New PC

[SacremPyrobolum]

EDITED

I feel like i should phrase this better.

What I'm looking for is a new desktop for gaming (which lack all the excess neon lights and other bullshit) which can be easily upgraded with new hardware and is within 2000-2500 USD. I do not want to have to build it.

PS: I have no idea what I'm talking about, so be gentle

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well primarily you should disregard whatever snappy name PC shop guys come up with for their boxes because they mean nothing, it's just to convince clueless people they might know what they want.

Best I can offer at this point is this up to date component site, http://www.logicalincrements.com/
Find your price point, check the gear and then get the best match at your most convenient shop, also don't let them pull your pants down with flashy cases, Microsoft packages, absurd optic drives, or some nonsensical peripherals (I've seen people who came asking for a budget PC burn a good grand on shit they never needed).

 

[Exhuminator]

Typically what dictates a "media PC" or a "home theater PC" from a normal PC, is simply the ability to hook the computer up to a TV, and the fact it has a permanent home near said TV. Since these days most any HDTV supports VGA/DVI in, any PC could in theory be a "media PC". Most people do this to watch downloaded videos on their TV (or use streaming media from the internet), although some use it for emulation or playing the latest AAA PC port in their living room. However, since most people are just using their media PC to watch media, they don't need high end PC power. Instead, most people will just buy a mini computer somewhere like this: http://www.newegg.com/Barebone-Mini-Computers/Category/ID-3 And then they will use something like this as a "remote control" for controlling it: http://www.amazon.com/FE01-BL-Wireless-Keyboard-Mouse-Touchpad/dp/B003UE52ME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384616097&sr=8-1&keywords=wireless+mini+keyboard+with+mouse

However if you're really looking more for a higher end gaming PC that you can hook to your HDTV, you'll need more power than what a typical mini media PC will offer. In that regard I would say look at the recommend system requirements for the games that you're interested in, and base your purchase on a computer that encapsulates power slightly above those recommended requirements. That's good for a bit of a longevity buffer. If you don't want to build your own gaming PC, you can take a look at complete builds for sale at a place like this: http://www.newegg.com/All-Desktop-PCs/SubCategory/ID-10

 

[clippen05]

Any PC can be a media PC, but typically people refer to Mini-ITX ones as media PCs. There are quite a few mini-ITX cases that can support full GPUs and full PowerSupplys such as the CoolerMaster Elite 120, the EVGA Hadron, and a number of Silverstone cases. I have the Silverstone SG-07 as my SFF PC and I can tell you that I love it; its cool, quiet, and pretty small.

 

[RicoADF]

Hello,

Recently, I have realized that my current gaming laptop, the Battalion something from ibuypower.com, is just not cutting it any longer. I'm not sure if its just because technology has advanced past it or because the Dustbowl is being reenacted everyday in my hardware.

Either way! I feel it is time for an upgrade, this time to a proper desktop.

Recently, after listening to one of my podcasts during a session of Hearts of Iron III, I overheard one of the speakers talk about how great her new "media PC" is.

To me, a media PC sounds primarily like a workstation for video editors or a place from which non-gamey, cool people watch there movies while sipping cappuccinos. However, I realized that the power required for these uses would also benefits games (graphics, sounds, processing, etc). That sounded good.

So, any recommendations for me to start looking? I also want it to be easy to upgrade and maintain so that I can expand its life past its predecessors.

And please don't recommend me to build my own computer. I would rather not buy a bunch of expensive components only to slightly break one and much up the whole thing entirely. (and I'm lazy)

Actually, unless their doing 3D rendering, most video editing, sound editing etc does not use the graphics card beyond simple displaying of the screen. Same goes for watching movies, even a basic system can watch bluray movies as long as it has the drive and enough ram (modern, not old stuff).

If you want advice on what to get you need to post your budget and general location (eg: Sydney Australia for me), and then people can try to advise.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

snip

Thanks, I edited the topic to be more clear.

 

[RicoADF]

EDITED

I feel like i should phrase this better.

What I'm looking for is a new desktop for gaming (which lack all the excess neon lights and other bullshit) which can be easily upgraded with new hardware and is within 2000-2500 USD. I do not want to have to build it.

PS: I have no idea what I'm talking about, so be gentle

Ok so I am taking your in the US based on the USD, do you want a laptop or desktop? Desktops give more power for your dollar but laptop gives you the portability (I have both, my laptop is for when I get together with mates for LAN games, easier to pick up the laptop and go than desktop and monitors).

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

EDITED

I feel like i should phrase this better.

What I'm looking for is a new desktop for gaming (which lack all the excess neon lights and other bullshit) which can be easily upgraded with new hardware and is within 2000-2500 USD. I do not want to have to build it.

PS: I have no idea what I'm talking about, so be gentle

Ok so I am taking your in the US based on the USD, do you want a laptop or desktop? Desktops give more power for your dollar but laptop gives you the portability (I have both, my laptop is for when I get together with mates for LAN games, easier to pick up the laptop and go than desktop and monitors).

I'm gunning for a proper desktop

 

[Robert Marrs]

check out ironside computers. you can either customize a pc with the things you want and they assemble it then mail it to you or buy one of their pre-built models. never used them myself but i have heard really good things about them. http://ironsidecomputers.com/

 

[funksobeefy]

I honestly dont think you need to spend $2500 for an awesome gaming pc. You could cut that price in half and still get a kick ass comp.

 

[loc978]

That's a truly gigantic budget for a gaming PC (craziest system I've ever built was around $1700, and it was running a hexacore i7. That'll be overkill for a long time). If you don't want to build it yourself, optimally you should find a knowledgeable friend to build it for you. Failing that, a local custom shop willing to go over all of the parts and take requests for parts replacement.

The usual problem with custom shops is the tendency to go with board manufacturers who sell at a few bucks cheaper for similar hardware... and then have no customer service to speak of if they supply a dud.

Whoever winds up building it, do not let them put a Sapphire, Powercolor or Sparkle video card... nor an Elitegroup(ECS), Biostar or Foxconn motherboard in your system (among others, those were the horror story brands I can remember). That's gambling the entire system on $10-$50 savings.

 

[JazzJack2]

I don't mean to be rude but if you not going to build it yourself then I am not sure you're the sort of person who needs to or even should spend that sort of money on a computer.

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

Seeing as you have a MASSIVE budget and are looking for a prebuilt rig; I would go to Origin PC.

You can get a solid build with an i5 4670K and a GTX 780 Ti (The best card on the market right now) for that money.
Also add a Solid State Drive (SSD) as your primary hard drive and use a larger tradiditional HDD drive for storage. The performance gained by SSDs is well worth the money.

 

[revjay]

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/ has computers as cheap or expensive as you'd care to get. I've owned two and I can tell you that support is great, the systems are solid, they come overclocked or not as you wish, and they can look as flashy or not as you want. My current one is a solid black box with no side windows or lights except for the power switch.