Shopping for Gaming Computer

GrumpyCatJen

GrumpyCatJen

Grumpiest Cat
Joined
Feb 3, 2018
Messages
464
Hello! I still consider myself new to the PC gaming community, so I would like some of your advice when it comes to buying a gaming computer. I found an article (3 days old) on the best gaming PCs for 2018, and I think I am stuck between going with Alienware Aurora (because of the VR ready, I might want to try it) and the Dell XPS (less expensive). Do you have other brand/model recommendations?

In general, I am not looking for a fancy-looking computer (like with lights), but I prefer not to have something bulky (like the Alienware Area-51, no no). I am thinking I would only need about 1 TB of space, and just to be safe maybe to go with 16 GB RAM. I am dumb when it comes to video cards, but I know that my current non-gaming laptop is not sufficient for playing games like Fortnite, CS-GO, and probably other games that I might want to try (PUBG, maybe Overwatch someday). I've always preferred the Intel Core processor (heard horror stories about others) and guessing the i7 might be a good one to get.

Not sure if any of this helps, but I appreciate any thoughts that you have! Thank you! :)
 
GrumpyCatJen GrumpyCatJen Do you have any interest in building your own machine? It provides a lot more bang for the buck, and we can help you find specific parts to fit your budget nicely. It's fairly simple and there are a LOT of guides out there to do it.
 
Hi Simon, I am open to the idea, but honestly would be nervous about breaking something. I was talking to someone else about static, but they told me just not to build on carpet, which is not a problem in my home. Still, I would need a lot of help lol!
 
GrumpyCatJen said:
Hi Simon, I am open to the idea, but honestly would be nervous about breaking something. I was talking to someone else about static, but they told me just not to build on carpet, which is not a problem in my home. Still, I would need a lot of help lol!
Click to expand...

If you've got any friends who are computer inclined, it makes for a fun afternoon! Yes, static is your enemy. Although most motherboards include an anti-static sheet you can assemble things on, it helps out :) If you want to look up a few tutorials, you can get a good idea of how it goes.

What sort of budget are you working with for this? Can I assume you are in the USA? (This does matter, I live in Canada and PC part prices are MUCH higher here).
 
I am USA, and I don't have any local friends that could help, unless you count my sister's husband but I don't wanna bother him...

Oh and for budget... ummm... not sure but let's just say it's flexible..
 
Last edited:
GrumpyCatJen said:
I am USA, and I don't have any local friends that could help, unless you count my sister's husband but I don't wanna bother him...
Click to expand...

Gotcha. Well, let's check into options for both pre-built and build it youself. Budget?
 
As Simon says (pun intended), I would highly recommend you build your own. It's really not that complicated. If you're anywhere near Charlotte NC I would be willing to help you with it.

I would advise to wait until EVGA launches their new generation cards which should be announced on the 20th of this month. There should be a price drop in current gen cards and you may even want to go with one of the new gens.

If you take an hour or two to read up about building your own machine I'm sure you'll feel much more confident about taking on such an endeavor.

It's a matter of picking a motherboard, typically I try to find one that has good user reviews with as little problems reported as possible. Then selecting the components that fit the motherboard. You screw in the motherboard, plug in all of the components, and boot it up. There are some settings that you may have to adjust but that is all easily done and explained in various places on the internet.

The end result will be a much more capable machine, with likely better and more durable components, for far less moula.
 
I dunno if the prices dropped recently, but half a year ago, it was cheaper to actually buy prebuild here in the Netherlands, than to built myself (used to built myself a lot). It was cause retail prices of graphics cards were outrageous.

Also, for your fears, watch this video, you see you can do a lot whilst building yourself.
Make sure to watch it till the end! :)
 
Look, people will tell you "make your own computer", but if you're trying to get a VERY good computer, making your own might be more expensive than buying a prebuilt. If you get your own parts and don't know how to build one, it might become more expensive than getting a prebuilt, as you would have to pay someone to build it for you. They cost 80-100$ an hour and claim to take 2-4 hours to build it, so you end up paying an extra 300$ just for someone to make it for you, while if you get a pre-made, it's not that expensive.

I, for example, have an Alienware (and have had 2 in the span of 2 years, not because one broke, but because I wanted something superior to what I had). It was cheaper for me to get my AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 - Alienware Aurora, than having it custom made. Not only was I able to make sure that the parts I got matched and would work properly with each other, but I was also able to assure that I was getting something that would be properly made.

Hope I was able to help :)
 
Elitely said:
Look, people will tell you "make your own computer", but if you're trying to get a VERY good computer, making your own might be more expensive than buying a prebuilt. If you get your own parts and don't know how to build one, it might become more expensive than getting a prebuilt, as you would have to pay someone to build it for you. They cost 80-100$ an hour and claim to take 2-4 hours to build it, so you end up paying an extra 300$ just for someone to make it for you, while if you get a pre-made, it's not that expensive.

I, for example, have an Alienware (and have had 2 in the span of 2 years, not because one broke, but because I wanted something superior to what I had). It was cheaper for me to get my AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 - Alienware Aurora, than having it custom made. Not only was I able to make sure that the parts I got matched and would work properly with each other, but I was also able to assure that I was getting something that would be properly made.

Hope I was able to help :)
Click to expand...


There is actually more to it than that.

Pre-built machine manufacturers purchase a lot of lower-grade batches and b-stock that don't perform as well or are prone to failure. When Intel produces a batch of CPU's they are tested and measured, each batch is different. Typically those that score lower are pushed off to people like Alienware and machine builders with higher scoring batches going to the consumer market. Most of the time the PC builder makes this decision to improve margins.

For that reason alone building a PC will typically yield better results.

Recently, I went and benchmarked my system which is over 5 years old which I spent less than 1,000 USD.. I scored in the 80th percentile of millions of tested computers. Granted I have overclocked about everything, but many other benchmarked comps have as well. In this time I have not had any failures. My previous generation intel processor, I5-3570k, scored around the 93rd percentile. It's an I5 for crying out loud! lol

If I had bought a similar priced Alieanware 5 years ago, that score would have likely been in the 50th percentile, or lower. I probably would have been looking to upgrade several years ago, like you did, spending a far greater amount of money.

You make a good point, and if someone doesn't want to be hassled with building a machine, then buying a pre-built is about the only other option. For me, I don't want to be building/buying a new machine every few years and I definitely don't want my PC to go down with a part failure. For those reasons I recommend building your own because you're not going to get the same kind of quality, thoughtful consideration, and performance with a pre-built machine - unless you fork over a ton of cash.

Not trying to start an argument here, but decades of experience building/buying professional workstations for audio and gaming PC's have taught me this lesson. When your work depends on the reliability of your computer then you tend to find the most reliable solution. Building your own, unfortunately because I'd rather not deal with the hassle, is your best bet and will pay dividends in the end.

But I hear they do have some pretty shnazzy pre-built machines these days. :D
 
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I will try and whip together a few options tomorrow, I didn't get a chance to today. I'll do a few different budgets and scales of things. S Snipeye will probably want in on this too for more ideas :P
 
I'm not very good with PCs, but if you need new peripherals, then I'm your girl!

Mice: Razer or Zowie (Depending on your hand size and grip)
Keyboard: Corsair, Zowie or Xtrfy
Headset: No less than Sennheiser
Mousepad: Steelseries QCK Heavy


Monitors -
BenQ, Samsung and ASUS are top notch.
Aim for 144hz - but if money is "low" 120hz will cut it!
 
GrumpyCatJen said:
Hello! I still consider myself new to the PC gaming community, so I would like some of your advice when it comes to buying a gaming computer. I found an article (3 days old) on the best gaming PCs for 2018, and I think I am stuck between going with Alienware Aurora (because of the VR ready, I might want to try it) and the Dell XPS (less expensive). Do you have other brand/model recommendations?

In general, I am not looking for a fancy-looking computer (like with lights), but I prefer not to have something bulky (like the Alienware Area-51, no no). I am thinking I would only need about 1 TB of space, and just to be safe maybe to go with 16 GB RAM. I am dumb when it comes to video cards, but I know that my current non-gaming laptop is not sufficient for playing games like Fortnite, CS-GO, and probably other games that I might want to try (PUBG, maybe Overwatch someday). I've always preferred the Intel Core processor (heard horror stories about others) and guessing the i7 might be a good one to get.

Not sure if any of this helps, but I appreciate any thoughts that you have! Thank you! :)
Click to expand...
https://ironsidecomputers.com/
 
If you're comfortable building one it's worth they're usually making you pay a premium to buy a pre-built computer. lmk a budget and I'll find parts around the budget
 
If you don't wanna make it you can easily finance one from like Cyberpower or like Maingear or something
 
Simon said:
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I will try and whip together a few options tomorrow, I didn't get a chance to today. I'll do a few different budgets and scales of things. S Snipeye will probably want in on this too for more ideas :P
Click to expand...

I'll wait and see what you come up with Simon.

The GREAT news for GrumpyCatJen is that GPU prices have pretty much crashed to almost pre-cryptocurrency levels. NVDA just announced their quarterly financials Thursday/Friday and have said that cryptocurrency sales have dropped precipitously and are likely to head towards $0 due to the simple laws of diminishing returns (cost to generate Ethereum/BTC exceeds value of generated currency). nVidia is also "rumored" to be coming out with their new 2XXX series of GPUs in the next month, or even announce them next week, so there's a good chance on sales of 1070/1080s in the future ahead.

A budget would really help, if only a maximum amount you're able to spend or finance. And I do mean finance. I financed my last custom built PC by getting a Chase Preferred CC with allows me to pay everything off in 18 months with $0 interest (assuming I do pay a minimum amount monthly and everything off before 18 months). I also get $150 back after spending more than $500 in the first 3 months of getting the card. Something to consider if you got good credit and understand how to leverage your credit score, income, and debt ratios.
 
Well, okay I guess let's say my budget is $2,000? That is probably the most I want to spend... but I have no idea if that is too low.
 
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