In which I open myself to mocking and ridicule for buying a gaming PC....

[DudeistBelieve]

Although I locked the thread, i wanted to take the time to thank everyone for their help in understanding PCs and helping me make my purchase, inspite of the rigorous chorus of people telling me to build one. I ended up choosing this bad boy: http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-AG6-710-70001-Desktop-Windows/dp/B0124YJPZA?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

The stats: 6th Generation Intel Core i7-6700K Processor 4GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 4.2GHz
Windows 10 Home
16GB DDR4 Dual-Channel 2133MHz Memory
NVIDIA GeForce GTX970 Graphics with 4GB of GDDR5 Video Memory
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB5 with EAX 5.0
128GB SSD & 1TB 7200RPM SATA III Hard Drive
16X DVD?R/RW SuperMulti Drive
Digital Media Card Reader -Secure Digital (SD) Card
802.11ac WiFi
Bluetooth 4.0 LE
10/100/1000 (Gigabit) LAN (RJ-45 Port)
6 - USB 3.0 Ports (2 Front, 4 Rear)
2 - USB 2.0 Ports (Rear)
2 - Mini Display Ports
1 - HDMI Port
1 - DVI Port
730W Power Supply
SteelSeries APEX (RAW) Gaming Keyboard
SteelSeries SENSEI (RAW) Gaming Mouse

I went with the GTX970. It became clear from the start that what I was looking at or building was overkill vs my Xbox One and in terms of my needs. So I figured I'd save the extra couple hundred now, and then in August I'll upgrade it to the GTX980. This will also give me the opportunity to learn how to tinker with the machine. So I'm considering this a starting point, and I'll build on it from there.

So hit me with it, it's terrible right? Oh Hamburgers.

 

[Fappy]

I have a GTX970 too and it has served me well for a long time now. I don't plan to upgrade until the next GPU generation comes out (and is reasonably priced). At the moment it can flawlessly run just about everything I throw at it in 2k.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

In terms of raw power it looks good, and while you paid the prebuilt tax it doesn't look like it was a particular steep case of prebuilt tax.

I would have gone for a larger SSD, it is crazy how fast those things fill up, and it has an excessive amount of memory for the current gamescape, but that's fine because it future proofs it a bit.

I think you made the right choice with the GPU, I don't think the 970 to 980 jump is worth $400 at the moment.

That processor is massive overkill for gaming, but again future proofing is good. The i5 they offered was probably not good enough, and since swapping out a CPU is probably something you are going to be unwilling to do that was probably a good decision as well.

So all in all looks like a good rig with some decent future proofing. I would have built it myself, but I have a ton of experience in that area and prebuilts are getting better these days. So good choices all around. What is the first game you are going to play?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

What is the first game you are going to play?

Dwarf Fortress!

I concur with your summation though. 970 is the sweet spot right now for price performance, and I would have gotten a larger SSD. My first SSD was 120 and it was a constant chore trying to keep it properly trimmed down. The current one is in the 200's and I dumped a few load-time-hungry games on there along with the OS and it's still got room to spare.

 

[Fappy]

What is the first game you are going to play?

Dwarf Fortress!

I concur with your summation though. 970 is the sweet spot right now for price performance, and I would have gotten a larger SSD. My first SSD was 120 and it was a constant chore trying to keep it properly trimmed down. The current one is in the 200's and I dumped a few load-time-hungry games on there along with the OS and it's still got room to spare.

I got a second SSD for Christmas. It has saved me so much space. I basically have a full 250GB of SSD space just for games.

EDIT: Anything old or that has fast loads/good performance regardless goes on the 2TB fatty drive.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

In terms of raw power it looks good, and while you paid the prebuilt tax it doesn't look like it was a particular steep case of prebuilt tax.

I would have gone for a larger SSD, it is crazy how fast those things fill up, and it has an excessive amount of memory for the current gamescape, but that's fine because it future proofs it a bit.

I think you made the right choice with the GPU, I don't think the 970 to 980 jump is worth $400 at the moment.

That processor is massive overkill for gaming, but again future proofing is good. The i5 they offered was probably not good enough, and since swapping out a CPU is probably something you are going to be unwilling to do that was probably a good decision as well.

So all in all looks like a good rig with some decent future proofing. I would have built it myself, but I have a ton of experience in that area and prebuilts are getting better these days. So good choices all around. What is the first game you are going to play?

Probably um.... Hotline Miami.

Yeah.... Unfortunately the computer means Im going to be kinda cash poor for a bit. I got a box of some old games ill playthrough, pyschonauts, bloodrayne 2, The Movies. Left 4 Dead.

Anyone got some good F2P suggestions?

There are a ton of games I lost selling my xbox 360 I want again. Arkham Ayslum, the bioshock games, the gtas.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

What is the first game you are going to play?

Dwarf Fortress!

Ok, that is hilarious. I was actually considering what games might be able to make use of all the CPU power and Dwarf Fortress immediately came to mind. OP could run one hell of a fortress on that rig.

I concur with your summation though. 970 is the sweet spot right now for price performance, and I would have gotten a larger SSD. My first SSD was 120 and it was a constant chore trying to keep it properly trimmed down. The current one is in the 200's and I dumped a few load-time-hungry games on there along with the OS and it's still got room to spare.

I've got a 512 gb ssd right now and it is great.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

In terms of raw power it looks good, and while you paid the prebuilt tax it doesn't look like it was a particular steep case of prebuilt tax.

I would have gone for a larger SSD, it is crazy how fast those things fill up, and it has an excessive amount of memory for the current gamescape, but that's fine because it future proofs it a bit.

I think you made the right choice with the GPU, I don't think the 970 to 980 jump is worth $400 at the moment.

That processor is massive overkill for gaming, but again future proofing is good. The i5 they offered was probably not good enough, and since swapping out a CPU is probably something you are going to be unwilling to do that was probably a good decision as well.

So all in all looks like a good rig with some decent future proofing. I would have built it myself, but I have a ton of experience in that area and prebuilts are getting better these days. So good choices all around. What is the first game you are going to play?

Probably um.... Hotline Miami.

Yeah.... Unfortunately the computer means Im going to be kinda cash poor for a bit. I got a box of some old games ill playthrough, pyschonauts, bloodrayne 2, The Movies. Left 4 Dead.

Anyone got some good F2P suggestions?

There are a ton of games I lost selling my xbox 360 I want again. Arkham Ayslum, the bioshock games, the gtas.

World of Tanks is really fun
World of Warships is also good
Dwarf Fortress is a game that I think people should try to see if they like it, just make sure you do that with the wiki open.
There is a new orcs must die game that is in beta and is FTP, I think it is orcs must die unchained?
There are several MOBAS that are worth playing, especially if you can get a couple friends. Lol, smite, dota 2, heroes of the storm. There are probably more.
Hearthstone is worth playing.
Keep an eye out on humble bundle dot com, you can usually pick up a few games a week for a dollar there.

I've got old humble bundle steam keys for Sonic Generations, Gunpoint, and Monaco I have been looking to offload if you are interested (all great games, but redundant keys for me).

 

[Jamash]

Anyone got some good F2P suggestions?

Warframe is a good and enjoyable F2P game.

It plays like the bastard child of Dynasty Warriors and Unreal Tournament and is certainly worth a punt if you like the sound of a fast paced 3rd person shooter and hack'n'slash Space Ninja-'em up type of game.

Like all games with a similar business model, it can be a bit of a grind (but an enjoyable grind), but it's not pay to win (as most of the things unique items you can buy with Platinum (the game's real world currency) are cosmetic items, almost everything else can be earned in game) and the majority of the game can be played on your own if multiplayer isn't your thing.

It certainly offers a lot of content for free, so it would be worth checking out and playing until you get to the point of either hating the game and its mechanics, or enjoying it enough to really start to plan out how you're going to advance your game, what Warframe (characters) and weapons you aim to grind for next, and what items you'll buy when the RNGesus blesses you with a 75% off Platinum voucher as a random daily log-in reward.

 

[Areloch]

In terms of raw power it looks good, and while you paid the prebuilt tax it doesn't look like it was a particular steep case of prebuilt tax.

I would have gone for a larger SSD, it is crazy how fast those things fill up, and it has an excessive amount of memory for the current gamescape, but that's fine because it future proofs it a bit.

I think you made the right choice with the GPU, I don't think the 970 to 980 jump is worth $400 at the moment.

That processor is massive overkill for gaming, but again future proofing is good. The i5 they offered was probably not good enough, and since swapping out a CPU is probably something you are going to be unwilling to do that was probably a good decision as well.

So all in all looks like a good rig with some decent future proofing. I would have built it myself, but I have a ton of experience in that area and prebuilts are getting better these days. So good choices all around. What is the first game you are going to play?

Probably um.... Hotline Miami.

Yeah.... Unfortunately the computer means Im going to be kinda cash poor for a bit. I got a box of some old games ill playthrough, pyschonauts, bloodrayne 2, The Movies. Left 4 Dead.

Anyone got some good F2P suggestions?

There are a ton of games I lost selling my xbox 360 I want again. Arkham Ayslum, the bioshock games, the gtas.

Can give Warframe a whirl. SPACE NINJAS!

As for the build, I'll concur with what the others are saying. Looks to be a pretty solid setup, but you'll wanna keep an eye on that SSD and pretty much keep it purely Windows and Windows accessories to make sure it doesn't surprise you with being filled up.

Can always drop another $50 and get another 1tb hard drive for more storage down the line if you run out of space in the 1tb drive you got in there now.

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

snip

Rift is usually a solid option if you want a Wow clone.
Planetside 2 is pretty unique and the PC version is very different than the PS4 version.
GOG.com has a selection of games that they just give away for free, I seriously recommend "Tyrian 2000"

If you look around there are a lot of oddball freeware games out there like Privateer Gemini Gold or Assaultcube or Oolite, depending on how creative you are you might be able to really get into Cube 2 Saurbraten's extensive level editor.

The older Elder Scrolls games went freeware Daggerfall is actually comparatively modern and if you install it through "Daggerfallsetup" its easy to get running

Cave Story Yes its free, yes you should play it
Team Fortress 2 it's old, it's still getting content updates albiet slowly
Battle for Wesnoth, Freeciv, Freecol, Freeorion, all are freeware games with the last three being freeware clones of Sid Meier's games

OBLIGE + Zdoom + Freedoom = endless free doom levels compatible with mods, I recommend either DoomRPG, Russian Overkill or(possibly and) Colourful Hell.

If you go and search "freeware games" instead of "free games" on google you will get a lot better results, and you will get a LOT less of those shady flash game only sites.

itch.io/ Has some decent options but its a bit of a grab bag and finding something isn't always guaranteed.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

As prebuilts go... ehh, that ain't bad. At least you didn't go the Alienware "overclocked midrange computer with $600 alien sticker" route. But you'll wanna put another hard drive in there; I'd recommend a 2TB HDD or 1TB SSD for games, and use the 1TB that's in there now for non-essential, non-startup programs and media.

And as for F2P games, I'd suggest: Warframe, Planetside 2, MechWarrior Online. (Firefall might or might not be up your alley; I fell off the wagon myself.)

 

[chozo_hybrid]

I think you've done a good job, based off what I know. Did you have any games in mind to test it with?

I recently as in a month ago upgraded my PC to turn it into a gaming machine, on a budget, I managed to turn it from a Quad core 2.2 ghz, 4 gigs ram with a GTX 460 to an Intel Core i5-4590 CPU @ 3.3 GHz, 8 Gigs of Ram, NVDIA GeForce GTX 960. On a budget of $600 NZ, I think I did really well. Runs like a beast to me, especially compared to what I used to have. It runs XCOM 2 maxed out at 60fps and many other games I used to have to turn down settings just to run, so I'm happy.

 

[Laughing Man]

i7-6700K is a bit overkill especially if it is being paired with a 970GTX, you could have saved some cash gone for a more than capable i5 and spent the rest on a larger SSD cause that 120Gb is gonna fill up fast. You could also safely have dumped the dedicated sound card as well unless you have gone for a real cheap motherboard you'll find that the onboard stuff on most modern motherboards is more than decent enough for most average users.

Also no point in upgrading to a 980GTX in August, yes it is a more powerful card and yes it will give you some extra FPS on those high demand games but the jump from a 970 to a 980 is not worth it you would be far better waiting to see what the 10series of GPUs bring to the table.

Beyond that the system is more than capable.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

As far as pre-built PCs go, I think it was a pretty good purchase, particularly with the good quality mouse and keyboard included. The case looks pretty cool too.

Games may take advantage of an i7 processor in a few years time. The CPU is by far the most difficult component to upgrade in a PC so you want something that will last. Given that the i7 2600K of early 2011 can run recent games without bottle-necking current high-end GPUs, your i7-6700k will be a very capable gaming CPU for a loooooooong time to come. With 16 GB of DDR4 you won't have to think about upgrading RAM for a very long time as well. Games are really only starting to need 8GB of RAM.

The 128 GB SSD will be fine IMO, as you got sufficient room for the OS and a game or two to play (Witcher 3 sits at 38.9 GB for example). Don't use more than 80% of the SSD capacity as doing so will make it run noticeably slower (at least until some extra space is freed up).

I agree with Laughing Man, don't upgrade to the GTX 980, it will be obsolete by August (they have probably stopped manufacturing it by now to make way for the 1070 and 1080). You can easily overclock your 970 to a stock 980 level of performance. Overclocking with MSI afterburner is pretty simple and idiot proof these days. Just research a safe 970 overclock, and you will ultimately save yourself the cost of buying a 980.

The GTX 970 will definitively be the first component that will need to be upgraded, as it is beginning to show its age. That said, if you game at 1080p, it should serve you very well for another couple of years.

Overall, thumbs up, dude.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

As far as pre-built PCs go, I think it was a pretty good purchase, particularly with the good quality mouse and keyboard included. The case looks pretty cool too.

Games may take advantage of an i7 processor in a few years time. The CPU is by far the most difficult component to upgrade in a PC so you want something that will last. Given that the i7 2600K of early 2011 can run recent games without bottle-necking current high-end GPUs, your i7-6700k will be a very capable gaming CPU for a loooooooong time to come. With 16 GB of DDR4 you won't have to think about upgrading RAM for a very long time as well. Games are really only starting to need 8GB of RAM.

The 128 GB SSD will be fine IMO, as you got sufficient room for the OS and a game or two to play (Witcher 3 sits at 38.9 GB for example). Don't use more than 80% of the SSD capacity as doing so will make it run noticeably slower (at least until some extra space is freed up).

I agree with Laughing Man, don't upgrade to the GTX 980, it will be obsolete by August (they have probably stopped manufacturing it by now to make way for the 1070 and 1080). You can easily overclock your 970 to a stock 980 level of performance. Overclocking with MSI afterburner is pretty simple and idiot proof these days. Just research a safe 970 overclock, and you will ultimately save yourself the cost of buying a 980.

The GTX 970 will definitively be the first component that will need to be upgraded, as it is beginning to show its age. That said, if you game at 1080p, it should serve you very well for another couple of years.

Overall, thumbs up, dude.

I'm glad to hear that about the CPU, as that was the least knowledgeable area I had in purchasing this... I kinda just went with the graphics card and hoped that it would fall in line XD

Actually this very Computer is built to be overclocked, it's got a big red button right on top (in addition to a menu inside the computer with preset levels) but I know absolutely nothing about overclocking so I wasn't even thinking about touching it. Doesn't that wear out the parts faster or something?

 

[Stu35]

10 Years ago I'd have mocked you relentlessly for buying a pre-built gaming PC.

5 Years ago I'd have snorted with derision but ultimately said it's up to you.

Last year I bought Alienware with my retention bonus...

 

[Cowabungaa]

Yeah you overpaid like $400-500 or something, if not more, for that hardware. But performance-wise it'll be fine and at least it came with some peripherals.

F2P game suggestions? If you somewhat liked the core concept of World of Tanks/Warships or something similar I can wholeheartedly recommend Mechwarrior Online. Because while it's the same type of gameplay, but with gigantic Western mechs instead of tanks or boats, it does away with the grind and gives you 16(!) fully decked out free mechs to play with. And there's no grinding to unlock tech trees either. It looked daunting for me at first, but the two little tutorials made it clear it was way simpler and easier to play than I thought it would be.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

I'm glad to hear that about the CPU, as that was the least knowledgeable area I had in purchasing this... I kinda just went with the graphics card and hoped that it would fall in line XD

Actually this very Computer is built to be overclocked, it's got a big red button right on top (in addition to a menu inside the computer with preset levels) but I know absolutely nothing about overclocking so I wasn't even thinking about touching it. Doesn't that wear out the parts faster or something?

Heavy overclocking does tend to wear out parts faster but not to the extent that it matters for the vast majority of users. A reasonable overclock may shorten the life of a component by a year on two...after it has served for more than a decade. Most people would have upgraded well before the component craps out.

Overclocking your i7 6700K is pointless, you won't gain any noticeable improvement in games and it will flood the case with a lot of extra heat if you don't have a high quality CPU cooler. Excess heat is the main reason why OCed parts wear out faster, not the overclock itself. Stick with overclocking the GTX 970 using MSI afterburner (the software your PC comes with probably works fine but most guides use MSI afterburner). You will need to research what is a safe overclock for a 970, as well as do some trial and error.

Here's a good place to start if you are interested:
http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2749337/safe-gpu-overclocking-guide-2015.html

 

[Objectable]

Of course we're gonna mock you! You're using a PC! We all know that the best way to play games is on the PS4.