I want to buy a new computer

So I got a job recently and I'm looking into buying a new computer as mine currently isn't that great. I don't really know a damn thing about which computer to buy, and you guys know more than I do, so could you give me some suggestions? :3

Here's what I'm looking for:

- Laptop
- Good for gaming but doesn't need to be a gaming computer
- Not too heavy
- Has a good traction pad thingy
- Good graphics card
- Runs smoothly
- Less than 1,300 dollars
- PC

Aeraie wrote:

So I got a job recently and I'm looking into buying a new computer as mine currently isn't that great. I don't really know a damn thing about which computer to buy, and you guys know more than I do, so could you give me some suggestions? :3

I have an Acer 7750g off of QVC (yes, I know, but my parents wanted to pay in installments). It's like 1.1k and I can play pretty much everything on med to high. It is 17 inches which makes it kind of heavy though.

Good notes:

- You'll never need more than 4gb of ram at the most. It's a really simple trick that companies will do to jack up the price when ram is in reality insanely easy to obtain yourself. Don't be like my moron friend and buy a computer with 16gb unless you plan to either mix music or get into the CGI buisness.

- You also want to avoid anything with an integrated graphics card. They always suck ass, and if you ever felt like updating the laptop yourself in the future, you wouldn't be able to.

I used Newegg to restrict laptops according to graphics and these are the ones I got (11 options).

You'll be able to play Diablo 3, Mass Effect 3, Batman Arkham City, TOR, and Crisis at least on low. Most of those cards will let you play on medium to high though. My only word of warning is that you'll be up in "Ultrabook" territory which are rarely small. All the laptops are likely to weight more than two pounds, and be rather long.

I did the same on amazon, although it's by price and a few other options. You'll have to compare the graphics yourself. I do not suggest any of the Intel HD 4000 Graphics computers. (24 options)

A website I strongly recommend you use is this:

Pick whichever games you want (control+click for multiple games), make sure you have it checked for notebooks, and click restrict. The numbers are how fast each card will run the game, it's not an exact science, but it's a handy guide. I wouldn't suggest going under the NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M card. Also know that 60fps is generally considered the most desirable number. Above 60 is great, but under 60 means you might see the screen start to jump.

Also: Just as an FYI Crossfire and SLI are the terms for using two cards at the same time. It's expensive, and I really don't think you're going to find very many retail PCs with the feature.

If you can't decide between two computers due to the graphics, or want some more info, here's another website that lets you compare them:

Link

I found this

It's got a 14" screen, but it's also an alienware. According to this site it should be able to handle most current gen games well. It also has an i5 processor going at 2.5 ghz, which is nice. Overall a solid computer, but it tops out your price range. It also has 6 GB of RAM, which I think it a good buffer. Ixi is right that you don't need a ton, but it also doesn't hurt anything. Sometimes, on very graphics intensive games like Skyrim and so forth, it can be helpful as a back up. Plus, since it's alienware, it will glow which is kinda cool.

How much is said computer?

Aeraie wrote:

How much is said computer?

$1,299. It says on the website.

Protip: Never get alienware.

You'll thank me later.

Vigo Surai wrote:

Protip: Never get alienware.

You'll thank me later.

I have alienware!

then frankly you've wasted some money.

Vigo Surai wrote:

then frankly you've wasted some money.

It wasn't that much more expensive that comparably outfitted computers.

I've heard alienware is ridiculously overpriced, but what alternatives are there?

Aeraie wrote:

I've heard alienware is ridiculously overpriced, but what alternatives are there?

Putting the pieces together yourself. Or buying a decent not-alienware prebuilt and plugging in new parts down the line.

As Turry pointed out, unless you build it yourself pretty much anything will be overpriced, or crappy. $1,299 for a laptop isn't unreasonable and it would play the latest games.

To be honest, if you're really serious about getting a good gaming computer, you'll probably need to switch to a desktop. Some might disagree, but I've never had a good experience with laptop gaming/upgrading.

Sergei Meranov wrote:

As Turry pointed out, unless you build it yourself pretty much anything will be overpriced, or crappy. $1,299 for a laptop isn't unreasonable and it would play the latest games.

To be honest, if you're really serious about getting a good gaming computer, you'll probably need to switch to a desktop. Some might disagree, but I've never had a good experience with laptop gaming/upgrading.

upgrading a laptop is hell. If you wanna keep a current compy, desktop all the way. This, I agree with.

Let's be real here guys I have no idea how to upgrade a computer. I only know how to get around shit and fix existing problems.

For the most part,, beyond motherboards, it's as simple as "Reach in, pick out old part, slap in new one."

Maybe plug in a power cable from the power supply.

Vigo Surai wrote:

For the most part,, beyond motherboards, it's as simple as "Reach in, pick out old part, slap in new one."

Maybe plug in a power cable from the power supply.

This. If, however, you really don't plan on upgrading at all, then the Alienware is your best bet imo. You're probably paying more than you need to, but it will run everything well, you don't have to install anything yourself, and the only way to make it substantially cheaper at the same performance is to build it yourself or buy something cheaper and upgrade it yourself.

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Vigo Surai wrote:

For the most part,, beyond motherboards, it's as simple as "Reach in, pick out old part, slap in new one."

Maybe plug in a power cable from the power supply.

This. If, however, you really don't plan on upgrading at all, then the Alienware is your best bet imo. You're probably paying more than you need to, but it will run everything well, you don't have to install anything yourself, and the only way to make it substantially cheaper at the same performance is to build it yourself or buy something cheaper and upgrade it yourself.

Alienware is all look with no bite, high burnout history, and you're paying for the name of a once good computer... just get an HP Pavilion Notebook or something... my brother has one (got it last year)... it's cheap ($400-$600 if that)... and he even runs all his games with their graphics on high (Skyrim included)... and that's after he's modded them to death.

Scott Chain wrote:

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Vigo Surai wrote:

For the most part,, beyond motherboards, it's as simple as "Reach in, pick out old part, slap in new one."

Maybe plug in a power cable from the power supply.

This. If, however, you really don't plan on upgrading at all, then the Alienware is your best bet imo. You're probably paying more than you need to, but it will run everything well, you don't have to install anything yourself, and the only way to make it substantially cheaper at the same performance is to build it yourself or buy something cheaper and upgrade it yourself.

Alienware is all look with no bite, high burnout history, and you're paying for the name of a once good computer... just get an HP Pavilion Notebook or something... my brother has one (got it last year)... it's cheap ($400-$600 if that)... and he even runs all his games with their graphics on high (Skyrim included)... and that's after he's modded them to death.

Well, I can only speak for myself, but the HP notebook I have, can't run any games on high. I've owned two alienware computers and never had a problem with either of them.

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Scott Chain wrote:

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Vigo Surai wrote:

For the most part,, beyond motherboards, it's as simple as "Reach in, pick out old part, slap in new one."

Maybe plug in a power cable from the power supply.

This. If, however, you really don't plan on upgrading at all, then the Alienware is your best bet imo. You're probably paying more than you need to, but it will run everything well, you don't have to install anything yourself, and the only way to make it substantially cheaper at the same performance is to build it yourself or buy something cheaper and upgrade it yourself.

Alienware is all look with no bite, high burnout history, and you're paying for the name of a once good computer... just get an HP Pavilion Notebook or something... my brother has one (got it last year)... it's cheap ($400-$600 if that)... and he even runs all his games with their graphics on high (Skyrim included)... and that's after he's modded them to death.

Well, I can only speak for myself, but the HP notebook I have, can't run any games on high. I've owned two alienware computers and never had a problem with either of them.

Well how old is your HP notebook?

Simple if you want games you don't want a laptop.
If you want a laptop, be happy it can play games in low quality.
Laptops are generally not made for gaming. And don't try to use if for games.

Gaming laptops tend to break down very fast... Speaking out of experience.
If you want to do some real gaming. Buy a decent desktop. If you want to use it for low/medium quality games/graphics and porn the a desktop is okay,

Honestly lass if you look for good quality gaming with a budget Buy a next gen console.

TitanT2 wrote:

Simple if you want games you don't want a laptop.
If you want a laptop, be happy it can play games in low quality.
Laptops are generally not made for gaming. And don't try to use if for games.

Gaming laptops tend to break down very fast... Speaking out of experience.
If you want to do some real gaming. Buy a decent desktop. If you want to use it for low/medium quality games/graphics and porn the a desktop is okay,

Honestly lass if you look for good quality gaming with a budget Buy a next gen console.

I'm surprised there would be a computer out there that doesn't run pron...

Scott Chain wrote:

TitanT2 wrote:

Simple if you want games you don't want a laptop.
If you want a laptop, be happy it can play games in low quality.
Laptops are generally not made for gaming. And don't try to use if for games.

Gaming laptops tend to break down very fast... Speaking out of experience.
If you want to do some real gaming. Buy a decent desktop. If you want to use it for low/medium quality games/graphics and porn the a desktop is okay,

Honestly lass if you look for good quality gaming with a budget Buy a next gen console.

I'm surprised there would be a computer out there that doesn't run pron...

Some cheap tablets and some very cheap laptops.

Scott Chain wrote:

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Scott Chain wrote:

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Vigo Surai wrote:

For the most part,, beyond motherboards, it's as simple as "Reach in, pick out old part, slap in new one."

Maybe plug in a power cable from the power supply.

This. If, however, you really don't plan on upgrading at all, then the Alienware is your best bet imo. You're probably paying more than you need to, but it will run everything well, you don't have to install anything yourself, and the only way to make it substantially cheaper at the same performance is to build it yourself or buy something cheaper and upgrade it yourself.

Alienware is all look with no bite, high burnout history, and you're paying for the name of a once good computer... just get an HP Pavilion Notebook or something... my brother has one (got it last year)... it's cheap ($400-$600 if that)... and he even runs all his games with their graphics on high (Skyrim included)... and that's after he's modded them to death.

Well, I can only speak for myself, but the HP notebook I have, can't run any games on high. I've owned two alienware computers and never had a problem with either of them.

Well how old is your HP notebook?

Probably 2-3 years. It was $800 when I bought it.

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Scott Chain wrote:

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Scott Chain wrote:

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Vigo Surai wrote:

For the most part,, beyond motherboards, it's as simple as "Reach in, pick out old part, slap in new one."

Maybe plug in a power cable from the power supply.

This. If, however, you really don't plan on upgrading at all, then the Alienware is your best bet imo. You're probably paying more than you need to, but it will run everything well, you don't have to install anything yourself, and the only way to make it substantially cheaper at the same performance is to build it yourself or buy something cheaper and upgrade it yourself.

Alienware is all look with no bite, high burnout history, and you're paying for the name of a once good computer... just get an HP Pavilion Notebook or something... my brother has one (got it last year)... it's cheap ($400-$600 if that)... and he even runs all his games with their graphics on high (Skyrim included)... and that's after he's modded them to death.

Well, I can only speak for myself, but the HP notebook I have, can't run any games on high. I've owned two alienware computers and never had a problem with either of them.

Well how old is your HP notebook?

Probably 2-3 years. It was $800 when I bought it.

Then that's yer prob...

Scott Chain wrote:

Sergei Meranov wrote:

Probably 2-3 years. It was $800 when I bought it.

Then that's yer prob...

Excellent quote for computers:

"As soon as you plug it in at home, it's obsolete."

2 or 3 years is enough time for a computer to essentially fossilize