PC gaming THE COST

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thespyisdead

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my current rig is an ASUS gaming laptop which i bought used for 550?
rundown of features:
i7 form 2010 @1.73 GHz
ATI HD 5730 with 2gb dedicated VRAM
4gb ram
500 gb HDD

this setup out preformed any laptop in that price range at the time of purchase, so i am rather happy with it. will last me for at least 2-3 years, since i do not usually go for freshly released AAA titles, as they cost too much (yes, please call me a hypocrite -.-')
 

Guy from the 80's

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verdant monkai said:
So how much did you guys pay for your rigs? that is what you call them yes?
Also please don't make any PC gaming master race comments, they churn my stomach and make PC gamers seem terrible.
I'm considering buying a custom made pc for £1700, then again everything is excpensive where I live but I want something that will ast for a long time.

When it comes to xblive I quite like it. I got a gold membership but I rarely play on-line. Maybe a session of Dark Souls here and there.
 

verdant monkai

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EstrogenicMuscle said:
But that's what the Falcon guide is for.

Following the Falcon guide is the best way to get bang for your buck. It has a lot of the best parts at each price range. There are even computers around the $200 price range.

Why the lack of interest? Is it the best guide to owning a PC meant for gaming anywhere on the internet if you want to be money smart. I think you should give it a second thought before outright dismissing it. It would give you a much better PC for the money than any prebuilt in the world. It also isn't "my" guide. It is a PC building guide put together by some of the most intelligent and experienced in the hobby.

There is no reason to dismiss the Falcon guide. It is the best for getting into PC gaming at any price range.
I dont know if you read my OP but I've already bought it so even if I did want to use it there's no point any more. But thank you anyway.
 

NathLines

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Gah! I've never converted the cost into dollars before. I got mine + peripherals + OS for $1700-1800 about 2 years ago. I'm still concerned that it might spontaneously combust(I built it myself). Nowadays, I could probably get a better one for half the price of the old one Y___Y

While Steam is great, I suggest you keep an eye on other sites as well. Steam used to have the absolute lowest prices, but there's been a lot of deals lately that they can't compete with. Amazon and Green Man Gaming in particular. Or just check Dealzon if you don't feel like looking through every site out there.
 

DSK-

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This PC cost something just under £400 when new a few years ago (AMD Athlon II X4 620, 2GB DDR2 RAM). It was a barebones PC and I got a GT 240 for it that was cheap and cheerful. I've upgraded it a few times and now it has 8GB's of RAM, a GTX 550 ti and an SSD.

I didn't built my own PC until a few weeks ago actually, and over all it cost £284; AMD Athlon II X4 640, 4GB DDR3 RAM and a GTX 260. I'm using for rendering stuff for youtube.

Overall, the only things that will need upgrading on these as the years go by will be the RAM and graphics cards, at least for what I need anyway.
 

Headdrivehardscrew

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Aug 22, 2011
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Looks like a good deal, the only thing I am really wondering about is the graphics card. All I could find was 'Features: Graphics Card', so if your main intended use for the box will be gaming, you might want to check that out and upgrade it as possible, or later, as you go along and inform yourself. With a console, you mainly just choose 'that one', with a gaming PC build, it is wise to find at least three hardware review or customer rating sites that you find make sense to you... I also suggest staying somewhat in the loop, as older gear might very well go down in price (when buying new), but important parts of your rig might become hard to obtain or even unavailable if you wait for too long.

For bare naked functionality, any keyboard and mouse will do, but I suggest you find what suits you best. I personally have big issues with the products of Razr, Microsoft and plenty other big-name manufacturers, but things naturally fall in place for me with Logitech gear. So much that I buy all the replacement mice and parts I can possibly get. Depending on your specific setup and gaming basement/shrine/living room situation, you might want to choose a cheap keyboard that plain does the trick for the moment, you might want to get a specific gaming keyboard used, or you might even want to go wireless. It all works, but I sincerely recommend sticking to brand name manufacturers.

PC gaming in general offers a high level of customization for your needs, which also means choices galore. For gaming, keyboard and mouse are fine for all old, classic and GoG titles... for modern games, a gamepad-type controller might be the only proper way to go. Bear that in mind. I am personally - again - very happy with Logitech gear, but a lot of people seem to be happy with using their XBOX360 or PS3 pads on the PC. Again - whatever rocks your boat is the way to go. If you're already used to XBOX360 controllers, you might want to hold on to those for your PC gaming needs.

If you already have a 1920x1080 FullHD LCD TV, you might want to just play on that, if feasible. Check the manual or online sites for optimal settings, as wrong settings can seriously mess up how games display and feel. All the settings that make, say, DVD movies look cool are bound to have a very negative impact on the visual quality and responsiveness of fast-moving gaming action.

If you really need a monitor, check out all the reviews you can muster before committing. Resolution, picture quality and display speed aka response time. Modern TVs offer 'gaming mode', which is good for starters, but most manufacturers still insist on slowing things down with useless image processing crap that will ruin the visuals of any game. Friend of mine called me over and asked me if his PS3 was acting up, Tomb Raider seemed to be totally borked for him. Turned out he never cared to properly define what his TV was supposed to do for him, so his TV treated his PS3 video as if it was a movie... resulting in the ugliest, jerkiest, least responsive gaming sadness I've seen in recent years. A quick trip to the settings menu solved the problem.

Should your gaming habit ever get into semi-serious or water biscuit hardcore competitive terrain, do bear in mind that cable beats wireless in both speed and reliability. I am using wireless internet throughout the house with all devices. Only the work box and the game box are wired... one for security reasons, the other for plain raw speed.

If you don't like the PC master race label/joke, pity, as it's pretty much here to stay, like all eternal truths. Well, that was before Windows 8. Still.

You can upgrade/replace all the parts of a PC rig... so your graphics card will grow with your demands, your ego, your screen and your bank account. Depending on your experience with consoles (XBOX exclusively?), things might seem more complicated at first, but they're not that overwhelming really. It's about growing up, emancipating yourself and making educated choices in a market that offers more options than just one.

So... welcome, may you enjoy many hours of whatever it is that makes and keeps you happy!
 

Playful Pony

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Sep 11, 2012
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My PC was bought a couple of years ago, and set me back the Norwegian equivalent of £1,400, so pretty pricey! I didn't mind spending that kind of money because PC gaming is my hobby, it is what I do with most of my off time! I don't own a single console, so I can spend all the money I would have put towards those on my PC, not to mention the money I save buying games digitally and often in a sale. A PC doesn't need to be expensive to be good enough though, the most interesting and enjoyable games available for the platform are not AAA games.

For me, the mod support alone makes it worth it. Fallout 3, Minecraft and Kerbal Space Program are only a few of the great games made amazing by mods! Not to mention the fantastic games we have coming thanks to kickstarter, such as Planetary Annihilation and Star Citizen! It is good to be a PC gamer =3.

ENJOY YOUR NEW PC! Ohw, and the "PC-gaming master race" thing is supposed to be a joke I think, don't know why so many seem to take it seriously.
 

Arina Love

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Apr 8, 2010
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Headdrivehardscrew said:
Looks like a good deal, the only thing I am really wondering about is the graphics card. All I could find was 'Features: Graphics Card', so if your main intended use for the box will be gaming, you might want to check that out and upgrade it as possible, or later, as you go along and inform yourself. With a console, you mainly just choose 'that one', with a gaming PC build, it is wise to find at least three hardware review or customer rating sites that you find make sense to you... I also suggest staying somewhat in the loop, as older gear might very well go down in price (when buying new), but important parts of your rig might become hard to obtain or even unavailable if you wait for too long.

For bare naked functionality, any keyboard and mouse will do, but I suggest you find what suits you best. I personally have big issues with the products of Razr, Microsoft and plenty other big-name manufacturers, but things naturally fall in place for me with Logitech gear. So much that I buy all the replacement mice and parts I can possibly get. Depending on your specific setup and gaming basement/shrine/living room situation, you might want to choose a cheap keyboard that plain does the trick for the moment, you might want to get a specific gaming keyboard used, or you might even want to go wireless. It all works, but I sincerely recommend sticking to brand name manufacturers.

PC gaming in general offers a high level of customization for your needs, which also means choices galore. For gaming, keyboard and mouse are fine for all old, classic and GoG titles... for modern games, a gamepad-type controller might be the only proper way to go. Bear that in mind. I am personally - again - very happy with Logitech gear, but a lot of people seem to be happy with using their XBOX360 or PS3 pads on the PC. Again - whatever rocks your boat is the way to go. If you're already used to XBOX360 controllers, you might want to hold on to those for your PC gaming needs.

If you already have a 1920x1080 FullHD LCD TV, you might want to just play on that, if feasible. Check the manual or online sites for optimal settings, as wrong settings can seriously mess up how games display and feel. All the settings that make, say, DVD movies look cool are bound to have a very negative impact on the visual quality and responsiveness of fast-moving gaming action.

If you really need a monitor, check out all the reviews you can muster before committing. Resolution, picture quality and display speed aka response time. Modern TVs offer 'gaming mode', which is good for starters, but most manufacturers still insist on slowing things down with useless image processing crap that will ruin the visuals of any game. Friend of mine called me over and asked me if his PS3 was acting up, Tomb Raider seemed to be totally borked for him. Turned out he never cared to properly define what his TV was supposed to do for him, so his TV treated his PS3 video as if it was a movie... resulting in the ugliest, jerkiest, least responsive gaming sadness I've seen in recent years. A quick trip to the settings menu solved the problem.

Should your gaming habit ever get into semi-serious or water biscuit hardcore competitive terrain, do bear in mind that cable beats wireless in both speed and reliability. I am using wireless internet throughout the house with all devices. Only the work box and the game box are wired... one for security reasons, the other for plain raw speed.

If you don't like the PC master race label/joke, pity, as it's pretty much here to stay, like all eternal truths. Well, that was before Windows 8. Still.

You can upgrade/replace all the parts of a PC rig... so your graphics card will grow with your demands, your ego, your screen and your bank account. Depending on your experience with consoles (XBOX exclusively?), things might seem more complicated at first, but they're not that overwhelming really. It's about growing up, emancipating yourself and making educated choices in a market that offers more options than just one.

So... welcome, may you enjoy many hours of whatever it is that makes and keeps you happy!
i have pretty big experience living with HDTVs hooked up to PC. I use my HDTV as monitor and console stuff for about 4 years now. With new HDTV you don't even need to search for setups they already have PC mode. How you switch it is different for every manufacturer. it usually in engages when you assign name to your HDMI channel (like game movie, TV or PC) then adjust settings to fit your eyes (optional) and remember tvs have much more extensive visual settings than monitors and so it can take time to get it just as you want.
It's really not that hard.
 

gorfias

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verdant monkai said:
Considering how poor I am now I think it'll be a while before Steam can tempt me. But yeah despite subliminal messaging Valve still a thumbs up from me.
So far, STEAM has been great for me. No ware and tear on my optic drives, convenient and if they ever die out, they're supposed to offer a patch to play off line. I've had great buys, like "Velvet Assassin" for only $1.24. They're also forcing other sources to re-evaluate their prices. I just bought Civilization 5 w/ all DLC for $12 at the Gamestop website.

I love the idea of a gaming laptop mostly because deep down I consider myself a handheld gamer, due to my gameboy origins and my love of my 3ds. So thanks for the warm welcome, I cant wait to get down and greasy with the PC. starting with TF2, The Witcher and STALKER :D
I have a pretty good gaming class laptop, and it has its place, (some games fine, put it near TV, hook up HDMI and watch Internet on it) but I doubt it can keep up with the rig you bought. I built one for my son that is very similar. It can play Battlefield 2 as well as other computers that cost double.

My own Desktop Rig, briefly:

I7-2600K (anything over a dual core is fine for gaming: it really is mostly about your GPU)
16 Gig 1333 RAM
1 TB HD
Bluray player/writer
separate DVD writer
HD 7970 GPU

Even it is having trouble with games like Far Cry 3. I play at 1080P but turn down some things (anti-aliasing is not maxed).

Some good utilities: Fraps and Speed Fan. Free on line, but you can get pro versions as well. They tell you about how hot the system is (cool is better, runs faster) and the speed games are playing at.

Torture ware: the Heaven benchmark utility! I get like 35 FPS from this monster.

Love my consoles too, but if I had to choose.... happily I do not.

Silly Hats said:

Just an example, you can always get a card later
I did something similar. I used my desktop PC as a media PC for about a year before I could afford an HD7970. The I7-2600K has built in HD 3000 graphics. It can play simple games OK, but I was getting like 15 FPS from Battlefield 2 on it. That really is a stop gap measure before going on to buy a card. Some very good deals out there. A GTX 650 can be had around $100 if you shop hard, and it will look better than current consoles.
 

Headdrivehardscrew

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Arina Love said:
i have pretty big experience living with HDTVs hooked up to PC. I use my HDTV as monitor and console stuff for about 4 years now. With new HDTV you don't even need to search for setups they already have PC mode. How you switch it is different for every manufacturer. it usually in engages when you assign name to your HDMI channel (like game movie, TV or PC) then adjust settings to fit your eyes (optional) and remember tvs have much more extensive visual settings than monitors and so it can take time to get it just as you want.
It's really not that hard.
Yeah, all modern TVs offer some sort of 'game mode', but, well, the thing is that - according to my experience - the manufacturers still cheat. All of them. ALL of them. If you want the fastest raw image of your console thrown on screen, the way the developers intended, you absolutely need to check and disable all picture processing settings... just off the top of my head, any 'Modes' as well as Black Tone, Dynamic Contrast, Shadow Detail, Edge Enhancement, etc. etc. have a negative impact on image display quality and speed. Those settings above - and more - usually get NOT ALL disabled by choosing game mode, even though they should be. Bear in mind that every manufacturer might call some of the more complicated bits of crippling image processing differently.

It's always both great fun and sad to see people rediscover their games. It's like finding out your toothbrush works better when you use the brush part in your mouth, instead of rubbing the bare plastic against your gums and teeth.
 
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verdant monkai said:
So how much did you guys pay for your rigs? that is what you call them yes?
Also please don't make any PC gaming master race comments, they churn my stomach and make PC gamers seem terrible.
I payed about £750 for my rig in total, including headset, speakers, monitor etc and it's pretty good. I'm thinking of upgrading from a GTX550 Ti to a GTX660 or something like it and getting some more RAM, though I use my rig for animation as well, so it needs to be pretty heavy duty. I'm telling you now, do not bother with wifi. It's not a laptop, it won't be moving around at all, just plug it in. You'll have far less latency and you'll never disconnect like you can in wifi, you'll notice and appreciate the benefits.
 

Calcium

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I'm trying to recall what my own cost... Was something like £300 for the standard machine plus £100 for a gaphics card (nVidia GTX 550 Ti) and then £20 for 4GB RAM. The screen I'm using came from my previous computer, and the speakers from the family computer THREE computers ago. That being said the speakers aren't too bad, and considering I use a microphone/headset with friends, they're not always used. What I do want though is to upgrade my monitor - has a current max resolution of 1280x1080.

One major disadvantage of having a pc with all your games on it though... It gives you far too many distractions from revision!
 

verdant monkai

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The Unworthy Gentleman said:
I'm telling you now, do not bother with wifi. It's not a laptop, it won't be moving around at all, just plug it in. You'll have far less latency and you'll never disconnect like you can in wifi, you'll notice and appreciate the benefits.
Too right.

Wifi is far from perfect I'd go so far as to call it inefficient. I buying a wireless power line extender which will sit next to the PC (despite the name it sends internet signals via the mains of the house), connected by an Ethernet cable. I've never like wireless and I'm told a load of PC games penalise you for disconnecting and other tech issues.
 

dementis

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Spent just under £1000 building my PC over the course of the year, pretty powerful and can run most games at very high - Ultra at 60 FPS upwards, but I've saved a lot of money on games thanks to steam sales and the likes and thanks to the modding community I extended the life of a lot of my games too.

Really glad I jumped the next gen console ship, pretty much only use Xbox 360 for 3rd person action games and HD remakes or play great classics on my PS2, persona 4 all the way!
 

Adept Mechanicus

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Asus G75VW. It looks like a B-2 stealth bomber and the Monolith from 2001 had a baby. It's also very large. Specs are also nice, but there's something innately satisfying about a gaming rig that looks like an evil supercomputer. It's my baby. I stroke it sometimes.
 
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verdant monkai said:
Too right.

Wifi is far from perfect I'd go so far as to call it inefficient. I buying a wireless power line extender which will sit next to the PC (despite the name it sends internet signals via the mains of the house), connected by an Ethernet cable. I've never like wireless and I'm told a load of PC games penalise you for disconnecting and other tech issues.
I wouldn't say loads but there are a few. I know TF2 does it in the co-op bot mode now, or at least it used to. It's just a real fuck on when you're gaming and you end up disconnecting from a good match, especially on a full server where you can easily lose your spot. I have no idea why anyone would willingly choose wifi for a desktop.
 

SinisterGehe

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My laptop cost me 1500? (tax free because it was ordered in the name of my father's company) + the 90 euros that it cost me to buy another W7 to replace the fucking W8 pre-install on it.
And my tabletop cost me year ago 1000 euros + with the upgraded GPU 200 I got just few weeks ago.
I got 3 screen all 200 euros and cheapest keyboard and mouse on the market (because they are also the best and most reliable go figure). And G7 headset.