Advice on a Good Gaming PC

[FakDendor]

So, I've been a small part of Yahtzee's Glorious PC Gaming Master Race for my entire life now (shoot, I played AoE 2 when I was 7...) but it's always been on the "ol' family desktop."

That's been sufficient for most things (even fairly intensive games ram and graphics-wise), but I'm about ready to break out the checkbook and put together a proper PC gaming rig. But since it's a major investment, I'd like to do things right. So - what would you all recommend? Purchasing a pre-made system, like an Alienware, or the like? Making my own? Running Linux (hehe.)?

Any suggestions and advice would be appreciated.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Purchasing a pre-made system, like an Alienware

Ha. Ah ha ha.

Yeah you're unlikely to get very many recommending that particular option. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with a prebuilt but Alienware marks up it's products to the point of ridicule...usually directed at those who actually buy the things. Regardless, the best option is always to build yourself or rely on a competent friend who will help you put it together for cheap (or for free). Prebuilts are more expensive by nature however they don't require any expertise so if you don't have any it really might be the best option. Putting together a rig is a simple enough process however I certainly didn't want to do it back when I didn't have the know how. As they say it is like Lego pieces however they are very expensive and somewhat delicate Lego pieces. If you haven't done it before and you don't have someone to help you out you might want to watch a few builds on YouTube and see how you feel about it, then come back once you've worked out whether or not you feel up to the challenge.

 

[AWAR]

Yeah I'd agree with Snowy. Custom built systems are the way to go, you don't have to build them yourself if you don't want to though. Some shops let you customize or build it for you. As for the money, you can get a low end system for about $500 (excluding the screen and peripherals) that will be able to play all current games on medium settings. Decent rigs can cost up to 600 - 700 dollars.

Spoiler: some useful links

Must Read for beginners
$600 gaming PC
One of the best video guides on how to build a PC