

Should I just buy a gaming pc instead of building one?

#1refmonPosted 11/10/2012 12:53:33 PM
I have very little knowledge about whats considered good and the only thing I have is the motherboard, which was a gift. My budget is 800-900

This is this the motherboard
#2QT31416Posted 11/10/2012 12:55:07 PM
Go to bestbuy and buy whatever they tell you is best.
i5-3570k | EVGA GTX 670 FTW | Vengeance 8gb | Crucial M4 256GB SSD | WD Caviar Black 1TB | Sabertooth Z77
#3TheFAQKingPosted 11/10/2012 1:07:32 PM

Now you know what's generally considered good.
#4Valkerion757Posted 11/10/2012 1:15:06 PM
You can find some decent prebuilts around this time of year for that budget. Most usually have an older graphics card but lets face it, 99% of games dont need that $600+ card to run at max anyway, let alone hit 60fps+

Unless you want a 1080p Battlefield 3 at top settings while streaming in 1080p machine, you can find something that runs everything fine. If a game does not run well, its almost always one of three things, the game has been poorly made having crappy compatibilty and needs to be patched, 2 your drivers need to be updated, or three (a problem I had a few weeks ago with xcom) your mobo needs to be updated if there is such an update.

Sure you can build one better than stores offer for that price, but if its your first time and just want something quick and dirty to use for awhile and learn to upgrade yourself, the holidays always have some nice $500-800 prebuilt rigs that can do what you need.
XBL: ValkerionSeven (Same games as PS3)
#5Kerr AvonPosted 11/10/2012 1:30:36 PM
It isn't much cheaper to build your own than to buy one (it's been more than a decade since you could save yourself a *lot* of money that way), but if you're interested in becoming a PC builder then there's no better way to start with your own, and it is easy. Just use a bit of common sense, and preferably have a working PC/laptop/phone with internet access handy for if you have any problems. PCs are modular, so putting them together (and then installing the drivers and operating system) isn't hard.

On the other hand, if you don't think you want to learn about PC building and troubleshooting, then buying a pre-built is no problem, and that way you will (almost definitely) avoid the few incompatibilities that crop up with PC building (most of which are avoided by knowing what you want to buy and making sure beforehand that there are no known problems).

TheFAQKing posted...

Now you know what's generally considered good.

I've never seen that before, it is interesting, thanks.
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#6MacrossSpecialPosted 11/10/2012 1:46:07 PM
Very true what kerr avon is saying. It only costs about $50-100 more to buy a prebuilt.

The only problem with that is you have to, well you should learn enough about the components to buy a machine that will be upgradable in the future. When you start going into learning all that, you might start leaning towards doing the build yourself.

Everything is color-coded and only fits in one place, so really it is even easier than building with legos.
...Dude, you're a ****ing douche. Get off my god damn internets.
- RX7Infinitilll
#7LordSeiferPosted 11/10/2012 1:47:35 PM
he would also have to pay for an erroneous motherboard
^ this
#8DarkZV2BetaPosted 11/10/2012 1:51:18 PM(edited)
Your motherboard pretty much shot you in the foot. Your best option is to start over with a Z77 platform Ivy Bridge build.
Building isn't hard, and there are quire a few people on this board that could build you a beast of a machine within your budget. I'm too lazy these days to do it myself, but just stick around, and 60secondAssasin will come in and list you some amazing machine for $900.

Also, to add onto the prebuilt bit, while it's true that you can find some good deals on prebuilt machines sometimes, the vast majority are horribly overpriced garbage that won't do jack or **** without upgrading anyway, which kills the point of buying a prebuilt.
Especially at local retailers, parts and PCs tend to be overpriced, because the retailer will take an additional ~10-25%, on top of tax and shipping, and don't often drop their prices in line with market value.
#9AzardeaPosted 11/10/2012 1:49:19 PM
#10ShubPosted 11/10/2012 1:52:57 PM
Why is the pic outdated?
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