Install Steam
login
|
language
简体中文 (Simplified Chinese)
繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese)
日本語 (Japanese)
한국어 (Korean)
ไทย (Thai)
Български (Bulgarian)
Čeština (Czech)
Dansk (Danish)
Deutsch (German)
Español - España (Spanish - Spain)
Español - Latinoamérica (Spanish - Latin America)
Ελληνικά (Greek)
Français (French)
Italiano (Italian)
Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
Magyar (Hungarian)
Nederlands (Dutch)
Norsk (Norwegian)
Polski (Polish)
Português (Portuguese - Portugal)
Português - Brasil (Portuguese - Brazil)
Română (Romanian)
Русский (Russian)
Suomi (Finnish)
Svenska (Swedish)
Türkçe (Turkish)
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Українська (Ukrainian)
Report a translation problem
Discussions Rules and Guidelines
Report this post
So with +4GB=8GB total then you will have enough RAM to run all games that need 4GB. Your CPU and GPU still won't be very strong but at least you will have enough RAM. ARK only needs a 2GHz dualcore and you have a 2GHz quadcore so it should be okay for CPU. GPU well you meet the DirectX10 requirements but your graphics are not all that powerful, it should play somehow but I can't promise how well or at what settings.
However for $300 there is something else you can do instead and that is build a desktop.
It's my advice that you strongly consider doing that.
Here is a example of two different $300~ builds:
This build is about twice as good (or maybe a bit more) as what you currently have. It's also got the best future upgrade potential if you can afford to spend $100 to $150 on a R9 270 or GTX 960 or better GPU to add into it in the future. Right now it runs integrated graphics but they are still like twice as good as your current ones. Also this APU is unlocked and can be overclocked, though I strongly recommend you add a performance CPU cooler or you could overheat and break it. Overclocking is not covered by warranty. You will also need a better 500W 80 Plus or better PSU to upgrade the GPU so you need to upgrade both at the same time. Still everything else is good quality.
AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor
ASRock FM2A88M EXTREME4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Diablotek DIAMOND ATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MDkct6
Base Total: $323.66
Mail-in Rebates: -$20.00
Shipping: $1.99
Total: $305.65
This next build has the best performance of the two right now. However some of the parts are a bit lower quality and the upgrade potential is not as good and much more wasteful. To upgrade the GPU you'd have to throw out the current card which is a waste like I said. The previous build can keep it's integrated graphics in the APU and get a GPU upgrade as well though. So anyways while it's not impossible this second build is not really meant for upgrading. It does however have technical stats almost similar to Xbox One in terms of CPU power, GPU power and total RAM. So it's pretty capable of gaming, at worst on humble settings but maybe even better.
AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
MSI Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card
Raidmax ATX-809B (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jbTwf7
Base Total: $366.69
Promo Discounts: -$5.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$70.00
Shipping: $1.99
Total: $293.68
You can re-use your OS from your laptop or get a Steam for Linux compatible version of Linux like Steam OS or Linux Mint. I have on Linux Mint using a free program called Wine been able to run Steam for Windows and most or all of my Windows games.
You will also need a monitor (can use your TV if it has the right connectors like HDMI or DVI or whatever), a keyboard and a mouse.
I'm not sure if you have any of these things with your laptop already or not?
with $300 your better off buying a console
or a pentium g build with the r7 250x will have much better upgrade options
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4qYct6
It's a laptop A6 to a desktop A10 though.
Pentium G does have better upgrade options but they are way too expensive and the AMD quadcores should not need a upgrade meanwhile.
g3240 = $50 and board is $34
aii x5 860k = $70 and $30 board
why spend more on a slower cpu with no upgrade options
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-G3240-vs-AMD-Athlon-X4-740
The whole system is only $300. Upgrading to a unlocked i5 or i7 which are the "better options" would cost him like $220~ to $320~. That's potentially more than the cost of the entire rest of the system or 2/3rds of the cost of the whole rest of the system at best. That's what I mean when I say the upgrade options are too expensive.
still a very good budget i5 cpu
the k cpu options he will need a $100+ z87/z97 board
when he wants to upgrade the gpu, cx430 can handle a 200w gpu with the i5/i7 cpu
You are welcome.
You should put them together yourself. Your repair shops may or may not be willing to assemble parts for a feee. However it's likely to cost over $50, perhaps even many times more. It'd be sort of like hiring a mechanic to gas up your car at the gas station, a expensive waste.
Building it yourself is pretty simple if you take the time and read the manual. The motherboard has a manual that shows where almost everything has to go since almost everything connects to the motherboard. You can read it online before you purchase. Also there are many PC building videos and guides that can help you out.
The come with every part listed and the things you need to use it like screws. You will have to provide your own crosshead screwdriver and that should be all. In rare instances perhaps a company will have forgot or neglected to package the proper screws or cables but I have not yet had this happen to me and assume I could probably (after phone calls and complaints) get some shipped to me. The motherboard for example should come with screws for installation and also at least a few SATA cables to attach HDD or optical drives.
You may notice that they do NOT come with Microsoft Windows, a DVD drive, a monitor, speakers or headphones, a keyboard or a mouse. I did mention this already in my original post. What you see is what you get plus the screws, cables and other mandatory pieces.
They DO come with everything you need other than those things to make a computer tower that will work once assembled.
You can get around not having Windows and a DVD drive (for installing Windows) by instead using a free copy of any Steam compatible Linux including Linux Mint (my favorite) or Steam OS. This can be installed from a USB memory stick.
Alternatively you could re-use Windows from your laptop. I have heard it's possible to make a bootable Windows USB for installation with some programs that you have to download from Microsoft. You could also spend $10-$20 to get a DVD burner or $90~ for a new copy of Windows 8 64bit. You may need to remove Windows from your laptop after installing on the new desktop to keep it "genuine" or you may be allowed to keep Windows on both as long as you are the primary user. Don't forget to sign up for your free upgrade to WIndows 10.
If you do not have a monitor then you could use a TV if you already have one with DVI, HDMI or other compatible connectors or a adapter for them. If you want to buy a new monitor then you can get a 1920*1080 19 to 23 inch monitor (often with integrated speakers)for usually between $80-$130 on the cheap end and up from there if you want to pay more.
If you do not have a keyboard and mouse already then you can get cheap ones for $5 to $10 each, total $10 to $20 for both.
Headphones will work. There should probably be a headphone jack in the front of the case. If there is not you can still plug them in the back of the motherboard at the back of the case where the speakers would normally otherise plug in. At worst you may need a audio cord extension, not a big deal and very cheap.
Also I want to mention that the first one can also add in a R7 250 graphics card for "hybrid crossfire" with the APU graphics later. This would run on the included 400W uncertified PSU. However if you can afford to get a 500W 80 Plus Bronze or better PSU and a R9 270 or GTX 960 in the future these are the better option which alone are more powerful than a R7 250 + A10-7850K APU integrated graphics in hybrid crossfire. Still the R7 250 in hybrid crossfire would put you at about Xbox One level performance so it is a acceptable minimum option.