I'm on year three myself , three and a half to be more accurate . I tell you , once you get the "itch" , it can be difficult to ignore ! I take my hat off to you for having the fortitude to ignore it ! I'm getting the itch , & I don't think I can ignore it , or want to !

ok, I've got some extra cash so I can now spend about $650. I was looking at the Dell XPS 8300. What do you guys think.

Kim

Huge dead end at the beginning of game here:
SPOILER ALERT maybe.
You can actually leave the space station w/o 2 inventory items. I can't go forward now.
Maybe I'll start over...
caz

The stock video card in the XPS 8300 is a Raedon HD 6450 1 GB DDR3. Someone else will have to weigh in on whether that card is enough for gaming.

The Radeon HD6450 operates on just a 64 bit memory interface . The amount of ram on that particular card is sufficient , but the small bitrate of the memory interface is a quite serious bottleneck . The only real benefit is DirectX 11 capability . The HD 6450 would be sufficient for general internet surfing and games on facebook , but in a gaming capacity , is low end . A better choice , if AMD is your choice , would be an HD 5570 or 5770 . They both utilize DDR5 ram (the HD 6450 utilizes DDR3 ram) and the memory interface birate is twice the rate of the HD 6450 . There is absolutely nothing wrong with DDR3 ram (my gpu utilizes DDR3). The 64 bit memory bitrate just isn't enough .

Very true, expect to se a bit a lagging.

Thanks guys

I think I'm going to order the computer from ecollege that Draclvr suggested earlier in this post unless there is some more things I need to get on the computer.
Kim

I don't think I included the operating system on that one. These both have that bottom of the line power supply, so if there is any way to scrape up another $38 and upgrade the power supply, I would highly suggest it. See what the others here think about either of these.

Here is a build with a quad core processor for $680... You could get this same one with a dual core E6700 3.32 Ghtz processor for $601 leaving room for that power supply upgrade. But I don't know if that E6700 processor would serve you that well. My processor is an E8400 at 3.0 Ghtz and I can play Witcher 2, Alice Madness Returns and all the new adventure and Big Fish games. If I got Skyrim, I would have to play on reduced settings. Someone who knows more than I do will have to weigh in on this.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.66Ghz 4MB Cache FSB 1333
Stock Intel LGA775 Heatsink and Fan
MSI G41M-P34 (Intel X4500 Video HDMI, G41, PCI-E, 4xSATA, 2xDDR3)
4GB (2GBx2) PC3 10666 DDR3 1333Mhz Memory Lifetime Warranty
500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA3 (Major Brand)
24X LG SATA Lightscribe Dual Layer DVD+/-RW DVD-RAM w/Nero
1GB GeForce GTS 450 GDDR5 PCI-E DVI/HDMI (Major Brand)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Foxconn Black TLM436 (2 5.25, 6 3.5) Fan, Front Audio/USB
ISO400 Foxconn Stock Power Supply
Onboard LAN included
Onboard Sound included
Wires and Cables neatly tied up away from fans
3 Year Parts and Labor Warranty


And here is one with the newer Core i3 processor for $641...

3.1Ghz Intel Core i3-2100 3MB Cache Dual-Core
Stock Intel LGA1155 Heatsink and Fan
BIOSTAR H61ML (Intel H61, VGA, DVI, PCI-E, 4xSATA, 2xDDR3)
4GB (2GBx2) PC3 10666 DDR3 1333Mhz Memory Lifetime Warranty
500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA3 (Major Brand)
24X LG SATA Lightscribe Dual Layer DVD+/-RW DVD-RAM w/Nero
1GB GeForce GTS 450 GDDR5 PCI-E DVI/HDMI (Major Brand)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Foxconn Black TLM436 (2 5.25, 6 3.5) Fan, Front Audio/USB
ISO400 Foxconn Stock Power Supply
Onboard LAN included
Onboard Sound included
Wires and Cables neatly tied up away from fans
3 Year Parts and Labor Warranty

is this second from ecollege as well? And I do have the extra $38, so of the 2 which is the best?

kim

They are both eCollegePC options. I would lean towards the one with the Core i3 and upgrade the power supply to the Cooler Master 500 watt. But, hopefully someone who knows more than I do will weigh in with some advice. I'm leery of the E6700 processor for gaming which is less expensive than the quad core, but I might be wrong. The Core i3 is newer technology.