So I've been a console guy for years and will most likely continue to be. But I've noticed that a lot of games I want are PC only (older games) and even most new games look really good on the right computer. Can you guys suggest me a decent mid grade pc capable of running perhaps...Arkham Asylum. Not the best of the best but decent.
Help me get into PC gaming
- Thread starter Kinokohatake
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It's fairly simple. Look up some system requirements for the games you know you want to try on PC. Make a note of CPU, RAM, and Video requirements.
CPU and RAM are the easy parts. For Arkham Asylum: Buy or build a computer with a 2.5 GHz dual core or better CPU and 4 GB or more of RAM. That's it. You probably won't be able to buy a computer slower than that these days anyway. If you're buying a computer pre-built, brand name does not matter. Just go with whoever has the best deal.
A quad-core is always better, but don't rely on it to make up a difference in clock speed (again, not that you'll find any quads below 2.5GHz today anyway).
If you choose to build, bear this in mind: Intel is more expensive but will generally be higher performance. AMD will almost always be lower price, giving you more bang for the buck, so if you're on a tight budget, definitely go AMD.
The more complicated part is the graphics, since the number (eg "ZOMG GT 250!!") doesn't necessarily coincide with performance. You must look at benchmarks to get an idea which cards are sufficient and which aren't. Also they're different between the two major manufacturers (ATI/Nvidia).
Note: Do not get distracted by people who pimp one over the other, do not be distracted by people saying do not combine an ATI video card with an Intel CPUs or Nvida with AMD CPUs. These people are wrong.
Arkham Asylum for example has a minimum spec of Nvidia (GeForce) 8800 or ATI (Radeon HD) 3800. Those are fairly old. The GTS 250 that's in my desktop is superior to both those and only cost me $100 when I got it. Look up the fucking benchmarks. (Such as this one [http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/video_lookup.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+460])
If you're on a budget, print out the benchmarks and have them with you when you shop, or better yet buy your video card online from NewEgg since you'll be able to look at a much wider variety of cards than any store will carry. You will find that for small increases in performance, the price jumps up dramatically. That's just the way it is with video cards.
CPU and RAM are the easy parts. For Arkham Asylum: Buy or build a computer with a 2.5 GHz dual core or better CPU and 4 GB or more of RAM. That's it. You probably won't be able to buy a computer slower than that these days anyway. If you're buying a computer pre-built, brand name does not matter. Just go with whoever has the best deal.
A quad-core is always better, but don't rely on it to make up a difference in clock speed (again, not that you'll find any quads below 2.5GHz today anyway).
If you choose to build, bear this in mind: Intel is more expensive but will generally be higher performance. AMD will almost always be lower price, giving you more bang for the buck, so if you're on a tight budget, definitely go AMD.
The more complicated part is the graphics, since the number (eg "ZOMG GT 250!!") doesn't necessarily coincide with performance. You must look at benchmarks to get an idea which cards are sufficient and which aren't. Also they're different between the two major manufacturers (ATI/Nvidia).
Note: Do not get distracted by people who pimp one over the other, do not be distracted by people saying do not combine an ATI video card with an Intel CPUs or Nvida with AMD CPUs. These people are wrong.
Arkham Asylum for example has a minimum spec of Nvidia (GeForce) 8800 or ATI (Radeon HD) 3800. Those are fairly old. The GTS 250 that's in my desktop is superior to both those and only cost me $100 when I got it. Look up the fucking benchmarks. (Such as this one [http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/video_lookup.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+460])
If you're on a budget, print out the benchmarks and have them with you when you shop, or better yet buy your video card online from NewEgg since you'll be able to look at a much wider variety of cards than any store will carry. You will find that for small increases in performance, the price jumps up dramatically. That's just the way it is with video cards.
After reading your very well thought out post, I am thinking of hiring someone to buy me a mid grade pc. Seriously I have little to no idea what half of that meant. Uh...I feel like a fucking idiot.
It's pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. When you go looking for a computer, they'll be advertised like this:
Smell Nasalplex 40001
CPU: 3 GHz Intel Beefcake
RAM: 6 GB
Harddrive: Something or other
Graphics: Intel Crap
That's kinda what the ad will look like. Just key in on the GHz (clock speed) and whether it's dual core or quad core. Make sure the RAM is a number bigger than 4. Ignore the hard drive. Then, if the graphics says Intel* or Integrated, ignore it and plan on buying a video card. If it says ATI or NVIDIA, look it up on PassMark to see where it ranks.
*yes, Intel makes graphics chips as well as CPUs. They all, without exception, suck. Integrated graphics will always be inferior, even if it's an integrated AMD or NVIDIA chip, a $100 card will run circles around it. Thus, intel or integrated = ignore it and plan on buying a card to upgrade it.
Smell Nasalplex 40001
CPU: 3 GHz Intel Beefcake
RAM: 6 GB
Harddrive: Something or other
Graphics: Intel Crap
That's kinda what the ad will look like. Just key in on the GHz (clock speed) and whether it's dual core or quad core. Make sure the RAM is a number bigger than 4. Ignore the hard drive. Then, if the graphics says Intel* or Integrated, ignore it and plan on buying a video card. If it says ATI or NVIDIA, look it up on PassMark to see where it ranks.
*yes, Intel makes graphics chips as well as CPUs. They all, without exception, suck. Integrated graphics will always be inferior, even if it's an integrated AMD or NVIDIA chip, a $100 card will run circles around it. Thus, intel or integrated = ignore it and plan on buying a card to upgrade it.
