Tell him you'll have lost the entire price of the computer if it doesn't play the games you want. Ask him if he thinks all you play is solitaire. Better yet, find a new tech guy. Do not trust salesmen who keep insisting on trying to sell you something other than what you asked for.

You don't have to buy a computer from this "tech guy." You can get one from eCollegePC or some other source where they won't be trying to tell you to what to buy.


I don't think there's any "almost" about it. And if the computer is a Lenovo brand, he probably wouldn't have to do any "building" at all if he sold Lexxy one with Intel graphics -- just stick in a couple of sticks of RAM and it's done. If he installed a decent video card for gaming, he'd also have to replace the power supply, test all the powered connections, and install and test the video drivers -- a lot more work for him -- but necessary if Lexxy is to have a decent gaming computer. Not to mention adding fans. And a lot of this may not even be possible with the computer he's chosen to sell you.


There's another thing. Stay far away from "small form factor cases" if you want to do any upgrading.


I'm not going to bother being polite.
Lexxy, I think he's trying to rip you off, plain and simple. He's trying to take advantage of you. He sees you as a "soft touch."

We've seen several posts in Glitches from people with new computers who swore up and down that their computer was brand new and powerful enough to play anything. But when we actually found out what video card they had, it was Intel graphics. They'd been lied to by salesmen and had thrown their money away on something that usually couldn't be upgraded.

Lexxy,
I guess you have to ask yourself if you want a "cute" small form factor computer that will play a few casual games -- or whether you want a computer that is powerful enough to play whatever you want without having to turn off all the graphics enhancements for every game you play (still get "sticky cursor" on some of them).

Yes, yes, and another yes to what Jenny said...

Now that she has put it out there as a moderator, I'll add my real opinion. This so-called "tech guy" is trying to foist a general purpose computer on you which happens to be in his store. He's not "building" one by any stretch of the imagination. If it's a Lenovo brand, then he's not doing anything at all - just making another sale. And I'm all about him making a sale - as long as it's what you want and need. Although you've stated that you play games and have asked about the video card, he's STILL trying to sell you something that probably won't work for you. So, your interests and needs are not even entering into this sale. I'll bet he couldn't even answer all the questions I mentioned in my earlier post.

And I might be wrong about the small form factor, but that's what I was able to find on the Lenovo website. A place like Best Buy might have some Lenovo desktops that are not small form factor. Even if it isn't a small form factor, the fact remains that this guy is trying to sell you something that you really don't want.

Like Jenny says, how many times have we heard, "But I've got a brand new computer, so it SHOULD be able to play my games." Brand new computer means nothing if it doesn't have the hardware to do anything more than email and surf the internet with a few Facebook games thrown in.

My one word of advice here? RUN.

Creeping Doom, not sure where my link took you, but it should be right to this desktop - at least that's where it takes me. It had nothing to do with sales stuff - it is being sold as a home computer. The model is an H330 which is the closest Lenovo desktop I could find with the specs being quoted to lexxie. I checked at Best Buy and they do have a regular form factor Lenovo with some of lexxie's specs.

Lexxy,

Listen to them. When my last computer fried (one that Best Buy assured me would play computer games jest fine), Jenny, Draclvr and Inland helped me put together a computer that I had built by eCollegePC and I love it. It does everything I ask of it and I was honestly a little surprised at how much I got for what I paid. I knew this computer would have to last and I wanted one I can upgrade when the time comes, unlike the HP I had before. Really, do yourself a favor and boot this tech guy then come back here and let these terrific people help you get what you really want.

Gil.

Thank you all for your advice and support. I am so glad that I have a second family who loks out for each other. I will say my good byes to this guy and look else where. Are there any other sites bsides eCollegepc that I should look at?

eCollege is the best we've found.
I remember someone saying they had a good computer from CyberpowerPC.com but I don't know much about them.
They have an 8.5 out of rating at resellerratings.com

But eCollegePC has a 10 out of 10 rating.

There are several other builders out there, but they are mostly "boutique" builders and you should be prepared to part with multiples of $1,000!

I don't know a lot about Cyberpower either, but you might try putting something together at both places and compare the prices.

If you can give us a budget, we can help you decide what to get.

A couple of those "boutique" builders would be Digital Storm , and Ballistic Gaming . I've often put together a computer on each site , & have almost always went over $2000 . Then again , those computers were gaming monsters , overclocked to the teeth , & with liquid cooling for the cpu . CyberPower has a very good selection of available parts to choose from , as well as eCollege . An idea about a budget would be nice before we start spending lexxy's money !

Add Voodoo and Sager in there too.

Oh, it's always waaay more fun to spend someone else's money!

Thanks everyone and a budget is always a good starting point. I can't afford over $1,000. I have checked both sites and I had so many pull down options that I got totally confused. If someone who has a good gaming computer could give me the specs that is on their system maybe I could try to match them and stay within my budget. I know what motherboard is best, what video card would be best for me and lastly I guess I just want to get a system that will allow me to play the latest games with the max upgrades possible for the next two or three years. All I know for sure right now is that I don't want an intergrated video card and the power sipply should be around 700-800 watts.

I agree that it's pretty mind boggling when you try to figure you what you need. Both these configurations use the Cooler Master 690 II case, which is an excellent one which I used in my last build. They both also have Asus Z68 motherboards which allow for lots of upgrade and expansion options. Z68 means you can switch between the graphics in the CPU and a discrete card if you are so inclined. They also allow for a SSD (solid state drive) which can be used as a cache drive if you want. That means you can get a small, less expensive - but very fast - SSD (in addition to your regular hard drive) and use it as a cache drive to speed things up. I can explain that more if you are interested. Someone who knows more about AMD can probably put together one that might be a bit less expensive. Get more opinions from Jenny and Inland and anyone else who might be able to help you out!!

Here is what Cyberpower will put together for you in a Cooler Master 690 II case for $789 (shipping extra which appears to be about $75 depending on where you live). Power supplies on both these can be upgraded. 700-800 watts is probably overkill, but I'm with Creeping Doom in that more can't hurt.

CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2400 3.10 GHz
HDD: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
MEMORY: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Kingston HyperX)
MOTHERBOARD: Asus P8Z68-V LX
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 1GB 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
24X Double Layer Dual Format Optical Drive
POWER SUPPLY: 500 watt
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
WARRANTY: 3 years parts and labor

Here is as close as I can get to the same thing with what eCollegePC will put together for you in the same Cooler Master 690 II case for $900. Shipping is free at eCollegePC.

3.1Ghz Intel Core i5-2400
ASUS P8Z68-V LE
8GB (4GBx2) PC3 10666 DDR3 1333Mhz Memory Lifetime Warranty
1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache Serial ATA300
24X LG SATA Dual Layer DVD /-RW/CDRW w/Nero
1GB GeForce GT 520 GDDR3 PCI-E DVI/HDMI
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
CoolerMaster Black CM690 II Advanced
500watt Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus
Onboard LAN included
Onboard Sound included
Wires and Cables neatly tied up away from fans
3 Year Parts and Labor Warranty

So that's somewhere to start. If I would upgrade anything it would be the power supply. You can also go down on the case to save some money too. I just tried to make the comparisons as equal as I could. I think the GTX 520 video card would be good enough, but Jenny and Inland will know more about that.

It can be a bit mind boggling at first , Draclvr ! I was in that mind set before I built my first custom computer . However , after that first build , it all became very interesting , almost like I was a 7 year old child that had been locked in a toy store overnight !

Since you have covered some Intel based solutions , I will throw my hat in this ring , so to speak , and offer up a couple of AMD based solutions :

From eCollege :

CPU : AMD FX 4100 Zambezi quad core (3.6ghz)
CPU Fan : Arctic Cooling ACALP64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
Ram : 8GB ddr3 1333 (2 4GB ram sticks)
Motherboard : Asus M5A88-V EVO
HDD : 1TB SATA-III 7200 RPM 32MB cache
Video : Geforce GTX 550ti 1GB
Case : Antec 600 (4 fans)
PSU : Corsair CMPSU 650TX-V2 (650 watt)
DVD : 24x LG Sata with Nero
Onboard LAN
Onboard sound
OS : Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
Wires tied up for maximum air flow
3 year parts and labor warranty

Cost $ 976



From Cyberpower :

CPU : AMD FX 4170 quad core 4.2 ghz
CPU FAN : EVGA Superclock
PSU : Thermaltake TR2 RX 750 watt Modular
HDD : 1TB Sata III 7200 RPM 32MB cache
Motherboard : Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
Case : Azza Toledo (3 fans : 2x 120 mm fans 1x 250 mm fan)
Case Fans : 2x 120 mm fans for top of case
Video : Geforce GTX 550 TI
Ram : 8GB Kingtston HyperX ddr3 1333
OS : Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
DVD Drive : Dual Layer 24x
Professional wiring for maximum air flow
Onboard LAN
Onboard sound


Cost : $ 974


I never was a fan (no pun intended) of using stock cpu fans, so that is why I recommended aftermarket cpu fans . I have found that an aftermarket cpu cooler provides better cooling . I also realize that the cost of what I have recommended pushes the limits of the stated budget .

Good - I was hoping for an AMD option from someone. I can relate to the kid in a toy store reference too!

I've only built one computer where I used an after-market cooler and that was one that was going to be used for some serious gaming and was potentially going to be overclocked. I've just never found that casual gaming and uses push the temperatures up very much and the stock coolers are more than adequate for the job.

And that $75 shipping will definitely put lexxie over budget at Cyberpower.

Hi Drac and all,

I got my new system from eCollege and am very satisfied with it. I'm quite pleased with my purchase and the only thing I would like to adjust is the period of time the system is set to to go to sleep after a time of idleness. It's too short for me and I'm constantly having to wake it up again and again.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for all the help with the choices of parts and such. I had no clue.
Andrea

As you have Windows 7, just go in to your power settings and make the changes you want. Start/Control Panel/System and Security/Power Options. Change it to something that works better for you.

Hi Luv2travel

To set a different timer for when the system goes to sleep after a period of idleness please do this:

Rightclick on your desktop - then select properties (the the option all the way down).
You will now see some different tabs. Please click on the third option from left - at the next screen you'll see a two way split screen. Click at the bottom of this where it says something like power maintenance or something like that.
Now you can decide when the system needs to go sleep etc. Btw, this is for Windows XP. As you might have windows 7, it could be a bit different.

As for the PC, I agree that eCollege seems the way to go.