New computer advice...

[Quest4Less]

Looking to upgrade... Do I build my own, buy off the shelf...?

Mainly want SPEED, MEMORY and GRAPHICS so I can play games and on-line stuff....

 

[Cobster]

Make your own build, "on-line stuff" eh?
What was it that you mainly wanted, couldn't see past the CAPITALS. =)

 

[blackplumseason]

what are your specs?

 

[vavog]

ASN if right.. building your own these days doesn't save you much unless you have spare parts to reuse. And if you want a legal OS, then building your own may actually cost you more.

That being said, if you're looking for a real gaming machine (http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=570_7_121), you likely have to build your own anyway cause they aren't normally available in the big box stores.

 

[Quest4Less]

I don't really have any specs in mind. I think I would prefer to buy 'off the shelf' and just unpack it and plug it in. I started playing some on-line games recently and discovered my current laptop is not quite up to it. Thinking of desktop this time - with all the 'bells and whistles' available.... Need a good monitor too....

 

[Cassini]

I don't really have any specs in mind. I think I would prefer to buy 'off the shelf' and just unpack it and plug it in. I started playing some on-line games recently and discovered my current laptop is not quite up to it. Thinking of desktop this time - with all the 'bells and whistles' available.... Need a good monitor too....

For both desktop and laptops, gaming is about the video cards. Look for a good Nvidia or ATI/AMD card. The 5850 and 5870 video cards from AMD are quite impressive for many titles, and are not that expensive. A top of the line Intel Core i7 processor upgrade can cost over $1000, and it will not make anywhere near the difference in system speed a good video card (or two) does for gaming applications.

 

[Cobster]

I'm not a big gamer at all but I'm curious do most games requires SLI based systems these days?
Because my system which has a single video card Evga8800 (something like that lol) could handle most games 3 years ago, even up to a year ago and today.
I always thought that SLI systems were just a big money grab by game manufacturers and card makers, but like I said, I'm not a heavy gamer at all - but photoshop is a different story.

 

[trod]

The 8800GT is one of the greatest cards in history but I guess its age is now showing with high resolution gaming the norm.

Depending on the budget here is my recommendation for a video card upgrade. It'd be nice to know what PSU you have because its critical that it can support the video card welll.

For 200$ or less - ATI 5770

For 250$ - Nvidia GTX 460 1 GB version

For 300$ - ATI 5850

For 400$+ - ATI 5870

 

[Cobster]

That's the one I have, 8800gt - forgot the specifics because I'm not using my comp right now.

For $400+ you'd recommend ATI over Nvidia? How come?

 

[bassnut]

The ATI 5*** cards are the i7 of video cards NVidea dosn't come close with thier cards though they are trying and will close the gap in time I am sure. DirectX 11 comaptible and capable of a full 1080p resolution over 3 moniters.

 

[Cassini]

I'm not a big gamer at all but I'm curious do most games requires SLI based systems these days?

I would go with a single ATI 58xx series card. They give pretty almost as much performance as you can easily get with a single card.

However, there are always those that want the "ultimate". It is even possible to hook up two 5970 cards in cross-fire, and make Crysis run quickly (above 60 frames per second at 1920x1200), and at 45 frames per second at 2560x1600.

For the average user who simply wants their computer to respond quickly in a variety of games, the 58xx series works well.

 

[blackplumseason]

i meant what are the specs for your current computer. for your purposes, i assume you will want to upgrade the video card and perhaps processor. however, depending on how big the jump, psu, ram, and casing might come into the equation, maybe even the mobos though unlikely. how big is your budget and how heavy gaming are we talking about?

 

[Quest4Less]

I was thinking 2 - 3 k.... mostly stuff like WOW and the like....

 

[Wallstreet]

There is only one computer out right now that far exceeds any other, I don't care what anyone says but it is the best.

the macbook pro

the keyboard, screen, and touchpad are top in the business, excellent inter phase. trust me.