PC Gaming Specs

[milo2215]

Hell I bought a $350 Asus at Best Buy. It works amazingly well.

 

[Zero47]

It's much cheaper to find a little independant computer store who can build it for you.
That's what I did and I saved about 200 euros, (paid 800 for specs that cost 1000 on the highstreet)

Seconded. For my new PC I found a hardware store that offers assembly for extra pay, beats store prices by a longshot. Another benefit is that you get to choose the best stuff suiting your needs.

800$ is a bit low for a gaming computer though.

Made a possible setup cause I felt like it.

Intel Core i5 2500K / 3.3 GHz
Sapphire RADEON HD 6770
WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX
ASRock P67 Pro3
Antec Three Hundred (case)
Scythe Mugen 3 Heat Pipe CPU Cooler
OCZ ModXStream Pro
Corsair Vengeance 2x4g

This set up will cost you around 822$. I went for i5 because processors "age" better than videocards. This investment will allow you to keep playing the new titles for very long without the need to upgrade CPU. Radeon offers more bang for buck on their cheaper models and replacing the video card and playing at normal quality is most cost effective. Scythe coolers get good reviews everywhere and are quite cheap, same for the RAM. The motherboard offers full sandy bridge support (the i3/i5/i7 are hard to overclock without). Went for a cheap-ish case, decent 500w power supply and 500g hd space.

 

[M920CAIN]

Stop being lazy and buy the part for your computer individually... geez you'll be much happier with it that way... and you have manufacturer warranty in each case so don't sweat it...

 

[SundayRoast]

ATI Radeon HD 7xxx series is coming out in December.

That's where my money is going.

 

[6037084]

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/
Really useful sites
also I'd recomend the radeon HD 6790 it's awesome and not very expensive.

 

[ultimateownage]

A warranty is nothing compared to the price saving of building it. You will never get a good gaming PC for that much, but you could if you built it yourself. When buying a ready made one, they often change things to it so that if for example you want to upgrade your RAM you have to buy THEIR RAM.

 

[Callate]

The AMD line, particularly the new x6s, have performed quite well in comparison to the lower-end Intel line. Depending on what's available it might be cheaper to get one of those with a decent video card rather than crashing all your money on one of Intel's splashier chips.

Cyberpower has some PCs available on Tiger Direct for under $800 with the HD 6770, which runs Far Cry 2 at an average of 75fps at 1680x1050 according to one benchmark, so it's certainly possible to pick up a decent gaming PC for under $800.

 

[YawningAngel]

So, I'm in great need of a new gaming computer. I have around $800 to work with. I don't want a gaming laptop, they seem to be more finicky than desktops. So, a gaming desktop computer for $800. I don't wan to build it, as a warranty is a nice thing to have. That said, I am interested in what particular processors/ram GB's/Graphics Cards/and other things I should be looking out for.

Should I go with Intel or AMD?
What graphics cards would be good with those processors?



[small]side note: I know that the first few comments are likely going to include: "It's much cheaper to make your own." Please try to avoid saying this, I know it is true, it is just not something I'm looking at doing now.[/small]

You should be aware that you get a warranty with the parts you buy if you build it yourself. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006736%20600030537&IsNodeId=1&name=Gaming would be your best bet, but I can't stress enough how much you save building it yourself.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

For graphics ide go with something in the RADEON 69xx series, and personaly I like AMD over Intel but that is purely my prefference

Ati cards to tend to overheat quite a lot, and some of them(whilst providing excellent graphical gaming quality) can't play HD/Blu ray Movies in actual High Definition.

OT: Personally, I would go for an Intel quad core with an nvidia GT 400-500 card, as they are quite cheap, but perform quite.

(Additionally, Im thinking of getting PNY GTS 450/GTX 550 next year)

 

[Balls Mandingo]

here's my rig:
Intel 2 Quad Core CPU 3Ghz
4GB RAM
Windows 7 64 bit
Nvidia GeForce GTS 250

don't exactly remember how much it cost, I put it all together years ago. But I do remember it took some saving up. But it can play everything I've bought on high graphics and high resolution with no problems

 

[whiteshark12]

I5 2500K
MSI GD45
560ti
8gb RAM
1tb HDD

Comes out to somewhere near $800 I think (UK here) and that will run everything bar metro 2033 or crazy shit like that on max, and will last for a long time.

e: also, build your own or you are an idiot if you want a high-end machine, they will cut corners on important components like PSU and the graphics card will not be up to scratch. building a PC this day and age is basically like large lego with 8 pieces.

 

[viranimus]

Yep, Asus/ASROCK intel centric Mobos, EVGA Nvidia centric GPUs for me personally.

I love the look of AMD stuff, but, reliability is infinitely more important than bleeding edge to me personally.

 

[octafish]

snip
Any recommendations for a graphics card in general? Say I want to play Metro 2033 (lets shoot for the moon), what Nvidia would you recommend?

For Metro 2033 on a single 1080 monitor completely maxed out? You will need a dual card. I have a GTX 580 and with all the bells and whistles turned on I get about 20 FPS. The game scales well though and looked good even when I was running it on my old HD4890. I don't see many 400 series cards for sale any more but if you can find a GTX 460 1GB that isn't an SE model that is a good buy and should be cheap.

If you don't have a monitor then don't scrimp on it, your monitor will be with you through at least two PC builds.

 

[luke10123]

It's much cheaper to find a little independant computer store who can build it for you.
That's what I did and I saved about 200 euros, (paid 800 for specs that cost 1000 on the highstreet)

Seconded. For my new PC I found a hardware store that offers assembly for extra pay, beats store prices by a longshot. Another benefit is that you get to choose the best stuff suiting your needs.

800$ is a bit low for a gaming computer though.

Made a possible setup cause I felt like it.

Intel Core i5 2500K / 3.3 GHz
Sapphire RADEON HD 6770
WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX
ASRock P67 Pro3
Antec Three Hundred (case)
Scythe Mugen 3 Heat Pipe CPU Cooler
OCZ ModXStream Pro
Corsair Vengeance 2x4g

Pretty similar to what I was looking at a few weeks ago. ended up with a HD6870 and with an Phenom II x4 965 black edition. Under 750 euro in a Antec Skeletal case. Always done well with Intel, but I think I'm a converted AMD fan now, was a lot cheaper overall and the performance is pretty damn impressive

 

[crazypsyko666]

Hey, I don't know how late I am on this bandwagon, but I thought I'd jump on. I built a machine a few years ago (which still works beautifully) and I was wondering if you were looking for peripherals.

ASUS makes some great, cheap 1080p monitors for a little over a hundred dollars. I have one hooked up to my desktop PC and my PS3. They both display beautifully. Most of them come with a VGA, DVI and HDMI port. Some of them come with Audio options, so that's worth looking into. The Audio isn't great, but you can plug in a 2.1 speaker system into it into the headphone jack and cover that up.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=Asus+1080p&x=0&y=0

If you check google shopping you can order a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium (you don't need anything more than that, to be honest) for less than 100 dollars

[link]http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Windows+7+home+premium&um=1&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=606&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4979755892271826252&sa=X&ei=t06XTraqOaTjiALB3aygDQ&ved=0CHQQ8wIwAQ#start=20[/link]

Mice don't HAVE to be expensive, but Razer mice (at least the ones that aren't made by Microsoft) are very reliable, precise and are well worth paying for if you want to shell out.

http://www.razerzone.com/

Also, if you can scrape up the cash and can find one, I still use my ancient gamepad/keyboard called the Ideazon Fang. The company's out of business, but Windows still recognizes it as a keyboard and it's the most comfortable setup for PC games I've ever used.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823161023

Good luck, and happy gaming!

 

[Spoon E11]

I would reccmomend intel CPU and nVidia GPU.

i5200k is a safe bet. along with the GTX 560 (no TI you dont get much difernce in performance)

anyway thats what I'm currently using I get 90 FPS on highest graphics settings on SC2 and 40 FPS on BF3 beta highest settings (70 on low).

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

AMD is supposedly "the processor of a true gamer" but I've always had Intel so can't say for certain.

Right now unless things have changed recently (and they usually do) ATI is in the spotlight for the most powerful graphics card. Which means you should be able to get the one you want cheaper than you would if you bought the same relative specs if you went with nVidia.

I would strongly recommend building your computer to marry in with your processor. You can always swop out a graphics card or add ram. But replacing a processor is a pain in the ass and if you go with water cooled like I did no tech guy will touch it. So I say processor power is your main priority.

 

[Gamblerjoe]

If you are not going to build it yourself, then you are not going to get the PC you want for $800. I looked at a lot of gaming PCs in this price range, and all of them had something wrong with them, in addition to the fact that none of them had a quality power supply. I have never put a PC together before, but Im told its not difficult in the least. I currently have a pile of computer parts in the mail and Im super excited to do this.

Ill show you what I got. It essentially consists of not the best of everything, but some of the best values on the market right now. Others may find better bargains on certain things, but after the lofty amount of research I did, I had to finally just pull the trigger.

This is where I eventually found myself. [http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/gaming-desktop-computer.html] I took everything from the first list, except for the case and PSU which i took from the second list. I also went with 8G of Ram.

If you absolutely refuse to put it together yourself, know that you will pay at least another $100 dollars, and at least one or two parts will be substandard. Many people just look at the amount of RAM a PC has, with no regard for the reputation of the manufacturer or the RAM's clock speed. Nearly everyone overlooks the PSU. This part has a huge effect on your electric bill and longevity of your PC.

Another problem with purchasing a prebuilt gaming PC is that sometimes a company like Newegg will be cranking them out, and mess something up. Iv even heard stories of hard drives just being loose in the case and shipped that way (with it free to flop around smacking into your expensive bits.) If you put it together yourself you can have the peace of mind that A) the parts will be shipped in the manufacturers packaging, and B) it will get put together right.

Anyway, scour the interwebs. Look at good sites like Tigerdirect. The prices of the builds in that link have actually come down slightly, and Tigerdirect is still the least expensive on every individual part. If you get a prebuilt machine, educate yourself on what PSU you need and make sure the one you have is sufficient.

Also, dont expect a prebuilt machine to have a good video card. Look for one that just has an on-board card and then buy the one you want separately. Even if you dont care to mess around under the hood, popping in a video card is child's play.

Tell me, before attempting to build this, how much of a tech background do you have? My knowledge of the hardware of computers is very limited, I wouldn't know where to even begin building.

Also, looking at the $570 model, I don't have a coppy of windows 7, so tack on another $100 and I want at least a decent monitor, which this sight insists is at least $80, though I'd argue I could find something comparable around $50. So it becomes $570 plus $150, totaling out to $720. I've been finding comparable builds on newegg for just about that price that come with 7 and, in some cases, a good monitor. I don't see the major advantage.

I have no technical background that pertains to building computers. Iv upgraded my RAM once, thats it. Im just relying on the fact that I am technically inclined and a quick study. Im just a college dropout with about 1/3 of an electrical engineering degree. I took DC networks 1 which had a lab portion, so I know my way around a breadboard, but all in all this does nothing more than give me confidence.

My order from Tigerdirect consists of 10 items: Motherboard, RAM, CPU, Hard Drive, PSU, DVD drive, Video Card, Case, Keyboard, and Windows 7 64 bit. It came to $869 before $50 worth of rebates. I grabbed a Razer Naga mouse and a tool kit from Best Buy, and Im gonna grab some Arctic Silver thermal paste form Radio Shack. Im still up in the air on the monitor.

The major advantage to this build over Newegg builds is that every single part was manufactured by a reputable company. I absolutely scoured Newegg before settling on this build, and I even considered some of them. After delving into the details on them, I kept finding something wrong. I could have probably settled and I would never know the difference, but I am a very thorough and picky person.

If you go for the prebuilt, you should at least write off the PSU and Video card. Then look at what those will cost you and add it to the price. I found that every well priced build on Newegg was lacking in those departments. They all have either an on-board card or a $50 pos they are trying to unload on unsuspecting and uneducated gamers.

To sum up what you need for a PSU, run your specs through a calculator then double the wattage they give you. If your PC needs 350W and you get a 350W power supply, thats like buying a new car and flooring it everywhere you go. Its going to run inefficiently, and its going to put excess wear and tear on your system. That electricity you are wasting (and I assume paying for) is being transformed into, you guessed it, heat. Also, if your system is underpowered, there is a greater chance of tripping the Over Current System or even more likely the Over Temperature System. These systems are like little circuit breakers integrated into the PSU. This is what is happening to all the people who give negative reviews saying their system bricked in less than a week.

Iv considered the warranty thing, and initially I decided not to build my own for that reason. After further reflection I remembered that warranties are a total racket and said fuck it. The individual parts might have warranties, I really didnt pay attention. As far as the physical building goes, you could visit a local computer shop and have them do it. They could probably give you even better advice as well. They do that for a living, Im just a gaming enthusiast.

 

[jboking]

You guys have been great. I've decided to look into a local PC company in the area and I feel I'll be headed towards AMD for processor and video card. All of your advice has been taken to heart, I even have some of your comments printed out for review!

Thank you all so much for helping me get back into PC gaming.

Spoiler: Sentimental note

It's threads like these that made me want to come to the escapist back in 2008. You see so few of them these days. Thanks for everything.

 

[Gamblerjoe]

Best of luck! I just got my parts in 2 days ago and got it all put together that day. Iv been cracking out on games I never could have played on my old PC since. It was all totally easy and I couldn't be happier with my build. Hooking up all the cables to the motherboard was time consuming but its set up so that its impossible to plug anything into the wrong port or backwards.