PC Gaming Question

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xdude85

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#1  Edited By xdude85
Member since 2006 • 6559 Posts

I don't know much about computers, and I was hoping for a little advice. Right now I own a laptop that works well when playing games, but lately I've been thinking about maybe getting a computer for the sole purpose of gaming sometime in the future.

My question is: what are the best brands, and how much money will I have to invest down the long road since new tech components are always being released.

EDIT Moved by a mod to PC forum

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princeofshapeir

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#2 princeofshapeir
Member since 2006 • 16652 Posts

reddit.com/r/buildapc

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deactivated-5ebea105efb64

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#3 deactivated-5ebea105efb64
Member since 2013 • 7262 Posts

Sony.

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deactivated-5ebea105efb64

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#4 deactivated-5ebea105efb64
Member since 2013 • 7262 Posts

@princeofshapeir said:

reddit.com/r/buildapc

or pc and mac discussion forum.

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foxhound_fox

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#5 foxhound_fox
Member since 2005 • 98532 Posts

There is no set amount that you "have" to spend on a gaming PC in order to get out of it a quality experience. You could spend $400, or you could spend $4000.

The thing is, you should never buy prebuilt, as they tend to overcharge for the components and often install a ton of "bloatware" (i.e. unnecessary software). There are plenty of tutorials online for assembling hardware and installing software, so it shouldn't be too hard to put it together if you have a working brain and some common sense.

Other users here can do a much better job of filling you in on specific brands of parts you should use. Personally, I would recommend Intel for the CPU and nVidia for the GPU. Everything else, I have very little experience with.

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demi0227_basic

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#6 demi0227_basic
Member since 2002 • 1940 Posts

Dude...read up for a few days/week on parts you'll need. Google things in your price range. Don't buy a prebuilt...it's EASY AS HELL to build a pc these days. You can youtube a video on it, and you can always come in these forums and we'll help you out.

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Krelian-co

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#7 Krelian-co
Member since 2006 • 13274 Posts

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

Follow that simple guide to buy your parts and you are good to go.

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-God-

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#8 -God-
Member since 2004 • 3627 Posts

This is the wrong place to ask there is one dude with 5 alt accounts who lies to people to get a Sony, he's on their payroll. GPUKING/Giovela/M3dude/M3boarder

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deactivated-57ad0e5285d73

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#9 deactivated-57ad0e5285d73
Member since 2009 • 21398 Posts

@xdude85 said:

I don't know much about computers, and I was hoping for a little advice. Right now I own a laptop that works well when playing games, but lately I've been thinking about maybe getting a computer for the sole purpose of gaming sometime in the future.

My question is: what are the best brands, and how much money will I have to invest down the long road since new tech components are always being released.

I have been thinking about it as well. I am unsure that the amount I actually play games justifies the cost. Don't let people fool you, either. The way you phrase things makes me think you want to build a system that is on the higher end. If that is the case be prepared to pay a pretty penny. You will learn that there are the base parts that you need, but then there are those that people overlook which go hand in hand with higher fidelity. You build a machine capable of higher resolutions? Well, you'll need a monitor for that. You want a good monitor for games with higher resolutions? You'll pay extra for that. Now you want half way decent sound? You'll pay for that as well.

Like people say it is what you make of it. It is expensive though. Just be prepared that if you do build something with buttery framerates on every game, the moment will come where some new fancy effect will hit the hardware the wrong way and you'll be thinking to yourself, "geez, already?"

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PoisonBagels

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#10 PoisonBagels
Member since 2002 • 7825 Posts

You can spend about 500 bucks and have something that will out perform any current gen console. I spent about $700 two years ago and I still get 100+ fps in the brand new unreal engine games.

http://pcpartpicker.com/guide/

If you're new to whole deal you can find a build here and base yours off of it. You really shouldn't spend more than $800 or so because you'll get diminishing returns for your money. About half your money should go toward your videocard. If you don't skimp too much on a processor you should be good to go for at least 4-5 years until you need a new video card.

You'll pay a little bit more up front but you'll save a ton in the long run by not having to play for xbox live and not having to shell out 60 bucks for every game.

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asylumni

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#11 asylumni
Member since 2003 • 3304 Posts

@xdude85: You should probably expect to pay about $800 for all you need (sans display and sound) for the computer, including the system, Windows, mouse and keyboard. I'd highly recommend spending a little more to get a good mouse instead of the $5-$10 ones available. The extra $30 or so is well worth it. I, personally, prefer Logitech, but Razer also has a lot of fans as well. I would also recommend at least 8GB of RAM, a quad core Intel or a hex-core AMD.

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Juub1990

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#12  Edited By Juub1990
Member since 2013 • 12620 Posts

For a solid gaming rig I would spend about 700-800. If you want a monster 1200. If you want a decent rig. 500-600.

Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, Sapphire are some of the best AIBP for GPU's.

Intel makes the best CPU's.

Corsair, Seasonic make some of the best PSU.

Corsair, Gskill, Kingston make very good RAM.

So-so brands are XFX, Zotac, AMD for CPU's, EVGA for PSU's.

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lostrib

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#13 lostrib
Member since 2009 • 49999 Posts

@Juub1990 said:

For a solid gaming rig I would spend about 700-800. If you want a monster 1200. If you want a decent rig. 500-600.

Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, Sapphire are some of the best AIBP for GPU's.

Intel makes the best CPU's.

Corsair, Seasonic make some of the best PSU.

Corsair, Gskill, Kingston make very good RAM.

So-so brands are XFX, Zotac, AMD for CPU's, EVGA for PSU's.

Though EVGA has been stepping up on PSUs it seems. Their SuperNova G2 line are well reviewed

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remiks00

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#14 remiks00
Member since 2006 • 4249 Posts

@lostrib said:

@Juub1990 said:

For a solid gaming rig I would spend about 700-800. If you want a monster 1200. If you want a decent rig. 500-600.

Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, Sapphire are some of the best AIBP for GPU's.

Intel makes the best CPU's.

Corsair, Seasonic make some of the best PSU.

Corsair, Gskill, Kingston make very good RAM.

So-so brands are XFX, Zotac, AMD for CPU's, EVGA for PSU's.

Though EVGA has been stepping up on PSUs it seems. Their SuperNova G2 line are well reviewed

I didn't know EVGA PSU's were good. I've always stuck with Corsair. Thanks for the info.

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Gaming-Planet

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#15  Edited By Gaming-Planet
Member since 2008 • 21064 Posts

You should just build a PC.

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deactivated-583e460ca986b

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#16 deactivated-583e460ca986b
Member since 2004 • 7240 Posts

It's so easy to build a PC these days it's ridiculous. If you can put 5 Lego pieces together you can build a computer.

As for price I would recommend saving some money and spending at least $1200. That way you can get a good GPU and CPU, say a GTX 970 and a i7 4790, and run games at higher frame rates and resolutions than the consoles. I would stay away from $700-$800 builds because you will be dropping money into that computer in less than 2 years to keep up.

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gamecubepad

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#17 gamecubepad
Member since 2003 • 7214 Posts

Dude it depends on what you're using it for. If you play rts, moba, sim, and mp fps you will want a desktop setup with a nice KB/M and screen. If you want a console replacement that can play multiplats and indies cheaply on a HDTV then you'll want something like Alienware Alpha i5 with Windows.

I recommend going to the PC forum here on this site, telling them the size of case you want and then a multiplier of how much more, or less, powerful than a XO/PS4 you want. They will get you the exact parts and run you through building it and you'll save hundreds.

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LegatoSkyheart

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#18 LegatoSkyheart
Member since 2009 • 29733 Posts

@Gamerno6666 said:

@princeofshapeir said:

reddit.com/r/buildapc

or pc and mac discussion forum.

You're pretty much gonna get the same swill no matter where you go.

here's Newegg, PCPartPicker, and ChooseMyPC.

Create a budget (from $600-$1000 or whatever much you want to spend total on a PC) and go to Newegg and PCPartPicker and start creating your PC.

OR you could go to Choose My PC and just type in your Budget and the website will generate a PC that is best for your Budget/Needs.

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360ru13r

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#19 360ru13r
Member since 2008 • 1856 Posts

Depends on how you plan to do it. I would personally build a computer just feels more satisfying when you finish building but if you plan to buy one I would look in to Asus. Not sure if they sell desktops but they are good. Also look into Alienware and Razer.

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deactivated-597794cd74015

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#20 deactivated-597794cd74015
Member since 2012 • 961 Posts

TypeItemPrice
CPUAMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor$71.98 @ Newegg
MotherboardAsus A88XM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard$55.98 @ Newegg
MemoryCrucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory$29.98 @ OutletPC
StorageSeagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive$47.89 @ OutletPC
Video CardSapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card$159.99 @ Newegg
CaseFractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case$28.99 @ NCIX US
Power SupplyEVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply$34.99 @ Newegg
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total (before mail-in rebates)$479.80
Mail-in rebates-$50.00
Total$429.80

RAM should be 2X not 1. Have fun brother :)

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GhoX

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#21  Edited By GhoX
Member since 2006 • 6267 Posts

You will get a better deal picking your own parts instead of going for branded prebuilts, even if you pay someone to assemble it.

... really not sure how Steam Machine can possibly take off.

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#22 blue_hazy_basic  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 30854 Posts

Moving this to the PC forum because its more appropriate there.

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HalcyonScarlet

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#23  Edited By HalcyonScarlet
Member since 2011 • 13636 Posts

To be fair, if you don't know about computers, your first computer will be pre-built and you'll likely learn about stuff in time as you upgrade.

My advice is decide on a budget. I think it's important to have a good case, CPU and Motherboard (future proof) before all else, because you want it to last and these components you don't really want to worry about for a long while. A lot of the other parts you can learn about and are more freely interchangeable. For example, you get a decent CPU now, you may not have to change it for a very long time. I can't imagine what will make me replace my I5 right now.

In contrast, if you are new to PC gaming. You might not want to spend too much, because there is no point in buying a PC with expensive parts if it turns out you aren't really into PC gaming. Get an affordable but capable graphics card first time around. For example, I wasn't too sure I would like PC gaming, so I got a GTX 750Ti last year by Palit. It's capable and affordable, I'm happy with it and will keep it for maybe another year. So check that out and the AMD equivalent. It's a misconception that anything under a GTX760 or 960 level card is weak.

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deactivated-5920bf77daa85

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#24 deactivated-5920bf77daa85
Member since 2004 • 3270 Posts
@Juub1990 said:

For a solid gaming rig I would spend about 700-800. If you want a monster 1200. If you want a decent rig. 500-600.

Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, Sapphire are some of the best AIBP for GPU's.

Intel makes the best CPU's.

Corsair, Seasonic make some of the best PSU.

Corsair, Gskill, Kingston make very good RAM.

So-so brands are XFX, Zotac, AMD for CPU's, EVGA for PSU's.

:)

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#25 Dark_sageX
Member since 2003 • 3561 Posts
@Juub1990 said:

For a solid gaming rig I would spend about 700-800. If you want a monster 1200. If you want a decent rig. 500-600.

Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, Sapphire are some of the best AIBP for GPU's.

Intel makes the best CPU's.

Corsair, Seasonic make some of the best PSU.

Corsair, Gskill, Kingston make very good RAM.

So-so brands are XFX, Zotac, AMD for CPU's, EVGA for PSU's.

Listen to this guy!

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horgen

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#26 horgen  Moderator
Member since 2006 • 127492 Posts

What is your budget?

Do you need a monitor, OS, keyboard and/or mouse?