I need to get a desktop for my 13 year old to play games. Mostly Minecraft and COD Ghosts. I can't spend a lot and will probably get a refurbished one on Ebay. What should I look for as far as memory, speed, etc?
What should I look for in a desktop to play games?
Processor: i5 if possible, but an i3 would be OK.
RAM: 8GB.
Video card: You want a separate video card with its own dedicated memory. You do NOT want an integrated video system, such as Intel. Integrated systems have very bad performance for games, and can't be upgraded
A system like this, new, will start at about $600.
If you can spend more, Velocity Micro makes some very nice computers for not much money. They often have a "student" model which they cram as much technology into a box while keeping the price at $1000. Their systems use standard parts, so you (or your son) can upgrade them and are generally powerful enough to play most games at a reasonable speed. Otherwise, go with one of their "home office" systems, and buy a nicer video card. This is what I'm using currently.
I've bought several systems from them, and have recommended them many times.
http://www.velocitymicro.com
For CPU, i recommend Intel cpu such as Intel Core i5-3570K.
http://www.amazon.com/...007SZ0E1K/
and for graphic card, go with geforce 700 series and make sure to overclock. And for the ram, you need at least 4 gb. That's about it.