Help w/ intro to PC gaming.

jakebaker13

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I have always been a console gamer. I have played PC games in the past, (Diablo 2 and Guild Wars to name a few.) but I never really got into it because I was young and PC gaming was more expensive with having to upgrade the system and whatnot. Plus I don't know the first thing about a computer so I wouldn't know how to go about changing a graphics card anyways.

Anyways to get to the point: I have been playing RPG's for quite awhile and I'd really like to make the switch from Xbox 360 to PC. (Especially because Witcher 2 is coming soon!) The only problem is I don't know where to start. I don't know anything about modding my games, patching, DLC (Steam???)… nothing. I have been spoiled with my consoles doing all of it for me.

A friend of mine suggested Alienware, but I am apprehensive taking his advise. Although he knows a thing or two about computers he is not much of a gamer.

Thanks.
 
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Welcome to RPGWatch. :) We're the right place for western PC RPGs. ;)

Alienware is quite expensive. Generally speaking PCs have never been as cheap as they are now. So it's not really necessary to spent that much money. It is possible to get a decent gaming PC for, say, 400$ (plus monitor) minimum. Of course more doesn't hurt, but spending 1500$ is unnecessary.

Generally speaking you can expect every single game to cost at least 10$ less than on console.

You can use an XBox 360 game pad on PC. Many games support it.

Using mods is different for every game. It's not rocket science though. Especially RPGs like Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Vampire: Bloodlines get much, much better with mods.

You can attach a PC to your FullHD TFT TV, if you choose your components carefully.

Steam is a download service owned by the guys who made Half Life shooters. It's the closest thing you'll find to a console experience. The software handles all the patches automatically, and much more. There are also negative points, but that's a topic for its own thread. This service works and it's easy to use. Plus their discount offers rock!

Patching a game is a routine procedure you do before you launch the game for the first time. You simply download the patch and start it. Not complicated at all.
 
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With modding, a lot of the major mod sites will have directions for installation, or they'll be contained in a .txt ReadMe file with the download. For example, most mods on the Nexus websites (Oblivion, Morrowind, Fallout 3, Dragon Age: Origins) have instructions on the web page for how to install them. It's also worth staying in a community like this if you wish to mod because you'll likely get the help you need if you're struggling.

If you don't know what mods to get in the first place, then there's often various "Must Have" lists for the more popular games, although they should be taken with a pinch of salt as they might not fully suit your tastes. One or two playthroughs of the unmodded game would give you an idea of what you like and what you don't like, and will help you find suitable mods. Don't like how the characters look in Fallout 3? Download Project Beauty. Don't like being unable to respec in Dragon Age: Origins? Download the respec mod. Modding a game blind will likely confuse you and result in more problems than it solves, so if you have an idea of what you like then finding mods and the appropriate support should be easier.

If you're going to use a pad, then I suggest you use a programme like XPadder. Not all games support pads natively, and if you want full control over what buttons do what then it'll be vital.

If you want to take screenshots of things in-game, then I'm also going to throw a recommendation for FRAPS into the mix. The free version works perfectly well, although it only saves in .bmp format, and you can have some good quality screenies with it. Converting the files to something smaller is easy, though, and can be done in Paint, GIMP, IrfanView or whichever image programme you use.

Generally, I'd suggest browsing articles on gaming websites like PC Gamer or Tom's Hardware to get an idea of what hardware you'll need, how to build your PC and how to maintain it. I don't know what your current routine or setup is like, though, but I've found CCleaner and MyDefrag to be vital in keeping my computer performing fairly well and removing unwanted rubbish.
 
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Wow thanks for the information. This will help me out tremendously. I was ready to save up in excess of $2000 for something from Alienware. I'm sure glad you guys responded. Explaining the mods in laymen terms also helped out a great deal. I think I will be able to grasp the concept once I can start playing around with it.
 
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Oh, you will, trust me. Modding (Just like overclocking, system building etc) seems very complex to the uninitiated, but once you get started it becomes almost second nature to you. As I said above, a lot of modding communities (Or even just modders) will be willing to help if you have issues.

I would, personally, suggest self-built over a pre-built system, but one of my beliefs is that getting a cheap-ish prebuilt (You know, those home office PCs that come with a quad-core, 4GB RAM, Windows 7 etc) and whacking a graphics card in is just as good. I used a setup like that for a year or two before I built my own PC, and I was quite happy with it. I would suggest that if you buy a prebuilt like that, though, then replacing the PSU is a great idea. The one it'll come with will likely be unable to support any decent card "properly", and it might be a poor brand.
 
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I probably will have to go the pre-built route. I feel like the whole modding, patching, and DLC thing won't be much of a hassle. Really it's all about getting started now. I would love to build My own but I have no idea even where to start. I don't even know what a PSU is! I'm awful.
 
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PowerSupplyUnit. The thing which takes the juice and spreads it to all components. Naturally you want this to be as reliable as possible.

The problem with pre-built PCs is that they're (a) designed to meet a certain price point and (b) take into account the typical customer's purchasing behavior. Let's see it like it is: companies are greedy and the average customer is uninformed.
As a result of this - and as a general rule! - pre-built PCs always have at least one serious weakness. In most cases it's the graphics card, which makes sure you get all the nice 3D effects and you'll get them fast. Games rely on 3 things: (a) memory = RAM -> cheap, (b) CPU power -> relatively cheap and buyers look at this first (c) graphics power -> expensive and only experts know the details.
So if you buy such a PC, prepare to insert a new graphics card. That's no big deal though, if you choose carefully.
 
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Thanks.

Let me ask this, and forgive me if I am being to forward: If any of you had, $500-$1000 to spend, what specs would you include if you were to build your own from the ground up? Will a place like my local Best Buy build it for me if I were to go in and hand them your specs?
 
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I can't comment on that, I'm not from the US.
 
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At the risk of scaring you away, here's a 1000$ gaming PC, compared to a 400$ PC and a 2000$ PC. All of them self-built.

The aforementioned Tom's Hardware Guide is a site for hardware enthusiasts. So they're quite extreme. (Keep in mind they're traditionally Intel-friendly. So don't believe everything they write about AMD. But that's common on the internet.) The article is slightly outdated. A new graphics card generation is on the way into the market before Christmas.

I you are not shocked by so much specific info I suggest you read the article on the 1000$ PC and the article with the benchmark tests and the summary.
Especially have a look at the diagrams. The used games, Crysis and Dirt 2, are very demanding on the hardware and regarded as two of the most state of the art games. This is clearly the upper end of the spectrum.

Other details to keep in mind:
1650*1050 is the standard resolution for a 22" TFT.
1920*1080 is standard FullHD and normal for a 24" TFT.
TFTs should be used close to their normal resolution. So size does matter.

The absolute minimum tolerable frame rate (frames per second, see diagrams) is 30 (in reality it's much more complicated). Everything below 30 sucks, but a constant 30 is okay. 60 is perfect, everything over 60 useless. Make this 120 ( 2*60) if you need real 3D, with glasses like at cinema.
Now examine the diagrams. You'll be quite surprised how small the differences between the PCs are.

Generally speaking RPGs don't need as much performance as Crysis or Dirt 2.
 
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Like they said: It seems really complex and daunting at first. But just keep reading on the internet until you find the components you want (which also fit together - I messed up once and got a CPU that didn't fit on my motherboard) and then the motherboard will come with a pretty decent manual telling you what component goes where.

When it comes to power supply units (PSU) I would recommend one from Corsair. They have gotten very good reviews (last year at least). PSU:s supply everything with power so a good one can make a big difference in the long term stability of the computer.
 
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I stopped by the computer repair shop in town today and found out they custom build PCs. I spoke with a very knowledgeable guy who had built one for himself for gaming just recently. He gave me their web address and after playing around on it for awhile this is what I came up with. It's pretty pricy but I'm hoping that if it is spec'd up a bit more that will just prevent me from haveing to upgrade it sooner than I would have to otherwise. I am willing to pay more to avoid paying for upgrades a year from now. If I am wrong about this please inform my ignorant ass.
Oh and if there is anything I should change let me know. (wasn't quite sure about the PSU.)
Anyways here are the specs:

Processor: Quad-Core Intel® Core™ i7-950 3.06GHz
Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D Premium - ATX - Intel® X58 Chipset
Memory: 3 x Crucial 4GB PC3-10600 1333MHz DDR3
Chassis: Antec NSK4482 - ATX Mid Tower - 380 Watt Power Supply
Power Supply: Corsair HX850 - Modular - 850W Power Supply
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA 7200RPM (Too much memory???)
5.25" Bay: Samsung 22x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer LightScribe (The other were all blu-ray drives. don't have much use for that.)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1280MB GDDR5 (2xDVI, 1xmini HDMI)
Monitor: 24" LCD - 1920x1080 - ASUS VE246H
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

So how's it look? Overkill? I have always wanted to play Crysis, and Witcher. I really want them to look stellar on whatever setup I get, if at all possible.

EDIT: Is a gaming mouse/ keyboard preferable or are these devices merely gimmicks to fool ignorant people like myself?
 
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Joined
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You should open another thread to help you find the right configuration. We have some very knowledgeable people on our forums.

What you should do:
Feed every component into a price search engine to find out what realistic prices are. This way you can make sure the shop doesn't charge you a premium.

The PC is still a bit uneven. Some components are too big, others too small. Generally speaking it's a good starting point though, if you can afford it.
 
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