Gaming PC help

[ArtemisVale]

So I came into quite a bit of money for my birthday and Christmas bonus and plus my savings I should have enough to spend on up to 1000$ for a gaming PC. I was wondering if you guys could help me make an informed decision (hopefully somewhere around the 600-800 range). I would like to play next gen games on the PC.

[evensgrey]

Um....No, not in that price range.  If you want a really good gaming rig, like you'd need for really high-end games to play really well, you're looking at another digit in the price, and the first digit probably isn't going to be a '1'.

And don't go near anything from Dell.  Even if they really have gotten better, the company is going down in flames.

[dallen68]

If you're comfortable putting it together yourself, you should be able to build one for 800 or so. Many serious gamers (i.e. those that play the cutting edge games) go this route.

If there's a Fry's Electronics somewhere near you, there's usually someone on staff that can help get you started.

[ArtemisVale]

I can go the build it yourself route. Any kits I could order online?

I've also heard good things about steam box consoles.

[dallen68]

Not as such, you'll have to look for the individual components individually. The most difficult part here is making sure the motherboard you get has the right slots for the peripherals you want. Even if you don't get all the peripherals now (or something is on the horizon).

Here's a sample starter shopping list, (and the current prices at Fry's):

Intel Z87 motherboard, $160
a hard drive $39-$149
GeForce GTX 750 graphics accelerator - 149
Sound Blaster $65.
Memory - ~50/chip for DDR3
That should be enough to have a working computer, and then you'd expand on that as your needs demand.

[dallen68]

Alternatively, you could buy this http://www.frys.com/product/8171905#detailed.

It should be able to play any commercially available game reasonably well.

[ArtemisVale]

I went digging around and found these builds. Any thoughts on them?

http://www.reddit.com/r/PCMasterRace/wiki/builds

[dallen68]

Actually, it's pretty sound advise. I'd go with the exterminator.

[ArtemisVale]

Would end-all be a good choice too? Cause I could totally go end-all-in *bricked*

[MrBogosity]

I usually get my machines custom-built (or you can get kits, too) at CPUSolutions. They have a section for gaming PCs, but as Evensgrey said they have an extra digit that isn't a 1. But I believe they're all customizable, and you can also go elsewhere on the site and customize pretty much any PC you want. So if you knew specifically what you needed to run the games you want to play, you should be able to find a fairly cheap solution there.

I can tell you, these guys only select the best hardware. You can probably find some for cheaper, but I wouldn't trust the hardware. Cheaper usually means less reliable.

[dallen68]

Would end-all be a good choice too? Cause I could totally go end-all-in *bricked*

Yes. I was considering your stated price range, but if you want to spend the extra for "even better", then I'm not going to tell you it's a "bad" choice. In terms of savings down the road, it may even be a "good" choice.

[Travis Retriever]

I usually get my machines custom-built (or you can get kits, too) at CPUSolutions. They have a section for gaming PCs, but as Evensgrey said they have an extra digit that isn't a 1. But I believe they're all customizable, and you can also go elsewhere on the site and customize pretty much any PC you want. So if you knew specifically what you needed to run the games you want to play, you should be able to find a fairly cheap solution there.

I can tell you, these guys only select the best hardware. You can probably find some for cheaper, but I wouldn't trust the hardware. Cheaper usually means less reliable.

I just checked out that site and am looking at the top most expensive gaming PC:  $3,784.88 Ho-ly cow.
https://www.cpusolutions.com/store/pc/Rampage-V-Extreme-w-i7-5960X-Extreme-Edition-8-core-CPU-X99-Chipset-Custom-Built-Performance-Gaming-Desktop-PC-w-GTX-780-32GB-DDR4-RAM-Windows-7-Pro-183p3994.htm

Well, I know what I'll be getting once I save up some money.  Though, considering I'd want to install Linux in it too (A dual-boot, I think that's called?) I don't know if I should start cheaper and mess around with things, or maybe use virtual box or something.  I'd like to learn to build my own myself, tbh.
But yeah, damn that system is just...*swoons!*

[dallen68]

I just checked out that site and am looking at the top most expensive gaming PC:  $3,784.88 Ho-ly cow.
https://www.cpusolutions.com/store/pc/Rampage-V-Extreme-w-i7-5960X-Extreme-Edition-8-core-CPU-X99-Chipset-Custom-Built-Performance-Gaming-Desktop-PC-w-GTX-780-32GB-DDR4-RAM-Windows-7-Pro-183p3994.htm

Well, I know what I'll be getting once I save up some money.  Though, considering I'd want to install Linux in it too (A dual-boot, I think that's called?) I don't know if I should start cheaper and mess around with things, or maybe use virtual box or something.  I'd like to learn to build my own myself, tbh.
But yeah, damn that system is just...*swoons!*

Well, if you were to get that, and you wanted to experiment with dual boot or a straight Linux, most people would advise NOT doing it with your shiny new computer. Especially if you've not done it before. Once you have the new computer all snug and comfy with what you need it to do, use the OLD computer for experimenting.

[ArtemisVale]

I think ill go with the exterminator since its got pretty good options for the price plus I can ask my gf for help if i cant figure out how to put it all together xD

[Travis Retriever]

Well, if you were to get that, and you wanted to experiment with dual boot or a straight Linux, most people would advise NOT doing it with your shiny new computer. Especially if you've not done it before. Once you have the new computer all snug and comfy with what you need it to do, use the OLD computer for experimenting.

Thanks, Dallen.

@Shane:  So maybe I'm just in that kind of mood, but I went to customize this bad boy, and picked all of the most expensive things (including 4 of the costliest HDD and 3 of the most expensive monitors, and 2 of the most expensive video cards, and the extended warranty).  The end price:  $11,282.70

Dayam.  So what would be a better way to customize this thing, like, in a way that won't get me a lot of wasted money on redundant or incompatible parts?  I figure maybe learn more about the technical specs or what have you, and yes, I can Google it, but what specific sources or sites would you recommend?