Gaming computers

[ccowan2126]

Who has any info regarding the value/reliability of IBuyPower or Cyberpower PCs. I have seen them on Walmart, NewEgg and Amazon and the specs seem to indicate that they would work. Anybody have an opinion one way or the other?
I am currently running TS2010 on my Dell Inspiron laptop with 2.0gig dual core processor with 2g of RAM and crappy built-in graphics. I have most of the sliders way down, but it works. In the near future (within 6 months) I will need to purchase a desk top to work from home at a new job and I want to put an extra $400-$500 dollars towards the $400-$500 needed to get an "office" type PC and upgrade to a "gaming" PC.

Thanks,

Connel

 

[RRSignal]

It completely depends on the specs you define. I took a quick look at Walmart and saw this one:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/iBUYPOWER...-7-Home-Premium-Monitor-Not-Included/19900549

or this one:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/CyberPowe...mium-Monitor-Not-In/20850748?findingMethod=rr

for $828 and $878, respectively. Not bad machines. I could build a better, faster machine probably for less, probably even have it built by a shop if I wasn't up to building my own still for less - but not bad for a pre-built. However, neither spec says anything about the power supply or expansion slots, an area where most (if not virtually all) OEMs cut corners.

One of the most important things for Trainz is to have a fast processor in terms of raw GHz. It's generally better to have a fast dual-core than a slow quad-core, because Trainz doesn't benefit as much from having many cores. i5 machines represent something of a sweet spot there as they can be had fast and are quad-core, so you're futureproofed some.

The other big thing is the graphics. The first has I think a Ti560, which is a very good card, although the HD 7750 of the second machine isn't too bad either (but substantially lower-powered than the 560).

Beyond that, the two machines are roughly on par. You don't need more than 8Gb - in fact, you don't need more than 4Gb with current Trainz. Although I haven't taken the plunge myself, an SSD would be a good upgrade according to many Trainzers. I know you can get that if you order through their site as a custom machine; maybe you can through Walmart or Amazon too.

 

[ccowan2126]

The iBuyPower unit has a 700w power supply and I could not find out what the other one had. Thanks for responding. I'm not very knowledgeable about computers, but I have learned a lot by reading these forums posts.

Connel

 

[RRSignal]

700w isn't bad, actually. It provides some room for upgrade if you ever decide to do so. I'd still take a look at their site and see what it would cost to build a system with and SSD, preferably without any of the add-on software (which tends to cause a lot of problems with any OEM computer. e.g. Norton Anti-virus, trial versions of Microsoft Office, etc.)

I just realized that second machine, the one with the i5-3570k, should perform virtually identical to my brand-new gaming rig, which is pretty fast. Of course, the first one is fine, too, and has a better video card.