Where can I get a good gaming PC...

[PZ]

... from a reliable company other than Newegg?  I have my eye on a machine, but it is out of stock.  Looking for another source - good prices of course  :-()

[Art Blade]

ACME corporation. Tell them that they were highly recommended by Wile E. Coyote.

[Binnatics]

I would love to help PZ, but then you'd have to come over to Europe :-D

[OWGKID]

What's your bugdet? Which games do you want to play? Desired resolution/graphical settings (1080, 1440, 4K?)



http://pcpartpicker.com/ Pick your parts  :)
http://www.reddit.com/r/PCMasterRace/wiki/builds PCMR's build guide ;)
http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcforme/ If you need help to pick parts ;)

[Dweller_Benthos]

If you're looking for a gaming PC, I've heard Alienware has nice systems, never bought from them though, as I usually build my own.

[PZ]

I've looked at Alienware, but they seem to charge you for the privilege of having their name on a computer - not as much bang for the buck, although the hardware is said to be very good - just too expensive.

I'm planning to spend a bit less than $2k, and graphics is my main focus - want the GTX 980.  Also want an SSD for the OS and favorite software, and a 1-2 TB drive for the rest.  It also needs to be relatively quiet

Thanks for the parts picker list, GKID; that gives me an idea how to begin if I decide to build, or at least how to compare to a machine I have my eye on at newegg.

[OWGKID]

Regarding GPUs: AMD will release the R9 390X which will have 4GB HBM (stacked DRAM) capable of 640 GB/s transfer speed  :o It will certainly kill the 980 ???
http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amds-radeon-r9-390x-fiji-xt-may-feature-4096-sps-extreme-memory-bandwidth/

[PZ]

Thanks for that link, GKID  :-X

That gives me something new to look forward to  >:D

[OWGKID]

 :-X :) >:D

[Binnatics]

Guts feeling keeps me from advising any AMD GPU's. I think the GTX980 is the one to aim for. But as long as you keep aiming, PZ, you don't hit sh*t :-D

I'd say your gameplay could use a proper PC boost, so maybe you'd pick a nice system already and enjoy. The list of desires (GPU, SSD for OS and TB space sounds as a good start. Why not visit a local hardware store and have them set the right stuff together? I agree on the alienware idea. You pay for the name, not for the quality, although it has quality.

Anyway, when will we be seeing your new RIG specs?

[Stiku]

My gut says otherwise. 

nVidia trackrecord:
- Drivers that destroy your card, and trying to cover this up, and lying about it too.
- 970 fiasco
- FX 5900/50 series card
- Driver stability since Vista

Just to sink this in real nicely, millions of flies cant be wrong, eat...  >:D

[PZ]

Anyway, when will we be seeing your new RIG specs?

I think I posted this somewhere else, but this is the rig I was considering: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227591

[Art Blade]

This is what Binnatics said about that rig :-()

First, I think it's a very good rig. The name says it all ^-^

Water cooling must deliver very good cooling, which is always good.But I just read a review about water cooling that it is not very quiet compared to air cooling systems. Well, on load it won't bother, first of all because the difference to air cooling disappears, but second of all because you will have gaming audio that occupies your eardrums ^-^
But on idle it is quite noizy with its pumps running, compared to a good air cooling system.

Which doesn't mean that I would advice you to buy air cooling, but just to let you know. I think that my next future rig will also have some sort of water cooling in it. I like the concept, and it delivers great cooling power ;)

[PZ]

 :-()

[OWGKID]

I'd recommend to build your own ;) Much cheaper than pre-builds. Btw, I think the processor is overkill, an i5-4690K will be better if you're going to game only. ;) I'd like to ask the guys at r/buildapcforme, but I need you to answer those questions:

• What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.
• What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?
• When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
• What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)
• Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?
• If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.
• Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?
  
• Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
• Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
• Do you need a copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference for one or the other?
• Extra info or particulars

[Stiku]

I would like to know why would that CPU be an overkill from a gaming point of view?  :knockout

[OWGKID]

The i7s have hyperthreading which video games doesn't utilize/benefit from for now. But, they are very useful if you'd like to do video editing and other tasks which can utilize hyperthreading. I have an i7-4770K (doing video editing), but I would choose an i5 if I would do gaming only.

In the future, things may change so games may utilize hyperthreading ;)

[PZ]

Thanks GKID - I appreciate the trouble you are going to  :-X - I built my current gaming rig, so I do not have a problem getting it done as long as all the parts fit  :-()

I'll be doing w@&k at home as well as gaming, so the i7 is a better choice for me.  My wife and I both have Surface Pro 3 machines - hers is an i5 and I opted for the i7 and am glad I did.  I use MS office programs on it and record all screen activity simultaneously using Camtasia Studio - will likely do the same on the new box. I answered the questions in bold below:

I'd recommend to build your own ;) Much cheaper than pre-builds. Btw, I think the processor is overkill, an i5-4690K will be better if you're going to game only. ;) I'd like to ask the guys at r/buildapcforme, but I need you to answer those questions:

• What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using. High end games mostly, but video capture, Office, and rendering as well.
• What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes? I'd like to keep it at around $2k
• When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy. Not sure here - likely within the next few weeks would be reasonable
• What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? Just the tower(Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)
• Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location? Idaho, USA - no microcenter
• If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated. I'll re-use the current monitor - standard widescreen 1080p, Logitech G15 wired gaming keyboard and mouse
• Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU? I'll not over-clock
  
• Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc) Definitely an SSD for the OS and perhaps the more demanding games -250 GB or so.  Then a TB or two of HD should do fine - I've network storage for general data files
• Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components? No preference really, I rarely look at the thing :-()
• Do you need a copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference for one or the other? W10 would be nice - might actually wait to do the build until it becomes available.  I like W8.1, but prefer the old interface, which 10 is said to bring back
• Extra info or particulars Probably the most important feature other than the power of the build is quiet as possible, so some kind of liquid cooling, or whatever is available to make it quiet. I made the mistake of purchasing a local server with loud fan noise, and the thing drove me so crazy I hardly fire it up.

[OWGKID]

http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcforme/comments/2yoy8a/a_friend_of_mine_wants_to_build_a_new_rig_from/


Here is the whole thread from r/buildapcforme.

[Stiku]

The i7s have hyperthreading which video games doesn't utilize/benefit from for now. But, they are very useful if you'd like to do video editing and other tasks which can utilize hyperthreading. I have an i7-4770K (doing video editing), but I would choose an i5 if I would do gaming only.

In the future, things may change so games may utilize hyperthreading ;)

Just a suggestion, read the press releases of MS DX12 and whitepapers on AMD Mantle.

[OWGKID]

Yeah, I checked it out. Apparently, DX12 will enable multi-threading support and offer a low-level API similar to Mantle. Seems like i7s will not be a "bad" choice for gaming anymore :-() ;)

[PZ]

Thanks for all your w@&k on this, GKID +1  :-X

Looks like both are good builds - I was surprised to discover that liquid cooling is noisy - definitely will want to keep it more quiet.

[OWGKID]

Most of the noice comes from the fluid IIRC ;) I am using a Hyper 212 EVO aircooler. Most of the noice in my PC comes from the GPU. The fans in the cabinet is quiet.

[PZ]

What do you guys think of this monitor?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0AJ2NA4648

I've not installed an OS in a while - do I need an optical drive or can I just install from a network drive?

[OWGKID]

You can download it as an .iso file (from Microsoft's webpage) and put it on an USB stick. EDIT: You can, but it is more complicated so you can either mount your old DVD drive into your PC. The monitor seems very good. 1080p+144Hz is a good combo with the GTX 980. I can RUN FAR CRY 2 at 1080p/144fps @ Ultra with my MSI R9 290 :-D Alternatively, you can go for a 1440p monitor.