Help on becoming a Pc gamer?

Question

Hello Yahoo, my lovely mother went ahead and sold my brand new 250gb Xbox 360+kinect out of a fit of rage for $100.00 -.- but anyways instead of going to buy a new Xbox Ive contemplated becoming a PC gamer...there's only one problem I DON'T KNOW **** ABOUT PCS that's why I'm kindly asking the Yahoo community for some help. The games I used to play on my 360 were BF3 and Skyrim so I would need a computer that could handle that on highest quality. Also my visualization of me playing would be me with a portable gaming pc with the option to run an hdmi cable to a HDTV so I can play on a big screen at home. Also Also please make your technical mumbo jumbo easy to understand as I am a PC virgin thanks in advance!!!

Answer 1

Here are the system requirements for Skyrim. Naturally u would want to choose the components that would run the game on "ultra".

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:System_Requirements



For things not covered there:

1. Get a PSU (Power Supply) with plenty of output. 700 to 1000 watts is my suggestion.

2. Get a hard drive that is fast with plenty of capacity. The SSD (Solid State Drive) ones are best (and most expensive)...but a traditional drive will be needed also (1Tb or more is my suggestion). Make sure your mainboard and drives are compatible with the "Sata3" (6Gb) speed for the best performance.

3. Video card is an important component for gamers. On the site I linked are various graphics cards which will run the game at the highest settings. But it would pay to do both some research, and price comparing, on the various cards to decide which one u will eventually get. Pay the most attention to other users' comments on the cards as these are the most reliable indications of what to expect.

4. I would invest in a separate sound card too. They aren't too expensive and the benefits are worth it. U will get better sound with more options...and your CPU will be freed from doing the job of the sound card. And naturally this means your CPU will handle other jobs (such as your game) more efficiently.

5. Most all the video cards sold now have the HDMI output, so this will be easy to implement for your HDTV. A small note: All HDMI hardware sold in Canada and USA have what is called HDCP embedded. This is another attempt at copy-protection (a fail, as usual...but, also as usual, an annoyance to legitimate consumers. It is always the legitimate consumer who is really hurt by these idiotic schemes). But anyway if u want to use certain things with your game (like gameplay recording) u are going to have to get a HDCP removal box. These are not sold in Canada or USA, but are readily available in China (and probably other countries also).

6. Keyboards and mice are faily standard. They are cheap for the most part and all perform pretty nearly alike. Although, strangely enough, the best keyboard I have ever owned (and I still own it), is one of those old IBM "touchmatic" types from the 1990's. If u can find one, snag it for sure. They are pretty nearly indestructible.



Hope this helped some and wasn't too overly technical for u. Good luck with PC gaming. U will wonder how u ever endured a console once u experience gaming on the PC. Gaming on the PC requires a lot more setup and attention to configuration, but in the end, it's well worth it.

Answer 2

Well the good news is that most of the games you played on the 360 are available on the PC, and unlike the 360, online play is free on the PC.



The bad news is that even a modest gaming desktop or laptop is going to start at around $1000.



Keep in mind the only difference between a "PC" and "gaming PC" is...well, nothing. However many PC games require some more powerful hardware that those $300 PCs you see at Walmart don't have. The main one being a more powerful video card which can cost $200 just by itself, and go as high as $2000 for a set of 3 cards connected together. Of course, like stereo speakers, at some point the price versus the performance just gets out of hand. Even the most demanding game will run fine on a $200-300 video card when running on a HDTV. Other things a gaming PC needs is a faster more powerful processor, and more memory (RAM). All of these cost more money.



Desktops are still the preferred platform because their components are cheaper, more powerful, and easier to upgrade when compared to a laptop.



Laptops are portable, but they are also more expensive and aren't nearly as powerful as a desktop. You also cannot upgrade the hardware in a laptop, except for adding more memory (RAM) and even that usually maxes out at a much lower amount when compared to a desktop.



There's also a lot more you need to learn to really get the most out of a PC for gaming. You'll need to worry about keeping your system's defenses at their best since you will be playing online. This doesn't just mean a good anti-virus program but programs to detect, prevent and delete infections by malware or spyware.



You also have to worry about keeping Windows updated (which can be automated), as well as the drivers for your video card or other hardware in your system. Games also have updates that will need to be downloaded and then installed. Some of the digital services, like Steam, will do much of the work for you but not all games are sold in this manner.



Personally, I would just advise you to just buy a new 360 and this time, hide it from mom. Going from console gamer to PC gamer will take you some time, and will require you to learn quite a bit - which can be a good thing. Again there is nothing stopping you from trying to play games on your current PC, however, depending on its hardware you may find it unable to run certain games very well, if at all.



There is no better way to learn about PCs than trying to a game to run on it when it's not quite powerful enough to do it.

Answer 3

When building a Gaming PC or looking at one pre-built there are many things you need to consider:

• Chassis/case

• Power supply

• CD/DVD drives

• Hard Drive(s)

• RAM (random access memory)

• Motherboard

• CPU (central processing unit)

• CPU heat sink/fan

• Thermal paste

• Hard drive cable

• CD/DVD drive cable

• Video card (graphics card, GPU)



You also must understand that the Xbox and PS3 have performance power of my old Gaming Rig back in 2006 and even it has better graphics on BF3 than the Xbox360 and PS3.



First thing: YOUR BUDGET!

How much are you willing to spend?

$500 = Low end budget gaming computer.

$850 = Decent/Medium end gaming computer will run most everything on High, some games like BF3, Metro 2033, Crysis 1 & 2 around medium.

$1000 = Good gaming computer, will run most everything on high @ 1080p

$1200 - $1500 = High end multi-monitor gaming computer. Playing Skyrim on 3 screens is fun :)



2nd: Basic knowlegde of the computer:

Look back at the parts, you will need to do some of your own research but all of those parts are necessary for a good gaming computer.

• Chassis/case - Need a good one for ventilation and room for parts.

• Power supply - Needs to be big enough to be able to power all of your components -550W is standard, get a bigger one for the high end rigs.

• CD/DVD drives - Just something you need.

• Hard Drive(s) - Where you stored all your data, theres now SSD which are extremely FAST but are still really pricey. Otherwise get a normal HDD at 7200RPM

• RAM (random access memory) - 8GB is all you need

• Motherboard - VERY IMPORTANT, make sure you get one that can be upgraded and has everything you need on it.

• CPU (central processing unit) - VERY IMPORTANT, I suggest i5-2500k or the new i5-3750k, the i7s arent needed for gaming.

• CPU heat sink/fan - All those components get really hot, you dont want them to melt? Buy some fans and heatsinks to cool everything off.

• Thermal paste - Optional: Cooling paste that keeps your CPU cool when you paste onto the Motherboard

• Hard drive cable - Cables to connect your HDD

• CD/DVD drive cable - Cables to connect your Disc drives

• Video card (graphics card, GPU) - This is what makes games run and will allow you to greatly increase your gaming performance.

Answer 4

It is a slow learn as you go process. PC gaming has a lot of advantages over console gaming but ease of use is not one of them. As far as a system goes. look at the setups that people post online. You will eventually get a feel for what would be good for you. Also look at the games you like, the specs for systems are on the box.

Answer 5

laptop gaming is thoroughly distinctive from consoles guy. a million. you may exchange and alter RAM, GFX, motherboard etc. 2. maximum video games are unfastened or downloaded 3. extra helpful pictures than all different consoles on the marketplace. listed right here are some first rate video games too: Battlefield 4, Black Ops 2, coronary heart wellness care expert Simulator 2013, worldwide of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Minecraft, Grid 2, GTA4, GTA5, Diablo III