Suggestions for Gaming Desktop?

**triggerhappy2005** · 12-17-11, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by kibner

If you buy pre-built, be sure to get as long of a warranty as you can afford. If you don't want to build a PC, I'm sure you don't want to fix one.

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PC aren't like cars with lots of moving parts. If a part fails you just replace it and that is just as likely to happen with a pre-built and one you build yourself.

Building your own is ALWAYS cheaper and you get to control what type and quality components are used. With that in mind, Dell is shit. They use crap quality PSU's, motherboards and ram. Building your own computer is easy.

You assemble it in this order:

Case - PSU - DVD drive - hard drive - motherboard - CPU/heatsink - ram - vid card -soundcard - Windows

That may seem a bit simplistic but it really is pretty straight forward and simple.

**kibner** · 12-17-11, 02:13 PM

But what if he doesn't want to troubleshoot? Just send the machine off to be fixed and don't worry about it.

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**DJ Ms. White** · 12-18-11, 02:08 PM

+1 to the Dell using crap parts. I've had to have the mobo on my laptop replaced twice this year.

**triggerhappy2005** · 12-18-11, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by kibner

But what if he doesn't want to troubleshoot? Just send the machine off to be fixed and don't worry about it.

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Send it where? It's much easier to troubleshoot than send you're PC somewhere and be w/o it for a couple weeks.

Plus, if you use quality components, the chance of something going wrong is negligible. Don't forget that he has the power of TPG to help with any problems as well.

**kibner** · 12-18-11, 06:29 PM

Some warranties gave on-site repair. Some people do not want to troubleshoot problems or research parts. Online help from friends is nice, but there are people who would rather spend their time doing things other than fiddling with their computer. For these people, a warranty is preferred.

I hate car analogies, but fuck it. Using a warranty for a company to fix your machine is like bringing your car somewhere to get your oil changed or something. Sure, you can do maintenance yourself, use better parts, and save money, but it would take time that you could spend doing something else.

Not everyone is into the DIY aspect of PCs, and with a good warranty, they don't need to be.

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**RhysJD3** · 12-19-11, 12:45 AM

I think we lost Rob. Rob, you there?

*Rob · 04-12-12, 02:33 PM

I’m going to revive this thread. I’ve decided that I’m going to buy a gaming desktop. I’ve updated the original post with the updated specifications. I’ll also post the new specifications here for convenience. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks.

Requirements:

My price range is about $750 to $1,250.
I am willing to buy a better, more expensive desktop if there is an incredible sale or deal. My price range for something like that is about $1,250 to 1,500.
My ability to build a computer from scratch is minimal (I only know how to replace a power supply and install a video card). Ideally, I would like to buy a computer ready to go. I am willing to buy a pre-built from a vendor like Alienware and also purchase their extended two or three year warranty.
I don’t want to have issues with my video card overheating. I can accept having to replace it after two or three years.
Must be able to run all these new games coming out on high graphics, high frames per second, and no heating, lag, or system/compatibility issues. I am willing to pay extra for peace of mind.

**Phyrelight** · 04-12-12, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by Guyver

Aren't most Dell motherboards like glued to the PC case? I know that's what they use to do.

I have been a dell certified repair tech for the last 6 years and I have never had a problem replacing parts in a dell machine. I will agree that Dell uses bottom end parts to save money. They will not put a bigger power supply than what is needed to power the system you pay for which makes upgrades near impossible for video cards and such. They use entry level motherboards and sometimes those boards are direct purchase to dell and the same model number may not be available for direct consumer purchase but I have always been able to locate replacement parts for our out of warranty machines.

**Ace22** · 04-12-12, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by RhysJD3

I'd recommend the i5 2500K. Can't really touch it for the dollar/performance with any other CPU's. If you get the Z68 board, you can get a small solid state and use the Intel® Smart Response Technology to do some nice caching.

+1 best advice i've seen in this thread.

Rob you can build this thing yourself EASILY. The mobo comes with a manual telling you how to hook things up.

Intrigued me to waste a few mins and have a look at computer prices. Here's what I'd do in that price range.

Processor $209 i5 2500k, $229 i5 2550k newegg
Mobo: $119 ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
or $129 GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI (i'm a Gigabyte fan but this ASRock board seems to be popular)
Solid state: $99 OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) on newegg
Power Supply: $75 OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel
RAM: $54 CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
Case: Look around.. fans +airflow. $50+ depends on how fancy you want to get.
Vid Card $259 ASUS HD7850-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7850 2GB

There's a build for $860 +tax on NewEgg that would seriously do some damage to BF3.

Also, just stumbled on a Tom's Hardware build for $650.. Seems I went similar approach but went ssd and better graphics and a little more brand name on the parts.
System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $650 Gaming PC : A Pure Gaming Machine