Dad wants a PC for gaming

Call Me Jimmy

So my dad wants to get a new PC for gaming that is well capable of playing the latest games but I really don't know what to do. I said it'd probably cost about 2000 yoyos so that would be the most I could spend.

What I need to know is should I simply go onto dell and buy the most pricey stuff or should I be more vigilant. Do you guys have any suggestions on what are the best cards, Nvidia, ATi? Is there anything new out in a couple of weeks that would be worth waiting for?

Basically, if you were buying a new PC now, what would ye do?

I'de appreciate any help from you guys :P

Spear

Do you intend to buy a pre-built machine or build your own?

Call Me Jimmy

Well I sure as hell ain't buildin a PC so yea, looking to get a pre-built one.

the_syco

Look at http://www.komplett.ie/k/cc.aspx?bn=10306 Customize one with a bit more RAM, a better graphics card, and you're set.

Or buy a Dell, and wonder how can you possibly upgrade it, when all the needed slots are missing...

TerrorFirmer

the_syco wrote: »

Or buy a Dell, and wonder how can you possibly upgrade it, when all the needed slots are missing...

What slots would those be? Even the budget Inspiron/Vostro have a full 16x pci-e lane and take a standard ATX power supply.

Anyway, questions:

1) Does that cover just the machine, or is a monitor necessary as well?
2) Is he looking to play games at highest possible settings, or just be able to generally play them well?
3) Seeing as you don't want to build, will this be the sort of machine that requires as long a lifespan as possible rather then upgrading a few months down the line?

Hardwareversand.de will built a machine you specify for you, in which case in terms of higher end gaming you'll get infinitely more value then the likes of Dell or even Komplett. Check out the Budget Builds sticky for examples of machines in various price bands.

Call Me Jimmy

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

What slots would those be? Even the budget Inspiron/Vostro have a full 16x pci-e lane and take a standard ATX power supply.

Anyway, questions:

1) Does that cover just the machine, or is a monitor necessary as well?
2) Is he looking to play games at highest possible settings, or just be able to generally play them well?
3) Seeing as you don't want to build, will this be the sort of machine that requires as long a lifespan as possible rather then upgrading a few months down the line?

Hardwareversand.de will built a machine you specify for you, in which case in terms of higher end gaming you'll get infinitely more value then the likes of Dell or even Komplett. Check out the Budget Builds sticky for examples of machines in various price bands.

To answer your questions
1) He already has a very good monitor so that won't be necessary.
2) I'de say he's looking to play games at highest possible settings.
3) Well he has upgraded before, but I think this one would be looking towards a 2 year + life span.

I'll have a look at those sites, thanks.

Sqaull20

Harwareversand build you a pc for €20 and deliver for €30, they also install the software for €35 ( you can do this yourself very easy )

You can get a top class pc that will play every game for a steal on that site..

Example Quad Core 2.66ghz, 2 x 8800gt etc for €1070 delivered



Check out this thread for more ideas, you can get a very good gaming pc for as low as €450

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055278463

How big is your dads monitor?

Call Me Jimmy

Thanks for that, would that thing above be close to the best ye can get at this point?
His current monitor is something like a 30 inch dell (maybe more) so he's sorted for that.

jonny72

I'd say pay the 35 euro to get the software installed, because it means you can literally just turn the PC on when you get it and its good insurance against a possible bad build (I think I've heard of one or two bad builds from Hardwareversand.de)

That system that squall posted with the 2 x 8800GT will run any game at the highest settings

You really wouldn't get a similar system from dell without the whole thing costing 3 or 4 times the price.

There are slightly better graphics cards, but you have to remember that you don't want the whole PC sounding like a hoover.

If hes gonna be gaming, get a good gaming mouse (logitech) and mousemat (steelpad), headphones, speakers, etc.

TerrorFirmer

His current monitor is something like a 30 inch dell (maybe more) so he's sorted for that.

Christ on a bike...you're going to need serious horsepower to drive games at that resolution. No wonder your initial budget was 2k.

8800GT Sli will not cut it - you're looking, at least, at 9800GTX Sli or a single 9800GX2 at that resolution.

This would be one of those rare cases where 9800GX2 Sli is actually somewhat feasible though the single GX2 should suffice for most games. If he wanted to play Crysis at very high settings on that monitor, you would need GX2 Sli.

Jesus...my dad couldn't even play minesweeper.

Call Me Jimmy

Ok so this is the exact card yer talkin bout?

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=20955&agid=707

So if I used squall20's list of stuff except swapping in the 9800GX2 would that be enough as you say to power the new games on top settings on a big monitor?

TerrorFirmer

Yeah Squall's build looks pretty good to me. Though with a monitor that huge, Sli is an option for the future, so it might be worthwhile investing in a more powerful PSU - don't get me wrong, it's a rock solid supply, but powering 2 GX2's is quite a task and a 1kw psu is generally recommended. 95% of users would never need that much power, but with a 30" monitor, everything is going to cost much more.

A single GX2 is sufficient for any game at 2560x1600 though, bar Crysis, but that's a real exception at the moment, so it's not a necessity to get a new supply...just a though if your dad wants to add a second card for Sli later. I guess it depends on exactly what your dad wants and how he views his hardware...if he wants to save money whilst stilling having awesome performance, then the machine above with a GX2 is great, if he wants to play everything at 2560x1600 with piles of AA/AF and squeeze every penny out of his budget, then GX2 sli will blow him away and will be, literally, about as powerful as a gaming machine can get in practical terms.

As for the GX2...that's the card, but you've picked a very expensive one. Just get the cheapest one to be honest, which is over 100 euro cheaper then the XFX one.

Call Me Jimmy

I see... tbh I'de say he want to be able to get the most he possibly can at the moment but i'll be talkin to him in a bit and I can gauge his opinion more accurately.

BTW I've done a couple of searches on hardwareversand for a gx2 sli and can't find one

I really appreciate all the advise though, thanks.

TerrorFirmer

Gx2 Sli is 2 9800GX2 cards - not a single card. Sli is running two cards together...:)

I honestly think that taking away the 2x8800GT and adding a single GX2 is adequate, unless your dad really likes to play everything at high settings on his ridiculously large monitor with AA and AF added on top...you can always add a second one later if he feels he needs it. The only reason I even mentioned it in fact is that anyone who has a 30" monitor must be serious about their hardware

witnessmenow

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

The only reason I even mentioned it in fact is that anyone who has a 30" monitor must be serious about their hardware

Or/And has a serious bank balance

Call Me Jimmy

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Gx2 Sli is 2 9800GX2 cards - not a single card. Sli is running two cards together...:)

I honestly think that taking away the 2x8800GT and adding a single GX2 is adequate, unless your dad really likes to play everything at high settings on his ridiculously large monitor with AA and AF added on top...you can always add a second one later if he feels he needs it. The only reason I even mentioned it in fact is that anyone who has a 30" monitor must be serious about their hardware

hmmmm lol I'll ask him but I have an idea he'll say he wants to play everything at high settings on his ridiculously large monitor with AA and AF added on top :P So in that case i'de just order what squall has there but 2 9800GX2 cards and maybe a better processor?

TerrorFirmer

Ideally you'd want to be looking at a good 1Kw power supply as well, if you opt for the 2 GX2s....Processor is OK, video card is far more important, though if needs be it's completely effortless to do a basic overclock of a few hundred mhz.

I cannot stress enough that 2 GX2's is absolutely insane, and really is only necessary if he is a total graphics whore (sorry to refer to your dad like that ); a single GX2 will still play pretty much any game at 2560x1600 without too much difficulty. Not to mention, at that resolution, the need for AA is negligible, and AF doesn't incur any significant performance hit.

So in summary, I'd actually think about dropping the GX2 Sli, sticking with the exact same build Squall has but just opting for the GX2 (a single one) instead. Worst comes to worst, he can always buy another one later on if he really feels the necessity...

Sqaull20

Agree with Terror, the Corsair 750watt is a very nice, powerful psu good enough for 99% of gaming rigs, but with SLI'd Gx2 you should go for a solid 850W at the very least, 1kw to be safe.

I had the 9800gx2 for a few days and while its a great card, its in no way worth €430, it was a nice bit slower than the 2 x 8800gtx's I have when I played the games @ 1920 by 1080 with AA and all the other effects cranked to the last...

Being able to sli it is nice, but much more practical cards will be released by Nvidia in the summer which should be even faster than the 9800gx2, better of upgrading to them imo...

2 x 8800gts's are just as fast ( if not faster than a 9800gx2 ) and are only €326, I would get them and sell them when Nvidia's/Ati next gen cards come in the summer/ winter...

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/3/articledetail.jsp?aid=20887&agid=554

Corsair 750watt power supply is a steal @ €80 and should be good enough to sli Nvidia's/Ati's next gen single cards, prices might come down on 1000watt plus psu's by then too, as a decent 1k psu is €200, its madness..

As a teaser of whats to come from the next gen cards

http://forums.legitreviews.com/about15370.html

( HD4870 are out this month so maybe wait for a review)

These are great Ati crossfire boards

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/3/articledetail.jsp?aid=18971&agid=659

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/3/articledetail.jsp?aid=20392&agid=659

Sqaull20

Also if your Dad wants the best pc money can buy have a good look at this...

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=54252&cat=8

You cant get a faster pc than that

AlmightyCushion

Sqaull20 wrote: »

As a teaser of whats to come from the next gen cards

http://forums.legitreviews.com/about15370.html

( HD4870 are out this month so maybe wait for a review)

These are great Ati crossfire boards

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/3/articledetail.jsp?aid=18971&agid=659

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/3/articledetail.jsp?aid=20392&agid=659

Well that still hasn't been confirmed yet so that could be bull.

Sqaull20 wrote: »

Also if your Dad wants the best pc money can buy have a good look at this...

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=54252&cat=8

You cant get a faster pc than that

That thing is an absolute beast. Quite a bargain for what you're getting as well.

gamer

I,d prefer a dual core pc,with quad cores you have 2 cores sitting there doing nothing,dual cores easier to keep cool,get pc with single graphics card ,with an ultra quiet fan ,otherwise you,ll end up with a pc thats VERY LOUD.Get 3gig ram ,my advice is winxp is better 4 gaming than vista from the reviews i,ve read on gaming websites.EVEN games like UT3 ,cod4 are optimised 4 dual core pc.ITS handy to get a case that has 2/3 usb and sound out ,slots at the front of the case.AN xbox 360 controller with cable is handy for some pc games,get wired controller, its easy to download an xp 360 controller driver.I think you could easily get a very fast pc dual core for 1000-1200 ,get a large hardrive,at least 500gig, i find ide drives handy cos they don,t need any special drivers .

Call Me Jimmy

It's been great to get so much input, really helpful. I'm wondering about hardwareversande though, they are good guys to deal with? I'm assuming payment is to be made in full before it's delivered? My dad is REALLY cautious about spending large amounts of money online because he's afraid of getting scammed... can any of you guys reassure me (him) that you have had no problems with ze germans?

Nforce

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

... can any of you guys reassure me (him) that you have had no problems with ze germans?

Not for 63 years or so .

Hardwareversand are a very reputable company....many on this site have bought from them without issue.:cool:

AlmightyCushion

Nforce wrote: »

Not for 63 years or so .

Hardwareversand are a very reputable company....many on this site have bought from them without issue.:cool:

What he said. Just take a look at any thread in this forum, chances are theirs a couple of links to hardwareversand in the thread. If it was a scam that wouldn't be the case.

magick

http://www.ankermann-pc.com/en/

best bang per buck

Sqaull20

magick wrote: »

http://www.ankermann-pc.com/en/

best bang per buck

Only one of them is a gaming pc and it doesnt support sli or crossfire, has a cheap psu and memory..

PogMoThoin

I've dealt with Hardwareversand.de and would highly recommend them. Ordered wednesday, did bank transfer on thursday and delivered the following friday. I had a problem where one of the items I ordered, a usb key, did not arrive as the packaging was ripped by Dhl. They shipped me a new one after i signed a declaration and emailed it back to them. Recieved the new one within a week.
I would not however recommend Dhl who Hardwareversand.de use for their shipping. The international shipping tag changed when the item entered Ireland and they could not trace the packages. They also were the cause of the ripped packaging. Very amateur.

Call Me Jimmy

Ok guys my da defo wants the best pc that 2000 euro can buy him. So would it be possible to get a computer with the best graphics card (that geforce one) for that price? Is it possible that any of you could do one of those product listings for me? I am afraid I'll leave something out or get the wrong kilowatt power plug or whatever.

If ye are asking them to build the computer for ye, what happens if you dont specify enough stuff? Like say you didnt put a power adapter in your basket? Ah it's a bit confusing.

skuzzb

Coolermaster Cosmos S ohne Netzteil
204,95 €
ATX-Netzteil Corsair 620W 620 Watt
94,25 €
4096MB-Kit OCZ PC2-8000 ReaperX HPC, CL5
84,39 €
Rechner - Zusammenbau
19,99 € 1
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Box 6144Kb, LGA775, 64bit
254,99 € 1
Club3D 9800GTX, 512MB, NVIDIA Geforce 9800GTX, PCI-Express
228,01 € 1
Samsung SyncMaster 245B, 24", TCO03, 5ms, DVI
The price includes VAT and excludes shipping costs
ready for dispatch 354,99 € 1
Software-Installation
The price includes VAT and excludes shipping costs
ready for dispatch 34,99 € 1
Club3D 9800GTX, 512MB, NVIDIA Geforce 9800GTX, PCI-Express
The price includes VAT and excludes shipping costs
ready for dispatch 228,01 € 1
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit SB-Version
The price includes VAT and excludes shipping costs
ready for dispatch 80,37 € 1
Samsung HD103UJ 1TB 32MB SATA II
The price includes VAT and excludes shipping costs
ready for dispatch 120,99 € 1
Samsung HD103UJ 1TB 32MB SATA II
The price includes VAT and excludes shipping costs
ready for dispatch 120,99 € 1
MSI P7N Zilent, Sockel 775 nForce750i SLI, ATX
The price includes VAT and excludes shipping costs
ready for dispatch 123,50 € 1
LG GGC-H20L bulk schwarz
The price includes VAT and excludes shipping costs
ready for dispatch 105,52 € 1
Sum: 2.055,94 € 1)
Go here http://www1.hardwareversand.de/pcconfigurator.jsp
pick all the bits i have listed there.
If you want to save a couple of quid knock off the blu ray drive or pick a cheaper PC case.
Select the OS you want, theres a box near the end where they install everything for you so tick that.
Enjoy!
(oh and 'Netzteile' means power supply)

TerrorFirmer

Well he's already said he has a 30" monitor, so another is not needed, plus the resolution would be 2560x1600 then. Single GX2 minimum, in my opinion, in fact I'd even get a cheaper case (that one is very expensive) and with the money saved through that and by not getting the monitor, I'd get a second GX2......Also, 64bit Vista. Also need then would be a better power supply, 750w+. If you've 2k to spend, and that monitor to play on, I'd really max out the 2k.

AlmightyCushion

Remove the monitor (he already has one) and get a second graphics card (to power that 30" monster of a monitor).


Edit: Go with what terror said. The antec 900 case is around €80, I'd go for that. Seems to be a great case for the money. Maybe go for a quad core (q6700) as well.