Probably time to start shopping around. Not entirely sure what to do...

[AnubisRaven]

So, I have a decent-ish pc right now, and it's lasted awhile, but unfortunately, it looks like it's just not going to be up to tackle the new games. A bit part of this is because of the OS. I'm running 32 bit Windows 7, and I've seen a lot of games that I'm probably going to want to play (Everquest Next, Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Witcher 3, possibly Evolve, I couldn't find much info on that one.) are completely ditching 32 bit. Essentially, it looks like, if I want to enjoy any of the awesome games I've been waiting for, I'm going to have to buy a new PC, or upgrade my current one.

 

I'm pretty technically unsavvy. I bought my last computer parts and had someone assemble it (which, in hindsight, was a bad idea/ripoff, but I didn't really know any better.) and looking at some of the steps to upgrade to 64 bit windows, I'm pretty sure I'd break my computer somehow. I'm fine with installing mods and managing stuff like that, because it's generally really easy, but anything past that, I'm a complete and total dud on, and I will admit that.

 

So building my own PC is going to be out of the question (plus, trying to convince my mom to let me do soldering in the house, or getting the tools for that sort of thing is a whole other problem) however, I've basically heard that pretty much all prebuilt PC's supposedly for gaming (like alienware) are crap, and they're ridiculously expensive to boot.

 

I don't really care about maxing stuff out, or hardware specs, or anything like that. I'm honestly not all that technical of a person. I just want to be able to play the games I've been excited for, and I don't want them to look or play like crap (well, I guess they could disappoint in gameplay, but what I mean is that I don't want to be freezing/crashing/etc from specs that aren't up to the challenge.)

 

Any suggestions? I'm all ears.

[hoofhearted4]

building a computer is actually very simple. most of the pieces only fit one way, so you cant put something in the wrong place.

 

also the only tool you really need is a phillips head screwdriver. no soldering or other tools required.

 

i say this to everyone (even those who say they dont want to build it themselves)....Build it yourself.

 

- Youre going to build it for cheaper then damn near every other option, since you are paying the price for the part and thats it. no middle man, little markup since its coming straight from the vendor and you yourself are the labor.

- Youre going to get the best parts for performance since you can do research and mix and match. no sticking with one brand. no having limited options. the whole of the internet is at your disposal.

- On that note, the whole of the internet is at your disposal. not just for parts, but for reviews, videos, comparisons, suggestions, etc, etc.

- Once you build it, its that much better because you build it. Its yours. Plus you will then have an understanding of how it works, making it more likely you may be able to solve a possible problem in the future, also saving you money.

- Its easy and fun. as i said, you only need a single screwdriver and youre good to go. 99% of the parts only fit one way (how they are shaped). depending on how much research you do going in will affect how long it takes to build, but a good estimate would be 2-3 hours.

 

If you want to go ahead with this, do your research. theres tons of videos out there on how to build a PC. i can iterate enough how simple it is. its a common misconception that its hard and complex and that youll break everything. just dont force anything (that said, most items need a good push to fit securely into their socket) but yea. tons of info out there. plus the many people here who would help you pick out a parts list (with a given budget) and give you direction....the big thing is is dont rush. save your money. do your research. pick your parts carefully. know what you are doing. and have fun. it truly is fun to build your own Beast.

[dave1029]

Agree with above. I get mine built for me because the company that does it can get deals on ordering the various parts. If I built my PC myself, it would cost $4500. But the people who are making it for me only charged $3900, and that is including the charge of the labor spent building it. So it saved me $600. Just something to check. Doesn't hurt getting a quote and then adding up the parts you want yourself. See which is cheaper.

[AnubisRaven]

Okay, a bigger problem is, A: can I take the case I have now and use that. B: Can I sell my current graphics card. C. Can Oblivion, Morrowind, and Skyrim run on 64 bit? And is there a way to transfer to current setups (mods and saves, so I don't have to find and reinstall everything)

 

Looking at the specs for Shadow of Mordor, which I hear are still pretty high as far as games go, here's what I'd need to do to my computer:

 

Get a new CPU: I think I currently have an i3, so they recommend upgrading that to an i7.

Change my graphics card: I'm running a Radeon HD 6770 (I think it's Crossfire, but I'm not completely sure.) They recommend a 7970, so I'd probably just want to go with an 8000 model. I know there's some big debate between Nvidia and AMD, but I've been using my Radeon 6770 and I've had absolutely zero problems with it, so I'd feel better just upgrading instead of switching unless there was some big reason not to.

 

Change the OS: This is the thing that's mainly keeping me from playing games. Even if I could somehow crank through SoM, Everquest Next, or DA:I, the fact remains that all these games are locked to only 64 bit gamers. This is also probably the step I'm most worried about. I don't know what this might do to my existing programs (I've heard it means I won't be able to run Antivirus programs? I'd hate to buy one. I'm currently running Security Essentials and Malwarebytes or whatever it's called.) And like I said before, I hate to think what impact this might have on the games I already do run, especially the heavily modded ones, Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind.

 

Get more RAM (?): I've heard people say that 4 gb is pretty much all you need. But I'm seeing 6-8 recommended.

 

Get more disk space: Or delete some programs, I suppose.

 

Anyone have any tips on how to even get started? It sounds like, if I wanted to do this, I'd essentially have to guy my PC. Is there anything I could get away with keeping? How much would this cost, even?

[dave1029]

1. Depends on the case.

2. Yes, you can sell your current GPU

3. Yes they can run on 64bit.

4. You need a large flash drive to do so, but it is possible. Mods and saves are simple to transfer. You just copy the mods in your data folder and the saves folder in your documents and put them on your flash drive.

5. I would recommend an I7.

6. A 7970 or GTX 680 is a good step up without breaking the bank. 7970 runs hot and uses more electricity but is slightly cheaper than the Nvidia counterpart. Between these two? I would go Nvidia, personally.

7. Windows 7 x64 bit or Windows 8.1 x64 bit is a good plan. Better to do it sooner rather than later.

8. 16 GB of RAM is becoming the standard. 8 GB of RAM is ok, for now.

9. 2 TB HDD or 500 GB SSD would be my suggestions. SSD being the more expensive option.

10. Cost? With my recommendations and the 2 TB HDD... Maybe $600.

 

EDIT: I should point out, with the GPU, the 7970 is cheaper and easier to find. Honestly they are kind of a wash. I would get the easiest to find. The 7970 is $200, and the 680 is $250. Problem is, the 680 original 2 GB version is hard to find. The 4 GB version is $350.

[AnubisRaven]

1. Depends on the case.

2. Yes, you can sell your current GPU

3. Yes they can run on 64bit.

4. You need a large flash drive to do so, but it is possible. Mods and saves are simple to transfer. You just copy the mods in your data folder and the saves folder in your documents and put them on your flash drive.

5. I would recommend an I7.

6. A 7970 or GTX 680 is a good step up without breaking the bank. 7970 runs hot and uses more electricity but is slightly cheaper than the Nvidia counterpart. Between these two? I would go Nvidia, personally.

7. Windows 7 x64 bit or Windows 8.1 x64 bit is a good plan. Better to do it sooner rather than later.

8. 16 GB of RAM is becoming the standard. 8 GB of RAM is ok, for now.

9. 2 TB HDD or 500 GB SSD would be my suggestions. SSD being the more expensive option.

10. Cost? With my recommendations and the 2 TB HDD... Maybe $600.

 

EDIT: I should point out, with the GPU, the 7970 is cheaper and easier to find. Honestly they are kind of a wash. I would get the easiest to find. The 7970 is $200, and the 680 is $250. Problem is, the 680 original 2 GB version is hard to find. The 4 GB version is $350.

 

 

 

That's... a little disheartening, personally. I was hoping for something in the range of a $300-400 deal...

How would I find out what kind of case I have? Where would that info be?

Assuming that it would be cheaper to just modify my current computer rather than buy a new one, what would you recommend for a $400 price point? Here are the specs I have currently:

OS: 32 bit Windows 7

CPU: Intel Core i3 2100 @3.10GHz

RAM: 4.00 GB

Motherboard: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P8H61-M LE/CSM (I have no idea what ANY of that means.)

Grpahics: AMD Radeon HD 6770

Tell me if you need to know anything else.

Right now, school is most of my time, so if anyone can recommend parts and prices and such for an upgrade, that'd be really really helpful.

Also, is there anything I should know about upgrading a PC vs Building one from scratch?

EDIT: Also, is there anyone who'd be willing to talk about this PM or over some IM service? I have a bunch of questions and I don't just want to flood this post with them.

Edited May 31, 2014 by AnubisRaven

[dave1029]

If you want to play these games at good framerates you're going to have to shell out some money, I'm sorry. You can downgrade your CPU and GPU to save a bit of money, but that might get it into the $500 range. That's as low as you can really go for what you want to do.

[AnubisRaven]

If you want to play these games at good framerates you're going to have to shell out some money, I'm sorry. You can downgrade your CPU and GPU to save a bit of money, but that might get it into the $500 range. That's as low as you can really go for what you want to do.

 

True enough, I suppose.

 

Might be doable, I do plan to get a part-time job soon.

 

Let's say I wanted to do this over a period of time. These games don't even come out for awhile. What would be the most important to least important? Meaning, what should I get first, to what should I get last?

 

I also have some questions with the upgrading in general, specifically the 64-bit upgrade.

 

First off, I'm wondering if Microsoft does a thing where you can get the 64 bit OS for cheaper if you're using 32 bit of the same OS (so, in my case, Win7) and if so, where I can find out about that. Because I've seen it mentioned a few times, but I haven't been able to find too much about it.

 

Secondly, while I'm going to have to backup and restore everything, what happens to my drivers? I'll need to get 64-bit drivers, obviously. How do I do this? I have a program right now that searches for drivers and lets me install them off of it, but if my drivers aren't working with my OS in the first place, will I even be able to do anything? So my question I guess is how to upgrade my drivers while installing 64 bit.

 

And also, are there other steps for installing a new graphics card and processor? I have watched some videos and it looks extremely easy (legos for adults, as people say) but are there other steps besides just snapping it in place? Again, drivers is mostly what I'm asking about here.

 

I'm sorry, I know that most of my questions must sound idiotic, but this is my first time doing any of this.

[dave1029]

I would definitely do the OS first. Then your RAM, then your CPU. GPU can come last, since it is a decent model.

[AnubisRaven]

I would definitely do the OS first. Then your RAM, then your CPU. GPU can come last, since it is a decent model.

Alright! Thanks for the help! About the OS then, the drivers... what do I do about that?