*UPDATE* What If.. (Buying a Pre-Built Computer)

[Romeo the Oracle]

What if I preferred to buy a pre-built computer (worst idea of all mankind) ?

What would be the best computer for at least 30 FPS on Arma III at High or Ultra Settings? One with the best warranty and lasts for a long time (5-10 years to be exact). My budget is $1,500. Go.

Edit: What I mean by "pre-built" is "built at the store with your custom parts picked out".

[Jim lahey]

You could build a computer thats better for that much cash, Or if you just wanted 30 fps it would be much cheaper to build it part by part. But thats just my opinion.

[Zcorvette]

850 watt power supply, a high end motherboard and graphics card, 16gb of ram. Those items are essential if you want a PC that can run games down the road a ways. For your processor get one that is 4.0ghz.

[GunsAhoy]

duse dont do it, just walk into a a pc store and tell the guy you wanna build a pc , he picks all the parts and you save all the money

[NZPorterDJ]

If you go for a pre-built unit you are guaranteed NOT to be able to get the performance in ArmA you are looking for.

I just got through upgrading my system for under $1000. New MB, CPU and GPU and am now getting 40-60 frames depending on the server.

What you need is a good MB/CPU combination. I went with i7-4790K & GA-Z97X Gaming. Also got a GTX 980 for that price. Carried over my old case/PSU and Drives to cut the cost down a bit.

The only touchy part of the DIY approach is the CPU/Cooler interface. Everything else is relatively foolproof these days.

[Firmament]

Originally posted by -pg- =RG-LM= VipDude™:

(worst idea of all mankind)

This. ;)

[Romeo the Oracle]

Originally posted by GunsAhoy!:

duse dont do it, just walk into a a pc store and tell the guy you wanna build a pc , he picks all the parts and you save all the money

That's true. I'm currently looking at parts for them to be put together and sent to me. I don't know how to build a computer and don't want to risk anything.

[Lucky | TAW.net]

You can get an off-the-shelf PC that will play games like you want, but you will have to get one made for high performance and gaming. But it won't be cheap and it won't last 5-10 years. NO PC ON EARTH will be good for "current" high-end gaming for that long. If you build it yourself (as I have been doing for 25 years), you need to know enough to support yourself. And you need to get used to returning parts. In the long run, it's a good way to go if you have some basic technical skills.

[Zcorvette]

I got my pc built at Cyber Power PC and has run great ever since I got it over a year ago. No shame in having it built for you, at the time i didn't know enough about computers to build one on my own, now fortunately I do. Biggest pain for building your own is if you don't have a good pc part store around you because you have to wait to get everything shipped to you.

If you know anyone who would build it for you then do that, if not, have a professional do it for you.

[Dj Otacon]

Do as you want but remember:

INTEL + MOST FASTEST CPU YOU CAN BUY + i7 = Win

[I'm Ant]

Build it yourself and you get 3 year waranty on each component.

[Romeo the Oracle]

Originally posted by Zcorvette:

I got my pc built at Cyber Power PC and has run great ever since I got it over a year ago. No shame in having it built for you, at the time i didn't know enough about computers to build one on my own, now fortunately I do. Biggest pain for building your own is if you don't have a good pc part store around you because you have to wait to get everything shipped to you.

If you know anyone who would build it for you then do that, if not, have a professional do it for you.

Thanks for the tip!

[Groo the Wanderer]

Originally posted by Lucky | TAW.net:

You can get an off-the-shelf PC that will play games like you want, but you will have to get one made for high performance and gaming. But it won't be cheap and it won't last 5-10 years. NO PC ON EARTH will be good for "current" high-end gaming for that long. If you build it yourself (as I have been doing for 25 years), you need to know enough to support yourself. And you need to get used to returning parts. In the long run, it's a good way to go if you have some basic technical skills.

I concur. Maybe 5 years tops. In the olden days, 10 years, maybe. The thing to consider is, no matter how fast, or how many cores your CPU has, this game is bottlenecked by design.

[Zcorvette]

Honestly I believe that if you get the top of the line pc available assuming money isn't a problem, you may get 5 years out of it before you need to upgrade, but for that $1500 price I would expect to get 2-3 years max before you will have to start playing games on medium / low settings.

All of that being said get a solid motherboard and processor because it is easy to replace graphics cards and add RAM down the road, while a motherboard and processor are kind of a hassle.

Also for a reference point my custom built pc by cyberpowerpc cost $1000 and I have had it for a year and a half and am looking into getting a new graphics card within the next few months, but for the most part I can play games on high or ultra settings.

[#GetRektasaurus]

LOL Worst idea to man? I got my PC pre-built with Windows 8.1, an Intel 17-3770, AMD HD 7770 1GB and 8GB of ram with a 28" Inch AOV monitor (Worth £150) and the whole thing cost me just over £500. I also managed to pick up a brand new Nvidia GTX 660 2GB Ti for £80.

It's not the worst idea in the world, if you know what you are doing.

[Romeo the Oracle]

Originally posted by SOZD Strelok:

LOL Worst idea to man? I got my PC pre-built with Windows 8.1, an Intel 17-3770, AMD HD 7770 1GB and 8GB of ram with a 28" Inch AOV monitor (Worth £150) and the whole thing cost me just over £500. I also managed to pick up a brand new Nvidia GTX 660 2GB Ti for £80.

It's not the worst idea in the world, if you know what you are doing.

No... When I said "worst idea known to mankind", I meant buying a packaged off-the-shelf computer.