Could please someone let me know the best specs for the newest downloaded games? My computer is 7 years old. I've tried Dead Secret and the Adam Wolfe series, with no problems, from Steam. However, I recently tried Curse and one other (which I don't have in front of me), and they are extremely slow, or don't work. These two games were on sale for very little money.

I'd like to know if it's my computer or the fact that these games are too old or whatever, so they do not play correctly on my computer.

Thank you for any help.

It's very likely that a 7 year old computer can't run every new game -- especially 3D games with high requirements like Obduction or the latest Sherlock Holmes.

Casual games can usually be run on older computers, but even some of those may chug, depending on the specs of the computer.

Usually Steam lists requirements.
They're not too specific for "Curse"
http://store.steampowered.com/app/510570/
but they do recommend 6GB of memory with a minimum of 4GB. Does your computer have that?

Adam Wolfe doesn't have high requirements
http://store.steampowered.com/app/483420/

Dead Secret doesn't have high requirements for memory either (1GB). Although they recommend a fairly high end video card, the minimum requirement is Geforce 450.

Jenny100: Thank you for your reply. Guess my computer is not up to par. I have 4.00 GB installed memory of which 3.74 is usable. My processor is 2.80 GHz.

Am not sure if memory and processor can be upgraded. Do you think buying a new computer would be better than updating a lot of things? Also, since I believe new computers come with Windows10, are there a lot of problems playing games using it?

Thank you very much for any advice.

The computer spec which your 7 year old computer will probably not meet for the newer games is the video card. RAM and the CPU are not the best, but probably not the main problem. Do you know what video card or chip your computer has?

Yes a new computer will come with Windows 10, but the only problems playing games on a Windows 10 computer is if you try to play an old game from a disk which has certain forms of DRM on it. Windows 7 and Windows 10 will not allow those forms of DRM to be installed on a computer. You will notice that some new games have a requirement for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. They won't play on operating systems any older than that. Places like GOG has versions of older games that have the DRM removed so you can play them on new machines.

If your computer is 7 years old, it will probably be more trouble to upgrade a video card - which would probably also require a power supply upgrade - than would be worth it.

If it's a quad core, the processor should be OK for now.
If it's a dual core, you should probably think about a new computer.
I don't know why the entire 4GB isn't usable. If you have a 32-bit version of Windows, adding more memory won't help. If part of the memory is shared by graphics, then adding memory would help. However it's better to have a video card with its own memory, so it doesn't need to use part of the system memory.


It depends on the model. Laptops and "small form factor" computers are often limited.


On a 7 year old computer there are probably a lot of things that could use updating -- at least for someone interested in playing new computer games.


Newer games should be supported in Windows 10. But keep the old computer for any older games that may have problems.

I don't think Draclvr has many problems with old games on her Windows 10 computer, but there are some that don't work well. Check the Windows 10 and Games thread.
http://www.gameboomers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1027119/Windows_10_and_Games

Be sure to get a computer with a good video card and enough memory. 8GB memory would be a minimum amount, and 12GB or 16GB might be better if system requirements keep increasing. Also so many games are 3D now that the video card is more important than ever.

Thank you Jenny.

We can help you pick out a new computer with good gaming specs if you decide to go that route. But like Jenny says, keep that old one. Many of us have older computers we keep around just for old games!

Thanks, Draclvr. I'll keep that in mind. Also, just a thought, if a person keeps their old computer, they'd naturally, have to get another monitor. Switching back and forth doesn't sound like fun.

Laurette

I have 3 computers all in use on my table but I only need one mouse, one monitor, one set of speakers etc etc because I use a KVM switch which allows me to go from one machine to the other.

If you search the internet there will be plenty of them for sale for you to look at and one of the techie Mods here could probably advise you of the best one to buy if you get interested

And if your monitor is one that supports two computers, that's what I do. My monitor has two connections - one is DVI and one is the old VGA connection. I keep the old computer plugged in to that connection and my main computer plugged in to the DVI connection. Just a button on my monitor switches between them. Not all monitors will support this though.

I have also used a KVM switch and they work very well too.

Thanks everyone. I actually forgot there is an option to use an additional monitor. Now I'm getting excited about a new computer!

Happy Holidays everyone.

Jenny100: While I was playing Harrowed Halls, my computer crashed. Microsoft automatically fixed it, but I was wishing I had asked you for the best specs for the most recent games available before. So, if you would be so kind, and let me know, I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you.

According to Big Fish, system requirements for Harrowed Halls are

http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/11606/harrowed-halls-lakeview-lane-ce/
I doubt the game crashed because your computer doesn't meet the system requirements.
Casual games usually play on low end computers that are several years old. According to the requirements Big Fish posted, the game would play on computers that are well over 10 years old, possibly even 15 years old (there was a 2.5 GHz computer in 2002.)

I realize what you said. I had played this game before but was unable to finish due to a glitch. So I thought I'd try it again under a different profile.

Anyway, my main reason for posting was to ask you for the best specs, video card, etc. for a new computer for the most recent games. I believe you said you could help me.

Thank you, Jenny.

Draclvr might be better at recommendating a computer, but check the system requirements of the games you're interested in and look at the games with the most demanding requirements.

Don't bother looking at specs for casual games. Their requirements are always low and you don't need to worry about them playing. What you need to worry about is whether the demanding games will play.

For example, are you going to want to play games with 3D game engines like Obduction? If so, use the recommended requirements for Obduction as a basis for what you want to get. Don't get a computer without a video card that's fast enough to play the games you want.

A lot depends on what you can afford, whether you want to buy online, etc.

Couldn't possibly add anything to Jenny's post. Look at the games you want to play and then look at the system requirements... ignore the minimum specs and look at the maximum specs. Obduction is a good example of a new game with very high end hardware requirement. It all depends on what kind of games you want to play and how much you are willing to spend.

Thank you both very much. Its just that I stopped playing the new downloaded games awhile ago due to the fact that my computer can't handle them. So, just basically stuck to casual games. Therefore, I'm out of touch about what is required with new games.

Let's start with a few basics...

Laptop or desktop and the big one - budget.

Desktop. Don't know current computer prices, but my current computer is an HP, and has been pretty reliable. I would say around $300 tops, if possible. Don't need a monitor, as mine is fairly new.

Thanks, Draclvr.

I'm sorry but you will not get anything capable of playing newer games for $300. In fact, I doubt you would get any kind of computer at all except for an old refurbished one. Putting together a very low end computer with a separate low end video card at eCollegePC came up to $590.

Ok. $600 tops. What now?

Unfortunately it will cost more than that, Laurette, if you want a good video card that will run the newest games. The $600 price quoted was for a low-end video card - which would not be good enough for many games now. Ditto with the low-end computer - it might not have enough processing power and memory for the newest games.

What I quoted from EcollegePC was for a very low end computer as Marian says. The processor was the lowest spec you could get as was the video card. It would not play any of the newer adventure games.

Draclvr: Thanks. So, what would you recommend and an approx. cost for the best high end computer able to play the most demanding games?

If you want it to last for gaming for a good long time, you will probably have to pay $800 - $1000. The key is to not get integrated graphics... you want a stand alone graphics card. 16 GB of RAM is preferable, but I'm still running on 8 GB and play all the high end shooters with no trouble. And at least a mid to upper range Core i5 processor....

HP Gaming Computer There were others that went up to $2000 with even higher specs.

Dell Alienware Aurora Gaming Computer Slightly lower specs than the HP, but similar specs took it up to $1300.

Cyberpower Gaming PC and another interesting one from Cyberpower...

Syber C Core 100

And one specced out at EcollegePC which is a company that builds a computer for you. This one comes up to $925.

Intel Core i5 6600 3.3Ghz 6MB Cache Quad-Core
Stock Intel LGA1151 Heatsink and Fan
ASUS H110M-A M.2 (Intel H110, HDMI, PCI-E, 4xSATA, 2xDDR4)
8GB (4GBx2) PC4 17000 DDR4 2133Mhz Memory Lifetime Warranty (Major Brand)
1TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache SATA3 6Gbps Toshiba P300
24X LG SATA Dual Layer DVD /-RW/CDRW
4GB GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GDDR5 PCI-E DVI/HDMI (Major Brand)
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64bit (Includes DVD + COA)
Fractal Design Core 1100 Mini (2 5.25, 2 3.5) Fan, Audio/USB 3.0
430watt EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 80 PLUS CERTIFIED
Onboard 1Gbit LAN included
Onboard HD 7.1 Sound included
Wires and Cables ran behind case and tied up for maximum airflow
3 Year Parts and Labor Warranty
Standard processing time: Ready to ship within 5 to 7 Business Days

Ok - you're the expert. I'm a bit confused. It appears you are recommending the EcollegePC. Where do I get this? Could I go to a computer store, with the specs you've given and have them help me, or is there a website to order from? Also, what do you think of HP, and do their specs meet these requirements?

Thank you so much for all your help.

I was just giving you as many options as I could. I couldn't post a link to that particular build at EcollegePC as I had to put the components together and then add to my shopping cart to get the specs.

You could get one anywhere you wanted. The chances of a store like Best Buy having anything to meet your specs would be slim. But you could always try if you wanted to stay local. Or maybe there is a shop near you that would build one for you. Or you could just order one from the internet at the HP or Dell website. You have lots of options and I would encourage you to do a little checking around and thinking about just what you want and need before you plop down this kind of money! Just look at the specs on the one I linked you to at HP - the specs are listed. Then compare them to some of the others.

EcollegePC probably has the best customer service and they do include a 3 year warranty on parts and labor. But I would suggest looking around a lot more...

Thank you both very much. Right now (this time of day) it's a bit much to absorb. But, with a little rest, maybe I'll figure it out.

Draclvr: I've had some time to look over the info you sent. HP looks good, but EcollegePC sounds a bit better, and a little less expensive. The question I have now, is, say I purchase a computer from Ecollege, and something needs fixing. Do I take it to a place like Best Buy or what?

Thanks.

Also, regarding KVM switches. Are they complicated to set up? I've looked at photos and it doesn't appear they are, but...

Thanks again.

My 2 cents. As Jenny and Draclvr say the CPU is not the most important part in gaming,so you might want to consider getting a computer with an AMD processor instead of an INTEL.For example at sites like Cyberpower there is an significant drop in price for AMD computers.ECollege is probably the same.I have one of each and I cant detect any difference in fact I think the AMD might be faster.Also if you can wait for a holiday,any holiday no matter how minor you can get free shipping.

Whether it be Dell or HP or Cyberpower or eCollegePC - I would go on the search for a local computer repair business with good recommendations from their customers.

If you have a Dell or an HP or a Cyberpower or eCollegePC or whatever - if the computer needs hardware repair, you have to send it back to the manufacturer unless you take it to a local PC business. Sometimes with the major brands, the warranty is not valid unless you sent it back to them. With eCollegePC, if a piece of hardware is bad, they will send you a replacement part and you can either install it yourself or take it somewhere if you don't want to sent it back to them. I think it was Winfrey that had to get a replacement video card, but she was able to open the case, pull out the defective one and insert the replacement.

KVM switches are not hard to set up at all. But before you invest in one, take a look at your monitor. If it has two ports for a video cable, you may not even need a KVM switch.

As Geo says, the AMD components can be cheaper. I'm not familiar with them. There are those who say the Intel is better, but I'm not sure there is that much difference. And eCollegePC has free shipping no matter whether there is a holiday or not.

Thanks again for all the helpful information. Re my monitor's ports, am not quite sure where they would be (duh). There are two separate cables in back, but don't know if those are ports. (duh, again).

One will be for the power cord and one will be for the video that connects to the video on your computer. The question is, do you have two video ports. If you don't want to try to take a look, do you have the documentation for your monitor that will tell you?

It appears the power cord is on the right hand side and the other two separate cords are on the bottom left in back of the monitor. And, no, I don't believe I ever had a manual or documentation for the monitor. It is a Hannspree, so I should be able to look it up on line.

You should be able to look it up and see what kind of connections you have.

On my old monitor, I had my old XP computer hooked up to the VGA port and my Windows 10 computer hooked up to the DVI port. Pressing a single button on the monitor switched between the two monitors. I had a separate mouse for the XP computer, had my keyboard connected to my XP computer with the USB cable and the Windows 10 computer with a little WiFi dongle.