Advice on upgrading to a new computer

Hi all, my first post here and I'm looking for a bit of advice. I'm in the process of shopping for a new computer, mainly one for gaming/web browsing. Nothing really high end, but something that can play most new games at decent graphics settings.

I got my last two at Walmart, but the ones I've seen recently don't seem to have decent graphics cards/RAM. Same of most other online retailers, and a couple local ones. I tried Dell, but all of theirs except for the high end ones didn't have a large selection for graphics cards, just a couple of integrated ones.

So basically, does anyone know of any relatively cheap(<$600-700) that would be good for games, or even if I could get one of the Dells and just upgrade the graphics card? I'm not sure if I could just plug it in, or if there'd be other compatibly issues. I'd assume that would depend on the motherboard?

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

try ibuypower.com you choose the parts and they build it for you
here's a prett good gaming pc:
edit: cheaper one
Gamer Mage D230
Case ( PSI ArmorX Gaming Tower Case - Red )
Processor ( [== Triple Core ==] AMD Phenom™ II X3 720 Triple-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology - AM3 &amp; AM2+ support )
Motherboard ( Asus M3A78-CM -- AMD 780V/SB700 Chipset w/Integrated ATI video, 8-channels, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Single PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module - Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( ATI Radeon HD 4670 - 512MB - Single Card )
Power Supply ( 500 Watt -- Power Supply )
Processor Cooling ( AVC Silent AMD CPU Fan and Heatsink - Quiet & Overclocking Proof )
Hard Drive ( 500 GB HARD DRIVE - [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
2nd Optical Drive ( None )
Optical Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 22X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard with 18 Internet Hot /Multimedia Keys - Black )
Mouse ( iBUYPOWER 1600 dpi High Sensitivity Internet Mouse - Black )
Operating System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....) - 64-Bit )
Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Video Camera ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Headset ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
MP3/MP4 Player ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Free Game for ATI Video Card ( None )
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None )
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )

$619.00


$619.00
Sub Total: $619.00

 

this one doesnt have a monitor but here a good one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236058

 

I've found a better deal:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227158R
intel c2q@2.66Ghz, geforce gts 250, 4gb ram, 500gb hdd, plently to play and store games

Dacads

 

Thanks ya'll, that site was just what I was looking for.

Any thoughts on getting a computer off the shelf, and just upgrading the graphics card/RAM? Seems like that might wind up being cheaper, but not sure if I could just plug in the new card, or if I'd need to also upgrade the cooling/power parts.

 

If you want to just grab one off a shelf, be sure to check the power supply specs. A lot of pre-built systems skimp on the PSU, and as a result you end up needing to upgrade that when you want to upgrade RAM or graphics.

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking would be the main issue. I looked at some NVIDIA cards, but the only thing I could see related to power was a 2.0v in the specifications. How much should a half way decent video card use? Power supplies seem to be in the watts range, not sure how that would compare to volts, if that's what the 2.0v meant.

I'm gonna check as soon as I can and see if I can find out what kind of power supply the one I'm thinking of has.

 

In my honest opinion your better off buying a DECENT build off the shelf which has listed full specs and haven't skimped on important components
Or ofc you could build one yourself.

Dacads

 

Most graphics cards will tell you their PSU requirements, actually.

For example this one: EVGA GeForce 8400. See near the bottom where it says "Requirements: Minimum of a 350 Watt power supply. (Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 18 Amps.)"? That's what you're looking for. Oh, and "minimum of a 350 Watt" means that you want at least 450W. You want to be able to run the hard drives and DVD burner as well, after all.

If the PC you're thinking of is of any worth at all, the manufacturer will be happy to tell you the component specs. If not, we'll be happy to help you find a good system for your money. Your budget was $600-$700, right? Just let us know.

 

Hi all, sorry about the wait, it's been a busy week. Thanks for all the advice. I managed to find a shop not too far from here that had a nice variety of computers they had built. Got a good one from them and they were able to get a new card into it. Kind of a cross between off the shelf and custom built, I guess. It's been working great so far, no problems and much faster than the one I had.

Thanks again for all the help, it really helped me figure out what I was looking for.