PC Gaming

Ok I am planning on upgrading this ancient Desktop system once I get the funds, bought a 22inch LCD for a starter but I tell ya what, the world of pain am going through just now with Steam has reminded me exactly why I switched to consoles gaming a few years back

I upgraded mine in November and it was a bit of a pain. Personally I ignore the PC market for years at a time until I need to upgrade and then do an intensive crash course on current technologies so that I can make an informed decision. Some people keep up to date all the time but I don't have the will power to stop myself buying stuff I don't need if I look into it too much!

Still there is a nice feeling of satisfaction when you have a nice new machine with everything running smoothly having put it together yourself

just have to convince the Mrs its worthy My kids are now in need of something suitable for a wee bit of gaming nothing too frantic and also for doing homework, they have been barred from the laptop (wifes) as they have already trashed mine ( death by a thousand rice crispies ) . So desktop revival is the start, my eldest likes the train sim Railworks and its amazing how [censored] sluggish that is!

Crikey. Snap crackle and pop, eh?

I'm not the most up to date guy on PC tech either but Intel's latest Sandy Bridge technology (now that a motherboard error that leaked too much current on one of the SATA ports is fixed) has to be the way to go. Make sure you buy the correct revision of motherboard if going Intel Sandy Bridge (I believe the issue ought to be mostly resolved now).

If I were you, I'd get myself over to Bit Tech and have a butchers at their monthly build your own PC feature. They split it into relevant categories depending on budget and what you want it for.

Bit Tech Buyers Guide for March 2011

Let us know if you need any further recommendations but do have a read at BT and go through their hardware configs. They have a useful forum too with a million tech heads at your disposal.

Good news is it's probably never been such a good time to buy in that hardware is way ahead of software so you'll be all right until um, Crysis 3 comes out! And Nvidia are back in the game and a more competitive option to AMD/ATI Radeon cards.

Lots of good hardware reviews at BT too - just skip to the conclusions like I do.

looking back on what i used to spend during the cold war days of being better and faster than my immediate work colleagues You don`t half get some value for money now! Have already picked up a 21.5" Benq LED TFT for a hundred notes, my old 19" TFT that I sold on a few years back cost me £150 at the time. I don`t need something too cutting edge as long as its capable !

Cold war days? That would be the time we brits were in the east using communist technology like the people's ZX Spectrum and the yoo ess in the west, with their superior silicon valley, were using Intel 386s?

Life for us was hard but fair, it involved much loading time and many anxiety waiting for the moment the tape cassette would finish to load. And bam! Just green and blue flashing screen as the tape was inferior communist quality but meant that the producer could go home and have big lunch.

Great days!

I won't say how much money I've spent over the years, I don't even want to think about it. I could tell you how much my first 17" (square) TFT screen cost when I bought it back in 2003ish but I would have to kill everybody so the truth didn't get out. It was a lot more than £100 quid though. Ouch.

Edited by deleted (Tue 05-Apr-11 15:04:22)

One of my house mates has just spent £1300 on a pc - it should arrive next week. It is crazy money. You can (and many people do) go for the latest kit when you can spend half the money and get something only a small amount different.

I would hate to see how much his PC would cost to buy in just 3 months time from now. Maybe I will look if I remember

I`m even on ebay just now looking for some of the bargain tech below whats out now, considering my own system is from 2004/2005 Was hoping to score a bargain but wary of spending too much when it could all go on a new system.

I wouldnt bother with ebay, for the upmost you have to deal with 2nd hand tech and god knows what people do with it.

Building a new rig these days is simpler than ever, it just depends on how much of a budget and how much performance you want out of it.

I'd have to agree with FireFalcon. Wouldn't like to buy secondhand at all unless it was from somebody I trusted not to simply sell me something that didn't work for them.