Angry Gaming 05.28.07: Your Next Gaming PC
Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 05.28.2007
How to play computer games, save money, and stick it to the man all in one day!
Welcome to Angry Gaming, the queen that moves to row 5 and checks the gaming industry in 4 moves. I am your hate master, Damian Sarcuni, and a blurb about me was published in the Princeton Review's "145 Things to Be When You Grow Up" in 2004. I didn't find out about it until yesterday though. What a world.
Your Next Gaming PC
As is becoming my policy, this article is dedicated to my boy Randy who celebrated his 25th birthday this weekend. Randy was instrumental in helping me to prepare this article and building the actual PC that inspired it. I, on the other hand, am too cheap to even buy him a decent birthday present. So Randy, this one is for you.
Console games have been getting a lot of spotlight lately, with the release of the big three next generation systems and several software developers scrambling to come up with killer apps for each system. Yet because of Blizzard's announcement of Starcraft 2 as well as several up and coming massively multiplayer RPG's on the horizon, even die hard console fans can't ignore the oncoming wave of PC releases.
At the same time, console gamer's gripes are somewhat understandable. Even with the rising costs of next generation consoles and games, buying an Xbox 360 elite will probably still cost you less than picking up a halfway decent PC gaming rig. It will last longer too. Computer technology developments haven't slowed down at all and even the top of the line computer set ups become obsolete relatively quickly. While it is true that PC's are capable of running countless other applications we need to use in our daily lives, most people already have access to computers powerful enough to run those other programs already. PC games are what really push a computer system's limits, and getting your hands on a PC that can run the latest games can be a costly endeavor.
It doesn't have to be though. As many hardcore PC gamers can tell you, the cheap and efficient alternative to purchasing a costly gaming PC pre-built from a company is to build your own. I've built two PC's a long time ago but I was told at some point that the rates of top companies like Dell and Alienware were dropping to the point where building another PC on my own would be a waste of energy. I was lied to.
I recently priced a sample gaming desktop at 3 major computer sales companies: Dell, Gateway, and Alienware. I won't go into the stats, but Dell offered the PC without a monitor for about $1300. Gateway offered the same PC with a monitor included for the same price tag. Alienware offered the same system with no monitor and charged $1500 for it. I decided to put together a price list of individual components being offered by each company including the monitor, assuming I was to build it myself. The final cost was a mere $800.
Building your own PC is an extensively worthwhile endeavor. It is a learning experience, a useful skill, and saves a ludicrous amount of money. The only disadvantage to it is that you are given less time on the warranty's for your computer parts and you have no service and support line to call if there is a problem. However, if you are savvy enough to tune a car in Forza Motorsport, a mech in Armored Core, or solve a puzzle in Tomb Raider, it is very likely you have the capability to keep your own computer system running nice and stable.
Submitted for your approval, I give you three very important things to remember while building your own PC. These things are vital for success in the PC building world, but they are rarely mentioned in guides or technical forums. While I won't do an actual guide to putting a computer together, or list hardware specifications that will just be outdated quickly, I will supply links to places you can get those.
Fear Nothing
If you've ever seen the inside of a computer, you know that it looks pretty complicated. A single circuit board alone has hundreds of small pieces littered around it. There are nodes, switches, small wires, and weird strips of metal all over the place, and from the outset one might thing that you have to be a rocket scientist to make the silly thing work. Nothing could be farther from the truth however, and putting your computer together is simply a matter of plugging everything into the right place.
In fact, a computer's hardware layout is actually incredibly simple in that it has remained relatively unchanged for well over two decades. You have a motherboard, which controls your PC's functions, and all other components of the PC are plugged into there. In fact, most motherboards are clearly marked to indicate where each item needs to be plugged in, but the writing next to each spot is so small that it's very difficult to see once everything is placed where it's supposed to be.
Most of the work involved in putting a PC together comes from mounting everything properly. This means screwing everything in nice and tight so that nothing falls out or gets broken. All those seemingly complicated wires and connections are actually the easy part. It's also important to remember that no one is born knowing how to put a PC together and that all motherboards and computer components are a little different. It's for this reason that computer part instruction manuals and online tutorials usually have clear, vivid diagrams that point out everything you need to do and what order you need to do it in. There's no skill involved here, it's just a matter of screwing everything in properly and then plugging it all in without breaking anything.
About ten years ago, the folks over at ArsTechnica.com wrote this hardware guide to building your own PC. The guide is completely accurate and relevant even in today's world of dual core processors, neon lit cases, and wireless network cards. I simply cannot recommend a better PC building guide, nor can I write a better one myself. If you want step by step building information in plain, simple English, check out Ars Technica's classic guide at http://arstechnica.com/guide/building/index.html.
The Underground is Your Friend
The very nature of building your own PC comes from the idea of avoiding mainstream traditions to save you money and effort without compromising performance. When ordering your computer's parts, it's important to research each one thoroughly. While mainstream review sites like Cnet.com are useful and do have their place, the best place to learn about your computer parts are straight at the source. Computer builders are just as anxious to get online and talk about their system building experiences as they are to build PC's in the first place. When ordering, look for customer reviews from the actual ordering site, or search around online for message board comments involving your hardware. You'll most likely find a comprehensive list of all the potential problems and issues you might run into, as well as squeals of joy from satisfied PC builders.
While digging around for part information, you'll most likely run into building and upgrade methods such as over clocking a processor. Do not be afraid of this either! When you have an adequate temperature cooling set up within your computer case, over clocking can give you added performance while saving money. Though hardly necessary for the computer building novice, over clocking is definitely something to look into and, if you feel comfortable, well worth doing.
No computer can run without a proper operating system, and the most popular operating system available for gamers is of course Microsoft's Windows series. Though Windows is relatively user friendly and quite popular for obvious reasons, it is an extremely overpriced piece of software. A legitimate copy of the latest edition of Windows can run well over $300, which in itself makes pre-built PC's look like a real bargain. The reality, however, is that the same people reviewing all those computer parts and hardware are not using legitimate copies of Windows. Microsoft has repeatedly claimed that they are cracking down on illegal and pirated copies of the Windows operating system, but in truth it does not take long before software pirating groups are able to break through Microsoft's security defenses and distribute copies of the popular OS for free.
Whether you choose to locate a pirated copy of Windows (most likely found on your local college campus) or purchase a legitimate copy, the same sources for hardware reviews often lead a trail to find the necessary operating system. Try not to be alarmed by the blank CD's, notepad instructions, and strangely scribbled security keys on the back of the disc label. This is all a normal part of dealing with the underground. Keep your defenses up and get all the facts before engaging what is a very risky but often necessary endeavor.
Better Shop Around
I simply cannot stress enough the importance of buying computer components online. If you learn nothing else from this article, learn to use sales sites such as pricewatch.com and fatwallet.com. These sites feature amazing deals from various vendors that always offer at least close to the best price possible. I've built entire PC's simply by searching for components on pricewatch.com alone, and have had little or no trouble with the results.
Keep an eye out for sales though! While building my PC this time around, I spotted an excellent graphics card that was actually cheaper at the store website for Circuit City than at any smaller sales site. You never know what sort of rebates or special instant savings you can get until you read through a product's description and details. Remember that you also want your PC to last as long as possible, so try to figure out which components will be the most reliable and most useful for the longest period of time.
Also keep in mind that very few items are actually exclusive. While Alienware may be the first to come up with several great looking, new age case designs, these are very quickly ripped off and remarketed at much cheaper prices by lesser known companies. Quality rarely varies in these instances, and at the end of the day reputation with past customers is more important than any big name product. This is why chip sets like AMD are so popular among PC builders, and with a little patience and searching, you can put together the EXACT PC you want.
The Anger
Building your own PC allows gamers to enjoy the luxury of upcoming games such as Starcraft 2, Warhammer Online, Quake Wars and much more at a mere fraction of the cost of what big name PC companies charge. If you've always wanted to get into PC gaming but felt that the investment was just too high, now is a great time to learn to build your own box. Not only are pre-built PC's more customizable and often more powerful and reliable, they get right under the skin of overpriced companies and put more hard earned money back where it belongs: in your pocket. Until next time, embrace the hatred.
