Darky wrote:
i have an packard bell istart d2391 tis a cheap and cheerfullyish comp
any help would be good
Darky
Hmm lets see...
1) Disconnect all the cables connected to the computer.
2) Crouch down over the machine.
3) Place your left hand under the front of the computer.
4) Place your right hand under the back.
5) Make sure you have a good grip and lift the machine off the ground.
6) Head for the nearest window (make sure it is open).
7) Let out a mighty yelp as you hurl it as far as you can.
Head to the nearest computer parts vendor and get them to build you a decent gaming computer.
9) ???
10) PROFIT!!!
Seriously tho, you don't need to replace your computer just yet, just stick 2Gb of memory in there and get a half-decent graphics card if you haven't already because the on-board gfxchip steals it's videomemory off your RAM which not only results in slower graphics processing power but also slows down the entire computer by lowering the amount of available RAM.
I suggest getting 2x 1Gb DDR2 400 (aka DDR2 PC3200) or faster by any half-decent manufacturer (PNY, Crucial, Kingston, GEIL, OCZ, hell even cheapo brand like TakeMS will do).
As for the graphics card, that kinda depends on your needs and the amount you're willing to spend.
WoW generally doesn't need a superfast PC to run smooth, so if that's all you're planning on playing, then a Geforce 8600GT should do. That one should only run you about 70 quid (90€).
If you wanna be able to run games that demand a more highend system (ie Crysis), then you'll get the best bang for the buck with a Geforce 8800GT (160£/200€) or even a 8800GTS (180£/130€).
To anyone reading this: if you buy a new computer, avoid Dell/HP/Packard Bell/....
Sure, you'll get a nicelooking case, with a neato cardreader and a fancy logo on the side. But inside you'll usually find lowgrade OEM hardware that will underperform and will be hard to impossible to upgrade.
These companies often order tens of thousands of motherboards/graphics cards/TV-tuner cards/.... from a manufacturer and make them do little modifications to the reference design. Next, they'll do some more modifications to the drivers that come with the product, so in the end you'll get "stripped" hardware with unofficial drivers. More often than not, it's nearly impossible get the driver from the original manufacturer to work correctly, so you're forced to use the ones on the website of the computer (dell/hp/...) which are usually outdated and less stable.
The best computer is a computer built from scratch. You'll end up with a computer built from handpicked quality components, you can use the lastest, official drivers, it will run faster and more stable, and you'll pay the same, if not less.
You don't need to be a computer genious to get one. There's plenty of dealers out there that offer a few "base units" (case, powersupply, motherboard, processor) and let you select the "options" (speed of the processor, amount of RAM, gfxcard, ...).
If you're unsure what to pick, the internet is your friend. There's plenty of geeks like me out there who love helping others out with stuff like this. You post what you want out of your machine, and we will tell you what to get.
If there's any other info you need, don't be shy and ask away
Ghibli
