Pc gamers

Unless you need to take it everywhere don't get a laptop. You will get a lot more for less.

i built my gaming rig for $900.. all new parts. Just over the course of a couple months i bought everything I could find on sale like neweggs super savings thing. 32gig ram, 4.0ghz 8 core proccesor, ips monitor, liquid intercooler, 100gig ssd drive, 1tb hdd. and if I had gone for a laptop instead it would be shit compared to this... dont get a laptop.

just make a desktop. Roommate had one of those MSI gaming laptops and it was very powerful but it was loud and I bet I could fry and egg on it. Also it's useless unless you're connected to a power source, playing games on the battery isn't going to last you long at all. And carrying it around is a nightmare.

$900 can get you a reasonable rig.

Laptops are stupid for a few reasons:
1. Gaming laptops are super big and heavy, so they really aren't that portable
2. Their performance is always inferior to a desktop
3. Generally there are no upgrades you can perform on them. Almost always opening the computer will void your warranty. Occasionally your warranty may not be void for RAM upgrades, but HD/SSD upgrades will void the warranty and cpu/gpu upgrades are impossible.
4. Their keyboards always suck.

Pre-built desktops are also stupid, for a different set of reasons:
1. Very often gaming rigs are built with a massive cpu, like an i7 or something, coupled with a pointlessly small amount of RAM and a shitty gpu, often even just integrated graphics. This is because computer companies know how to exploit people who don't know anything about computers, and by putting a well known cpu in there these people are automatically attracted to it (it's called 'central' processing unit, it must be the most important part, right?). In reality your money should be split roughly 3 ways between gpu, cpu and RAM. This is a very rough guide.
2. Computers often ship with a 2 or 3 year warranty, and you will often find a seal on the door preventing you from opening the computer without voiding the warranty. This is the biggest scam of all that computer companies run, and all computer companies I know of do it. Their warranty may seem alright, but when you look at the individual parts, they often have much longer (~3 years to lifetime) warranties.
3. Knowing that you probably won't need to know what's inside your computer, computer companies will put cheap shitty parts where you might put a more expensive part from a reputable manufacturer. The companies never pass these discounts on, they just use it to further their profit.

The alternative to is you buy the parts and put it together yourself. This may sound like a daunting task, but once you look at it it's actually really simple. Building a pc requires neither electrical nor computational knowledge, all you have to do is follow instructions closely. Computers are designed to go together, so all building a pc is is clipping things into slots and screwing them into the case. It takes a couple of hours the first time, but it's mindblowingly easy.

Some of the advantages of building a pc are thus:
- It's cheaper. Almost always works out a bit cheaper, not loads though. Generally only enough to pay for a few games.
- You own the parts, you can change them how you like, you have their (significantly longer) warranties. This also allows you to break down the cost of building a pc - when I built mine I could only afford 8GB RAM and a 1TB HD, now I have 32GB RAM and a 256GB SSD in addition to the HD. I sold the old RAM, it depreciates fast but it takes a bit of an edge of the purchase.
- You get to brag about how you built your own computer, people who've never done it always think it's an incredible feat. It isn't, but they don't know. Warning: this does not make a good chat up line.

When I (and pretty much all of the internet) am designing a pc I always go to pcpartpicker.com. It keeps track of the prices for various retailers, and has a compatibility filter to make sure I'm only buying parts that'll fit together.

Here's a $500 build that comes almost straight from r/pcmasterrace, they name it the 'next gen crusher' because it outperforms the next gen on benchmarks. I've made some changes: RAM doubled from 4 to 8GB, added a third party cpu cooler because AMD ones sound like concord, added a 256GB SSD because they're quicker than HD's (install the OS on here), also Windows 8.1, a monitor and a decent keyboard and mouse. In total comes to roughly the price of a decent game (in steam sales) less than your target $900.

Here's the link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XZ7xCJ

Also here's a youtube video on building a pc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bUghCx9iso

I know desktop is ideal but it won't be exclusively for gaming, I'll need it for school and work too

you need four digits for a viable unused laptop.

i know i sound retarded but when i bought a laptop i just got one of those "professional grade" hp probook or elitebook workstations whatever theyre called and run the graphics really low (i only use it when im not home)

poleplantI know desktop is ideal but it won't be exclusively for gaming, I'll need it for school and work too

Desktop + a tiny cheap laptop. I did this all the way through school, it's a good setup. A little laptop can't play games so it removes the temptation to do so when you shouldn't. This might sound boring, but think about it this way:

If you're procrastinating you don't commit fully to either the task you're doing or the what you're doing to procrastinate. This means a 1hr task can take 3 hours, 2 hours doing it and another hour doing something completely different. Eliminate the procrastination and you spend 1hr doing the task and you have 2 guilt-free hours more to do whatever you like.

this is a newer version of the one I have and i know its not really a gaming laptop but it works
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9173961&SRCCODE=WEBGOOPA&scid=scplp1587817&gclid=Cj0KEQjwuI-oBRCEi87g0K3O8OoBEiQAb25WAa6Xu69El_M4JZa1sew2oaJvmKBIJwwUxWGfgrYjid0aAnJv8P8HAQ

*DUMBCAN*Desktop + a tiny cheap laptop. I did this all the way through school, it's a good setup. A little laptop can't play games so it removes the temptation to do so when you shouldn't. This might sound boring, but think about it this way:

If you're procrastinating you don't commit fully to either the task you're doing or the what you're doing to procrastinate. This means a 1hr task can take 3 hours, 2 hours doing it and another hour doing something completely different. Eliminate the procrastination and you spend 1hr doing the task and you have 2 guilt-free hours more to do whatever you like.

mike759this is a newer version of the one I have and i know its not really a gaming laptop but it works
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9173961&SRCCODE=WEBGOOPA&scid=scplp1587817&gclid=Cj0KEQjwuI-oBRCEi87g0K3O8OoBEiQAb25WAa6Xu69El_M4JZa1sew2oaJvmKBIJwwUxWGfgrYjid0aAnJv8P8HAQ

That is a good idea, I do have a functional laptop I could use for school and stuff and get the desktop.

Mike, it seems like a good pc but it has an intergrated graphics card and that's no good

Good ideas everyone, desktop it is... now I don't know about building a computer so I think buying a premade one is what I'd have to do. I looked on ibuyppwer and there is so much and all pretty expensive. Is there something or somewhere else I should look at?

poleplantThat is a good idea, I do have a functional laptop I could use for school and stuff and get the desktop.

Mike, it seems like a good pc but it has an intergrated graphics card and that's no good

Good ideas everyone, desktop it is... now I don't know about building a computer so I think buying a premade one is what I'd have to do. I looked on ibuyppwer and there is so much and all pretty expensive. Is there something or somewhere else I should look at?

Build. Don't do anything else. It's really really really easy, a 5 year old could do it.

*DUMBCAN*Build. Don't do anything else. It's really really really easy, a 5 year old could do it.

How or where can I find out how?

*DUMBCAN*he alternative to is you buy the parts and put it together yourself. This may sound like a daunting task, but once you look at it it's actually really simple. Building a pc requires neither electrical nor computational knowledge, all you have to do is follow instructions closely. Computers are designed to go together, so all building a pc is is clipping things into slots and screwing them into the case. It takes a couple of hours the first time, but it's mindblowingly easy.

Some of the advantages of building a pc are thus:
- It's cheaper. Almost always works out a bit cheaper, not loads though. Generally only enough to pay for a few games.
- You own the parts, you can change them how you like, you have their (significantly longer) warranties. This also allows you to break down the cost of building a pc - when I built mine I could only afford 8GB RAM and a 1TB HD, now I have 32GB RAM and a 256GB SSD in addition to the HD. I sold the old RAM, it depreciates fast but it takes a bit of an edge of the purchase.
- You get to brag about how you built your own computer, people who've never done it always think it's an incredible feat. It isn't, but they don't know. Warning: this does not make a good chat up line.

When I (and pretty much all of the internet) am designing a pc I always go to pcpartpicker.com. It keeps track of the prices for various retailers, and has a compatibility filter to make sure I'm only buying parts that'll fit together.

Here's a $500 build that comes almost straight from r/pcmasterrace, they name it the 'next gen crusher' because it outperforms the next gen on benchmarks. I've made some changes: RAM doubled from 4 to 8GB, added a third party cpu cooler because AMD ones sound like concord, added a 256GB SSD because they're quicker than HD's (install the OS on here), also Windows 8.1, a monitor and a decent keyboard and mouse. In total comes to roughly the price of a decent game (in steam sales) less than your target $900.

Here's the link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XZ7xCJ

Also here's a youtube video on building a pc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bUghCx9iso

From my earlier post.

Other people are probably going to suggest rigs that cost the whole $900, a computer is useless without a monitor, keyboard, mouse and OS and these things add up. The build I put in here allows $300 for these things.

embed of the video:

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/761488/How-to-build-a-computer-in-30-minutes-with-EasyPCbuilder----Gaming-PC

Ge the new pentium anniversary chip or whatever it is and overclock it.
This one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117374

if you want a gaming laptop, build one.

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/category/notebook/
you pick and choose what you want in your laptop, and they always have some sort of awesome deal going on.

Mine was 1250, Quadcore i7 and a Nividia GeForce GTX 660M 2GB, and much more

The keyboards are excelent on almost all models (mine is a FULL keyboard, numpad and such)


If you want a laptop, this is what you do. Don't buy brand name laptops from toshiba or dell or alienware, they make you pay too much for too little

a_pla5tic_bagGe the new pentium anniversary chip or whatever it is and overclock it.
This one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117374

Featured into the build. I forgot about this processor. It's pretty damn cheap.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R3Qkyc

*DUMBCAN*$900 can get you a reasonable rig.

Laptops are stupid for a few reasons:
1. Gaming laptops are super big and heavy, so they really aren't that portable
2. Their performance is always inferior to a desktop
3. Generally there are no upgrades you can perform on them. Almost always opening the computer will void your warranty. Occasionally your warranty may not be void for RAM upgrades, but HD/SSD upgrades will void the warranty and cpu/gpu upgrades are impossible.
4. Their keyboards always suck.

1. Some are very reasonable, like the msi gs60 or razer blade, but you will pay a premium
2. True (for the price), there are some that can take desktop parts, but they are huge (I think eurocom makes one)
3. False, at least for gaming laptops. RAM is almost always allowed, same with hard drive. Alienware gets a lot of hate, but they make use of MXM and offer upgrades for the graphics cards (others do too, but it isn't super common). Also, there are laptop processors that are socketed, so they can be upgraded, but this is usually very expensive (in terms of price vs performance), and you usually can only upgrade in the same generation.
4. MSI made a new one will a fully mechanical keyboard. While deskptop ones (especially mechanical) are better, many gaming laptops do have very good keyboards.

I recently was in a similar position, and I ended up building an matx (corsair air 240) rig. I really like it. I understand that some people do need laptops though, I did for a while. I would reccomend looking on reddit.com/r/hardwareswap if you are ok with buying used. You can get some great deals. I saw the Asus g750jm going for under $800, and there may be some cheaper now. Upgrade the boot drive to a 256 ssd, grab a decent mouse, and you are good to go. They offer fairly easy access to most of the components, but I don't think this includes the graphics card. alienware has begun to offer a solution to allow you to use an external desktop card, but I think it is a little out of your budget (very cool feature if you can afford it, can really give you the best of both on one device). MSI also offers this with the gs30, but I think that one costs even more.

Definitely build. I've built a few now pcpartpicker.com and Linus tech tips can help get you through the procces. And YouTube that's how I learned.

This thread is a little old and laptops have definitely stepped it up. I have a Asus ROG Strix and it can handle pretty much any game I throw at it. You just have to disable to light up keyboard (eats away your memory) and you’re golden.