Need help building/buying an online gaming pc

computernewbie12 · Nov 6, 2013

I'm looking to buy a PC to mainly play MMORPGs, so I was wondering what would be the cheapest route to go and still be an effective game PC? Some people have told me that building your own computer is the best and most cost effective way to go, but I have no clue how to put together a computer, let alone buy the hardware/software to do it. If I did end up building my own, is it even possible for someone who doesn't know much about computers to do it?

smorizio · Nov 6, 2013

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YoIP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YoIP/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YoIP/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.65 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208DB/BEBET DVD/CD Writer ($21.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $640.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-06 16:49 EST-0500)

Eximo · Nov 6, 2013

MMOs generally don't use a lot of GPU power, but do require decent CPUs. Precisely what games did you have in mind and what is your budget.

smorizio · Nov 6, 2013

if the company that building uses this or the 8350 you should be fine.or you can use an intel cpu and a h87 mb and a good gpu for a base gaming system.

Eximo · Nov 6, 2013

Probably too much information to absorb, and offering a build without an OS isn't ideal. I try to avoid Microcenter unless the person specifies they live near one, those are pick up only sales.

There are many store bought computers that will meet most needs. You get an operating system and a warranty included basically. Building it yourself means higher quality components, but you lose out on the warranty and have to buy the operating system. On the low-end of hardware, this can negate the benefits of building it yourself. The more you spend the more it makes sense to build it yourself.

500-600 dollars is a toss up between buying OEM and building. $750 and up and it begins to make more sense to do it yourself.

computernewbie12 · Nov 6, 2013

@Eximo
I'm mainly going to play Guild Wars 2 and Star Wars The Old Republic, their minimum required specs are:
Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or better
Intel® Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Core i3 OR AMD Athlon 64 X2, or better
2 GB RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI X1800, Intel HD 3000, or better (256 MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)
25 GB available HDD space

and

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or better
Operating System:
Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later
RAM:

Windows XP: 1.5GB RAM
Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB RAM
Note: PCs using a built-in graphical chipset are recommended to have 2GB of RAM.

Star Wars: The Old Republic requires a video card that has a minimum of 256MB of on-board RAM as well as support for Shader 3.0 or better. Examples include:

ATI X1800 or better
nVidia 7800 or better
Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better
DVD-ROM drive ﾖ 8x speed or better (required for installation from physical editions only) Internet connection required to play.

Honestly, I just want the computer to be able to run smooth in general and not lag while I'm playing (my internet connection is good).

Eximo · Nov 6, 2013

Here are a few boutique builder options.

Fairly close to the build listed above, less GPU horsepower:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229437

APU computer (CPU/GPU on one chip, you can add a video card later if you need more oomph)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227508

Don't like listing this one since it is a bit of a compromise. Adequate Quad core CPU with the better GPU out of the pre-builts listed above.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/desktop-8gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive/6979787.p?id=1218818468711&skuId=6979787&st=pcmcat287600050002_categoryid$abcat0501000&cp=1&lp=15

Here is a decent build, OS included, and a fairly powerful GPU. From only Amazon and Newegg. It is more expensive to go with just one of them.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YqcF
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YqcF/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YqcF/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($77.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A55M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.75 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.59 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 1GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.72 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($67.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $513.02
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-06 17:36 EST-0500)

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