OK, in what way are the specs better?
The CPU on the computer I listed (Q8200) is newer & more efficient than the CPU you listed (Q6700), although their performance is about comparable. However, the HD4850 is a clear step up from the 9800GT, as I’ve stated upthread. There isn’t really much of a benefit going from 2GB to 4GB RAM, much less 4GB->8GB, so the 8GB RAM on the computer you listed is mostly going to be a waste.
Well, we’re still shopping. I’m wondering about BestBuy. I really want her to go to a somewhat knowledgeable computer place, tell them what she needs and has to spend, and have them show her what they can do. Is BestBuy good for that or would that be for suckers?
And they’ve recently reduced the prices. You can get 4850s for €80 or so.
Granted it’s a biased source, but Crucial did a test which showed considerable benefits from using 4 GB.
I’ve yet to see this tested. Got a link? Of course, to use 8 GB you’ll need 64 bit Vista or 64 bit Windows 7.
Try a local computer store, not a big box store that happens to sell computers. No, it won’t necessarily be more expensive for what you get … and you will get exactly what you need … and it will be made with standard parts that are easily repaired and/or upgraded.
2 GB of RAM is more than enough for gaming. I would focus on motherboards with high frontside bus speeds and pair that with fast RAM for the best benefit.
Also, fast hard drives will improve the gaming experience as games launch faster and large textures and sound files stream from the disk faster. Sometimes I see gamers chosing a RAID configuration, but I don’t see a significant performance advantage for gaming.
Of course, as noted by other posters, a fast video card with lots of VRAM allows you to run very high resolutions at maximum quality settings. It is important to realize that an expensive video card is only worth it if you have a large LCD panel. If you’re going to run a 19" or smaller monitor, there is no benefit in the leading-edge graphics processors - you would do fine with a sub $100 card.
I would not trust the knowledge of your average Best Buy or Circuit City employee. Look around online for buyer’s guides, especially amongst the gaming sites. Then, when you have a good idea which specs are going to benefit you, shop at Dell, they are going to have just about as good a price as you’ll find anywhere. Don’t look just at the “gaming” section, with many of those, you’re paying extra for looks.
PC retailers focus a lot on numeric specs because that’s an easy way to differentiate models at different price points. But to be a savvy computer shopper, you need to learn about the subtleties of the specs. Sites like Tom’s Hardware and Anandtech do a lot of comparisons of the components of PCs and can help a buyer understand what makes a computer perform better. It’s not easy, but the effort to do this research will pay off when you pay less for a more capable computer.
I agree with the general gist of your post, but Farcry2/Crysis with full AA, even on 1280x1024 (typical native 19" LCD resolution) begs otherwise.
Have you tried Fry’s? http://www.frys.com/ They have some good gaming machines listed.
OK. these-
http://www.frys.com/product/5802073?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
http://www.frys.com/product/5807153?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
http://www.frys.com/product/5739062?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
are in my price range and look good to my untrained eye.
So what have I missed?
Also, who has dealt with Frys and what are they like?
Please, look at this chart. Based on your budget and “gaming” being a priority, you really should be looking at videocards between** tier 5** and tier 8 (if you were building this yourself, you’d be looking at tier 4, but that doesn’t appear to be a preference to you) All three systems you listed have GPUs below tier 14.