Contemplating Switch to PC...Newb Needs Help

Hey, if you take this post over to the hardware forum, you'll get a much better response and lots of guys over there who would be more than happy to help.

Hey, if you take this post over to the hardware forum, you'll get a much better response and lots of guys over there who would be more than happy to help.

soolkiki

I'll be honest spending $500 - $600 may be doable to run games maxed for two years but at this point in time it isn't doable.  What I mean by that is (and whether people will admit this or not) the PC market is driven by console development.  With the new consoles coming out in the next 12 months it's likely we'll see a nice bump in graphics and likewise GPU demands over the next two years.  I would say if you buy a mid ranged GPU now say an AMD 7850 it will still run games 2 years from now but not maxed out and likely not even better than the new consoles. 

If you had built a $600 PC two years ago you'd still be laughing because things have been so stagnant.  I would argue this isn't really the best time to build and you would be better off waiting until after the new consoles are released so you can better judge what hardware is going to be required in order to run those multi plats considerably better on your PC than on the consoles. 

Cpu = i5 3570k  ( should be around $215)

Motherboard = asrock Z77 extreme 4 ( should be around $125)

Ram = 8 gigs of DDR3 1600 megahertz 1.5 volts ( $35 bucks )

Harddrive = 1 Terabyte  ( 70-80 $)

Graphic Card =  7950, 7970 or gtx 670.    spend as much as you are willing to spend.. Or wait for the next gpu's coming out the end of this year from nvidia/amd as the price to performance ratio will be alot better.

Power Supply = 650 watts should do, as long as its not some no name brand or some garbage like diablo tec ..  should be around $60 -70 for a good psu

For the operating system ( pirate it) . Microsoft is out of their minds charging $90 for an operating system , i absolutely hateeeeeee microsoft .. Dont feel any guilt burning an iso of windows to a dvd and cracking it. 

So total expenses for a high end gaming pc

215+125+35+75+65+300 = $815 total is the least i'd spend

About the gamepad  = get xbox 360 controller if you really want one

for the mouse and keyboard, a logitech combo for $ 15 would do 

For playing on your HD TV. almost every gpu these days has support for HDMI

For your worry about playing games and becoming obsolete?  rubbish consolite statements .. PC's dont go obsolete. PC games have scaleable graphics for a reason. Too fit a wide variety of hardware.. 

Consoles do not "keep up with pcs". Never had, never will. When people say consoles keep up what they really mean is, they are surprised the game can actually play , but where the true credit lies is that the game engines have immense scaling back options to allow such crap hardware to run games.     720p, struggling 30 frames, low textures, low graphics, no AA. That is the defination of console gaming. Dont let the turds fool you, even old junk 7 year old pc hardware such as the 8800 gt released ahead of performance over a xbox 360 and STAYED ahead of performance the entire console generation .I keep hearing optimization but nothing to back up the claims with real game evidence.  PC versions are optimized .        Point is, if you get  a graphic card thats ahead of performance than the ps4 gpu. IT WILL STAY ahead of performance over the ps4 gpu. 

It isn't really worth it for us to tell you now until you are building it within like a month or something, varying prices and newer models will affect the outcome of your computer then from now.

A simple hdmi to tv thru videocard will work for tv.

ps3 or x360 controller works. It is best for console port, racing, but fps NEEDS KB+M you won't survive online without converting there also rts NEEDS kb+m too.

It is fine for physical games, but I suggest to only buy those you really like. Virtual copies sometimes go on abrupt sales or just simply cheaper & easier to obtain than physical. Indie games are pretty much virtual too. Keep in mind you can't sell copies of pc games unlike consoles.

I think spending a bit more like $200-300+ will hit the sweet spot. This will easily last two years.

My biggest concern is that I quite literally have NO CLUE where to start! The reason I never got into PC gaming is the common issue most hit is the fact that us not in the know feel that we have to constantly bury money into the PC to keep it current and ultimately consoles are a better choice for those lighter in the wallet. SkiLLessOne7984

http://www.alienware.com/ if you want the bestBieberfan147

alienware, srsly??

alienware is kinda like apple = they take advantage of people's lack of knowledge and sell them OVERPRICED stuff all wrapped in nice and shiny marketing.

just go to the hardware section and state your budget and remember that buying components is a lot cheaper

Cpu = i5 3570k  ( should be around $215)

Motherboard = asrock Z77 extreme 4 ( should be around $125)

Ram = 8 gigs of DDR3 1600 megahertz 1.5 volts ( $35 bucks )

Harddrive = 1 Terabyte  ( 70-80 $)

Graphic Card =  7950, 7970 or gtx 670.    spend as much as you are willing to spend.. Or wait for the next gpu's coming out the end of this year from nvidia/amd as the price to performance ratio will be alot better.

 

Power Supply = 650 watts should do, as long as its not some no name brand or some garbage like diablo tec ..  should be around $60 -70 for a good psu

 

For the operating system ( pirate it) . Microsoft is out of their minds charging $90 for an operating system , i absolutely hateeeeeee microsoft .. Dont feel any guilt burning an iso of windows to a dvd and cracking it. 

 

 

So total expenses for a high end gaming pc

215+125+35+75+65+300 = $815 total is the least i'd spend

 

About the gamepad  = get xbox 360 controller if you really want one

for the mouse and keyboard, a logitech combo for $ 15 would do 

For playing on your HD TV. almost every gpu these days has support for HDMI

For your worry about playing games and becoming obsolete?  rubbish consolite statements .. PC's dont go obsolete. PC games have scaleable graphics for a reason. Too fit a wide variety of hardware.. 

 

Consoles do not "keep up with pcs". Never had, never will. When people say consoles keep up what they really mean is, they are surprised the game can actually play , but where the true credit lies is that the game engines have immense scaling back options to allow such crap hardware to run games.     720p, struggling 30 frames, low textures, low graphics, no AA. That is the defination of console gaming. Dont let the turds fool you, even old junk 7 year old pc hardware such as the 8800 gt released ahead of performance over a xbox 360 and STAYED ahead of performance the entire console generation .I keep hearing optimization but nothing to back up the claims with real game evidence.  PC versions are optimized .        Point is, if you get  a graphic card thats ahead of performance than the ps4 gpu. IT WILL STAY ahead of performance over the ps4 gpu. 

lunar1122

I built my computer here for about $800 and I can say the weakest link is its gpu. However, in a year or so, I can easily upgrade, so you're right in saying that buying your first rig is the biggest expense. Also, you save money by getting games when they are on sale! Steam often has games (Not usually new ones, maybe about a year old) for half the price at the time of release.

I'll be honest spending $500 - $600 may be doable to run games maxed for two years but at this point in time it isn't doable.  What I mean by that is (and whether people will admit this or not) the PC market is driven by console development.  With the new consoles coming out in the next 12 months it's likely we'll see a nice bump in graphics and likewise GPU demands over the next two years.  I would say if you buy a mid ranged GPU now say an AMD 7850 it will still run games 2 years from now but not maxed out and likely not even better than the new consoles. 

 

If you had built a $600 PC two years ago you'd still be laughing because things have been so stagnant.  I would argue this isn't really the best time to build and you would be better off waiting until after the new consoles are released so you can better judge what hardware is going to be required in order to run those multi plats considerably better on your PC than on the consoles. 

whitey_rolls