Need Gaming PC advice!

[NinjaDeathSlap]

*sigh* I'm not going to take up your valuable time by racking off a list of all the problems I have with the Xbox One, PS4, and WiiU. I could, but I won't. There are plenty of other threads for that. Suffice to say that I look out across the fresh green pastures of a new console generation... and I could not be less impressed. None of the current players seem to be taking their products in the direction of what I like about playing games. I wish them well and all, and I will continue to get lots of enjoyment out of my Xbox 360 and PS2 I'm sure, but none of their new products are for me right now. So, if I want to keep on playing new games (which I do), then I guess it's time for me to jump over to the PC for my entertainment needs; and as I'll be going to Uni in September, and my current laptop is nearly 3 years old and starting to show its age, these next few months seem like the most convenient time for me to get on board, and I could use some help in finding the hardware that's right for me.

OK, so here's a list of some general requirements for what I'm looking for, as well as some tips on how I need this advice served to me:

1) It can't be emphasized enough how much of a novice I am at this, so you racking off a long list of specs full of numbers and letters without context is going to mean nothing to me. I need this in layman's terms as much as possible.

2) I need something that's compatible with console controllers, preferably Xbox controllers. Yeah, call me a scrub all you want, it's what I'm used to and I like it; and fuck using keyboard and mouse to control anything other than RTS's and Point n' Click Adventures.

3) It needs to be a laptop. I realise that that will mean a level of sacrifice in terms of performance, but I need the mobility and convenience of a laptop for non-gaming related stuff more than I need absolute, top of the line hardware, and I don't have the kind of money to be able to afford a dedicated gaming PC AND a laptop for general work and social stuff.

4) In regards to performance, I'm not a huge graphics whore. I can certainly live without being able to play Cryteck games on their highest graphics settings, and I know point 3) means I'd probably have to whether I like it or not. However, I do want to at least be able to run your average big-budget game on at least moderate to high graphics without the processor melting after 30 minutes of game time, if that's at all possible in line with my other requirements. I also don't want to buy something only for it to be completely obsolete within a year, although I realise that depends a lot on the new games as well as the hardware itself, so it may not be the easiest thing to judge.

5) As far as price goes, I don't really have a budget range as of yet. Nor am I particularly sure what the average price of a gaming PC is. However, if I'm not going to get any of the new consoles, then I reckon anything within about £150 of the price of a brand new console would be reasonable.

6) Building my own rig... Eh, I'm open to it, and I understand it can be a vastly cheaper way to go. However, if I did it would have to be compatible with all my other requirements (i.e. It would have to be mobile, I would have to be able to use console controllers for it, and it would have to be useful for more than just games). If those requirements can't be met going down that road, then no can do. If they can, then I'll still need some advice on how exactly I should go about building my own PC. What parts do I need? Where can I get them? How easy would it be/how long does it take for a complete novice to actually build one? etc. Like I said, I know next to nothing about this stuff.

7) Let's try and keep this thread civil. I'm looking for helpful advice, not flamebait.

So, there's my cry for help. Who will respond?

 

[ResonanceSD]

Here is the tom's hardware article on building your own gaming PC for $800

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-a-pc-overclocking-gaming,3440.html

I recommend you read it.

1)Everything will be compatible with controllers.

2) For laptops, since you're new to all of this, what you want is a Dell XPS. Mainly because they're quite powerful, and come with very good support if anything goes wrong.

3) "Obsolete within a year" is a tired catchphrase that has never held water since the days of 286 processors. I have hardware from 2010. It runs everything on ultra. The point of the first article was so that you'd learn terms and realise that nothing goes obsolete that quickly.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I'm not going to get into all of your questions, but I just want to say that you don't need to worry about controller support for new, high-profile games, although indie games can be hit-or-miss. Most games have native support for Xbox 360 controllers, and getting a wired 360 controllers to work on a PC is piss-easy. I would not recommend trying to use a controller for multiplayer shooters, and getting used to using keyboard and mouse will let you play a whole lot of older games, but other than that you should be fine.

 

[Pinkamena]

You have already made it difficult for yourself by wanting a laptop. You say you want it for the mobility, but trust me, a gaming laptop is not very mobile. They often weigh a lot more than your average one, and if you only want to spend as much money on it as a console would cost, it will not be powerful enough to run most modern games on medium/high settings.

 

[accipitre]

Don't get a gaming laptop, you simply can't get a good one for a low price, and considering the GPU and CPU hits you take, I'd postulate that you simply can't get a good one period.

Go with a desktop, get a nice IPS monitor, get a solid graphics card, it'll hold you for years and you can upgrade it at-will (you can't upgrade a laptop).

 

[WouldYouKindly]

You have to go with a desktop. Most gaming laptops are prohibitively expensive and aren't as powerful as a desktop half the price.

If you have a newer TV, look for the magical words HDMI output on your new rig and your TV. This way, you can forgo getting a monitor and just use your TV. You can get a short HDMI cable for like 12 bucks. Of course, this necessitates a wireless mouse and keyboard, or you could just by a longer cable or shift the layout of your room.

Your entry level gaming PC will run you at least 500 USD on newegg.com(just go there and read reviews for gaming PCs, that'll help a lot).

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

You have already made it difficult for yourself by wanting a laptop. You say you want it for the mobility, but trust me, a gaming laptop is not very mobile. They often weigh a lot more than your average one, and if you only want to spend as much money on it as a console would cost, it will not be powerful enough to run most modern games on medium/high settings.

Well, I'm prepared to pay more than what a brand new console would cost, because I recognize that it's going to be doing a lot more things for me than just being gaming hardware. I'm just not willing to pay vastly more is all.

What would you say is the lowest price at which I can get what I'm asking for? Just straight up buying that is, building my own is another matter...

Don't get a gaming laptop, you simply can't get a good one for a low price, and considering the GPU and CPU hits you take, I'd postulate that you simply can't get a good one period.

Go with a desktop, get a nice IPS monitor, get a solid graphics card, it'll hold you for years and you can upgrade it at-will (you can't upgrade a laptop).

My wanting a laptop is to do with me going off to University. I need something that's compact enough that it's convenient to transport back and forth between home and Uni accommodation, bearing in mind that they'll be a whole lot of other stuff taking up space in the car when I do so. Otherwise, I'll just have to leave it at my Uni accommodation whenever I come home. If I do that, then I'll be leaving my work, I'll be abandoning the freedom of having my own computer to use at will, and I'll be leaving a very expensive piece of hardware unattended, for sometimes weeks on end, where anyone could get at it. This isn't really an option.

A desktop isn't out of the question, but it would have to be small as desktops go and it still wouldn't be as convenient as I'd like.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

You have to go with a desktop. Most gaming laptops are prohibitively expensive and aren't as powerful as a desktop half the price.

If you have a newer TV, look for the magical words HDMI output on your new rig and your TV. This way, you can forgo getting a monitor and just use your TV. You can get a short HDMI cable for like 12 bucks. Of course, this necessitates a wireless mouse and keyboard, or you could just by a longer cable or shift the layout of your room.

Your entry level gaming PC will run you at least 500 USD on newegg.com(just go there and read reviews for gaming PCs, that'll help a lot).

Would I be able to use my TV as a monitor for everything else I need to use my PC for, as in Uni work and general browsing? If so, then that's an avenue worth considering.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Of course. If it can handle gaming on it, there's no reason it wouldn't be able handle the mundane uses too. I do hope you're familiar with computer security though. I only use a gaming rig for gaming.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Of course. If it can handle gaming on it, there's no reason it wouldn't be able handle the mundane uses too. I do hope you're familiar with computer security though. I only use a gaming rig for gaming.

Well yes, I know how to stay protected online. Is there anything in particular about PC gaming that put you so much more at risk of malware and viruses?

 

[porous_shield]

Would I be able to use my TV as a monitor for everything else I need to use my PC for, as in Uni work and general browsing? If so, then that's an avenue worth considering.

Yes you can.

---

With regards to laptops you need to decide what you'll be using this laptop for since some laptops aren't very practical to be lugging around with you. Are you going to be taking it to each class with you or is it mostly going to be on your desk with the occasional moving around? Desktop replacements tend to be heavy and have limited battery life compared to their smaller counterparts but have far more muscle in terms of dedicated GPU's (graphics processing unit), RAM, and processor speed.

Laptops aren't upgradeable like desktops, however RAM and hard drives can be easily upgraded, so you're going to be stuck with your GPU and CPU for the life of the computer so put some consideration into what you're buying.

If you want to game with it, there are a few things to keep in mind such, like I just mentioned, you need a dedicated GPU so either Radeon or NIvidia (Intel just doesn't cut it). http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Laptop-Graphics-Cards.130.0.html that site breaks down GPU's into categories with a description of each so you can search the name of a gpu and see where it falls. Intel i7 processors are the top of the line right now with i5's a step below. RAM (random access memory) the more the better but you can easily add more in the future if need be.

You said you were not sure of your budget but also about 150 euros above a new console cost so would that be 550? I'm not familiar with European pricing.

Make sure you do lots of research, many people buy laptops they wish they hadn't due to lack of research.

I hope what I've said helps in some shape or form.

 

[Strelok]

Of course. If it can handle gaming on it, there's no reason it wouldn't be able handle the mundane uses too. I do hope you're familiar with computer security though. I only use a gaming rig for gaming.

Well yes, I know how to stay protected online. Is there anything in particular about PC gaming that put you so much more at risk of malware and viruses?

I think he is referring to the mundane uses, surfing the web, sometimes questionable websites if that is your thing. Some, such as myself with multiple PCs use one (or more) specifically for gaming and another for everything else. Keeps a gaming system running well, unaffected by anything that may end up running in the background be it malicious or otherwise. Running multiple systems is not always practical though, so some knowledge of system security/protection is a good thing if you plan to have a multipurpose system.

Also ignore all the "get a desktop" bull, if you need mobility and want gaming to be apart of it there are many systems to choose from depending on your needs, financing is also a good part of some of the brands. This could let you go for a little more higher end system and pay it off slowly. Dell/Alienware is good for this.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Also ignore all the "get a desktop" bull, if you need mobility and want gaming to be apart of it there are many systems to choose from depending on your needs, financing is also a good part of some of the brands. This could let you go for a little more higher end system and pay it off slowly. Dell/Alienware is good for this.

The reason I recommend a desktop is that you can upgrade it fairly easily. Laptops have a pretty much destined obsolete point. Desktops can stave that off with regular upgrades until you hit a major bottleneck. You can make a desktop last a lot longer before you need to buy a new rig.

 

[porous_shield]

Also ignore all the "get a desktop" bull, if you need mobility and want gaming to be apart of it there are many systems to choose from depending on your needs, financing is also a good part of some of the brands. This could let you go for a little more higher end system and pay it off slowly. Dell/Alienware is good for this.

The reason I recommend a desktop is that you can upgrade it fairly easily. Laptops have a pretty much destined obsolete point. Desktops can stave that off with regular upgrades until you hit a major bottleneck. You can make a desktop last a lot longer before you need to buy a new rig.

Destined obsolete point or not, to someone looking for something mobile, a desktop is just not practical. Gaming specifications are dictated by console hardware and that doesn't change very often so you can get a good number of years out of a reasonably priced gaming laptop if you're not concerned with ultra max settings and the newest and greatest hardware.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Of course. If it can handle gaming on it, there's no reason it wouldn't be able handle the mundane uses too. I do hope you're familiar with computer security though. I only use a gaming rig for gaming.

Well yes, I know how to stay protected online. Is there anything in particular about PC gaming that put you so much more at risk of malware and viruses?

I think he is referring to the mundane uses, surfing the web, sometimes questionable websites if that is your thing. Some, such as myself with multiple PCs use one (or more) specifically for gaming and another for everything else. Keeps a gaming system running well, unaffected by anything that may end up running in the background be it malicious or otherwise. Running multiple systems is not always practical though, so some knowledge of system security/protection is a good thing if you plan to have a multipurpose system.

Also ignore all the "get a desktop" bull, if you need mobility and want gaming to be apart of it there are many systems to choose from depending on your needs, financing is also a good part of some of the brands. This could let you go for a little more higher end system and pay it off slowly. Dell/Alienware is good for this.

Having 2 PC's would make this a lot easier. Unfortunately, I have neither the space of the money for that to be a practical solution. I mean I suppose I could still keep the laptop I currently have for a while, but one off the reason I'm looking to buy now is because this one probably not going to last very much longer.

When I'm shopping around for a system, laptop or otherwise, what within the specs should I be looking out for that tells me it can suit all my needs? Also, can you give me a rough figure on what's the cheapest I can get that kind of tech for?

 

[Crises^]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152388 $900

It has a decent GPU, CPU and 8 gigs of ram

Unfortunately it's hard to find a good gaming laptop for a decent price.
If you change your mind and get a desktop let me know your price range and I'll either do a parts list if you want to buy one or find a decent one prebuilt.

 

[Joccaren]

1) It can't be emphasized enough how much of a novice I am at this, so you racking off a long list of specs full of numbers and letters without context is going to mean nothing to me. I need this in layman's terms as much as possible.

When it comes to building your own PC, this will sadly be impossible. We can spend a paragraph writing down what each of the numbers and letters mean, but they are an important part of the name of many components, and will need to be included in a "Buy this part" fashion. All you'll need to worry about is going to a shop, online or IRL and saying "I need this part".
For laptop recommendations though it should be fine. Just trust that we'll get you what you need, and don't ask about specs [As that will just give you numbers and letters and debates amongst users as to what is the better option].

2) I need something that's compatible with console controllers, preferably Xbox controllers. Yeah, call me a scrub all you want, it's what I'm used to and I like it; and fuck using keyboard and mouse to control anything other than RTS's and Point n' Click Adventures.

Not an issue. This is dependent on the game, and the controller, not on your PC/Laptop.

3) It needs to be a laptop. I realise that that will mean a level of sacrifice in terms of performance, but I need the mobility and convenience of a laptop for non-gaming related stuff more than I need absolute, top of the line hardware, and I don't have the kind of money to be able to afford a dedicated gaming PC AND a laptop for general work and social stuff.

Sadly the second option there would be the better one; Really cheap laptop that can run work utilities, but not games in the slightest, and a modest gaming rig that can run games fairly well, but not necessarily brilliantly. Getting a gaming laptop is a bad move by all regards, as they are heavy, produce a LOT of heat, lose their strength rather quickly [Not just because new hardware is better, but because their hardware suffers pretty bad wear and tear, likely thanks to the heat], and are non-upgradable, so you'll have to buy an entirely new laptop when you want a better one, rather than just 1 or 2 parts.
Of course you know your needs and capabilities better than us, but I'd still recommend going for a cheap laptop and a modest gaming PC [Cheap, relatively low end components that'll run your games, though some maybe only on low settings], even though this may not be entirely in line with what you want.

4) In regards to performance, I'm not a huge graphics whore. I can certainly live without being able to play Cryteck games on their highest graphics settings, and I know point 3) means I'd probably have to whether I like it or not. However, I do want to at least be able to run your average big-budget game on at least moderate to high graphics without the processor melting after 30 minutes of game time, if that's at all possible in line with my other requirements. I also don't want to buy something only for it to be completely obsolete within a year, although I realise that depends a lot on the new games as well as the hardware itself, so it may not be the easiest thing to judge.

Define "Your average big-budget game". Some don't have great graphics, even on high settings, and are fairly well optimised so they'll run fine on almost any rig with a dedicated GPU, others are not at the level of Crysis 3 or BF4 or TW2, but still look great and have high-demand graphics features, or are terribly optimised and are high-demand despite their poor graphics.
Processors melting in the laptop is something you shouldn't have to worry about, but if you want a gaming one it WILL get hot. Likely unbearably hot but that depends on how long you use it for, and how high is unbearable for you.

5) As far as price goes, I don't really have a budget range as of yet. Nor am I particularly sure what the average price of a gaming PC is. However, if I'm not going to get any of the new consoles, then I reckon anything within about £150 of the price of a brand new console would be reasonable.

Price of a gaming PC, in USD, is generally between $300 and $1500, dependent on how good you want it. Price for a gaming laptop is usually closer to $700-$2300 in my experience, though others may be able to find one cheaper.

6) Building my own rig... Eh, I'm open to it, and I understand it can be a vastly cheaper way to go. However, if I did it would have to be compatible with all my other requirements (i.e. It would have to be mobile, I would have to be able to use console controllers for it, and it would have to be useful for more than just games). If those requirements can't be met going down that road, then no can do. If they can, then I'll still need some advice on how exactly I should go about building my own PC. What parts do I need? Where can I get them? How easy would it be/how long does it take for a complete novice to actually build one? etc. Like I said, I know next to nothing about this stuff.

Sadly building a truly portable gaming PC is an absolute pain, and would require knowledge of what you're doing, and possibly some custom modding of the case. You can buy pre-builts that are fairly portable, though nothing to the extent of a laptop.
As to how easy it is... I guess that depends on your skillset. At the age of 5 I was able to easily build one. Its largely just "Plug this thing here and only touch the sides, don't touch the face, whilst making sure you are grounded". Everything will only be able to slot in one place, and in one way, and the thing you have to worry most about is inadvertently damaging components, though that's harder that you would think at times. As for how long it'll take... A couple of hours at most? My most recent build took me an hour to assemble completely from scratch, and a lot of that was cable management that really doesn't need to be worried too much about, but that my family has always been obsessive with just for good PC maintenance. Granted I have a lot of experience with this, so I did not have to figure anything out as to how to assemble it, and could just plug stuff together, rather than looking at it and trying to figure out exactly what I'd need to do.


Sadly I don't do laptops too much, so I'm not going to be able to help you too much in that area. What you should be looking for in the way of specs is an i5 CPU, 4Gb RAM or more, enough harddrive space to install everything [Bearing in mind your average AAA PC game these days is 10-15Gb], and a GPU in which the second number is 5 or higher [E.G: 550M, 650M, 7570M]. That should suffice for all your needs.

 

[Danny Ocean]

I'll be going to Uni in September

1) It can't be emphasized enough how much of a novice I am at this, so you racking off a long list of specs full of numbers and letters without context is going to mean nothing to me. I need this in layman's terms as much as possible.

2) I need something that's compatible with console controllers, preferably Xbox controllers.

3) It needs to be a laptop. I realise that that will mean a level of sacrifice in terms of performance, but I need the mobility and convenience of a laptop for non-gaming related stuff more than I need absolute, top of the line hardware, and I don't have the kind of money to be able to afford a dedicated gaming PC AND a laptop for general work and social stuff.

4) In regards to performance, I'm not a huge graphics whore.

5) As far as price goes, I don't really have a budget range as of yet. Nor am I particularly sure what the average price of a gaming PC is.

6) Building my own rig... Eh, I'm open to it, and I understand it can be a vastly cheaper way to go.... I'll still need some advice on how exactly I should go about building my own PC. What parts do I need? Where can I get them? How easy would it be/how long does it take for a complete novice to actually build one? etc. Like I said, I know next to nothing about this stuff.

I'm at university now, and let me tell you: you don't need a laptop. I know you intend to take it to lectures to type up your notes and perhaps you'll do work around campus rather than in your room. But, to be honest, you probably won't.

I had a laptop in my first semester, and it was OK, I could even play some games on it. But it very quickly became the case that I never took it out of my room anyway.

So, I decided to rebuilt my gaming rig into a much smaller case. Now I have a far more powerful computer that can:

• - play all games,
  - runs much faster, cooler, and quieter (you don't want your PC heating up your bedroom or stopping you napping),
  - has way more storage,
  - and has a good sound system.
  - It's even better to use for work because it has a good keyboard and a nice big screen.

It uses one of the smallest sizes of case (Mini ITX- "Bitfenix Prodigy" [https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1ASUM_enGB516GB516&q=Bitfenix+prodigy&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46751780,d.d2k&biw=1596&bih=965&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=37OcUaj4JYjS0QXQzIGoCw]) so that when I do move it (such as occasionally plugging it into the flat's telly, or when I go to and from home) it's as easy as possible. It even has handles.

I take paper notes in lectures, and copy them onto the computer when I get home using Microsoft one note. The summarising of the summarising of the lecture really makes the stuff stick. Besides, many lectures are podcasted, and you'll be given notes/powerpoints you can view yourself. Also, if you're doing anything humanities/social sciencey, you'll learn almost everything from books anyway. Lectures are more guidelines than the actual content. But that seems to apply only to humanities.

All windows machines are compatible with Xbox controllers, as are most modern games, and almost all multi-platform ones. You'll even be getting split-screen local play with more games now- maybe even more than on console.

When it comes to getting parts, I prefer to get them new, but if you want to save money you can buy them second hand. Or, if you know a techy PC person, they may well have a load of components lying around that you can use for cheap or free.

I would strongly recommend going the mini-PC route.

 

[gorfias]

3) It needs to be a laptop.

This is interesting if you're going to go really inexpensive:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+15.6%22+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive/8753218.p?id=1218890193332&skuId=8753218#tab=overview

$320 for a Pentium w/ 4 Gig. I am shocked at how little other info there is, but my guess is it is an dual core I3 with HD 4000 graphics. I could be wrong.

15" LED display
500 Gig hard drive
Claims to do wonders on your TV with its HDMI output. Amazon has HDMI cords that cost about $5.

For your Xbox controller, you'll need a receiver: http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Gaming-Receiver-Xbox-360/dp/B003WFYZCY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1369225430&sr=8-3&keywords=xbox+360+controller+receiver

It plugs into a USB, load up the drivers, and you're using a controller on compatible games.

Even an HD4000 is going to only play games like "Bioshock" at minimal video settings. Should still look OK.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

snip

You're right, I probably would be keeping it in one place for the vast majority of the time anyway. I was thinking less in terms of the convenience of transporting it around campus, and more in terms of convenience when transporting my stuff between home and campus, although I suppose I'd manage without too much fuss.

Perhaps I'm just overestimating the size and weight of a desktop, because before I got this laptop the family PC we used had been around since 2003, and was a fairly hefty piece of kit.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152388 $900

It has a decent GPU, CPU and 8 gigs of ram

Unfortunately it's hard to find a good gaming laptop for a decent price.
If you change your mind and get a desktop let me know your price range and I'll either do a parts list if you want to buy one or find a decent one prebuilt.

Well, I'm in the UK so we're dealing in Sterling here, and I'm not certain what the current exchange rate is, but if I can get a desktop with equal or better specs than that for, let's say between £650 and £800, I'd certainly consider it.