Buying a Gaming PC

I seriously considered building my own computer. Then I went to my local computer shop to realize that the savings related to having them build it for you was not worth the trouble. But that is for me where I have a very decent salary and saving 100-200$ for trouble is not interesting.

I think it all depends on what you want. Knowing the components of a computer and how to swap them out is a very useful skill to have. It will save you time and money in the future. Not everyone is comfortable with it, and imo the hardest part is hooking up all the little cables for power button, fans, front usb, etc. But really all newer stuff is pretty intuitive to hook up. The down side is you can run into issues like one of my roomates where he just built his own PC and it is randomly blue screening and he doesn't know why. But his brother got the exact same PC built it, and it works fine.

I think it all depends on what you want. Knowing the components of a computer and how to swap them out is a very useful skill to have. It will save you time and money in the future. Not everyone is comfortable with it, and imo the hardest part is hooking up all the little cables for power button, fans, front usb, etc. But really all newer stuff is pretty intuitive to hook up. The down side is you can run into issues like one of my roomates where he just built his own PC and it is randomly blue screening and he doesn't know why. But his brother got the exact same PC built it, and it works fine.

 

It would appear one brother is smarter than the other. Also, my guide to computer repair is to call Shad. Its 1/1.

Here is my newegg.com wish list: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWi...Number=14312607

 

The new Intel chips and mobos are amazing on performance but they are a bit pricier. If your looking to go economical I would get an AMD chipset instead.

 

As long as you know how to pick out compatible components (ie. amd mobo+intel processor=bad lol), putting together a system is not that hard. Seating the processor is the only task that actually requires a delicate touch. If you bend just one of those silicon pins by accident, you just lost yourself a few hundred bucks lol.

 

My only other tip is don't skimp on the Power Supply. Get a name brand (thermaltake, pcpnp, etc) with at least 3-4 25V rails and 750+ watts of power. You will save yourself the headache of never having to see a windows blue screen again.

Edited February 11, 2009 by Booyaah

Since you're scare Q, here's a guide for PC builder virgins from Lifehacker.

 

http://lifehacker.com/5151369/the-first+ti...er-from-scratch

It would appear one brother is smarter than the other. Also, my guide to computer repair is to call Shad. Its 1/1.

 

LOL I should start answering "Duncan's computer repair hotline"

hahaha

I won't go in to a bunch of computer tech stuffs, since most all of that has already been covered. However, The antec cases that are listed are among my favorites. Lian Li also makes some nice cases, but you'll spend a good bit more for them. I typically use Antec cases when I build things.

 

Also, coincidentally, I got a Newegg.com advertisement today, and one of the items listed was the following monitor:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009125&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL021209&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL021209-_-Monitors-_-L0A-_-24009125

 

Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP

 

Things to note are that this monitor has HDMI inputs, which I find quite handy. Additionally, a 2ms response time is really really good. It won't matter much in WoW, but if you play other games, FPS for example that specification is quite important. Most monitors will range somewhere between 5ms and 8ms. Lastly, a 3000:1 contrast ratio is excellent for an LCD monitor; especially at this price point.

 

Oddly, the add had it shown for $259, but when I clicked the link so I could link it here directly, it seems to show up as being $279. Regardless, it's an excellent deal. Mine is basically the same monitor, from Dell, and I love it. However, I paid $400 more than this one is listed for, about 2 years ago.

Shad: Yeah i'm not sure which is better for me at the moment. I'd love to learn the insides of a computer but i'm not sure if its worth the full 2 days that Ecths link says it will probably take.

 

Booyah: A little too pricey for me, and yeah... i don't have the steadiest of hands either, and stuff like that is the exact reason why im not sure i want to put the risk on myself.

 

Ecth: Thanks bud, if i do decide to build my comp this will help a lot

 

Ilduce: Thanks for the find. This monitor fits perfectly in my quality/price range and i might order one this weekend

 

Say i don't decide to build my own computer and don't have anyone else to buy the parts and build it for me... what's the next best option?

 

Should i start researching prebuilt machines from NewEgg or should i look into buying one locally.... or maybe from phoenix cuz they probably have a lot more options than Tucson.

Say i don't decide to build my own computer and don't have anyone else to buy the parts and build it for me... what's the next best option?

 

Should i start researching prebuilt machines from NewEgg or should i look into buying one locally.... or maybe from phoenix cuz they probably have a lot more options than Tucson.

There's a lot in that link I put up that I don't agree with; namely that it'll take 2 days, and to buy local. I get all my stuff from wholesalers and even on the first computer I built it took me a few hours to get it assembled and the software installed.

 

If you're not going to build one yourself, I'd honestly buy a Dell. I'm going to sound STUPIDLY biased considering I work for them, but in my opinion it's by far the best route. Not only do we have some of the best warranties in the biz, but our gaming machines are really something else. Also our entire shtick is that you custom build the PC with the options and features that you want. Head over to Dell.com and take a look, you can even place the order online. I have never, and will never buy a PC from a big box store, as they're typically garbage bargan basement hardware and their support / warranties are spotty.

 

But, that's just my opinion.

Dell is trying to be really aggressive in their gamer pc market and I agree they have some really great products. If you don't end up building your own PC Q, they're something to look at.

 

It shouldn't take you two days, it's mostly tedious work like screwing the motherboard to the case (which is like 80 friggin screws) and plugging in wires. It's really not that bad

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009125&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL021209&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL021209-_-Monitors-_-L0A-_-24009125

 

Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP

 

Personally... I really woulden't go for an Acer Monitor. I recently had one and it had a couple of dead pixels. I went with a gateway monitor and it was amazing. Crystal Clear, No dead pixels, Soft touch buttons on the side. It's beautiful

 

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Sea...&CatId=3774

 

^ Mine

Edited February 13, 2009 by Trenton

I just picked up a Q9400 today for $190 from microcenter really good deal, imo, 2.6 GHz, 6mb cache, core 2 quad.

I have the 26' of the gateway, its pretty amazing

Edited February 13, 2009 by honki

Here is my newegg.com wish list: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWi...Number=14312607

 

The new Intel chips and mobos are amazing on performance but they are a bit pricier. If your looking to go economical I would get an AMD chipset instead.

 

As long as you know how to pick out compatible components (ie. amd mobo+intel processor=bad lol), putting together a system is not that hard. Seating the processor is the only task that actually requires a delicate touch. If you bend just one of those silicon pins by accident, you just lost yourself a few hundred bucks lol.

 

My only other tip is don't skimp on the Power Supply. Get a name brand (thermaltake, pcpnp, etc) with at least 3-4 25V rails and 750+ watts of power. You will save yourself the headache of never having to see a windows blue screen again.

 

This is totally a wish list computer build. Far too much for any wow player and far too expensive. i7 intel is hardcore along with Geforce GX295 and DDr3 memory. Obviouly it will run very good but you pay a lot for the ultimate computer.

There's a lot in that link I put up that I don't agree with; namely that it'll take 2 days, and to buy local. I get all my stuff from wholesalers and even on the first computer I built it took me a few hours to get it assembled and the software installed.

 

If you're not going to build one yourself, I'd honestly buy a Dell. I'm going to sound STUPIDLY biased considering I work for them, but in my opinion it's by far the best route. Not only do we have some of the best warranties in the biz, but our gaming machines are really something else. Also our entire shtick is that you custom build the PC with the options and features that you want. Head over to Dell.com and take a look, you can even place the order online. I have never, and will never buy a PC from a big box store, as they're typically garbage bargan basement hardware and their support / warranties are spotty.

 

But, that's just my opinion.

 

I'll go check it out and see if i can't put together a gaming PC from the other information that i've gotten from you guys and i'll post it so you can see how i did

 

Hmm, Gateway vs Acer!!!! Gateway is the more familiar name to me but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

 

I'll keep looking and post any other questions here

yea i was gonna say get a dell too, lol. they are really decent machines imo, my xps 710 is the only one i had the mobo crap out on me and that was after about 3 or 4 years, other than that never any problems. on dells website when you "build" a machine by customizing your parts it really helps in the learning path to eventually building an entirely custom machine.

 

i heart my two dells (desktop and laptop). only small things have shit out on me on the desktop (cd-rom) and i've had no issues with the laptop. i'd also say get a dell. when my desktop has some sort of failure like ben's did then yes, i'll probably get myself a "kimball" but until then my dell has been serving me just fine for almost 4 years.

My GF has a Dell Gaming Laptop and she LOVES it. She also told me that she fried her motherboard once and Dell practically Bowed at her feet to get it fixed and that kind of service is rare to find. I'm really thinking about starting with a dell for now considering the extra problems of "build it yourself" are just things i really need to avoid atm. I'm only on lunch break so ima go screw around a little and hopefully have a pre-built by tonight for you guys to check out.

 

Ecth- Since your an employee i was wondering if you had any inside information on the best deals or anything else of the sort.

 

Thanks guys

No I can't save you any money =P

Q if you didnt move to the other side of the country I would build it for you. I can help you pick out parts if you decide to build your own. The prob with alot of the pre build systems is they put small and cheap power supples in the systems. They try to build them as cheap as possible. Also the air flow is lacking for the hotter video cards. The cases are often pretty cramped when trying to put a big video cards in them. Also I prefer the nvidia based video cards less driver issues.

 

As far as building a system you can get a higher clock speed out of duel core for the buck. The quads are more expensive and lower clock. Alot of the new games coming out are threaded so it might be better idea to go for the quad though.

 

As far as screens go I really like the samsungs. Im also warming up to the lg screens.

 

I totally didnt see your pm btw

Haha thanks Kimball. I've pretty much decided that i'm not going to build my own this time(but next time for sure =P) but i'll be sure to use your info in my decision making.

 

I wasn't asking if you could save me money , Just more of asking if you know of any really nice sales on components or the such if you could point me in their direction.

 

The cases are often pretty cramped when trying to put a big video cards in them.

 

 

>>

 

lol, what I was trying to get at is that I don't have a discount, and I don't get any advanced info on sales we're having. I find out about this stuff the same way everyone else dose; Dell.com.

 

 

Which is freaking lame imo, but meh.

 

Srsly go to our site and look around, find something you like, and customize it. =)

slow down Vincethelion, some of us can't keep up with your sales pitch! Though if you tell me Olympic divers use dell then I'll buy a dozen!