Best Pre-built gaming pc for Skyrim + mods

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Yves Petterson

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Oct 26, 2014
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My son's wish was to get a gaming pc for christmas, he has proven himself (in school, and socially) that he is worthy of the master race. What Pre - built Pc (1000-1500$) will have all the necessary things to run games like Skyrim flawlessly? I'm aware of mods, but he is a smart kid, he can do that himself. This present should also be capable of running up and coming games like far cry 4 flawlessly. If possible 3-4 hard drives should be included so that he can organize school, music, art and games on there seperately with enough space for each category. Help me make my son's christmas the best one yet!
 
Solution
Shneiky
You have several options. An easy one is to get a prebuild PC and add hard drives if needed.

These are 2 good examples.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Zeus_EVO_Thunder_2000_SE/

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Intel-Paladin-i7-Special

You can always get them through a custom configuration from the websites. What I would recommend is:
-GTX 970
-16 GB of RAM. Frequency is not that important, since the increased latency with the frequency almoust counters it out.
-I7 preferably, for system longevity. I5 if budget is not enough.

Post any more questions here.
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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I would base the computer on these specs:

1) GTX970 graphics card

2) i5-4xxx CPU (like i5-4690K)

3) 8GB of DDR3 memory

4) Windows 8.1 64-bit

Those are the core specs. I'd also get Start8 for $5 from Stardock to bring back the Start Menu that configure to boot directly to the traditional desktop (you can Google for how).

*You may wish to BUILD a system. It's not as hard as you might think. You can also do it with your son for some bonding time, and you can build a cheaper system as well.

No need for 3-4 hard drives right off the bat. I suggest:
a) 120GB SSD for Windows/apps, and
b) 3TB HDD for storage, steam games etc.

He can just put a separate FOLDER for each topic on the hard drive. No need for a separate drive.

You can "build" a system here (USA link):
http://pcpartpicker.com/

I'll make one and link it below.
 
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Shneiky

Shneiky

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Aug 21, 2011
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You have several options. An easy one is to get a prebuild PC and add hard drives if needed.

These are 2 good examples.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Zeus_EVO_Thunder_2000_SE/

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Intel-Paladin-i7-Special

You can always get them through a custom configuration from the websites. What I would recommend is:
-GTX 970
-16 GB of RAM. Frequency is not that important, since the increased latency with the frequency almoust counters it out.
-I7 preferably, for system longevity. I5 if budget is not enough.

Post any more questions here.
 
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Solution
photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3ztZqs

This build is pretty explanatory. The CASE can be any compatible one you want though choose good quality with at least one fan, preferably two. You may or may not want a WINDOW on the side either.

I put a BluRay writer in the build, and a 250GB SSD obviously as it was only $100 versus $60 for a 120GB.

The MSI GTX970 gaming 4G card can turn off the fans, so with the excellent Noctua cooler if you setup your fan control properly your computer should be INAUDIBLE under idle/normal usage and very quiet when gaming.

Here's a benchmark average of modern games to compare graphics cards. The newer GTX970 has an MFAA feature not yet available in a driver update but will allow anti-aliasing at less of a performance hit. You can review the new features of this card if you want but it's really the best card to get hands down.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_970_STRIX_OC/25.html

(again I'm recommending the MSI GAMING 4G version which is likely on back order. You can use the iGPU in the i5 CPU however while you wait. Not the best gaming but you don't have to wait to build the system at least.)
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Thanks, but if you actually read my first response I was aware of that and suggested he consider building his own with his son. Don't just skim my comment or ignore it before responding.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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*I went to Cyberpower and the link I got above showed a $1575 build (from the link above), but when I looked around I found a system that seemed to be identical for $1350 so perhaps I missed something?

The case, keyboard and mouse were different but otherwise I think everything else was the same so that's an odd price difference.

THIS for a pre-built looks pretty good: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gamer_Xtreme_3000/

It's better in some ways than my system for the same price and appears to have:
- i7-4790K
- GTX970 (not sure which one)
- 16GB DDR3 memory

- Bluray player
- keyboard/mouse (no monitor)

I still have a bit of an issue with pre-builts as they can be a hassle if you have problems (waiting for it to be returned) but in terms of specs this looks pretty good if accurate.
 
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