Buying first PC gaming setup

[Frizz.Meister]

Ok i need some help. I am buying my first Gaming setup for PC and after having used laptops since 1997 i have no idea where to look or what to get. I'm really getting into PC gaming but the truth is most of the games i enjoy are fairly old so specs arn't essential (but of course nice). Also i will be using my setup for watching movies and some video editing. Also any game suggestions would be nice

The games i'm currently enjoying are:
-Trine
-Warcraft 3
-Guild Wars (Got as a gift and its like a non-grinding RPG, i hate grinding...)
-Diablo 2
-Heroes of Might and Magic 3
-Halo Combat Evolved
-Hoping to get some shmups soon

I was thinking of a dual rotating montior set up IF i can find out in detail how this effects dvd playback. I already have surround sound which i can easily wire into a PC.

Now in theory a laptop is preffered but having done some browsing myself decent laptops either cost a fortune or repotedly die after a year.

For the record i am very computer competent, just not in terms of games/graphics.

[BananaXX]

Are you looking to buy a pre-made desktop or are you going to build it yourself?

[Frizz.Meister]

Build it myself. But of course if i see a crazy good deal i can change.

[BananaXX]

Well if I were building a system to suit these needs I'd go with something like this which offers plenty of performance with your "older" games while still leaving some room to test out newer ones:

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811133076
MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128455
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103886
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814102875
Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231180
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136218
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139018

Sorry its an American website, I don't know much about PC parts in the UK.
Just some points I'd like to make:
-4 gigs of RAM is plenty now and in the future.
-Never skimp on the PSU or case, you get what you pay for.
-AMD is the best.
-ATI video cards have crappier support driver wise (or so I hear, never owned a ATI video card... not yet anyway.)

I hope I was of some help/assistance.

[Hobie-wan]

-Never skimp on the PSU

Indeed. If your PSU is crap and dies, it can take other stuff with it. Absolutely positively don't spend less than £80 on a power supply. Spend more than £100 if you can. You don't have to buy a full on Ferrari, but you still don't want to be driving a midrange car being powered by a 2 stroke moped engine.

[Niode]

The Corsair TX series are great. I have the TX750 powering my rig. Rock solid even with a massive overclock (see link for speed).

Personally, I'd avoid throwing together any old components that fit the slots. It's not a good way to build a system. RESEARCH. Find parts that work well together. Build your system around that core foundation. Don't skimp on RAM, don't skimp on your motherboard. Buy the CPU that works well for you in your price range. People skimp on their motherboard and wonder why their PC starts getting problems 3 years down the line. All capacitors have a shelf life. They WILL break, no doubt about it, however buying a cheap motherboard guarantees that you've got poor quality caps that will break much faster. The best thing to do is follow a buyer's guide. Such as the ones on Bit-Tech.net and Tom's Hardware. They will give you tried and tested builds that work well for any budget. There's no shame in following a build guide, it will save you money and ensure you get the most bang for buck. Win-win.

[Erik_Twice]

Absolutely positively don't spend less than £80 on a power supply. Spend more than £100 if you can.

Wow mate, that's an awful lot of money. The PSU is important but that's too much.

@BananaXX

The AMD/Intel debate is very old and changes fast. When I bought my computer, Intel was the way to go but a couple of years earlier AMD was cheaper.

Also ATI cards tohave good driver support. My next buy will probably be one of their Eyefinity cards.

Anyways, I agree with Niode, there are several websites out there that have builds for each price range don't be afraid to copy. There must also be a lot of forums that will lend you a hand for this and build a computer according to your needs. Try to search for forums and not for websites.


Concerning using two monitors, I don't understand what you mean with "dual rotating monitor", could you explain?

[Niode]

Absolutely positively don't spend less than £80 on a power supply. Spend more than £100 if you can.

Wow mate, that's an awful lot of money. The PSU is important but that's too much.

@BananaXX

The AMD/Intel debate is very old and changes fast. When I bought my computer, Intel was the way to go but a couple of years earlier AMD was cheaper.

Also ATI cards tohave good driver support. My next buy will probably be one of their Eyefinity cards.

Anyways, I agree with Niode, there are several websites out there that have builds for each price range don't be afraid to copy. There must also be a lot of forums that will lend you a hand for this and build a computer according to your needs. Try to search for forums and not for websites.


Concerning using two monitors, I don't understand what you mean with "dual rotating monitor", could you explain?

I think he wants to be able to rotate each monitor into portrait mode or have it in widescreen. Doesn't have any effect on his hardware choice (aside from buying a rotating monitor of course) since all graphics cards support this basic functionality, it's in the drivers.

[Hobie-wan]

Absolutely positively don't spend less than £80 on a power supply. Spend more than £100 if you can.

Wow mate, that's an awful lot of money. The PSU is important but that's too much.

Holy crap I totally fubared the conversion. Let's try £30 minimum and £60 or higher is better, shall we? That's what I get for trying to be fancy and post converted currency in a hurry.

[Niode]

Absolutely positively don't spend less than £80 on a power supply. Spend more than £100 if you can.

Wow mate, that's an awful lot of money. The PSU is important but that's too much.

Holy crap I totally fubared the conversion. Let's try £30 minimum and £60 or higher is better, shall we? That's what I get for trying to be fancy and post converted currency in a hurry.

I think my TX750 was £55.