Buying a custom gaming pc, what is the best site?

soccerstud652

soccerstud652

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I am planning on spending about $1000 to buy a new gaming PC and I wanted to know what sites everyone suggests. I am looking for quality work and good customer service.

Thanks
 
[quote name='Oktoberfest']get ready for a barrage of "build the computer yourself" posts...[/quote]

Beat me to it.

Really, I think the extra time/effort is worth having individual warranties on all the parts you buy. It's easier to fix when things go wrong, too, since you know exactly what's in it and installed on it.

I don't know about gaming rigs since I only build desktops, but I've had excellent customer service from Dell for my laptop.
 
i was thinking of the same thing too what sites are the best and what should i get for the best gamer pc

ps trying to play games like halo,gears of war
 
While I can respect your desire to buy from a reputable dealer with Internet capable sales, I would strongly discourage you from this pursuit.

Since you have chosen not to build it yourself, could you enlist the help of an ethusiast friend, coworker, or schoolmate?

If not, then find a small local shop and negotiate a fair build fee and provide the parts via Newegg or similar supplier.

Besides, any computer that is prebuilt might have compromises you're not willing to make. So, don't make them. Even people who decide to custom build a home don't do the job themselves. They employ subcontractors. You should do the same.

The fact that you're on CAG means your a smart consumer trying to be wise with your dollars. Buying a pre-built gaming machine defeats that purpose.

Unless you need something absolutely dirt cheap, like under $500, most places are not going to give you the best bang for the buck. The OS licensing costs alone make that very difficult.

Above all, enjoy the process!
 
[quote name='consolegamer']While I can respect your desire to buy from a reputable dealer with Internet capable sales, I would strongly discourage you from this pursuit.

Since you have chosen not to build it yourself, could you enlist the help of an ethusiast friend, coworker, or schoolmate?

If not, then find a small local shop and negotiate a fair build fee and provide the parts via Newegg or similar supplier.

Besides, any computer that is prebuilt might have compromises you're not willing to make. So, don't make them. Even people who decide to custom build a home don't do the job themselves. They employ subcontractors. You should do the same.

The fact that you're on CAG means your a smart consumer trying to be wise with your dollars. Buying a pre-built gaming machine defeats that purpose.

Unless you need something absolutely dirt cheap, like under $500, most places are not going to give you the best bang for the buck. The OS licensing costs alone make that very difficult.

Above all, enjoy the process![/quote]


I cannot agree more with this statement. You will pay double (atleast) if you go the prebuilt route.
I just built my own rig and I have fairly limited knowlege in that area. I asked questions to a few friends who went to school for IT stuff, they helped me pick out the right parts to match my budget and I put it all together. For under $500 I got a rig that will run all games with at least medium settings and most games with the settings cranked.

But I guess if you really want to you can get the nice shiney AlienWare system like in the magazines for $1300+ and be happy with that too.

We're just trying to help. :D
 
[quote name='ninju D']I cannot agree more with this statement. You will pay double (atleast) if you go the prebuilt route.
I just built my own rig and I have fairly limited knowlege in that area. I asked questions to a few friends who went to school for IT stuff, they helped me pick out the right parts to match my budget and I put it all together. For under $500 I got a rig that will run all games with at least medium settings and most games with the settings cranked.

But I guess if you really want to you can get the nice shiney AlienWare system like in the magazines for $1300+ and be happy with that too.

We're just trying to help. :D[/quote]

What are the specs on your computer?
 
Off the top of my head:
Core 2 Duo 2.66Ghz
2Gb OCZ Ram
Abit IP35e mobo
Powermaster Radeon X1950 Pro
500W PSU
CoolerMaster Case

I used the exisiting HDDs out of my old rig and picked up an OEM Samsung DVDRW Drive for $25. If you want I can dig up all the model types later, but that should give you a good handle on what I picked up. Got everying except the CPU on sale or with rebates.
 
[quote name='ninju D']Off the top of my head:
Core 2 Duo 2.66Ghz
2Gb OCZ Ram
Abit IP35e mobo
Powermaster Radeon X1950 Pro
500W PSU
CoolerMaster Case

I used the exisiting HDDs out of my old rig and picked up an OEM Samsung DVDRW Drive for $25. If you want I can dig up all the model types later, but that should give you a good handle on what I picked up. Got everying except the CPU on sale or with rebates.[/quote]

Thanks, this will do. I was just curious cause I've been messing with the buyxg.com pc configurator to see what's the lowest price I could get. The biggest cost there is the OS.
 
Once I figured out what I was after, I just watched deal sites like dealnews.com. It took about 2 or 3 weeks to find all the deals, but it was worth it. Like I said, the only think I didn't get a deal on was the processor. That was the last thing I ordered and I couldn't find any deals. Finally I got tired of looking at all the stuff piled up, unused, on my kitchen table and just ordered the one I wanted.
I had a few problems with the mobo initially, but the Abit forums had all the answers.
 
[quote name='soccerstud652']Well, I will not do that, so please don't give me that suggestion.[/quote]

build the computer yourself ;)

no but it's really not very hard. and the fact you mentioned "gaming pc" solidifies the recommendation to DIY. if you just wanted a web-browser/email checker/solitaire player i would say get a cheap dell. but any "gaming" prebuilt offerings are almost always a ripoff in comparison to what you get if you DIY.

this guide is pretty good, sure there's a better one with more pics out there

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/other/144
 
I was in your exact position about a month ago (I made a thread that was pretty much identical to yours.) I was convinced I didn't have the skill to build my own rig, and I figured it would make much more sense to just have the computer shipped to me pre-built, but then I saw the reviews for iBuyPower rigs. Parts not plugged in, upgrades ignored, horrid customer service- and on top of that I heard that people who worked at iBuyPower were writing in fake reviews to raise the company's score. That plus the helpful CAGs telling me to build my own machine convinced me to put together the thing myself. I know you are probably hesitant to build a computer on your own, but remember - there is a reason that these guys are telling you to DIY. It is not nearly as difficult as it seems.

I ordered a bunch of parts from Amazon and put the rig together with the help of a friend. I saved money and my computer is what dreams are made of. :D
 
I can vouch for www.abs.com. Got a great machine with no problems.

Yes, I paid a lot of money for it. I did a *lot* of thinking and research and came *this close* to building one myself, but after adding up the prices of the separate parts from newegg and other places, I was only saving myself a couple hundred bucks compared to a pre-built rig with the same parts at ABS. A couple hundred didn't break my bank, so I bought it.

If money is your biggest concern, you'd probably have to build a rig yourself, or buy a console.
 
Eh, normally I don't post here but I'm also in the market for a new PC, though probably going to build in the Fall (after the ol' summer job^^).

What about a barebones or refurbished unit and then add in the graphics card you want? Woot & Buy.com had this pretty good computer for $599 (Q6600, 3GB RAM, 500GB Harddrive, nvidia 8500), though that was sans monitor/kb/mouse. My friend picked up a $399 refurb from Fry's website and put in another gb of RAM ($40), a second harddrive from a dead comp, and then bought a 8400 for $60. Only put in $100 on top of the PC price and is able to play DX10 games. She didn't need "Crysis @60fps" type power but will be able to play newer games as they come out.

EDIT: Sorry, forgot to mention that Woot only has 1 day deals and that sold out Saturday during the woot-off and Buy.com no longer has that particular model listed. It was a refurbished Gateway. Just giving you ideas though, of what you can find.
 
Like you I didn't want to build myself. I just thought it would be too much of a hassle so I started looking at the new dell xps 630. I just ordered it yesterday and while it was more than building it myself. I feel like my time is worth a lot. They had a sale over the weekend and I managed to get one with a q6600, 3gb ram, 500 gb hard drive, dual 512mb nvidia 8800gt, and an ati digital tv tuner for $1380 with two day shipping. Since it comes with a warranty the pains of building my own seemed not to be worth it. I would also look at the velocity micro pc's. I nearly went with one of those for the same reasons.
 
check out cyberpowerpc.com

my current desktop is from them (about 4 years old) its nothing too fancy, but when I got it it was actually LESS than building it myself (I know, that sounds nuts, but its true)

they have a ton of options, you should be able to find something in your price range
 
[quote name='Drnick']check out cyberpowerpc.com

my current desktop is from them (about 4 years old) its nothing too fancy, but when I got it it was actually LESS than building it myself (I know, that sounds nuts, but its true)

they have a ton of options, you should be able to find something in your price range[/quote]


I can second this recommendation. I also have my current desktop from them and it was only around $1100 and it still runs almost all modern games on full settings (about 3 years old) And contrary to what many people here are saying I had great customer service with all my questions I had for them.

They also put the computer through a 3 day test to make sure everything is setup correctly and works how it should.

I was in this position when I was figuring out my new comp, I thought about building it myself, but the prices at this site were nice and I also got a video card through them that wasn't even available for consumer purchase yet.

I'd also suggest buying your OS through a different site (such as Newegg) because you can then buy an OEM version for really cheap instead of paying the excessive charge for a normal consumer version.
 
It depends, what games are you going to run on it and what size the monitor is. If your looking for an sli rig, get one with 2 9600gt's as they're cheap but perform well. Alternatively, if your looking for just one card go for either the 8800gt or 8800gtx if you can afford it. Make shore you look out for things such as the speed of the ram (800 mhz as opposed to 667mhz) Dual core cpu's are also very easy to get hold of and a alot cheaper. I reccomend a system with an amd athlon 64 x2 no less than 5000+ rating. Something like this should fit your price range. If you are getting Vista, at least 2gb of ram is essential. Also I recommend you buy from a small scale company, not dell or packard bell because they're mastly over priced.
 
[quote name='uli2000']cyberpower is the same company as Ibuypower. Avoid them like the plague.[/QUOTE]

I've heard very mixed things about them. Some people have no issues but others hate them. I was thinking about buying a PC from them a 2 years ago and did a lot of research after someone told me to avoid them.

From what I found out, the problem lies with their customer service... or lack of, in most cases. Most people are unhappy because their systems are DOA. Apparently, after the system is made, it wasn't tested or anything... it's just sent out as soon as they're done assembling it according to the reviews.

I ultimately built it myself... I think it took me 45 minutes to put my system together (and I had a lot of shit) as I didn't wanna risk it. And yes, it was my first build.
 
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