Custom Gaming Rig Help (For a Total Newbie)

[scott155]

With the next generation of consoles screwing more customers than a whore house on coupon day I've decided that my next system should be a PC. Right now all I have is a wee little laptop that does its damnedest, but seems like it's going to combust whenever I try to run any modern games at decent graphical settings meaning I get smooth, mediocre looking games or a very pretty slideshow. The main problem I have is that I know sweet FA when it comes to hardware and I'm not exactly loaded. I've already decided I don't want to build it myself, because apparently it's possible to fuck up components by touching them, and I'd rather pay someone competent to assemble it than risk botching it myself.

 

Right now I'm looking at Computer #1, NCIX and Computer #2, Cyberpower both of which have components with many numbers and letters that I'm sure are important to smart people who know about these things.

 

So my questions are as follows

1.Which of these two is the better computer and the better deal?

2.Are these specs good enough to run modern games (ie; Assassin's Creed IV, Max Payne 3, etc.) at high settings at about 60FPS? (I don't know what resolution yet, as I have no monitor either)

3.Is there anywhere I can get a better deal, keeping in mind I don't want to assemble it myself and don't really want to pay over $900? Hell, even the Cyberpower one is a bit of a splurge for me.

4.Do you feel honored that I came to you for help, or do you think I'm a lazy git for not researching this more myself?

5.Are the sites I linked to reputable enough to give my credit card information to without fear of it being sold to Korean gangsters?

 

If you just have suggestions of optimising one of the setups I've already chosen for a better price/performance balance that would also me appreciated. If you need more information that I left out let me know. I figured since a lot of Accursed Farmers are PC gamers this would be a good place to ask for help, and I appreciate any given. Also, if there is a specific thread for asking for help for this sort of thing, I would be much obliged if moderators could point me in that direction, thanks!

[Luis]

1. CyberPower one seems more balanced. I'd go with that one (it includes a lot of freebies too!). It's always better to build your systems yourself, but if you wanna avoid the trouble, go with CyberPower.

 

2.Yeah! Both are great. I doubt you'll be gaming in a monitor bigger than 1080p so you'll be fine.

 

3. I guess you could change the configuration to make it a bit more affordable, depending on what you do it may or not affect performance too much

 

4. 2nd option

 

5. Well, they seem reputable enough. Unless CyberPower and NCIX are linked to the mafias

[scott155]

Thanks! Unfortunately it seems CyberPower is a mixed bag. Some people seem to think it's the best thing since sliced bread and other people think it's the worst thing since Hitler. I also found this one from Newegg. I've heard Newegg is pretty good, but if you have any personal experience with them or Asus computers that would be helpful. I'll keep doing research in the meanwhile

[Luis]

ASUS is a pretty well known brand with a very good reputation but I have no idea how their PCs are. They look really decent and the one you picked is powerful enough to run anything that's out right now (although I'd upgrade the RAM, 4 gigs is barely enough for me )

[Ross Scott]

Hey, I guess this is late, just some general advice:

 

-You'll see the most performance the more powerful the videocard is. This should be your first concern if you want maximum gaming performance out of your system.

-As long as the CPU isn't bottom rung (nothing you listed in the links I saw is), it's probably fine

-if possible, you may not want to cut corners on your power supply, since that can be one of the biggest things that determine stability of the system

 

The Cyberpower link didn't load for me I'm afraid.

[scott155]

Hey, I guess this is late, just some general advice:

 

-You'll see the most performance the more powerful the videocard is. This should be your first concern if you want maximum gaming performance out of your system.

-As long as the CPU isn't bottom rung (nothing you listed in the links I saw is), it's probably fine

-if possible, you may not want to cut corners on your power supply, since that can be one of the biggest things that determine stability of the system

 

The Cyberpower link didn't load for me I'm afraid.

Thanks! Actually after more research I'm considering actually assembling one myself. Especially since it turns out I might actually have access to an old desktop to practice on. I figure if I can take that apart and put it back together and have it still work I should be good to go.

[BTGBullseye]

The problem people get into with destroying hardware by touching them is caused by static electricity... If you ground yourself and your components to the computer case you're putting the components in, you shouldn't have any problems.

 

I highly recommend building it yourself, and buying from Newegg or TigerDirect.

[Luis]

Glad to see you're gonna go for the best option.

 

Advice you didn't ask for:I burned a CPU and a motherboard the first time I built a PC. Why? Well, just don't forget to put the isolating screws on the case before mounting the motherboard!

[scott155]

Got it. Stay grounded and if you don't screw right, you're only screwing yourself.

[BTGBullseye]

And get good thermal compound for your CPU! The stuff you get with the CPU will work for about 4 months, then you'd get better results from mayonaise... Try getting Prolimatech PK-1 or better...

[Luis]

Artic Silver 5 is a classic, I bought a tube like 5 years ago and have applied to CPUs and GPUs and it ussually improves temperatures by 5 C degrees or more.

[BTGBullseye]

AC5 is good, but Prolimatech is better, and less expensive...

[Collective Foal]

Coolant has never been a concern for me, personally. I have a pretty hefty rig, and I get by just fine with my 6 fans. One in the front of the case, one in the back, one in the side panel, one on the CPU, and one on each GPU. I have the front fan set relatively low, but the rear and side ones work double time, as they're the ones pushing air out, while the Processor fans and front fan do the pulling.