Setting a pc gaming machine

[mr_amazing4]

Hi, I was thinking about going to try PC Gaming and I had a few questions.

1. I was thinking about buying the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 because I wanted to also use it as a laptop/tablet for college as well. I was thinking about specifically buying the Windows 8 Pro
IdeaPad Yoga 13 - 59359494 - Silver Gray because it has a 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3517U Processor( 1.90GHz 1600MHz 4MB), Intel HD Graphics 4000, 8GB Memory, Hard Drive 256GB SSD.
2. I was also wondering whether or not I should get this laptop because I'm not sure if it has a dvd drive and because I heard for PC Gaming you should want like at least a processor with a speed of 2.5GHz.
3. Could I buy a different processor separately that would be at least 2.5GHz and simply use that instead?
4. If the Lenovo IdeaPad 13 isn't strong enough should I just buy a desktop computer with 8GB Memory, 256GB Hard Drive, and with at least 2.5GHz?
5. Is there anything I should need for PC Gaming that I am missing?

 

[Sunius]

If you try PC gaming on a laptop, you will be disappointed, as you will have lost all the benefits of PC games (except mouse support, I guess). That computer will barely run any new games at lowest resolution and settings. It's not made for games.

 

[lordravage]

What you need to do is let us know what kind of budget you have and what you want to be able to do with your computer. Name specifically the games you want to be able to play. A lot of times it is better to get a cheap laptop for general use and have a desktop system for gaming, it turns out to be much better for games and often even cheaper to have 2 systems. If you really want it all to be in a laptop and you have enough of a budget, decide what is important in terms of screen size, weight, and battery life.

What will happen next is a dozen people will all tell you to build your own desktop and will give you a list of parts. If you don't want to build your own, you will have to tell them that 2 or 3 more times, at which point a few will help you find good deals on systems and a few will keep telling you to build one.

Again, what is most important is letting us know exactly how much you want to spend, and as many details as you can about everything you want to do with it. And have fun with PC gaming, it is the best!

 

[mr_amazing4]

Alrighty thanks. I would like to build my own custom my computer. I was hoping to make it less than $2500 or maybe $3000 dollars. The reason I wanted the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga is because I was hoping to just have one computer to make things easier. I would also probably buy a monitor to use when I want to play games. I was hoping to get games like Black Ops 2, Battlefield 3, Starcraft 2 and other similar games and maybe try out Steam as well. The reason why I wasn't very sure with the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga is because its processor isn't very great and I was hoping I could put a different one in there but I'm not sure if that would really work.

 

[lordravage]

If that's your budget, you can definitely get a laptop that will do it all for you.

You can't build a laptop yourself, and there are certainly still arguments for building your own desktop computer for about $1200-$1500 and spending another $500-$1000 on a separate laptop, but there are also very good options in the gaming laptop pantheon.

For example, the Sager NP9170, available from SagerNotebook.com should do everything you want it to. If you throw in a SSD and bump the processor a bit, you still come in around $1800. It is large and you will want to be plugged into the wall while gaming, so if ultraportability is what you want you might need to browse around a bit more.

That said, if you really like the Ideapad, it will do everything you want except play games. It is no good for gaming, and there is nothing you can do to it that will make it much better. The main thing you need for gaming is a powerful graphics card, and you don't usually find a great one in an ultraportable. However, since it only costs $999, you could spend another $1000 to $1500 and build a very capable gaming desktop, including the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers, to go along with it and still be in your budget. It would be better for gaming than the Sager notebook (although probably not by a huge margin, especially if you aren't someone who needs to have the settings all maxed out). It just comes down to what your priorities are.

 

[Sunius]

Hey. Don't worry, $2500 is overkill. You can get you a PC that will handle any game you throw at it at maximum settings for much cheaper. I also agree with lordravage that you should get a nice desktop and a cheap laptop. For example, this one would be a very good option:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($132.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.00 @ Adorama)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($379.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone SST-RL01B-USB 3.0 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1364.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-13 00:14 EST-0500)

It would run circles around any laptop.