OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

[Phobia]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

Where are you at with this? I would just buy the parts from newegg (or somewhere like that) and build your own. It isn't that hard (I haven't done it yet, but it looks very, very easy). What's your price range.

You can get alot better gaming computer for less money. If this is just for gaming I would stay away from the 2600 and get the 2550k sandy bridge or i5 3570k ivy bridge. The hyperthreading of the 2600 does nothing for gaming.

If you go this route, you might beable to get a Nvidia gtx 680 for the same (or even less) price, which would be a better graphics card.

In short, do some research before you order anything.

Yea any mid range build with a i5 and a GTX 560+ will run you around 700. That is complete build with everything from case, powersupply, proc, mobo, hard drive, dvd, ram, etc etc.

Now if you dip into the i7 you can add another 100 to that so around a 800 build. Then if you up your video card to the 680s you are looking at a 1,000 to 1,200.

Personally I find if you chase the best of the best you will end up spending way more money. If you settle for that sweet middle spot where the prices are much lower and you still get excellent performance is your best bang for your buck.

i5
560ti
AS Rock mobo
1TB HD
and 8 gigs of ram

That would be my choice of a rig, it will last as long as a i7 and when it comes time to upgrade you can slap in a new more powerful video card and get even more years out of it before requiring a new full rebuild.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

Personally I find if you chase the best of the best you will end up spending way more money. If you settle for that sweet middle spot where the prices are much lower and you still get excellent performance is your best bang for your buck.

i5
560ti
AS Rock mobo
1TB HD
and 8 gigs of ram

That would be my choice of a rig, it will last as long as a i7 and when it comes time to upgrade you can slap in a new more powerful video card and get even more years out of it before requiring a new full rebuild.

LOL! That is almost exactly my rig, minus the 1TB HDD and I have the 2GB 560. With some good deals, he might even be able to get that built under $600 if he has a microcenter near by which at times has good mobo/cpu deals.

[WTF]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

Exactly, "IF" you aren't afraid to build one on your own, you can buy a fairly futureproof rig for CHEAP.

Which is why I was coming back to the topic for jmood. Have you ever built a pc yourself, or would you consider building a PC instead of buying from a big box retailer?

[JWR3232]

Thanks for the replies but it seem the imputed from dell is gone now all the graphics card options are gone lol. To everyone that responded y prince tame about 1500 to maybe tops 1700 (been saving for a long time) but that includes price for a new monitor printer and ms home a student

I've never built a computer no most I've ever done was add a ram stick...I'm sure I *could* figure it out there are a lot of guides out there but the thing is I'm just worried I would mess it up or something like that and idk about warranties with thy instead of from a company

Plus If something goes wrong after its build it's on me to figure out which could be a problem computer would be for games mostly but also school work movies and such I would go for a Laptop but I'm 10 min away from my college so it not needed an would probably cost more for a gaming laptop and it would be rather big and heavy most likely


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[Phobia]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

I just pre-ordered Sniper Elite V2 from GamerKeys. I'l let you guys know how it turns out.

Mill I talked to a guy with Gamerkeys named Eric. There was a mix up on the site for Sniper Elite v2 release day. They are not receiving the codes till May 10th. We spoke and available dates should be posted now.

He said he is going to come drop by and hand out some promo codes to make up for the misunderstanding. Just a heads up guys!

[CaptainZombie]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

Mill I talked to a guy with Gamerkeys named Eric. There was a mix up on the site for Sniper Elite v2 release day. They are not receiving the codes till May 10th. We spoke and available dates should be posted now.

He said he is going to come drop by and hand out some promo codes to make up for the misunderstanding. Just a heads up guys!

That is very cool, thanks for the heads up Phobia.

I still think this Alienware x51 PC still look rather nice, but not the price. The size of this case is awesome for entertainment centers, but the heat on this thing could be a problem.

[WTF]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

If you all are craigslist savvy, you can find some GREAT pc deals on there. Case in point, I bought an Alienware M15x for $350 that's capable of playing games at really good FPS using the HDMI out on the big screen.

Very nice. Just have to be persistent in looking for stuff.

[trobinson97]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

The good thing about my build was that I used an SSD as my main drive and used my 1TB HDD from my old PC which had all my existing games and music on it, so all I had to do was install Windows 7. Definitely made the hassle a lot easier.

How does that work out? I've been thinking about getting an SSD, but only putting a couple of select games and programs on it along with the OS, with everything else installed on another hard drive. Do the games and programs run slower than they would if they were installed on the same hard drive as the OS? Can I get Steam to download some games on one hard drive and other games on an alternate one?

[Sandman42]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

How does that work out? I've been thinking about getting an SSD, but only putting a couple of select games and programs on it along with the OS, with everything else installed on another hard drive. Do the games and programs run slower than they would if they were installed on the same hard drive as the OS? Can I get Steam to download some games on one hard drive and other games on an alternate one?

They run fine for me. Obviously not as fast as an SSD, but I didn't notice any speed difference from when the HDD was my primary drive to my secondary drive.

As for installing games to select drives that's something I wish Steam made easier. Steam doesn't give you any option to install games to a different drive other than the drive that you have Steam installed on. There's some file management you have to do on your own if you want the games installed on other drives. There's some 3rd party software that will do it also for you.

http://www.stefanjones.ca/steam/

That's the tool I've seen most people recommend. It probably makes it a lot easier than messing around with the install files, but I haven't had the chance to use it. My SSD really only has the room for one game and I never got around to moving The Witcher 2 off of it for the past 4 months. Guess I'll have to move it off soon to put Diabo on the SSD.

But using your existing drive as your secondary drive is the way to go IMO. Don't have to redownload any of your Steam games. I still run Steam off that other drive also because of that problem with Steam always wanting to install games to the drive its installed on. The thing I get mildly annoyed by is that all my other apps that are on the SSD open instantly, while Steam takes 3-4 seconds to open since its running of the hard drive. First world problems I guess.

[trobinson97]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

I'm might just go ahead and give it a shot. Is $186 for a 240GB OCZ Agility 3 a good deal? Never had a SSD before but I know the pricing is a lot different than it is for mechanical drives.

[Phobia]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

That is very cool, thanks for the heads up Phobia.

I still think this Alienware x51 PC still look rather nice, but not the price. The size of this case is awesome for entertainment centers, but the heat on this thing could be a problem.

Not a prob!

The issue with those cases is you can get several that are the size or slightly smaller than the current xbox slim. Heat is a problem and fitting good gaming power. You can get a adequate system but I still see the desire for this as low. I have little issue slapping my current mid tier on a shelve and looking fantastic. I can see where some people might have a issue with the size of a PC, But to me it all goes along with what you get.

Stay with the hidden away speakers on your flat screen that sound small and terrible or grab a big *** sound bar slap it above the TV and rock out. Same principle to me

I also picked up the Turtle Beach X12s two days ago for the PC. WOW the sound quality is fantastic and the mic is crystal clear. Excellent headset for the price.

[Altimus]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

I see no issue with a bulky case. Worse case scenario is you can put it somewhere in the further in the background and buy a long HDMI and run it to the TV.

[Phobia]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

I see no issue with a bulky case. Worse case scenario is you can put it somewhere in the further in the background and buy a long HDMI and run it to the TV.

Good point Altimus!


Several years ago I purchased a 4 way signal amplifier. So the 360 was hooked up in back the house. I then purchased (3) 50' component cables. So my 360 signal could be run to any TV in the house. One cable ran to the bedroom TV, other ran to the Living room, and the last one ran to the man cave TV. This setup was badass and allowed total flexibility where I could game. If the fiance wanted to watch TV in living room, well simply walk to man cave and turn TV on. If I wanted to lay in bed and play some 360, easy.....just walk to bedroom and turn on TV.

I am highly considering the same thing for my new PC build. I have it currently routed HDMI to the man cave TV. I am thinking of picking up this and routing the same way but HDMI for my PC. This would put the computer completely out of sight AND give you total control where ever you wanted to play. Only draw back would be making sure your Keyboard/mouse/controller worked in those rooms before making this move.

[choadler]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

Not a prob!


I also picked up the Turtle Beach X12s two days ago for the PC. WOW the sound quality is fantastic and the mic is crystal clear. Excellent headset for the price.

I want to pick up some better headsets, but I always get concerned with comfort factor. I have some cheap logitech ones that are like $29, but don't feel like you have a vice on your head.

[Phobia]

Re: OS Steam and Computer Gaming Thread

I want to pick up some better headsets, but I always get concerned with comfort factor. I have some cheap logitech ones that are like $29, but don't feel like you have a vice on your head.

See that was a big bullet point for me. I have the Sennheiser HD280s and they are FANTASTIC studio quality. But they have two downfalls, 1) they don't have a mic 2) They become uncomfortable after several hours.


So after playing with these X12 for several hours now they seem extremely comfortable. They are light and don't squeeze your head tight. So I am thrilled with them so far, now just need to see how good they hold up.