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Gaming Computer

Mr. EricMr. Eric
edited November 2007 in Technology
So I need a pretty good gaming computer. I want to play games like Age of Empires 3: The Asian Dynasties, Counter Strike Source (high graphics), and various high performance games, mainly RTS. I'm looking $300-500, maybe $600 if its a good system. I don't need a moniter/keyboard or anything extra.

I've been looking at Tiger Direct and NewEgg, but haven't found anything I like. I also want an Nvidia 7000 series or higher. So what should I get?
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Comments

  • ......
    Compare all video cards, all CPU's, all motherboards and pick those whose price/performance ratio is the highest.
  • Mr. EricMr. Eric
    Well I obviously didn't want to spend the time doing that.
  • AndrewAndrew
    Well I obviously didn't want to spend the time doing that.
    Then you probably won't get the best computer for your money. Go back and listen to the episodes about How to Buy a Computer and spend some time researching. Trust me, it's the only way to get the best deal. Besides, we aren't your personal army. If you don't want to put the time into it, just buy a Dell, they are all about the same.
  • Mr. EricMr. Eric
    I looked into those, they are a complete rip-off.
  • AndrewAndrew
    I looked into those, they are acompleterip-off.
    Umm, yeah. That's the price you pay for being lazy.
  • SailSail
    I looked into those, they are acompleterip-off.
    How do you know if you haven't done the research?
  • AprecheApreche
    Two choices.

    1) Spend lots of time doing research so you can figure out exactly what you need and what has the best price/performance ratio at any given point in time.

    2) Spend too much money and get a Dell or a Mac.
  • Mr. EricMr. Eric
    Ok, well just one thing then. My dad tells me I probably need a 750 watt power supply, and I seem to remember ScRym discouraging this. True?
  • AprecheApreche
    Ok, well just one thing then. My dad tells me I probably need a 750 watt power supply, and I seem to remember ScRym discouraging this. True?
    Probably not unless you have two video cards, four hard drives, 2 cd-roms and 2 cpus.
  • am_dragonam_dragon
    There is a nice article at firingsquad.com about a $500 upgrade. That might help you a bit. If you don't need to run Crysis or UT3 I would say look at something like a AMD Athlon 64 4400+X2, 7000 series Nvidia card, 2GB dual channel RAM, a hard drive, cheap case, mother board, dvd-rw, and 300-450 watt Power Supply. You should be able to wiggle that in under $600. This system will run the games you mentioned on full settings or close to it (depending on your monitor resolution). Just don't get greedy picking out the parts.
  • JasonJason
    This has been getting me really pissy lately. People keep asking for mutually-exclusive solutions without wanting to make the necessary sacrifices. There is no work that can be done with perfect conservation of energy. If you want something, you're going to have to give something up.
  • am_dragonam_dragon
    What are you talking about?
  • ......
    What are you talking about?
    Jason is talking about people asking for help and doing little to nothing themselves and expecting the best of both worlds, awesome stuff + no effort. Awesome computer = search. Or you'll end up with something like me. Really, really needing a computer to get school work done when the old one died completely.
  • bunnikunbunnikun
    I think people are trying to say that we are here to suggest good buys and input our opinions, not do the research for you.
  • Mr. EricMr. Eric
    Thats what I meant, and thanks for all the help. I think I found what I want.
  • kenjurakenjura
    edited November 2007
    Try this out if you're willing to suspend automatic OEM hatred.

    Here's a coupon.

    $539, it should run your games fine, comes with a 20" monitor. I'd certainly be hard-pressed to beat the price and convenience.

    At a certain point, it becomes worth a little bit extra for someone else to be liable if your computer is defective. I, personally, have installed, uninstalled, shipped (at cost), waited for, and reinstalled more than enough defective parts in my day.
    Post edited by kenjura on
  • am_dragonam_dragon
    Jason is talking about people asking for help and doing little to nothing themselves and expecting the best of both worlds, awesome stuff + no effort.
    Ah, I understand, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Computers provide you with nearly infinite choices, I've got no problem with people asking for help. I frequent AVSforum and they have a big problem with "how do I", "what should I buy" posts, and it's easy to see the person hasn't done any research. They usually don't get that many responses though. I like to help where I can.
  • kenjurakenjura
    I don't believe in bitching people out who are looking for help, even if they don't seem to be well-informed.

    Perhaps the latter has something to do with the former. Perhaps we've all been there. Perhaps humans deserve to be treated with respect, at least until they do some real, tangible thing to earn disrespect.

    Anyone who believes the phrasing of an innocent question in a different manner than one would prefer is some sort of direct disrespect should probably take some time off the Internet.
  • ......
    The problem with questions like "What should I buy in for this amount of money?" is that most people don't have their eyes 24/7 on the development of computer parts and thus don't know what's the best offer at a time. It's basically the same as saying "(Slave!) Read me the newspaper!". It's the "OMG I'm to lazy to search for what I like, you do it for me for nothing." mentality that's annoying. Now, if the question is something along the lines of "Yeah, I found these two (insert computer part here)s and wonder which would be best for me. I want to use it for (insert list of wanted performance) and have (insert current system). What do you guys/gals think is best?" is something I like, and will try to help.
  • Your MomYour Mom
    So, now I am in a similar boat: I am seeking out a nice computer that can run my WoWing and anime/live action drama habit. I currently have a lame-ass HP laptop that has seen better days and is currently having issues on start up and with playing audio and video. My frame rate sucks something fierce. I initially bought this computer for doing grad school paperwriting, but it really can't do much else now.

    I can splurge a bit to pay something under $1500 for PC and monitor. I am currently looking at the NewEgg CyberPower PCs (especially the CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra 7512 Phenom X4 9850(2.5GHz) 4GB DDR2 NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT) as a possibility, but nearly every computer on NewEgg has some mixed reviews. Does anyone have any more recent gaming computer recommendations? I also noticed some of the above conversation regarding the power supply; what should one be concerned about regarding that?

    Please assist the computer hardware-retarded. I can make my way around software and the internets, but hardware somewhat has me stumped. I am also anxious to get this computer set up soon as I will be stuck in isolation for about 2 weeks (post-radiation therapy).
  • ΣπεκωσποκΣπεκωσποκ
    edited November 2008
    Here's a cheap, good setup, which took me about 10 minutes to find. All of the prices come from Newegg.
    EVGA GeForce 9600GT ($85 after rebate)
    Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 ($120)
    OCZ Platinum 2GB RAM ($33)
    Asus P5K Pro mobo ($71)
    Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB HD ($65)
    OCZ Stealth XStream 500W PSU ($25 after rebate)
    Lite On Super 20X DVD burner ($22)
    Antec Solo Black/Silver ATX Steel Case ($60)

    The mobo seemed a bit iffy, but everything else is a solid choice. The total cost is $541, after rebates.
    Post edited by Σπεκωσποκ on
  • AprecheApreche
    The mobo seemed a bit iffy, but everything else is a solid choice. The total cost is $536, after rebates.
    Except for the hard drive. Get a Seagate 500GB!
  • ......
    Except for the hard drive. Get a Seagate 500GB!
    Thanks for that post speckospock. Good to see without searching what can be bought with 500 bucks.
  • ΣπεκωσποκΣπεκωσποκ
    The mobo seemed a bit iffy, but everything else is a solid choice. The total cost is $536, after rebates.
    Except for the hard drive. Get a Seagate 500GB!
    Oh! Good catch! I edited the post to reflect it.
  • ΣπεκωσποκΣπεκωσποκ
    edited November 2008
    Okay, after some careful deliberation, here's what I came up with for the WoW/Anime-box (assuming you're going to play other games with it; WoW is not particularly demanding on a system).

    Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 ($190, comes with Far Cry 2)
    Asus P5Q Pro mobo ($100 after rebate)
    Sapphire Radeon 4850 512MB video card ($145 after rebate)
    Corsair 4GB RAM kit ($25 after rebate)
    Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB HD ($150)
    OCZ Stealth XStream 500W PSU ($25 after rebate)
    Lite On Super 20X DVD burner ($22)
    Antec Solo Black/Silver ATX Steel Case ($60)

    The total cost of this system is $717, without a display or input devices. The power supply's the only issue; I'm not sure if it's powerful enough.
    Post edited by Σπεκωσποκ on
  • AprecheApreche

    Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 ($190, comes with Far Cry 2)
    Asus P5Q Pro mobo ($100 after rebate)
    Sapphire Radeon 4850 512MB video card ($225 after rebate)
    Corsair 4GB RAM kit ($25 after rebate)
    Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB HD ($150)
    OCZ Stealth XStream 500W PSU ($25 after rebate)
    Lite On Super 20X DVD burner ($22)
    Antec Solo Black/Silver ATX Steel Case ($60)
    A Radeon is bad. If you're going to get that, get the 512MB 9800GT. 1.5TB is too much. Get a 500gig drive, and if you need lots of storage, save the TB+ drives for a NAS. Also, the quad core is silly. Get the Core 2 Duo. Also, I like the EarthWatts PSU. It says Antec, but it's actually built by Se@sonic, the best PSU manufacturer, as far as I can tell. It's also wicked quiet and efficient.
  • VhdbloodVhdblood

    Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 ($190, comes with Far Cry 2)
    Asus P5Q Pro mobo ($100 after rebate)
    Sapphire Radeon 4850 512MB video card ($225 after rebate)
    Corsair 4GB RAM kit ($25 after rebate)
    Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB HD ($150)
    OCZ Stealth XStream 500W PSU ($25 after rebate)
    Lite On Super 20X DVD burner ($22)
    Antec Solo Black/Silver ATX Steel Case ($60)
    A Radeon is bad. If you're going to get that, get the 512MB 9800GT. 1.5TB is too much. Get a 500gig drive, and if you need lots of storage, save the TB+ drives for a NAS. Also, the quad core is silly. Get the Core 2 Duo. Also, I like theEarthWattsPSU. It says Antec, but it's actually built by Se@sonic, the best PSU manufacturer, as far as I can tell. It's also wicked quiet and efficient.
    No, those Radeons are amazing, but I wouldn't go as high as a 4850, just do a Radeon 3870. I know two people with this card, and I myself have a 3850, and let me tell you, these things are awesome. Also, I used to be Nvidia all the way, but ATI does graphics drivers so much better.
  • CremlianCremlian
    "Also, I used to be Nvidia all the way, but ATI does graphics drivers so much better. "

    What? did something change when I stopped paying attention to computer hardware a year ago? That is the exact opposite argument I am used to hearing.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    "Also, I used to be Nvidia all the way, but ATI does graphics drivers so much better. "

    What? did something change when I stopped paying attention to computer hardware a year ago? That is the exact opposite argument I am used to hearing.
    When Vista came, things flipped. ATI stuff just worked better on vista. I remember my friend telling me how awesome the new nVidia drivers he had were because when they crashed it would automatically reboot the video subsystem and he wouldn't even have to close his game. Admittedly that's a pretty cool trick, but I've never had the ATI drivers crash on me once.

    At least that was my understanding 6 months ago. nVidia may have finally gotten their shit together since.

    I'd give a look see at the AMD tri-cores. They're really cheap and you can get a good amount of CPU power for not much money. I've got a 2.4GHz tri-core and a old x1950 xt and it runs the source based games great.
  • VhdbloodVhdblood
    edited November 2008
    "Also, I used to be Nvidia all the way, but ATI does graphics drivers so much better. "

    What? did something change when I stopped paying attention to computer hardware a year ago? That is the exact opposite argument I am used to hearing.
    I have owned three Nvidia graphics cards and two ATI cards. All three of the Nvidia cards had issues. Two of them caused visual tearing in my brand new games until I rolled back to some old ass drivers, and the other one would play games just fine with the new drivers, but every time I tried to watch a video on the computer, I had to turn hardware acceleration down. I finally found a solution. Use old ass drivers. I'm talking about drivers that were like a year old, not just a few mini versions back. At one point, the new drivers were 165.0.0.0 or something like that, and I was using 85.00.

    On the other hand, ATI drivers have been nothing but good to me, have a great interface, have never crashed, and have nice integrated overclocking software.

    Also, all of these were on XP. No Vista involved.
    Post edited by Vhdblood on
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