Hell I wouldn't be surprised if the next round of integrated graphics cards had better graphics than the PS3/360.
Where are my Satellite Guy's gamers at?
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I think I would enjoy putting together a gaming PC and it sounds like it would be that hard to just add it to my gaming TV and use a controller and wireless keyboard. The things that worry me though, are having the knowledge to put it together properly and spending the money on it after I just bought a new PS3. Not to mention having a baby on the way. The wife won't see a gaming PC as much as a priority as I do. 
I think I would enjoy putting together a gaming PC and it sounds like it would be that hard to just add it to my gaming TV and use a controller and wireless keyboard. The things that worry me though, are having the knowledge to put it together properly and spending the money on it after I just bought a new PS3. Not to mention having a baby on the way. The wife won't see a gaming PC as much as a priority as I do.
Well, the gaming allowance is something for you and your wife to figure out. I will say that I didn't know how to build a PC when I did mine either. It wasn't terribly hard though. Most things only plug in to specific spots and it's hard to actually do it wrong. Certain things like the RAM sticks should be on the same channel so you would need to look at the motherboard manual to see which slots to use. It took me a couple hours on my first build because I was being very careful and double checking help guides. I have since built another PC to use as a DVR and a gaming PC for a friend and it went much quicker.
I used this step-by-step guide to help me figure it all out. On the 2nd and 3rd builds I didn't even need it and everything went much faster.
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/uncategorized/building-a-new-computer-part-2-putting-it-together/
Yeah it's not THAT hard to put together a PC. Since everything is basically standardized most stuff just "fits in" where needed. If you can follow directions and have a screwdriver it's pretty straightforward. It's not heavy engineering work, and there's no soldering or anything. But yeah if you got a kid on the way I'd put that PC purchase on indefinite hold. That kid is not going to let you do much gaming. I speak from experience.
I found some pretty helpful info from this site, http://lifehacker.com/5840963/the-best-pcs-you-can-build-for-600-and-1200. I think I'd be able to put something together for $300-$500 that would fit my needs. I already have a mouse, headset and TV to connect to. I would just need a wireless keyboard and possibly a controller if I can't make one of my current ones work.
I remember when my son was a baby and I'd be home alone with him, I'd have him sleeping in my arms and I'd be playing MLB The Show while I'm sitting in the rocking chair. I'd then put him in his bouncy seat and bounce it with my foot while I played. Trust me, I can find ways to do it. LOL
I was reading through that website and noticed he said this,
Tip: It would be wise to use some thermal compound between the CPU and the fan, as it helps keep the temperature down. It’s pretty simple, just follow the directions on the back of the package. It’s not technically required, however.
I'm curious if you did that when you built yours?
When I built my gaming PC I bought an aftermarket CPU cooler because I was interested in overclocking my CPU. It came with a small tube of thermal paste so I used it. I think I went a little overboard with it because it oozed out a little bit and had to be cleaned up when I tightened all the screws down. They say a pea sized drop on top of your CPU is all you need. That's a lesson learned going forward. I bought the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. It's currently $34 on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005O65JXI/?tag=satell01-20
If you don't plan on overclocking you can probably get away with using the stock CPU cooler that comes in the box. When I built the DVR PC a month or so ago it said a small amount of thermal paste was already applied to the cooler so I didn't have to worry about it. I haven't built enough PCs to know if thermal paste is typically included with the CPU or not. If you want to make sure you have some for your build you can get a tube for about $5 from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009PTBZ6/?tag=satell01-20
I was just curious. I already have some left over from when I tried fixing my PS3. So far I'm just dreaming, I have fun looking and thinking about what I could do. Who knows if I'll ever put one together or not.
Right now I'm thinking if I were to get a new computer I would build a gaming PC but if by some chance my current laptop craps out or if I find someone else that could use it then I would probably buy a new laptop that has good gaming power.
Right now I'm thinking if I were to get a new computer I would build a gaming PC but if by some chance my current laptop craps out or if I find someone else that could use it then I would probably buy a new laptop that has good gaming power.
The $600 build in that article is very similar to what I put into my machine. It has the exact same processor and the GPU is an AMD that is pretty similar to mine but a newer model. There are a few differences like my 8GB of ram vs their 4GB and I have a beefier power supply and SSD but overall it's pretty comparable. It's slightly higher than the $300-$500 range you mentioned but it has a much better graphics power than the AMD APU in their $300 build.
The $300 build would work great for games you have mentioned like Minecraft and Don't Starve. It would play more complicated games like DayZ if you turned the settings down. If you can swing it you will be much happier with the $600 build. That is on the level of the new consoles or slightly higher. We are talking 1080p with high settings for pretty much everything.
One thing to keep in mind... Sites like Toms Hardware frequently use the PC Part Picker tool too. For some reason they never include the cost of Windows though. You could instal SteamOS instead of paying for Windows but I don't recommend it. If you do that you will only be able to play games that have Linux compatibility. That is just a small portion of the games in the Steam store and most of them are indie titles.
When you are looking at these prices keep in mind that you will probably need to add in $96 for a copy of Windows 8.1 so that $600 build is really closer to $700.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3ZN2W0/?tag=satell01-20
Would I need to get Windows 8 or could I get by on Windows 7? I like Windows 7 and it sounds like a lot of people hate the new windows 8.
You could go with Windows 7 for about the same price. I wouldn't recommend it though. Windows 8 supposedly has a little better performance for gaming and the DirectX 12 API being unveiled at GDC later this month is rumored to only be supported on Windows 8 and newer. This is only a rumor and it seems like a mistake not to bring it back to Windows 7. Games will still be made compatible with DirectX 11 either way since so many people do have Windows 7 and older machines but if I was building a new PC for gaming I would want DirectX 12 compatibility. Windows 8 will obviously be compatible with software in the future longer than Windows 7 will be but some new games still work with XP so you probably don't have to worry about that.
Windows 8.1 really isn't that bad. I have Windows 7 on my work PC and Windows 8.1 at home so I use them both every day. There are differences like Windows 8 defaulting to launch the Metro UI first instead of the desktop but that can easily be changed if you don't like it. Mine is almost exclusively used for gaming so I typically just click the Steam icon from the Metro UI and it opens right up. Once Steam or whatever program you want to use is open you won't even see a difference between 8 and 7.
Windows 8 isn't going anywhere, and from what I've read, UI issues aside, 8 is actually BETTER for gaming than 7 is.
This list of games for the PS Now Beta turned out to be far from the case. I finally got in to it for my first time yesterday, and most the games were older PSN titles (Dead Nation, Wipeout HD) or games that have already been free for Plus members (Darksiders 1). The newer ones tended to be in the fighting genre (Guacamelee, Persona 4 Arena) or had crappy 16-bit graphics (Terraria). So I ended up testing Dead Nation, a game I already own and have put a lot of time into. The game actually ran pretty smooth, but the graphics looked a bit soft and the black levels were terrible, which I confirmed by loading up my HDD-installed version of the game. And at a couple of points I seemed to lose control of the character, who moved on his own like my controller was borked or something, though that's never happened in any other game with that controller. Another bit of a disappoint was that it didn't recognize my save file.
I guess to be a proper tester, I should try a few more games, but nothing else really appeals to me. I hope they rotate in some others.
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If you don't own Guacamelee you should at least give that a try. It's not a fighting game, at least not in the same way that Street Fighter is. It's a platformer with some fighting elements but it's a very good game.
I just watched a review and I've always heard good things about it, so it seems definitely worth loading up to check out, though I'm afraid it's still too much of a button-masher for my tastes.
Based on the specs of my laptop I have posted above do you think I'd be able to play Don't Starve on it? I don't want to waste more money on games if I can't play it.
The Amazon listings say the graphics for your laptop are GMA 4500M. The system requirements for Don't Starve specifically say Intel GMA Chipsets not supported. That doesn't mean it definitely won't run but you are below the system requirements so they are warning you that it might not. I play older games and indie games on a laptop that isn't much better than that from time to time. The difference is that they are games I bought for my gaming PC so it doesn't cost me anything to launch them and see if I can play. I probably wouldn't buy a game knowing I am below the minimum requirements if I didn't have anything else to play it on though.
Honestly, that laptop wasn't built for games when it was brand new and it's 5 years old at this point. Your processor is above the required specs but there is no GPU on board. It only has an older version of Intel graphics integrated into the CPU. Some games, like Minecraft, that were built to run on anything will probably be ok. Older games like Half Life or Fallout 1 will probably work too. Most games are going to be too much for that laptop though.
That's the info I was looking for. I'm surprised that I was able to play Star Craft II on it so well, it seems to be a demanding game graphics wise. I've also played WoW and Call of Juarez but these are all older games of course.
I've been playing Minecraft a lot on it the last week and it does well but still slows down once in a while. Eventually I'll be upgrading to something, once I can make it work for me. Hopefully I'll come back from Vegas this month with at least half of the money I bring along. With that I'd have enough to buy a new PC and maybe convince my wife it's ok to spend since it was all saved up for Vegas anyway.
