build new gaming pc now or later?

[trance247]

Last game I played and enjoyed was H.A.W.X., I sold my gaming rig for right amount of money and been using my netbook with lcd as a ,makeshift desktop. Should I start building new gaming rig now or no decent games are coming soon or should I wait?

ps i love all genres pretty much, sans sports

 

[shortylickens]

You can make a decent system right now and enjoy current games. If you put in the right video card you can be ready for future games as well.
I would ask in the hardware forum but my standard advice for people in your situation is to buy a cheap pre-built system for around 300 bucks and then throw in a 200 dollar video card. Make sure the power supply can handle it.
As an example:
http://e4me.com/products/catalog.html?type=desktops
Any of those systems would be fine with a video upgrade. I'd recommend the versions with 3GB of RAM, but thats up to you.
I just dug around newegg.com and you can find good cards for 200 dollars and decent cards for 150 dollars.

If you like playing games now then get a system now. You can always get a cheap card and then upgrade the graphics later.

 

[Newbian]

Wait a bit until Windows 7 is out for real and get it with that.

 

[GaryJohnson]

You need to figure out which current and future games you want to play and at what quality level you want to play them at before anyone can give you any informed advice about when and what kind of system to purchase.

 

[IEC]

Wait for Diablo 3 and Starcraft II to come out and make your decision then

 

[Mwing]

Originally posted by: Spartan Niner
Wait for Diablo 3 and Starcraft II to come out and make your decision then

if they succeed to meet the release date

 

[QuantumPion]

Now is a good time to buy since core i7 prices are down and there won't be an upgrade until mid-2010. For video card you can get a very reasonably priced mid-range video card to last until the next generation comes out later this year.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Mwing

Originally posted by: Spartan Niner
Wait for Diablo 3 and Starcraft II to come out and make your decision then

if they succeed to meet the release date

lol........yea Blizzard is as good at making release dates as Valve is. I think any system you build today should run Diablo 3 or Starcraft 2 just fine.

 

[Maximilian]

Wait for diablo III, starcraft II and maybe windows 7. Remember, hardware can only get cheaper and faster as time goes by, so might as well wait. All other future games are secondary to diablo III/starcraft II.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

I doubt Starcraft 2 is going to require any major hardware to run, this game is going to sell like hotcakes in South Korea, and most of the PCs there are going to be pretty modest, Blizzard isn't going to shut out a majority of their potential buyers by requiring some sort of uber PC to run their new baby.

That's just my feeling on it.

 

[Jschmuck2]

Originally posted by: shortylickens
You can make a decent system right now and enjoy current games. If you put in the right video card you can be ready for future games as well.
I would ask in the hardware forum but my standard advice for people in your situation is to buy a cheap pre-built system for around 300 bucks and then throw in a 200 dollar video card. Make sure the power supply can handle it.
As an example:
http://e4me.com/products/catalog.html?type=desktops
Any of those systems would be fine with a video upgrade. I'd recommend the versions with 3GB of RAM, but thats up to you.
I just dug around newegg.com and you can find good cards for 200 dollars and decent cards for 150 dollars.

If you like playing games now then get a system now. You can always get a cheap card and then upgrade the graphics later.

An e-Machine? Really? Hey, I hear everyone's 56 year old aunt needs some computer help. Why don't you run along.

 

[Rifter]

dont buy a e-machine!

 

[Barfo]

Wolfenstein, SF4

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Rifterut
dont buy a e-machine!

Seconded. You could easily buy a Dell from the Outlet Store and slap a decent video card in it.

Or you could go the better DIY route anyway.

Any system you build today will run Diablo 3 and SC2 just fine, I can say that with certainty.

 

[Blurry]

Holy crap..did someone actually recommend an eMachine?



ROFLMAO.

 

[JoshGuru7]

If you're still asking the question about whether to build a PC or not now then you should probably wait until you have a compelling reason to do so. Windows 7 and SSD are probably the only two things that will improve significantly in the short term but even the stuff that doesn't change will only get cheaper.

 

[shortylickens]

My family members have had about a dozen of them over the years.
They all work fine to this day. They have gone through so many because they feel like upgrading every couple of years. They pass them on to other family members and friends. The things still work fine, including the one made in 1998.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: shortylickens
My family members have had about a dozen of them over the years.
They all work fine to this day. They have gone through so many because they feel like upgrading every couple of years. They pass them on to other family members and friends. The things still work fine, including the one made in 1998.

this is AT, as a lifer you should know how everyone is an elite snob. When it comes to PC's, the same rule as Pizza places apply

the worst mom and pop pizza joint will still be 1000x better than any major chain. The logic is, well there is no logic but this is how AT thinks. As for PC's, the worst self built will still be infinitely better than a name brand. You suggested he get an Emachine, what's next you're going to suggest he eats Pizza Hut!?!

all jokes aside, one of my ex roomates had an Emachine, it broke. So she sent it in to get it fixed, it took them longer than they estimated. By a good week or so, and they ended up sending her a much newer model with better specs for free. It wasn't a bad little machine. Hell if you get the entry level one and toss in an upgraded video card I bet it would be cheaper than piecing your own together from Newegg. When you factor in the cost of XP or Vista + time involved. I would recommend an Emachine the same as a Dell or HP. People who try and act like Dells are magically better are just talking.

 

[Red Irish]

If you are concerned about DRM and the increasing number of companies that have shifted their focus towards console gaming, you may be better advised to save your money until the next generation of consoles appears.

In any event, I would avoid pre-built rigs: you can build a much better rig for a similar amount of money if you mount it yourself.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

Originally posted by: Newbian
Wait a bit until Windows 7 is out for real and get it with that.

This. Vista is fine, but the writing is already on the wall. Windows 7 will be the real deal and Vista will be an afterthought.

That being said, I can't see any games on the horizon that would be worth upgrading for. The only games that are "must-haves", Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2, haven't had a release date announced yet and will hardly push the limits of gaming hardware anyway.

 

[DannyLove]

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: Rifterut
dont buy a e-machine!

Seconded. You could easily buy a Dell from the Outlet Store and slap a decent video card in it.

Or you could go the better DIY route anyway.

Any system you build today will run Diablo 3 and SC2 just fine, I can say that with certainty.

I'll take it a step further. Don't buy e-machine or a pre-built system. BUILD YOUR OWN!

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: shortylickens
My family members have had about a dozen of them over the years.
They all work fine to this day. They have gone through so many because they feel like upgrading every couple of years. They pass them on to other family members and friends. The things still work fine, including the one made in 1998.

this is AT, as a lifer you should know how everyone is an elite snob. When it comes to PC's, the same rule as Pizza places apply

the worst mom and pop pizza joint will still be 1000x better than any major chain. The logic is, well there is no logic but this is how AT thinks. As for PC's, the worst self built will still be infinitely better than a name brand. You suggested he get an Emachine, what's next you're going to suggest he eats Pizza Hut!?!

all jokes aside, one of my ex roomates had an Emachine, it broke. So she sent it in to get it fixed, it took them longer than they estimated. By a good week or so, and they ended up sending her a much newer model with better specs for free. It wasn't a bad little machine. Hell if you get the entry level one and toss in an upgraded video card I bet it would be cheaper than piecing your own together from Newegg. When you factor in the cost of XP or Vista + time involved. I would recommend an Emachine the same as a Dell or HP. People who try and act like Dells are magically better are just talking.

I understand why Dells are often recommended. They actually made superior computers, with Windows 95.
They have spent more time making bad computers than they have making good ones. They milked their good reputation longer than it took them to make it.

 

[BladeVenom]

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
Now is a good time to buy since core i7 prices are down and there won't be an upgrade until mid-2010. For video card you can get a very reasonably priced mid-range video card to last until the next generation comes out later this year.

If someone's on a budget, it might be worth waiting for i5.

 

[RESmonkey]

I'm waiting for Star Wars: The Old Republic (MMO) and Windows 7

 

[TheLever]

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: shortylickens
My family members have had about a dozen of them over the years.
They all work fine to this day. They have gone through so many because they feel like upgrading every couple of years. They pass them on to other family members and friends. The things still work fine, including the one made in 1998.

this is AT, as a lifer you should know how everyone is an elite snob. When it comes to PC's, the same rule as Pizza places apply

the worst mom and pop pizza joint will still be 1000x better than any major chain. The logic is, well there is no logic but this is how AT thinks. As for PC's, the worst self built will still be infinitely better than a name brand. You suggested he get an Emachine, what's next you're going to suggest he eats Pizza Hut!?!

all jokes aside, one of my ex roomates had an Emachine, it broke. So she sent it in to get it fixed, it took them longer than they estimated. By a good week or so, and they ended up sending her a much newer model with better specs for free. It wasn't a bad little machine. Hell if you get the entry level one and toss in an upgraded video card I bet it would be cheaper than piecing your own together from Newegg. When you factor in the cost of XP or Vista + time involved. I would recommend an Emachine the same as a Dell or HP. People who try and act like Dells are magically better are just talking.

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