Hardware gaming computer

[noob killer]

hello im going to be going to college soon and i would like to get a computer/ laptop im going in for game design and i need one that will do a good job but wont cost an arm and a leg im wanting to spend around 600 so i can get a 3ds as well (resident evil / zelda) any tips or help would be appreciated and if this is the wrong place to post then sorry.

 

[Wizerzak]

The Falcon Guide

Spoiler

Should give you a rough guide.

 

[Originality]

What specifically are your needs? A computer that can program? 3D modelling, rendering and animation? Light (iOS style) gaming? Heavy (Battlefield 3 style) gaming?
Do you need a strong computer, or just a working computer? Is mobility and battery life important to you? Are you going to buy locally, online, or build it yourself? How computer-literate are you?
Do you really need a 3DS, or can you redirect those funds towards a good graphics card? Will you even have the time/money for 3DS in college?

Answer these questions and add as many other details as you can - that way we know exactly what it is you need, and what type of computer would be most suitable for you.

 

[Fishaman P]

Basically, build your own with 4GB+ of DDR3 RAM, an Intel Core i5 2500K, and an ATI Radeon HD 5770/6770.

 

[Originality]

Basically, build your own with 4GB+ of DDR3 RAM, an Intel Core i5 2500K, and an ATI Radeon HD 5770/6770.

If he's doing any 3D animation work, he will not want an AMD GPU, but nVidia instead. I've heard this in every (British) university I've got friends at. AMD drivers/compatability sucks for anything that is not simply playing games or watching movies.

 

[noob killer]

thanks for the quick reply a srong comp for programing and heavy gaming. i dont mind battery life as i will probably have it constantly plugged in im not really intested in the art portion since im going to school for programming. i would like to buy online since its probably cheaper

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[noob killer]

oh computer-literate well i know some c++ i know how to do all the basics like word and what not but i wouldn't say i'm a pro at it but i know what im doing. as for the money im going to HAVE around 900 thats why i want a comp for around 600

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[Wizerzak]

Also, another important question: Do you already have Windows ready to install? If not, would you be open to pirating it? If not - you're gonna need to save an extra $175 or however much it costs in the US. (Or of course use Linux - but for convenience I guess you'll avoid that).

 

[noob killer]

[color=#333333 !important]



Market Value1 $588.99
Total Savings $120.00

Dell Price $468.99

Get the Inspiron 15R with a 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i3 processor

[/color]

is this worth it

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[Wizerzak]

[color=#333333 !important]



Market Value1 $588.99
Total Savings $120.00

Dell Price $468.99

Get the Inspiron 15R with a 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i3 processor

[/color]

is this worth it

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[noob killer]

building a comp is a lot of effort plus i have to find all the parts, and i wouldn't know where to start

 

[Wizerzak]

building a comp is a lot of effort plus i have to find all the parts

OK, I'm not going to try to talk you into something you don't want to do but; 'finding all the parts' will take about as much time as looking for a PC with specs you want.
Though if you don't want to have to build it yourself then I can understand that.

 

[noob killer]

its not that i dont want to do it im just really lazy

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[noob killer]

Dell x14z-6923SLV


Intel® Core™ i7


768 MB
RAM


750 GB
Hard Drive


14"


Windows 7 Home


Best Price:
$
201.99


would this work

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[Wizerzak]

Dell x14z-6923SLV

Intel® Core™ i7

768 MB
RAM

750 GB
Hard Drive

14"

Windows 7 Home
Best Price:
$
201.99
would this work

That, is one WEIRD combination. 750MB RAM with an i7 processor
>You'll need a lot more RAM than that - about 2-4GB (4GB preferably)
>For gaming you'll also need a dedicated graphics card (which this doesn't)
>An i7 is probably a bit unnecessary - go for an i5 instead.

Also, if you do not mind about portability, getting a desktop would be the cheaper option. Plus it gives you the opportunity to upgrade any parts you like easily (which is hard with a laptop).

Edit: You might want to check out the Amazon link on the page. It's $1200 and the specs are completely different.

 

[Originality]

Ok, programming and "heavy" gaming. I don't know if you realize that "heavy" gaming tends to require as good a graphics card as you can afford, but anyway. To me it sounds like you only need a light/mid-range computer (not laptop - they get too expensive for any significant amount of power). Any CPU would be fine for you and any mid-range graphics card (up to GTX 560 Ti) would be more than enough. Also since you seem to be only doing the basics of the course (not the advanced stuff my brother did) you can get away with an AMD GPU.

So I would recommend the following in a build:
CPU: AMD A6 or A8 for their built in APUs - that way you can put more money towards better parts and just buy a decent graphics card at a later time when you actually need better performance. If you want to buy a graphics card straight away, either get a Phenom II X4 or a Core i3-2100. i3 is much stronger, but Phenom is cheaper. Cost should be around $80-120.
RAM: 4GB of the cheapest RAM you can find (I'd say G.Skill or Corsair XMS3 - stay away from Kingston RAM). Should only cost $30-40.
Motherboard: Depends on the processor. Not the most important part, although the more money you put into it, the more reliable it will probably be. $60+.
HDD: Any 500GB or 1TB drive, just get the cheapest. $80+
DVD: Again, get the cheapest. $16-25.
Power supply: Aim for 550W minimum, preferably 650W to allow for future upgrades. Preferably from recognised brands like Antec or Corsair. $60+.
Case: Depends on how big you want it. Antec One, Antec 100 or HAF 912 are all good ones. $50+.

Graphics card (if you get one straight away): HD 6650 or better, GTX 550 Ti or better. $160+.

Approximate price: $595 (inc. graphics).

You can look for prebuilt PCs online, but you always pay around 20% more for it. Make that 50% more for it if it's a laptop. Building your own PC is cheaper, and fairly easy (even girls can do it, with a little help from YouTube). It's simply a matter of putting the parts together in the right order.

its not that i dont want to do it im just really lazy

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[noob killer]

Ok, programming and "heavy" gaming. I don't know if you realize that "heavy" gaming tends to require as good a graphics card as you can afford, but anyway. To me it sounds like you only need a light/mid-range computer (not laptop - they get too expensive for any significant amount of power). Any CPU would be fine for you and any mid-range graphics card (up to GTX 560 Ti) would be more than enough. Also since you seem to be only doing the basics of the course (not the advanced stuff my brother did) you can get away with an AMD GPU.

So I would recommend the following in a build:
CPU: AMD A6 or A8 for their built in APUs - that way you can put more money towards better parts and just buy a decent graphics card at a later time when you actually need better performance. If you want to buy a graphics card straight away, either get a Phenom II X4 or a Core i3-2100. i3 is much stronger, but Phenom is cheaper. Cost should be around $80-120.
RAM: 4GB of the cheapest RAM you can find (I'd say G.Skill or Corsair XMS3 - stay away from Kingston RAM). Should only cost $30-40.
Motherboard: Depends on the processor. Not the most important part, although the more money you put into it, the more reliable it will probably be. $60+.
HDD: Any 500GB or 1TB drive, just get the cheapest. $80+
DVD: Again, get the cheapest. $16-25.
Power supply: Aim for 550W minimum, preferably 650W to allow for future upgrades. Preferably from recognised brands like Antec or Corsair. $60+.
Case: Depends on how big you want it. Antec One, Antec 100 or HAF 912 are all good ones. $50+.

Graphics card (if you get one straight away): HD 6650 or better, GTX 550 Ti or better. $160+.

Approximate price: $595 (inc. graphics).

You can look for prebuilt PCs online, but you always pay around 20% more for it. Make that 50% more for it if it's a laptop. Building your own PC is cheaper, and fairly easy (even girls can do it, with a little help from YouTube). It's simply a matter of putting the parts together in the right order.

its not that i dont want to do it im just really lazy

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[noob killer]

as for the graphics card i would like to get the best i can for that but i have that feeling in about 2 yrs the graphics card will be junk in comparison to the new stuff

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[stinkoman]

Holy shit man, you can edit posts.

 

[Quietlyawesome94]

Might want to improve your spelling too if you are planning on going into programming. forgetting just one ';' or misspelling a function will cause the program to not even compile, much less run.