Quote:
Originally Posted by Raidergoo
EC,
Here are my opinions.
Dell and HP are interchangeable. I've been personally responsible for the better part of a thousand Dells, but those were Optiplex desktops and Latitude laptops, and those are enterprise grade, not consumer grade.
I have an extremely one-sided personal preference for AMD processors. I don't think that a user like you will be able to tell the difference between the two brands in any manner other than looking at the sticker price. Intel is for typical users, AMD is for computer enthusiasts. In your case, you'll do fine with whatever you get a good deal on.
A $500 i3 with a standard hard drive will play OOTP just fine. I have a major suggestion, and I'll get to that in a moment.
It will almost certainly be worth $800 to buy a better processor, and a basic graphics card. It will make OOTP run better, and you'll gain small improvements here and there. $300 over a five year run is about a dollar a week.
Do you need a solid state hard drive? ABSOLUTELY.
If I may, I believe that when you play OOTP on a PC with an SSD for an hour or two, you will say "How did I ever play this game without one?" It will be like switching from a P-40 Warhawk to an F-15 Eagle. You will zoom using the SSD.
Do not economize on your hard drive. Spend real money on the hard drive.
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I agree with Raidergoo here. SSD drive is your best bet. He gives you some great tips, and I have had AMD and Intel chipsets off and on the last ten years. I haven't noticed much difference. Just keep asking questions that come up you need answered to make the decision you need to get a new PC. Good luck EC.