Curse

Dante the Warlord · Sep 19, 2006, 02:10 AM // 02:10

How much would the cheapest PC cost that can run guild wars without crashing. I am trying to buy a new PC, because i have a $200 Dell. I have about $200 saved from last year.

awesome sauce · Sep 19, 2006, 02:55 AM // 02:55

You would have to build it yourself to make a decent one. Here are some parts

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813127221R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103535
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814241012
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820141191

Final cost: $225

Then, if you used your old case, power supply, hard drive, fans and maybe some more ram it would run GW fine on med.-low graphics. BTW, I have never built a computer before and am not entirely sure whether or not the processor and motherboard are compatible. This is just to give you the general idea of what's possible.

Tommy · Sep 19, 2006, 03:43 AM // 03:43

sell your pc on ebay for 100 and buy another new dell for 300.

you can buy the new AMD-Base dell for around 300 atm. they comes with AMD Sempron AM2 3500 512MB,160GB SATA,16XDVD/CDRW Combo and Nvidia motherboard with onboard 6300TC video card, should be capable enough to play GW.
http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/cto_dimene521?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs<< check out this link, you might get some couple to knock off a few bucks, you can find the coupon from ebay.

Tommy · Sep 19, 2006, 03:47 AM // 03:47

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...z&s= bsd&fb=1
check this out, 279 with shipping, 1 year warranty, sounds good to me! subtract the monitor to take off 50 dollars, the total will be 279 with shipping.
the spec is AMD Sempron 3400+ Socket AM2<< newest socket, 512DDR2 memory,80GB Sata HD,16XDVD-Combo, Windows XP Home Edition, Nvidia 6150LE DirectX9C video card. 7.1 Audio!. 1 year warranty too! free shipping, just for
279!<dont forget to take off the monitor to save 50 bucks> nobody can beat this price, this pc can run GW pretty well, no crash, no lag<maybe alittle bit

>.. no nothing.

Minus Sign · Sep 19, 2006, 04:43 AM // 04:43

Build your own is the cheapest way to go int he long run. The big problem with 'bargain" PCs is that they will barely run what is out the year they're made. next years programs will beat them silly.

Translation; buy the cheapest PC that can run GW today and you'll be right back here this time next year asking the same question.

My suggestion is actually NOT to skimp, however, when you first buy your parts. Buy good to decent parts and upgrade what you need as you need to. MBoard a little slow? Swap it out. Need a new video card? You get the picture (or you will...). Replacing parts piecemeal saves money over time and allows you to keep your system in good to high quality for years without a major rebuild.

If you like to game, its a great way to go. IF OP wants, I can give him a few suggestions, but its best to have 9make friends with

) a tech guru with A+ certification who can help you with your selections and find that phat gear.

@ awesome sauce: yes, that processor is compatable with the board you posted. But I can't see the specs for the board in terms of RAM. Will the stick fit? I'll check the specs on other sites and try find out if they match.

Also; don't plan to have a new board fit into your old case unless your case is generic. many times Dell and other companies use cases that will only fit (ie, the screw holes will not match to another board) with the boards they intend to put in that case. You're better off buying something new anyway; a decent mid-tower with several bays for CD and drives.

Check out Tiger Direct for more information. many people don't like them nowadays, but I built my system from their parts. I have to say that for the price, I got a bargain PC when I built.

EDIT: no. The board is a DDR 400 with 4x 184pin DDR. Won't fit.

gabrial heart · Sep 19, 2006, 02:11 PM // 14:11

OR you could post the specs on your current pc and we can check to see if you can just toss in a well under $200 video card into it. Chances are you can't, but there are many dell models that have an agp and even a pci-e slot.

I always build (except laptops), this way you can go piece by piece as needed. You can buy yourself a couple of things to start and as you earn more cash, just keep adding on to the parts pile till you have a new pc. You can start with a 7200-10k hard drive and use it in the dell for now, nixing that prolly 5k slow arse drive. Seagate or western digital are pretty tops, speedwise and longevity, stay way from maxtor as they we bought by seagate. OR get your self a video card that will work in the dell. There is a few combo mother board/cpu's that will do nicely for a little over 200, the 805 and the 915 intel dual cores are around that price packed with an esc board with pci-e slot(s), RAID SATA II and Dual channel RAM slots. This one http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWeb/Product...uID=93&LanID=9 cost me $225 out the door with a 805 chip and fan. Support dual cards and RAID which is a damn good deal IMO. IF nothing else, getting a board deal like that, you could get by with finding yourself a case and power supply to fit and gut the dell when you get a video card for it. Here's a bombass card for $150 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161160. G'luck!

Mushroom · Sep 19, 2006, 03:46 PM // 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by awesome sauce

Then, if you used your old case, power supply, hard drive, fans and maybe some more ram it would run GW fine on med.-low graphics. BTW, I have never built a computer before and am not entirely sure whether or not the processor and motherboard are compatible. This is just to give you the general idea of what's possible.

Because the computer they use now is a Dell, reuse of the case would be impossible. Dell uses a propriatary front panel connector system. This makes both the cases and motherboards incompatible with any other case/motherboard combinations. And the low wattage power supplies would spell disaster for the new components if they were reused.

As long as your CPU is 2 GHz or higher, I would suggest another route.

Simply pull the CPU, Memory, and drives and buy a new case and motherboard. AsRock makes a good motherboard that you can buy for around $60 that works great with P4 processors. It also has AGP for better graphics.

Add in $60-75 for a decent case, power supply, and fans. $95 for an OEM version of XP and you got all you need. Total cost for parts is around $200-250. And when you want to go to something faster, simply upgrade the motherboard and processor.

Serafita Kayin · Sep 19, 2006, 07:09 PM // 19:09

There are those that can tell you how to legitly move that hard drive you already have WITH the XP install on it and keep everything, instead of having to delete it all. That would save you the cost of XP right there.

Dante the Warlord · Sep 19, 2006, 07:19 PM // 19:19

well i already posted my specs on another thread and they said "ur screwed man...sry" i tried to open my PC but its so darn hard! is cant see any opening hatch ....i have a standard Dell Dimension 2400, if anyone cares.

My dad is a computer engineer and programmer, so i might let hyim help me make one....but it usually gets pretty complicated since i know pretty much nothing about computers

TheOneAndOnlyX · Sep 20, 2006, 12:37 AM // 00:37

If your dad is a computer engineer and programmer why are you getting a 200 dollar computer, someone with a dad like that buys a 2000 dollar one.

Dante the Warlord · Sep 20, 2006, 01:43 AM // 01:43

hes just cheap...i know that he has very good ones at his office ( i think he is more software oriented)

BTW i seriously can't open my PC...its bolted shut....

Malice Black · Sep 20, 2006, 02:25 AM // 02:25

I need to get rid of comps still haven't got rid of the Area51 or the XPS..I'll ship you one

Dell's have some type of clip at the back I think.

Dante the Warlord · Sep 20, 2006, 09:29 PM // 21:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Admins Bane

I need to get rid of comps still haven't got rid of the Area51 or the XPS..I'll ship you one

Dell's have some type of clip at the back I think.

Cool..it would be nice if you could ship a computer to me

Mushroom · Sep 21, 2006, 03:52 PM // 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dante the Warlord

i tried to open my PC but its so darn hard! is cant see any opening hatch ....i have a standard Dell Dimension 2400, if anyone cares.

If it is a standard 2400 (as opposed to the Dimension 2400 XPS), then there is either a black plastic latch on the back, and/or a thumbscrew. Either removing the thumbscrew and/or moving the black plastic latch down will allow you top remove the left side panel.

If it is the XPS model, there is normally a plasic slide near the back of the top of the case. Moving this allows you to remove the right side panel (XPS uses a BTX rather then ATX format, so everything is backwards) This panel moves away from the top, and hinges straight out sideways with the hook at the bottom..

Dante the Warlord · Sep 21, 2006, 07:01 PM // 19:01

hmmm....ill try that...

Dante the Warlord · Sep 24, 2006, 03:16 PM // 15:16

ok...well i will be making a completely new computer....my father told me as long as I learn how to make a compter hell make me one using spare parts from his office and some parts for christmas...yay! =)