Desktop PC

waller02

I'm looking at getting a desktop PC with 2 monitors but I know nothing about computers so any advice would be appreciated.

I basically want a setup that can comfortably handle 12 tables with no lag whatsoever.

Cheers.

Boomswitch

What's your budget ?

waller02

£1000 ish. Unless I can get something suitable for cheaper. Just needs to be powerful enough to avoid any lag issues.

waller02

Has to be wifi too, which assume most desktops are these days?

stokefc

get one with plenty of RAM

Boomswitch

Most motherboards have built in wifi these days, as stoke said you'll want a decent amount of ram. Dual monitors will bump the price up, mine were £500 4 years ago. I think £1500 is a more realistic figure for what your looking for. Have a look on here. https://pcpartpicker.com/ink

1ali1

Hi Waller
I have a HP PAVILION POWER 580 DESKTOP Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
and have paired it with a 28" Samsung HDR monitor (you don't need 2 monitors) as HDR with its high resolution lets you play 30 games on min size if you could and easily 12 at at a good size.
PC is £600 (box.co.uk) and monitor £200 (currys)
Good enough to play decent spec games too if that's your thing
Hope that helps

waller02

1ali1 said:

Hi Waller
I have a HP PAVILION POWER 580 DESKTOP Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
and have paired it with a 28" Samsung HDR monitor (you don't need 2 monitors) as HDR with its high resolution lets you play 30 games on min size if you could and easily 12 at at a good size.
PC is £600 (box.co.uk) and monitor £200 (currys)
Good enough to play decent spec games too if that's your thing
Hope that helps

Ok thanks. Any lag issues? Because that's crucial for me. As soon as I have more than 6 table on my laptop it's unplayable

mumsie

I've got something similar to this.


https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=4ZJ74EA&opt=ABU&sel=DTP&lang=en-GB&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsvTxBRDkARIsAH4W_j_Bx5cE0YrjkikhKmmiXiqznD241VdzopEubJMF-gpfeD2b0iLJXU4aAu3aEALw_wcB

I was never a fan of an all in one computer until I acquired this, it takes up nada space.
I've added a 2nd monitor and it runs like a dream.

I've read an article on how to add a third monitor for zilch , though I've not tried this yet.

It's called an all-in too.

waller02

mumsie said:

I've got something similar to this.


https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=4ZJ74EA&opt=ABU&sel=DTP&lang=en-GB&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsvTxBRDkARIsAH4W_j_Bx5cE0YrjkikhKmmiXiqznD241VdzopEubJMF-gpfeD2b0iLJXU4aAu3aEALw_wcB

I was never a fan of an all in one computer until I acquired this, it takes up nada space.
I've added a 2nd monitor and it runs like a dream.

I've read an article on how to add a third monitor for zilch , though I've not tried this yet.

It's called an all-in too.

Thanks mate. How many tables do you think it can handle?

Duesenberg

First off, I think investing in something decent for grinding is a very sound plan and I have no doubt it'll more than pay for itself in next to no time. I reinvested some of my poker winnings into a fairly beefy laptop back in 2016 which I still use today and I have never regretted the outlay for a moment (it was £1,200 back then). I'll give you a run down of its basic specs as it may be a useful point of reference for you (I'm sure you can get a desktop of a similar spec for far less in 2020).

In terms of number of tables running smoothly on Sky, the most I've actively found myself playing on at any one time is 14. My laptop copes fine with this number whilst also having loads of other things running at the same time (iTunes, chrome, other poker sites, etc.). I have also frequently had up to 20 tables open on Sky at one time without any problem or lag, although I wasn't playing on them all - unfortunately the speed of my brain speed limits me far more than that of my computer!

The fundamentals are:

Intel i7 quad core processor 6700HQ @ 2.60GHz
16GB Ram
500GB NVME M.2 SSD (solid state drive)
2TB standard mechanical hard drive
NVIDIA GTX 960M Graphics card (in addition to a standard Intel HD 530 graphics card)

I don't think the above is particularly OTT by today's standards (especially in a desktop PC) and although you'd more than likely be fine with less, it'll give you a base point.

There are 2 things I'd absolutely implore you to invest in for your new machine though. Firstly, a solid state drive to run your operating system from - they're not cheap but they make the world of difference in terms of how speedily everything runs. If you need extra or back-up storage, a second drive with an older-style mechanical drive is pretty cheap (I have a big media library I keep on mine). The second thing is don't skimp on RAM. It's fairly cheap and is the main thing you'll need for having as many poker tables running as you could wish for (I say 16BG minimum would be best).

Finally, I've been running 2 monitors from my laptop for years and it makes grinding sooooo much easier - one screen for the tables, the other for lobbies and everything else. I'd always used 2x 22 inch standard HD 1080p screens until a coupe of weeks ago when I upgraded one of them for a 27 inch WQDH 1440p and the extra screen real estate has been awesome, so that's something else I'd definitely recommend. Let me know if you want any advice on monitors as there are certain considerations between different resolutions and screen sizes.

I bought my machine from PC Specialist (link below) and would definitely recommend them. You basically choose the exact specs you want and they then build a computer to order for you. It worked out far better value for money than anything I could find at somewhere like Currys. https://pcspecialist.co.uk/

Jeez... I do go on a bit sometimes! Hopefully there's something useful in there though .

kapowblamz

You can build a perfect poker pc for <£400. The best investment you can make is either 2 4k monitors or like me 1x uwhd monitor and 1x 4k monitor. You can get discreet graphics cards for <£100 that will run 3 monitors+. Anything over 8gb ram is overkill for just poker. Ram speed is more important but you would never notice the diff. Ssd is great for boot times or if you use a tracker on other sites. Cpu wise get a ryzen. Amd are superb bang for buck atm. That said a pentium from 10 years ago will run multiple poker sites.

waller02

Thanks all. I'll start browsing then.

waller02

Given that I will literally only be using it for 12 tables max on Sky, I was thinking this with a 2nd monitor. Seems suitable? 8gb 256gb SSD

kapowblamz

That is effectively a laptop with a big screen and keyboard. It literally has laptop parts. It will do what you need tho. I'd need to check it can handle more than 1 monitor. Wandering round manc centre atm. Will check later on.

waller02

I did say I knew nothing about computers....haha

Duesenberg

I think that would be more than up to the job Waller and like a breath of fresh air compared to your old laptop.

The only thing I'd consider is whether you may prefer the longer-term flexibility of moving away from an all in one machine with a permanently attached monitor and instead opt for a more traditional desktop with monitors(s) of your own choosing. If a little further down the line you decided you'd prefer a different configuration of screens/resolutions, you'll be permanently stuck with at least one of them being of the size and resolution of the all in one. It would probably also be easier upgrading things on a traditional desktop if ever you felt the need - ie adding extra RAM or storage at a later date etc.

kapowblamz

Also, the monitor on that is HD so 1080p. Only 23 inch too. Very lame for the price. You can get over 30 inch 4k monitors for less than 200 quid now.

mumsie

waller02 said:

mumsie said:

I've got something similar to this.


https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=4ZJ74EA&opt=ABU&sel=DTP&lang=en-GB&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsvTxBRDkARIsAH4W_j_Bx5cE0YrjkikhKmmiXiqznD241VdzopEubJMF-gpfeD2b0iLJXU4aAu3aEALw_wcB

I was never a fan of an all in one computer until I acquired this, it takes up nada space.
I've added a 2nd monitor and it runs like a dream.

I've read an article on how to add a third monitor for zilch , though I've not tried this yet.

It's called an all-in too.

Thanks mate. How many tables do you think it can handle?

Actually,

I've changed my advice about this PC after reading other replies.

Even though It can easily handle 8 -12 plus tables on Sky poker.

I would worry about a pokerstars takeover.

I don't know it could handle multi tabling on pokerstars with tracking software.

That said, if my setup ever broke, I would probably get the same again due to laziness.

waller02

Yeah I've looked again. I like the look of the one that @1ali1 recommends or certainly something similar. Definitely getting 2 monitors too even if I'm just using the other for lobbies etc.

Thanks again for all the advice, really was clueless and didn't want to fork out for something that wasn't suitable.

waller02

I'll have the setup by the end of the month, when no doubt I'll be back asking about screen resolutions etc. as I don't really know about that stuff either.