Looking for some advice on my first PC...

[TheFirebird]

Hello! I'm hoping some of you knowledgable types might be able to help me get set up with my first gaming PC... Apart from a very cheap PC laptop I had somewhere around 1999 - 2000, all my computers have been Macs. (No judgement please!) I don't really have a clue when it comes to all the different PC components, and which are most important for gaming; I've been reading up on it as much as I can, but there's a lot of information out there to take on board.

 

What I'd really appreciate is some advice on what I should be looking to spend money on, for example, should I be spending more on a particular type of graphics card, or concentrating on something else? I have totally confused myself over whether i5 or i7 is better, or even what they really are... or whether I should be looking at something else like Ryzen. My brain is on overload from all the this vs that articles I've read that describe things in ways that assume the reader is familiar with building PCs, and then tell you to make up your own mind anyway.

 

The bottom line is that I want a PC that's capable of running games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 with mods, preferably with high fps and good quality graphics. And I want to learn to create my own mods. I'd probably just be using the computer for gaming, and some basic internetting, nothing much else, so it doesn't need to be running 50 things at once. I'd really like to get the best I can for a fairly limited budget, so if you really recommend it, I would consider saving up and spending more on particular bits. Oh, and while it would be easier to just buy a ready made PC, I have no problem with learning how to put one together myself (although I hear that there's not much difference pricewise these days).

 

As for my budget, well, it's not really fixed at the moment. Right now I have about £700 that I could technically blow on a computer, but if it's worth it, I'll save up for a little longer to increase that. Or a lot longer? I have no idea!

 

Anyway, I'd really appreciate any advice that anyone can offer, right now I'm a bit lost, and don't want to end up buying something I'll regret later!

 

Thank you!

[MalachiDelacot]

I am amazed none of the "experts" have responded with their suggestions yet.

Only thing I can suggest is you take a look at what is considered "minimum" and

"recommended" for FO 4, and then at least get something in mid-range, but

going more towards the top end.

We all seem to have our preferences, and the last few computers I've owned

are Dell XPS, with Nvidia graphic cards. Dell often has some specials ongoing,

and have it where you can change things around, and shows you the prices

so there is no system shock to you.

And, some local computer shops will do a build for you. So you may want to

drop by one and give a chat to the gamers that work there....

[TheFirebird]

Thanks for the suggestions! Nvidia is a name I've heard very frequently, so I will look into that further, I assume you would recommend those over alternatives? If there even are any? The more I read up on the different components, the more I realize just how little I know! I'm not able to go to a local shop at the moment, so I'm probably going to have to end up getting things online, but I guess emailing a shop could be an idea - I'll try it when I've gathered a bit more information.

 

Thanks!

[leonardo2]

I built my current computer myself about two years ago and I can run both SLE and SSE with decent graphics e.g higher than medium settings. This is what kind of hardware I have.

Asus Z97 PRO GAMER

Intel i5 2.7 GHz (3.2 GHz in turbo mode)

RAM 32 Gb 1600 MHz (maxium)

Kingston 120 Gb SSD (I plan to only use it as a download partition in the future as for being too small)

Seagate 3 Tb (GPT)

Seagate 2 Tb (MBR)

Seagate 1 Tb (MBR)

LG DVD-ROM

LG DVD-RAM

The CPU is second hand and so are my DVD, HHD devices as well. Only my SSD and Seagate 3 Tb is new and of course the tower chassi is new.

[Tragthemercenary]

Firebird,

 

A new gaming rig is being delivered to me, tomorrow. It's an Acer, and it uses the 7th-generation 7700 series microprocessors, an NVIDIA 1060 graphics card, a Hybrid 256gb SSD/1 TB SATA hard drive, 16 GB of RAM, and lots of other bells and whistles. Going to the Intel site to watch performance on various games with the microprocessor, I've notice that it consistently outperformed other microprocessors on the same games.

 

System RAM is very important. Often, it's the difference between smooth fluid motion, and stuttering. With my new computer, I've also ordered two RAM sticks, to increase RAM to 32gb.

 

Good luck, when making your choice, and try to avoid CYBERPOWER computers. They are impressive, but cheaply made.

[TheFirebird]

Thanks so much, this is just the kind of information I was looking for! I'll make sure whatever I go with has plenty of RAM, and I will look at the microprocessor you mentioned too.

 

Thanks to everyone, your input is helping me make a better decision.

Edited March 12, 2018 by TheFirebird

[tripletiger]

If your looking for prebuilt look around on Amazon, Newegg or other online retailers. I have built well over a hundred the last 10 years for people in my area & if you need some help i'll to my best to assist. But for now i would say an i5 cpu or ryzen 5 series, 8 gigs of ram & can always go another 8gb when the prices become normal again, gtx 1060 6gb if you can afford it because just like ram/memory they are price gouging us at the moment, 240gb or larger gb ssd for operating system & a 2tb hard drive or larger especially if you have a ton of games & mods. Also not sure where you live but look into maybe a good used pc with atleast a 3rd generation i5 or i7 cpu & then you can add a better video card & more ram especially ddr3 which is very cheap on ebay used compared to ddr4 prices.

[tripletiger]

If you were in the states i would hook you up with one today i always have two or 3 built & ready to go, but the best i have video card on a newer one is a new Gigabyte or Asus Rog 1050 ti. I should have loaded up on the gtx 1060 or higher & the rx 580 when they were normal priced last year. Also i forgot to mention if you can find a gtx 970 $200 or less, 980 $275 or less, or 980ti $350 or less used those are still nice cards for 1080p gaming.

[TheFirebird]

Thanks for the help! I'm in the UK, but I'm assuming there won't be a huge difference in the prices here? Sounds like I've picked an expensive time to switch to PC gaming... Thanks also for the offer of more help, if I decide to build my own I may be back to pick your brains!

[tripletiger]

No problem i will help the best i can for you also google & youtube any of your problems, issues or concerns plenty of good info on building for noobs & pro's. But yes it is almost cheaper to buy a pre built so called gaming machine at this time because of this price gouging for ram & gpu's but you lose the fun & excitement of building it yourself plus picking out exactly what you want. Also those places that will build them for you online with the specific specs you want are a complete ripoff, heck i saw one place saying they will put the good thermal paste on your cpu or gpu for an extra $20.00 lmao you can buy the whole tube of arctic mx-4 for $5.99 on amazon for christ sakes & they want $20.00 for a dab on it.