode, the lamp will last 6000 hours. The last LED projector i had (GP1) the electronics went bad before the lamp broke, it lasted about 3 years - and i'm a hardcore gamer that spends 90% of my free time watching series, playing games or surfing the web.



I5 is "sufficient". You should remember that times moves on, and you will be playing something more heavy than Skyrim in a year or two, i'd go with a Core i7.



Well, as it is, it will be ok for a while. If you are as you say a gamer (and has it as a special interest), you may wanna fork out a few more AUS$ on it to make it future proof.

I look on that site and find this sound card.
http://www.centrecom.com.au/game/produc ... 354&mid=42 this sound card.
A sound card does help and this one is the min one to buy.

I just bought a laptop to replace my desktop that no longer meets the minimum requirements for WoW. I didn't know s**t about computers. What I would recommend to you is to go on youtube and search for the game you want to play + the graphics card you are thinking of using. So you could search for "guild wars 2 xfx 7850" for example. See what kind performance they are getting with that graphics card on the game you want to play. Take note of the CPU they are using as well. Just keep in mind that game requirements increase every year so if you can spend $50-100 extra to get components that won't become obsolete for a couple of years you'll be happier in the long run, unless you're comfortable swapping components on your own later. Oh and go with at least a 120gb ssd.

I asked for help on WP which gave me some guidance on where to start. Then I watched videos. Read MANY reviews (amazon is a good place) online. Looked at benchmark comparisons when I became a little familiar with components and what they do. Finally I shopped around for the best price. On price I will tell you this- here in the US the online prices were 20-40% less than store prices for equal machines. I would be willing to bet it is the same where you live. You can always go to a store to see the machine and play around with it a bit but order it online for the best price. In store selection is also very limited. Many vendors offer free or greatly reduced shipping. To me it was worth the 5 day wait buying online (still waiting) to save almost $400.

I just sent you a PM regarding this thread.