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Need a gaming computer: recommendations appreciated

post #1 of 17
12/30/10 at 6:05am
Thread Starter 
So ... in preparation for the KOTOR launch, I fired up a trial of WoW today to get back in the swing of computer gaming (it's been about ten years ... not since Everquest). My year old Acer was hobbled at fairly low settings (I checked: the video card ain't upgradable). I was kinda stunned. Obviously I need a new rig.

Go pre-fabbed or custom? Any advice folks can offer? Budget .... under a grand would be fantastic.
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post #2 of 17
12/30/10 at 9:57am
Can you build one yourself? If so, definitely go that way.

Are you going for the full deal? Case, monitor, OS?
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post #3 of 17
12/30/10 at 11:38am
Like Stelios said, if you dont mind building it yourself that can usually save you a bit of money. If you'd rather get a prefab then I recommend a website called ibuypower.com. You can pick one of their set ups and customize it to your hearts content for a pretty good price. My roomate got one from there and he loves it. I havent price checked the individual components to see how much more he paid for not doing it himself but his computer can run most games with the settings near max and paid around a grand for it.
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post #4 of 17
12/30/10 at 11:41am
Per the price your mentioned Best Buy has always carried reasonably equipped Gateway PC's featuring fast processors, lots of ram, and an alright videocard. They've also received favorable reviews around the internets.

But, if you know someone I'd definitely recommend building one yourself with parts from newegg/tigerdirect. Cheapest way to go to make yourself a nice monster of a machine. Hell if we were in the same neighborhood I'd offer to do it myself.
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post #5 of 17
12/30/10 at 12:33pm
I've bought my last four computers from Cyberpower, and I couldn't be more pleased. Choose a pre-built or customize it yourself. You can get a fantastic gaming machine for under a grand.
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post #6 of 17
12/30/10 at 2:35pm
Thread Starter 
I have a monitor and peripherals, just need the guts. Thanks for recommendations. Will check them out.
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post #7 of 17
12/30/10 at 2:42pm
Any combination of an Intel Core i7 CPU, at least 6GB of RAM and an Nvidia GTX 470 will kick ass for years to come.
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post #8 of 17
12/30/10 at 2:49pm
If you can't (or don't want to) build it yourself, gotta echo Jacob Singer and recommend Cyberpower. Purchased two computers from 'em with no problems, and they're reasonably priced
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post #9 of 17
12/30/10 at 3:47pm
Thread Starter 
Some great looking rigs on some of these sites. However, in doing some checking, it turns out that the computer I have IS upgradeable. I just couldn't tell because apparently the slots are pretty tiny.

Here's the pertinent info:

# Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz Processor
# 4MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB
# 4GB DDR2 Dual-Channel 800MHz RAM
# 750GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
# Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 7100 Graphics
# SuperMulti DVDR/RW Drive with Double Layer
# High Definition Audio with 5.1-Channel Audio Support
# 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
# Multi-in-One Card Digital Media Card Reader
# Front ports: 5 x USB 2.0, 2 Audio Ports
# Back ports: 4 x USB 2.0, eSATA, IEEE 1394, 2 x PS2 ports (Keyboard, Mouse), 5 x Audio Jacks, Optical S/PDIF Port, HD Headphones Jack, Microphone Jack, RJ-45 (LAN), VGA, HDMI
# Expansion slots: PCI Express x1 (available), PCI Express x16 (available)
# Drive bays: External 5.25" (occupied), Internal 3.5" (occupied)
# Stylish and Classic Small-Form Factor Design

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-X1...=3SLYSG5O0RMY1

Piece of junk? Salvageable with upgrades? I noticed these comments in the reviews:

1.)It has an onboard nVidia GeForece 7100 chipset. Can I upgrade the memory for this? [ Even worth the bother? ]

2.)There are PCI express x16 and x1 slots on the higher end of the motherboard. If you want to add a video card by using the PCIe x 16, the case can only accept a low-profile card. Since the PCIe x16 slot is the highest and not much space left, heat dissipation might not be very well. [Huh? Anybody know a good memory card that will fit in these parameters? Should I even bother ]
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post #10 of 17
12/30/10 at 3:56pm
I'll say if you can do it, it's just best to get a new PC. Best Buy has some great financing, 18 months no interest is damn good.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mongycore View Post
Per the price your mentioned Best Buy has always carried reasonably equipped Gateway PC's featuring fast processors, lots of ram, and an alright videocard. They've also received favorable reviews around the internets.
This is the PC that I have and I can say it's a hell of a machine. I'm able to play WOW on ultra settings. I've maxed out the settings for BattleField: Bad Company 2 and TF2. With the 1 gig graphics card it'll be a damn good gaming rig for you.

I also do a lot of digital work and composting on this machine and it runs like a beast with Photoshop and NUKE. So if you are on a budget I'll say this is a good machine to get. I plan on upping my RAM sometime soon, but 8 gig is more then enough for right now.
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post #11 of 17
12/30/10 at 4:40pm
So is your pc quiet Nick? Looking to replace the wife's imac with a real computer...and hopefully be ready for coop Diablo 3 whenever that hits.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Overlord View Post

Piece of junk? Salvageable with upgrades? I noticed these comments in the reviews:

1.)It has an onboard nVidia GeForece 7100 chipset. Can I upgrade the memory for this? [ Even worth the bother? ]

2.)There are PCI express x16 and x1 slots on the higher end of the motherboard. If you want to add a video card by using the PCIe x 16, the case can only accept a low-profile card. Since the PCIe x16 slot is the highest and not much space left, heat dissipation might not be very well. [Huh? Anybody know a good memory card that will fit in these parameters? Should I even bother ]
If you found a card that fit your case you'd still be wondering if the thing would turn on - any idea on how powerful your power supply is?
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post #12 of 17
12/30/10 at 5:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mongycore View Post
If you found a card that fit your case you'd still be wondering if the thing would turn on - any idea on how powerful your power supply is?
It has UNLIMITED POWER!
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post #13 of 17
12/30/10 at 5:55pm
I wouldn't bother futzing around with a non-standard case, and Old Republic is probably going to be a beast to run. You want piles of RAM, a new-ish quad core and a big-ass video card.

Also, not being able to run WoW well is... really, really bad. That thing is scaled to run on almost anything. Definitely just get a new PC.
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post #14 of 17
12/30/10 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mongycore View Post
So is your pc quiet Nick? Looking to replace the wife's imac with a real computer...and hopefully be ready for coop Diablo 3 whenever that hits.
It's very quiet. Honestly I don't hear anything when I'm on it.
I got this for Diablo 3 as well. When and EVER it comes out.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Overlord View Post
It has UNLIMITED POWER!
this with your avatar is just well, perfect..
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post #15 of 17
12/30/10 at 7:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoonBaseNick View Post
this with your avatar is just well, perfect..
I'm glad someone noticed.

After doing some digging, it looks like my integrated piece of shit video card has a whopping 128 megabytes of RAM. Hmm...perhaps that's the problem. Think I'll try the cheap fix of a new 1 gigabyte card and if that doesn't work, spend teh REALZ CA$H and get a whole new system.

If KOTOR is indeed a resource hog, I think I'm better off waiting for the final specs.

**suddenly, with amazing clarity, I can totally recall why approximately ten years ago I decided to get out of the PC gaming business after being an exclusive PC Gamer for over a decade.
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post #16 of 17
12/30/10 at 9:45pm
And pretty much make sure that your pc will last you for atleast the next 2 years. If you follow the recommendations here you pretty much will have no problems with that.
My own pc was never the top of the line when I first got it a couple of years ago, I never could run most of the newest games at max specs but it worked just fine for all of them at normal. I pretty much expect that this pc will last me another year and a bit before I even upgrade anything in it.
That's some real saving there.
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post #17 of 17
12/31/10 at 6:31am
Put in a good GTX 470 graphics card and a good 800W power supply and you're set. You can play any game that's out and is about to come out at high settings and resolutions well above what the consoles can produce. And don't worry about TOR. It won't be a resource hog.
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