Looking to buy/make a new high-end Gaming PC/Laptop

[Lukè]

My desktop is completely out dated. Looking to get a new on that's not terribly expensive, preferably 3k or under. I'm hoping to use it to replace my xbox when the next-gen is released. Also looking to get a gaming mouse and keyboard. [/list]

[Wylan]

Hmmm, for 3k, you can get a bangin desktop.

[Blasthardcheese]

Before reading the rest of this, define "outdated".

$3k? Uh... Wow. $3k is overly expensive. Newegg is your friend.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100019096%20600030537&IsNodeId=1&name=Gaming%20%26%20Entertainment


I know that iBUYPOWER are good computers. Be sure to choose one with Windows 7 64-bit. Windows 8 is NOT a good OS to use (mostly because it's for touch screen devices like tablets, and even then it's got issues). I would recommend the first one in that list:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227458

But I would also HIGHLY recommend upgrading the Power Supply Unit (PSU) to a 550 or higher. Specifically something by Corsair such as these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657%2050001459%20600014021&IsNodeId=1&name=Corsair

Another good PSU brand is OCZ: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341050

Putting in a PSU isn't hard. HOWEVER, if you're technologically impaired, how are you even here. But really, if you don't know what you're doing, find someone who does. You need to be sure that what power supply you get to replace the stock PSU is compatible (speaking of the connectors going into the slots). Most PSUs anymore are compatible with anything anymore.

[P-Rife]

Check NewEgg or Tiger Direct and you'll have money left over from that 3k to buy the new xbox too. I personally would start with a bare bones kit with a good mobo and an i7 processor and go from there. Many of those kits throw in the power supply and 8-16Gb RAM. Use your existing HDD, DvD burner, etc.

For the mouse/keyboard option I use a Merc Stealth keyboard by SteelSeries and a Razor Naga Molten edition.

http://steelseries.com/products/keyboards/steelseries-merc-stealth

Its a little big so make sure your keyboard tray has room for it if you go that route.

[Lukè]

Please keep them coming! Definitly going to look into that keyboard P-rifle! It looks like i'm going to get the following from TigerDirect:
ASUS P9X79 Intel X79 Motherboard
Intel Core i7-3820 3.60GHz Quad-Core Processor
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB GDDR5 Video Card
Seagate Barracuda 2TB Serial ATA Hard Drive
Thermaltake Bundle
that bundle is $1,063. so using the money that I'm going to save im going to replace the graphics card with a
EVGA 04G-P4-2690-KR GeForce GTX 690 Video Card - Dual-GPU, 4096MB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0 (x16), 3x Dual-Link DVI, 1x Mini DisplayPort, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, GPU Boost, SLI Ready
for $999 which puts me at around 2k! This is not definite seeing as I still must earn an additional 1k to afford it, but with any luck, this will still be high quality at the time!

[Frost290]

Damn! You should send that unused graphics card my way since you love me. Don't forget a power supply with the needed wattage.

[P-Rife]

The most fun feature is the color changing backlit keys. When I play republic its blue, sith is red. I always know when my wife uses my computer cause she sets it to purple.

[Nwahs]

PolishRifle wrote:

The most fun feature is the color changing backlit keys. When I play republic its blue, sith is red. I always know when my wife uses my computer cause she sets it to purple.

That's bad ass, I'll have to pick that up someday when I become a real boy (get a legit teaching job)

[P-Rife]

Well then I'm still trying to be legit. Professor jobs are few and far between in my field and high schools frown on teaching gambling in their curriculum.

[bizzy401]

If you have the money to burn, I highly recommend the GTX 780. Best $650 I have ever spent.

[P-Rife]

I'm really torn between dropping $500 on an Xbox 1 or putting the money into my PC. I've seen some good articles where people built systems with similar specs to Ps4 and XBOne for $500-600.

[Lukè]

As of right now my pc build is on hiatus. I will be picking up the PS4 since I have the money but I am not making as much as i would've liked from the small jobs I've been doing. After getting the PS4 I will focus on creating a pc for around 1500-2000.

[Lukè]

Looking into possibly getting the Alienware 14. If I were to get it it would be the cheapest model. The general specs are a GTX 750m, 8gb of ram and a new Haswell processor. If anyone has other suggestions, tips, or coupons please let me know!

[Nicki Heat]

Jlewis419 wrote:

Looking into possibly getting the Alienware 14. If I were to get it it would be the cheapest model. The general specs are a GTX 750m, 8gb of ram and a new Haswell processor. If anyone has other suggestions, tips, or coupons please let me know!

I would suggest you go higher memory and look into a program called 'SWTOR Unleashed'.

It uses a technology called ramdrives, which lets you treat part of the extra memory as if it is a virtual hard-drive with lightning fast performance.

Works very nicely for cached files, and SWTOR Unleashed copies disk data for the files into the ramdrive.

I use it to boost my old laptop..

When I eventually get a new comp, I plan to go 32 Gbs minimum.

[P-Rife]

I think building your own system will save you a ton vs going with an Alienware. It takes some research of what parts you want to use but the actual build is pretty simple. My next build is looking like $1000 that includes a new case, mobo (z87 extreme), CPU (i7-3770), 16Gb RAM, SSD, new sata 3 HDD, and a 64bit OS. I was going to save money and buy a duplicate video card (AMD6670) I already run and attempt to crossfire them rather than dropping a ton and a new single card option.

Its not top top end but its far better than my 15 year old dell btx case, Core 2 Quad, 4GB DDR2-667, and Sata 1/USB2.0 setup and gives me the space to expand for hopefully another 10 years+