gaming PC's, where to start?

[mossy]

i got a MSI 15 inch gaming laptop and have been thoroughly enjoying it so far. i am starting to think about getting a gaming PC in a few months instead of a Xbone. only problem is i have no idea where to start. i can run a PC just fine, but i don't think i can build one. so i was hoping there is a good place that can build me a good machine or i can buy one pre built. can some of you experts point me in the right direction for a good gaming machine?

[penguin0123]

PCpartpicker.com

• I would go i5, as virtual cores mean nothing to games.
• Get a Z77 mobo.
• Get the best video card you can afford. If I am cheap everywhere else, I'll put all my money here.
• RAM isn't that important, 8GB should be fine. Make sure to match the voltage to your board.
• Harddrive affects load time, not actual lag. SSD isn't cost effective yet. RAID if you want.
• Get a good fan.

[Brianguy]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8571009&Sku=B69-1745

add more ram, vid card, hard drive, and wait a long *** time for the rebate to come in

[blazeaglory]

i got a MSI 15 inch gaming laptop and have been thoroughly enjoying it so far. i am starting to think about getting a gaming PC in a few months instead of a Xbone. only problem is i have no idea where to start. i can run a PC just fine, but i don't think i can build one. so i was hoping there is a good place that can build me a good machine or i can buy one pre built. can some of you experts point me in the right direction for a good gaming machine?

Dont think you cant build one! If you can put legos together, you can build a PC! Its quite easy actually and with calguns here, you cant go wrong.

Just put the CPU, RAM, HDD, fans (or water cool), optic drives and all the "required" stuff on the motherboard and plug it into the PSU. Update all the drivers FIRST for your mobo, windows and whatever else. THEN after everything has updated, install your GPU and any other goodies. Then install any programs.

Thats what I do anyways and it hasnt screwed me yet. Once you do it, you will love it and want to keep upgrading FOREVER

[castgold]

What games?

[msand951]

Ive been thinking about that myself with the whole ps4 and xbox1 dilemma.
Ive looked up," budget gaming pc 2013" on youtube. Alot of interesting builds. And alot of interesting comments. So far I have this in mind but always adjusting the list. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2bDN4

[vintagearms]

DigitalStorm. Have had one for a few years and has worked perfectly well.

[MontClaire]

alienware laptop would be a good choice. or apple notebook and run fusion for games.

[Wallabing]

Building a PC is incredibly easy. All you do is push things into place, and screw things in with a screwdriver.

Very little you can do to mess up.

[billofrights]

alienware laptop would be a good choice. or apple notebook and run fusion for games.

OP stated he already has a gaming laptop, wants to build a desktop.

Mossy where are you located? I'm sure someone on here would be willing to help you out with the build if you needed it. I would always recommend building over buying a pre-built box, but if you do, don't buy a 'gaming machine.' Just like a 'wedding cake' instantly quadruples the price. Get the best spec'd PC you can with lots of RAM and a decent video card and you're good to go.

[smird]

You need something like this.

[meaty-btz]

I'll take it but only if it is repainted into Luna Mode with black lighting.

[madbeans88]

It is very simple to build a pc, Youtube videos helped me in building mine. Like blazeaglory said its like legos, most places sell bundles at affordable prices too, check out Newegg or Microcenter. Also they sell an Xbox controller adapter for pc, that way you can use the xbox controller on pc games.

[Sentenza]

As everyone noted, the wrenching part is not difficult, plenty of guides and videos on the internet. The hardest part about building a PC is picking out your parts for what you want to do with your rig. I always go by the Ars system guide, and interestingly enough, it was updated recently:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/11/ars-technica-system-guide-november-2013/

[GM_77]

If you are happy with your gaming laptop performance then you could buy a larger monitor, keyboard and mouse and hook it up to the laptop. If you want more performance then you might find someone you know to help you out.