🚀 go-pugleaf

On 1/15/2017 1:05 PM, craigme...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hey guys,
>
> I used to frequent this site quite a bit and then, my computer got old and wouldn't drive any of the games I wanted to play so...I stopped playing.
> Saved up some money now and would like to get a good solid computer.
> Mostly play FPS/ACTION games and I also love to play music on the computer so, a good sound card would be a must.
> I have a newish monitor and a gaming mouse and keyboard so really all I need is the computer itself.
>
> I have around $2500 Canadian to spend and would like something that is reliable and that has a good warranty.  My Dell has had everything replaced once under warranty and now it is making "old man sounds" like it just can't carry on.
> Bottom line...I think I have had enough of replacing things and want to keep away from Dell from now on.
>
> Anyway, just wondering what you guys think.
>
> Came to the source.
>
> Cheers and Happy New Year!
>
> Craig
>

My present PC is one that was homebuilt, but the machine before this one 
was a custom ordered one from AVA Direct that was passed on to a family 
member. That one was built in 2009 and its still functioning like it was 
new. Memory and video card were updated, but everything else is original.

You can customize to your heart's content and their selection of 
hardware is exceptional. They give a decent warranty and its nice to be 
able to call and actually speak to someone if you need help.

I'm  sure there are other companies out there who operate similarly, but 
I really enjoyed what the selection of hardware was and configuring my 
own PC.

D.

On Sun, 15 Jan 2017 10:05:05 -0800 (PST), craigme...@gmail.com
wrote:

>Hey guys,
>
>I used to frequent this site quite a bit and then, my computer got old and wouldn't drive any of the games I wanted to play so...I stopped playing.
>Saved up some money now and would like to get a good solid computer.
>Mostly play FPS/ACTION games and I also love to play music on the computer so, a good sound card would be a must.
>I have a newish monitor and a gaming mouse and keyboard so really all I need is the computer itself.
>
>I have around $2500 Canadian to spend and would like something that is reliable and that has a good warranty.  My Dell has had everything replaced once under warranty and now it is making "old man sounds" like it just can't carry on.
>Bottom line...I think I have had enough of replacing things and want to keep away from Dell from now on.
>
>Anyway, just wondering what you guys think.
>
>Came to the source.
>
>Cheers and Happy New Year!
>
>Craig


*---

I usually build my own or have someone else do it.

Check out the PC Gamer and Maximum PC websites (or magazines).  They
usually have gaming PC comparisons or at least guidelines.

Yes, some of them are outrageously priced.  No need to go that way.

-pw

On Monday, January 16, 2017 at 12:08:03 PM UTC-5, PW wrote:
> On Sun, 15 Jan 2017 10:05:05 -0800 (PST), craigme...@gmail.com
> wrote:
> 
> >Hey guys,
> >
> >I used to frequent this site quite a bit and then, my computer got old and wouldn't drive any of the games I wanted to play so...I stopped playing.
> >Saved up some money now and would like to get a good solid computer.
> >Mostly play FPS/ACTION games and I also love to play music on the computer so, a good sound card would be a must.
> >I have a newish monitor and a gaming mouse and keyboard so really all I need is the computer itself.
> >
> >I have around $2500 Canadian to spend and would like something that is reliable and that has a good warranty.  My Dell has had everything replaced once under warranty and now it is making "old man sounds" like it just can't carry on.
> >Bottom line...I think I have had enough of replacing things and want to keep away from Dell from now on.
> >
> >Anyway, just wondering what you guys think.
> >
> >Came to the source.
> >
> >Cheers and Happy New Year!
> >
> >Craig
> 
> 
> *---
> 
> I usually build my own or have someone else do it.
> 
> Check out the PC Gamer and Maximum PC websites (or magazines).  They
> usually have gaming PC comparisons or at least guidelines.
> 
> Yes, some of them are outrageously priced.  No need to go that way.
> 
> -pw

Thanks PW and DMP

>Thanks PW and DMP

    In the US, and I've always rolled my own, but you might try a site like 
http://pcpartpicker.com
This site has builds with components selected by other people, with 
approximate cost totals.  Then you can compare them with company builds 
(like NCIX's) to see how they compare.

rms 

On Sun, 15 Jan 2017 10:05:05 -0800 (PST), craigme...@gmail.com
wrote:

>Hey guys,
>
>I used to frequent this site quite a bit and then, my computer got old and wouldn't drive any of the games I wanted to play so...I stopped playing.
>Saved up some money now and would like to get a good solid computer.
>Mostly play FPS/ACTION games and I also love to play music on the computer so, a good sound card would be a must.
>I have a newish monitor and a gaming mouse and keyboard so really all I need is the computer itself.
>
>I have around $2500 Canadian to spend and would like something that is reliable and that has a good warranty.  My Dell has had everything replaced once under warranty and now it is making "old man sounds" like it just can't carry on.
>Bottom line...I think I have had enough of replacing things and want to keep away from Dell from now on.
>
>Anyway, just wondering what you guys think.
>
>Came to the source.
>
>Cheers and Happy New Year!
>
>Craig

Build your own from scratch components.  $2500 (or less)  Canadian can
buy you a truly kickass setup.
Look for good CPU.  I chose the best intel  i5. Totally kickass.
Look for GPU.  I chose a good Nvidia 1060 (choose the best iteration).
My opinion is it's best to go for the high side on onboard videocard
memory. Future proof the thing.
I bought 16G good RAM.  Whether that much is needed I very much doubt.
Those choices determine your motherboard - I mean, that'll accomodate
the CPU.
I don't know about sound cards.  A decent MB will have onboard sound
card and all the plug-ins for cords for whatever system.  For myself,
this isn't a worry and I send my sound to a Bose Soundlink 3, which is
the size of book and delivers better sound (in my opinion) than I used
to have with this huge display of subwoofers and so on taking up
ridiculous space.

You should be able to get that with money left over.

On Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:44:15 -0700, "rms"
<rsqui...@MOOyossmanMOO.net> wrote:

>>Thanks PW and DMP
>
>    In the US, and I've always rolled my own, but you might try a site like 
>http://pcpartpicker.com
>This site has builds with components selected by other people, with 
>approximate cost totals.  Then you can compare them with company builds 
>(like NCIX's) to see how they compare.
>
>rms 

I prefer sites like Tom's Hardware, where I mostly look at video card
stats/prices but I also look at other areas.
Rather than sites that focus on people comparing individual "builds"
where the terms focus on idiosyncracies and blinkin colored led lights
and infinite trivia.

The reason is that I think a person should focus on CPU, GPU, RAM, MB,
DISPLAY, with BOX being last, then look at various retailers pricing
and support, to get it together.  By "support" I mean that if a person
has never built a computer from scratch before, will the retailer
build it for them and prove that it works, for a reasonable fee?  Most
retailers can offer that much, as minimum.

<craigme...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Saved up some money now and would like to get a good solid computer.
>Mostly play FPS/ACTION games and I also love to play music on the
>computer so, a good sound card would be a must.

There's no reason to get a separate sound card.  The built in audio
in any motherboard is just as good.  If you want improve the quality
of your audio you be better off getting an external amplifier and some
decent bookshelf speakers.

>I have a newish monitor and a gaming mouse and keyboard so really all I
>need is the computer itself.

What resolution is the monitor?  If it's 1920x1080 (or 1920x1200) then
there's probably not much use in spending more than $1000 or so on a
new computer.  On the other hand if its 4K then $2500 might not be enough.

					Ross Ridge

-- 
 l/  //	  Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
[oo][oo]  rri...@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
-()-/()/  http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~rridge/ 
 db  //	  

On 1/15/2017 10:05 AM, craigme...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hey guys,
>
> I used to frequent this site quite a bit and then, my computer got old and wouldn't drive any of the games I wanted to play so...I stopped playing.
> Saved up some money now and would like to get a good solid computer.
> Mostly play FPS/ACTION games and I also love to play music on the computer so, a good sound card would be a must.
> I have a newish monitor and a gaming mouse and keyboard so really all I need is the computer itself.
>
> I have around $2500 Canadian to spend and would like something that is reliable and that has a good warranty.  My Dell has had everything replaced once under warranty and now it is making "old man sounds" like it just can't carry on.
> Bottom line...I think I have had enough of replacing things and want to keep away from Dell from now on.
>
> Anyway, just wondering what you guys think.

I second build your own.   You don't get the warranty you would with a 
name brand, but frankly you'll save enough that if something does go 
wrong you could replace a part for it far easier and still have money 
left over than you would trying to go through the warranty, and you get 
exactly what you want.

As I just went through the CPU analysis in another thread, it currently 
looks like the best CPU for your buck is the:

i7-4790k, or the i5-4690k which is a bit cheaper and less performing, 
which is what I eneded up with

I'd probably go with an Nvida GTX 1060 for video as the best performance 
per dollar, if you want a bit more going up the 10x0 series looks good, 
up to the 1080 which is about 20% faster for 2x the bucks.  I've usually 
upgraded my GPU every 2 years, so you might want to save some money now 
so you can keep that on the upgrade mill, even a 1080 in a couple years 
will probably be cheap middle of the road.

What you need for video card is really going to depend on your 
monitor(s) too.  If you have a 4k you're going to need better than if 
you're sitting around playing on an old not even HD monitor as I do.

Unless you're doing audio editing I don't see any reason to get anything 
beyond what comes on your mb.  MB manufacturer can make a big 
difference, I'm happy with my new MSI so far.  I've seen Intel boards be 
the most solid in the past, but they tend to have less features and are 
usually more expensive.  I didn't do a lot of research in this area, so 
it's probably something to look at.

The one other thing I'd highly recommend is as big an SSD as you can 
manage, it will be far faster and more stable than a HD.  Even a hybrid 
drive will greatly improve performance if your really need space.

The other stuff doesn't really matter that much, but get a good power 
supply.  I've had issues with cheap ones, and bought a more expensive 
650 around 10 years ago which is still going strong.

Thanks for all the good info guys.
Even if I don't build my own, I know now what to look for in a built model.
Cheers