Advice for buying a gaming PC!

I might actually jump in a bit earlier, maybe mid-October. I was just browsing Best Buy $233 and checking out their 21.5" Full HD monitors and PCs $933. What’s your take on their selection? Also, do they offer custom build services?

Just make sure the monitor has a DVI port; I guess that's fine enough.

And those pre-built PCs? Probably total junk. You don't go buying a computer at Walmart.

fadedorca66 said:Just make sure the monitor has a DVI port; that should work fine.

And those pre-built PCs? Total junk. You definitely shouldn't be buying computers at Best Buy.

Please forgive my ignorance, but could someone explain what that DVI port actually does? Also, Timothy Kim60 mentioned buying a Cooler Master unit—why would I need that??

Since DVI and HDMI are the industry standards now, you get much better image quality. VGA is just analog, and some modern graphics cards actually struggle with it. I honestly don't see why anyone would spend $233 on a monitor that only offers a VGA connection and a TN panel, especially when for $260 you can grab a superior monitor with a VA panel and a DVI port...

That free Intel cooler is way too loud and frankly underwhelming for CPUs like those. Generally, the recommended coolers perform significantly better in terms of both cooling efficiency and noise levels than the budget options (anything under $33); you might even be able to squeeze out some decent overclocking

Timothy Kim60 said:Since DVI and HDMI are the industry standards now, you get much better picture quality. VGA is just analog, and some modern graphics cards actually struggle with it. I honestly don't see why anyone would bother buying a monitor with just a VGA connection and a TN panel for $233, especially when for $260 you can grab a superior monitor featuring a VA panel and a DVI output...

That free Intel cooler is way too loud and frankly underwhelming for those CPUs. You'll find that even budget coolers (anything under $33) actually perform better and run quieter than the stock one. You could even squeeze out some decent overclocking
if you pick the right one!

Aha, thanks for the breakdown! In that case, I'll definitely pick up that cooler since it's such a steal.

Does anyone own a setup like this?? I'd love to hear how it handles gaming!
Are there any videos on YouTube showing someone actually playing games with these specs?

Check this out—there's one guy with a ton of videos playing on a GTX 750 and a Q8400 (which is maybe a bit weaker than your CPU):

https://www.youtube.com/user/IAMTHEReCK3R/videos

Keep in mind that this is YouTube—they probably capped the gameplay recording at 30fps, and the visual quality usually takes a hit during playback compared to how it actually looks. It isn’t a perfect representation, but it should give you a decent ballpark idea. Honestly, your best bet is to dig through some professional GPU reviews.

The 260X is essentially a rebranded Radeon HD 7790, which performs roughly on par with a GeForce GTX 750 (and since those are the only two cards you're considering in this budget, that's your answer right there).

On a side note, this guy produces fantastic benchmark videos with incredibly precise data. This is how testing should be done. It's a shame he doesn't have more hardware to work with these days.
For your specific needs, check out his videos featuring the Phenom II 945 (a similar tier CPU) and the HD7850 (a slightly more powerful card).
Check this one out too regarding how much a stronger graphics card makes a difference.

Essentially, you can watch any gameplay footage for a GeForce GTX 750, the 260X, or a Radeon HD 7790, provided the system isn't being held back by a CPU bottleneck (like those old dual-core processors).

crimsonstag84 said:Check this out! Here is a guy with a ton of videos playing games on a GeForce GTX 750 and a Core 2 Quad Q8400 (which is actually a bit weaker than yours):

https://www.youtube.com/user/IAMTHEReCK3R/videos

Man, oh man! He's running every single game on ultra settings!!! How is that even possible? I can't believe my eyes!
Do you think I can get there too?

Timothy Kim60 said:

Just keep in mind it's YouTube—they probably have their gameplay recordings locked at 30fps, and the visual quality won't look nearly as sharp as it does in person. It isn't perfectly representative, though it should serve as a decent guide. Your best bet is to read some actual GPU reviews.

The 260X is just a rebranded Radeon HD 7790 that performs about the same as a GeForce GTX 750 (and since those are the only two cards you're looking at in this budget, that's your answer).

A quick off-topic note, but this guy makes fantastic benchmark videos with really precise data. This is how it should be done! It's a shame he doesn't have more hardware to test.
Your closest matches would be his videos featuring the Phenom II 945 (a similar level CPU) and the HD7850 (a slightly stronger card).
Also check out this one with a much
stronger graphics card.
Basically, you can watch any gameplay video featuring a GeForce GTX 750, 260X, or Radeon HD 7790, provided the system isn't being held back by a CPU bottleneck (like those old dual-core processors).

I figured. Now that you mentioned reading reviews, I've seen the HD7790 often, but I had no idea it was the 260X.
Thanks! I'll definitely check out that creator.
But is it actually possible for a build this cheap to run Call of Duty: Battlefield, Watch Dogs, or Black Ops on Ultra settings?

I haven't actually sat down to watch the video yet... But you really have to consider what resolution they're playing at—specifically, what the native resolution of their monitor is.

Roger Mitchell4 said:I hear you. Now that you mentioned that review quote, I’ve seen the HD7790 pop up quite a bit, but I had no idea it was actually just a rebranded 260X.
Thanks, I'll check out that guy's channel.
Is it even realistic to expect a budget rig like this to run Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Grand Theft Auto, or Black Ops on Ultra settings?

Actually, they basically just rebranded the HD7790 as a 260X for the new series and tossed in one extra feature—true audio.

Grand Theft Auto? No way. You're looking at Medium settings if you want a decent experience. As for Call of Duty, I assume it'll run fine, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare should hit near-Ultra if you turn off FXAA and maybe tweak a few other details—High or Very High settings should perform well enough in single-player. This is just my personal take, so for exact settings, you should definitely dig into specific reviews or check out some YouTube gameplay clips. Honestly, if you want Ultra settings with FXAA enabled and solid FPS in the most demanding titles, you're going to need a card that costs $667 + or nobody would bother buying them in the first place...

Larry Ortiz5 said:I haven't caught the video yet... But you really have to consider what resolution they're actually running at—basically, what the monitor's native resolution is.

It's probably a 1080p monitor, though I'm really not an expert when it comes to all this monitor stuff!

Timothy Kim60 said:Actually, they just rebranded the HD7790 as a 260X for the new series and tacked on one feature—true audio.

Watch Dogs? No way. Those settings are for medium if you want a decent experience. I assume Call of Duty will run perfectly, and Battlefield 4 should hit near Ultra (just turn off MSAA and maybe a few extra details)—High or Very High should perform great in singleplayer. I'm just speaking from memory here—you can find more precise game settings in specific reviews or certain YouTube clips. Honestly, to hit Ultra in the most demanding games with MSAA and solid FPS, you'd need a card worth $667 + , otherwise, nobody would even bother buying them...

My main priority is being able to run CoD and BF on High or Very High. I doubt I'll be playing multiplayer much, though maybe some Call of Duty 2 🙂 with friends and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
As long as it handles GTA 4, Most Wanted 2012, CoD, and games in that genre on Very High, I'm happy!
And if it can handle GTA 5, that would be absolutely amazing (what do you guys think?)..

If I were looking to upgrade my RAM from 4GB to 8GB, what specific details should I look out for, and is this actually doable? 🙂

Roger Mitchell4 said:If I were upgrading from 4GB to 8GB of RAM, what should I look out for and is it even doable? 🙂

It's possible if your motherboard has an open slot and you haven't maxed out your RAM yet.
Make sure your new RAM matches the frequency and latency of what you're already running. It's the only way to avoid compatibility headaches.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:It’s totally doable if your motherboard has an extra slot available!
Just make sure you grab a stick with the exact same frequency and latency as your current one. You definitely want to avoid any compatibility headaches!

Thanks, 🙂

Does anyone here have experience building H-pattern shifters for PC?

I won't start a whole new thread just to ask this, so I'll drop it here. My current rig is mostly used for web browsing, watching movies, and playing Madden NFL 14. While Madden runs perfectly fine, the Madden NFL 15 demo is an absolute disaster—it stutters constantly even when I crank the resolution and settings down to the bare minimum. I'm looking to see if there's any hope for an upgrade, because buying a completely new machine isn't in the budget right now.

MY RIG:
Operating System
Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i3 27 °C
Regor 45nm Technology
RAM
4,00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-12-12-30)
Motherboard
ASRock M3A770DE (CPUSocket) 30 °C
Graphics
LG TV (1920x1080@23Hz)
1024MB Nvidia GeForce GTX Series (Sapphire/PCPartner) 54 °C
Storage
465GB Seagate BarraCuda (SATA) 29 °C
Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-H10N ATA Device
ELBY CLONEDRIVE SCSI CdRom Device
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio FIFA 15

Madden NFL 15...
recommended Specifications:

OS: Windows V/7/8/8.1 -64-bit
CPU: Intel i5-2550K @ 3.4Ghz
RAM: 8GB
Hard Drive Space Required: 15.0 GB
Supported Video Cards: ATI Radeon HD 6870, Nvidia GTX 460 DirectX
DirectX: 11.0

Minimum Required Specifications:

OS: Windows V/7/8/8.1 -64-bit
CPU: Intel Core2 Quad @ 2.4Ghz
RAM: 4GB
Hard Drive Space Required: 15.0 GB
Minimum Supported Video Cards: Radeon HD 5770, Nvidia GTX 650 DirectX
DirectX: 11.0

Is there anything worth upgrading here, even if I have to pick up parts one by one, or am I stuck looking at a total system replacement? Any advice would be appreciated; I just need to know what kind of reality I'm facing.😁

William Smith10 said:I won't start a new thread and just ask here. I use my PC for browsing, watching movies, and playing Madden NFL 14. Madden NFL 14 runs perfectly fine, but the Madden NFL 15 demo stutters even on the lowest resolution and settings. Can I upgrade this rig? A new build isn't in the budget right now.

MY RIG:
Operating System
Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i3-2100 27 °C
Regor 45nm Technology
RAM
4,00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-12-12-30)
Motherboard
ASRock M3A770DE (CPUSocket) 30 °C
Graphics
LG TV (1920x1080@23Hz)
1024MB Nvidia GeForce GT 430 (Sapphire/PCPartner) 54 °C
Storage
465GB Seagate BarraCuda (SATA) 29 °C
Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-H10N ATA Device
ELBY CLONEDRIVE SCSI CdRom Device
Audio
Madden NFL 15

Madden NFL 15...
Recommended Specifications:

OS: Windows V/7/8/8.1 -64-bit
CPU: Intel i5-2550K @ 3.4Ghz
RAM: 8GB
Hard Drive Space Required: 15.0 GB
Supported Video Cards: ATI Radeon HD 6870, NVIDIA GTX 460
DirectX: 11.0

Minimum Required Specifications:

OS: Windows V/7/8/8.1 -64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-750 @ 2.4Ghz
RAM: 4GB
Hard Drive Space Required: 15.0 GB
Minimum Supported Video Cards: Nvidia GeForce GTX 460, Nvidia GTX 650
DirectX: 11.0

Is there anything I can upgrade, maybe one part at a time, or am I looking at a whole new PC? Any advice helps. Just want to know where I stand.😁

Start with the motherboard and CPU, then grab a GPU.