decent gaming computer cost? Right now my my laptop is better than my desktop :V

So I'd want atleast an i7 4gb of ram and a nvidia graphics card, not ati. To build from scratch or to buy online, whatever is cheaper.

OR would it be better to just get a new mobo and everything new for my current comp? I say new mobo cus it's a compaq prebuilt and I cant overclock otherwise I'd just do that >.<

~Please use more descriptive titles in the future. Thanks!~
DJ

A decent one would cost from 700+ pre-built. In my opinion is from scratch can cost more then a pre built depending on what you want. But then again you'll be more in touch with your comp if you know whats in it but I hope I helped by the way in my opinion Compaq's fail if you going to get a laptop and you have the cash get a cheap mac. They don't have a lot of game options but they are very powerful laptops.

Ya I was wanting to build a computer for a while now cus it'd be nice to know how and my dad could help me... I alredy have my laptop I got it christams and it was 1500$, I would never get a mac, I'm a gamer not a worker xD. Ya the compaq was like on a deal but like I got a better graphics card for it so it wasnt too bad but now it's just WAYYYY to outdated for the games I play.

dude, well lets see, i did a comp with a nVidia gtx 480 in it with in intel i5 (-$350 than an i7) and i had a decent cooling system and all in it, with a good screen and shit, and also 4gb of RAM with a 1tb hard drive, and over all it costs $1935 try this website: www.ibuypower.com heres a tip: DO NOT GO FOR ALIENWARE, too fukin expensive lol

Alienwares desktops are overpriced, however their laptops are the best in the business. I do really like their case though, if I ever had the cash to build my own PC I'd specially order one of their cases. www.Ibuypower.com is prob the best if your not going to build it yourself.

-Graboy

You can build a pretty beastly rig for one grand.

Lesse here, the hard drive. Around 100 for 1-2 tb.
30 for the dvd drive
100 for the PSU
lets go 80 for the case, since we're on a budget.
And an i5 system, and if you REALLY wanna save, lg 775. For gaming, the gpu is really what matters
So cpu+motherboard. 350-400, let's go with 400. you can find i7 920's for 200 on ebay. Then 200 bucks for the mobo.

Ram, 4 gigs....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...e=&srchInDesc=
So 120 bucks

Let's assume stock coolers, since the i7 ones aren't too shabby. (but if you plan on overclocking, get a good one. I got the h50 for 59 bucks at local best buy, which was a killer deal)

Operating system. Hehe, gray area. Free or 70 bucks with student license. Let's say 70 bucks.


So what are we at so far?

100
30
100
80
400
120
=
830.
That gives us 170 for a graphics card.

I would suggest an ati 5770, but you insist on nvidia. The problem is, there isn't any 400 series for that price (yet). You'd have to go with the gtx 260.
HOWEVER, we can cut down on the cpu+mobo.
I just checked, i7 920 can be had for 225 on ebay, as listed. You can also go for "Or best offer" and probably get it down to 200. Then use bing cashback for 16 bucks back. So we'd be at 184 bucks. Hmmmmm....okay the motherboard isn't gonna go down much.
1366 is just pricier.
If you want to go i5, you can save maybe a 100 bucks. And save another hundred for last gen dual core (probably even more than that). In gaming, a dual core is usually gonna be plenty. TBH, my upgrade to a pricey i7 and quality mobo+ ram only gave me 4-5 extra fps on crysis.

So if you REALLY wanna go low, find these things on ebay. I'm guessing with bing cashback+"obo" and the low prices, you can cut 100-150 bucks off. Then add these to the vid card, for $330 and BAM! gtx 470!!!!

Of course, if the 470 is all you want, then you can go for a smaller hard drive, save 20-30 bucks, rosewill brand psu (haven't had any problems with mine) for maybe 20-40 bucks less, even CHEAPER case. Like the Antec 300. You can find killer deals on those for under 50. So that's another 30-50 off.

If you cut enough corners, then BAM, gtx 480! \o/
All for under 1000

I would just like to say something to add to EVERYTHING that DarkJak just said.

Dont waste another 350$ getting an i7 just get an i5(but make sure that you get a quad-core one not a dual core, the name deceives).

The diffences between them are that the i5 Turbo mode(self overclocking) is much better than the i7's. The 2.66Ghz Lynfield overclocks to 3.2 with little heat increase. And then you can still do self overclocking.

A couple of the i7's you are forced to get tri-channeled RAM which is rather expensive.

The i7 has hyperthreading which simulates it's already 4 cores as 8; the i5 doesn't.



I may have just sounded like a retard there but to me it made complete sense.

personally I would say this if price is in any way an issue, go AMD and ATI. You get an AMAZING Bang for your buck with them, and in my experience, dont lose much performance for what you save. i7 is overrated, as amazing as they are(yes I admit it)

Definitely. And if you want i7 level later on, there is the i7 860, which is actually socket 1156, not 1366. Also, intel is using a new socket come 2011, so it might be easier on your soul if you don't spend 450 bucks on a soon-to-be outdated cpu. The reason I got i7 was to keep the high end options open if they ever come down in price. And also because my wallet was pretty fat at that time :]
On hyperthreading, I don't notice much difference in gaming with it. It's only helped at file converting for me so far.

[rant] why the hell can't they stick to one?! I know that sockets may hold back designs, but REALLY? AMD has been using compatible sockets for SO long. 1156 and 1366 have barely had time to penetrate the main market. [/rant]

As yourface said, i5 would be the best value. For gaming these days, it's almost always the graphics card that makes the most difference. And I'll stress again, upgrading to Corsair Dominator ram at 1600 mhz, triple channel, an i7 920 at 2.8 ghz (essentially a permanent turbo), and a 200 dollar mobo ONLY gave me 4-5 fps increase in crysis. So from 30 to 34. So like, ONE more option set to very high >_<
On the other hand, getting a second gts 250 ($130) gave me like...around 20 fps more! It nearly doubled my fps in large nvidia games like JC2, from 50 to 90 at old settings. Of course, I quickly raised them up a bit :P

Point: if immediate performance is what you want, build around the gpu. Although I'd invest in a motherboard that is capable of sli.

@shlimby: ATI is definitely gonna be the best value atm. The 400 series are SO much harder to find. People say that the 5000's are scarce too, but that's more at the local store level. You can still find plenty online, like at newegg. With the 400's, there are only a couple brands at newegg now, and I know a lot of people will prefer certain brands over others. Also, the 400's all use reference coolers now, making it a bit harder to get a good overclock. I'm waiting for the next wave of 400's and hopefully a few price cuts for both camps.

I'm not very familiar with amd though. They are due for a new socket soon (maybe not soon enough), so you might want to wait for that.

A lot less than you think.

This computer will run Crysis at 720p.