| TheLivingShadow said: Umm...hello.<_> Whatever, I was reading a magazine ad about PCs, and because mine is really outdated, I was asking my father to buy me (everyone in this house) a new one. So, here are these two PCs, can you tell me if they're good and which one is better for PC gaming? PC Dual Core 3.0 --->$900 Dual Core 3.0GHZ, RAM 512MB, 160GB, DVD Writer, Windows Vista Basic, Keyboard and optic mouse, Speakers, Flat Panel 17", 2 years Warranty. PC Core 2 Duo --->$1500 Core 2 Duo 1.83GHz, Hard Drive 400GB, Memory 2GB, DVDRW, Mainboard Intel 946, Video Card PCI Express 256MB, TV MSI Card, Memory Reader, Flat 19", Keyboard and mouse, Windows XP Home, Speakers 2.1, 2 years Warranty *** I know the second one is more expensive, but the first comes with Vista, and I don't really know which one is better, Dual Core or Core 2 Duo (total newbie...I know.>_>). Can some expert here enlighten me with wisdom? Thank you, anyone. |
You don't need Vista for gaming. In fact, until Vista matures, you are better off with XP as it offers the best compatibility for older games (e.g. games that came out before Vista arrived this year). There are hardly any Vista-ready games now. Additionally, Vista's main draw is DirectX10, and there aren't that many games using that flavor of DirectX now. You would also need a DirectX10-capable graphics card, which neither of your systems have. With only 2GB of RAM there isn't much need to go with Vista anyhow - XP runs optimally with 2GB of RAM (and not more).
Both RAM and CPU from the two systems you listed are good enough. I would go with Core2Duo personally, but again, there aren't that many games that utilize both cores on your CPU.
Finally, the single most important thing you have to consider (having considered everything else) is your graphics card. I think both cards they are offering for the systems is rubbish - well, option A seems worse because it doesn't even mention a video card, leading me to believe that it's some sort of Integrated Graphcs - STAY AWAY FROM THESE IF YOU WANT TO PLAY GAMES! Option B does mention a card, but is quite vague otherwise - seems like the card is a stinker anyhow. Try to negotiate a decent graphics card for any of these systems, and you will be a happy camper/PC gamer.
You can find good card recommendations here (something for every budget):
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/07/03/the_best_gaming_video_cards_for_the_money/
Good luck!
Si quieres en espaniol, me avisas.
