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Need advice on gaming PC

Discussion in 'Other Hardware' started by YoungDiva, Apr 22, 2012.

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  1. YoungDiva Newcomer, in training

    I've been using a gaming laptop for the last 2 years and it's time I got a dedicated gaming PC. Can you please give me recommendations on the best gaming PCs out there and the specs I should get? I don't have a budget. Thanks
    YoungDiva, Apr 22, 2012
    #1

  2. Route44 TechSpot Ambassador Posts: 12,022   +18

    Well to really answer this properly we need a budget. Can you or a friend build your own?
    Route44, Apr 22, 2012
    #2

  3. YoungDiva Newcomer, in training

    As I mentioned, there is no budget. I don't know anything about building a computer either.
    YoungDiva, Apr 22, 2012
    #3

  4. remanjot Newcomer, in training

    4GB Ram and 1 GB Graphic Card is must to play heavy and good games like Max Payne 3 and MW 3. Besides this use of LCD in gaming is best.
    remanjot, Apr 23, 2012
    #4

  5. mailpup TS Special Forces Posts: 7,910   +77

    Take a look at TechSpot's buying guide here: http://www.techspot.com/guides/buying/

    By looking at the components in the high end luxury system you can get an idea of what to look for in a ready built PC or what to order in a custom PC.
    mailpup, Apr 23, 2012
    #5

  6. LNCPapa TS Special Forces Posts: 3,950   +120

    If you're not going to be building and you really have no budget then there are some minimums for a decent gaming machine using only 1 screen:
    CPU: Intel 2500k or greater OR Intel 3820 or greater
    GPU: ATI Radeon 7850 or greater OR nVidia GeForce GTX 560Ti or greater OR nVidia GeForce GTX 680
    RAM: 4 GB minimum
    OS: Win 7 64-bit
    HD: Depends on how painful load times are for you. Once you're in game you won't notice any difference with a faster hard drive unless you're changing stages
    Use one of the digital methods of connecting your video card to your monitor (DVI/HDMI/Displayport) and run at the native resolution which is usually the max res your monitor can support
    If you're going to buy this at a mom & pop shop then make sure you're getting a decent PSU and motherboard also - this will aid with system stability. If you're getting it from one of the big name guys like Dell (Alienware) or Falcon Northwest then you won't have too many choices.

    If you have any plans to overclock your system make sure everything is nice and stable at standard clocks first. Once you've broken it in for a couple of days and it's rock solid then you can start trying to break it.
    LNCPapa, Apr 23, 2012
    #6
     

  7. benken2202001 TechSpot Enthusiast Posts: 139

    Check out www.ibuypower.com
    The site is NOT just for purchasing, but also as a quick "how will my system handle this game" check.
    It'll show you game quality based on processor + mobo + video card + ram. Just use this as a rough gauge when you finally buy or build a system of your own. As I was in the same boat as you about 2 months ago (from laptop gaming to desktop gaming), i highly recommend this site to do research, and play around with different configurations. Then use their price as a guide to how much you should spend per part on sites like Newegg or Tigerdirect
    benken2202001, Apr 26, 2012
    #7

  8. slh28 TechSpot Paladin Posts: 1,683   +105

    If you don't have a specific budget then give a range. A gaming PC can be anywhere between $500 and $5000.
    slh28, Apr 26, 2012
    #8

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