Buying new computer

[Borus]

Hey guys, as I'm getting my first paycheck somewhen begin of August, I am planning on buying a new PC.

I've decided that I want a PC more concentrated on gaming performance (good graphic card and processor). My budget is around 1000-1100 euro max. The main games I wish to run smoothly and preferably at maximum settings are: SAMP with a good ENB and texture mod, GTA IV (IV:MP) and maybe GTA V in the future. I also prefer a PC with Nvidia Geforce graphics card and Intel processor as I've had some personal issues with an AMD/Radeon one. As I also had bad experience with some of my former PC's (constant random freezes, crashes, etc.) I also prefer a PC of good quality. Combining parts and making a custom PC is unfortunately out of the question.

What I want to know is what the specs (nvidia and intel) are to run GTAIV or IVMP on max settings and SAMP on max settings + a high ENB & SRT mod.

A PC that really got my eye in terms of quality, size and price is the Alienware X51 desktop with intel i7 3770 and 1 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 555 for 1179 EUR. So I also want your opinions about this one as I have totally no experience or info about Alineware and its quality/durability.

tl;dr - Going to buy new PC to run SAMP and IVMP smoothly on high settings, tips or advices on which I should buy and why would be very appreciated.

[Squeak]

you should buy an apple no viruses lol

[LoHi]

First of all: Custom built pc will save you A LOT money. Hundreds, literally.
Second: Buy a graphics card with 2GB memory. I have 1GB and that feels like the largest handicap of my system right now.

One thing you should also seriously consider is getting a SSD to install the OS on.

[Borus]

First of all: Custom built pc will save you A LOT money. Hundreds, literally.
Second: Buy a graphics card with 2GB memory. I have 1GB and that feels like the largest handicap of my system right now.

The main problem I have with customs is that a friend of mine, who is much more sophisticated in computers than me, actually ended up spending more money than if he just would buy a PC with almost the same specs from a store. I also am not good in picking the right PC parts and find it pretty complicated, especially if the thing crashes, I would firstly need to find out what the cause might be and if I would find anything, I would need to check the warranty, find something to replace it with, etc. where I probably would end up consulting an expert and yet again spending money. Instead of this hassle, I would just like to buy a PC from an online shop with a certain warranty over all parts + repair of it for a certain period of time.

About the 2gb/1gb card, is it really that big of a deal? I'm not planning on buying lots of games (like bf3 who needs huge specs) and use my PC as a ps3, I basically only would want to play SAMP, IVMP, maybe Fallout series, minecraft and possibly GTAV on high/max settings. Will THAT be a big difference for me if I pick the 1gb one nevertheless?

One thing you should also seriously consider is getting a SSD to install the OS on.

No idea what this is, googling it right now.

[TheRock]

First of all: Custom built pc will save you A LOT money. Hundreds, literally.
Second: Buy a graphics card with 2GB memory. I have 1GB and that feels like the largest handicap of my system right now.

One thing you should also seriously consider is getting a SSD to install the OS on.

Memory doesn't mean anything at all, the specs memory shaders, memory clock etc are what do the job, memory is to load graphics and for big resolution actually.

In my view, I'd consider a Z68 or P68 Motherboard, an i7 2700k, 4 or 8GB DDR3 ram, some 1tb HDD, some graphic card sort of GTX 560.. or higher if you have budget.

However, take a look here; http://apcmag.com/the-best-budget-gaming-pc-you-can-build-today.htm or here http://www.pcworld.com/article/238006/build_a_gaming_pc_for_under_1000.html
else let me know your budget, so I can find some good compoments for the money you can afford!

[Shejken]

I would go for i5 2500k and GTX 560/680

The difference between i5 and i7 for gaming purposes is not really much.. expect value difference

[LoHi]

The main problem I have with customs is that a friend of mine, who is much more sophisticated in computers than me, actually ended up spending more money than if he just would buy a PC with almost the same specs from a store. I also am not good in picking the right PC parts and find it pretty complicated, especially if the thing crashes, I would firstly need to find out what the cause might be and if I would find anything, I would need to check the warranty, find something to replace it with, etc. where I probably would end up consulting an expert and yet again spending money. Instead of this hassle, I would just like to buy a PC from an online shop with a certain warranty over all parts + repair of it for a certain period of time.

Then your friend is an idiot. If you can't pick the parts, go to some forums dedicated on that and ask there (use the search function please) or just ask here (we have people who know something). PC doesn't require much maintenance unless you are a retard that clicks every link etc (mine has worked without a flaw since 2008 or so, upgraded once). Google is your friend. As long as you can tell apart the motherboard and the graphics card, building it with the motherboards manual isn't that hard.

About the 2gb/1gb card, is it really that big of a deal? I'm not planning on buying lots of games (like bf3 who needs huge specs) and use my PC as a ps3, I basically only would want to play SAMP, IVMP, maybe Fallout series, minecraft and possibly GTAV on high/max settings. Will THAT be a big difference for me if I pick the 1gb one nevertheless?

Yes, it will. The new Max Payne wont run even on 2GB with max settings, even less GTAV (of course this is dependent on your resolution, GTX 670 at 1920x1080 wont run Max Payne at max for example). I suggest buying one good card now and adding another one of those later on (in SLI configuration).

Personally I have 560 Ti, and it wont run GTA IV at max.

No idea what this is, googling it right now.

SSD means Solid State Drive, which is MUCH faster than a normal hard drive, but also quite a bit more expensive. Remember to buy a motherboard with SATA3 if you buy one of these. I use a 60GB one for my Windows installation, and it really is worth it.

[Bilbo]

Processor: Intel i5-3570K (alternatively 2500K)
RAM: Cheapest 2x4GB 1333MHz
Motherboard: AsRock Z77 Pro3 (alternatively AsRock Z68 Pro3 Gen3)
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition Pro 550W (alternatively Corsair AX-series or Super Flower Golden -series)
GPU: AMD HD7850 or nVidia GTX670 (MSI, Asus or Gigabyte) (if gaming is what you want, no point in going for 560Ti anymore when 7850 delivers more for less cost)
SSD: Samsung 830 128GB or Crucial m4 128GB + Samsung F3 1TB or WD Caviar Blue 1TB (at your budget, getting an SSD would be logical - you can't go back to normal HDDs after owning one )
Case: Any ATX compatible case, if you want a mATX configuration then I'll readjust.

Where are you buying from? Some places also offer building up the PC if you feel uncertain about building a PC yourself.

[Borus]

Then your friend is an idiot. If you can't pick the parts, go to some forums dedicated on that and ask there (use the search function please) or just ask here (we have people who know something). PC doesn't require much maintenance unless you are a retard that clicks every link etc (mine has worked without a flaw since 2008 or so, upgraded once). Google is your friend. As long as you can tell apart the motherboard and the graphics card, building it with the motherboards manual isn't that hard.

Yes, it will. The new Max Payne wont run even on 2GB with max settings, even less GTAV (of course this is dependent on your resolution, GTX 670 at 1920x1080 wont run Max Payne at max for example). I suggest buying one good card now and adding another one of those later on (in SLI configuration).

Personally I have 560 Ti, and it wont run GTA IV at max.

SSD means Solid State Drive, which is MUCH faster than a normal hard drive, but also quite a bit more expensive. Remember to buy a motherboard with SATA3 if you buy one of these. I use a 60GB one for my Windows installation, and it really is worth it.

In that case, I might seriously consider picking parts myself...

Where are you buying from? Some places also offer building up the PC if you feel uncertain about building a PC yourself.

Have no idea yet. Preferably something nearby (close to Belgium) mainly due shipping costs. About the building, I can use my old PC to train and after seeing some vids on youtube, it doesn't seem that big of a deal after all (insert here, screw here and voila). About picking the parts themselves, will firstly look around, trying to learn a bit more about motherboard/SSD/RAM/Supply parts as those are the ones I don't know anything about. (will they influence my gaming experience if I buy a more expensive one or for example speed of task managing, etc. ?)

[LoHi]

Have no idea yet. Preferably something nearby (close to Belgium) mainly due shipping costs. About the building, I can use my old PC to train and after seeing some vids on youtube, it doesn't seem that big of a deal after all (insert here, screw here and voila). About picking the parts themselves, will firstly look around, trying to learn a bit more about motherboard/SSD/RAM/Supply parts as those are the ones I don't know anything about. (will they influence my gaming experience if I buy a more expensive one or for example speed of task managing, etc. ?)

Finns often order parts from Germany, I don't know the pricing differences between Finland/Germany and Belgium though. Here's a helpful guide to choosing parts and building a PC. Google for reviews and look carefully at the specs.
Motherboard does not matter that much, but I would use around 100-150 euros on one. Make sure it has SATA3 slot for the SSD (much faster) AND THE CORRECT SOCKET FOR YOUR CPU. For RAM Icy has a good point, but you could alternatively look at a little faster memory and add a little more too.
When you have picked all the parts, post a list on forums with people that know what they are doing (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/) and see what they say.

[Bilbo]

In that case, I might seriously consider picking parts myself...
Have no idea yet. Preferably something nearby (close to Belgium) mainly due shipping costs. About the building, I can use my old PC to train and after seeing some vids on youtube, it doesn't seem that big of a deal after all (insert here, screw here and voila). About picking the parts themselves, will firstly look around, trying to learn a bit more about motherboard/SSD/RAM/Supply parts as those are the ones I don't know anything about. (will they influence my gaming experience if I buy a more expensive one or for example speed of task managing, etc. ?)

Here is a somewhat useful guide into explaining the different PC components: http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-the-Main-Components-of-a-Computer-System?&id=2074420

Many Finns use Mindfactory.de, which has been proven to be reliable and cheap.
Their postage fee is 30 eur per each large packet, for example components in one and case in another.

Here is a list of what I'd buy if I were you for your money, it actually is very close to what we build for majority of our customers at work. (custom PC rigs and gaming machines)
Alternatively, you can go for the nVidia GTX670 instead of the 7850, which is around 130e more expensive but then again a lot more powerful (which I'd also recommend to you!).


+ 30EUR postage = 861,28EUR, plus a case of your choice from your local hardware retailer. (purchasing a case from Mindfactory would bring another 30e into the postage)

[Borus]

Thanks for the multiple advices guys, am now considering what I exactly am going to do/decide.

[Julio.]

Go with the processor Icy suggested

I'd go the GTX 560 route, but I'm a fan of Nvidia, the ATI Radeon 7850 should be fine too.

As for RAM, get 1600 not 1333 or 1066, for the cost it is worth it.

[Bilbo]

Go with the processor Icy suggested

I'd go the GTX 560 route, but I'm a fan of Nvidia, the ATI Radeon 7850 should be fine too.

As for RAM, get 1600 not 1333 or 1066, for the cost it is worth it.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=543

[Julio.]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=543

I've recommended ATI cards in the past, several had driver issues.

E.G. Radeon 6870 for Janek, issues are sorted now, but I prefer an item that works out the box with very little effort like it's meant to