So it seems my old pc is on it's last legs after a couple of years of decline. My two DVD drives either won't read discs or won't open, sound keeps cutting out in cinematics, graphics warp and stretch, fans need to be continually replaced - the list goes on. Whilst most of these issues could probably be fixed with little effort, I'm struggling to see the point in continuing to maintain an outdated piece of tech, especially when it's incapable of running anything released after 2009 even at the lowest settings.
I have a 360 which has been sating my gaming addiction admirably, but I do miss me some RTSs and a couple of issues with the newer Fallout games have left me wishing I could access the console or download some mods. Plus I'm gagging to get my hands on The Witcher 2, and though theres meant to be a console port coming by the end of the year, there was also meant to be a console port of the original too and that ended up falling through, and there's no guarantee that the port will be up to snuff anyhow.
It seems I'm in need of either a significant overhaul and upgrade of my old pc, or perhaps in need of a new one entirely. I've heard it often said on the Escapist boards and elsewhere that the pc gamer is best served by building his own, primarily because it's cheaper. My problem is that my knowledge in the area of pc construction is rather lacking. That is to say I know zilch. The upkeep of my old pc has been entirely reliant on my tech savvy father, and I'm getting tired of relying on him to fix every little hiccup. What I'm asking for is if anyone around here knows where I can find some good guides for building a pc capable of running todays games at a good standard, and whether the whole cheaper thing is actualy true.
Thanks for any help you can give.
P.S On the subject of cost, please don't weigh in unless you have first hand experience. There is little more annoying than recieving information, getting stuck into the purchasing process, only to discover half way through, after having already committed a few hundred quid, that your informant was talking out of his ass.
I have a 360 which has been sating my gaming addiction admirably, but I do miss me some RTSs and a couple of issues with the newer Fallout games have left me wishing I could access the console or download some mods. Plus I'm gagging to get my hands on The Witcher 2, and though theres meant to be a console port coming by the end of the year, there was also meant to be a console port of the original too and that ended up falling through, and there's no guarantee that the port will be up to snuff anyhow.
It seems I'm in need of either a significant overhaul and upgrade of my old pc, or perhaps in need of a new one entirely. I've heard it often said on the Escapist boards and elsewhere that the pc gamer is best served by building his own, primarily because it's cheaper. My problem is that my knowledge in the area of pc construction is rather lacking. That is to say I know zilch. The upkeep of my old pc has been entirely reliant on my tech savvy father, and I'm getting tired of relying on him to fix every little hiccup. What I'm asking for is if anyone around here knows where I can find some good guides for building a pc capable of running todays games at a good standard, and whether the whole cheaper thing is actualy true.
Thanks for any help you can give.
P.S On the subject of cost, please don't weigh in unless you have first hand experience. There is little more annoying than recieving information, getting stuck into the purchasing process, only to discover half way through, after having already committed a few hundred quid, that your informant was talking out of his ass.
