Beginning gamer help

[A0210]

Hello!!
So I'm curious in building my own gaming pc but I don't wanna spend a bunch of money! I was wondering if anyone had some good beginner advice or recommendations on what to start off with. I don't play a bunch of games but I would like something nice and faster than what I already have. Any information is helpful!!! Thank you so much !

 

[Sulaco]

Recommendations without knowing how much you're willing or able to spend is pretty meaningless.

Tell us that, then we can help.

 

[OlyAR15]

Get a console.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Ask a mod to move this thread to general hardware and answer the questions in the sticky. You will get very good advice there.

 

[rivethead]

If you want to save money, you need to start with your mind-set. Convince yourself that you do NOT need to play today's game's today. You are more than happy to wait.

Building a machine that plays Witcher 1 today will be a lot cheaper than building a machine that plays Witcher 3. Plus the games will be a lot cheaper as well.

 

[A0210]

I mean I don't wanna spend like $1000 right now... But if I can build a good one for a couple hundred then I will.

 

[mdram]

I mean I don't wanna spend like $1000 right now... But if I can build a good one for a couple hundred then I will.

200?

well thats a processor.

here are some ideas

https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/Ccbtt6/entry-level-gaming-build

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/vrBPxr

 

[sweenish]

Couple hundred won't fly.

I feel like the BARE MINIMUM budget should be $600. Preferably $700.

You can make a system for less, but it will lag behind rapidly, and require more replacement parts sooner.

PC gaming has a much higher up-front cost than console gaming. Don't fool yourself, there. It makes up for it in game sales, longevity of support, and all the other things a PC can do.

 

[Arcadio]

Don't get discouraged by the budget. Even if your PC doesn't give you the best frame rates, the experience you get by building your own PC will definitely be worth the effort.

 

[sm625]

If you dont want to spend a lot of money then buy a used workstation (ie T3500) with a 1st/2nd gen i7 or xeon equivalent that comes with a quasi high end nvidia quadro gpu (something that has a passmark score near 1000). Then you just pull the gpu and replace it with a 980 and boom you have a $1000 gaming PC that destroys anything you can buy new for $1000.

 

[sweenish]

You'd have to show a link where you can get a workstation with a mid to high end quadro in it for cheap enough to warrant dropping $500 and still come out less than a thousand dollars.

Mid to high end quadros START where the 980 begins. Which makes the suggestion to look for one of those just baffling, since you would have to just pull it out if you want to game.

Are you considering re-sale in your suggestion? If so, it certainly helps to say as much.

 

[Sulaco]

$200?

I'd say save a bit and get a console.

Not trying to discourage you, but anything you can build for $200, unless you have some incredibly lucky Craigslist finds and dumpster diving, the performance you'd be getting would likely not be what you're looking for.

 

[Maximilian]

Console.

 

[Riverhound777]

I second the Dell Outlet with a 30% off coupon plus a video card.

 

[artemicion]

Assuming a budget around $200:

- You're going to have to rely on sales, which means you'll be buying individual parts over the course of a month or so. Use a website like slickdeals.net and setup deal alerts for your CPU, motherboard, memory, storage, case, power supply, etc.

- The best CPU/GPU you can afford is probably going to be a relatively weak AMD APU. Something like this CPU/Mobo combo on sale at Frys:
http://www.frys.com/product/8412898?
It's not going to play any graphics intensive games, but it'll probably be sufficient for simple 2D platformers and the like.

- You probably don't have enough money for an OS (Windows license costs around $100). Look into what hardware you need for the SteamOS beta.

- I'm assuming you want to do this for the experience of making a computer yourself, because you can definitely get a more powerful computer for less money buying stuff on sale from Dell and the like.

- I hope you already have a keyboard/mouse/monitor/speakers...

 

[BurnItDwn]

if your budget is 200 its not enough.

$350ish or so will get you a decent machine ...

a8 + cheap radeon that supports 'dual graphics' + 8gb ram + 120GB SSD or hard drive + power supply + case

should handle most games 720p or better...

If you can swing it, an i3, with 8gb drive, SSD, and $200ish video card (nvidia or AMD) will handle pretty much all modern games at 1080p ... but it might cost closer to like $600 or $700

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Why not buy something pre-built? Ive seen this sell for $330 before, just wait for another sale: http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-...0055-1225267-8335e7dacb074525914e08603b7b9241

decent enough. Even comes with an xbox controller and wireless adapter - so thats worth about 40-50 bucks right there. So your looking at 290 for a pre-built with a windows license. Cant get much cheaper than that unless you are OK with linux/steamOS.

Here was the sale:
http://slickdeals.net/f/7859143-ali...fter-rebate-with-free-shipping?src=SiteSearch