How much will it cost to build a high-end gaming computer in 2013?

best gaming pc monitor 2013 image

Theo Turne

I'm thinking of building a new gaming PC this year (I built one in 2010 for around £1000 but its getting a bit dated now). I expect to be building around June-July time, and given the current speculation on future releases from Intel/AMD, my specs will be approximately as follows:

i7-4770k
HD 8970 3GB
16GB 1600MHz RAM
Crossfire ready LGA1150 Motherboard
Decent case with 750/850W PSU (for potential Crossfire)
256GB SSD (no HDDs, I hardly use any space, currently running Win 7 with 5 games, using 120GB)
Windows 8 Pro (with Blue upgrade)
Peripherals: 1080p 27" monitor, decent gaming mouse/keyboard/headset (expected to be £300-400 for all peripherals)

What sort of price do you think this would equate to? Note that the launch price of the i7-4770k is expected to be about the same as that of the 3770k, and likewise for the HD 8970. Could I get it for under £2000 (a little over $3000)?

Fell free to make comments on my choices/suggestions (I will consider getting an nVidia GPU but not an AMD CPU). Thanks!
Please note that I live in the UK and therefore prices are around 20% higher than in America.
@Wcdih... I'm not going to get X79 as it won't be any better for gaming than X87. I have a friend with an i5 2500k and a GTX560Ti, another with an i7 3930k and a GTX560Ti and they get Identical fps. Have you got any links to the specs of that i5 you mentioned?

Answer
processor is too much, i5 3570k is all you need.

if you are gettign 16 gigs of ram make sure its 4 x 4 gigs and not 2 x 8 gigs and 8 gig sticks have higher latency timings in general.

rest looks good.

could easily get for £2000

personally i would just upgrade your current one if you spend £1000 on it 3 years ago it must have an i7 or similar and good psu. just get a new graphics card and SSD.

the only thing i would change is the monitor, if you are going over 26" you are far better off swapping to a 2560 x 1600 res monitor, trust me it looks amazing.

my friend has one of these, its amazing:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/27-dell-u2713hm-led-ips-monitor-dp-hdmi-dvi-vga-2560x1440-10001-350cd-m2-8ms-black-with-4-port-usb-3

okay its probably gonna cost closer to £500 - 525 with all the keyboard mouse etc now but trust me its worth it, if your paying £2000 you may aswell go for the best.

EDIT:

editing due to your post.

you do realise processor has nothing to do with gaming performance. the i7 4770k will perform almost no different than an old phenom 2 965 in gaming if paired with identical graphics cards.

aslong a as a processor can run a game having a better one will make, at most, 2 - 3 FPS difference.

your friends get the same performance because they have the same graphics card, if the one with a i5 2500k got a 660ti he would have far better gaming performance than the one with the i7.

anandtech.com seems to be down at the moment but if you look at the benches between CPUs and scroll down to the bottom and look at gaming performance you will see minute changes between the 3570k and the 3770k processors but , in comparison, huge changes between the nvidia 660 and the nvidia 680.

How do you think about my New Rig ? Need upgrade for casing, speaker and monitor ?

Matthew

I just bought a new PC and here is the spec:

Processor : Core i7 3770 3.4GHz
HSF : DeepCool GammaXX S40
Motherboard : MSI H77MA-G43
Memory : Dual Channel Visipro 2 x 4 GB PC3-12800 CL11-11-11-29
SSD : Intel SSD 520 Series 120GB
Harddisk : Seagate 2TB SATA III 7200rpm
VGA Card : HIS Radeon HD 7850 IceQ X 2GB GDDR5 256 Bit
PSU : Cooler Master GX EU 550W Bronze 80+
Casing : Simbadda Sim-Q
Monitor : LG LCD L1753S
Speaker : Simbadda CST z100
Headphone : Somic CD-2688MV
Keyboard : Logitech Standard PS/2
Mouse : Gaming Mouse A4Tech XL-747H Blue Spider

OS : Windows 8 Pro 64 Bit (AHCI SATA)

How do you think about my new rig ?
Is it OK ?? Will it future proofs ? If then, how long ?

I have run it for two months since April 2013.

So far, there are some problems :
1. When booting, it takes a long time about 3-5 minutes, and on the right corner of the screen, it shows B4 code so long, then A2. What do these codes mean ?

2. If I wanna change my speaker to 5.1 channel, can you give some suggestions ?
And 5.1 or 7.1 is better ? What is the difference ? My budget is US$100.

3. My casing is so small, I want to change. Which one is better ?
I want a big 20 cm fan on top and front. Then, side fan for cooling VGA Card.
My budget is around US$50-100.

4. For 3D Monitor, can you give me some recommended types and brands ?
IPS, LED, or LCD and what size ?
(maybe 18.5" if there is a 3D monitor with that size, coz' too large, i don't like)
I want to use the monitor to watch 3D movies and games maybe.
I have tried Red Cyan glasses on current monitor, and it so annoying, the color is so dark (i mean all seems so dark, bad quality).
For Monitor, my budget is US$100-200.


I really really need your suggestions.
Hope for your opinions soon.

Thanks.. :)

Answer
its awsome...

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How do you think about my New Rig ? Need upgrade for casing, speaker and monitor ?

best gaming pc monitor 2013 image

Matthew

I just bought a new PC and here is the spec:

Processor : Core i7 3770 3.4GHz
HSF : DeepCool GammaXX S40
Motherboard : MSI H77MA-G43
Memory : Dual Channel Visipro 2 x 4 GB PC3-12800 CL11-11-11-29
SSD : Intel SSD 520 Series 120GB
Harddisk : Seagate 2TB SATA III 7200rpm
VGA Card : HIS Radeon HD 7850 IceQ X 2GB GDDR5 256 Bit
PSU : Cooler Master GX EU 550W Bronze 80+
Casing : Simbadda Sim-Q
Monitor : LG LCD L1753S
Speaker : Simbadda CST z100
Headphone : Somic CD-2688MV
Keyboard : Logitech Standard PS/2
Mouse : Gaming Mouse A4Tech XL-747H Blue Spider

OS : Windows 8 Pro 64 Bit (AHCI SATA)

How do you think about my new rig ?
Is it OK ?? Will it future proofs ? If then, how long ?

I have run it for two months since April 2013.

So far, there are some problems :
1. When booting, it takes a long time about 3-5 minutes, and on the right corner of the screen, it shows B4 code so long, then A2. What do these codes mean ?

2. If I wanna change my speaker to 5.1 channel, can you give some suggestions ?
And 5.1 or 7.1 is better ? What is the difference ? My budget is US$100.

3. My casing is so small, I want to change. Which one is better ?
I want a big 20 cm fan on top and front. Then, side fan for cooling VGA Card.
My budget is around US$50-100.

4. For 3D Monitor, can you give me some recommended types and brands ?
IPS, LED, or LCD and what size ?
(maybe 18.5" if there is a 3D monitor with that size, coz' too large, i don't like)
I want to use the monitor to watch 3D movies and games maybe.
I have tried Red Cyan glasses on current monitor, and it so annoying, the color is so dark (i mean all seems so dark, bad quality).
For Monitor, my budget is US$100-200.


I really really need your suggestions.
Hope for your opinions soon.

Thanks.. :)

Answer
its awsome...

What is an optimised build configuration for an assembled desktop PC meant for design & illustration?

Khargoshan

Hi,

While I haven't done this before, but with an average understanding of computer peripherals and some help with figuring out hardware, I wish to assemble a desktop PC on a budget of â¹ 50,000-55,000 (Approx. $ 797-877) that will be used for illustration and graphic design. I'm in close proximity of Lamington Road, Mumbai, so sourcing parts should not be a problem.

It would help if you could also suggest a pen-tablet (stylus) for mid to professional level use. I've checked out Wacom & iBall websites for their pen-tablets but cannot decide between the two. How do they compare? Should I compromise somewhere in the budget of the PC build, ditch iBall, and invest in a Wacom model?

Web browsing, Skype/Hangouts telephony, word processing and number crunching, not-so-hardcore gaming are other tasks I'll be using the PC for.

As of 2013, what config. works best for the above purposes?

Answer
This all depends.

If you spoke with a representative from Apple computers, they would insist that you needed one of their products, and most likely the most expensive product they could get you to purchase.

If you spoke to a Linux Aficionado, I'm sure the conversation would quickly devolve into a discussion about which distro of Linux they believed would be best for you, and how you would have to get the free software they believed would be best for you... which wouldn't be what you initially asked them.

In General... the Optimized build for what you describe doesn't really exist. Oh, there are some things you could look for, but even with the budget constraints that you list, it really is all about what you want to buy. Let me explain.

You want to use it for Illustration and Graphic design. You don't even know what pen-tablet you want to use yet. You've only LOOKED at them... you haven't said anything about getting your hands on one... and that is a recipe for disaster. Why? Because you come across like you would purchase the one that got the highest recommendation, and that has NOTHING to do with whether or not *you* will actually like it. If this machine is going to be used to build and work on a career, and that graphics tablet is going to be your bread-and-butter interface to the machine... you had better damn well get your hands on as many different tablets before you purchase one... or start buying different ones so you will have multiples to play with and find the right one. I'll come back to this.

Web browsing. Well, you can do that on a netbook. Don't need much machine there. Come on... you suggest this as part of the criteria, and honestly, you make most of our brains hurt. Why? ANY computer with a connection to the internet can browse the web. You can browse the web with your phone... does that make your phone a viable candidate for taking the place of the machine you want to build?

Skype/Hangouts telephony. So... you need speakers, a mic, and a web cam. Combine that with web browsing, and I think the newest iPod Touch fits your requirements. Oh wait... Word Processing, "number crunching" and not-so-hardcore gaming. Yep. You can do those things as well with an iPod Touch. And yes, you can download one of many apps in the iTunes store that will allow you to draw on the screen of the iPod Touch.

Yes... I realize you were *thinking* of something more powerful than a portable media player you carry in your pocket. Get a Samsung Galaxy phone then. Ok. But seriously now.

I doubt you have seen my point... which is that what you WANT and what you DESCRIBE are two different things.

You need a large monitor. Maybe even two monitors. That way, you can have one dedicated to whatever program you are drawing with, and one for surfing, chatting, etc. These monitors should have a refresh rate of not less than 2ms if you want to do any kind of FPS gaming at all. You say Not-So-hardcore gaming... but we both know that if you don't actually detail the specific games you intend to play, that your phrasing of Not-So-hardcore actually means nothing. I'd also say that you want at least 24" widescreen monitors.

So... what about the rest of the computer? Well... not much really. If we completely ignore your reference to gaming, then you don't need all that much in the Processor department... maybe a quad core 1.8ghz processor http://ark.intel.com/products/72055/ that will Turbo to 2.7ghz. Ok... I suggested that processor because I was thinking of your gaming needs. Unfortunately, you could eat up most of your budget on just that processor AND a motherboard for it... so maybe you should just stick to either a newer core i3 low end processor... or find yourself a nice AMD to stick with. For example, a few years back I found myself a sweet deal on a new machine with cheap parts, but a screaming AMD 1100T (3.3ghz six core, that will turbo to 3.8ghz) at the heart, for only $300 total.

You'll need lots of Ram, especially if you are dealing with RAW images of any size... so when spec'ing motherboards, look to ones that allow you to use at least 16GB. And yes... when you are looking at RAM modules themselves, you will be tempted to buy the most expensive and fastest... only *you* aren't going to need the fastest RAM possible for that motherboard. If you were to play hardcore games, then yes. If you were to be editing HD video for television commercials, then yes. Otherwise, for your needs, static images and illustration, bulk is more important than speed. For what you say you are going to do, you wouldn't see the difference between PC3-6400 and PC3-17000.

Storage. aka.... Hard Drives. The more the Merrier. Heck, you can walk into retail stores and get 3TB for $119 now... and that's not even the cheapest.

Video. Well... you imply that gaming isn't a huge deal, so you don't really need fast/best. You just need good multi-monitor support. NVidia GT640 or a Radeon 6670... although almost all of the 6670's only come with one DVI output... you'd want a card with two DVI connections, even if one is DVI-A and the other is DVI-D

However... once you start pricing out all of that, you find your budget is out the window. So what to do?

Well, you start at places similar to this... that offer deals similar to this. http://www.ascendtech.us/amd-fx-6100-6-core-computer-system_i_dtwfx61004gb1tb.aspx?agent=pricewatch If you want to be able to upgrade to 16gb, then upgrade THAT system with the next motherboard choice (the Ecs A960M-M2 for another $5.99). Not a great motherboard BUT it will allow you to use two 8GB DDR3 memory modules... and those two upgrades (motherboard and memory) bring the total for that machine to $477. You wouldn't want to upgrade the video card at that company (for the $117 they want for the older, low end nVidia G210, you could easily get a much better GT640 somewhere else... for less).

That leave about a third of your budget to get two good 2ms 24" monitors, and your graphics tablet.

You have a lot of research and shopping in your future. Good Luck.

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Trying to build a gaming computer but I have no idea where to start?

best gaming pc monitor 2013 image

My goal for 2013 was to build a amazing gaming rig, (I was going to do this in 2012 but couldn't come up with the money)

My Rig I'm, wanting to build is a triple monitor setup (For Eye-Infinity)
I'm wanting to play future games such as battlefield 4, and games now like Crysis 3 and Dead Space 3.
I'm wanting to be able to play these games at ultra settings, that way I never have to worry about lag (Like on consoles which are at low settings). I'm wanting to know what graphics card I would need what kind of CPU I would need ect. And The TOTAL Price, The most I'm wanting to spend is $2000 at the max, I don't want to spend more than that I don't mind but The most I am willing to go to is $2750. I have some parts picked out right now which I have linked below but would like to know what else I will need to have a powerful gaming pc,

(please do try to make it a lower budget (lower the budget, the more games I can get for the PC :P)

PC Case : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133196

Monitor : http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VE228H-21-5-Inch-Integrated-Speakers/dp/B00413PHDM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1U90Q3X1RFYPN&coliid=I1CMIGB0F09QET

Optical Drive : http://www.amazon.com/Asus-DVD-ROM-Internal-Blu-Ray-BC-12B1ST/dp/B004SUO068/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1U90Q3X1RFYPN&coliid=I314036AW58QSR

Hard Drive: http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST2000DM001/dp/B005T3GRN2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1U90Q3X1RFYPN&coliid=I26R5ZMZME87QW

Operating System : http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1U90Q3X1RFYPN&coliid=I1HRBB5SP4CY5K

Please help me out here guys I'm wanting to build a epic gaming rig for 2013 - 2014!!! thanks!

Answer
Hello, No need for $2750, $2000 is more than enough.

Case : Poor pick, Get cooler master scout2 case, can add 6 120 mm fans, 2 front usb 3 ports, 2 front usb 2 ports.
Monitor : Nice pick.
Optical Drive : Holy shit! xD Amazing one :D do not get it unless if you REALLY need blue ray optical drive.
HDD : Nice pick. even though WD is better than segate.
OS : Good choice! be away from Windows 8 if you want gaming pc.

Take this build, will max anything out there, futureproof for at least 3 years.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OtBl
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OtBl/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OtBl/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair DOMINATOR 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($152.61 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($129.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($137.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1664.50
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-04 19:11 EDT-0400)

Add your monitor, OS, optical drive. Get 6 120 mm case fans.
You wattage needed is only 470W, i give you 850 for future upgrade / overcloacking.
I swear you DO NOT NEED anything more.

Good luck with your pc :)


Edit :
Oh sorry did not notice that you want triple monitor!
hmmm still OK, you will need about 2100 - 2300 $

PS : Amazing PC :)

What is The Best Gaming Laptop for My Budget?

TheVollsta

I got a budget of 27000 Norwegian Kroner which is about 4594 dollars.

I need a PC that's able to play most games at least on high and maybe, but not necessarily Ultra.

I'm new to PC gaming - you know i'm the typical Console boy or whatever.. lol so i dont understand much of the pc language.

BTW, I've been looking to buy the Razer Blade Pro when it comes out, but it seems like they aren't shipping to where i live

--I give best answer--

Thank you for your time!

Answer
For your budget you could get TWO Asus or Alienware (Dell) top machines with good graphics chips. Then you could winter in Majorca or the Canaries with the rest of that budget.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/29/3909364/best-gaming-laptop-reviews
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2020688,00.asp
If you want superior graphics, get a ViDock and put a really high end card in it, use an exterior monitor. http://pcgamerhub.com/external-video-card-for-laptop-gaming/
Better is to build your own exterior PSIe-16x slot from a $100 kit from China and a standard desktop power supply for it. http://lifehacker.com/5851902/turn-a-low+powered-laptop-into-a-gaming-machine-with-an-external-video-card-dock

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What are the tips should I base when I buy Video Card?

best gaming pc monitor 2013 image

Wyllie Yip

Since I have learned the BASIC things in choosing a right processor from my friend that when you buy a processor you should always base the number of cores, theads, cache and the frequency speed.

Question:
Now, what I want to learn is that I wanna know what are the tips in buying Video Card, what are the things should I base before buying Video Card? Because I heard from other people that when I buy a Video Card the Video Memory must be bigger to have a GREAT VIDEO CARD. Now, I have found out this Leaflets from the computer store there is different Video Cards here like GT and GTX and I saw that GTX are more expensive? Why is that? Also, with this let me state an example:
- GF 210 1GB 64BIT DDR3 - 1,200 pesos
- GF 210 1GB 128BIT DDR3- 1,670 pesos.....
... I saw that there is a difference between the two, the BIT, why does 128BIT is more expensive that 64BIT since their VIDEO Memory is just the same? What's the USE of that BIT? Is that one of the tip in buying Video Card?

Another example:
- GT 630 4GB 128BIT DDR3 - 2,775 pesos
- GTX 650 1GB, 128BIT DDR5 - 4,885 pesos...
In this example....I am so doubtful because why is it that GTX 650 1GB is more expensive that GT 630 since GT 630 has more VIDEO MEMORY because it's 4GB than GTX 650 only 1GB? And I see the difference that GTX650 is DDR5, is that the reason because of "DDR5" GTX650 is more expensive than GT 630?

Thank you so much!....your explanation would help...
so that in the near future, when I buy video card...
I already know what is the right Video Card to buy...

Answer
GT (and even GTS) is the low and regular card class, GTX is the extreme card class.

For gaming and HD video editing, a GTX card is a MUST.
For anything else, any GT or GTS card will do fine.

In all modern nVidia cards, the first digit is the series (generation). The latest is the 600 series for desktop cards, they already released a GT730M for laptops.
The next generation of 700 series will be released this year, people say in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2013....
The second digit is the class, and the 3rd digit is generally zero (0), except for some OEM models and OEM for laptops.
A GTX680 will be better than a GTX670 and so on...
Example of OEM cards: GT635M for some Dell and HP laptops, or GTX555 for Dell Alienware X51 small form factor gaming desktop PC.
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-555-oem

The 1GB, 2GB, etc is the amount of GDDR graphics memory on the card.
The generation does play an important role, like GDDR5 is much faster (better) than GDDR3 or DDR3.
The amount of GDDR memory (1GB, 2GB, etc) does not play an important role in the card performance, except when using multiple monitors.
For gaming on a single monitor, 1GB GDDR5 is more than enough, as almost all games will only use well under 1GB.
In your example, the 1GB GTX650 GDDR5 will be a much better card than the 4GB GT630 DDR3.

The 64bit or 128bit or 256bit, etc is the memory interface bandwidth of the card, and is very important in determining the card performance. The higher the bandwidth, the faster the access to the card memory would be.
Gaming cards have 128bit or higher. For best performance in gaming, a 192bit or higher bandwidth is required.

For gaming and video editing, get at least a GTX650 Ti (better than the non-Ti version), or best a GTX660 Ti.

Whats the difference between a Ships Serviceman and Logistics Specialist?

Kelly

Im enlisted in the navy and I just wanted to know the difference between the two ...and which one is more better.

Answer
The Logistics Specialist rating was established as a result of the merger of the Storekeeper (SK) and Postal Clerk (PC) ratings in October 2009.

Logistics Specialists manage inventories of repair parts and general supplies that support ships, squadrons, and shore-based activities. They procure, receive, store and issue material and repair components. They utilize financial accounting and database systems to perform inventory and financial management functions.

Logistics Specialists operate Navy post offices. Their work is similar to that of civilians who work for the U.S. Postal Service. PCs supervise, organize, and establish or disestablish a Navy post office. They sort and distribute all official and personal mail, manage money order and stamp inventories, and maintain financial and inventory reports.
The duties performed by LSs include ordering, stocking, and issuing repair parts, clothing and general supplies. They maintain financial records and accounting systems, and maintain inventory databases for material stocked in shore based warehouses and ship storerooms.

LSs perform duties associated with hazardous material control and management, and organize and maintaine databases, correspondence files, and reports. Maintain logistics and financial publications and CD-ROM libraries.

LSs also manage and operating Navy post offices, ashore or afloat. They sort and distribute all classes of mail and parcel post, and process and dispatch mail. They perform counter operations similar to those performed in United States Postal Service offices, such as selling stamps, handling money orders, preparing claims, tracers and inquiries, and prepare and maintain postal records and reports.


The Ship's Serviceman rating was established in 1943.

Ship's Servicemen are responsible for managing and operating all shipboard retail and service activities. These include the ship's store, vending machines, video games, barber shops, laundry and tailor shops. They play a large role in the morale of the ship.

Over 2,400 men and women work in the SH rating. Placement and advancement opportunities are good for qualified applicants.

The SH rating requires a 60 month (5 year) service obligation for those leaving for boot-camp in FY-2013 and beyond.


Ship's Serviceman (SH)
Ship's Servicemen operate all shipboard retail activities. They operate and maintain vending and cash collection machines, and operate ship stores afloat. SHs receive, check, store, and inventory merchandise and materials, and they track items entering or leaving the storeroom and report damaged or spoiled goods. They use hand-held scanners to track inventories, and process orders, receipts, inventory adjustments, etc.

Ship's Servicemen use financial and inventory software applications, and they receive, monitor, and count funds received from ATM, vending machines, and store operations. They develop marketing strategies for ship stores, and they oversee sales and service operations.

Ship's Servicemen receive, process, and return shipboard laundry. They operate and tend washing and dry cleaning machines to clean or dry clean shipboard linen and uniform articles. SHs manage and operate the ship's barber shops, cut and style hair. They keep work areas clean and hair cutting implements sanitized.

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I really want to start PC Gaming, More info in the description.?

best gaming pc monitor 2013 image

Kylie

Okay so, I have decided that I want to star PC gaming and I have a few questions.

1.) Hard drives are like the heart of everything, so what would be a good one for a beginner? I don't really have a technological background either so building one is out of the question. I just want one to start off with.

2.) Should I just use a regular old monitor or get a specialized one? (if that's worded correctly)

I don't want to spend too much in the beginning, but as time goes one get better equipment. From what I've been researching some of the lesser expensive ones are about 500-600 so are there any recommendations for equal or below?

Any advice or input would be great.

Answer
With a lower budget, why not just get a Gaming Laptop so you can game anywhere?

An example laptop would be the Acer Aspire E1-571-6811.

You can see more laptops within your price range here:
http://bestlaptopforgaming.org/laptop/bang-for-the-buck-gaming-laptops-under-500-reviews-2013/


Do your research before making a selection. :-)

About how much money would i need for a very good build your own computer?

Davie Stee

Ok so ive earned $556 dollars in two months for my computer and im thinking im about halfway there, am i correct? or more? im looking for a computer with a very good amount of RAM and memory and a decent to good graphics card (i don't need amazing graphics, i just need one that will run many video games and mods to them, as i will be playing fallout 3, fallout new vegas, skyrim, minecraft, ect.) and also i heard its better to get a water cooling system rather than a fan cooling. So about how much will this cost? id rather save up for great rather than have to make changes here and there later on.

Answer
As this is your first build, I'd recommend you go with air cooling. If you want to go with a closed-loop (all-in-one - assembled) water cooler for the CPU, that would be OK. It's totally unnecessary unless you plan on overclocking the CPU a lot.

The Ivy-bridge CPUs and Nvidia Kepler GPUs run cool on air. I went from the Intel Core i5 760 to the Core i7 3770K and from the Nvidia Fermi 470 to the Nvidia Kepler 670. My CPU temps dropped nearly 20°C when under load (now about 55°C). My GPU temps dropped nearly 25°C (Now about 57-58°C). That's not even worth the effort of water cooling, IMO.

As to what it costs, I could put together a very nice system for about $1,000-$1,200 without a monitor, keyboard, mouse or speakers. (I.E., just the box.) http://pcpartpicker.com/ is your friend.

** edit **
I would get something like this today:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Ouz1
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Ouz1/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Ouz1/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1100.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-04 20:26 EDT-0400)

If you live near a Microcenter, you can shave $40-80 off the combined price of the CPU and motherboard by going into the store. It's a ploy, yes, but it will save you money.

Technically speaking, the SSD isn't required, but oh my, is it nice. My, oh my.

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