So I'm Trying to Become a PC/Computer Player

[chuckey]

Okay, so recently I have been getting interested in playing games on the PC more now after playing the Amnesia demo and after thinking about it more, I finally got steam today. However there are a few things I want to know.

First, how do I found out the specs of my computer/laptop? (I know this might be a noobish question for all who heavy computer guys, but all I use mine for are to type papers and go on youtube.)

Second, considering the fact that my computer is about 4 years old and my laptop is 3 how would I change the graphics card or upgrade my computer/laptop without having to buy a new one

EDIT: My Specs for reference

Okay, well these are my laptop specs

Memory: 4096MB RAM
Processor: AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile RM-72 (2 CPUs) 2.1 GHz
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Graphics card?: ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics

PC Specs

Processor: Pentium Dual-Core CPU E5300 @ 2.60GHz (2 CPUs) 2.6GHz
Memory: 6134MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
Graphics Card?: Intel G33/G31 Express Chipset Family

here is where you can get an idea of my motherboard http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01324212&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en#N441

 

[kebab4you]

Easiest way is to open the startmenu and search after: "DxDiag" and run the check, you will get a complete check on your parts and bios.

As for upgrading I can't help you without having any knowhow on what´s inside your computer but if there is something that need to be upgraded most commonly it´s this: RAM(Primary memory),CPU and Graphic card.

 

[drakythe]

Best way to find out your specs is to use the 'run' function on your computer (Start --> Run) and type "dxdiag" (no quotes) this will run a diagnostic on your computer and give you a complete list of spex. Some of it is probably unnecessary or over your head, don't worry. The stuff you need to know should be decipherable though.

Next, if you want to upgrade your computer, the easiest thing to do is to get more RAM. More RAM is always good. You need to make sure its the same speed as your motherboard supports. I take it your computer(s) are store bought? Do you know their model names/numbers? That could be very helpful.

And lastly. What kind of games are you interested in?

 

[chuckey]

Best way to find out your specs is to use the 'run' function on your computer (Start --> Run) and type "dxdiag" (no quotes) this will run a diagnostic on your computer and give you a complete list of spex. Some of it is probably unnecessary or over your head, don't worry. The stuff you need to no should be decipherable though.

Next, if you want to upgrade your computer, the easiest thing to do is to get more RAM. More RAM is always good. You need to make sure its the same speed as your motherboard supports. I take it your computer(s) are store bought? Do you know their model names/numbers? That could be very helpful.

And lastly. What kind of games are you interested in?

Thanks, well I have no idea how to make more RAM other than deleting and uninstalling stuff.
The main reason I got a Steam account was to play TF2 online because the one in the box is awful

 

[kebab4you]

Thanks, well I have no idea how to make more RAM other than deleting and uninstalling stuff.
The main reason I got a Steam account was to play TF2 online because the one in the box is awful

TF2 should run smoothly on low/medium settnings if your computer is 3/4 years old. And RAM isn't where you store all your stuff in the long run(think you meant secondary memory),only way to get more RAM is to buy new, 4GB should be enough.

 

[drakythe]

RAM cannot be increased except by physically installing more. You're thinking Hard Drive Space. Hard Drive is long term memory and storage. RAM is is for rapid access. When you load up a game, your Hard Drive loads slower than RAM, so the game/program is read from your HDD into your RAM, where your computer can access it much more readily. RAM is often referred to as Memory. especially in the DxDiag.

 

[Rayne870]

The others seem to have most of this handled, but something needs to be pointed out, most laptops are built so that you can only upgrade the ram, and the hard drive, very rarely is the graphics card separate from the motherboard.

 

[Woodsey]

Without seeing your specs its hard to tell, but since you've never used it with gaming in mind before, and its a few years old anyway, you're much better off buying something new if you want to play much.

 

[Loonyyy]

You can't get more RAM by deleting stuff.
RAM is memory, a resource your computer uses to run, you can increase it by purchasing a physical RAM stick and inserting it into the relevant slot on your motherboard. Check the specs before you buy RAM, you need to make sure you buy the right variety for compatability, DDR2, DDR3, clock etc.

Hard Drives, (HDD, SSD) are what store the stuff on your computer permanently, they contain your installed files and saved documents. You can increase this by purchasing a bigger hard drive, and you can reduce the filling of the drive by deleting or uninstalling stuff.

If you want to know what specs you need, I'd suggest looking at a ranking of gear on a PC purchasing site or review site like Tom's Hardware or Atomic PC and then at the System Requirements for a game you want to buy this year. Aim above that at least, then you can run the game and hopefully future ones. Always read the Recommended specs, the Minimum of late have been terrible scams, generally Min Spec machines have been unable to run some recent games at a good playable level.

 

[chuckey]

Thanks, well I have no idea how to make more RAM other than deleting and uninstalling stuff.
The main reason I got a Steam account was to play TF2 online because the one in the box is awful

TF2 should run smoothly on low/medium settnings if your computer is 3/4 years old. And RAM isn't where you store all your stuff in the long run(think you meant secondary memory),only way to get more RAM is to buy new, 4GB should be enough.

Okay so I guess I can only upgrade the RAM for the laptop but I can upgrade the entire PC. How much does a new RAM cost and how would I add it to my computer/laptop?

 

[kebab4you]

Thanks, well I have no idea how to make more RAM other than deleting and uninstalling stuff.
The main reason I got a Steam account was to play TF2 online because the one in the box is awful

TF2 should run smoothly on low/medium settnings if your computer is 3/4 years old. And RAM isn't where you store all your stuff in the long run(think you meant secondary memory),only way to get more RAM is to buy new, 4GB should be enough.

Okay so I guess I can only upgrade the RAM for the laptop but I can upgrade the entire PC. How much does a new RAM cost and how would I add it to my computer/laptop?

About 30 euro or so, never had a laptop before so don't know, but in a stationary PC it´s just to pop out the old ones and put in the new ones.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

First, before updating anything, make sure your hardware is compatible. Open your tower up and look at the little slots holding all the cards you plug cables into. Not every card fits into the slots you have, and you'll often have several different kinds of slots. It would be awesome if you had a manual because they'll spell it out.

RAM is a little different. It's separated into different DDR: 1, 2, and 3. Three is the most expensive, but none of them are compatible with each other. Find out what your computer uses and stick with it. 4gigs is pretty good. 8gigs is ideal. RAM is probably the most expensive thing you'll be buying.

CPUs, GPUs, and soundcards are probably not something you should worry too much about. They become important on high end rigs, but that gets into actually building a computer.

Shop online for the most part. Places like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and other big chains usually stock for morons with cheap Taiwanese crap. The people working there will tell you anything to make you buy that overpriced graphics card that would be taxed by a word processor.

 

[sir.rutthed]

Thanks, well I have no idea how to make more RAM other than deleting and uninstalling stuff.
The main reason I got a Steam account was to play TF2 online because the one in the box is awful

TF2 should run smoothly on low/medium settnings if your computer is 3/4 years old. And RAM isn't where you store all your stuff in the long run(think you meant secondary memory),only way to get more RAM is to buy new, 4GB should be enough.

Okay so I guess I can only upgrade the RAM for the laptop but I can upgrade the entire PC. How much does a new RAM cost and how would I add it to my computer/laptop?

Ram's easy. You literally just open the case and stick in a new stick or two. Since it's 4ish years old, you'll probably need DDR2 RAM, which is one generation old. You can get a couple sticks for about fifty bucks on newegg.com. Also, you may not need to replace your desktop. You could probably just get by with adding more RAM and upgrading your graphics card.

 

[chuckey]

First, before updating anything, make sure your hardware is compatible. Open your tower up and look at the little slots holding all the cards you plug cables into. Not every card fits into the slots you have, and you'll often have several different kinds of slots. It would be awesome if you had a manual because they'll spell it out.

RAM is a little different. It's separated into different DDR: 1, 2, and 3. Three is the most expensive, but none of them are compatible with each other. Find out what your computer uses and stick with it. 4gigs is pretty good. 8gigs is ideal. RAM is probably the most expensive thing you'll be buying.

CPUs, GPUs, and soundcards are probably not something you should worry too much about. They become important on high end rigs, but that gets into actually building a computer.

Shop online for the most part. Places like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and other big chains usually stock for morons with cheap Taiwanese crap. The people working there will tell you anything to make you buy that overpriced graphics card that would be taxed by a word processor.

Okay, well these are my laptop specs

Memory: 4096MB RAM
Processor: AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile RM-72 (2 CPUs) 2.1 GHz
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Graphics card?: ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics

PC Specs

Processor: Pentium Dual-Core CPU E5300 @ 2.60GHz (2 CPUs) 2.6GHz
Memory: 6134MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
Graphics Card?: Intel G33/G31 Express Chipset Family

 

[squall255]

Here's a quick Glossary of computer terms and how to improve your specs:

CPU: Main Processor for you computer
Way to Improve: Buy a new one, place chip on motherboard.
Suggested Minimum spec: Dual Core >=2.0GHz speed
Expected Cost: $70-$100 USD if you need a new one
Suggested Brand: Buy the same (Intel or AMD) as your current. Otherwise you need a new Motherboard.

RAM: Random Access Memory, used while computer is running to store currently open or used things. This is wiped when the computer shuts down.
Way to Improve: Buy new sticks of RAM and physically insert them to RAM slot
Suggested Minimum Spec: 4GB DDR3
Expected Cost: $30 USD if you need new (2 x 2GB sticks)
Suggested Brand: Corsair
Note: Get a set with a Heatsink mounted. It'll help prevent failure by keeping your RAM cool. Cool RAM performs better.

Graphics Card: A secondary card with a Graphics Processor for rendering video
Way to Improve: Buy a new one and place in motherboard PCiE slot.
Suggested Minimum: Nvidia 9000 series (Note Nvidia cards go 9000 series then GT200 to GTX 500 series)
Expected cost: $40 USD minimum, I'd consider spending around $70 to give you some time before you NEED to upgrade for new games. Also note: Radeon Cards exist too but I don't know much about them. Best suggestion is to go to the local computer store (Micro Center or Office Max, NOT Best Buy or Walmart) and ask there so you have a local support
Suggested Brand: Nvidia Chipset, Asus or EVGA manufacturer

HD: Hard Drive. Stores data long term, even when computer is turned off
Way to Improve: Delete old files, buy and install an extra drive
Suggested Space: 320 GB for 2-3 games, 500GB for more. Current games tend to take between 10-20 GB per game.
Expected Cost: You want a 7200 RPM drive and expect to pay about $0.08-$0.15 per GB
Suggested Brand: Western Digital. I've had some issues with Seagate drives recently

Some other notes:
For a good source of products and reviews check out Newegg.com It's where i buy most if not all of my components, and has good reviews on their products. I realize that what I've put up here seems like it's going to cost a lot of money but hopefully your system will come with most of these specs already. Also note that these are specs for a Desktop Tower, not a laptop (While the specs would be the same for a laptop, the prices and ability to improve tend to be higher/more limited).

Most Hardware can only be improved by powering down your computer, opening it, and putting the new component in. If this is your first time (which I susspect it is) I'd highly suggest going to your local computer store and asking if you could come in and have them help you install it. Barring that I'm sure the internet has hundreads of How To videos.

Lastly, I want to welcome you to the world of computer gaming and hope that you have some fun! I know that FPS games tend to be much more accurate and "twitchy" than on the consoles (I tend to be more of an RPG kind a guy). Steam is a wonderful service and I'd suggest keeping an eye on the store. Sometimes they have games for 50-60-75% off and can be a GREAT deal. I hope this helps you. Good luck and happy gaming!

 

[Inkidu]

Your desktop would work for gaming quite well if you popped a decent GPU in it. You can do that for ~150 bucks. You won't be setting any benchmarking records with such a card, but I can tell you first-hand you can and will run games at your monitor's native res with it.

You know that's half a new 360 right there? That's kind of why I got out of the PC game. I grew up in the turbulent time of massive graphical jumps. Spending 150 for a mediocre card only to have to replace it months later was annoying. Now that the graphics are starting to level off though I might see about getting another PC. Maybe not, I'm still not up on the idea of not owning the software I buy.

 

[crazypsyko666]

Here's what each piece of hardware is in layman's terms. RAM is like desk space. The more you have of it the more you can lay out. Your processor is basically how fast you can read things, go through files and all that. Your graphics card makes things prettier, and your hard drive is how big your filing system is.

Most games will work on 4GB of RAM and a 3.0 GHz Duo Core Processor. 512 MB is the new standard for graphics cards, and it'll tell you how powerful it is on the package. If you don't know, look it up.

 

[crazypsyko666]

Your desktop would work for gaming quite well if you popped a decent GPU in it. You can do that for ~150 bucks. You won't be setting any benchmarking records with such a card, but I can tell you first-hand you can and will run games at your monitor's native res with it.

You know that's half a new 360 right there? That's kind of why I got out of the PC game. I grew up in the turbulent time of massive graphical jumps. Spending 150 for a mediocre card only to have to replace it months later was annoying. Now that the graphics are starting to level off though I might see about getting another PC. Maybe not, I'm still not up on the idea of not owning the software I buy.

I've been running the same graphics card for four years without issue. If you need to buy new hardware over and over again, you're not making smart hardware choices.