Guild Wars 2

Hello and let me start off my apologizing with another one if those threads where someone seeks the right PC for gaming and lack of knowledge of hardware gear.

Let me make it short and clear. I want to buy a cheap new PC that will make it able to plat GW2 and other games such as Skyrim without big issues. The problem is, I have no idea what graphic card and processor would be ideal for it.

I live in UK and have checked out my local PC world, this is what they had to offer. Te details don’t tell me anything so i need someone who knows about PC to tell me what PC which cost me atleast less than 350pound could be used for gaming.

Here is the link to the computers. = http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/desktop-pc-monitors/desktop-pcs/desktop-pcs/xx_7021_70021_0_xx/1_20/price-asc/0_xx-criteria.html

I had my eye on this computer:
£309.99

AMD Dual-Core E1-2500 APU
Windows 8.1
Hard drive: 1 TB
Memory: 6 GB
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/desktop-pc-monitors/desktop-pcs/desktop-pcs/packard-bell-imedia-s2185-desktop-pc-21837735-pdt.html

The price looks good but I couldn’t figure out what graphic card it uses and if is was useful for gaming.

If you’re so kind and tell me what I have to look for to get a suitable PC, I would be grateful.

An Intel i5 is preferred for GuildWars 2. That cpu is on the far weak side of AMD, so it really won’t do much for any modern games really, much less GW2. GW2 is a game that values per-thread-performance over anything else, so AMD cpus have a bad enough time as it is in this game, but that AMD dual core simply will not do much for you.

ok, rule #1 – do not buy an AMD processor if you are building mainly for GW2. The Game bottlenecks on EVERY AMD process there is.

Now that out of the way. I would suggest buying either a Haswell or Ivy Bridget Intel i5 CPU (Clocked at 3.2ghz or higher) and a decent MB (Asus mainly). Which ever CPU is cheaper for you is the one I would go for. Just make sure the Clock speed is at 3.2ghz or so.

If you want to overclock, then you should look at a i5-4670K and a motherboard that has a Z87 Chipset. But both of those items will put you at 400~ or so.

For the GPU, it really depends on what resolution you plan to play at. If you are playing at 1600×900 or lower, then buy a HD7790. If you are going to play at 1080P, then get either a R7-260x or Nvidia 750TI. Those 3 cards are the best bang for the buck right now. If you want a card that is a little bit better then Look at the HD7850, HD7870, and Nvidia GTX 660. The price range for those cards are 99-159, and 169-219.

Buy Memory in pairs (Dual Chanel). I would recommend getting at least 8GB total (2×4GB), CL9 1300Mhz. Kingston, Memron(Crucial), and Corsair are my goto for memory brands.

The rest of the system doesnt really matter IMHO. Leave Sound Onboard, you dont really need a DVD/CDrom anymore unless you watch dvds and such on your PC. Just get the Biggest and cheapest Hard drive you can find. They all are about the same today.

And yea, thats about it really.

Are you going to build yourself or have someone put it together for you? I don’t suggest buying a ready-made system. Piece it together yourself, and if you cant build then have someone do it for ya.

Going by ur lack of PC knowledge ill try keep things simple.

1st off, forget PCworld, they suck. (I live in the UK, very close by to a large PCWorld and they know jack s*it about computers)
Check out these websites for PC parts and or prebuilt rigs.
Dabs.com
Scan.co.uk
Aria.co.uk
Overclockers.co.uk
Ebuyer.com (though pray u don’t ever have to RMA through them)
Amazon.co.uk

If u want prebuilt I highly suggest Aria.co.uk as they have the best prices and fully list all components used, they don’t cut corners with shabby PSU’s for example. Which PCworld and other places like Dell/Alienware WILL.

Next off, you need to realistically look at ur budget, £300, just wont cut it. You looking at £700 at least for a Intel based pre spec and built system. £550 if u build it ur self can just about squeeze a i5 and good enough GPU.

For example I literally just been on another forum helping som1 build a rig at a really tight budget. This is the system http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/3eqeZ
Even that doesn’t include the cost of a Operating System (Windows 7 or 8 ) so u have to add that on if u don’t got a copy u can transfer over.

For the budget you posted, I’d say your best bet is anything with an Intel Pentium or even a deal on an intel i3 computer.

Let me state that for the price you provided, you will NOT be playing games at high settings without problems. Unless you find a deal on every part or any pre-built computer with Intel CPU, you’ll have a hard time.

That Packard Bell is using a very slow dual core, well below the minimum recommended for this game. The Integrated Graphics of the HD 8240 is quite … sad. On top of it it’s a “low profile” system which makes it a pain upgrading graphics, power supply, etc.

Since we don’t know your budget, I’m going to assume it’s around the price of that Packard Bell, in which case I would say either this

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/desktop-pc-monitors/desktop-pcs/desktop-pcs/asus-k30ad-uk003s-desktop-pc-21852533-pdt.html

or if you have a bit more cash available

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/desktop-pc-monitors/desktop-pcs/desktop-pcs/hp-pavilion-500-152ea-desktop-pc-21732511-pdt.html

In the first case, yes the Asus has less system memory and only a 500GB hard drive. Howerver the CPU is 4.5x faster and the integrated HD Graphics 4400 is 1.9x faster. Still not great graphics wise but you aren’t going to find a “gaming” pc at that price point. It’s also a standard width case meaning a standard power supply will fit as well as full height video cards.

Now on to the HP. It has more system memory and a larger hard drive than the Packard Bell. It’s CPU is 5.2x faster and the integrated graphics is 2.8x faster. Also standard width case. But it costs 60% more than the PB and 50% more than the Asus.

Now the other problem with these type of systems, is the shipped power supply is on the low power side. That’s why I bring up standard size power supplies. If you want to add a video card to any of these systems, one that can significantly perform better than what comes with it, you are likely going to need to upgrade the power system.

300-350 GBP is too small of a budget because at that price point you cant buy a graphics card. 350 will get you a a system with basic i3, basic mb, not enough ram, and a small slow hard drive, and no graphics card. A budget gaming system will run around 450-500 and a good one will cost 700.