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Buying Desktop

 
Old 08-12-2012 at 08:04 AM   #1
bodiddy
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Buying Desktop
Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone here can help me figure out what kind of desktop I should buy. Right now I have a macbook pro but I no longer want a bulky laptop and would rather have a desktop. I am flying blind here as I know nothing about computers.

I have no preference to apple or pc, from what I understand I can get a pc with the same specs as a mac for less money, or so my friends in eng tell me. The only thing I really would like to do is be able to play games smoothly (currently play SC2, if I got a pc I'd get skyrim in a heartbeat).

Last edited by bodiddy : 08-12-2012 at 08:09 AM.
Old 08-12-2012 at 09:45 AM   #2
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First question,what's your budget?
Old 08-12-2012 at 10:01 AM   #3
bodiddy
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I was hoping about $500-800
Old 08-12-2012 at 10:31 AM   #4
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Custom build or pre-assembled?
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Old 08-12-2012 at 10:55 AM   #5
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Build one yourself or customize one at http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/ or http://www.ibuypower.com
Old 08-12-2012 at 10:55 AM   #6
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I'm a humanities student with no tech background so I guess preassembled would be my only option.

I just want one that can run sc2 and civ 5...every time I play on my current laptop I pray that it doesn't overheat and melt lol
Old 08-12-2012 at 10:56 AM   #7
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What settings do you usually go on sc2? I'm assuming Medium - High is good enough?
Old 08-12-2012 at 10:57 AM   #8
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Thanks Guerilla but I don't have enough knowledge of computer parts to confidentially build my own. I am not even sure what would be necessary.
Old 08-12-2012 at 11:05 AM   #9
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From the sounds of it, just rough balling in my head (not the best knowledgeable person) an i5 core, 8gb ram, insert a power supply, and a tier 2/tier 3 gpu will suffice for your purposes.
Old 08-12-2012 at 11:06 AM   #10
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Med-High is good, preferably high.
Old 08-12-2012 at 11:14 AM   #11
bodiddy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leeoku View Post
From the sounds of it, just rough balling in my head (not the best knowledgeable person) an i5 core, 8gb ram, insert a power supply, and a tier 2/tier 3 gpu will suffice for your purposes.
Thank you for the info, I really appreciate it. I feel foolish for knowing so little
Old 08-12-2012 at 11:15 AM   #12
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http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product... E16883227410 this caught me eye when I took a quick look at newegg, exactly what you need and within your budget (assuming you meant $500-$800 pre taxes)
Old 08-12-2012 at 11:16 AM   #13
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For higher settings just crank out a bit more money for the GPU and maybe abit more on processor to ensure you get those settings without too much stress on your computer. Take note also to get enough stuff for cooling and power consumption.

Edit: the pc posted above seems exactly like what you want. Just maybe a more knowledgeable person about gfx/cpu cores could confirm what will match your wants. Also probably easier/cheaper to find a friend buy the parts and ask them to build it.
Old 08-12-2012 at 11:24 AM   #14
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HD 7750 is absolute garbage. It is even worse than 550ti so prob best for the money is hd 6850/70 or 560ssc/560ti.

I built mine for 800$(tax+shipping) with 965 be, 128gb ssd/1tb hd, 560 ssc
Old 08-12-2012 at 11:34 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Differential View Post
HD 7750 is absolute garbage. It is even worse than 550ti so prob best for the money is hd 6850/70 or 560ssc/560ti.

I built mine for 800$(tax+shipping) with 965 be, 128gb ssd/1tb hd, 560 ssc
going to be near impossible to find a built rig with 6850/70 or 560 with a sub $800 budget



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