Gaming What laptop/PC should I buy

[PettingZoo]

Saw this thread and I though that I might offer my two cents since I recently built myself a new PC that came to around $1500~.

Specs of it were:

Case: Lian Li K60
MoBo: Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3
CPU: AMD Phenom II 965 BE
Video Card: ATI Radeon 6950
RAM: 4gb 1333mhz DDR3 (some G.skill RAM)
HDD: 1TB WD Caviar Black
PSU: Corsair 650w Modular (don't know specific name)
DVDR: Some cheap LG drive
OS: Win 7 Home Premium

I selected all of these to buy form Umart in Milton (Brisbane), but then Umart went under with the Queensland floods so I had to buy my components from other the other Umart stores in Queensland (Southport, 8 Mile Plains) and the fact that the Milton Umart was the main store where everything is done and has most stock, I had to change different parts for some more expensive components and I even had had to pick up my HDD, Video Card and Win 7 from another store (Computer Alliance).

Before Umart Milton went under my build came to something like $1300~ (Note these prices also included a 22" LED monitor that was $190~).

To all those above mentioning prices, $1500 give or take a bit above and below that price for building a PC in Australia (we have high prices for our components + funky exchange rates) is quite reasonable since comparing it to other prebuilt computers that retail in Australia for around $3000 or more that just boast specs of an i7 processor, an obscene amount of RAM and a shitty Video Card and it's advertised as a ~pr0 gaming PC~.

 

[Sop]

I can build one myself, just need a good tutorial and some advice about parts because I only really know about GPU's and intel CPU's.

 

[Sop]

It's my mum's money.. She said she wants a pre built and not a laptop which sucks but I'll upgrade the video card.. What's a good pre built desktop and how do you upgrade the gfx card?

 

[doyama]

If you get something pre-built like a Dell/HP etc, make sure you find the manual and look over how the mobo is laid out. Many computers only have enough slots for whatever the things comes with. Things like 2 SATA slots for 1 hard drive and 1 CD/DVDROM. Only 1 PCI slot that's supposed to be for the NIC or modem. Your ability to add or remove components can be severely limited so look over the manual and think hard about what you're going to do with it and if the computer has enough slots to do what you need. You don't want to buy it and realize you can't add a TV Tuner card or whatever.

You're lucky these days though. Manufacturers used to solder components onto the motherboard so you couldn't do ANYTHING with them in the old days.

To be honest for what you're spec-ing out you probably want to go full custom anyways.

 

[Sop]

Well my mum said she didn't want me doing a custom.. I have some money but I'm saving for NGP and 3DS.

 

[Originality]

It's been many years since I've seen a motherboard with any less than 4 SATA ports. Most these days tend to have 6-10 SATA ports, even in prebuilt computers.

To label a prebuilt computer "good", it needs good specs (usually customisable anyway), a good power supply (ideally over 550W), and good design (to keep the components cool). Avoid "slim" profiles like HP and Dell like to use - they're not much more customisable/upgradable than laptops.

Before you ask for advice again, start by going to Alienware and playing around with their customisation options - it'll give you a good idea of what pre-built computers are like. Then you can try looking for other pre-built computer sites and look for cheaper prices.

Upgrading the graphics is easy. If it's integrated graphics (e.g. Intel GMA or ATI HD4200), you can just put in any graphics card. If it's discreet graphics, you'll have to take the graphics card out of the PCI-e slot and put the new one in. It's easy, and only requires the screws to be taken out (from the case) and the tab of the PCI-e port to be moved slightly to let the card be lifted out. The only thing you have to take in mind when upgrading the graphics is the amount of power the power supply provides. A GTX 570/580 recommends a 600W power supply, so make sure that the power supply is at least that powerful.