(Relatively) Good Gaming computer for under 1000$

[Skyler4856]

I would like a nice gaming computer for games like Minecraft and KSP. Suggestions?

[TechnicalK3rbal]

Wow. I got a 350$ HP pavilion a while back, a 70$ grahpcs card, and it runs better than most "gaming" computers of people here on the forums...Don't just limit your search to "gaming" computers!

[ZetaX]

To claim that a $350 laptop competes with a dedicated modern gaming PC is just... wrong. What are you basing this on¿

To answer the actual question, you should first figure out of it is going to be a laptop (portable, lower energy consumption) or a desktop (easier to swap parts, much cheaper per power if peripherals are already there).

[Kerbin Dallas Multipass]

If you want a desktop computer: Order the parts and build it yourself.

[TechnicalK3rbal]

To claim that a $350 laptop competes with a dedicated modern gaming PC is just... wrong. What are you basing this on¿

To answer the actual question, you should first figure out of it is going to be a laptop (portable, lower energy consumption) or a desktop (easier to swap parts, much cheaper per power if peripherals are already there).

1. its not a laptop

2. It isn't used for much else.

3.its not

just... wrong

, its right.

Plus it was ~30% off when I bought it.

[tetryds]

My rig, under 1000$ at the begin of 2013:

Processor: AMD FX-8150

GPU: GTX 660Ti SC Gigabyte

Mobo: ASUS M5A99X EVO R2.0

Ram: 8GB Single 1333MHz (which i overclock carelessy)

PSU: 600W Real

HDD: 1TB Seagate 7400rpm

SSD: Nope.

Case: Cheap one with DVD reader and writer.

Runs BF4 at ultra without issues, usually above 40fps.

By now i guess you can pick a GTX760 and an i5

[ZetaX]

What I know by the name of Pavilion by HP is a laptop. So post specs or whatever, you can't just throw in a name and expect me to know the details. That it is not used for much else doesn't make it competitive.

[codepants]

1. its not a laptop

2. It isn't used for much else.

3.its not , its right.

Plus it was ~30% off when I bought it.

I'm curious what *exactly* you're comparing to. If a computer older then ~1-2 years, absolutely. If a "gaming rig" built in the last year, I want benchmarks.

[tavert]

Do you want to build it yourself, or buy from a manufacturer? Does $1k include peripherals like keyboard/display/mouse, or not?

[Nuke]

most of my builds come in around $900. all of them play games well.

of course i do recycle cases, psus, monitors, drives, peripherals and sometimes video cards.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Nuke

[Firov]

Wow. I got a 350$ HP pavilion a while back, a 70$ grahpcs card, and it runs better than most "gaming" computers of people here on the forums...Don't just limit your search to "gaming" computers!

While I'm pleased that your system performs well enough to meet your expectations, it's factually inaccurate to claim that it outperforms dedicated gaming systems, which usually which have ~150 to 400 dollar CPUs and GPUs and a complementary amount of RAM, unless you're talking about extremely old gaming systems. In which case, it's not exactly a fair comparison.

[3_bit]

I built a whole new machine for $1,500-ish, but I did overpay. I used some server-class high performance HDDs and other things... I had built one 2 years ago, but I really had no idea what I was doing then.

Since this build is for $1,000, Intel is not your best option. Intel is your best option if you have a high budget ($1,500+) or if processing power is what you really need.

Since this isn't a high-budget build (by my terms) I'd suggest the AMD FX-8350. It's easily overclockable, features 8 cores, and is actually has one of the best power:price ratios of any medium-high end processor on the market today. It's $200 at most places right now.

As far as graphics goes, AMD recently released their new R7 and R9 series lines back in November. I picked up the R9-280X which cost me $300. I suggest the Radeon HD 7870, which costs $190. This has a pretty good power:price ratio (according to benchmarks) and is likely being phased out to an extent due to the new line, so that should drop a bit more.

In the end, though, it really depends on what you're going for. If you want a 1,000 part ship to run on 4x time acceleration, go with Intel's flagship i7, and a lower-end graphics card. Perhaps you're tired of seeing polygons in higher-end games and want to dump more money into graphics.

Here's how I see it:

$300- PSU, Case, RAM, HDD, Motherboard (if you get the right ones)

$600- Processor/Graphics Card. Balance these however you want.

$100- Windows 7/8 (Or transfer it elsewhere if you're using Linux!)

[Nuke]

the only real difference between a gaming rig and any other computer is the cost of the video card. you may also have some things overclocked, especially memory, but that doesn't really give you that much extra. you can easily sink a couple thousand for an extra 10% on your bench marks.

[minerman30]

Here:

[ZetaX]

Since this build is for $1,000, Intel is not your best option. Intel is your best option if you have a high budget ($1,500+) or if processing power is what you really need.

Since this isn't a high-budget build (by my terms) I'd suggest the AMD FX-8350. It's easily overclockable, features 8 cores, and is actually has one of the best power:price ratios of any medium-high end processor on the market today.

Intel's i5-cores are about the same price range and have significant better performance per core (but only has 4), which for almost all games is more relevant. In the end, it turns down to what exactly you use it for, though.

[Shuttle]

I would like a nice gaming computer for games like Minecraft and KSP. Suggestions?

KSP uses only one core so you need a processor with good performance per core. Like ZetaX said,

Intel's i5-cores are about the same price range and have significant better performance per core (but only has 4), which for almost all games is more relevant. In the end, it turns down to what exactly you use it for, though.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested/2

If the 7-zip benchmark is the best case scenario for AMD, Mozilla's Kraken test is among the worst. Largely dominated by single threaded performance, the FX-8350 is significantly slower than a Core i3 3220. Only Intel's old Core i7 920 is slower here, and that's a chip that debuted in 2008.

So, I would choose 4-core Intel Haswell + mid-range motherboard for ~$100-150 for overclocking + good cooler. Unfortunately, I can't recommend any models because I am still using 2300 - it seems to be more than enough for all games

Edited January 16, 2014 by Shuttle

[Ralathon]

Note that KSP is bottlenecked by the physics which can only run on 1 core due to shoddy programming from the unity guys. So if you want a KSP computer you might be better off getting a CPU with fewer cores but higher clock speeds as opposed to the 8 core multithreading monsters that are the norm today.

[Champ]

My advice : buy a good CPU, and a cheap (25$) video card.

KSP does not need more graphics.

And you can always change the video card when you need it.

[Winter Man]

Buy AMD. What the above chart doesn't compare is price. You'll pay 3 times as much for an Intel processor which performs marginally better in tests.

[Elthy]

I have no ideas how the prices are outside Germany, but if a FX isnt 80$ cheaper than the cheapest Intel Haswell quadcore you should choose Intel, since Minecraft and KSP need high per-core performance. I wont recomend overcklocking if you dont know what you are doing (apparently you dont since you cant build your iwn pc) and it makes stuff more expensive, because you have to buy a unlocked CPU (with a "K" at the end of the Number) and you need a good, expensive cooler, too. But you dont need a expensive mainboard, the chipset is the only important thing, you only need better components if you do extreme overcklocking...

Regarding the GPU: If you dont want to play games like Crysis 3 of Battlefield you are better of with a medium GPU like the R9 270X and you should spend the saved money on a SSD, which improves the loadingtimes of everything installed, including the OS...

[Streetwind]

Couple of points:

- Use a price search engine to look up parts even if you buy a prebuilt system. Sometimes OEMs charge more for an upgrade from part A to part B than part B costs on the open market. In that case, buy the system with part A, buy yourself part B, swap the parts and sell part A on ebay for additional savings.

- For Minecraft and KSP, get an Intel i5 CPU. They're in the sweetspot between singlethreaded performance, future proofing, power draw/cooling requirements and price-performance ratio.

- Don't spend more than $150 on a mainboard.

- Don't buy a videocard for below $100. You'll get ripped off everytime. You either make do with the integrated graphics, or you get a videocard that's actually capable of running a game. There is no sensible middle ground here. $100+ or bust.

- If anyone tries to sell you a "gaming PC" where the videocard is not the most expensive single part, then they're taking you for a fool.

- Don't buy a videocard for over $400 either, you'll get ripped off again. Performance gains in this segment are only worth the price if you have very special usage profiles (Eyefinity etc).

- Don't want a game bundled with your videocard? Get it anyway. Then ebay it.

- 8GB RAM. Not because KSP/Minecraft need it, but because RAM is dead cheap and you will regret taking less. 16 on the other hand is a luxury that you'll struggle to utilize. For speed, choose in the range of 1600 CL9 to 1866 CL10.

- Quality OEMs choose quality power supplies... and so should you, if you build it yourself. Don't try to shave off dollars here.

- Solid state drives are the single biggest system speed increasing factors in this day and age. If at all possible, get at least a 128 GB one for the OS and the most commonly used programs, then toss in a magnetic disk for mass storage. Samsung 840 EVO is a great place to start.

- Don't get suckered into a $100 watercooling kit for your CPU. Unless you overclock hardcore, a quality $40 air cooler will get the job done just as well while being quieter because there won't be a thrumming pump making noise. And if silence isn't your goal, the stock fan will keep you covered for free.

- Don't buy a sound card unless you have quality speakers or headphones (i.e. better than monitor-integrated or that skype headset for $15). But if you do have quality speakers/headphones, do buy a sound card.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Streetwind

[TechnicalK3rbal]

Lots of people start threads about their gaming computers that lag horribly.... And how to fix it.

Many have several cores and KSP isn't multithreaded... And there might be two different models, because it is most definitely not a laptop.

[Dkmdlb]

I've been looking at <$900 computers for KSP and heavy-duty Photoshop. For that price, you get to choose two:

1 - Good CPU

2 - Good GPU

3 - Plenty of RAM

[Nuke]

I've been looking at <$900 computers for KSP and heavy-duty Photoshop. For that price, you get to choose two:

1 - Good CPU

2 - Good GPU

3 - Plenty of RAM

ram is cheap, dont spend over $75. a good cpu will be around $300 (no you dont have to buy the best one, just keep it current gen), a good video card in the $150-$200 range. mobo will be around $100 (get one of those minimalist micro-atx boards, less is more). spend the rest on a cheap case, psu (dont skimp, but dont overbuy either), accessories (fans), storage, any of which can be recycled from your old comp. reuse your monitor and peripherals.

keep in mind that if you want a sexy looking case the size of a bus or a mobo with more stuff than you need, a power supply with a rating more than you need, custom coolers, or an ssd, you are not getting it cheap.

[CaptainGiblets]

My bro just got an alienware X51 while he was away I tested it and it ran smooth and was only 750$ I think