Its an alright buy, but that DEPENDS on WHAT you want it for. I wouldn't have high hopes for turning it into a "gaming" pc, but it will be fine for the average user. If you want to upgrade it down the road sometime, then make sure that you CAN upgrade it first, instead of being disappointed later.
When looking for a pc, you don't start by looking for a deal, you start by looking at the basic components like mobo, cpu, video, expansion slots, etc.
It appears that that mobo is made specifically for hp and has a pci-e slot, BUT it is a slim case so you will be limited to the video cards you can use. I assume you could use it as it is, but you will have fairly poor game performance.
What i think MichaelDee means is the motherboard in that machine is made FOR HP. Its designed for that specific range of HP machines.
Its a good buy, but dont expect any great performance from wow or cs. Looking at the description it doesnt have a dedicated graphics card... so it wouldnt like running wow or cs with any decent frame rates...
What is your budget? Maybe we can locate a machine thats better, or recommend parts to build a pc from scratch.
Personally, I wouldn't buy it for me or anyone else. That's just me though, since I look towards future use or selling it. When you buy something like a dell, hp, etc., you are basically starting with low end parts, propriatary parts, etc. This often limits any future expansion plans, throw in a slim case and your options are a lot fewer.
It is your decision of course, but I'd suggest getting one built for you at a local pc shop (not a big box store). You'll get better parts for your money and won't have as many upgrade problems in the future. I'd also recommend at least a mid range video card if you want to play any games at all, after all, your thoughts may change about the games you want to play.
Lets say I'd like to build it myself, can someone come up with some parts list or something (i have no idea what to get) ?? I want Decent gaming performance on top of a fast computer.
You can build a pretty good gaming pc for about $700-1000 (USD).
You have to first decide what cpu you want (amd is usually the lower priced option) and go from there to pick your mobo (chipset determines performance), ram (at least 2gb of at least ddr2 pc6400), and then your video card. The video card is the most important consideration in how well your games will perform. You can get a mid range card and settle for playing games with low-medium settings, watching things lazily move around the screen, lagging and stuttering, or you can get a higher end card, play with high settings, see ALL of the details you would normally not see. You won't have to worry about lag, you can see a "real" explosion instead of a red flash, you can see the blades of grass instead of a green matt, etc. You can get a really good card for $150 and up, like the old x1950's, 7900, 7950, or a new 8800gt for about $250 (US) which will blow away most cards at that price.
Sound is always a good option. Cards are generally better than onboard and require less of the cpu. Good speakers, I've got a logitech 5.1 system, will allow you to hear more of a game. You can hear someone sneaking up behind you, bullets or fireballs zipping past you, etc. If space is a concern, not everyone can put speakers behind them, then at least a 2.1 system (2 speakers + 1 bass)is recommended.
Okay, can someone please put together a list of GOOD(not perfect or the best) parts to build a computer? Do i need to worry about compatibility?
I'm looking for a Few Games on Mid-High resolution/quality. (World of Warcraft, Assasins Creed when it comes out, Counter-Strike, etc..)Not like BF1942 or anything.
I'm looking to run programs flawlessly without lag. At the same time prefereablly. So iTunes, Firefox, Adobe Photoshop and Ventrillo or AIM.
When you mention counter strike... Is this Condition zero/1.6 or source? There is quite a big graphics difference that will need to be taken into account.
You should try going to this site they have a lot of options and you can custom build your own PC. Start looking at the features they have and put together something you like and post it here and we will help you pick the right stuff.
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