Have $1500.00 to spend on a new Gaming Computer and would like to buy a complete built desk top minus the screen/monitor.
I’m a AMD fan but could live with a Intel possessor and would like at least 8 gigs of high speed memory and a very fast Sata drive.
I play the current shoot them up games and would like to have the ability to run the next generation of games what ever that maybe in the very near future.
Recommendations?
This is around 1k, spend more on the VGA card and monitor.
AMD was good but unfortunately they can’t hold a candle to Intel in same price range these days.
EDIT: I completely missed the “complete build” portion of your post: sorry!
Does it absolutely have to be already built? I can point you in the DIY direction like I did that will get you what you want and save you a few hundred dollars.
I have built other lesser systems in the past so its not a real problem but I was trying to save on the O/S as most pre-builds have one pre-loaded.
But fire away with any suggestions.
Thanks!
Which “current” shoot them up games? I’m playing Crysis 3 right now and it takes a hell of a lot more computing power than MW3, for example.
I built myself one a few months ago.
Here are the general specs.
[ul]
[li]Intel i5 3570K (Overclockable)
[/li][li]ASUS P8Z77-V PRO Motherboard (If I had to do it over I would have gone with a Thunderbolt capable motherboard)
[/li][li]16GB G-Skill Sniper DDR3 Memory
[/li][li]OCZ 750 Watt Modular power supply
[/li][li]OCZ Agility4 256gm SSD
[/li][li]WD Caviar Black 1TB Hard drive
[/li][li]Gigabyte GeForce 680 GTX (Since upgraded to SLI)
[/li][li]Corsair Hydro H100 Closed look Liquid cooling system. (Allows for more Overclocking)
[/li][/ul]
The original system came in right around your budget with the single Graphics card.
I suggest building since you can get just what you want for less than you can with a configured system. I put a lot of thought into this system and compared against systems from PowerPC iBuypower, and others. In the end I purchased most of my stuff from newegg and saved enough to do a few upgrades like the Liquid cooling system.
I can play all current games at 60 fps. Also keep in mind that I use an Apple Cinema display so I am playing at 2560x1440 where most displays are only 1080p so your frame rates would be even better.
(System) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101117
(CPU) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116492
(Memory) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233297
(Video) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130757
Also newegg has some great packages they put together. They normally have most if not everything you need to build a machine. And you get a good discount.
That’s similar to what I just built about 6 months ago.
i5 3570K
16GB Corsair DDR3
Corsair 750w PSU
2x Gigabyte 660 GTX in SLI
2x Corsair 120GB SSD in RAID 0
WD 3TB drive
Corsair H80 liquid cooling
ASUS P8 Z77-V Mobo
For monitors I use 2x Dell U2312HM which are IPS, LED backlit, and less than 1 frame of input lag (not the same as response time).
Playing Crysis 3 and Battlefield 3 on max settings on a single 1920x1080 at 60fps.
No, no…he was asking for help with a computer. Although I too am interested in prototype inter-galactic transporter devices, don’t get me wrong.
Before you select a GPU, see how it benches first, compare prices vs performance, and read in-depth reviews:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/397
There’s generally no reason to spend more than $300 on a GPU unless you’re trying to run 3-wide displays and other hardcore gaming setups.
Here is what I built last fall:
Intel i7 3770k
Asus Maximus V Extreme
Samsung 830 Series SSD
Corsair Vengeance 4x4GB RAM
Asus 660TI OC
MSI Case
Cooler Master CPU cooler (212) w/ a 2nd 120MM fan
Corsair PSU
You could always get another 660TI and run them in SLI, and you’ll get better results than most single GPU cards.
I played Borderlands 2 a lot with that rig on all max settings, and while it would get warm it played just fine. I love Asus hardware, and their software is really good. Easy to overclock, and they have some built in fan controller stuff that works really well. It fine tunes the fan speeds so when not under load the thing was dead silent.
While I am an AMD fan as well (all my servers, back before I virtualized, for my hosting business, were all Opteron powered), the Intel CPU lines are currently far ahead of AMD in terms of technology and performance per watt or whatever metric you want to use.
You will get a lot more bang for the buck if you build your own.
Newegg is probably the place to get your stuff. Sign up for their email lists and deal emails. They’ve been having a lot of SSD sales recently as well as other 24 or 72 hour sales.
Do a lot of research on the GPU. Things are always changing in that arena. What was best a month or two ago, may not be “best” now. And that means brands as well. nVidia may be “best” now, but AMD(old ATI) may beat it next month (for a few months) and then nVidia comes out with something new. And you probably don’t want the very best, top of the line GPU. You can often get a slightly slower model, that performs within say 5% of the top of the line, but for SIGNIFICANTLY less money.
Good luck! Let us know what you end up with.
We just bought a 360, and while I like consoles a good PC blows away consoles in graphics and a keyboard with a mouse is a WAY better method than a little controller with a few inputs.
Haha, yeah I figured I would get some hatred spewed at me for posting that. I know computer gamers laugh at consoles. I just like the console controls and casual gaming as opposed to red bull/Cheetos infused 49 straight hour marathon gaming extravaganzas.
I’m not hating…just that theres no replacement for up to date PC for gaming. We use the shit out of the consoles we have here. On our 2nd PS3, and it’s showing signs of being on it’s way out. Just got a 360.
Not sure what you mean by casual gaming since the biggest games are almost always on all 3 platforms.
New XBox and Playstation are coming out this year. 
Can you return it? lol.
Even the new XBox and PS will be behind a PC in power. It’s an interesting problem for sure - MS/Sony has to lock in the hardware for the entire lifespan of the console so games work. The problem is that both MS and Sony skipped a normal generation since the 360 and PS3, so the hardware is showing serious age. I mean they showed serious age 2 years after launch, but now it’s just worse.
As long as the new Xbox and ps4 support 32-64 players online, I’ll be a buyer. BF4 will be tits if they’ll allow 64 players on console.
I know you weren’t hating. I mean casual gaming as in, ill pick up the sticks and play for an hour a couple days a week(Black ops 2, Assassins Creed, Madden, whatever else). No extra table in a room with a high speed mouse and keyboard. It just sits next to the tv. No installing games, or other computer actions. Press a button and start playing. So maybe not “casual” gaming. Maybe “lazy” gaming.
We have a MacBook, and a couple of iPads, no desktop.