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General => General discussion => Topic started by: Guy on 08 May 2012, 00:03

Title: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Guy on 08 May 2012, 00:03
ola... after a cheapo CPU

don't care what it looks like as long as it can run this sh!te on windows...

http://gb.thesims3.com/game/ep1/systemreq (http://gb.thesims3.com/game/ep1/systemreq)

an play DVD's

and is as cheap as chips... preferably new as I don't want to be inheriting prawny virus'

already have keyboard, mouse and screen
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: justalex81 on 08 May 2012, 09:27
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200753274863?item=200753274863

and stick this in it:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-148-PC&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Dolly on 08 May 2012, 17:13
i would reccomend building your own, a computer magazine someone gives me had build your own for £150... ok you might want one slightly better and i might cost a few quid more but youll get the spec you need without all the sh!t you dont need. it should also come out cheaper, the parts all have there own warranty so win win.

and if you know where to "obtain" windows 7 from your laughin  :wink:
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Blazing Storm on 08 May 2012, 19:48
You could get away without buying a dedicated graphics card and opting for one of AMD's Llano CPUs, which have fairly decent integrated graphics (just check it will support the game). Should work out fairly cheap too. Something like this perhaps:

AMD Llano A6-3500 2.40GHz £56.99 - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-308-AM&groupid=701&catid=1967&subcat=2060
Gigabyte A55M-DS2 A55 £44.99 - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-377-GI&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=2058
Crucial 4GB 1333MHz £16.79 - http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=EBE01DF6A5CA7304

Just a start but you get the idea.
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Jay on 08 May 2012, 19:57
Just realised I've got a motherboard and CPU sitting here, untested and about 3 years old, I *think* it's an Intel Core 2 duo... will try get it tested tomorrow as I've got a day off, It'll be a busy day so no promises.
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Organisys on 08 May 2012, 21:08
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-265-OK&groupid=43&catid=2038&subcat=
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Jay on 08 May 2012, 22:10
Need an AGP graphics card to test the motherboard & cpu I have as nothing coming up on the on board VGA, I'll see if I can grab one from work on Thursday when I'm back in  :wink:
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Guy on 09 May 2012, 19:49
right... so i am all confuzzled

at the moment i have this card... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nvidia-Geforce-8400GS-Videocard-EXPRESS/dp/B003TOF310

in this system... http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4500/specs.htm currently with 4GB RAM

now... with windows 7 it was running 'ok' even if it was slow but the windows 7 verification nag was becoming a PITA

so I upgraded to windows 8

and now... all of the graphics have gone to shiiiiite  :lipsrsealed:  (looks like safe mode but isn't)

it won't even start with that card in it.. and there is no 'standard' intel graphics driver that I can see that is supported...  is there anything I can do?

remember this is a very old system which is nearly ten years old so i realise I am pushing the boundaries here  :grin:
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Jay on 09 May 2012, 19:54
try get into it again, even with the crap low res graphics with and install these:
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/win8-32bit-296.17-preview-driver-uk.html

Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Dolly on 09 May 2012, 19:59
windows 7 verification  :lipsrsealed:
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Guy on 09 May 2012, 20:14
windows 7 verification  :lipsrsealed:

yeah I was using a trial version which i never verified  :grin:
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Guy on 09 May 2012, 20:17
try get into it again, even with the crap low res graphics with and install these:
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/win8-32bit-296.17-preview-driver-uk.html


interesting.. thank you :)

it wouldn't let me install the other drivers before without having the card in place... and it wouldn't boot with the card in place, so are you saying that I can force the software to install somehow and then pop the card in?

i am determined to get the old system up and running, just out of sheer bloody mindedness, although I do know we really should be looking at another system

so you guys reckon overclockers.co.uk is the site to be using.. this build your own sounds interesting... what are the things i need then..

case
mobo
psu
processor
graphics card
ram
dvd drive

Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Jay on 09 May 2012, 20:21
it wouldn't let me install the other drivers before without having the card in place... and it wouldn't boot with the card in place, so are you saying that I can force the software to install somehow and then pop the card in?

I've never tried it doing it that way... give it a go and let us know.

When you say it won't boot, what exactly does it do? Do you see all the Dell stuff before windows? If so, do you see "Fish loading screen" when Windows is booting?

Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Guy on 09 May 2012, 20:33
it wouldn't let me install the other drivers before without having the card in place... and it wouldn't boot with the card in place, so are you saying that I can force the software to install somehow and then pop the card in?

I've never tried it doing it that way... give it a go and let us know.

When you say it won't boot, what exactly does it do? Do you see all the Dell stuff before windows? If so, do you see "Fish loading screen" when Windows is booting?


i very much doubt i'll be able to install the drivers first... from what I have gathered win 8 is fairly authoritarian.. nope.. you can't do it that way and thats that!!

when i try to boot it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

and then it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

and then it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

and then it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

and then it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

and then it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

and then it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

and then it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

and then it displays the graphics card info

then it displays the dell screen

then it goes black

you get the idea...  :grin:
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: justalex81 on 09 May 2012, 20:48
don't mess with the microsoft pd yo!
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Jay on 09 May 2012, 20:49
What does it do after it went black that last time?  :huh:


Was the card plugged in when you installed Win8?

Boot it up and at the Dell logo screen keep tapping F8, Choose Safe mode with networking and see if you can get in that way.
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Guy on 09 May 2012, 20:50
don't mess with the microsoft pd yo!

i don't even know what this means?
Title: Re: cheap pc suggestions please...
Post by: Guy on 09 May 2012, 21:22
What does it do after it went black that last time?  :huh:


Was the card plugged in when you installed Win8?

Boot it up and at the Dell logo screen keep tapping F8, Choose Safe mode with networking and see if you can get in that way.

nope it wasn't plugged in when I installed as i tried installing it with the card plugged in and it wouldn't reboot to finish the install

will try the f8 trick tomorrow