Well.. I am going to make a gaming desktop during this summer but... I need to find some good gaming stuff (CPU, Motherboard, Processor, Graphics Card, Etc.) for it. I really need some good suggestions so please help!
You don't need 'the best stuff'. It's just going to cost you extra money and you aren't going to see huge gains over the last years' model. Get reasonable equipment, treat it well, upgrade when you can. Getting the latest and greatest is expensive. Get what you need.
Don't buy an Xbox One like you told me last night on steam, I can help you. Well, I can help you by directing you to a place where people smarter than me can help you. Go to pcpartpicker.com, make a build. It can be whatever you want in your budget, add parts you think will be good for your use. This is where you will need to decide main factors like how much RAM, whether or not to use Intel or AMD processors, or Nvidia or AMD video cards. This is also where you decide how much storage you will need and what size of case you want. Head to BuildAPC and submit a new text post with the prefix [Build Help]. Post your pcpartpicker build, and wait a few hours for comments to pile in about how atrocious your build is, and take their new build suggestions. They know more than you, trust me. If you are still considering buying the PeasantBox One, head over to the PC master race and post your dilemma. They will convert you. For a good guide on what AMD video card to purchase, consul this graph.
Oh good. I was thinking this thread wouldnt be complete without some PC Master Race circlejerking. Your budget is pretty low, which means youre either going to buy low end components at full price, wait for stuff to go on sale, or simply wait for the price of things to come down. Youre most likely going to wind up with an AMD CPU and an ATI GPU. I run an AMD myself, and theres nothing wrong with that. Theyre usually a better deal than the Intel chips, though the Intel chips usually win horsepower showdowns. AMD motherboards tend to be cheaper as well. You can save money by getting less RAM and then upgrading later. That wont save as much as it used to, because memory has gotten pretty cheap, but its a step. Same thing for the HDD, get a smaller one, then upgrade later. If you play lots of open world games though, and have lots of media, that space fills up fast. If someone says you can buy a cheaper GPU then just buy a second one later, theyre correct, but understand that SLI and Crossfire come with unique challenges, and if you do that you should buy a beefier PSU and larger case than you originally intended to. Make sure the case you get has good reviews, a poor case can ruin the whole experience of building a PC. A bad case will start falling apart immediately, a good case can last for years. Good doesnt have to mean expensive by the way, just keep reading the reviews. The case I am using now has lasted for six years and survived being hauled around to a bunch of LAN parties, as well as being moved. This is all hinging on you having some peripherals to use by the way. If you need to add a monitor to this thing thats another $100 easily, and its going to be really tight. Dont forget Windows adds $75-100, even for the OEM versions. Im not going to steer you immediately away from the Xbox. The main questions to ask there are pretty simple. Do you have lots of friends that have an Xbox? Can you swing the subscription fee for the Xbox Live service? If you have friends to play with, and can do the Xbox Live stuff, you would probably get a lot of enjoyment from an Xbox. Its a single cost for the system, and its bound to be supported for quite some time. The ability to buy used games, and sell old ones, is a nice touch. There are fewer independent games for the system, almost all of which come from the XBL Arcade. In short: yes, you CAN build a PC for that price. Its going to be tricky, and will probably take time to get everything together, but it can be done. Youll have to stay on top of it though. If you have friends that already have them, an Xbox One can be a good investment, as long as you understand the limitations.
That would give you much more leeway in choosing components. Just because you CAN do something on the cheap, doesnt mean you would enjoy it.
Your budget seems to flux quite rapidly. Quick and simple here is a couple decent comp at a current price tag in your budget. I just quickly picked a couple good looking DIY combos on newegg, quick and easy to do. If you want to do a more personalized and specific build id suggest what the people above stated. Or look at the 100 other threads in this forum about PC builds >.> I5-3570K build($753.99): http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1476636 AMD FX-8350 build($805.99): build: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1594804 Not going to have the best of the best with that budget but these two are decent enough for gaming and will suit you just fine. Personally, I would wait if I were you until black friday/cyber monday to do your pc shopping. You will get the most bang out of your buck with the sales going on during that time.
I've never built a computer but I've been following this thread and my question is: Do you pick the parts and they send you a ready-to-use computer or do you actually have to put it together, part by part, in your own home?
You can either buy the parts individually, buy them in a do it yourself combo like Exavious commented, or buy a pre-built PC.
When you buy the components, you put them together. Its actually pretty easy, as everything only goes in one way. As long as you have some common sense, it goes quite smoothly. If I dont give a fuck about cable management, I can go from pieces to PC in under ten minutes. If I am making it look pretty, it can take a lot longer, with lots more swearing. Read a couple guides, watch some videos, and youre golden.
It doesn't sound like you're ready to buy a full-on gaming PC with that kind of budget. Since you need an entire setup and not just some upgrades, it can get pricey quick as with a good monitor alone, you're going to lose about $200 of your budget. Go with an AMD processor. They're cheap and pretty good processors. I don't want to hear any Intel Master Race chants from you folks. Keep in mind you don't need to get the latest and greatest processor. Last year's model still had plenty of play in it and usually can be purchased for quite a bit less. MSI makes some damn good motherboards at an affordable price. They don't have the expandability some companies offer, but they're designed for budgets. I'm truly an Nvidia fan, but a Radeon is going to give you great performance for the cost. Again, last year's model was just fine. RAM is important! Listen, I see so many folks going for the extra 200 megahertz on a processor to get a 3.4GHz chip instead of a 3.2 for an extra $100 and every time I shake my head. You seriously aren't going to notice it. However, sinking that $50 - $100 on an extra 8gigs of RAM will be something you notice. Now, about storage- I know a lot of folks like to boast about having 4 or 5 TB of hard drive space, but seriously, it's another thing you aren't going to need. Unless you do mega amounts of movie editing or downloading, a 1TB or even a 500GB is plenty. If there's a 1TB WD Black for $100 but a 500gb for $30 on sale, go for the 500. It's still going to take you a while to fill it up with games. Power supplies are another thing some folks tend to overcompensate with. Get a power supply that meets your needs! Don't buy a 1,000w power supply when your system only needs 500w. You're wasting money. Tower- make sure your parts fit! Also, don't worry about getting that super fancy case with the turbo charged cooling channels, backlit window, 10 hard drive bays, 30 fan mounts etc.. Like everyone else has said, visit PC building forums and see what other folks are building on a budget. You can get a nice PC for what you're looking to spend, but don't think you're going to run Watchdogs on Ultra settings. Overall, I'd agree with Exavious, though. I'd save my money up until I had a little bit more to play with. Personally, I wouldn't spend it on a console. I skipped this generation of consoles in favor of PC upgrades simply because I can do a lot more with my PC. I'm a huge fan of GTA but not so much for the game as it is, but for the mods the community builds for it. That goes for any PC game, really. The core game is good, but if the community can mod it, you bet they will and it always stretches the value you get out of the game. Skyrim on Xbox is neat, but modded Skyrim on PC is way better. PC is also more upgradeable. As the tech advances, so can your PC. You don't have to wait for an entire generation to pass before getting the latest graphical goodies. However, with that said, I find it a bit disappointing that developers seem to continue to downgrade games so that they run better on consoles.
The size of the console market dwarfs the size of the PC market for several reasons, so thats where developers give the most attention to. I kind of disagree with eightnine on the power supply part, overspeccing your PSU gives you some peace of mind that the power coming into your PC is clean. A marginal power supply will fail sooner, and may even damage components if something happens and it is unable to keep up with the system.
Entirely untrue. A 1,500w power supply from a crappy supplier made from crappy parts will not provide better or cleaner power to your system over a power supply rated for what your system needs from a reputable builder. With that said, buying a power supply rated at 1,500w from a reputable builder that is known for using quality parts when you only need 400w doesn't mean you're wasting electricity or getting a 'better' kind of power, it just means you aren't using the extra ability that you paid for. There are many calculators available online that will tell you your system usage and suggest a wattage to buy. As always, read the reviews and go with a known brand. The only reason to buy a power supply larger than what you need is to give you room for future upgrades. Never buy something just because it has more zero's. Although, if you want, I have some lightning bolt stickers that will make your PC run 50% faster for sale if you're interested.
Way to read half my post there. Yes, stuff from a shitty manufacturer is going to be shitty. I expect youll win some sort of prize for that groundbreaking science. But lets take two Antec power supplies, my preferred supplier. A 430W PSU, in a 400W build, is going to burn out quicker than a 600W PSU. The closer you run a PSU to its max wattage, the harder it is on it, and the more risks you expose your system to. Keep in mind the output of a PSU is vulnerable to drop the older it gets, a marginal PSU will run hotter, further shortening its lifespan. Im not telling him to get a super massive PSU (going with a much larger than needed PSU can actually use more energy due to the way a computer PSU works), but over speccing a little is a good practice, and affords flexibility down the line. As for the lightning bolts, im afraid I have to decline. I have an AMD system, so it is incompatible with the lightning bolt stickers, however my PSU actually has a nice set of racing stripes, which are good for an extra 15% when overclocking.
Truth be told, in regards to your PSU, it is always better to go with quality and a little larger than what you need. Firstly for peace of mind, second for upgrade-ability later on when you want that extra GPU to SLI/CrossFire with. At the minimum I would go with an 80 Plus bronze rated PSU, 80 Plus Gold if you can afford it. Modular is preferable in most cases for cable management and overall system airflow.
