I got a prototype Dell desktop today. It has 8 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GT 620 graphics card with 1 GB VRAM, and a 1 TB hard drive. My question is about the CPU, which is a Pentium G630. It's dual-core and each core is clocked at 2.7 GHz. Do you guys think this setup will be decent for gaming? If not, I'm going to let my sister test the new desktop and keep using my current one.

It should be fine for light gaming. Games built on the Source engine run particularly well on lower-end hardware, so long as the level design is kept within reason.

Hrm...not quite what I was hoping for, since the games I play are more like Deus Ex Human Revolution and Dead Space 2. I guess the processor is the main problem. I should probably just fire up my favorite games and see if they work, huh?

Pretty much, yeah. I did a quick look up at some of the hardware and it may be more of the video card that's the bottleneck; one site I looked at said the GeForce GT620 was basically a rebadged GT440.

Can I get a link to that? The info I found said it was roughly equivalent to a GT 530, which is actually a step UP from my current 525M that plays Skyrim just fine with only 10% processor usage (on a quad-core i5 with 2.5 GHz per core, but still).

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/20/nvid ... no-kepler/

Oops, I misread the article and it said the GT630 was the one comparable to the GT440.

Okay. This is actually the exact same article I read, so my information is correct. I think it may be okay, though I'll probably have to turn the graphics settings down another notch. Not a big deal.
EDIT: Might also help that the only screen I have available is 1366x768, so it won't exactly be taxing the graphics card by demanding 1080p graphics.

With the current given configuration, you can probably run games at decent settings from 2007 and older (minus Crysis).

I tried GT 520 graphics card earlier with Sims 3(3009) and it ran fine with default settings. Like linuxlove said, you can play source games on it without problem. Also, I've seen some videos where people manage to get playable FPS on BFBC2 and even BF3 but you would have to play at low graphic settings. So in short, you can play newer games but at low settings to get decent FPS but run at decent graphic settings or maybe even high on older games. Grfx Card is more suited for HTCP really.

About your processor, it's comparable to the AMD Athlon II x3 processors if that tells you anything. The Pentium G630 is mostly geared for those web surfers/media center computers/light gamers but can still run decent games depending on or graphics card albeit the potential bottleneck.

What's your current computer specs anyway?

On my current 525M I can play Skyrim (on High graphics settings), Crysis and Crysis 2 (on High and Very High, respectively), Deus Ex Human Revolution (mostly High or higher settings), and Dead Space 2 (on max graphics) without an issue other than high memory use. Since the GT 620 is supposed to be a step up from my current card (equivalent to a 530), I think I'll be okay. Current specs:

1920x1080 23" touchscreen
Intel Core i5 quad-core processor (first-gen, 2.5 GHz)
4 GB RAM
500 GB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M (1 GB VRAM, Optimus)

PS: Yes, I'm aware that my current processor is much better than the one in the new desktop. But given that every other spec seems to be better, I think it balances out.

It says for an OEM GT620, it is a re-branded GT 520 while the retail version of the GT 620 is a re-branded GT 530 though this info is from Wikipedia.

My guess is it is an OEM version since you got it from Dell but the true way to find out is if you run GPU-Z and see what the code name for the GPU is.

I know this. I can't run said test quite yet because the computer's current interface is in Spanish and can't be changed (it has Home Premium). I'm going to restore a backup of my current setup on it, then run better tests. Either way, though, it's not THAT far off from my current card.

Sign up for the Dell Beta Test program. If they accept you, they'll send you one every so often. This is the second one I've gotten from them.

Darn it. I tried to sign up but it's all filled up. Bummer. Maybe I can try some other time!

I also presume this beta program is only offered to US residents?

I assume so, but I can't say for certain. Sorry.

This computer will be fine for latest games, as long as you don't play them on highest graphics. I'll say like Battlefield 3 on lowest settings 20-25 MAYBE 30 FPS.

Most Sandy Bridge cpus are great for gaming(Due to their high IPC), and the Pentium is for its price. You wont see bottlenecks unless you get a GTX 460/6770 and above, so it's your GT 620 which is holding you back currently. Also note a G620 would only bottleneck a GTX 460/6770 in a game which can use more than 2 cores, and mainly at lower than 1920x1080 resolutions(generally at 1920x1080 and above the gpu becomes tte bottleneck).

G620 Benchmarks with a GTX 560:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gam ... ,3216.html