Buying a Computer

[Echo Delta]

So, as the title implies, I am considering buying a new gaming computer. First things first, I really don't know anything about building a computer and I really don't wish to take the risk with that kind of cash right now so please do not suggest it.

My budget is (keep in mind tax+shipping and I am a US citizen) about $1750. I am currently looking at an alienware aurora R3 with the following specs:

-Windows 7 Home Premium OS
-Intel i5-2300 Processor
-8GB Dual Channel 1333MHz
-Dual Radeon 6870 Graphics Cards
-Two 1TB HDDs in Raid 0 (7200 rpm, SataII, 32Mb cache on each drive)
-875W PSU
-802.11n with wi-fi and bluetooth 2.1 EDR USB combo adapter (network card)
-24X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability (Optical Drive)
-Integrated 7.1 Audio
-Alienware Liquid Cooling

With a $100 discount this comes (with shipping) to about $1764.

Are there any other sites (reliable please! I've heard a lot of crap going around about customer service and bad components) that would offer a similar build for less or, consequently, can do more with my budget?

Lastly, what do you think the capabilities of the system are? How would they run modern games and how far in the future could I expect to run games on higher settings? (my monitor is roughly 1600x1050). I've checked out some system reqs. for future games (namely arma III) and... wow, it appears I'll have to start upgrading almost immediately.

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[Echo Delta]

(I apologize for the double-post, but I have a feeling this will get buried)

Bump

 

[Kabutos]

lol Alienware.

Seriously, it's a gigantic ripoff; don't buy it.

I know you said not to suggest this, but seriously, building your own in a lot simpler than you think and will save you a lot of money.

 

[Echo Delta]

lol Alienware.

Seriously, it's a gigantic ripoff; don't buy it.

I know you said not to suggest this, but seriously, building your own in a lot simpler than you think and will save you a lot of money.

My philosophy has always been that if you're "paying for a name", it means that the company has a name to uphold and will act accordingly.

Lets say I WAS to build my own computer, I have no idea what components are quality, what components go together, and lastly, I have no idea to load operating systems, put components together etc.

I'm currently looking amongst people I know to try and help me with this since most online sources seem too loaded with jargon and assume too much prior experience/knowledge. Is there a good place to start to learn how to do this and do it WELL?

 

[Kabutos]

My philosophy has always been that if you're "paying for a name", it means that the company has a name to uphold and will act accordingly.

Sorry but that is an incredibly stupid philosophy.

Lets say I WAS to build my own computer, I have no idea what components are quality, what components go together, and lastly, I have no idea to load operating systems, put components together etc.

I'm currently looking amongst people I know to try and help me with this since most online sources seem too loaded with jargon and assume too much prior experience/knowledge. Is there a good place to start to learn how to do this and do it WELL?

If you want to learn then just start lurking PC forums; Tomshardware, Anandtech, Overclockers, even /g/. You'll start picking up things, though a bit of background knowledge is required, ie do you know what a CPU/RAM/PSU is, AMD vs Intel etc. That you can learn anywhere.
PCityourself [http://pcityourself.com/building/introduction.php] is a good site to learn how to build; it's a bit outdated but still relevant. Otherwise there are a ton of other guides on the internet.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Lets say I WAS to build my own computer, I have no idea what components are quality, what components go together, and lastly, I have no idea to load operating systems, put components together etc.

If you're that uninformed about the workings of a PC you might not want to get a system with an open loop liquid cooling system that requires regular maintenance and an annual strip down.

If you can read a manual, use a screwdriver, and plug connectors into sockets you've got all the necessary skills to build a pc.

Installing an OS such as Windows 7 is just a matter of putting the DVD in the drive and following the prompts.

As for what parts to get, well, there's more than a few people on this very forum who'll suggest parts and brands and complete builds to anyone who asks... just give them a rough idea of what you'll be using it for and a budget.

Lastly, what do you think the capabilities of the system are? How would they run modern games and how far in the future could I expect to run games on higher settings? (my monitor is roughly 1600x1050). I've checked out some system reqs. for future games (namely arma III) and... wow, it appears I'll have to start upgrading almost immediately.

They've gone a bit light on the CPU for everything else they're cramming in. I'd have gone with a single HD6970 rather than dual 6870s, too... thereby leaving the option open to cram in another 6970 later if need be. I'd also shitcan the aforementioned open loop water cooling system - a Sandy Bridge CPU runs perfectly fine on HSF (heat sink/fan) unless you're doing some serious overclocking.

It's a good gaming rig but it's not worth what they're charging and should give you... call it 3 years gaming on higher level graphics. I wouldn't worry too much about ArmA III, it takes Bohemia Interactive between 3-6 months of patching to get their games stable enough to be worth playing, which should give you enough time to get a feel for the capabilities of whatever rig you end up with.

 

[Neo10101]

If I were you Id look around for "Falcon Northwest". They are baiscally alienware, pre-Dell.

 

[Echo Delta]

Sorry but that is an incredibly stupid philosophy.

Perhaps it is quite naive, but I have seen it come true often enough.

If you want to learn then just start lurking PC forums; Tomshardware, Anandtech, Overclockers, even /g/. You'll start picking up things, though a bit of background knowledge is required, ie do you know what a CPU/RAM/PSU is, AMD vs Intel etc. That you can learn anywhere.
PCityourself [http://pcityourself.com/building/introduction.php] is a good site to learn how to build; it's a bit outdated but still relevant. Otherwise there are a ton of other guides on the internet.

I'm aware of the difference between AMD vs Intel, I'm familiar with CPU, GPU, Motherboard (although I'm still shaky on what a "chipset" is specifically) PSU, RAM, HDD vs SSD, I know what the components and the numbers behind them mean, I'm just totally lost on how to put them all together.

If you're that uninformed about the workings of a PC you might not want to get a system with an open loop liquid cooling system that requires regular maintenance and an annual strip down.

If you can read a manual, use a screwdriver, and plug connectors into sockets you've got all the necessary skills to build a pc.

Installing an OS such as Windows 7 is just a matter of putting the DVD in the drive and following the prompts.

As for what parts to get, well, there's more than a few people on this very forum who'll suggest parts and brands and complete builds to anyone who asks... just give them a rough idea of what you'll be using it for and a budget.

Hmm, wasn't aware liquid cooling required such irritating upkeep... To be honest, I'd have no idea how to set up my Hard Drive, where to begin on partitioning etc.

They've gone a bit light on the CPU for everything else they're cramming in. I'd have gone with a single HD6970 rather than dual 6870s, too... thereby leaving the option open to cram in another 6970 later if need be. I'd also shitcan the aforementioned open loop water cooling system - a Sandy Bridge CPU runs perfectly fine on HSF (heat sink/fan) unless you're doing some serious overclocking.

It's a good gaming rig but it's not worth what they're charging and should give you... call it 3 years gaming on higher level graphics. I wouldn't worry too much about ArmA III, it takes Bohemia Interactive between 3-6 months of patching to get their games stable enough to be worth playing, which should give you enough time to get a feel for the capabilities of whatever rig you end up with.

Interesting, I checked anandtech for the comparison between the two, but you do have a point. As for cooling, I suppose I'm just worried about two things: 1) Stability: This is a huge investment of money for me and I just don't want it to die on me. I guess thats why I instinctively went for liquid cooling. This leads into... 2) If I build it myself, I don't want it to be some piece of crap, jury-rigged junker contraption. I want it to be as legitimate as possible.

If I were you Id look around for "Falcon Northwest". They are baiscally alienware, pre-Dell.

I did check them out actually and their prices are WAY higher than alien's. If Alienware is supposedly a rip-off then Falcon is even worse. If there exists a similar build by them that is cheaper, I urge you to direct me to it!

I know this seems like I am lost and floundering, and to be honest I kinda am. I'm not really used to tinkering with this stuff and I had always considered leaving it up to the professionals but... what do you think I could do with the budget I have in mind if I built it myself? Would it be a lot better performance-wise?

 

[Neo10101]

Sorry but that is an incredibly stupid philosophy.

Perhaps it is quite naive, but I have seen it come true often enough.

If you want to learn then just start lurking PC forums; Tomshardware, Anandtech, Overclockers, even /g/. You'll start picking up things, though a bit of background knowledge is required, ie do you know what a CPU/RAM/PSU is, AMD vs Intel etc. That you can learn anywhere.
PCityourself [http://pcityourself.com/building/introduction.php] is a good site to learn how to build; it's a bit outdated but still relevant. Otherwise there are a ton of other guides on the internet.

I'm aware of the difference between AMD vs Intel, I'm familiar with CPU, GPU, Motherboard (although I'm still shaky on what a "chipset" is specifically) PSU, RAM, HDD vs SSD, I know what the components and the numbers behind them mean, I'm just totally lost on how to put them all together.

If you're that uninformed about the workings of a PC you might not want to get a system with an open loop liquid cooling system that requires regular maintenance and an annual strip down.

If you can read a manual, use a screwdriver, and plug connectors into sockets you've got all the necessary skills to build a pc.

Installing an OS such as Windows 7 is just a matter of putting the DVD in the drive and following the prompts.

As for what parts to get, well, there's more than a few people on this very forum who'll suggest parts and brands and complete builds to anyone who asks... just give them a rough idea of what you'll be using it for and a budget.

Hmm, wasn't aware liquid cooling required such irritating upkeep... To be honest, I'd have no idea how to set up my Hard Drive, where to begin on partitioning etc.

They've gone a bit light on the CPU for everything else they're cramming in. I'd have gone with a single HD6970 rather than dual 6870s, too... thereby leaving the option open to cram in another 6970 later if need be. I'd also shitcan the aforementioned open loop water cooling system - a Sandy Bridge CPU runs perfectly fine on HSF (heat sink/fan) unless you're doing some serious overclocking.

It's a good gaming rig but it's not worth what they're charging and should give you... call it 3 years gaming on higher level graphics. I wouldn't worry too much about ArmA III, it takes Bohemia Interactive between 3-6 months of patching to get their games stable enough to be worth playing, which should give you enough time to get a feel for the capabilities of whatever rig you end up with.

Interesting, I checked anandtech for the comparison between the two, but you do have a point. As for cooling, I suppose I'm just worried about two things: 1) Stability: This is a huge investment of money for me and I just don't want it to die on me. I guess thats why I instinctively went for liquid cooling. This leads into... 2) If I build it myself, I don't want it to be some piece of crap, jury-rigged junker contraption. I want it to be as legitimate as possible.

If I were you Id look around for "Falcon Northwest". They are baiscally alienware, pre-Dell.

I did check them out actually and their prices are WAY higher than alien's. If Alienware is supposedly a rip-off then Falcon is even worse. If there exists a similar build by them that is cheaper, I urge you to direct me to it!

I know this seems like I am lost and floundering, and to be honest I kinda am. I'm not really used to tinkering with this stuff and I had always considered leaving it up to the professionals but... what do you think I could do with the budget I have in mind if I built it myself? Would it be a lot better performance-wise?

If Falcon Northwest's prices are a lot higher than its because their parts are significantly more reliable than alienware's and will last much much longer without having a problem and will game much easier, alienware's will overheat easier and go out of date quicker.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Hmm, wasn't aware liquid cooling required such irritating upkeep...

It's not that much work, really... regularly check the liquid levels and top up as necessary... flush the system every 3 or so months and once a year strip the whole system down and give it a thorough cleaning, check the tubing and connections and all that crap.

Interesting, I checked anandtech for the comparison between the two, but you do have a point. As for cooling, I suppose I'm just worried about two things: 1) Stability: This is a huge investment of money for me and I just don't want it to die on me. I guess thats why I instinctively went for liquid cooling. This leads into... 2) If I build it myself, I don't want it to be some piece of crap, jury-rigged junker contraption. I want it to be as legitimate as possible.

Aftermarket HSF will do until/unless you get into serious overclocking... even then, now that there are some decent closed loop (thus wayyyy less maintenance) liquid cooling systems on the market, going full open loop liquid cooling is for serious hardware enthusiasts... the kind of people who eye off N2 evap pots jealously.

I know this seems like I am lost and floundering, and to be honest I kinda am. I'm not really used to tinkering with this stuff and I had always considered leaving it up to the professionals but... what do you think I could do with the budget I have in mind if I built it myself? Would it be a lot better performance-wise?

Hmmm... Tough call as I'm not a seppo so I dunno from US tax and shipping costs. Did a rough spec job similar to the Alienware specs (but with better CPU and a H60 Hydro closed loop liquid cooling system) on newegg.com for just a touch under $1,420... no tax or shipping figured in. However, that was using good quality parts (mostly MSI) - no cheap shit that'll turn to flaming wreckage in a month. Could probably shave another $100 or so off without much effort.

 

[Echo Delta]

Hmmm... Tough call as I'm not a seppo so I dunno from US tax and shipping costs. Did a rough spec job similar to the Alienware specs (but with better CPU and a H60 Hydro closed loop liquid cooling system) on newegg.com for just a touch under $1,420... no tax or shipping figured in. However, that was using good quality parts (mostly MSI) - no cheap shit that'll turn to flaming wreckage in a month. Could probably shave another $100 or so off without much effort.

If you could list the build or give a link that would be awesome.

Also, I have checked out Falcon NW and to be honest it isn't that much more expensive... heck if it weren't for alien's $100 discount it would actually be cheaper.

EDIT: Does anyone know anything about the escapist's partner origin? they seem fairly legit and pretty cheap for what they offer

 

[Zantos]

Mate, ignoring the "Building your own PC is far better" posts (and I do that as a hobby and part time job before anyone starts on) that looks like a pretty good spec. If you want something cheaper although slightly more challenging then I'd highly recommend building your own, wouldn't be much of a hobby if it wasn't fun. If you want something that works out of the box however, that's a pretty good prebuilt that will bring you many years of enjoyment.