Hey all, I'm currently using a MBP from last year. I want to get a good desktop for somewhere in the $1,000 - 1,300 range. After doing research on the forum, I see that you guys are all for BUILDING your own. Now I don't know too much about computer parts, but I'm sure that with some time and instructions, I would be able to put one together. The thing is, i'm not sure if I want to go through that, or if it will be worth it. What are the pros and cons here? As far as money saving, warranties, and other factors. The computer parts market seems to change so much that I wouldn't know what to get. 2 final questions: If I were to completely follow the "Building a PC for Starcraft 2 " thread, would that be a good idea? What are some good gaming PC manufacturers/models in that price range? Thanks for any help!
I wouldn't folow the advice in the building a PC for Sc2 thread anymore because prices on various things have dropped since the creation of that thread. Right now anything with modern equipment in your price range should be able to run Sc2 pretty much at max (assuming Blizzard doesn't somehow create an insane max, and you have an all around PC). Considering your price range (I have also recently been looking to buy/build a new PC) and the fact you don't really want to put your machine together check out this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227146 It's core i7 so that means it is going to cost probably 200$ more than an older quad core machine with similar specs will, but you are getting one of the most advance PC processors currently available (and by requirement one of the most advanced Motherboards available). If you can get the parts cheaper than normal building is always cheaper than buying, but that is sometimes a big if that requires a little bit of looking.
AlienWare is overpriced. Building is generally better than buying. AlienWare Area51 X58 $1499 # ntel® Core i7 Extreme # Intel® X58 Chipset # NVIDIA® GTX 295 # 1333MHz DDR3 Memory # Windows® Vista Ultimate 64 Bit # Alienware Approved Liquid Cooling OR Inter Core i7 290 (lowest) ~ 300 CPU Cooler ~100 8GB DDR2 Memory ~ 100 AMD ATI Radeon HD 4850 x2 ~ 400 Motherboard - ~200 Case - ~100 Keyboard and Mouse - ~100 Windows 7 Beta ~ 0 Total - ~1300 What's better? 8GB memory. 200 dollars less. The lowest core can actually be overclocked to higher speeds. The 2 graphics combined is better than one GTX 295. And AMD CPUs work better with AMD graphics cards, and are cheaper, as an alternative. Also, you can find these a LOT cheaper. (or more expensive_
And to help make Arven's argument your not actually getting what it says for the $1,499 if you read closely on that linked page it says "up to" and not what's actually in the machine. If you actually look what that $1,499 gets you its a i7 920, a GTS 250, 3 GB RAM at 1066 MHz and a 500 GB hard drive. If look at the iBUYPOWER machine I linked your getting 6 GB RAM at 1333 MHz, a 1 TB hard drive, and a GTX 285 for $200 less. @Arven core i7's require DDR3 memory and your probably not going to find a LGA 1366 board for less than $250.
The thing about building is it takes a lot more time checking if the items are compatible with the other stuff
Hey thanks, that looks like a great buy. What's the reputation of Ibuypower machines if you don't mind me asking?
Having not actually bought a PC yet, I have just been looking around and numbers crunching about what I may want. The comments on newegg from my link seem to suggest most people are happy with the machines but they have small variations in the hardware that actually goes into the machine.
I have to disagree with you there, because if you know computers it's a really simple matching process. If somebody gives me a budget and suggested purpose for the computer, I can go to newegg and put together the most fitting build in under 10 minutes. If you're talking about how long it takes to know if any random set of parts go together, I could tell you in less than 10 seconds In the building vs. buying argument, it essentially boils down to the fact that the more expensive the parts are, the more companies like Dell, alienware, Apple, HP, etc. will charge. The difference is that while with building, the parts get incremently more expensive, in buying you'll find the price is exponential. A $400 Dell might cost you $400 to build. A $600 Dell might cost $500. $800:$650. $1000:$800. $2000:$1600. etc. Some will say it's even more of a difference, but what they forget to take into account when doing these comparisons, major companies always include Windows, which will add $100 on top of the hardware if you're building. So the more you're going to spend, the more of an argument you have to build instead of buy. Just be sure you have read extensively about what building entails, how to problem-solve when something isn't working, how to get replacement parts if some of the ones you get are DOA (newegg is the best at replacing), and how/how not to deal with computer equipment. I may sound daunting, but it's all very simple once you understand it. You always run into problems with your first building experience, but it's a necessary learning process. My first time took 5 hours to get it to the point where I could install an OS. My second time took 2. My third, I ran into a lot of snags and took about 4. I didn't have anybody there to guide me, but I did make sure I read through some instructions online beforehand.
