Buying christmas gaming computer

R

Reconstruct

New Member
So I’m looking to buy a new computer mainly for gaming for Christmas. I was originally going to build it myself but due to time constraints I won’t be able to. Just need the PC itself, already have monitor, keyboard and mouse.
I have a few potential buys here that I’m hoping to get feedback on. The dell looks to be the best but I know they don’t have the best reputation.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229190

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227304

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+...rive/1244502.p?id=1218240957609&skuId=1244502

More than open to other suggestions in the 800-1200 range if they would be more bang for my buck. Thanks
 
Well, building one yourself would absolutely give you more bang for your buck. Those are all pretty overpriced for what you get, and the two Cyberpower/iBuyPower ones most likely have crappy power supplies, which is a very bad thing for a gaming rig.

Think you're up to it? It's really quite easy, and we'll help you pick all of the parts. :good:
 
$1,100 for a rig with a 5770 is not something I'd want. The lists below are set up (PSU, MoBo) to allow you to add a 2nd Graphics card down the line, which would give you a monster of a gaming rig for quite a while. Also, I didn't add an aftermarket CPU Cooler as I don't get the impression you're thinking about overclocking just yet.

Maybe you can get to Microcenter? i7-950 :$200 then:

Lian Li case :$80 Shipped

Sabertooth X58 MoBo :$190 shipped with promo code HARDOCP12X8A

PC P&C 750 Silencer PSU :$111 after promo code OCZDEC12

F3 1 TB HDD :$70

6GB Corsair 1600 RAM :$100 (Great price)

Sony Optiarc DVD :$20

Saphire 6870 w/HDMI cable :$250 Solid brand/Nice specs

Win 7 OS :$100

***If you don't expect to be doing video work or especially CPU intensive work, then possibly replace above CPU, MoBo and RAM with:

i5 760 :$205 (just as good for gaming as 950)

Asus 1156 MoBo :$135 shipped

4GB Corsair 1600 RAM :$75

***Or Consider AMD build:

AMD 970 plus free Darksiders Game :$186

Asus Sata6/USB3 2PCI slot MoBo PLUS Win 7 :$225

GSkill Ripjaws 4 GB 1600 7-8-7-24 :$75

I started with i7-950 since the first prebuilt you listed had one, but AMD build saves you about $100, plus a free copy of Darksiders, and probably games just as well.
 
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Organizing my thoughts, I think I'd be thinking along the lines of something similar to the list below, pending comments/suggestions from others on this site.

AMD 970 plus free Darksiders Game :$186

Asus Sata6/USB3 2PCI slot MoBo PLUS Win 7 :$225

Lian Li case :$80 Shipped

GSkill Ripjaws 4 GB 1600 7-8-7-24 :$75

PC P&C 750 Silencer PSU :$111 after promo code OCZDEC12

F3 1 TB HDD :$70

Sony Optiarc DVD :$20

Saphire 6870 w/HDMI cable :$250 Solid brand/Nice specs


^ That's $1062 with shipping for the box and OS. The rig is setup to allow for upgrading, especially with an eventual 2nd GPU that'll allow you some especially good gaming. I'm guessing there will be some nice sales on peripherals around Christmas. You can probably throw in some decent speakers and still be under the $1200 you'd mentioned. You probably have better Memory, and Powersupply here than the prebuilts, definitely have MUCH better graphics, and more upgradability. You are giving away some CPU power to the i7-950 but unless you're running video encoding or something, that was CPU power you'd have paid for but not used.
 
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Alright thanks a lot guys. I didn't know how much I'd be missing out on by buying a prebuilt and I really like the idea of upgrading to a second GPU eventually. I'll take a look at your recommendations and see what looks best.

I'll update if necessary, thanks again.
 
Thoughts:

For the price of that CPU, the 970, you can have a hexcore. Even overclocked, the 970 won't match it for performance once games start to make use of all 6 cores, and even 2-4 of the Thuban's cores are enough for just about all current games.

I think this is really the price range of an i7 build, anyway...even without a microcenter nearby, that first build is perfect. A couple of combo deals would easily have it under $1200.
 
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