Best Gaming PC Under $1000?

[AssaultRifle]

I'm moving from Sweden to the USA in a couple days, and I need to buy a gaming PC. I already have a monitor. I'm not experienced enough to build my own PC, and I would like to have warranty on the entire PC, not just the parts. Also, I don't wish to buy from sites similar to iBuyPower and CyberpowerPC because I've heard some bad stuff about them and their customer support.

Anyway, what would be the best gaming PC on the market right now that I could get for under $1000? I'm thinking something with a Radeon HD 5750, and an AMD Phenom x6 1055 or i5-750.

Could you guys help me out?

 

[Fumz]

... Anyway, what would be the best gaming PC on the market right now that I could get for under $1000? I'm thinking something with a Radeon HD 5750, and an AMD Phenom x6 1055 or i5-750.

Don't get the x6 1055. It can't keep up with the i5-750 even when it's overclocked.

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Overclocking (page 7) - X-bit labs

I'm not at all familiar with pre-builts, aside from the big OEM's (which I avoid like the plague), but I'm sure the guys will get you straight.

 

[AssaultRifle]

... Anyway, what would be the best gaming PC on the market right now that I could get for under $1000? I'm thinking something with a Radeon HD 5750, and an AMD Phenom x6 1055 or i5-750.

Don't get the x6 1055. It can't keep up with the i5-750 even when it's overclocked.

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Overclocking (page 7) - X-bit labs

I'm not at all familiar with pre-builts, aside from the big OEM's (which I avoid like the plague), but I'm sure the guys will get you straight.

I don't think I will overclock my CPU, because I have never done it before, and I am afraid I will screw up and ruin my entire computer. I also have no experience in opening a computer chassi and adding or removing parts. I may however overclock my laptop and if that works, I will try overclocking my desktop when I get it.

Do I need to install an extra/better heatsink or something when I overclock? And is the process complicated?

 

[Fumz]

My point was only that the X6 1055 isn't as good as an i5-750, so you should not buy it. Even when you overclock the X6 to 4GHz, the i5 is still better.

It's a really bad idea to overclock a laptop. Yes, you can do it, but you will really shorten its lifespan. Unless you can afford to go out and buy a new laptop every few months, don't even consider overclocking it.

No, overclocking is not complicated, but you do need to know what you're doing, and you must have the proper parts. Yes, you will need an aftermarket heatsink (we're talking about your desktop now). How exactly you go about overclocking it will depend on what cpu you buy; however, that's getting ahead of ourselves.

It would probably be best if you just ran at stock and read all you can about overclocking before you actually attempt to overclock.

 

[AstaLaVista]

I doubt very much that you'll be able to find something under a grand with the specs you want unless you do it yourself but you can check buy.com, newegg.com

Building it yourself is not a big deal but I can understand why you may be against it. I was lucky to have a friend in the business who took his time helping me. To me the worse part is installing the cpu+heatsink onto the mobo, it is fairly easy from there.

 

[pparks1]

I may however overclock my laptop and if that works, I will try overclocking my desktop when I get it.

You will likely find this difficult as the laptop is a pre-manufactured machine from the likes of Dell, HP, Compaq, Toshiba, IBM, Acer, etc....and these companies usually lock down the bios's and such to prevent tinkering like this.

You can buy a pre-assembled system and get a pretty decent box. I've certainly done this in the past and my performance has been quite respectable. In my case, it was Dell's, with optional upgrades like ATI Radeon X800XT video cards and Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sounds cards, etc. I don't perscribe to the philosophy that unless you build it, it's garbage. Nor do I believe that you have to build to get the best price either. If you are very picky and have very specific needs though...you usually do have to build to get exactly what you want.

 

[not so gray matter]

Make sure you don't overlook the sound card department. A lot of the users on this forum use Realtek and think it's great. While it might work just fine for most people, the onboard cards they sell are absolute junk when compared to the high quality sound cards that are out there. For an extra $50-100 you can get really high quality sound instead of mediocore sound. Not to mention the fact that you'll still have the onboard Realtek as a backup incase your primary card fails.

Budget Sound Cards:

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Edition - $40
Newegg.com - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface

HT | OMEGA Striker 7.1 - $90
Newegg.com - HT | OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels 24-Bit 192KHz PCI Interface

The HT OMEGA card is a bit nicer, but you only need a card like that if you're a real audiophile. If you don't card so much about audio, then you can stick with realtek. If you're planning on playing lots of games and want decent audio quality, go with something atleast as nice as the Xtreme Audio. If you really want something nice, the Striker is about the cheapest you'll find. The top of the line cards are selling at close to $200 (Claro, High End X-FI)

If you're looking for a decent replacement sound card for a laptop, I recommend looking at Sound Blaster's external line of cards. They have a few different types. Some are USB and pen drive sized, some are USB and larger and some are PCI Express. Personally, I use the X-FI USB 5.1 Surround ($60) on my laptop.

 

[JonM33]

I'm moving from Sweden to the USA in a couple days, and I need to buy a gaming PC. I already have a monitor. I'm not experienced enough to build my own PC, and I would like to have warranty on the entire PC, not just the parts. Also, I don't wish to buy from sites similar to iBuyPower and CyberpowerPC because I've heard some bad stuff about them and their customer support.

Anyway, what would be the best gaming PC on the market right now that I could get for under $1000? I'm thinking something with a Radeon HD 5750, and an AMD Phenom x6 1055 or i5-750.

Could you guys help me out?

You could get a HP Pavilion Elite HPE-350t. For $899 I see a Core i7-860, 6GB DDR3-1333, 1TB HDD and 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5450.

That's not the best graphics card for gaming but for OEM systems and gaming you tend to pay a lot more. If you built your own you could get more. I priced this out for $966 at NewEgg.

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
SAPPHIRE 100297L Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit
ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders
​

 

[sygnus21]

Staying on topic but taking a different route... you can "upgrade" for under a grand.

Depending on how you do it you can upgrade for less than a grand. However it would involve using some of your older components. For example... hard drives, DVD drives, case, power supply.

I was able to upgrade to an i7 system (MB, CPU, RAM) for less than $900 bucks doing it this way. After that, I just replaced the other items - power supply, case at my own leisure. Next will be the video card.

If you've been doing upgrades here and there, this approach works. Admittedly though, my upgrade has cost me more than a grand when you factor in all the upgrades since the "upgrade"

However, doing it this way makes it easier to manage the funds. In fact, doing it this way allows me to maintain another system since it gets the replaced parts from my main system.

Just some food for thought

 

[JonM33]

Staying on topic but taking a different route... you can "upgrade" for under a grand.

Depending on how you do it you can upgrade for less than a grand. However it would involve using some of your older components. For example... hard drives, DVD drives, case, power supply.

I was able to upgrade to an i7 system (MB, CPU, RAM) for less than $900 bucks doing it this way. After that, I just replaced the other items - power supply, case at my own leisure. Next will be the video card.

If you've been doing upgrades here and there, this approach works. Admittedly though, my upgrade has cost me more than a grand when you factor in all the upgrades since the "upgrade"

However, doing it this way makes it easier to manage the funds. In fact, doing it this way allows me to maintain another system since it gets the replaced parts from my main system.

Just some food for thought

He has a laptop (according to his specs). How is he supposed to upgrade the parts in that to a desktop?

 

[Zeromant]

You should get one Aurora Alienware

999$ with Core i3

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English

Cosmic Black, Alienware Aurora Chassis

Intel® Core™ i3 530 Dual Core 2.93GHz (4MB Cache)

1 Year Basic Service Plan

ATI Radeon™ HD 5670, 1GB GDDR5

3GB DDR3 at 1333MHz

500GB - SATA-II, 3Gb/s, 7,200RPM, 16MB Cache HDD

24X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability

Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

Full Details and Specs: The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

btw, im a new user of this community, so, hello there!

 

[sygnus21]

Staying on topic but taking a different route... you can "upgrade" for under a grand.

He has a laptop (according to his specs). How is he supposed to upgrade the parts in that to a desktop?

You are correct.... however... my statement is "general" - Meaning it doesn't necessarily apply to the OP

 

[AstaLaVista]

He has a laptop (according to his specs). How is he supposed to upgrade the parts in that to a desktop?

Am I the only one puzzled here? the OP clearly stated... "Best Gaming PC" how can that be translated into a "Laptop"?

I mean, even if his specs are those of a laptop, he is clearly asking for a PC.

Anyways, I would wait a bit and find a friend to help me build my own... that's just me.

 

[sygnus21]

There's an article in the June/July 2010 Special Issue of MaximumPC on building a PC for $647 dollars. It's an AMD system, but you should get some ideals. Here's the article... How to Build an Awesome Gaming PC for $647 | Maximum PC

Here's an image of the magazine...

 

[blackroseMD1]

That Alienware recommended above is ok, but it only has an i3 in it. The other pre-built system is good, but you would end up going over $1K to get a better graphics card for it.

I would recommend calling around to all the small computer shops where you plan on moving. See if someone there would put together a computer for you if you bought all the parts. That is, if you don't have a friend that can build it for you.

That way, you can go to newegg, pick out the parts you want, and then pay a small fee to have it put together. Odds are, you'll still end up under a grand, and probably under $900.

 

[sygnus21]

That Alienware recommended above is ok,

He means the one above my post. We appear to have posted at the same time

 

[blackroseMD1]

That Alienware recommended above is ok,

He means the one above my post. We appear to have posted at the same time

Yep, I meant the one posted by Zeromant. Thanks for pointing that out sygnus.

 

[sygnus21]

Not a problem. We posted at the same time

 

[Fumz]

He has a laptop (according to his specs). How is he supposed to upgrade the parts in that to a desktop?

Am I the only one puzzled here? the OP clearly stated... "Best Gaming PC" how can that be translated into a "Laptop"?

I mean, even if his specs are those of a laptop, he is clearly asking for a PC.

Anyways, I would wait a bit and find a friend to help me build my own... that's just me.

He has a laptop; he wants to buy a gaming machine. Fairly straightforward.

 

[sygnus21]

I believe his question was directed towards JonM33's post to my post.... http://www.sevenforums.com/gaming/96394-best-gaming-pc-under-1000-a.html#post833273

That's why he added...

I mean, even if his specs are those of a laptop, he is clearly asking for a PC.