Which of the 2 desktops are better?

[Aaronchu522 1]

I've been wanting to buy a desktop for awhile, and I've narrowed my results to these 2 desktops. I'm looking for them to run ArmA 3 at high (not ultra) settings and to run BF3 at the same settings as ArmA 3.

First one: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/cyberpowerpc-cyberpowerpc-gamer-extreme-gaming-pc-intel-core-i7-3770k-2tb-hdd-8gb-ram-windows-8-english-gxi470/10228088.aspx?path=c1888aec5be97bfa7703c4c088c934aben02&SearchPageIndex=1

Second: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227441

If you have any better desktops you'd suggest me, free feel to do so. I'm looking for one under $1000.'

So which one of the 2 are better for games with really good graphics?

[rowdied 44]

Both systems aren't bad but you will need to upgrade your video card as both are really not that great.

Where abouts are you located in Canada?

[Aaronchu522 1]

Both systems aren't bad but you will need to upgrade your video card as both are really not that great.

Where abouts are you located in Canada?

In Vancouver, BC

How do you upgrade your video card? Not good with this stuff.

[FallujahMedic -FM- 866]

I dont see anything wrong with the video card (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB ). I base this on the fact that until recently I had an old GTS 240 and it was easily able to run everything on high. The only difficulty I ever encountered was on Chernarus with lots of objects while running FRAPS. Unfortunately, myself included, base "good card" on personal experience. Also, I think you could do better that $800 for that setup. I'm currently in the UK and have been looking at the same basic setup for about £330 ~$510 Canadian. Ours also include VAT which makes it a bit pricier.

Also, http://www.wikihow.com/Change-a-Graphics-Card

[Fuse 1]

They both have drawbacks, as prebuilt deals often do, so both would need a part or two changed out. Personally I think the iBuyPower is a better starting point, there aren't any parts that jump out immediately as needing to be replaced but it is short on storage. An SSD would be a great addition and they are reasonably priced at the size you would need. The i5 is going to be plenty for anything you do, and the i7 won't be fully utilized for gaming. I could be missing it, but I don't see the motherboard listed on the CyberPower machine, and that makes me very wary. Finally, I prefer Geforce GPUs over AMD. My reasoning is that GeForce has a bigger market share and more frequently gets the "Powered By Nvidia" deals which allow them to better optimize their drivers for new games. It's not a big deal, but as a gamer I prefer to go with the most common types of hardware as that is what games are typically tested on.

Both still seem a bit pricey to me, but I always build my own PCs. I know it's daunting, but if you have anyone who you could bribe to help you with the build then DIY is the way to go. Picking parts is pretty easy with the help of forum users (Tom's Hardware forums are a gold mine, though I don't always agree with the hive mind there), and installing is pretty much "Plug A in to B. Repeat 50 times." You will want someone with experience to be standing by if something goes wrong. I'd say about half my builds have one dead part in them on first try, usually a stick of RAM. Troubleshooting is typically easy and replacement quick and painless, but if it's your first time then you probably won't even know where to start if it doesn't boot on the first try. Forums can help here as well, but it's less convenient if you have to wait for an answer while your new PC sits there like a brick.

The pros of building your own PC are practically innumerable. You will get a lot more bang for your buck, you can build exactly what you need straight off the bat (all reasonably priced prebuilts have something they skimp on that needs to be replaced), and after you've done it once it really is a lot easier. It's kind of like car maintenance: it may seem daunting if you were never taught, but a day or two of effort will lead to a lifetime of savings.

[Aaronchu522 1]

They both have drawbacks, as prebuilt deals often do, so both would need a part or two changed out. Personally I think the iBuyPower is a better starting point, there aren't any parts that jump out immediately as needing to be replaced but it is short on storage. An SSD would be a great addition and they are reasonably priced at the size you would need. The i5 is going to be plenty for anything you do, and the i7 won't be fully utilized for gaming. I could be missing it, but I don't see the motherboard listed on the CyberPower machine, and that makes me very wary. Finally, I prefer Geforce GPUs over AMD. My reasoning is that GeForce has a bigger market share and more frequently gets the "Powered By Nvidia" deals which allow them to better optimize their drivers for new games. It's not a big deal, but as a gamer I prefer to go with the most common types of hardware as that is what games are typically tested on.

Both still seem a bit pricey to me, but I always build my own PCs. I know it's daunting, but if you have anyone who you could bribe to help you with the build then DIY is the way to go. Picking parts is pretty easy with the help of forum users (Tom's Hardware forums are a gold mine, though I don't always agree with the hive mind there), and installing is pretty much "Plug A in to B. Repeat 50 times." You will want someone with experience to be standing by if something goes wrong. I'd say about half my builds have one dead part in them on first try, usually a stick of RAM. Troubleshooting is typically easy and replacement quick and painless, but if it's your first time then you probably won't even know where to start if it doesn't boot on the first try. Forums can help here as well, but it's less convenient if you have to wait for an answer while your new PC sits there like a brick.

The pros of building your own PC are practically innumerable. You will get a lot more bang for your buck, you can build exactly what you need straight off the bat (all reasonably priced prebuilts have something they skimp on that needs to be replaced), and after you've done it once it really is a lot easier. It's kind of like car maintenance: it may seem daunting if you were never taught, but a day or two of effort will lead to a lifetime of savings.

All right, thanks. If I can't find anyone to build it for me, is it a good option to buy parts and have the Geek Squad build it? And will they build computers that have parts that aren't bought from Best Buy?

Also, is it worth it to learn how to build it myself, and about how much time will it take?

Thanks.

[max power 21]

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?87256-PC-Discussion-Thread-II-All-PC-related-discussion-goes-here

Please search before posting a new thread. We have many excellent stickies for you to check out.

I'll leave this discussion going until this last question is answered, then I will close it. In the future a thread that already exists before making a new one.

[Fuse 1]

All right, thanks. If I can't find anyone to build it for me, is it a good option to buy parts and have the Geek Squad build it? And will they build computers that have parts that aren't bought from Best Buy?

Also, is it worth it to learn how to build it myself, and about how much time will it take?

Thanks.

I honestly have no idea if the Geek Squad will build it, but I've heard horror stories about their tech support so I would avoid them. Maybe the Canadian Geek Squad is better, I don't know. haha

It is definitely worth it to build it your self. As I said, after you've put the time in to learn it initially it will save you hundreds of dollars every time you need to upgrade. I don't see computers going away any time soon, so those savings will add up to a lot of money over your lifetime. How long it takes to learn is really hard to answer. I've been tinkering under the hood of PCs since my age was in the single digits and I'm still learning new stuff every day. My first PC was pretty crappy, but it was also a lot harder back then (and I was an idiot).

These days I feel like if you can assemble Ikea furniture you can assemble a PC. I'd spend a couple weeks researching parts, checking what people on one forum say vs the other, stuff like that. Once you know what parts you want (and have posted on a forum making sure they all work well together) the build is just following directions, then plugging in anything that wasn't mentioned specifically in the directions. Everything is pretty much color coded or clearly labeled. You don't need a friend to build it for you, though supervision would be ideal to make sure you don't do something ignorant like build the PC while wearing socks on carpet, but I'm not sure I'd recommend doing it on your own without someone to call if something goes wrong; unless you're the kind of person who can deal with sinking a little time in to trouble shooting without getting frustrated. Like I said, if it doesn't boot the first time you're going to have to go online and look up what to test and how. That sucks if you're just pissed off by the expensive brick sitting on your desk. If you have a friend with a little experience he can tell you, "Ok, start checking the RAM one stick at a time, then we go from there..." It will just make the process a little less painful if something does go wrong and isn't really a big ask... So long as you have someone to ask. :)

Let me try to sum up.

I'd spend a couple of weeks to a month on research (an hour or so a day, don't overload or you'll miss things and it will feel like work), just trying to understand the basics of why people are suggesting the parts. The build will probably take a full evening and then possibly a few hours of trouble shooting if you get a bad part (It just happens. It's a fact of life and is merely a delay, not a major setback). If you do get a bad part it usually doesn't take long to isolate and getting a replacement cross-shipped from a reputable retailer is quick and easy. Once it boots installing Windows and drivers will take maybe two hours tops, depending on updates and your internet.

Whether or not you should do it is really your call. If you're easily frustrated and don't have anyone around to help then I would probably advise going with a pre-built for now, but with the caveat that you should start checking out the basics of PC building in your free time, maybe speculate on what part to upgrade first. When you need to upgrade a part on the pre-built PC you'll have some basic knowledge and it should be a good way of getting your feet wet. If you're the kind of person who enjoys tinkering and don't need the PC right now then take the dive. You've got plenty of time before Arma 3 is done.

Sorry, I tried to keep it succinct but I'm frankly just not very good at that and I didn't want to just say, "Go for it!" and have you regret the decision. I hope I've answered your questions well. If the thread gets locked and you have a question feel free to PM me and I'll try to help. I'd suggest you re-post your initial query in the thread Max linked and also check out the Tom's Hardware forums. That place is usually friendly, always buzzing with activity, and the posters there spend most of their time just reading about PC hardware.

I should probably mention: be sure to buy your parts from reputable vendors. Newegg, Tigerdirect, Microcenter (No idea if you have those in Canda). These types of places sell a ton of hardware for home-built PCs so if you do have a bad part they will get it replaced with a quickness and very little hassle. Their volume also means they often have the best prices. Don't buy parts from stores that are less specialized, such as Best Buy.

I also really like going in to Microcenter because there's always a couple of nerds there loading a cart up with parts for a new build, and the enthusiasm is palpable. :)

Edited March 30, 2013 by Fuse

[Aaronchu522 1]

Thank you so much :)

Going to plan to build one in a year or so, going to be moving into a new house.