The Official Computer Tech Support Thread

[TheBig3]

So I'm currently operating on an old Dell from '02. For obviously reasons, its time to move on. I've been trying to save for something half decent on games (strong empahsis on half). My lady friend found me a refurbished computer for $100 with the following specs:

Intel® Pentium® Core 2 Duo Processor, 2.0 GB RAM, 100+ GB HDD, PCI Small Form Factor (2x3), Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900, DVD/R - CD/R Optical drive, Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet, Windows XP Professional

17" Flat-screen Monitor

Seems like I'd be well out of the range I was in, but I can't tell since...

A. I don't know what kind of graphics card it has and

B. It seems like nearly quintuple the space I have. My PoS is also so old it doesn't have a disc drive in any capacity, and lacks a dual core processor. I figured at worst, I could use it as a base to build up.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[Freebase Dali]

Originally Posted by TheBig3

So I'm currently operating on an old Dell from '02. For obviously reasons, its time to move on. I've been trying to save for something half decent on games (strong empahsis on half). My lady friend found me a refurbished computer for $100 with the following specs:


Seems like I'd be well out of the range I was in, but I can't tell since...

A. I don't know what kind of graphics card it has and

B. It seems like nearly quintuple the space I have. My PoS is also so old it doesn't have a disc drive in any capacity, and lacks a dual core processor. I figured at worst, I could use it as a base to build up.

Anyone have any thoughts?

The graphics card is an onboard video chip only capable of up to 128mb of RAM. Suffice it to say, you're limited with what you can play by default, and that's assuming the chip has that much RAM on it to begin with. Although you could most certainly add a better graphics card to suit your needs, if necessary.

I'd also add at least another gig of RAM. (very very inexpensive)
While 32bit systems (which I'm assuming the XP pro is) can only address 4 gigs of RAM (with XP only recognizing around 3.25 of it), you'll still benefit greatly from the extra gig. Just make sure you buy the same type of RAM as the RAM that's already installed. You can get these details by downloading and running CPU-Z. (free)

Core2duo is good enough for most games. My old system I just upgraded from had a Core2duo, and I played Crysis on it at full settings without bottlenecking at the CPU. (Keep in mind, I had a better graphics card... which itself is considered old by today's standards... Nvidia 9600GT 512mb RAM)

Ultimately, for the price of 100 dollars, I'd say go for it. The fact remains that you can upgrade, but you may be limited by your motherboard (which I have no idea of the brand and model, as that info is not included) regarding what kind of RAM you can upgrade to, what kind of processor it supports, chipset, etc.

Truth is, if you're planning on having a computer that will remain expandable for a lot of years, you're likely going to need to go with something beyond the XP era. But for the price, it's not like you're investing that much anyway, and you can always carry parts over from that system to newer setups if necessary.

What kind of games are you planning on playing?

[TheBig3]

Originally Posted by Freebase Dali

The graphics card is an onboard video chip only capable of up to 128mb of RAM. Suffice it to say, you're limited with what you can play by default, and that's assuming the chip has that much RAM on it to begin with. Although you could most certainly add a better graphics card to suit your needs, if necessary.

I'd also add at least another gig of RAM. (very very inexpensive)
While 32bit systems (which I'm assuming the XP pro is) can only address 4 gigs of RAM (with XP only recognizing around 3.25 of it), you'll still benefit greatly from the extra gig. Just make sure you buy the same type of RAM as the RAM that's already installed. You can get these details by downloading and running CPU-Z. (free)

Core2duo is good enough for most games. My old system I just upgraded from had a Core2duo, and I played Crysis on it at full settings without bottlenecking at the CPU. (Keep in mind, I had a better graphics card... which itself is considered old by today's standards... Nvidia 9600GT 512mb RAM)

Ultimately, for the price of 100 dollars, I'd say go for it. The fact remains that you can upgrade, but you may be limited by your motherboard (which I have no idea of the brand and model, as that info is not included) regarding what kind of RAM you can upgrade to, what kind of processor it supports, chipset, etc.

Truth is, if you're planning on having a computer that will remain expandable for a lot of years, you're likely going to need to go with something beyond the XP era. But for the price, it's not like you're investing that much anyway, and you can always carry parts over from that system to newer setups if necessary.

What kind of games are you planning on playing?

I'm a big Blizzard guy. For now it would be SC2 and possibly WoW again, but absolutely Diablo 3 when it drops.

[Freebase Dali]

Originally Posted by TheBig3

I'm a big Blizzard guy. For now it would be SC2 and possibly WoW again, but absolutely Diablo 3 when it drops.

The minimum requirements for WoW and SC2 are probably going to give you issues with the graphics card. And Diablo 3, for sure, will. You might look into getting a PCI graphics card with at least 512mb RAM. If you go for older stuff, like a 9800 GT or something, you'll hit recommended specs for those games, and for very cheap.

Then tossing in another stick of RAM should round you out.