Build a gaming PC or buy one?

[pcfan123]

I want a nice PC capable of running games like Bad Company 2 and current sports games on high settings.

Basically I was wondering if I should try to build one or buy a "gaming" PC from a retailer.

I don't know too much about hardware so building one scares me a bit. The only part I can reuse is probably my harddrive. Other than that I have to buy everything.

I was thinking of buying this one:

HP - Pavilion Elite Desktop / AMD Phenom™ II Processor / 8GB Memory / 1TB Hard Drive - HPE-210y

but it has a lot of features I don't care for.

So suggestions/ comments? etc

I plan on using this thread as I build my PC to ask question so please help me out.

 

[Chewie]

Building one is much cheaper and you can choose your parts, but buying one comes with better warranty, and is less stressful.

Personally, I want to build my next pc, just for the challenge.

The First-Timer's Guide to Building a Computer from Scratch

 

[-D-S-B-]

Can I ask why you want a PC capable of running games when you have a ps3?

 

[Chewie]

Because a PC is obviously much better than a PS3

 

[-D-S-B-]

Because a PC is obviously much better than a PS3

For gaming? How?

I'd much rather have a good PC than a ps3, it only makes sense. But I thought consoles were the way to go for gaming, especially if you already have one.

 

[Chewie]

I could go on for a while, but for me there are a few main reasons:

Much better FPS controls.
Dedicated servers in FPS games
You can actually play RTS games on a PC
You are not restricted to the graphics settings set by the PS3
PC is more handy because you use it for so many other things

Chewie added 1 Minutes and 15 Seconds later...

I'd much rather have a good PC than a ps3, it only makes sense. But I thought consoles were the way to go for gaming, especially if you already have one.

I suppose if you already had a console then it would be a bit confusing. But I would still much prefer a PC

 

[pcfan123]

Games are cheaper on a PC

I actually always wanted a nice computer, need it for video editing as well.

Ok so I already have a nice monitor, I just need the CPU (the main part)

my noob knowledge tells me I need

-motherboard
-processor
-RAM
-Hard Drive
-graphics card
-sound card
-Power supply
-Fan
-Case

Am I forgetting anything? how can I know if I can still use my old HD. If its out of date and slow Id rather buy a new one, how can I check how fast it is? I think its about 250 GB so it can't be too old.

 

[Chewie]

You don't really need a sound card. And many cases come with PSUs, though they're not the greatest.

The motherboard needs to have the right socket for the processor. The RAM and graphics card should fit in most motherboards though. And I don't think the graphics card you'll be getting will be too big (some need special cases).

What type of fan do you need? Cases come built in with them sometimes. Also the processor normally comes with a heatsink, and the graphics card have built in fans normally.

Re the HDD, it should work. There are two different types of HDD connectors - IDE and SATA, SATA is the more modern one and is preferred. About the speed of your HDD... I can't remember how I checked mine. What you can do is go into device manager (right click computer -> properties -> device manager [this is how you do it on win7, not sure about whatever you've got]), find your HDD there and then google.

 

[pcfan123]

Ok so now how do I go about selecting which motherboard I want? Is that the starting point? do I build from there?

 

[Gaurav_7]

I don't know much a building a PC. But, from what I've heard Alienware Gaming PCs are very good.

Alienware Landing

 

[Chewie]

Yea the motherboard would probably be the best place to start. Not sure how you'd go about picking one. Maybe you should pick your processor first so you can choose the motherboard with the right socket?

I'd go for an i5. Good mid range processor. Some of the AMD ones are alright too.

 

[pcfan123]

Ok sweet will start to look into it, my budget is around 650-800 bucks. If I can make a decent PC for that I will be glad.

I plan on buying everything from either

frys.com or bestbuy.com so I can get warranty for the expensive parts.

 

[Chewie]

I'd suggest:
Core i5-660/650 = around $180
6GB DDR3 RAM = around $110
HD5770 = around $160
1TB HDD = around $60
A motherboard that supports the processor (probably about $150-200)
A random case + PSU

Bear in mind I don't know too much about this stuff. I just read magazines.

 

[pcfan123]

What is a PSU and which one is the graphics card on that? the one thing Im willing to splurge on is the graphics card.

Also I guess I would need a copy of Windows so thats another 100 bucks

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

I feel if you can afford then go for Alien Computers. That is what I am going to do not considering it starts from 999$