"Build a gaming pc or cop one of them Alienware Alphas??"
Very curious. Need help. I know relatively little about seriously building a gaming pc but have always wanted to do it just to be able to play the best PC games in all their glory. Would it be easier/cheaper to just cop the Alpha i7 model or would that still not be top of the line enough to play the most resource intensive using PC game out there at its best settings?
I honestly think building now is way more easier. You could jump into it yourself and just follow along carefully making sure not to miss any steps. Or if you know someone who does it invite them over for some beer and helping you put everything together.
There may be places nearby that will build it for you assuming you buy all the parts yourself. But even then they can charge you whatever so honestly its best just doing it yourself.
Later I'll try to send you a link of a great site I found for first time builders.
How much are you willing to spend on everything?
Be warned once you go down this rabbit hole there is no turning back. You'll be blown away.
================= Official Okay-Super Villain™
I only play the games that I win at - Gamertag: Innovator PSN: DurtyGambino Steam: Durty Gambino Twitch.tv/durtygambino
i was able to get a sub $250 card because i knew the games i tend to play aren't demanding. but you can do a $700-800 build that will damn near max out.
10. "good info fellas. I might wait till my spring bonus then" In response to Reply # 8
and get my bro in law to help me build. I want to make 2015 the year I finally get serious into some PC gaming and 4K. Looks like I got some work to do.
11. "I kinda know your style a little..." In response to Reply # 10
As far as what you like to play and how you like your games to look. That'll be a good look waiting for a bonus so you can spend it on what you want instead of settling for something that's not going to visually please you.
At this point I only cop for my xb1 if its something I'll be playing with friends that really don't PC game that much. Everything else I'll pick up on PC normally cheaper than consoles and way better looking. It helps that you can just plug and play your Xbox controller and it instantly switches all the button commands to match that of the console version.
I'm probably going to be doing another build soon myself. Keep us posted on the components you're thinking about picking up.
================= Official Okay-Super Villain™
I only play the games that I win at - Gamertag: Innovator PSN: DurtyGambino Steam: Durty Gambino Twitch.tv/durtygambino
After gaming so long I either want something to wow me or have fun moments running with friends online. After hearing y'all and then my brother in law tell me the same, I'm gonna wait and do it right. Right now I gotta admit I'm enjoying the X1 more and more as it is. I think a killer PC setup to go with it will be all I need for the next few years.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developer CD Projekt Red revealed the system requirements for the open-world game's Windows PC version today, and as you might have expected, they're not for the faint of heart.
Your gaming rig will need to be running 64-bit Windows 7 or later, with DirectX 11 and at least 40 GB of hard drive space. That's not so bad. But check out the rest of the specifications below:
Minimum Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 940 Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 RAM: 6 GB OS: 64-bit Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 DirectX 11 HDD Space: 40 GB
Recommended Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4 GHz or AMD FX-8350 4 GHz Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 or AMD Radeon R9 290 RAM: 8 GB OS: 64-bit Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 DirectX 11 HDD Space: 40 GB
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is set to be available May 19 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A month ago, CD Projekt Red pushed the release back by three months to that date to ensure the game didn't have major bugs at launch; the studio had previously announced plans to release Wild Hunt in February. You can watch its opening cinematic below.
19. "its the cpu specs that are kinda crazy" In response to Reply # 18
The GPU expectations for this game isn't that bad. Honestly if you want to do current gen games on higher settings you should at least be trying the nvida 700 series and up and the AMD equivalent.
Those CPU requirements though are where a lot of people may have to start making upgrades if they haven't already.
You'd be fine with most custom builds, but then again if you're like me and want to play it above recommended specs to really blow yourself away you're looking at spending more money.
That's the downside of PC gaming. Way more pluses than minuses though.
================= Official Okay-Super Villain™
I only play the games that I win at - Gamertag: Innovator PSN: DurtyGambino Steam: Durty Gambino Twitch.tv/durtygambino
5. "build. it's generally cheaper, more flexible, and upgradeable" In response to Reply # 0 Mon Dec-29-14 04:52 PM by bearfield
the alienware machine won't be useful in 2 years. you'll wish you could upgrade it
the machine you build yourself will relevant for as long as you keep upgrading it. you can build a solid base (good case, powerful processor, strong cooling system) and add to it when you feel like it's necessary. it will likely last longer than the console cycle, it will play thousands more games than any console could (think emulators), and games can look up to 4x better (literally running games at 8k resolution) on it
7. "Alienware Alpha overpriced as hell" In response to Reply # 0
I think that started out as a steambox or it still is.
The last computer I built was a Pent 3. It only lasted 1 year before the MB crapped out on me. A friend of mine looked at it and said I did a shit job putting it together.
To make a long story short I brought a gaming desktop 5-6 years ago but it can barely run anything anymore and the MB can not take newer graphic cards.
I would like to build a new desktop but I'm gonna need it to last me 10+ years. That means getting a case and cooling sytem that is built to last. You also need to think longterm in regards to the Motherboard.
The one thing the Alpha has going for it is the small form factor case. That's about it. You could definitely build a more potent one yourself for under a grand.
The idea of a console sized gaming PC or an actual Steam Machine sounds nice, until I realize running a HDMI cable to my plasma does the exact same thing
<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up... __________________________
Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect. Game: Like Gladys Knight. Jay: Aretha Franklin. Game: Word, I like her too. Jay: Nigga...
13. "I built last year around this time and I couldn't be happier. I spent" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Dec-30-14 07:19 PM by Playa_Politician
just under $1,400 not including monitor/keyboard/mouse. I used old ones first then i upgraded throughout the year.
here's my build from last year. according to PCParPicker the same build should run about under $1k now. maybe this will help give you an idea what to look for
i would definitely get the GTX970 if i was building today instead of the 770 i have, it came out earlier this year. also the motherboard i chose was a little on the expensive side. i've seen a lot of builds using cheaper parts getting just as good results. I read alot of posts on reddit's /r/buildapc sub, helped me a lot in seeing what other folks were building and at what price ranges.
15. "One of the things i read alot was to not cheap out on the PSU" In response to Reply # 14
it's kind of future proof (assuming it doesn't break down) for when i either upgrade or just build a new machine. for a while i was thinking of using two 770's in SLI, in the next year or so if they drop price i might still do that.
I highly doubt i need a PSU with that wattage, i read the reviews and had the extra $ to burn at the time so i bit the bullet.
17. "Nice. Looks a lot like the Ivy Bridge setup I did almost 2 years ago" In response to Reply # 13
Used the R4 (love this case), Samsung SSD (once you go SSD you can't go back), i3570K. Memory was cheaper so I put in 16GB. While I only have a 600w PSU, I did get a 80 Gold rated Seasonic X series, so I think I should be good
<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up... __________________________
Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect. Game: Like Gladys Knight. Jay: Aretha Franklin. Game: Word, I like her too. Jay: Nigga...
21. "maybe not quite as sleek" In response to Reply # 20 Thu Jan-08-15 02:50 PM by bearfield
but micro motherboards and low profile cases are available. here's a build i quickly threw together for ~$530 that has a much better processor and double the RAM of the $550 alpha: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xdGvvK
and that's me just skimming through the options. you could probably get that down to ~$475 by taking your time + waiting for sales and/or rebates
however you still have to build it. it's small compared to regular pc towers but not as small as the alpha. the alienware stuff is overpriced but maybe the convenience and form factor is worth it for some people
23. "that's definitely doable" In response to Reply # 22
$800 will probably get you:
~3.0 ghz quad-core processor 8 GB ram 2 GB video card 120-250 GB SSD for the OS and a handful of games ~1 TB storage for your other games
this setup requires some fairly frequent and mildly annoying transfers between drives when you want to switch games, especially with many newer big budget games being 40+ GB installs. you can always opt for a non-ssd system or a very small OS-only SSD drive. if you go the non-ssd route you could probably get a 3 GB card (though maybe not in a case that small) and upgrade your hard drives at some point in the future
the best way to purchase a self-built PC is to pick your build and then wait patiently for discounts. nearly every part will go on sale or get a rebate offer at some point. don't buy a part unless it's on sale or has a rebate attached to it. saving $10-$50 per part really adds up. you will likely end up paying much less for the whole thing if you buy it piecemeal over the course of 6 months rather than getting all the parts in one go
24. "dope. and great advice here:" In response to Reply # 23 Fri Jan-09-15 07:06 PM by IkeMoses
>the best way to purchase a self-built PC is to pick your build >and then wait patiently for discounts. nearly every part will >go on sale or get a rebate offer at some point. don't buy a >part unless it's on sale or has a rebate attached to it. >saving $10-$50 per part really adds up. you will likely end >up paying much less for the whole thing if you buy it >piecemeal over the course of 6 months rather than getting all >the parts in one go
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