23 replies to this topic

[Dalton.T.R]

I have been a console gamer my entire life. I started with the N64 and worked my way to the Xbox 360. But now...I hardly play most of my games and only play simulation or strategy games. I used to think you could only use a keyboard and mouse to play PC games, but I was proven wrong by some PC gamers recently. 

 

The only gaming computer that I have now is my laptop. It used to be fine for some games before I updated them, but after the updates, my computer just can't handle them. In Euro Truck Simulator 2 (ETS2) I get constant drops in frame rates. It's bad enough that I can't even go down the road without crashing into someone...and I'm playing on medium graphics.

 

If anyone here is a PC gamer, can you please give me some tips? I've been told to always build my own computer and not buy a pre-built one. I have no idea why, but that's what I've been told. How much does a good gaming PC cost? I'm not looking at playing games like BF4, CoD, or anything like that. I'm mostly looking at simulation games, and being able to play them on pretty decent graphic settings. Ultra if possible. But ANYTHING to get rid of these frame drops would be super!

 

Thanks!

[StrikerTheNoble]

Why do you abandon the Console master race?

 

On a serious note... I have no knowledge on gaming PCs being a laptop peasant myself, but I wish you good fortune in your attempts to procure a gaming PC.

[Dalton.T.R]

Why do you abandon the Console master race?

 

On a serious note... I have no knowledge on gaming PCs being a laptop peasant myself, but I wish you good fortune in your attempts to procure a gaming PC.

Because the games I play now are simulation. Consoles don't have those games.

[The Tax-Man]

Okay, people will always tell you to build your own PC if you can. That's because pre-built ones use kitten components to save money and make a bigger profit. If you have no experience with this sort of thing, I suggest getting the help of a friend or having someone else put together the parts you buy. Gaming PCs are expensive, and you should be sure you wont kitten it up before actually doing it.

 

 

Depending on what you want, you could build a pretty decent futureproof rig for USD 1000-1200 (excluding peripherals). If you want specifics on exactly what to use, have a look at the endless forum threads elsewhere or head over to http://pcpartpicker.com for examples. If you need advice, you can always hit me up.

[Dalton.T.R]

Okay, people will always tell you to build your own PC if you can. That's because pre-built ones use kitten components to save money and make a bigger profit. If you have no experience with this sort of thing, I suggest getting the help of a friend or having someone else put together the parts you buy. Gaming PCs are expensive, and you should be sure you wont kitten it up before actually doing it.

 

 

Depending on what you want, you could build a pretty decent futureproof rig for USD 1000-1200 (excluding peripherals). If you want specifics on exactly what to use, have a look at the endless forum threads elsewhere or head over to http://pcpartpicker.com for examples. If you need advice, you can always hit me up.

Thanks

[James S Cassidy]

Here is my rig if you want a starter. Does this help? It pretty much runs Battlefield 3 pretty well on high settings.

 

Operating system: Windows 7 (make sure it is 64 bit) http://www.newegg.co...Item=32-116-986

 

Core http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=19-116-501 329.99

 

Motherboard http://www.newegg.co...Item=13-157-293 134.

 

Memory http://www.newegg.co...Item=20-231-314 64.99

 

Video card http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130809 294.99

 

storage (hard drive, ssd), http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148910 99.99

 

a case, http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811147153 49.99

 

power supply http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817103079

 

(Thing to note with the power supply. It is always good to go with more power than less incase you want to upgrade further. One good thing is is that the power supplies: let's say you buy this one which is a 650w, but your computer only needs like half that...the power supply will only exhibit what the rig needs rather than full power all the time.)

 

optical drive, http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827135204

 

monitor http://www.newegg.co...N82E16824236153 199.99

 

keyboard, (No gaming) (PS2) http://www.newegg.co...N82E16823107120 8.99

 

mouse http://www.newegg.co...N82E16826249019 50.99

 

This cost me about $1600

Edited by James S Cassidy, 15 December 2013 - 08:30 AM.

[Muffins?]

If you want to play simulation games only there is zero point in dropping $1000+ for a computer. For probably $600 you can build a desktop that will run 99% of sims on ultra for years to come. Do your research for the specific games you want to play before you buy a gaming rig that has more power than you need and waste money.

[James S Cassidy]

If you want to play simulation games only there is zero point in dropping $1000+ for a computer. For probably $600 you can build a desktop that will run 99% of sims on ultra for years to come. Do your research for the specific games you want to play before you buy a gaming rig that has more power than you need and waste money.

"More power than you need?" No such thing. XD
 

You can drop very minimal in it, but the advice is always go for as much as you can simply because it works out better for you.

One thing you can't be stingy with in a custom rig is the motherboard, video card, power supply, and ram. Since these are basically the life inside the rig, it is always better to buy the best you can. The power supply especially...it is always better to have more power than you need than not enough and what you don't use the rig won't use it anyway.

I gave my schematics as a basis and nothing more. You can cheapen or subtract anything you want. It is also to give insight of what you really need and the kind of parts that integrate into each other perfectly. The gaming mouse is not needed so you can reduce from that. The storage could be reduced. The one I put is a terabyte, but you don't really need that much memory.

The rest is up to you.



 

[Muffins?]

"More power than you need?" No such thing. XD
 

You can drop very minimal in it, but the advice is always go for as much as you can simply because it works out better for you.

One thing you can't be stingy with in a custom rig is the motherboard, video card, power supply, and ram. Since these are basically the life inside the rig, it is always better to buy the best you can. The power supply especially...it is always better to have more power than you need than not enough and what you don't use the rig won't use it anyway.

I gave my schematics as a basis and nothing more. You can cheapen or subtract anything you want. It is also to give insight of what you really need and the kind of parts that integrate into each other perfectly. The gaming mouse is not needed so you can reduce from that. The storage could be reduced. The one I put is a terabyte, but you don't really need that much memory.

The rest is up to you.



 

True lol c:

 

I guess I was looking at it from my perspective being broke as kitten right now. Just trying to pinch the pennies.

Edited by Muffins?, 15 December 2013 - 10:46 PM.

[Dalton.T.R]

I don't think price is really a the problem because I'll be getting a full time job as a heavy equipment operator in about a year or two after I get my CDL, and should be earning a pretty good income if I'm hired. I was just hoping some people could tell me what I should go with because I know absolutely nothing about computers at all. Hell, I still have to look at my keyboard when I'm typing! 

[The Tax-Man]

Well if money's not that much of a problem, my PC is pretty good as far as gaming goes. Here's what it is:


Processor:
Core i5-4670K ($230)

Motherboard:
Asus Maximus VI Hero ($200)

Graphics:
GeForce GTX 670 - 2GB ($400)

Memory:
G.Skill 16GB DDR3-1600 ($120)

Hard Drive:
Barracuda 2TB (7200 RPM) ($90)

SSD (OS):
Samsung 840 EVO 120 GB ($90)

Case:
NZXT Phantom ($100)

Power:
Thermaltake 750W Modular ($85)

Optical drive:
I don't remember the exact model, but its an Asus Bluray reader I got for about $50.

Monitor:
HP 23" LED ($150)

Extra cooling:
Thermaltake 80CFM liquid cooling unit ($100)

The other little stuff like my wireless card and the speakers, I've had for a while. But if I'd bought the whole thing brand new and not reused old parts, it would've cost like 1800 dollars.

[JoHamSandwich]

Buy Alienware. :troll:

[Phantom_999]

Uh, laptop or desktop? (just for the sake of conversation, if you're not serious) As I heard it, even the cheapest desktops would run games better than any laptop could really, so It really would better to build a custom desktop. you can make a better computer for cheaper really. But I don't know too much about computers though admittedly.

Edited by Phantom_999, 11 January 2014 - 01:52 AM.

[Dalton.T.R]

How well would a computer with these components work for gaming?

 

Case

Thermaltake Armor Revo Gene Gaming Case - Black

Case Lighting

Cold Cathode Neon Light - Blue

iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction

None

iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion

None

Processor

Intel® Core™ i5-4440 Processor (4x 3.10GHz/6MB L3 Cache)

Processor Cooling

Liquid CPU Cooling System [Intel] - Standard 120mm Fan

Memory

8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - FREE Upgrade to DDR3-1866 ADATA XPG V2

Video Card

NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 - 2GB

Motherboard

ASRock B85 Pro4 -- 2x PCIe x16, 4x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s, 2x USB 3.0

Power Supply

400 Watt - Standard

Primary Hard Drive

1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive

Data Hard Drive

None

Optical Drive

24x Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive

2nd Optical Drive

None

Flash Media Reader / Writer

None

Meter Display

None

Sound Card

3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

Network Card

Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)

Operating System

None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only

Keyboard

iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Keyboard

Mouse

iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Mouse

Monitor

None

2nd Monitor

None

Speaker System

None

Video Camera

None

Case Engraving Service

None

Warranty

3 Year Standard Warranty Service

[Nostradamus]

 

How well would a computer with these components work for gaming?

Not well to be honest. I know you said you'll probably be working a year from now but can you give more details. Like do you have the money to buy it now and if you do what is the budget? Do you want to play just simulation games like Euro Truck or later in the future you want to play games that demand more from the PC. Also do you what to do video editing?

 

One more thing in Euro Truck try turning the shadows off or set them to low. That should increase your frame rate.

[Dalton.T.R]

Not well to be honest. I know you said you'll probably be working a year from now but can you give more details. Like do you have the money to buy it now and if you do what is the budget? Do you want to play just simulation games like Euro Truck or later in the future you want to play games that demand more from the PC. Also do you what to do video editing?

 

One more thing in Euro Truck try turning the shadows off or set them to low. That should increase your frame rate.

Mostly simulation games like Euro Truck Simulator and American Truck Simulator when it comes out. I'm unsure about the video editing thing. I've thought about doing lets plays and stuff like that, but I'll put more thought into it when I get the new computer.

 

Games I'd be playing are the following: ETS2, ATS, Kerbal Space Program, Sim City 4, The Sims, Minecraft, and a few others that don't come tom mind right now.

 

As for the budget... Let's say... $900.00 U.S.D (U.S dollars)

[No WhereMan]

Funny enough, I built my computer in september. The first time I ever did it. But I can tell you, if you don't know about components, I actually googled building a gaming cpu and they had a few online guides that helped me. It even had lists of the components and what they did to assist in me.

[The Tax-Man]

Mostly simulation games like Euro Truck Simulator and American Truck Simulator when it comes out. I'm unsure about the video editing thing. I've thought about doing lets plays and stuff like that, but I'll put more thought into it when I get the new computer.

 

Games I'd be playing are the following: ETS2, ATS, Kerbal Space Program, Sim City 4, The Sims, Minecraft, and a few others that don't come tom mind right now.

 

As for the budget... Let's say... $900.00 U.S.D (U.S dollars)

 

Well then I gotta tell ya, none of the examples in this thread really qualify for that if you include peripherals and stuff. $900 inclusive of EVERYTHING won't get you that much of a great gaming computer that'll stay good in a couple of years. If you mean 900 for just the actual PC and not the monitor, keyboard, gaming accessories, etc. then yeah you can probably cook up something decent with that.

[Nostradamus]

@Dalton (I stink at names) Ok so I'm going to go a bit over your budget and I'll explain later why.

Now for the processor I went for either http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116898 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899 the difference between the two of them is that you can overclock the 4670K (Overclocking basically means you push the frequency beyond what the manufacturer intended, basically it will run faster).

For the motherboard : http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128629

The video card : http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130932

Memory: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820104338

The case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811553013 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352026 now the case doesn't really matter that much because it doesn't increase the performance of your PC but more expensive cases have features that will make your life easier. For example it may have removable dust filters or better cable management or it has acoustic foam to reduce the overall noise the PC makes. The case depends on the preferences of each individual.

The power supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139048

Storage: Here you have two options you either go for an SSD http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820211718 and you use it for Windows and programs and you get a Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339 for your games, music, movies, etc. Or you can get just the Hard Drive for everything including Windows. The differences between an SSD and a Hard Drive is that a HDD is cheaper and slower because inside of it there are moving parts, the SSD is faster and more expensive also it has no moving parts. I can give you more details but it will just confuse you.

The monitor: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16824001792 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005363 The Samsung has a TN panel which means decent viewing angles and decent color accuracy, now the LG uses an IPS panel meaning it has better viewing angles and the colors are accurate.

Optical Drive: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827151266

 

Now depending if you go for the cheapest components I selected when it came to the processor and the case and monitor and storage. It will cost you about 940$. If you go for the better monitor, case, SSD and HDD combo it will cost you about 1080$.

Notice that I didn't include a mouse and keyboard because maybe you already have them and you can still use them and if you don't have a mouse and keyboard, they are not that expensive. Also when it comes to keyboards and especially mice it depends on the preferences of each individual.

Now for Windows you can get a "not so legit copy" if you understand what I mean. I'm not saying you should, I'm just saying you can.

 

Now here is the truth the components I selected are more than enough to play the games you listed. Actually it's overkill. I could probably select components than will cost about 550-650$ than will run the those games no problem. But there is a reason I decided go for what I did. First of all you gave me a good budget and secondly and most importantly I want to make sure that in the future when you want to play whatever game you want, you will have the power to run it even if that game demands a lot from the system. Maybe later on you want to play BF 5 (for example) and I want to make sure that you can.

Hope this helps and if you have more questions or didn't understand something feel free to ask.

[Dalton.T.R]

@Dalton (I stink at names) Ok so I'm going to go a bit over your budget and I'll explain later why.

Now for the processor I went for either http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116898 or http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116899 the difference between the two of them is that you can overclock the 4670K (Overclocking basically means you push the frequency beyond what the manufacturer intended, basically it will run faster).

For the motherboard : http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128629

The video card : http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130932

Memory: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820104338

The case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811553013 or http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811352026 now the case doesn't really matter that much because it doesn't increase the performance of your PC but more expensive cases have features that will make your life easier. For example it may have removable dust filters or better cable management or it has acoustic foam to reduce the overall noise the PC makes. The case depends on the preferences of each individual.

The power supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139048

Storage: Here you have two options you either go for an SSD http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820211718 and you use it for Windows and programs and you get a Hard Drive http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822236339 for your games, music, movies, etc. Or you can get just the Hard Drive for everything including Windows. The differences between an SSD and a Hard Drive is that a HDD is cheaper and slower because inside of it there are moving parts, the SSD is faster and more expensive also it has no moving parts. I can give you more details but it will just confuse you.

The monitor: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16824001792 or http://www.newegg.co...N82E16824005363 The Samsung has a TN panel which means decent viewing angles and decent color accuracy, now the LG uses an IPS panel meaning it has better viewing angles and the colors are accurate.

Optical Drive: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827151266

 

Now depending if you go for the cheapest components I selected when it came to the processor and the case and monitor and storage. It will cost you about 940$. If you go for the better monitor, case, SSD and HDD combo it will cost you about 1080$.

Notice that I didn't include a mouse and keyboard because maybe you already have them and you can still use them and if you don't have a mouse and keyboard, they are not that expensive. Also when it comes to keyboards and especially mice it depends on the preferences of each individual.

Now for Windows you can get a "not so legit copy" if you understand what I mean. I'm not saying you should, I'm just saying you can.

 

Now here is the truth the components I selected are more than enough to play the games you listed. Actually it's overkill. I could probably select components than will cost about 550-650$ than will run the those games no problem. But there is a reason I decided go for what I did. First of all you gave me a good budget and secondly and most importantly I want to make sure that in the future when you want to play whatever game you want, you will have the power to run it even if that game demands a lot from the system. Maybe later on you want to play BF 5 (for example) and I want to make sure that you can.

Hope this helps and if you have more questions or didn't understand something feel free to ask.

Thanks! That helped a lot!

 

Now...a few question right quick. you said the components you mentioned should be able to handle those games with no problem. Would I be able to play games like ETS2 (for example) or Kerbal Space Program on high or ultra graphic settings? Because I can tell you there ain't no way I'm landing on another planet in KSP (Kerbal Space Program) when my computer's lagging out.

 

Right now, the game that I'm mostly worried about is ATS (American Truck Simulator) I've been looking at the pictures released by SCS, and the game looks...pretty realistic to say the least. I'm actually going to be so bold to say the game looks better than Battlefield 4 as far as graphics go. Just by looking at these pictures I can tell my current computer couldn't handle it.

 

But it's not like I can't upgrade in the future. Once I get a better job, I can just save up a couple thousand dollars and go from there. But I do plan in going all out with the simulators. Once I get enough money I'll buy a steering wheel, pedals, a shift stick, and whatever else I could need. Hopefully install a few mods as well.

 

As for the mouse and keyboard, I'm not that worried about it. a keyboard's a keyboard and I don't plan on doing any online stuff. Unless I get into let's playing, but that's on a different topic.

Edited by Dalton (I stink at names), 11 January 2014 - 03:28 AM.