Im not sure if i can but i want to create a steam gaming rig for my kids. I have a basic FM2 AMD rig which im using as a htpc all im really thinking is adding in a mid range GPU (660ti or similar) and just connect it to the tv they have in their bedroom which is 32" 1080p. I want to use my steam account so i dont have to buy the games twice is that possible? Also its going to be cheaper then buying a PS4 as the games are sooo overprice compared to PC. Plus all i need to get is a couple of xbox 360 controllers. my AMD rig is: AMD A4-5300 dual core basic Asus matx mobo 4 gb RAM 120gb ssd So the question is.......after all that.........is it the rig good enough for a steam box?
You can share games but you can not play games that are shared at the same time. If you share for example Grid 2 with them then you could not play Grid 2 on your pc. Only thing you gotta be aware of is not every game is big screen compatible beside that you might need to up the ram count to 6-8gb and you would be fine.
I didn't think two people could access the same library at the same time - so if they were playing you wouldn't be able to play any of your games - not just the ones they're playing...
oh OK but if one of us wasnt playing the other could play? Also what about the hardware is that up to the job?
best off checking on can you run it I've just done this for little Keir But I've got him his own steam account, so we can play together. check out : www.allkeyshop.com www.cdkeywatch.com for cheap CD/steam keys
I'm in the process of setting up a gaming rig for my niece. Santa Claus was going to bring her a Wii, but I had a word with him and now he's bringing her a bike instead I set up an account for her on Steam and I have been gifting her games yesterday and today. I got her ten games for around €25, some of which I had played myself and enjoyed. None of them are graphically demanding so the Geforce 210 I have in the machine will do the job just fine. Before I installed the steam client and the games I created an image of the drive with Acronis True Image and cloned the drive to a spare disk too - this way I won't have to start from scratch if anything happens to mess up Windows 7.
The only problem I have is my son's want to play the latest games like Batman AO, AC black flag etc so for 1080p I'm thinking of sticking in a 7850 which is on offer for around £90 with 3 games, but I'm wondering if it will have enough grunt
You could just turn some settings down? Coupled with a half decent gpu I think that setup would be fine. As others have said, steam sharing is library based, so if he [plays one of your games you wouldn't be able to play any of your games without kicking him out of his.
My worry would be the cpu in those games you listed, Its duel core will be a problem for 2 of the 3. the 7850 would be sufficent just need to be happy at medium. Difficult to say without any real reviews of the cpu in a gaming purpose most of the reviews ive found are for htpc usage.
PS3/360 would probably be your best bet, they are cheap and they just work, no arseing about. Also you can on PS3 at least share games on two machines and play at the same time, not sure what the PS4 angle is on that.
Just my 2 cents about the steam question, only 1 person can be logged into an account at a time, and I have no clue how the game sharing thing works. As for the pc, why not put together a 2nd AMD APU based rig, see how it handles things, then when things start to slow down, slap in a new or 2nd hand gpu? The APU's are decent, though you can't expect them to play the new AC on max settings. I know they'll run diablo 3 and the likes at 1080p on max without issues though.
But is the convenience of a console not outweighed by the cost of the games for it? Steam have sales 4 or 5 times a year. I've been keeping an eye out for Borderlands 2 in the latest sale and now it's going for €7.49 - down from €30.
That was the exact reason I wanted to make a steam box. The cost of the next gen console games are incredible. I'm going to do a bit more research maybe might get a quad core cpu and a mid range gpu
Don't give in dude. I'm sure if you graft enough you'll find the parts. I made little Keir's PC for just over £135 iirc Have you had a look at what games they want to play. Don't try and force them to play what you want. Little keir is fond of ace of spades, COD black ops & counter-strike:GO Also Scribblenauts is good for learning to read & type. (He's only 5 though)
The Geforce 210 GPU I now have in my niece's machine was in my own PC for the last number of years and my monitor's resolution is 1440 X 900 , with it I played Bulletstorm, Borderlands, Bioshock 1 + 2, and Singularity among others. According to http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/ that 210 is considered a low-end GPU, I'd say invest in a decent GPU for 1080P gaming and you should be good to go.
My kids are 7 & 6 they like playing all the games I like playing, Batman, Assassins Creed, Battlefield Probably will go for the 7850 or 7870
Your 5 year old enjoys Black Ops? On topic: Why not just try it with a half decent gpu and see how it works, if you find the cpu can't cope you could upgrade it to a quad, no need to buy one straight away.
yeah just with bots lol Hardware wise: My i5 750 & GTX 670 can run BF4 on ultra, and I'm sure you can get them cheap now.
If you bought the 7850, and it didn't play a couple of games on ultra settings, they won't know, just tell them it's on the highest settings Lol.
