HP Pavilion a6645f Verde Special Edition Desktop

[SquireStrat]

I'm considering purchasing a new computer since Best Buy ruined my laptop(long story). After hearing many stores would be having major after Christmas sales I found what seems to be a decent buy but am looking for some opinions as I'm not too tech savvy. Here is a link to the desktop with all specs.

HP Pavilion

Something I was considering too is that you can upgrade the RAM to 8GB and through Newegg.com I think I found the compatible RAM upgrade for $10.49 per 1GB.

For $650.00 for the tower, 19" LCD monitor, and a printer it would seem like a decent price. Thoughts? Opinions?

[Cephius]

It's not bad, but it's going to need some upgrades. The processor is a bit outdated, and isn't that great anymore. The video card is garbage, you'll definitely need to get a better one if you plan to game at all.

You don't need any more memory; 6GB is more than enough. You don't need 8 for anything these days unless you're doing some major program compiling or something like that.

Also realize that it comes with a 64 bit OS, which is nice but also can limit your ability to install older programs or install certain drivers or hardware. Make sure all the peripherals you use (external HDDs, wireless adapters, etc) are compatible with 64 bit systems before you go out and get it.

The monitor makes it a decent deal, but you could still put together a better build for a comparable price yourself.

[SquireStrat]

I'm curious to hear more about the graphics card as this is where I feel I need a lot of good advice from people that do not have a vested interest(I don't trust store clerks). I'll be up front and say that trying to build a tower is not possible because I do not have the know how nor do I know anyone that could help unless I wanted to pay a store or something.

The add lists video memory as "Audio/video capability: This desktop features NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE Graphics with TurboCache, 128MB dedicated graphics memory, and up to 1343MB total available graphics memory. This video memory is good for watching movies and videos or light gaming." So does this mean I'm gonna get Atari graphics? Or will FFXI just run like crap? FFXI is the only pc game I play I want to add.