Hey i was wondering if u guys could lend some advice for a new gaming computer. I have 400 euros to spend i want it to be able to run such games as half life 2 very well what u think?
Thanks in advance
Willfitzger

http://www.computing.net/gaming/wwwboard/forum/7321.html

im looking to spend 400 EURO not 1500!

For 400 Euro (equivalent to a little more than $500 US) you are not going to be able to get a machine to play HL2 "very well" - depending upon what your definition is of very good.

Do you have any current parts that you can repurpose such as case, PSU, hard drive or opticals, keyboard & mouse? If so, then you may only need MB, CPU, RAM. Then it might be possible.

Michael J

Not to sound elitest about American money or anything of that nature, but I personally am not gonna go figure out how much 400 Euros is in American money.

I bring this up because most people here who can help are American as well.

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"Not to sound elitest about American money or anything of that nature, but I personally am not gonna go figure out how much 400 Euros is in American money."

Valid point Hero. It only took a few seconds using Google. However, it is important to know where the person is from. People in other countries do not always have access to the same outlets that we do. The price of computer parts can vary greatly from one country to another.

Michael J

I just see it as I'm here to help, but if I have to unnecessarily look something like that up, I'm not gonna do it. No offense to anyone outside the US...

"Milk was a bad choice!"

My compuer cost around 500 euro and its plays hl2 without problems so obviously i have asked the wrong people about this.

LOL, there's a large difference between "without problems" and "very well". Also, HL2 is one of the rare games today that runs "without problems" on systems several years old. I've seen it run "without problems" on 1.4GHz CPU's, 512M RAM, and Radeon 9200 graphics cards. A game like HL2, such as FEAR, will probably run very poorly on your system. You asked for something to play HL2 and similar games "very well". I'd put FEAR into that group of similar games.

You've asked the right people about this, but the problem is you're not defining what you mean by "very well". What resolution? What image quality settings? How many fps for you constitute "very well"?

Most gamers would interpret your objectives as being able to play FEAR as well as HL2 at at least 1024x768, but more like 1280x1024, with all graphics options turned on, and averaging at the very least 40fps, since that's an average, and dips below 25 detract from the game.

If you can deal with something less than that, fine, tell us what you're looking for performance wise, and we'll be happy to recommend something.

"How many squirrels had to die to make you look fly?!"

I am playing hl2 in 1280x1024 (obviously got lcd) wit the graphs all on high the only thing that is somewhat below is reflect which is on reflect world thats only cause i havent changed it. It runs extremly smoothly granted loading times take about 40 secs but like the way the game plays is extremely smooth and im not making this up cause im very shocked that u have this oppinion.

Willfitzger,

There's no need to be argumentative. We are all willing to help. But, as stated above one persons definition of "runs very well" is different from another's. And, as heropsycho2177 said, HL2 was developed with a LOT of scalability so that it could run on low end machines. Most "similar" games are not built with the same level of scalability.

So, back to your original question. If you are happy with the performance of your 500 Euro machine, why not build a machine with similar specs? With the way that prices drop for computer components, you should be able to build a 400 Euro machine that is comparable to your previous 500 Euro machine.

Also, you never answered my previous question as to wether you have any current components that can be repurposed. Aside from that, I would suggest a budget 939 Mobo. 1GB of memory (2 x 512), a DVD-RW. Then I would base my CPU and GPU decision based upon what was left in your budget. Based upon your budget I would say a AMD3500+ and maybe a GeForce 6600 would be abouot right.

Without giving more specifics as to what you are looking for, I don't see how we can provide much more assistance.

Michael J

Again, that's HL2. I just told you HL2 runs surprisingly well on older systems.

And again, you have different criteria. Not putting reflections on is certainly not all graphics all the way up. What about FSAA? What about AF?

FEAR takes far more horsepower to run with most of its graphics settings all the way up for example.

HL2 bottom line is not typical of what you'll see from games similar to it unless they're based on the same engine.

I also don't know your current specs.

Look, if you want to argue, or just insist I don't know what I'm talking about, fine. Go ask someone else. I really don't care. If you want advice, then ask away, I'm happy to help.

"How many squirrels had to die to make you look fly?!"

Wo ok guys like im not getin mad or anything hear and if it seemd that way i apologise. Im building the computer for a friend and just thout id get some opinions from some outside people. I just didnt change it didnt see the need to fsaa is up and so is af.

Dont have fear so cant tell ya bout that.

My point is only that for 500 euro i havent been able to find a game that it cant play and ive only overclocked it like .1 ghz specs are
amd athlon xp 3000
256mb radeon 9600
1gb ram
There obviously the most important specs on the machine.
I wasnt insiting i thout u knew nothing i was just saying i was shocked at ur opinion thats hardly saying u know nothing rite?

Glad you weren't meaning we didn't know anything. But when you say things like, "I must have asked the wrong people" and "I'm shocked by your opinion" after showing information that you think contradicts us, you have to understand that may lead us to think you're arguing with us. :-)

Download the FEAR demo, and see how it runs on your system. You're gonna find it won't run well mainly because of your video card.

You're also showing that what you're looking for in image quality isn't nearly what most gamers are when they say "very well". That's not a criticism of what you're looking for, it's just that "very well" for gamers is typically different than what you consider.

Some differences he should pursue from your system:

I highly recommend against Athlon XP's. Athlon 64's offer far better performance, and after the recent price cuts, that should be within your budget. If not, look for the Semprons and Sempron 64's in Socket 754. Even those offer far better performance.

I wouldn't recommend the Radeon 9600 either. He should be able to get a motherboard that uses PCI-e, and PCI-e cards are usually less expensive than comparable AGP cards anyway. Regardless, 6600GT's are very affordable and should be able to be fit in the budget. He'd be far better off with a 7600GT, but it's highly unlikely he'd be able to get one in that price range.

If possible I would tell your friend to up his budget a bit. I understand trying to cap the costs, but sometimes you shoot yourself in the foot by doing so, which can put you into a position of having to upgrade far sooner than you would have had to had you spent a little more money. I don't advocate $2000 gaming systems, but at the same time, I'd be shooting for example for at least a 7600GT for a video card.

"How many squirrels had to die to make you look fly?!"

O nd i also like to say thank u for the advice provided. I didnt forget!

Sadly he cant up the budget hes to poor! haha. But il c what i can do. running now and gtg thanks again for the help! bye

"I highly recommend against Athlon XP's. Athlon 64's offer far better performance..."

Absolutely. That's what I meant, just got dyslexic for a moment. I don't even think they sell the XPs any more - at least not as a common item.

Michael J