Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!?

LuisTX85 · 11-16-2012, 03:52 PM

I stopped being a PC gamer in the late 90's and just now I'm starting to get the itch(got one a few years ago But now it's a bigger itch)to get back into it,So I want to one how often do you upgrade play cards&stuff?OR do you recommend a special gaming computer that plays all the newest&upcoming big games?

Tanin · 11-16-2012, 05:08 PM

I personally bought a PC a few years ago for $500 that still runs most games on medium to high settings with very little frame rate loss. I just update my Graphics card every year or so.

Though next year I'll probably need a new motherboard along with my card.

LuisTX85 · 11-16-2012, 06:17 PM

How expensive are the graphics cards?and are they easy to install?

Tanin · 11-16-2012, 08:29 PM

Anywhere from 150 to 500 dollars depending on how high end you want.

They are pretty easy to install.

LuisTX85 · 11-16-2012, 09:01 PM

Seems a lot of hassle to keep updating each year or so and expensive,Maybe I'll just stick to consoles for another while,I don't even care much about graphics and most game's frame rate issues ain't that bad or especially game running.

Thanx anyway,I appreciate it and will think about getting a new computer soon anyway&hope it plays big/new PC games!!

bkong0 · 11-18-2012, 10:40 PM

Upgrading every year isn't really a thing that happens unless you really need to have THE MOST CURRENT system, which isn't necessary. Systems can easily be affordable and last a few years while playing PC games at great looking settings.

LuisTX85 · 11-18-2012, 11:16 PM

Oh ok cool then,Thanx

Tanin · 11-19-2012, 10:07 AM

Yea sorry. Updating every year is just what I do.

Deathlok · 11-23-2012, 08:00 AM

I'd say get yourself the best motherboard you can afford (I like ASUS). Next, as much RAM as you can afford. Hook those up with at least an i5 CPU running at around 3GHz or better.

Hard drives are fairly cheap at the moment, get one with a SATA III interface for the best speeds. If you want to go nuts fast with boot up and general OS performance, get yourself a SATA III SSD with at least 256Gb on it and use this as your OS installation drive only. Put all other software onto a traditional SATA III hard drive. Make sure your swap file is not on the SSD though.

Then get a graphics card which can play the games you want on at least the medium settings.

You should not have to upgrade the graphics card for at least two or three years, unless something really radical happens!

Good luck!

FWIW here are my current PC specs;

ASUS P9X79 Pro motherboard
Intel i7-3820 CPU
32Gb (4x8GB) RAM with heatsinks
1Tb SATA III hard drive
256Gb SSD SATA III hard drive
Corsair Hydro H60 liquid CPU cooler
AMD HD7970 Sapphire Vapor-X 6Gb graphics card
Antech case
Gold certified 850W PSU
3 x Packard Bell viseo 230ws on tri-monitor stand

Iceman · 11-23-2012, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathlok

I'd say get yourself the best motherboard you can afford (I like ASUS). Next, as much RAM as you can afford. Hook those up with at least an i5 CPU running at around 3GHz or better.

Hard drives are fairly cheap at the moment, get one with a SATA III interface for the best speeds. If you want to go nuts fast with boot up and general OS performance, get yourself a SATA III SSD with at least 256Gb on it and use this as your OS installation drive only. Put all other software onto a traditional SATA III hard drive. Make sure your swap file is not on the SSD though.

Then get a graphics card which can play the games you want on at least the medium settings.

You should not have to upgrade the graphics card for at least two or three years, unless something really radical happens!

Good luck!

FWIW here are my current PC specs;

ASUS P9X79 Pro motherboard
Intel i7-3820 CPU
32Gb (4x8GB) RAM with heatsinks
1Tb SATA III hard drive
256Gb SSD SATA III hard drive
Corsair Hydro H60 liquid CPU cooler
AMD HD7970 Sapphire Vapor-X 6Gb graphics card
Antech case
Gold certified 850W PSU
3 x Packard Bell viseo 230ws on tri-monitor stand

I'm about to buy any day now. How much would a setup like yours cost? (minus the monitor) Seems very high end!

Deathlok · 11-24-2012, 01:48 PM

I built these things up over the course of a couple of years! Will give you an idea of the costs another time. About to go out, and if I don't go now, I'm going to get shouted at!

Deathlok · 11-26-2012, 07:08 AM

As promised, here are todays prices for the kit I currently have

P9X79 Pro m/b £190.00
Intel i7-3820 £210.00
256Gb SSD SATA III £130.00
1Tb Seagate hard drive £60.00
Corsair Hydro H80 £75.00
AMD HD7970 Sapphire Vapor-X £450.00
Antec 300 midi case £45
Gold certified 850W PSU £120.00
32Gb RAM (8Gb x 4) £120.00
Blu-Ray SATA optical drive £50
DVD SATA Re-writer £12

Grand total of £1462.00

Leaving out the monitors and the tri-stand...
I think I need to go and lay down for a while after seeing all that added up!

I'd be interested in seeing what you go for. Please post it here when you get it all...

SUPERJAYA · 03-03-2013, 09:58 PM

im enjoying league of legend, ragna, ArcheAge...

11-16-2012, 03:52 PM	#1
LuisTX85 Z for Zorro Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 8,528	Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? I stopped being a PC gamer in the late 90's and just now I'm starting to get the itch(got one a few years ago But now it's a bigger itch)to get back into it,So I want to one how often do you upgrade play cards&stuff?OR do you recommend a special gaming computer that plays all the newest&upcoming big games?

11-16-2012, 05:08 PM	#2
Tanin Side-Kick Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Posts: 2,300	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? I personally bought a PC a few years ago for $500 that still runs most games on medium to high settings with very little frame rate loss. I just update my Graphics card every year or so. Though next year I'll probably need a new motherboard along with my card. __________________ The Shredder? Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw. Dead or Alive, you're coming with me.

11-16-2012, 06:17 PM	#3
LuisTX85 Z for Zorro Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 8,528	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? How expensive are the graphics cards?and are they easy to install?

11-16-2012, 08:29 PM	#4
Tanin Side-Kick Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Posts: 2,300	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? Anywhere from 150 to 500 dollars depending on how high end you want. They are pretty easy to install. __________________ The Shredder? Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw. Dead or Alive, you're coming with me.

11-16-2012, 09:01 PM	#5
LuisTX85 Z for Zorro Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 8,528	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? Seems a lot of hassle to keep updating each year or so and expensive,Maybe I'll just stick to consoles for another while,I don't even care much about graphics and most game's frame rate issues ain't that bad or especially game running. Thanx anyway,I appreciate it and will think about getting a new computer soon anyway&hope it plays big/new PC games!!

11-18-2012, 10:40 PM	#6
bkong0 Side-Kick Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 42	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? Upgrading every year isn't really a thing that happens unless you really need to have THE MOST CURRENT system, which isn't necessary. Systems can easily be affordable and last a few years while playing PC games at great looking settings.

11-18-2012, 11:16 PM	#7
LuisTX85 Z for Zorro Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 8,528	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? Oh ok cool then,Thanx

11-19-2012, 10:07 AM	#8
Tanin Side-Kick Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Posts: 2,300	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? Yea sorry. Updating every year is just what I do. __________________ The Shredder? Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw. Dead or Alive, you're coming with me.

11-23-2012, 08:00 AM	#9
Deathlok Scrawny gaunt & anorexic? Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Hertfordshire, UK Posts: 1,334	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? I'd say get yourself the best motherboard you can afford (I like ASUS). Next, as much RAM as you can afford. Hook those up with at least an i5 CPU running at around 3GHz or better. Hard drives are fairly cheap at the moment, get one with a SATA III interface for the best speeds. If you want to go nuts fast with boot up and general OS performance, get yourself a SATA III SSD with at least 256Gb on it and use this as your OS installation drive only. Put all other software onto a traditional SATA III hard drive. Make sure your swap file is not on the SSD though. Then get a graphics card which can play the games you want on at least the medium settings. You should not have to upgrade the graphics card for at least two or three years, unless something really radical happens! Good luck! FWIW here are my current PC specs; ASUS P9X79 Pro motherboard Intel i7-3820 CPU 32Gb (4x8GB) RAM with heatsinks 1Tb SATA III hard drive 256Gb SSD SATA III hard drive Corsair Hydro H60 liquid CPU cooler AMD HD7970 Sapphire Vapor-X 6Gb graphics card Antech case Gold certified 850W PSU 3 x Packard Bell viseo 230ws on tri-monitor stand __________________ Si hoc legere potes nimium eruditionis habes For crying out loud, after nine months of intermittent, random and unrelated PC crashes. Changing the RAM got rid of the last of the crashes! It was a good excuse to go to 32Gb... Got 64Gb now! Last edited by Deathlok; 11-23-2012 at 08:16 AM. Reason: Added PC specs

11-24-2012, 01:48 PM	#11
Deathlok Scrawny gaunt & anorexic? Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Hertfordshire, UK Posts: 1,334	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? I built these things up over the course of a couple of years! Will give you an idea of the costs another time. About to go out, and if I don't go now, I'm going to get shouted at! __________________ Si hoc legere potes nimium eruditionis habes For crying out loud, after nine months of intermittent, random and unrelated PC crashes. Changing the RAM got rid of the last of the crashes! It was a good excuse to go to 32Gb... Got 64Gb now!

11-26-2012, 07:08 AM	#12
Deathlok Scrawny gaunt & anorexic? Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Hertfordshire, UK Posts: 1,334	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? As promised, here are todays prices for the kit I currently have P9X79 Pro m/b £190.00 Intel i7-3820 £210.00 256Gb SSD SATA III £130.00 1Tb Seagate hard drive £60.00 Corsair Hydro H80 £75.00 AMD HD7970 Sapphire Vapor-X £450.00 Antec 300 midi case £45 Gold certified 850W PSU £120.00 32Gb RAM (8Gb x 4) £120.00 Blu-Ray SATA optical drive £50 DVD SATA Re-writer £12 Grand total of £1462.00 Leaving out the monitors and the tri-stand... I think I need to go and lay down for a while after seeing all that added up! I'd be interested in seeing what you go for. Please post it here when you get it all... __________________ Si hoc legere potes nimium eruditionis habes For crying out loud, after nine months of intermittent, random and unrelated PC crashes. Changing the RAM got rid of the last of the crashes! It was a good excuse to go to 32Gb... Got 64Gb now! Last edited by Deathlok; 12-04-2012 at 09:18 AM.

03-03-2013, 09:58 PM	#13
SUPERJAYA Newbie Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 9	Re: Recommendation on what to use to get back into PC gaming!? im enjoying league of legend, ragna, ArcheAge...

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode