How about this PC?

[Camacha]

I'd recommend at least a GTX 750 ti, as that's the current sweet spot. It the budget is unchangeable, then you're going to have to compromise with the gpu. I can attest that KSP loves punishing GPU's with shadow rendering, as my over clocked GTX 760 can show with its thermals.

If you had to do a KSP budget build you would better focus on the CPU, as that is where it usually hurts and graphics can be turned down more easily than the physics. However, TS stated this is not a KSP specific build, so the discussion is moot

[longbyte1]

Buy some cheap barebones (but recent) computer (some sell at $250), and swap out all the worthless components for decent ones (e.g. RAM, GPU, CPU, OS (Windows 8 must be eradicated)).

[andrew123]

If you had to do a KSP budget build you would better focus on the CPU, as that is where it usually hurts and graphics can be turned down more easily than the physics. However, TS stated this is not a KSP specific build, so the discussion is moot

Agreed. If the computer is a general purpose machine, he'd better balance the cpu and gpu.

A weak cpu does not make for a pleasant experience, especially if you have 20 tabs and multiple excel sheets open. Don't forget to have at least 8 GB's of ram. Any less, and you might as well get an ultrabook.

[Amram]

All I can add is that you get what you pay for, and computers exemplify this at the low end.

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

Have a look at that, you can set the country to uk to see relevant parts and prices,. It also updates fairly often.

No one in their right mind would bring this to a race, your asking us if its a good idea to buy one so your friend can go compete. No, its not.

Obsolete is an understatement in this case, the newest component is 4 years and 6 generations out of style, and even when they were new, they were the bottom rung of their respective designs, so parts two generations older from higher up the tiers would perform better. That's bordering on ancient in computer terms.

As a refurb, I'd suggest simply being happy if the parts don't die in those 6 months the warranty covers. You have no idea how much of a service life those parts have seen. PC parts aren't designed to last decades, 3 to 5 years is a reasonable lifespan, and the CPU is definitely older than that. if your lucky, it sat on a shelve much of that time. If your not, then its already on its last legs when you buy it.

Do your friend a favour, recommend he double the budget(OS is extra) and build his own, or triple it and stay premade. Even if it means waiting a while, I get the feeling this system will have to last him for years, it may as well have the performance to make him much happier for all of that time span, would be a shame to want to play some new game next year and not be able to when you just bought a new computer. Double up and build it, and he won't have to worry about "can I play this?", the answer will be yes for a few years yet, and maybe for a few more after that.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Amram

[Commander Jebidiah]

All I can add is that you get what you pay for, and computers exemplify this at the low end.

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

Have a look at that, you can set the country to uk to see relevant parts and prices,. It also updates fairly often.

No one in their right mind would bring this to a race, your asking us if its a good idea to buy one so your friend can go compete. No, its not.

Obsolete is an understatement in this case, the newest component is 4 years and 6 generations out of style, and even when they were new, they were the bottom rung of their respective designs, so parts two generations older from higher up the tiers would perform better. That's bordering on ancient in computer terms.

As a refurb, I'd suggest simply being happy if the parts don't die in those 6 months the warranty covers. You have no idea how much of a service life those parts have seen. PC parts aren't designed to last decades, 3 to 5 years is a reasonable lifespan, and the CPU is definitely older than that. if your lucky, it sat on a shelve much of that time. If your not, then its already on its last legs when you buy it.

Do your friend a favour, recommend he double the budget(OS is extra) and build his own, or triple it and stay premade. Even if it means waiting a while, I get the feeling this system will have to last him for years, it may as well have the performance to make him much happier for all of that time span, would be a shame to want to play some new game next year and not be able to when you just bought a new computer. Double up and build it, and he won't have to worry about "can I play this?", the answer will be yes for a few years yet, and maybe for a few more after that.

Well I've been trying to tell him to build his own but he won't.

[andrew123]

Well I've been trying to tell him to build his own but he won't.

If he doesn't, he's going to get ripped off. As long as there's no excessive static and you don't spray conductive thermal paste on the cpu socket, it shouldn't be a challenge.

[Red Iron Crown]

PC parts aren't designed to last decades, 3 to 5 years is a reasonable lifespan, and the CPU is definitely older than that. if your lucky, it sat on a shelve much of that time. If your not, then its already on its last legs when you buy it.

CPUs basically never die. I've never seen one in the wild that failed after being good initially, unless abusively overclocked.

[andrew123]

CPUs basically never die. I've never seen one in the wild that failed after being good initially, unless abusively overclocked.

Or cracked from excessive no2.

Retro.

Edited December 30, 2014 by andrew123

[longbyte1]

Or cracked from excessive no2.

Retro.

http://i.imgur.com/bJiId3u.jpg

So this is what happens when the CPU heats up and cools down too quickly? Wow.

[segaprophet]

I was under the impression that usually the first thing to go on a mainboard are the capacitors. Although this may only be the case with electrolytic caps, not sure about solid caps.

[andrew123]

So this is what happens when the CPU heats up and cools down too quickly? Wow.

It's an approximation. That's just a cracked cpu from a botched delidding.

[Red Iron Crown]

I was under the impression that usually the first thing to go on a mainboard are the capacitors. Although this may only be the case with electrolytic caps, not sure about solid caps.

Capacitors and the BIOS battery are the usual culprits. Ports and slots can wear out if they're used enough, too.

[Commander Jebidiah]

Mods can close this thread as he finally came to his sense' s and bought from a computer store.