New computer...

[Combicon]

I wasn't sure where else this should go.

At first I was considering building a gaming computer (mostly because I'm fasinated with technology and such, and think that it'd be a good experience - following guides online to help, of course). However, I was talked out of this, and soon realised that the specs I wanted would cost pretty much just the same (if not a bit more) than a Dell, so I decided to go for that instead.

I really want a desktop computer as my laptop is pretty much kaput (either the fan has a problem, or the program that runs the fan does), as well as some other minor problems that involved reformatting it, and now the OS takes up most of the space on the C:, the rest of which is taken up by daily running of the computer, making it hella slow (I think it's got 24mb to work with if I start it up). Despite that teh screen is cracked, pretty much meaning that acer has raped my chances of ever picking up a laptop again (or any acer product - so far all three computers (one desktop, two laptops) from them have begun to break).

This computer costs me about £1,100 (or $1,758 to those using the American dollar - or so google says), and it would be able to play crysis at recomended settings, but I don't know if I should set the benchmark so high, it's not like I have crysis, or am going to play it any time soon, I'd probably want to re-visit all my old games first, and as such don't know if I should just get (or build - which would allow me to upgrade parts later) a meh / good computer, seeing as I currently only has a bit over £400 ($639)

That, and I also want to buy a falcon, which costs a little over £200 methinks.

Any advice? D:

Although most of the items on here have been discontinued (from the site I was going to get them from), here are the items:
Motherboard: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160808
Processor: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161171
Sound card: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/98938
Video card: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161700
Fan: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148079
Ram (3): http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159919
Hard drive: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143288
CD/DVD: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/151999
Case: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/118268
PSU: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124927
Operating System: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-037-MS

[HairyHeretic]

First of all, what's the specs? And what kind of games do you plan on running on it?

[Caliban]

I'm afraid to ask this:  Do you mean you want to buy a real falcon, i.e. a live bird, for hawking and such?  Or do you mean the storage engine?

Other than that, I recommend getting something which is not cutting-edge, but rather two steps behind the latest and best equipment, because it's almost as good and much less expensive.  (Other people often recommend either one or three steps behind; it mostly depends on how you value performance versus price.)

By the time you're ready to play Crysis, say six months or a year from now, you can upgrade because what's cutting-edge now will be much less expensive then.

[Combicon]

Hairy - mostly FPS games, Half-life, I considered Crysis, but dunno if I will get it, I was just setting that as my benchmark as it's a demanding game. xD

The specs of Crysis:
OS - Windows XP / Vista
Processor - Intel Core 2 DUO @ 2.2GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Memory - 2.0 GB RAM
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS/640 or similar

And the specs of the computer I was going to buy / build I can't remember at the moment, but it would have been similar, or a little better than that.

And Caliban - Neither. A Falcon Novint. Games controller for FPS games.

[HairyHeretic]

More RAM :) It's not that expensive these days, so going to 4 or maybe even 8 gig won't be that big a price increase.

If you're going to be running Vista, I think 4 GB is recommended. If you're getting a machine now, you might want to think about the new OS as well (Windows 7, or whatever they're calling it).

That Falcon looks an interesting piece of kit. Wonder if it'd work with Planetside?

[Combicon]

Yeah, Ram is good...but only if you have the rest of the computer. xD
Which is the stage I'm at now.

Either wait and get the good one, wait and build a slightly better but more expencive one, buy an okay one now that'll make do, or buy parts and build an okay one. xD

And I doubt it, the falcon requires the games to be specifically programmed to work with it.
It wouldn't be that hard to do (they've done it for Halflife games), but it's pretty cool. Getting shot pushes the gun away in the direction the bullet was traveling, making it harder to fight back; jumping does the same....xD

[Combicon]

Oh, Hairy! I found the specs of the one I was going to build...or at least the links to where I was going to get them from. xD

Motherboard: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160808
Processor: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161171
Sound card: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/98938
Video card: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161700
Fan: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148079
Ram (3): http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159919
Hard drive: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143288
CD/DVD: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/151999
Case: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/118268
PSU: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124927
Operating System: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-037-MS

[HairyHeretic]

I understand overclockers are decent to deal with. Have you considered getting one of their machine bundles and customising it?

[Combicon]

Considered? I haven't even heard of them.

[HairyHeretic]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=43

Have a browse. You might find something as good as what you were intending for a decent price.

[Combicon]

Another reason to build - It's harder to compare parts as you have to look them up, rather than seeing the specs of the individual parts already there.

[Combicon]

As far as I can see, this one:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-180-OK&tool=5
is like £800 or so cheaper than the one I want, and roughly the same specs...maybe a bit worse/better in certain parts...I dunno though. xD
I feel I've made a mistake somewhere, because like, you shouldn't be able to cut £800 and the quality still be the same...that's just insane.

[Combicon]

Okay, yeah, made a few mistakes last night with the previous one, it's quite a bit worse than the specs.
This one is pretty much on ball and costs like £616 with vista.

[HairyHeretic]

Linkie?