Buying comp. for hl2 Created 17 years ago2007-11-03 00:20:03 UTC by zeeba-G

Can someone help me find a hl2 compatible computer for around $300 or less. The craigslist was mentioned to me, but im not sure if it is a trustworthy website because I have never used it before. I just need help because I don't know what hl2 reqires for good smooth gameplay and with some help, maybe I could find a computer on the website worth buying.

I doubt you can find anything in that price range that will run HL2 at all, nonetheless well. Your best bet for a decent, cheap PC is to build your own, and even a low-end computer that can run HL2 will probably cost closer to $600 USD.

Minimum specifications are as follows. Also, be prepared to lower your standards of visual quality since the game won't look too pretty, and I wouldn't expect it to run perfectly either. I recall that HL2 was intended to be scalable to DX6 but I don't believe that was ever completed, so DX7 is the lowest I would go.

1.2 GHz Processor
DX7 compatible card (64mb is probably minimum for VRam)
4.5GB HD space
256MB RAM

It also lists an internet connection and DVD-ROM drive which I would assume depends on your purchase and installation method (Steam or Retail), so you need one or the other.

That sounds like the system I first played HL2 on. It wasn't pretty.

Also, that spec probably wouldn't run the Ep1 or Ep2 expansions becuase they add more technology into the mix and not all of it can be turned off.

My last system ran HL2 on max without any trouble.

Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz
NVidia 6600GT 128Mb
512MB RAM

Not sure how much that would cost nowadays.

BTW, DX7 video cards not supported in EP2 and (after future update CSS/DODs & EP1 and may be HL2 to latest Source engine version) will not work too.

If I were you I would wait until I'd get some more money, and then buy something which will last for more than 2 weeks.

There is always some way to make money, don't be lazy

Lol im not lazy, im about to go to work right now for a 9 hour shift and I have over $2000 dollars right now but I was told that someone could find a "used" pc that ran hl2 good for $300 on the craigslist.com. Being a used computer, I wouldn't want to spend that much. $600 seems reasonable. How much could I have a computer built for that ran hl2 "good with good graphics and not laggy"?

$750 if you buy and assemble the parts yourself. This is a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, 2x1GB DDR2-800, GeForce 8600GTS, 250GB hard drive, and all of the other parts like a dvd burner and a Windows license.

You could easily build a 450 dollar system (all the parts, without a monitor, thought) that would run HL2 easily.

I spent 350 on mine, the only things I didnt buy was a HD, a monitor, and a case. It runs HL2 on all high beautifully, and in TF2 gets about 45 FPS with high settings, minus HDR / motion blurring.

I built it, though.

Zeeba-G, when I said that, I wasn't seriously suggesting you go out and buy one like that. It is a trustworthy site (well, it's just as trustworthy as a newspaper ad), but it was really just to show that you could easily get a good computer for far less than 1000.

But yeah, you can find them. I found an XPS M1710 for a little over $600 once.

I spent 350 on mine, the only things I didnt buy was a HD, a monitor, and a case. It runs HL2 on all high beautifully, and in TF2 gets about 45 FPS with high settings, minus HDR / motion blurring.

What processor, mobo, graphics card, and memory are you running? =/ Unless you know someone in a computer store or something where you can get a mad discount, that's awfully cheap.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=8784527&WishListTitle=Cheap+PC

Everything but a hard drive, monitor, and case.

Not that I'd actually buy a PC with those particular parts. I mean, I put that list together in 15 minutes. I'm just showing it can easily be done.

Luke, can you tell me everything I need to buy, like exactly what you have?

It's pretty simple.
CPU
Choose from:
AMD or Intel? (Pretty much equal)
There's all sorts of new processors (CPUs) coming out all the time, I really can't tell you what to get. There's a huge selection, varying in frequency (measured in GHz), number of cores, etc.

Mobo
Consider:
Socket - depends on CPU type. Different CPUs uses different sockets.
PCI-e - depends on graphics card. All new graphics cards use PCI-e.
SATA or IDE - depends on hard drive. All new hard drives use SATA.
RAM Slots - how many RAM sticks do you plan to stick in there?

Graphics card
Choose from: ATi or nVidia. Again, pretty much equal.
Consider: DX10 compatability. Does it have it? Getting a DX10 card is a good investment, seeing as how most new games take advantage of it. However, the prices are still a bit quirky, and both ATi and nVidia are releasing budget versions of their prime DX10 cards.

Then again, for your price range, maybe a last-gen graphics card would be optimal? Very powerful, but not DX10-compliant, cards are available for as low as $80 these days. I'm talking Radeon X1800 and the like. They're more than enough to run source and most new games (they do have SM2 support, probably 3 too), so one of those might be a better choice.

RAM
Consider: How much do you want, basically? Anything less than 2 Gigabyte can't run Vista, but 1 Gig is more than enough for Source.
Brands: Corsair is considered the best RAM brand around (afaik). There're a lot of generic brands out there.

Peripherals

• Sound card? If you have a good sound system (5.1 setups and stuff), you might wanna invest in a good sound card. If you don't, just go with the onboard mobo sound, in my opinion.

Use guides and reviews, like on Tom's Hardware when choosing hardware components. For instance, their graphic card comparisons and recommendations are great. Their "Best-hardware-for-your-money of the month" thingy is especially great when hunting budget cards.
It's a jungle, I know. But there's really not that much to it when you get down to it.

If there's any mistakes or embarassing omissions that people notice, please do correct me. Hardware never was my strongest point.

Tom's Hardware is a giant shill website. I remember when 3.4GHz Pentium 4s were the fastest CPU. Tom's Hardware just hyped up the $1000 CPU of the moment because it had like 512KB of cache instead of 256KB of cache and some stupid crap like that. Totally out of touch with 99% of computer users who keep a computer for a few years instead of a few weeks (this CPU had a thermal rating of 145W).

There goes Dave again, flapping his e-mouth when he has no fucking idea what he's talking about.

Tom's hardware is obviously a site for hardware ENTHUSIASTS, not casual internet/email users who play Half-Life 2 every once in a while and occasionally pretend to be experts on what is the best computer for everybody. It is indeed not the site for maybe 85% of computer users, since at least that many don't know or care how their computer works.

But back on topic:

zeeba-G:

Luke, can you tell me everything I need to buy, like exactly what you have?

Why would you want that? Luke's computer is obviously going to be old by now, and he said himself that he put it together using some older parts he had. Not that it's bad, but just because he owns it doesn't mean it's the ideal setup for you. For example, his profile says he has a Pentium 4 processor. That's not something anyone would buy these days.

@dave:Yeah srry is right. If anything, YOU ultimately have to decide what you're going to buy. What's in your price range and suits what you plan to do with it.

But I don't know anything about computers. Thats why I posted this forum... I want a comp. That'll run hl2 good with no lag and good graphics for a reasonable price. 600 seams reasonable.

All in my biography, rabid. Not sure if the mobo, is though, but it's a Biostar TForce 945P.

It's not the best, and it might be considered low-end for DX10 games, but it plays games that I play great. HL2, Orange Box, Bioshock (high settings, 800 x 600, at ~30-40 FPS), among others.

Mind you, I built it with parts from New Egg. Fairly cheap.

My neighbor builds computers. Im gonna ask him for some help.

my mother is whore...

Zombieloffe: Great overview afaik...