Is this a good computer for gaming?

I already ordered it, but was wondering if these specs are pretty good. I'm not sure what all to post, so I copied what seemed most important. Curses on me for having zero computer knowledge for this stuff.

Intel Core i3 540 3.06GHz

Single ATI 5670, 1GB GDDR5

500GB - SATA-II 3Gb/s 7200RPM, 16MB Cache HDD

3GB DDR3 at 1333MHz

Its good for low end gaming. I'd say around low-medium settings for resolutions around 1440x900.

As long as it can run games well, I suppose I can tolerate it. I was hoping to run Starcraft II and such off it.

As long as it can run games well, I suppose I can tolerate it. I was hoping to run Starcraft II and such off it.

theunloved

Don't expect max settings, high resolutions, and AA with running modern games. SC2 is easy to run but will start to take a chunk out of your FPS in huge battles (Zero Hour for example.) All you need is a new GPU.

What computer did you order by chance? It was a pre-built I assume?

[QUOTE="theunloved"]

As long as it can run games well, I suppose I can tolerate it. I was hoping to run Starcraft II and such off it.

ChubbyGuy40

Don't expect max settings, high resolutions, and AA with running modern games. SC2 is easy to run but will start to take a chunk out of your FPS in huge battles (Zero Hour for example.) All you need is a new GPU.

What computer did you order by chance? It was a pre-built I assume?

[QUOTE="ChubbyGuy40"]

[QUOTE="theunloved"]

As long as it can run games well, I suppose I can tolerate it. I was hoping to run Starcraft II and such off it.

theunloved

Don't expect max settings, high resolutions, and AA with running modern games. SC2 is easy to run but will start to take a chunk out of your FPS in huge battles (Zero Hour for example.) All you need is a new GPU.

What computer did you order by chance? It was a pre-built I assume?

Should've built it yourself. You should have a decent enough PSU to buy a new video card though. A good upgrade would be the GTS 450 while a massive upgrade would be the AMD 6850 or Nvidia GTX 460 1GB (Has to be the 1GB version.) Newegg has all of these cards at great prices.

[QUOTE="theunloved"]

[QUOTE="ChubbyGuy40"]

Don't expect max settings, high resolutions, and AA with running modern games. SC2 is easy to run but will start to take a chunk out of your FPS in huge battles (Zero Hour for example.) All you need is a new GPU.

What computer did you order by chance? It was a pre-built I assume?

ChubbyGuy40

Should've built it yourself. You should have a decent enough PSU to buy a new video card though. A good upgrade would be the GTS 450 while a massive upgrade would be the AMD 6850 or Nvidia GTX 460 1GB (Has to be the 1GB version.) Newegg has all of these cards at great prices.

Ah darn. Looks like I was tricked then..theunloved

Very much so. I'm betting it cost you around 800-1000 for that thing correct?

[QUOTE="theunloved"]Ah darn. Looks like I was tricked then..ChubbyGuy40

Very much so. I'm betting it cost you around 800-1000 for that thing correct?

[QUOTE="ChubbyGuy40"]

[QUOTE="theunloved"]Ah darn. Looks like I was tricked then..theunloved

Very much so. I'm betting it cost you around 800-1000 for that thing correct?

Yes, around med-high I'd assume. Its an old game but with the huge environments and tons of people and crap happening on screen, your system can take quite a beating.

Thats a shame on me. Well, I'll upgrade it like crazy then. Thanks!

Ouchie :( It's an okay computer, but you could have put it together yourself for ~550ish, including everything but a monitor / Windows. It will play SC2 / WOW fairly well though.

If possible, I would return it. People here are more than happy to help, and many local PC shops will put it together for you. There are some great and fairly priced pre-builts on newegg or ibuypower / cyberpower.

If you decide to keep it, be careful when upgrading the video. I don't think the 5670 has a PCIe power connector, and most newer cards do. Ensure that your power supply has the 6 / 8 pin PCIe connector. I would assume it wouldn't as Dell tends to skimp on everything, but you never know.

Ugh. Well, its already pass the production stage so I can't cancel it they told me. So what on the computer should I upgrade then? All of it?

I would say the video card first, keeping in mind what I said about the power supply :) The Nvidia 460 / ATI 6850 are good choices around the $175-80 mark and I think both only require 1 PCIe connector. Honestly, your i3 should be okay for now. i5 / i7 would of course be better, but it's not that bad :) It's still going to play WOW on high just fine, same for SC2, with the current configuration.

The 3GB RAM is fine and should be plenty for games. The Hard Drive is also good.

don't worry you are fine for starcraft 2 and most games out. I have starcraft 2 and as long as its not an AMD system it runs completely fine. The best thing for you to do is to overclock your cpu to 3.6 GHZ and I guarantee you you can run starcraft 2 on high settings and be fine even in huge 4v4 battles. The core i3 is an excellent dual core cpu. For starcraft 2 the MOST important thing is the cpu, and a core i3 is more than good enough. Be sure though to overclock the cpu. Your video card is also excellent for mid range gaming.