I'm on a quest for a gaming pc. Should I build or buy?

orphicblue

orphicblue

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Wifey wants to play WoW so I'm gonna get a new pc. I'm wondering - I know very little about what current pc gaming requires but I'm hoping to get a fairly high end machine for under $1500.

Can I get some recommendations as to the best pc for me? I can probably build one, but I really don't know all the components I'm gonna need. If you all could either recommend good places to buy complete systems from (Dell?) or complete part lists of what I need to build my dream pc, I'd love you forever. I'm looking to save as much money as possible but I also need to have a pc that will last at least a couple of years.

Thanks in advance yall
 
If you're willing to build yourself, you can get a very good gaming comp for around $1k (assuming you already have a monitor, keyboard, etc).
 
woah? You can do crazy good with 1k. I did halfway decent with $350. Newegg.com will do you good.
Case- to be a kick ass compy, gotta have a good case. Not only lookin wise but also ventilated.

Motherboard- Definately a Mb with PCI express 16x and possibly even 2 of em. Good socket (939-AMD or 775-Intel)

Processor- P4 w/ hyperthread and 3.0ghz+ or Amd 3200+

Ram- one gig is good but nowadays 2+gbs is becoming the standard.

Hd- If You care enough to, the new 150gb 10k RPM hard drives just came out...

Graphics Card- Ooh ooh! 512 7800 GTX!!! nuff said. Or the quad sli dual card...sorta spensive tho.

So thats pretty much the basics on what youll need not including OS, fans, power supply n stuff. If you opt for power stuff I suggest a 500w psu. Good luck!
 
I'm building one this weekend, all and all using Mwave.com (really great processor prices) and Directron.com, I paid around $600

Asus P5PL2
2.8 Ghz 775 socket EMT64 HT processor
1 Gb Corsair 533 DDR2 RAM
Antec X-Infinity Mid Tower case, 2 fans included in side window and top (sticking a 120mm in the back and two 80mm up front)
XFX GeForce 256MB XXX OC 6600 PCI Express (great reviews for a mid range card)
120 GB Seagate 7200 RPM
Lite On Dual Layer DVD Burner
Logitech Elite Keyboard
Blue LED fans
Codogen 450W dual fan ATX power supply
Logitech Elite keyboard
Sony 3.5" floppy drive

For as much money as you're wanting to throw at it man, you could build a seriously nice rig. System building isn't hard.. and the experience you'll gain from it will be valuable.
 
Wow, I didn't realize that it was so cheap to make a decent rig. I guess it shows how long its been since I've cared about pc gaming :)


Thanks for your offer B0bx13. That would be awesome if you would want to do that for me. I just need a list; I'm pretty good at putting things in once I have them, but I'm not good at figuring out which ones to buy. I need advice on everything from the processor to the case to the fans to the keyboard. I'm just out of the loop on what the good stuff is right now.

Maybe I could shoot for a rig priced similar to Skylanders... that sounds pretty hot and I need to buy a monitor anyway...

Thanks to everyone helping me out!
 
Buy the most recent copy of PC gamer. Check out the "hard Stuff" section.

Use Pricewatch.

Buy from Newegg, Tigerdirect, ZipZoomFly, Directron, etc.
 
[quote name='Frogger']Buy the most recent copy of PC gamer. Check out the "hard Stuff" section.

Use Pricewatch.

Buy from Newegg, Tigerdirect, ZipZoomFly, Directron, etc.[/QUOTE]

I know that when I was pricing components, I used pricegrabber alot. I saved a ton on my processor using MWave. Also remember to get a copy of Windows cheaper by purchasing with hardware through one of the above sites, it'll save some dough too.

I think for the money, I'm building a great rig this weekend with plenty of room to expand. Use Directron.com if you can, I've never seen a site that ships faster than them (I ordered my case late Sunday night, and it was here by Tuesday with ground shipping).
 
Just an update- I didn't get it done today, ironically I've spent all day fixing my computer. But if you still want it, I should be able to do it for you before the end of the weekend.
 
[quote name='Skylander7']
For as much money as you're wanting to throw at it man, you could build a seriously nice rig. System building isn't hard.. and the experience you'll gain from it will be valuable.[/QUOTE]

Therse nothing better to do on a Friday night, alone in the garage except build a computer...
 
if it can be done for $600 or so that would be awesome.

Is flatscreen(lcd) really that much better(cheaper) in the long run since they use less electricity?

I have a keyboard and mouse but no monitor, what are the best deals out there for flatscreen monitors(i think open box is fine)

I am thinking of just getting one from bestbuy since it includes the monitor and printer and has instant rebate.

if it can be done for under $700 with monitor that would be great.
 
[quote name='dracula']if it can be done for $600 or so that would be awesome.

Is flatscreen(lcd) really that much better(cheaper) in the long run since they use less electricity?

I have a keyboard and mouse but no monitor, what are the best deals out there for flatscreen monitors(i think open box is fine)

I am thinking of just getting one from bestbuy since it includes the monitor and printer and has instant rebate.

if it can be done for under $700 with monitor that would be great.[/QUOTE]

Dracula, getting a LCD or CRT should not hinge on whether you want to save money on electricity. The power usage is so minuscule that it would take a long time to make up the difference in price by energy savings. Getting a LCD is definitely worth it for three reasons.

1. Much clearer and higher resolution.
2. Saves room on your desk.
3. Not very susceptible to glare, or not nearly as much as CRTs.

Hope this helps and definitely go for a LCD since its definitely worth the extra $100.
 
Build it yourself, definetly. The advantage to that is putting in your needs, other than buying a pc that has not enough or too much for what you plan on doing. If you spend your money wisely, you can do wonders with a little amount of money.
 
Pricewatch.com for the win. Just be prepared to have every part coming from somewhere different. Utilize free shipping.
 
When do you need it by? I know you could always wait for the next thing on the horizon, but right now it might be best to wait a couple months for an AMD (which is what you want for games) since they are releasing a new socket soon.
 
[quote name='Robobandit']eVGA 7800GT 256mb pci-express COMBO w/ eVGA nforce 4 SLI mobo ~ $359[/QUOTE]
WTF ouch! That's a lot of dough for a gfx card.

If you want to skimp a tiny bit OP, go for the 6800 GT PCI Express.

It's not so much slower than the 7800 GT and it's much cheaper.

Leadtek GeForce 6800 GT TDH 256MB PCI-E $239.99

It's your choice of course ;)


EDIT: My bad -- that was for gfx card AND mobo combo. A pretty good deal. I'll leave this card posted too for your consideration.
 
If you have to ask it means you doubt your ability to handle it. Therefor you probably shouldn't make your own. If you do, you're your own tech support. You have to trouble shoot everything yourself and if something breaks you have to deal with the vendor and manufactuor. If you go with something like a Dell, you get test parts and tech support. I'm not gunna run my mouth like a putz saying you're a moron if you can't do it. I just made my PC and it was a hell of a task. I had issues booting and I couldn't narrow it down between the CPU, PSU or mobo. If you don't know what you're doing you're going to get burned.
 
[quote name='Kayden']If you have to ask it means you doubt your ability to handle it. Therefor you probably shouldn't make your own.. . . If you don't know what you're doing you're going to get burned.[/QUOTE]
You're absolutely right: if I gotta ask, I'm not ready. But if I'm willing to make a few mistakes with some old/cheaper stuff, this could be an easy way to learn the score. I've got a friend nearby who's looking to do this, and I'm eager to learn on his dime. ;)

Can anyone provide links to reliable how-to type sites for building a PC? Google gets me lots of recommendations on individual, part-by-part deals, but I'm not finding many resources on what hardware is compatible with other hardware and how to actually go about putting the whole thing together.
 
[quote name='Kayden']If you have to ask it means you doubt your ability to handle it. Therefor you probably shouldn't make your own. If you do, you're your own tech support. You have to trouble shoot everything yourself and if something breaks you have to deal with the vendor and manufactuor. If you go with something like a Dell, you get test parts and tech support. I'm not gunna run my mouth like a putz saying you're a moron if you can't do it. I just made my PC and it was a hell of a task. I had issues booting and I couldn't narrow it down between the CPU, PSU or mobo. If you don't know what you're doing you're going to get burned.[/QUOTE]

Good advice, but I think anyone is capable of building, I just built my first pc and it went pretty smooth. I had changed most of my components before in my old pc, so I had a little experience with changing a cpu, ram, video card, etc. BUt building you own pc, makes it easier to do your own tech support, since you get a better understanding of how it all works
 
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