Buying a new PC

Hi, there's usually informed people on here who are forthcoming with their views, which is what I require! I'm buying a desktop PC, this one looks to be the best I've found:

UPDATE: Please jump to this post as I've decided against the Acer PC first mentioned.

Acer Aspire X3990

Pros:

Intel Core i5-2320 Dual Core 3GHz

6GB RAM with free slot for another 2GB if required

1.5TB hard drive

9 USB ports and 1 HDMI port

I believe it's quiet and smaller than a regular PC

I trust Acer as a brand

That all sounds good for a sub-£500 PC.

I don't know anything about graphics cards so can anyone fill me in please? This has an integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 card. Is that good enough for Football Manager and watching videos? (I don't play other games.) Is it capable of a graphics card upgrade if required? If so, what is suitable?

Any downsides to this machine I've overlooked?

Your help would be greatly appreciated and I'm sorry for this only being partly FM-related.

It sounds pretty decent value for a branded PC but if you have the extra I'd make the jump to a quad core as FM utilises it.

You don't need as much RAM at the moment but a future FM could utilise it and having a spare slot will come in handy.

But if you are feeling adventurous, you could build your own PC that is cheaper than the above...

It all appears ok until you get to the graphics card.

Integrated in a desktop isn't a great option and is probably why the PC is relatively cheap.

Unsure how well it would run 3D but it isn't the greatest.

Easy to upgrade desktops with a dedicated graphics card as they are normally just plug and play via the motherboard.

Actually for FM that integrated graphics card is more than enough. It depends what the user is going to run on his PC but if the only game they are using is FM then it's more than enough.

The graphics card is perfectly fine for FM and videos. Processor is OK, too, it would run slightly faster on a quad but it isn't necessary at all...I am managing on a mobile i5 and have no complains on the processing speed.

Heck, Im playing on a Lenovo subnotebook with an AMD Neo single core at 1,6 Ghz, 2 GB Ram and integrated Radeon. Playing 3D without problems and processing speed is decent. got obe nation with 5 leagues and huge database. anything above my specs will just play fine....

Macflyer please explain what " got obe nation" is? as i am totally baffled

'one nation', I assume it was a typo as 'n' is adjacent to 'b' on a qwerty keyboard.

The graphics card is perfectly fine for FM and videos. Processor is OK, too, it would run slightly faster on a quad but it isn't necessary at all...I am managing on a mobile i5 and have no complains on the processing speed.

What's a quad?

Will this graphics card be good enough for FM with 3D, crowds etc? I don't play other games but I would like to get the most out of FM when I buy a new PC.

My specs are no where near as good as this and I have 100k players loaded with 15 leagues and the speed is good so that PC should be plenty good enough for this FM and future FM's.

Is there much difference between Intel HD 2000 and Intel HD 3000 graphics cards?

I ask because: Zoostorm

HD3000 has double (12) the execution units of HD2000(6), so yes there will be quite a difference in how they handle loads. For FM specifically, HD2000 should be enough for low to moderate ME. They have no problems with HD Video, too.

I'm not convinced by the Acer Aspire X3990 (mainly because I've read its small size makes it difficult to replace parts should you wish/need to.) I'm now considering this:

Packard Bell iXtreme I6525UK (£373)

Questions:

Is Packard Bell a well regarded brand?

Is an Intel Core i3-550 3.2GHz a modern and fast enough processor?

Is a NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 graphics card any good for Football Manager?

Is it lacking an HDMI port?

I read it has no GPU: what does that mean?

Is its 250W power supply low?

just a question...

why don't you buy the seperate parts and build it yourself... lots of guides on the net... or if you don't want, just tell someone to build it for you....

I'm only saying this because this way it would be cheaper and for the same price you are paying you would have a better one...

just my 2c

I wouldn't know what I'm doing or who to trust to do it right. A ready built system should be fully working and compatible and have other customers using it to testify it's good.

Hi andy23, i have got that packard bell and is fantastic for fm12 at moment im running english, france, spain and brazil leagues and on full 3d on a large database with no problems. It does have a hdmi port. Got mine connected to 42" tv which is great, if you go to game debate or can i run it you can find out how your pc preforms. Them sites say it can play most games on either medium/high settings (eg cod 4) but odd few on low settings (nfs the run, saints row 3 and battlefield 3). I may upgrade graphics card sometime next year but not i not in hurry to do this.

Thanks hkdavey, that's really helpful to hear. As long as FM can display full 3D nicely, that's all I'm interested in for games.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-178-OE&tool=3

Either of the graphics cards will do, pretty much any dedicated graphics card will run FM in 3D on the highest settings (or they should, since the requirements are so low!). But yeah, that computer will allow you to run very nicely. Plus it's from Overclockers, who have very good customer service.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-178-OE&tool=3

Either of the graphics cards will do, pretty much any dedicated graphics card will run FM in 3D on the highest settings (or they should, since the requirements are so low!). But yeah, that computer will allow you to run very nicely. Plus it's from Overclockers, who have very good customer service.

Thanks, Dan. Not sure about that, it's £495 when you've added Windows and a graphics card. If I'm spending £500 or so I'd want more than 4GB RAM and if possible better than i5 2.8GHz processor. Also, it's only got a 500GB hard drive. I've found with computers over the years that they run much faster when there's a lot of free space, and I don't want to continue using my external hard drive regularly as it's too slow, so I'm looking for a minimum of 1TB.

Thanks for recommending Overclockers though, I'll have a look through their other systems.

This one is pretty good

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=d006244&c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&model_id=inspiron-620

Processor isn't top range - but it's fine for FM http://community.futuremark.com/hardware/cpu/Intel_Core_i5-2310_Processor

Graphics card isn't great - but it will run FM fine.

Not much you can do within your budget, I'm afraid.

I wouldn't go near zoostorm.

And I don't think 4gb of RAM is too little. You can add more RAM when you get it. Buying RAM and installing it yourself is cheap and easy enough to do yourself.

This one is pretty good

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=d006244&c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&model_id=inspiron-620

Is that £600? Any better than the £373 Packard Bell I'm looking at?

I wouldn't go near zoostorm.

I read Zoostorms are noisy so dismissed them, I especially want something quiet, which drew me to the Packard Bell and the Acer I was looking at previously.

And I don't think 4gb of RAM is too little. You can add more RAM when you get it. Buying RAM and installing it yourself is cheap and easy enough to do yourself.

True but if I'm paying £500+ I expect something ready to go as it is. If I'm spending £300-400ish I'd be more inclined to accept something that will require an upgrade, given the initial saving.

Well it's easier to upgrade the RAM than it is to upgrade the Processor, and/or graphics card, so to speak.

So if you're going to go for anything get a better Processor and Graphics card, because that will immediately improve your game speed. Adding more RAM will make multi-tasking better - that is running FM, Steam, Music, Internet Browsing etc. while playing the game.

So you can skimp down to 4gb RAM and it will be fine. But you can add to that later.

Regarding the Processors in the Packard Bell that's a i3 550 - it's of the Clarkdale codename, it was Launched in 2nd Quarter of 2010 - so it's nearly 2 years old now.

The processor in the DEll is an i5 processor - immediatlely better - and it's Sandybridge codename, launched in 2nd Quarter of 2011 - so that's only nearly a 1 year old.

The main difference in the Processors is firstly that it's Sandybridge, the newer model - so this can transfer encoded data at 5gigatransfers per second - which is twice as fast as the older model - this is just faster raw data processing, which is better. And the graphics handling is slightly faster. And the Sandybridge model has 2 extra cores - so it's going to better and is a superior model by every definition.

The Graphics Card is bit better in the one I linked to the Dell one.

What you really want is to get the best processor you can and the best graphics card you can.

£600 is a bit steep.

I recommend mine as a guideline and shop around for a cheaper price.

When I bought my computer I found one online for €850 and I was like sweet. I checked other online stores and the same specs came in at x2 that price.

Just shop around and look for processors and graphics card that can handle the game.

The Packard Bell one will be ok for FM.

But the Dell one would be better.

Here's another decent one better processor than the last one - but less ram. Graphics card the same

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=d00x8337&c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&model_id=xps-8300

The processor in here is fantastic. And for £599 it's a steal I think.

You can add more RAM later on down the road.

Well its easy ..

Packard Bell iXtreme I6525UK (£373)

i got mine 3 weeks ago .. for £375 you would not get anythink close to that .. in fact i was going to bulid my own but it still wouldnt be better than the Packard Bell iXtreme I6525UK (£373)

its a great pc for that price .. i have allways look to spend over £800 on a pc before . but this one was a great buy

O and i wouldnt touch a dell if you paid me .. dells pc,s are way over priced . little to no chance of upgradeing . because dell make sure of that ... gameing graphips on there motherbords are in a nut shell .pooo .

and some times they dont even have a pci slot .. so stay well away from dell

Dell PCs are fine. My last two computers are Dell. And they work perfect.

You don't make any sense about the things you don't like about Dell, that's just complete rubbish.

Not every computer have PCI slots, it's a simple matter of checking out the model of the motherboard.

Even if you don't go for a Dell - the i7 processor I pointed to is much better. For an extra €127, you'd have a much better gaming experience with FM.

Here if you don't like Dell

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-178-OE&groupid=43&catid=2038&subcat=

You can upgrade the RAM and buy a Graphics card at a later date.

It's a good buy. Again, the Processor is newer and better than the one in the Packard Bell.

This is a good price and nice computer - and way better than the Packard Bell one.

the processor yes is better ... but look at dell on the hole.. way way over priced .. you try to add something , like mem they will charge you £70 pound for 1 gig memory upgrande .. ok you havnt had any worries with a dell ..do your self a favour look at a dell pc with all its spec. note it down then look for the same spec somewhere els and your see ... or just look to buy each part and look at the price the 7i processor dell will sell you it for £400 but you can buy them for £200 t0 £300

You can't upgrade that right now as it's a one time offer. But here's the graphics card that will be ok

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=1914&subid=1863

And here's the RAM upgrade options - just match it to the same model that's in the computer

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=8&subid=1516

way better .. i think not ...

CPU: Intel Core i5 2300 2.80GHz Sandybridge CPU 2.80 ghz p-bell is 3.2 ghz which almost makes it the same .

- RAM: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit p-bell is 6 GB

- Hard Drive: 500GB HDD p - bell is 1 TB

- Graphics Card: Onboard Intel HD2000 graphics with GFX upgrade options p-bell is Ge-force 450

but that is just my opion .. i just dont like dell ..iv had one and never again

the processor yes is better ... but look at dell on the hole.. way way over priced .. you try to add something , like mem they will charge you £70 pound for 1 gig memory upgrande .. ok you havnt had any worries with a dell ..do your self a favour look at a dell pc with all its spec. note it down then look for the same spec somewhere els and your see ... or just look to buy each part and look at the price the 7i processor dell will sell you it for £400 but you can buy them for £200 t0 £300

Can you write that in a comprehensible way? It's so disjointed and does not make any sense.

For FM you need processing power. First and foremost - so an i3 processor built 2 years ago is absolutely crap for FM. End of. That Packard Bell computer is pure crap - that's why it's so cheap.

Buy that computer now and you'll be buying another computer in 2 years time.

Spend a bit extra now and have a computer that works for 5 or 6 years. Simple.

If you don't like Dell I can link to other better computers. I don't care that you don't like Dell. And I'm not going to get into an argument on how wrong you are, I'll just leave it.

I don't mind that some people don't like certain computer makes. That's fine. But don't rub your sideways theories in my face about it. I don't care.

way better .. i think not ...

CPU: Intel Core i5 2300 2.80GHz Sandybridge CPU 2.80 ghz p-bell is 3.2 ghz which almost makes it the same .

- RAM: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit p-bell is 6 GB

- Hard Drive: 500GB HDD p - bell is 1 TB

- Graphics Card: Onboard Intel HD2000 graphics with GFX upgrade options p-bell is Ge-force 450

but that is just my opion .. i just dont like dell ..iv had one and never again

It's better. And it's cheap to upgrade the RAM and add a Graphics card.

Get over the DEll thing will you... I'm not recommending a computer for you. Just stop.

If you want to recommend other computers then do that. But you're talking non-sense about DEll.

And an i3 processor with Sandybridge would be better than the Packard Bell computer listed here has it is the Clarkfield model.

Just stop.

Can you write that in a comprehensible way? It's so disjointed and does not make any sense.

For FM you need processing power. First and foremost - so an i3 processor built 2 years ago is absolutely crap for FM. End of. That Packard Bell computer is pure crap - that's why it's so cheap.

Buy that computer now and you'll be buying another computer in 2 years time.

Spend a bit extra now and have a computer that works for 5 or 6 years. Simple.

If you don't like Dell I can link to other better computers. I don't care that you don't like Dell. And I'm not going to get into an argument on how wrong you are, I'll just leave it.

I don't mind that some people don't like certain computer makes. That's fine. But don't rub your sideways theories in my face about it. I don't care.

Dont let my lack of grammar fool you .

Its was never about how long it would last . it was about how much and what you get .

I sed before i would allway spend £800 or more on a pc . to last for 4 years plus . but i saw the bell pc for very cheap . and for that price you just could not beat it ...

Sure it will be out-dated in 4 years time ..

Iv allways built my own pc in the past ... but i didnt have much money .. so to buy all that was in the bell pc as each item would have been more money ...

so thats my point - end off

Here's the Deal.

I use the Dell website and Dabs website to filter components for the computer that would be in a Certain Price Range, and have good specs for playing FM.

The filter system is great on both of their sites.

If it's true that Dell is overpriced, which I don't think it is; then you should be able to find a similar build of computer for cheaper on other sites.

I'm only posting Specs within a certain price range, suitable for FM, and better than what the OP has found so far.

I do not care if you hate a specific brand of computer. It's irrelevant. The only thing that matters is finding good specs so that the OP can go look up similar specs and get that.

I sed before i would allway spend £800 or more on a pc . to last for 4 years plus . but i saw the bell pc for very cheap . and for that price you just could not beat it ...

Sure it will be out-dated in 4 years time ..

Thanks for the clarification on the grammar, I appreciate not everyone can spell correctly, and/or use punctuation. It's fine, I'm not really concerned with that. I just couldn't understand the paragraph you wrote and was asking for clarification on what you were saying.

Anyway - that computer bought now will not be outdated in 4 years time. It will be outdated in 2 years time. The processor is 2 years old. 2+2 = 4.

You might squeeze another year out of it.

Here's the Deal.

I use the Dell website and Dabs website to filter components for the computer that would be in a Certain Price Range, and have good specs for playing FM.

The filter system is great on both of their sites.

If it's true that Dell is overpriced, which I don't think it is; then you should be able to find a similar build of computer for cheaper on other sites.

I'm only posting Specs within a certain price range, suitable for FM, and better than what the OP has found so far.

I do not care if you hate a specific brand of computer. It's irrelevant. The only thing that matters is finding good specs so that the OP can go look up similar specs and get that.

Yes ok .. you found a dell pc for just under £600 pound .. when we have already pointed out the P-bell for £370 thats allmost half the price

Thanks, Dan. Not sure about that, it's £495 when you've added Windows and a graphics card. If I'm spending £500 or so I'd want more than 4GB RAM and if possible better than i5 2.8GHz processor. Also, it's only got a 500GB hard drive. I've found with computers over the years that they run much faster when there's a lot of free space, and I don't want to continue using my external hard drive regularly as it's too slow, so I'm looking for a minimum of 1TB.

Thanks for recommending Overclockers though, I'll have a look through their other systems.

FM won't use more than 2GB ram, and unless you're wanting to run photoshop while playing it, no point in having more RAM. DOn't under estimate that processor, it's very fast and will run FM like a dream. You can also ring up Overclockers and request a 1TB hard drive.

But lets say this . each to there own ..

dell is not for me - P.Bell is not for you .

and if i had £800 pound to spend then i would buy the -Packard-bell

Andy - if you're finding that your computer is running slow over the years, it's because the Hard Drive needs to be defragged, it helps a little. The larger the hard drive the longer this takes. But having a large hard drive is no harm. 500gb drive is grand.

If you look into the Defrag options you can schedule this when you know the computer is idle. Mine is scheduled once a month.

It also helps to tidy up the computer from to time. I have CCLeaner which I run once a month. This clears out the temp folders, tidies up the registry, things like that. You can see the start up programs and disable them with this, if you're not sure what they are Google them to find out if you need them starting up.

You need to clean up the computer regularly. When you do it works fine all the time.

But lets say this . each to there own ..

dell is not for me - P.Bell is not for you .

and if i had £800 pound to spend then i would buy the -Packard-bell

What? I never said anything untowards HP? It's just that specific computer which happens to be HP is crap. It honestly is.

And who said anything about £800? The computer I pointed to was between £500 and £600.

And if I had £800 to buy a computer I wouldn't buy a computer with a processor who's model is 2 years old.

Yeh it's a cheap computer. But the components are old. That's why it's cheap.

Take a look at the computer I recommended from Overclockers. That's not Dell, it's under £400 and it's WAY better than the Packard Bell computer.

Yes ok .. you found a dell pc for just under £600 pound .. when we have already pointed out the P-bell for £370 thats allmost half the price

No it's 1/3 the price, 33% cheaper. Not half.

And it's not as good as the one I pointed to - otherwise I would not have recommended it.

Do you understand that the Processor in the Packard Bell is 2 years old? It will be obsolete in 2 - 3 years.

That's not what you want to recommend to someone buying a computer. Especially for FM. FM needs a good processor. And a processor that was made 2 years prior to FM12 being released might be ok now. But what about FM13 and FM14?

You need to realise that FM needs a good processor and the Packard Bell computer processor is too old.

I'm not having a go at you, just stop harping on about that Packard Bell computer. It's good enough maybe for a year or two. Nothing more.

£400 pound to spend on a new pc every 2 years or £800 pound every 4 years

6 of 1 and half a dozen of the other and a i3 processor will handle fm12 and fm13 14 with ease ..

your i5 processor is stronger than my i3 ....but its allso 2ghz slower ..

so your i5 at 2.8 ghz and the i3 at 3.2 ghz .. what is the diffrance for fm12 well in what you see there is not a dot of diffrance ..

Plus i wanna add once again ... because you are very much missing the point .... £370.. NOT £500 NOT £600 ... Its £370 ...

you get what you pay for

I know about defragging and CCleaner. I still find that a near-to-full hard drive slows a computer down so I'd prefer a larger hard drive half-empty. I take Dan99's point about requesting a larger hard drive when ordering.

All 1TB hard drives are slit into 2 x 500 anyway when you buy a all-in-pc

Andy ..the Packard Bell iXtreme I6525UK (£373) is a very good pc at that price .

I have got it myself and your be more than happy with it for at lease 2 years .. plus it comes with a wireless mouse and key-board and plus the full v of adobe photo-shop

you really cant beat it

£400 pound to spend on a new pc every 2 years or £800 pound every 4 years

6 of 1 and half a dozen of the other and a i3 processor will handle fm12 and fm13 14 with ease ..

your i5 processor is stronger than my i3 ....but its allso 2ghz slower ..

so your i5 at 2.8 ghz and the i3 at 3.2 ghz .. what is the diffrance for fm12 well in what you see there is not a dot of diffrance ..

Plus i wanna add once again ... because you are very much missing the point .... £370.. NOT £500 NOT £600 ... Its £370 ...

you get what you pay for

Where are you getting £800 from ??????????????????????????????????????

It's £600 and less.

Going around in circles with you here.

The processor in the Packard Bell is 2 years old. It has less threads than the i5 - the i5 is the faster processor, despite ghz speed - which is almost equivalent - it's NOT 2ghs slower at all!???

And I'm missing the point? It's £370 because the components are older and outdated.

That's the end of it. If you don't understand that then there's nothing I can do.

All 1TB hard drives are slit into 2 x 500 anyway when you buy a all-in-pc

That's not true.

Where are you getting £800 from ??????????????????????????????????????

It's £600 and less.

Going around in circles with you here.

The processor in the Packard Bell is 2 years old. It has less threads than the i5 - the i5 is the faster processor, despite ghz speed - which is almost equivalent - it's NOT 2ghs slower at all!???

And I'm missing the point? It's £370 because the components are older and outdated.

That's the end of it. If you don't understand that then there's nothing I can do.

O my god .

You Just dont get it .. andy ask is this packard bell any good ... and it short yes

But you come on here and point out other pc,s that cost a lot more and say these are better .... well i never , of course they are better becauce they cost a lot more .... wake up

any one can come on here and psot links up saying this is better for £300 pound more ...

your link was for a pc for of £400 that didnt come with a Operating System... no Graphics Card that had less ram .. less hard dirve .. no key board .. no mouse . no wirseless card ..

and you say that packard.bell one was rubbish ..

so then you come on here to say i dont have a clue becuase of my poor gammer ..

well you have little to no common sence .

Firstly, I've never said you have no clue because of your grammar; there was one post you made that I couldn't make head or tails of because it was written poorly.

I'm just going to go ahead and ignore your posts from now on.

Thanks

The OP is looking for a system under £500. I posted to some just over £500, with more modern processors and components.

It should be an option to spend a little more than you were prepared to.

That computer I pointed to on Overclockers, you can add a Graphics Card and Windows 7 to bring the price up to about £550 or thereabouts.

Sorry to the OP for this getting out of hand. I'd rather see you buy a better processor than an outdated one.

Im happy with my packard bell. It processors fm very quick plus with most tech nowadays it could be out of date in a few weeks. At the end of the day you get what you can afford and you can upgrade if and when you want. I played fm 10 and fm 11 on laptop before which you cant upgrade so i got pc due to easier to upgrade. I cant see a problem with packard bell. We all have are own opinions on whats best at the end of the day.