Buying a computer instead of building one

LetalisK

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May 5, 2010
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Background: So, here's the situation. I want to get a second computer for my fiancee so we can play games like The Old Republic together. The laptop I have is just too old and messed up to work anymore. I could build her a new computer, since I built mine and do regular maintenance on it so I'm of average hardware knowledge. However, I just don't have the time to do all the research into what has changed and what's the best since I built mine not to mention putting the whole thing together in a timely manner. So this leaves me with buying a pre-built one. And the "gaming" rigs from gaming computer sites are freaking expensive. So, this leaves me with going to more conventional companies.

Question: How plausible is it to purchase a computer at a place like Wal-Mart or Best Buy or [insert retailer] and have it function decently for gaming? If it's not possible, what am I most likely going to have to replace and how expensive could that end up being?
 

bluepotatosack

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Mar 17, 2011
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You'll probably still want to upgrade the graphics card. And most likely a new power supply to go with the card.
 

generals3

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Mar 25, 2009
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I guess it all depends on how much you are willing to pay... And yeah usually the Graphics card doesn't keep up with the rest.
 

SidingWithTheEnemy

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Sep 29, 2011
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Have you roughly calculated how it's going to be?

How much time do you need to get the market info?
How much money do you save when building it yourself?

Then you could pay someone at the store to "screw" the parts together. Still cheaper than buying pre-built (in my country).
 

MrTub

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Mar 12, 2009
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In Sweden there are several shops where you can decide all the stuff and then pay around 100$ for them to put it together and making sure everything works, So that could be an option for you.

Otherwise if you are planning to buy a "dell/hp/whatever" brand you will most likely need to update the graphic card and the psu since they are often rubbish.
 

ThePuzzldPirate

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Oct 4, 2009
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They should function fine, don't do Wal-mart and go to a store that deals with electronics though. Wal-mart people will have no idea what they are talking about unless it is that person's hobby. Mark up is brutal which is why most build.

I would build it even if it takes a little longer, the amount of money you will save is far better than being able to play day one. I know for fact TOR is going to run like shit for the first couple of weeks, their servers are already having problems from early access. Building it will give you a better experience of the game.
 

Loop Stricken

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Jun 17, 2009
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LetalisK said:
However, I just don't have the time to do all the research into what has changed and what's the best since I built mine not to mention putting the whole thing together in a timely manner.
In all honesty, unless you're going to buy a new PC 'properly' sometime within the next two years to replace whatever you'd be buying from a store now, I'd just build one now. More bang for your buck as they say, and let's be honest here, the combined effort in reading up on what's good for you, and then building the parts once you have them, is maybe a couple of hours. Not counting delivery of course.

Here's a link [http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/2562-Dragon-Soul-Encounters-Class-Balance-Follow-Up-Poll-Setup-of-the-Month] where someone's put together some varying systems with current hardwares. Just ignore the first half about WoW.
 

RhombusHatesYou

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Between There and There.
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The Wide, Brown One.
LetalisK said:
However, I just don't have the time to do all the research into what has changed and what's the best since I built mine not to mention putting the whole thing together in a timely manner. So this leaves me with buying a pre-built one. And the "gaming" rigs from gaming computer sites are freaking expensive. So, this leaves me with going to more conventional companies.
Do you know a local computer geek who does have the time to do the research and can bash the bits together for a modest fee?

Question: How plausible is it to purchase a computer at a place like Wal-Mart or Best Buy or [insert retailer] and have it function decently for gaming? If it's not possible, what am I most likely going to have to replace and how expensive could that end up being?
It's plausible in that it's not impossible... but you'll pay through the arse for anything half decent for gaming. Most of the time you're looking at i7-2600/2600K rigs with 8GB RAM before they start adding in GPUs designed for more than multimedia use... and even then the cards are mostly the lower end of the mid level ranges of GPU. In the end you end up wasting shitloads of cash on a machine that is overpowered for gaming in most aspects yet still struggles to run them well because it's got a lacklustre GPU. It's a fucking scam.

As mentioned, if you get a pre-built rig, you'll probably have to swap out the GPU and the PSU which can really add up when you've already dropped a bundle on the rig.
 

Rodrigo Girao

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May 13, 2011
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Get the Falcon Guide [http://4changboard.wikia.com/wiki/Falcon_Guide] and buy the parts. If you don't know how to assemble, pay someone to. Do it right and it will be cheaper and better than a "branded" machine.
 
Apr 24, 2008
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You don't have to do extensive research if you don't want to. You can buy bundles of compatible hardware and save money against individual component prices, and an absolute fortune when compared to buying a pre-built system.

If you live in the UK, give overclockers a look, you can buy a bundle already bolted together.

Then you just need a case, PSU, and a graphics card. The first 2 are easy, and there's no point lingering too long on which GPU to buy either...no matter what you get you're going to feel that it was wrong after a few months.