Gaming PC- any thoughts?

[sabang]

I spend way too much time on the puter, and lately have been doing more PC gaming- though I doubt my humble Compaq 1100 series desktop has the grunt for the latest generation of games. Time for a new toy, I reckon.

Any thoughts & ideas? I've got no strict budget, beyond 'not silly money'. 25- 35k range probably optimal (is that enuff?). Anyway, I'm pretty much a computer dummy, so lets start with some basic specs-

RAM- at least 4GB, DDR3
Graphics- pretty important I guess. Any reccomendations?
HDD- I like the idea of these new solid state HDD's. I won't need terabytes of storage anyway.
Motherboard- Quad core, at least Intel i5 series, maybe even i7 if u reckon it's worth it. but hey, not restricted to Intel. Is AMD better?

How best to go about this? should I buy a 'brand' computer with the requisite spec's, or get one built to spec- is it much cheaper? I don't mind paying a bit extra for brand reliability & support, if such a thing exists.

Or get one built? any decent PC shops that you would recommend for a neophyte gamer? I'll be in Bangkok a couple of times over the next few months.

Any thoughts & rec's well appreciated, TD.

[Mid]

Build it around the best graphics card you can afford .

[FailSafe]

A really high-end graphics card will eat a lot of your budget (especially coupled with an SSD)- note, though, that most modern games have adjustable graphics levels where a good (instead of top-line) card will still let you play at a very acceptable level- the only thing you might have to tone down is shadows/shading.

Gaming PCs are very expensive to build if you want to play with the graphics at 100%- I'm not sure 35K will do it (even though that would be a high budget for a general-use PC)- a trip around Pantip (armed with some Internet geek info) is your best bet- I haven't upgraded my system in a while (though it's due) so I can't recommend the newest/latest stuff, but try checking the requirements for any of the newest games- they'll tell you the minimum required to play at 100% right on the box (or website).

[baldrick]

i5 or i7
Asus or Gigabyte mobo -
8 gig ram
128 gig SSD - only 100-120USD ,
1tb hard drive
a good enough PCI Nvidia graphics card should only set you back 130-150 USD
24 inch Samsung panel

for all the items you are considering , go to newegg.com and read the reviews from people who have bought the item

if you go to singapore , you may want to consider buying the parts there - for pricing / availability reference - videopro.com.sg

[Butterfly]

I would recommend an XBOX 360 or PS3, why bother with a gaming PC ?

[Dillinger]

^ Yep, get a PS 3

[baldrick]

why bother with a gaming PC ?

bittorrent

[Butterfly]

most people will play with 2 or 3 games at most, why bother ?

[Dillinger]

Get yourself down the Mall and play those spotty 13 year olds in the arcade section.

You'll soon realise youre too old for gaming

[Neo]

Take a look at Novatech and get an idea of what components and prices you should expect. They're based in the UK. so only a guide, but they're a growing alternative to the mainstream offerings... so certainly doing something right.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/pc/gaming/?th=g

PC Components, Desktop PCs, Laptops, LCD TVs & Computer Hardware

[Neo]

I would recommend an XBOX 360 or PS3, why bother with a gaming PC ?

Both are at the end of their lifespan and with no next gen replacement for at least 18 months, now is a very good time to look at PC gaming due to the recent developments in chips, motherboards and graphics.

[Gerbil]

[astasinim]

^
Living on past glories. Now overpriced crap.

[Gerbil]

^ Yeah, but it looks good

[astasinim]

^
Fair enough

[Loy Toy]

I spend way too much time on the puter, and lately have been doing more PC gaming

Get yourself back down to suburbia before it's too late mate.

[kingwilly]

I would recommend an XBOX 360 or PS3, why bother with a gaming PC ?

Agreed, purpose built machine ready for you, right there.

[bsnub]

Sabang I would go with Balders recommendation as it is pretty spot on. Get the best processor you can afford. I am running a core I5 750 with 8 gigs of DDR3 and have an ATI 5850 video card. I can play most games wide open.

I would recommend buying the biggest monitor you can afford. It is truly a waste to spend all the money and effort on a good gaming rig if you are just playing on a crappy little monitor. Have someone experienced build it for you and don't skimp on the powersupply.

[sabang]

i5 or i7
Asus or Gigabyte mobo -
8 gig ram
128 gig SSD - only 100-120USD ,
1tb hard drive
a good enough PCI Nvidia graphics card should only set you back 130-150 USD
24 inch Samsung panel

Thanks balders- I've been slow to respond, as I've been shopping in Bangkok. Bought me a PC too, which I reckon should be comfortably up to the job- but it's all upgradeable anyway. Pretty much followed your words of wisdom, I think:-

Quad core i7 processor (3rd generation),
64 bit Windows O/S
6GB DDR3 RAM (i had 2GB added to the standard 4gig)
Settled for a 1TB SATA HDD- can easily add SSD later
GeForce GT630 graphics card, w/ 2GB memory
+ the usual bells & whistles- card reader, R/W DVD etc

It's basically the top end of the current HP elite H8series, a HPE1338l. They have a H9 model too, but the considerable price difference seems mainly to be because of Blueray, which I don't need- but can always add later. HP lacks the 'wow' factor (I would have preferred Asus frankly), but it seems to have the right core ingredients and heck- at least it's available. Shopping for a PC outside the norm in Bkk isn't much fun, believe me. The whole thing came in around 28k including Windows- comfortably in budget. I got it from Fortune- Panthip sucks.

I may well add a second SSD drive soon, but lets get this one bedded down first. Thanks for the advice all.

get yourself back down to suburbia before it's too late mate.

Four days in bangers was enuff for me mate.

[baldrick]

I may well add a second SSD drive soon

your SSD needs to have your Operating system on it and then the games you will be playing - all your music/video etc should be on your normal HD

so if you get a SSD you will be looking to re-install the OS - but you may well find that your setup now is fast enough for your needs for a year or 2

do you know what brand of graphics card
Newegg.com - GeForce GT630

[sabang]

^ A nice little label on the front says 'Nvidia Geforce'.

Here's the full speck of the model (minus the added RAM) & various stuff - one of the good things about HP I suppose is the level of info & support-
HP Pavilion HPE h8-1300 Desktop PC series[at]-[at] HP Pavilion HPE h8-1338l Desktop PC Product Specifications - c03457034 - HP Business Support Center

Only released six weeks ago, so it should be well up to date- unlike the 9 month old Acer someone tried to sell me for slightly more dosh, or the reasonable spec LVOA, a Thai assembler, which, mysteriously, nobody had heard of in the three IT City stores I checked with (IT City is owned by them). I was a bit surprised to find that it's easier to find a highish end gaming laptop than a desktop in Bangkok, considering you've got little upgrade capacity in a laptop.