A decent gaming PC?

Burning Eclipse

So, my 30th birthday is coming up, and I'm toying with the idea of getting myself a decent PC, but I'm not 100% yet. I haven't had something that could be classified as up to date (in gaming terms) in about 10/12 years.

Assuming I have to buy everything - which I do - what I'd like to know is how much it's going to cost me? I'm looking for a decent quality rig, but I can't afford to spend a fortune either (Those things used to conflict with each other, now I don't know). I'm so out of the loop I don't even know which processor/gfx I should be looking at. Intel/AMD or Nvidia/ATI? I don't want to buy something now, but find it struggling with the likes of Thief next year, which is why I've come here.

Final question, and I'm asking this in here, because usually if people post in 'computers and technology' they're told to consider a build anyway. Would Dell/Alienware ever constitute anything close to value... reason I ask is I get a 15% discount, which isn't too shabby, but I know the perception is they're horribly over-priced! My point is if an XPS/X51 is €50/100 more expensive than a similar build once my discount is taken into consideration, I'd probably go with that... why, because of support.

Like I said, I'm really out of the loop, so I'd appreciate any advice I can get here.

BloodBath

Fill this in. Entry level is about 400-600. Mid range 700-1000. High end 1k+. Whether you need windows and a monitor or not will affect these ranges. From what I've seen even with that 15% discount you still won't get close to a custom built pc. I was looking at an Alienware that was priced at 1750 that could be built for about 1000.

1. What is your budget? [€xxx]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.]

Burning Eclipse

BloodBath wrote: »

Fill this in. Entry level is about 400-600. Mid range 700-1000. High end 1k+. Whether you need windows and a monitor or not will affect these ranges. From what I've seen even with that 15% discount you still won't get close to a custom built pc. I was looking at an Alienware that was priced at 1750 that could be built for about 1000.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! Based on your prices, I'm looking at mid range I guess.

1. What is your budget? [€800]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming] (Bioshock Infinite, Minecraft(lol), GTA V, BF4, Thief 4, Watchdogs)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [sadly not]

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes], or I could hook it up to living room TV possibly

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [whatever is decent, but allows me to spend my money on better components]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes - why not]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [Depends on how much this costs - in the next couple of weeks I guess]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Based in Limerick, but a mate is an electronic engineer, so I should be ok on that front]

So this would cost me €850, but has no monitor, just as an example. Now, that looks like a fine system to me (and superficially, wouldn't look out of place in my living room for example), but I don't know if it's up to much performance wise.

Could people spec 1 €800 build with a monitor, and 1 without?!

Generic Dreadhead

I don't understand the want people have for Windows 8.
I would have stayed on XP for the rest of my days if I could.
Windows 8 is more like using a smartphone or Xbox dashboard.
What version of Windows are you most used to?
I only ask as I'm in the process of building a computer and after trying Windows 8 I knew I have to get Windows 7 as it was too weird trying to use the bloody thing

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/operating-systems/windows-8-1093002/review

Burning Eclipse

FWIW, for the last year I've done my PC gaming on a 15" laptop... 4GB Ram, Core i5-2430M, and GT 525M.

uncle_sam_ie

Cormac... wrote: »

I don't understand the want people have for Windows 8.
I would have stayed on XP for the rest of my days if I could.
Windows 8 is more like using a smartphone or Xbox dashboard.
What version of Windows are you most used to?
I only ask as I'm in the process of building a computer and after trying Windows 8 I knew I have to get Windows 7 as it was too weird trying to use the bloody thing

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/operating-systems/windows-8-1093002/review

Install one if the free apps that bring back the start menu and you get a supercharged win7. Once you get past the metroUI there is nothing wrong with win 8.

BloodBath

Well I went for an €850 budget to match the alienware cost. (and still went over it )

Build with monitor
Item|Price
AMD FX-6300 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€121.53
ASRock 970DE3/U3S3, AM3+, ATX|€55.64
8GB-Kit G.Skill RipJaws-X PC3-12800U CL9|€52.48
Club 3D Radeon HD 7870 XT jokerCard, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort|€209.88
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€33.20
2 x ARCTIC COOLING ARCTIC F12|€6.44
be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 400W|€38.94
LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R|€14.64
LG Flatron IPS234V|€149.00
Revoltec Wired Gaming Mouse W102|€8.58
MS Windows 8 64bit (SB-Version) Englisch|€85.37
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€58.85
LG DH18NS schwarz bare SATA II|€12.79
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€866.33

A significantly better graphics card than the alienware. The processor is not as good at stock levels but can be overclocked. You will need a decent after market cpu cooler to get good overclocks. (costs about €30) A 1tb instead of 2tb drive and a normal dvd drive instead of the blu ray but includes a great ips 23" monitor. Overall it should perform better than the alienware in games, is overclockable and has decent upgrade options.

Build without monitor.
Item|Price
Intel Core i5-3570K Box, LGA1155|€209.08
ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€83.99
8GB-Kit G.Skill RipJaws-X PC3-12800U CL9|€52.48
Club 3D Radeon HD 7870 XT jokerCard, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort|€209.88
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€58.85
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€33.20
2 x ARCTIC COOLING ARCTIC F12|€6.44
be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 400W|€38.94
MS Windows 8 64bit (SB-Version) Englisch|€85.37
LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R|€14.64
Revoltec Wired Gaming Mouse W102|€8.58
LG DH18NS schwarz bare SATA II|€12.79
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - Intel/AMD|€29.50
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€862.73

Upgraded the processor to the overclockable intel i5 with a good cooler that will allow you to reach clock speeds of around 4.5ghz.

Burning Eclipse

BloodBath wrote: »

Well I went for an €850 budget to match the alienware cost. (and still went over it )

Upgraded the processor to the overclockable intel i5 with a good cooler that will allow you to reach clock speeds of around 4.5ghz.

Dat heat sink and fan :pac:

Thanks for speccing those up man, nice to see what can be had for that amount of money. I guess at this point, it's about how much value I place on a small form factor, not having to build the thing, and 1 year of next day in home support. Hmmm.

Actually, I do have another question... 1 system was AMD, 1 was Intel, no hassle there, but I notice you went with same GFX in both systems... is that a particularly good performer for it's price or is Radeon ahead of Nvidia now? Like I said, well out of the loop.

Gumbi

7870XT crushes anything nVidia has at that price point, especially when you consider it's overclocking capabilities.

BloodBath

Yep as gumbi said it outperforms even the 660ti. It's closer to the 7950 and 670gtx in performance.

If you want to spend €15 more for a better cooler on the card which should run cooler and quieter and allow higher overclocks you could get the sapphire version.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/2048+MB/75632/Sapphire+Radeon+HD+7870+XT+Boost%2C+2GB+GDDR5%2C+DVI%2C+HDMI%2C+2x+Mini+DisplayPort%2C+lite+retail.article

Alternatively you could get the club3d model on amazon and get tomb raider and bioshock infinite for free.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Club-3D-7870XTV-JokerCard-Graphic/dp/B00BF9EYFM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365691483&sr=8-2&keywords=7870xt