Budget Gaming Desktop PC

Discussion in 'hardware' started by Alexhousek, Dec 8, 2014.

  1. Alexhousek

    Alexhousek Registered Member

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    I'm looking for recommendations for a budget, gaming, desktop PC for under $800 (US).

    I know that many of you will want to suggest building my own. For several reasons, I'm not in a position right now to do that.

    I'm thinking of something along these lines:

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypow...lack/5574049.p?id=1219143550897&skuId=5574049

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypow...blue/5574076.p?id=1219143552481&skuId=5574076

    Of course, neither have an SSD. How much importance should I put on having a SSD?

    Thank you for any suggestions.
     
  2. Joxx

    Joxx Registered Member

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    Here goes another "I don't want to build my own" silliness.
    Tell the shop to build it then, but choose the parts yourself.
     
  3. subhrobhandari

    subhrobhandari Registered Member

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    I checked, and both of the systems you posted have RAM expandability of 16 gigs. RAM is pretty cheap these days and will continue to fall, and if you are going to keep this machine gamingwise fast enough for years, I think you should choose something that could be expanded to 32 gigs.

    SSD will probably be needed, and dont forget to count the cost of the monitor as its not included in the links.
     
  4. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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    I don't like how neither list the mainboard model... You can't really judge either without it- that's the real guts to your system, and the only thing to say what you can do as far as upgrades.
     
  5. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    Based upon my latest Acer Predator desktop, I can say that for speed the GPU and SSD are probably the most important. This Acer (with an Intel Core i5 CPU) outperforms the HP and Acer desktops with an Intel Core i7 CPU, which I bought earlier this year. I have not tested the Nvidia GeForce GTX 745 with modern games though.
     
  6. Joxx

    Joxx Registered Member

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    They also don't specify the PSU which is usually a crappy one.
     
  7. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2014/12/04/asus-republic-of-gamers-g20-compact-pc-review/

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-de...-red/8448199.p?id=1219334567161&skuId=8448199

    http://www.microcenter.com/product/439618/ROG_G20_Desktop_Computer

    Or really go for it: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-de...lack/8448204.p?id=1219334565885&skuId=8448204

    Any ASUS ROG that comes with a GTX 760 or higher comes with a double power supply that provides 550W power.

    ASUS makes great motherboards which they use in the ROG.

    http://www.asus.com/us/Desktops/ROG_G20AJ/\

    http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator..._sbs_pc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TQ487XJYKR4FH9BG3Q2

    Acer took over Gateway several years ago. They made a big splash in the market with the Gateway F/X series. A fairly inexpensive high performance gaming series - no longer made - ACER relies now on the Predator series, which is basically the Gateway F/X -- (the newer Predators don't catch on fire like the first one did :).)

    I've been using Gateway F/X for years. The beauty Of the Predator and (F/X) is that it comes with a 500W PSU (at least they use to and you should check) which invites an upgrade at a later time to a super GPU Card, which I did. My F/X has a fairly old processor 2.9 ghz, but I upgraded to what was at the time the fastest single GPU card Nvidia made at that time, a GTX 580 with 3 gigs of memory. I have been very pleased with the performance of my rig with 8 gigs RAM. Today you can get a much faster card than mine for relatively cheap and they require less power. I'm a hard core gamer and have never had any slowdown issues with my Gateway f/x which I believe cost approx. 1K$ usd.

    I am handicapped and am on my PC approx. 20/7 for years and it's been trouble-free till only recently. My hard drive is about to go and I have been dreaming of that $1,200 ASUS. Hard to find locally. The Best Buy brick and mortar stores actually sold them in store and they sold out in a day. First time in years you could walk into a Best Buy and walk out with a great performing gaming rig.

    Until only recently the high-end super gaming rigs were totally unnecessary and were primarily for FPS bragging rates/rights. Remember that when you go to the movies the film you see is shown at 25 FPS so 170 FPS is silly. 30 FPS is generally accepted as the minimum FPS for smooth gaming.But some of the very newest games coming out next year do have some extremely demanding spec requirements to be played at highest quality image. Gamers can be totally insane and the top of the line gaming rigs can cost $7,000 +, which is a huge waste of money unless you have a ton of it.

    If you have any particular games in mind you should check their minimum system requirements.

    Every 6 months Maximum PC - a magazine devoted to high performance gaming PC's publishes a list of the best builds for DIY for three levels of expense. You should look at it, as it might help you with your decision:

    http://www.maximumpc.com/build_pc_recommended_builds_september_2014
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2014
  8. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    @ hawki

    You're correct about the 500 watt PSU. The Acer Predator (with SSD) is pretty cool except for this annoying zooming sound that it makes. About the Acer ROG G20AJ gaming desktop, it looks kinda cool, but I really hate all those lighting effects. The specs look awesome though, the only thing it's missing is a PS/2 port, I use an old IBM keyboard that has the best control for games like FIFA 06, newer USB keyboards didn't feel right when playing.
     
  9. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    Last edited: Dec 11, 2014
  10. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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  11. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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  12. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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    Yep! The two things I always splurge on, psu and mainboard.

    Movie FPS is entirely different than game FPS. Movies are a consistent FPS rate, games can vary and jump around. Ideally you want an FPS rate around your monitor's refresh rate/vsync to reduce screen tearing effects. So if your monitor is 60hz, cap it at 60 fps. If it's 120hz, cap it at 120 fps. Nvidia has http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/g-sync built into some monitors now that also helps prevent tear.

    And then just compare the recommend specs to whatever game you want to play. Honestly, after Crysis and Crysis Warhead, I'm kind of burned out of the games that pretend they're pc benchmarks. The hardware required to play those "almost looks real but you'll always know its CGI" just isn't worth to me anymore. I'd rather just play older games, or games with an actual art style to them. Like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychonauts
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2014
  13. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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  14. Joxx

    Joxx Registered Member

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    By going through the specs of most mid-range gaming desktops one can see :
    a crappy power supply (the total power in wats is only a small part of the story)
    a low quality motherboard
    a poorly ventilated case

    what I see in the Acer mentioned above is exactly that, even if I had to look for images of the inside, since Acer doesn't give you the full specs.

    I could go on and on about how better a machine you could build (or have the shop build) with the same money but not long ago there was a similar thread here at Wilders, where many users said the same and explained thoroughly only for the OP to go and buy what he intended in the first place (an Asus branded desktop) and then came and complain about flaws which he had been warned about in the first place.
     
  15. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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  16. SirDrexl

    SirDrexl Registered Member

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    I'd avoid that one unless you don't plan on upgrading much. It uses a Silverstone RVZ01 case, which is fairly cramped even with the special parts needed (a SFX power supply and mini-ITX mobo). And with only 2 RAM slots you'd need to completely replace the modules if you ever want to add more.

    I wouldn't put that much of an emphasis on getting a SSD - at least for gaming. It would help in general computer usage (the OS), but for gaming it's not going to be that much different. It would help with load times, but depending on the game the difference may not be significant.

    At least add it later. If you skimp on the CPU, PSU, etc. you're looking at a replacement part, whereas you can add a SSD and continue to use your HDD.
     
  17. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Look at iBuyPower.com.

    Some of the best capable gaming machines you can get. They have PC's that will fit into any category.
     
  18. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    That you can fix with an electric drill and a decent fan in the back ;)
     
  19. Alexhousek

    Alexhousek Registered Member

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  20. Joxx

    Joxx Registered Member

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    With all respect that is silly.
    Why would I go an modding (if I could do it/had the tools) when I have excellent choices which give me silence and cooling out of the box?
    Same thing with the mini/micro atx cases proposed. Why would I choose a small, cramped, with limited airflow and probably noisy build if it is to stay on the floor by my desk (or even on the desk) where size doesn't make a difference?

    Whichever way you look at it a self built rig is the better option, tech ignorance being the only reason to buy a branded one.
     
  21. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    I'm thinking about buying this one: http://www.asus.com/ROG_Console_PC/ROG_GR8/

    But no PS/2 port, no DVI connection and no SSD, why won't they offer this as a standard feature is beyond me. And what's up with the 120 W Power adaptor? I'm also not sure what to think of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX750Ti 2GB GPU.
     
  22. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    Like what? Price?
     
  23. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    That looks like the base model. Any ROG with GTX 760 or higher comes with a standard double power supply of 350W+, No DVI connection is weird. No SSD is to keep base price low. I believe they offer SSD as a configuration option, but you will pay for it!

    Sad to say -- a very good gaming rig is $1,200 +, unless you build it yourself

    This one looks like a winner with plenty of room and power for serious upgrades as your piggy bank fills and you replace the GPU.

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2472296,00.asp

    Or just in case you win the lottery this weekend you could go all out: (People actually buy these).

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2469934,00.asp

    If you lose the lottery there is this - pretty good price for a GTX 760:

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425551,00.asp

    If you want to get a good taste of how insane gamers can be go read the EVGA Forums :)
    Triple SLI GTX 980's - lots of them - and these are mostly teens and early 20's gamers
    (born with a silver 980s in their mouths I guess . :))
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2014
  24. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    It's a great way to save some money. I'm typing this on a Gateway DX box. It was well reviewed in many areas, and it has served me well. It got very poor reviews re ventilation, and developed a reputation for frying HDDs. Case and CPU ventilation were/are fine. But with the bad rep, I got one refurbished for a very good price. After modding, it's running four 1 TB WD RE3s in RAID10, and they run at ca. 40 C.
     
  25. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    I think any high end machine should have a SSD. Of course they give you an option to easily install the SSD, but you will still need to transfer the Windows OS from HDD to SSD. But perhaps when more models are available in Holland I will buy one for fun. The iBuypower Revolt A960 also looks cool, too bad that this stuff is not available in Europe. Same goes for the Falcon Northwest.
     
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