enViable

Hi again guys.

I'm hoping this is in the right forum, if not I apologise.

I'm currently running a 2gbDDR2, ATI Radeon x1900, AMD duel system which is running all games like a treat the moment but I'm looking to upgrade because this one is pushing 2 years and it's been so long since I've looked at PC parts i'm very rusty on performance.

Can anyone have a look at these 3 systems and give me an opinion based on price/performance? I'm very interested in the 2nd and 3rd one.

I have a friend giving me £350 for this tower anyway lolz so I wont be spending any extra cash...

Thanks

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AMD-Quad-9650-...3%3A2|294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AMD-GAMING-PC-...3%3A3|294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AMD-7750-BLACK...3%3A3|294%3A50

Tyree

It's difficult to give an opinion on unknown parts. The only part listed by brand name is the CPU.
I don't use AMD and a Dual Core makes a better gamer than a Quad Core. That's about all I can comment on.

QuicksilverTech

Don't buy a computer off e-bay, that seems to good to be true for the price. Find a sold local company you trust, or one in the states, or build your own. I sell custom built PC's as well if you want to check it out in my profile.

DarkWombat

From what I can gather from those pics, the cases look like your typical gaudy, cheap piece of junk that's going to weigh a ton, be a pain to work on (literally too, you might get cut!) and be a dust and lint magnet. To keep costs down they're probably using a cheap power supply which can cause all sorts of annoying problems and even take other components down with it if it blows.

As someone who's built and helped others build over a dozen computers over the last eight years I've seen that when it comes to building or buying a new computer (name brands aside) two of the parts that are most often skimped on are the case and the power supply. Those are two parts where you definitely get what you pay for and unlike all the other electronics it's hard to get a good case or power supply for cheap.

I'd suggest you build your own system and do your research. AMD processors are cheap but they tend to run hotter than Intel processors so you'll need to get a decent aftermarket cooler which will run you around $50, so don't forget to factor that in.

enViable

Normally I'd say yeah I couldn't agree more because I've always said 'Don't buy expensive stuff from eBay like cars, comps etc' however with feedback of over 19000 happy pc buying customers I'm tempted. Not to mention this is a trading company, not just a normal trader. hmm

Would you say the bottom one was a good system for gaming (wether it's to good to be true or not)

DarkWombat

Oh I looked a bit more and the first system (the AMD Quad 9650) has onboard graphics, a no-no if you're going to play any newer games or graphics-intensive programs. You'll have to buy a dedicated card. Good ones will run you around $120+

The other to systems are OK. They have a dedicated Nvidia 9500GT which is a decent card but you can get a GTX 260 card for around $150 which will smoke that 9500. From my experience the midrange (6400, 7600, 8500, 9500, GTS 250) Nvidia cards all seem to perform about the same regardless what year it is. It's the top of the line cards (6800, 7800, 8800, 9800, GTX 260 and 280) that really shine. I always shoot for the second-highest performing card in their series because it's priced a whole lot less and still performs great. So again, the 9500GT that comes with that system will work but if you have a larger monitor or play more recent games it's going to struggle.

Also I am not a fan of single-slot graphics cards like the 9500GT. Graphics cards these days can get very hot (over 70C) when they are stressed and if you have a single-slot card it's just going to recycle the same air in your case. A dual-slot card is twice as tall but it has a fan that goes the whole length of the card and blows air out the back of your computer. They'll still run pretty hot but at least all that hot air won't stay inside your computer and heat up everything else.

So while you would be getting a working computer I really think you should do your research, maybe spend a bit more money and get better quality components and build your own system that will perform better and last longer.

QuicksilverTech

It really depends on what games you want to play. You can play everything on the market today, with a decent dual core, 3 GB's of RAM, and at least a 512MB 256-Bit video card.

dai

the first 2 list no power supply

the last lists the cases and psu at one third of the cost of the psu needed to run it

shop elsewhere

Cannibalsnail

I wouldnt advise any of those systems. Firstly youre only seeing face value specs that look good on paper but in actual fact are pretty useless cheap junk. Psu and RAM definetly. Anyway Id suggest you build your own Intel based system and garuntee good parts and it will probably be cheaper.
One final note is that for gaming every single one of those systems will need a graphics card upgrade so factor in another £120+

dai

and another 60-80 for the psu

Cannibalsnail

Good point Dai. So it will work out much cheaper to build one. And I strongly reccomend you go with Intel as opposed to AMD. Ive used both and find Intel to be far superior.

enViable

Ok guys, thanks for the advice. I shall continue to build custom ones.
My last 2 have been customs and have served me well, I just fancied a bargain this time around and I aint done this in 4 years so I'm crap with them specs these days lol

Thanks

dai

at least when you build you know the quality of the components