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Saving up for a new high end comp.
Xyres
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I have been looking for what to build, but i have no real clue who to get, so i came down to this.
1. I could just buy an alienware, but i seem to be buying a brand. Is this true?
2. Let my local computer shop do it, and just tell them what i want.
3. Buy the parts from places like newegg and just build it myself.
Also, i want liquid cooling and all that, but i have no clue what cases are the best brand, and what i should be looking for. And for this instance, lets just say my base cost (No taxes) is 8000. Basing off a top end alienware.
1. I could just buy an alienware, but i seem to be buying a brand. Is this true?
2. Let my local computer shop do it, and just tell them what i want.
3. Buy the parts from places like newegg and just build it myself.
Also, i want liquid cooling and all that, but i have no clue what cases are the best brand, and what i should be looking for. And for this instance, lets just say my base cost (No taxes) is 8000. Basing off a top end alienware.
GT: Xyres
PSN: Xyres92
Xyres on
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Try posting this there.
Don't buy Alienware
Build it yourself.
Liquid cooling is more trouble than it's worth, for the most part.
I mean... how insane do you need this computer to be? As a reference, I'm running an 8800GT, which can still handle pretty much all modern games on High settings, a 2.66Ghz clocked to 2.8GhZ Quad-core processor, 2 monitors, 1.5 TB internal HDD space, DVD burner, Open-window case that cools nicely, aftermarket CPU cooler, Wireless card, TV in card... I think that's pretty much it, which ran me about $1,500 with everything and my replacement PSU.
Now, if you really want to spend $8,000 on one computer, there are a lot of luxury things you can get... In the order that I'd get them if I had stupid money:
SSD to act as a boot drive
Lots of giant monitors
More/Bigger Hard Drives
Blu-ray drive
Second GPU
Lighting
Liquid Cooling.
If you don't know what you're looking for and just want all the things that Alienware brags about to jack up their prices to 4 times what they should be, then I wouldn't just toss $8,000 into a computer. The Moe's thread is probably a good place to go though.
Don't listen to him.
show up at your local star bucks with this.
bring a crowbar to pry the women off your junk.
Well, you sound pretty computer knowledgeable. :P
Out of all of those i only really want lighting, liquid cooling and a bigger harddrive.
So at around what price will i be looking at to run future games like SC2 and stuff on high if i get a few luxury things like the ones i listed, and high end graphics and all that?
GT: Xyres
PSN: Xyres92
This will run starcraft 2 with minimal slowdown at high settings.
8800GT is a year and a half old video card.
unless you're overclocking your computer, you really dont need liquid coolant.
i have just a teency bit better computer than the one described and all i need are 3 fans that keep everything well below 40 degrees, and thats including while im rendering video and 3d animation. Getting and making sure the cooling works is a pain in the ass, for the layman's gamer you might as well stick a fishtank in your tower.
Id really say 2k would be the absolute maximum you will need for a comp that will be futureproof for a good 3 or 4 years.
GT: Xyres
PSN: Xyres92
GT: Xyres
PSN: Xyres92
8k is enough to buy you and three friends a high end computer.
Did I mention how much I value our friendship?
My wife and I just built a new computer for her that is very similar to the one Khavall wrote up. I think altogether it also cost us around $1350, though with only one 22" monitor. It is running the Windows 7 64-bit beta, has not crashed, runs everything we've thrown at it extremely smoothly... it really is a pretty killer rig. At the same time though, the main game she plays is WoW. Don't get me wrong, the difference between her old system and this one is absolutely night and day (there is literally no loading time when hearthing, for instance), but she won't get the most of her system until she picks up Dragon Age later this year.
Edit: The wife bought this one. She likes it because its blue.
If I had my choice, this one is sexy as hell.
The case is sort of unimportant. You don't want to buy one with shitty ventilation, but most of them do fine. I look at the reviews more for "this one cut the fuck out of my hands!" than for "this has blah blah blah special features."
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
http://www.hardcorecomputer.com/ProductCategoryDetail_catDesktop_productReactor1.aspx
However, Id take 6k and invest it right now, then use 2k and build a midrange pc that can handle everything. Then you can use the money you make off your stocks to pay for the rest of your computers.
:winky:
if youre not very tech savvy, might i suggest an NVIDIA graphics card over Radeon.
Theyre nearly similar in power, but NVIDIA card options are much more streamlined and organized for the simple gamer.
Radeon cards usually have much more bloated drivers providing options to control the card in ways that you will more than likely will never use. Truly for the gamer that must control all that he surveys.
Anyway, 800 is a little low for a serious PC, but like has been said you can get a pretty good setup for around $1500-1750, and considering your stated goal is SC2 on high you shouldn't really have to worry too much about being able to build a beast.
On the other hand, if you're actually serious about spending eight grand on it...well, fuck, I don't know what you could get for eight grand, except a super-PC and a hard drive cage to capture an entire internet's worth of porn on.
As for assembly, I highly reccomend that you study up and build it yourself - you'll gain a good deal of vital knowledge that'll help you out if something breaks later on, you'll be able to control exactly what's in and on your machine, and there's honestly nothing like the feeling you get when you boot up for the first time without a hitch.
Ah, that is a fine choice - I had that case for my first real PC a few years back, and it handled quite well for its tour of duty - fan adjustment was great for doing long-term activities overnight during the winter, and the asthetics were just pleasant - the only thing is that the connections for the upper set of lights gave out after a while, but eh.
EDIT: You're serious about eight grand? ... well, your money, I suppose.
And since you're interested in cases, I used ]this] for my current setup, and she is sweet as can be.
EDIT: Sorry about that, though I'm sure I'm not the only one who defaults to italics from time to time.
If you have the cash to spend, go FALCON NORTHWEST. No one else comes close. They'll help you design it if you contact them via e-mail before you buy (which I highly recommend). And no, that doesn't just mean recommending the most expensive stuff - often, they'll tell you that some things are entirely unnecessary or even worse than a cheaper alternative. At that price range, you can get a fuck-awesome custom case to go with it. One caveat: water cooling + SLI = needs a forklift to move the damn thing.
That, btw, is if you really meant $8k and not $800. Falcon might have a low-end alternative for $800, I don't know, but if money is an issue, the peace of mind probably isn't worth the markup. Me, I've worked in IT and built countless machines myself, and the idea that if something goes wrong with this one it's somebody else's problem is worth every penny.
GT: Xyres
PSN: Xyres92
If you really want it prebuilt, it might help to ask around your local area for independent PC shops or people who build and service PC's for a living. They tend to give you a much better deal, and they are much easier to contact if anything happens to your computer.
I'm not sure how current we're talking here, but the PC I built is roughly medium-high-end and cost me a bit over $1,000 without a monitor.
This guide is a little out of date, but it's a good starting point. Personally, I'd go with "The Utility Player".
I believe it's best to avoid trying to "futureproof" your computer. Buy something that performs as well as you want for the games you want to play that are out right now or will be released in the immediate future. Upgrade your CPU and video card as necessary to maintain the same standard. Using this strategy, I've spent a total of about $1500 (original parts and upgrades) on my almost-three-year-old computer, and it still feels cutting edge.
Get a huge full-tower case with plenty of fans.
Nice i7 quad-core processor
2x nvidia 285s or the ATI equivalent
6 gigs of ram
go for a solid-state drive
Then start accessorizing:
A huge monitor or two
7.1 speaker system
One of the nice $100+ keyboard and mouse
What regular maintenance? Never had to do anything to mine; runs like gangbusters.
Until one day it shuts off and never comes on again, because the water bored a whole right through the CPU heatsink because you never changed the water. Electrolysis will cause rust, and this rust will bore down your heatsinks/blocks.
Or hose wear/leaks.
Some people find this kind of maintenance easy to keep, but someone who doesn't know much about computers and wants to spend $8,000 is probably someone who wants to buy a computer and never have to worry about it.
I wasn't expecting it to be a thumbprint
caffron said: "and cat pee is not a laughing matter"
I'm all for building myself, but if you've got the money, hey, go ahead.
What would you recommend to run Crysis & World In Conflict?
Don't spend more than $1500 on hardware. Then just save the rest and buy another new computer in 2-3 years. You'll be happier.
I'm willing to pay around AUD$250-$400 for a decent video card, which is roughly USD$175-$280.
Good enough, well I would recommend either an ATI HD4870 or an Nvidia GTX260 Core 216 (They retail around the $200 mark)