Cheap gaming PC, what would you recommend?

[slightlymaddad]

I used to be an avid online gamer back in the earliest days of COD, but now I am older and fatter and have not been online for years.

I downloaded a game last night to find my laptop was not up to the challenge.

I have had a search around the web for a couple of hours and have found a range of budget gaming PC's.

Can anyone offer any suggestions as to what would be a good option for a cheap gaming PC?

Thanks in advance.

[Shotgunjim]

It's all about what your budget is and then fitting into that. Gfx card will always be the big spend.

[inspectercoley]

I just got one of the i5 bundles on here, all you have to do is the put it in a case which I already had.

http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs-overclocked-bundles

Then I would look to spend about £100 on a gfx card. Maybe a Radeon 7770.

Will play most things like Bioshock 3.

If you want cheaper then could go for an i3 processor.

[consoles]

ive just built a gaming machine, 8 core fx 8350 cpu, 16gb ram, 64gb ssd for boot system, 1tb drive for progs, blueray player, geforce gtx 650ti 2gb graphics. with case psu etc it was £650.
installing windows atm but soon as its all ready ill be a bambi on dayz

[beerman]

installing windows atm but soon as its all ready ill be a bambi on dayz

I too am tempted to build a gaming rig just for Day Z. I've seen I can build a respectable spec PC for around £350 that will play day z fine but knowing me I'll blow a grand on it for future proofing and only use it for day z /me off to check prices.

[Brydo666]

Scan frequently do EXCELLENT value bundle deals, my last desktop came with everything excluding the video card and optical drive - saved about £250 from buying the parts individually.

You do need to build it yourself, but that's half the fun for me.

[Fearless]

got my i5-2500k off scans deal of the day/today only
saved over £200 on the bundle
http://www.scan.co.uk/value-systems

[Wi11iams]

yes Scan seem to be the best bang for your buck site that i've come across while planning my sons crimbo pc, still hoping for another price drop in graphics card prices before the end of december though!

[macmilm]

If there is a particular bunch of games you want to play check out the recommended specs for those games and go from there !!!

[CominAtcha]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ is my site of choice. Crazy rigs over there, but plenty of budget stuff too.

[Shotgunjim]

Try to buy a AMD AM3+ with 8GB RAM and a Geforce 660 TI AMP! Edition, this would be a fine gaming pc

You will need 16gb RAM if you are going to hit the high frame rates.

[haafie]

Don't you think 16GB is a bit overkill for a budget gaming PC. Sure the memory part isn't a huge hit to take money wise, but 8 is basically as much as you'd need at the moment. I'm running an old 955 and for a budget PC it's doing an admirable job.

An I5 or comparable AMD should do the trick without breaking the bank, spend the rest on a reasonable videocard GTX 650 or Radeon 7750.
The only rule I live by: don't hold back on a good PSU.

[macmilm]

I have found that good quality brand low latency blah blah blah makes the bigger difference to amount... e.g. Top end 8GB RAM could outperform cheapo 12GB e.t.c

[Red Phoenix]

I too am tempted to build a gaming rig just for Day Z. I've seen I can build a respectable spec PC for around £350 that will play day z fine but knowing me I'll blow a grand on it for future proofing and only use it for day z /me off to check prices.

Guys just remember that DayZ or Arma in general is a very CPU intensive game. It is very badly optimised and can throttle even the best machines. I've got an i72600k and a 7970 and DayZ throttles my machine.

[Shotgunjim]

Guys just remember that DayZ or Arma in general is a very CPU intensive game. It is very badly optimised and can throttle even the best machines. I've got an i72600k and a 7970 and DayZ throttles my machine.

Arma 3 might perform better...

[Red Phoenix]

Arma 3 might perform better...

Arma3 does perform better, its a big difference. Still doesn't like multi-threading though

[CallmeGoose]

What are the minimum requirements for a gaming PC these days? I want to play the likes of the total war game series at full graphics, things like Arma3 etc... so what do I need?

i7 processor? what type?
8gb ram?
havent a clue about graphics cards these days?
7.1 audio?
motherboards? again i havent got a clue?

any tips on where to start.

[Shotgunjim]

Don't skimp on GFX card, more games will use it processor especially 3D

[haafie]

Guys just remember that DayZ or Arma in general is a very CPU intensive game. It is very badly optimised and can throttle even the best machines. I've got an i72600k and a 7970 and DayZ throttles my machine.

Holy moly what a machine, I'm staying well away from that game then, also leaving Rome 2 on the shelves for now.

[Red Phoenix]

What are the minimum requirements for a gaming PC these days? I want to play the likes of the total war game series at full graphics, things like Arma3 etc... so what do I need?

i7 processor? what type?
8gb ram?
havent a clue about graphics cards these days?
7.1 audio?
motherboards? again i havent got a clue?

any tips on where to start.

i5 is sufficient for gaming mate. Sandy/Ivy or Haswell still do really well. Get the K variations as they are overclockable.
8gb of ram is more than enough.
GPU - Nvidia tend to be the best, however ATI provide bang for buck. - nVIDIA I'd start with 650/660ti - Ati 7870/7950 or above.
Motherboards, differ depending on what your looking for Asrock, gigabyte, msi are decent brands.
Audio - Preference, I can do with out it.

If stuck for components, give this website a go, places out all components, recommends them and rate's them to what you can expect from your rig.
http://www.logicalincrements.com/

Additionally to Shotgunjim's comment with GPU, don't skimp on PSU. Power supplies are your life source, cheap out you run the risk of frying your whole rig. Antec, Seasonic, Corsair,CoolerMaster are good brands. I'd personally recommend XFX.