That one looks alright I guess. They are quite overpriced as well. I'd still recommend just building a PC, but if you want, that PC would easily run TERA.
That one looks alright I guess. They are quite overpriced as well. I'd still recommend just building a PC, but if you want, that PC would easily run TERA.
true, most pre-builts will be over priced, atleast its cheaper then most others, so thats a plus. and when you dont know how to build a PC (or the proper precauntions when your installing) it can save you in the end. Sucks to fry a motherboard because you forgot to ground yourself, which most people dont realize without any experience
Yea but that $699 price on the Alienware is just the base price. When you go through the wizard and choose what you want it'll definitely be over $1,000. More like $1200 to $1500 when he's all done.
I have around $900 to $1000..not more then $1000 for a new PC.
Can you guys help me pick a good GAMING PC.
Ill be playing games, watching movies, Photos editing, etc...
i build/fix pc's for family and friends all the time, i also sell them for a side job.
Cyberpower and IBUYPOWER are highly over priced, usually triple the price of a decently customized alienware.
alienware CAN be over priced, it is really up to the person ordering it, with what they want in it, all computers can be said the same.
don't look at brand names, because a lot of computers sell for high priced because of its brand, i know a lot of decent computers that aren't by IBUYPOWER or Cyberpower or alienware, that are cheap and can run Tera easily.
also, i'd suggest never using Newegg it is a similar site as Amazon.com, they say their prices are cheap, but you pay out the arse from shipping costs and other stuff.
this is right at your price range, and i consider this PC over priced, it might be good, but extremely over priced.
a lot of people will say AMD processors are better for gaming, this isn't actually true, i paid $1000 for my computer, has 8gigs of ram, came with two Radeon HD 6770 video cards, Core i7 6core cpu, HD soundcard, blu ray disc, and 1000 mbps ethernet card, this type of PC is a good priced PC, if you cannot find something similar for under $1000, don't bother paying max price, i also use a 1tb harddrive as backup drive, and SSD 240GB as main.
the trick to finding a good video card, don't pay attention to the numbers, look for the pixel pipes, especially if you're a gamer, and for a great case, use a spedo if you're able to find one.
one big note, not all i7's are 6 core, and no i5's are 6 core, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
for a good processor, look at the max cache offered, it is important, also make sure you get a matching motherboard, something everyone forgot to tell you, most processors take different sockets, be careful when ordering stuff, there are a lot of details people leave out that are important.
if you want a long living gaming computer, make sure to get a six core processor, otherwise you'll be looking to replace the PC in a year or two if you're lucky.
to find out about a video cards pixel pipes, simply contact the makers, they should be able to tell you about it.
i'm going to end that all here, PM me if you want more actual advice, i have my A+ 2nd degree license.
*Edit*
price included shipping/handling/insurance/taxes on my system, also the case.
I recently built my friend a new gaming machine. Total cost, excluding peripherals, was about $1500.
Building your own is definitely the way to go, and it's really not that complicated. The hardest part, arguably, is installing the CPU cooler.
There is a community on reddit that can help you put together a list of compatible parts if you give them a budget and a goal (eg, I want to build a gaming PC, budget is $1k). I use them as a second pair of eyes before I lock in any new build.
http://reddit.com/r/buildapc - Just don't believe everything you read, because not everyone in that community actually knows what they're talking about.
My own advice?
- There is no need for an i7. The i5 2500k is a fantastic quad core and I know from experience that it will handle TERA without any problems.
- Now that the new line of GTX 6xx cards have launched, the Radeon 79xx cards should be coming down in price. The 7950 is more than enough to run TERA at 50+FPS all the time on max settings. It cost me $488, but should be coming down in price soon if it hasn't already. The GTX 5xx cards will also be dropping in price too, so a GTX 580 might also be a great choice. It will also handle the game just fine on max.
- The i5 2500k only runs DDR3-1333 so don't waste money on DDR3-1600 RAM because it won't get utilized. 8GB of DDR3-1333 shouldn't run you more than about $40. G.Skill or Corsair are both recommended.
- Don't skimp on a power supply. Corsair's HX line is reliable and extremely well rated. A 750Watt Power Supply is plenty for your needs.
- While an SSD is nice, it's really only going to help with boot times and loading screen times. Buy one if you can fit it into your budget, but otherwise a nice 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black (7200RPM SATA3) HDD will work just fine. Again from experience, you won't have any problems with TERA on one of these, even without an SSD.
- The Cooler Master Hyper212+ is a $30 CPU cooler that is extremely well rated and highly recommended to keep your processor cool. Personally I went with the step up, the Cooler Master V6GT. It's bigger and flashier, but also keeps things a few degrees colder. Be aware that with either of these coolers you're going to want to use low-profile RAM. Nothing with big fins sticking out of the top, because they won't fit under the massive CPU cooler and its fans.
- The Cooler Master HAF line of cases are affordable and toolless. They are great to work in, but cable management isn't as good as it could be. Corsair makes a better (but pricier) case that both looks better and has much much much better cable management (the Graphite Series 600TM Mid-Tower).
Other tips would be to make sure that your motherboard chipset matches your CPU chipset (If you go with the i5-2500k that's the LGA-1155 chipset) and that your motherboard, power supply and case all have the same form factor (eg. ATX) so that everything fits correctly and the power supply cables are long enough.
That's really all there is to it. When the parts arrive most things just snap into place. There are plenty of guides on YouTube as well that can help you with the actual building process.
This is the way i went, chose the parts i wanted, and simply asked a reputable shop to put them all together for me. I don't have an ssd, my HD is 7200 rpm, I got the 8 GB ram. and a decent gpu. Not sure if 2 gpus would really help much in this game . The proper case with ventilation is important imho. Also the reliable psu with enough power for the psu and gpu is important.
As i was told by the guy putting together the rig for me. I would also be concerned about overheating in a small case. The i5 seems a resonable choice and you probably wouldn't see much benifit from an i7, Imho. (my duocore is 3.0Ghz, seems to be adequate. But if you go i5 i think you need a mobo that can handle DDr3 mem. Mine is only DDr2, but they can vary in how "fast" eg clock speeds if i recall correctly. Yassha on 04/04/2012, 07:58 AM - view
Getting a shop built pc should be ok if you buy the right parts. If you are in the states you should be able to get a custom rig with an i5 2500K chip, z68 mobo, small ssd (120gb-plus), and medium hdd, 8gb ram, with a decent gpu (at least a HD6850, get 2 or a better one if possible), and a case with proper ventilation and room to upgrade for around $1000 (no monitor). You should get a 800W-plus psu so you can upgrade to 2 gpus in the future.
That dell looks neat, but I'd worry about overheating in such a small case.
I second the recommendation to build your own. You can get A LOT more computer for your $$$ if you build it yourself. If you can in any way manage putting the components together yourself, it's a no brainer. In years past, building your own was fraught with danger, but the components have become better, more reliable and more inter-compatible as time has gone on.
I happen to have just yesterday finished putting together a system I ordered component-wise from NewEgg. Computer booted up first try. I was very pleased.