Buying a new computer

[Cyclonepride]

Main use will be for gaming.

Just wondering what the most important specs are?

I had my last one built, but it has had issues since day one with blue screening, even on fairly simple games. I replaced the video card and that seems to have helped, but I can only guess that there are some mismatches somewhere.

I'd prefer a laptop so that I can use it wherever I want, but I'm not sure I want to give up the power and upgradability of a desktop.

Thoughts?

 

[zumbro clones]

How much money do you want to spend? That's a big factor.

When you go to a laptop you limit your options and spend a lot more for top graphics.

 

[BCClone]

???? I thought the mods were supposed to be the computer geeks around here.

 

[zarnold56]

Also depends on what games you want to play and for how long you want it to be viable. Now is a weird time for gaming computers as AMD and Nvidia are both looking at releasing new hardware architecture later this year.

 

[Cyclonepride]

How much money do you want to spend? That's a big factor.

When you go to a laptop you limit your options and spend a lot more for top graphics.

Probably around $1500. I know that's certainly not a maxed out gaming rig, but I just want to be able to play things without crashes, and will accept that some games have to be played on lower settings.

My 17 year old son did build his own that plays pretty much anything on max settings (including GTA which apparently takes a lot), and he's offered to build one for me, but I'm just skeptical of that after my last experience.

 

[Cyclonepride]

???? I thought the mods were supposed to be the computer geeks around here.

All you need to know as a mod is how to find the ban button :twitcy:

 

[Cyclonepride]

Also depends on what games you want to play and for how long you want it to be viable. Now is a weird time for gaming computers as AMD and Nvidia are both looking at releasing new hardware architecture later this year.

Mostly games like Civilization and strategy games. RPG's are starting to lose my interest in my old age. Maybe not graphically as intense, but a lot of number crunching going on in the background.

 

[zarnold56]

Probably around $1500. I know that's certainly not a maxed out gaming rig, but I just want to be able to play things without crashes, and will accept that some games have to be played on lower settings.

My 17 year old son did build his own that plays pretty much anything on max settings (including GTA which apparently takes a lot), and he's offered to build one for me, but I'm just skeptical of that after my last experience.

Building your own is so easy now. Something like https://pcpartpicker.com/ has guides and there is so much information now to make sure hardware compatibility is not an issue.

 

[resident]

Just use a popular configuration from here that fits your budget if you build a desktop.

https://pcpartpicker.com/

Upgradability is not worth considering unless you are on a tight budget and need to cut corners on your original build.

How frequently do you plan on gaming anywhere outside of your home? What games? I use my work Surface Pro 3 to play stuff like Portal or other low powered Steam games during work trips. It works fine, but I would never plan on using a laptop as my primary gaming PC due to a bad experience with a my only "gaming" laptop having bad overheating issues.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Just use a popular configuration from here that fits your budget if you build a desktop.

https://pcpartpicker.com/

Upgradability is not worth considering unless you are on a tight budget and need to cut corners on your original build.

How frequently do you plan on gaming anywhere outside of your home? What games? I use my work Surface Pro 3 to play stuff like Portal or other low powered Steam games during work trips. It works fine, but I would never plan on using a laptop as my primary gaming PC due to a bad experience with a my only "gaming" laptop having bad overheating issues.

Almost always in my home, but not always in the same place in my home. I usually play after my wife goes to bed, but I don't want to put my one year old pup in her pen too early and play on my desktop all the time (it's in the basement).

 

[zarnold56]

Almost always in my home, but not always in the same place in my home. I usually play after my wife goes to bed, but I don't want to put my one year old pup in her pen too early and play on my desktop all the time (it's in the basement).

You could look at getting a Steam Link if you build a desktop. If you have a pretty good home network, it supposedly works really well. I don't have one yet since I am waiting to build a new pc, but reviews have been really good. Makes PC gaming around the house on any tv worth it.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/353380/

 

[Cyclonepride]

You could look at getting a Steam Link if you build a desktop. If you have a pretty good home network, it supposedly works really well. I don't have one yet since I am waiting to build a new pc, but reviews have been really good. Makes PC gaming around the house on any tv worth it.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/353380/

Great idea! Only issue I have there is reading the text in games on my main TV. It's good sized, but the seating is too far away for my old eyes. That's a great solution to the problem though.

 

[zarnold56]

Great idea! Only issue I have there is reading the text in games on my main TV. It's good sized, but the seating is too far away for my old eyes. That's a great solution to the problem though.

They only issue I have read on them is that they really need a wired connection to work properly for gaming. If you don't have a lot of wired connections in the house, you can get a powerline adapter which work well.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

This will make your games fly!



PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.95 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390X 8GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($373.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390X 8GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($373.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1504.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-05 12:50 EST-0500

 

[zarnold56]

This will make your games fly!



PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.95 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390X 8GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($373.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390X 8GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($373.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1504.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-05 12:50 EST-0500

Not sure he would need crossfire/SLI if he is already worried about stability. Many games have issues with that function and don't run properly without a lot of tweaking and constant driver updates.

 

[iastatehunter]

At the $1500 price range get something with an i7, at least a 4gb 960 card, and an ssd. If getting a desktop I'd future proof it with ddr4 slots and usb 3.1. Don't skimp on the power supply or motherboard. I made the mistake of getting a budget motherboard on my build and it's starting to act up.

For strategy games you probably don't need a whole lot to play ultra settings but if you're going to build a desktop you might as well get something that will do everything you might want to do.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

Not sure he would need crossfire/SLI if he is already worried about stability. Many games have issues with that function and don't run properly without a lot of tweaking and constant driver updates.

True! But even with just one of them he should be able to run a ton of games. Could even go to a $500 card then.

 

[iastatehunter]

At the $1500 price range get something with an i7, at least a 4gb 960 card, and an ssd. If getting a desktop I'd future proof it with ddr4 slots and usb 3.1. Don't skimp on the power supply or motherboard. I made the mistake of getting a budget motherboard on my build and it's starting to act up.

For strategy games you probably don't need a whole lot to play ultra settings but if you're going to build a desktop you might as well get something that will do everything you might want to do.

http://pcpartpicker.com/b/s7VYcf something like this.

You can use http://pcpartpicker.com/builds/ to look through people's completed build lists

 

[zarnold56]

Ugh now I want to build a new one. Need to wait for Nvidia Pascal I keep telling myself.

 

[iastatehunter]

Ugh now I want to build a new one. Need to wait for Nvidia Pascal I keep telling myself.

Same.. AND I have a relatively large tax return on the way... must resist impulse buying