Gaming PC/Laptop Questions

[botfly10]

I was worried about the i3. The next step up was an AMD that was actually cheaper but rated better but I didn't know if that would work with the rest. I'm clueless about comparability

I would choose between the 3 i5s in that "excellent" category, but I don't really know shit about what is the best value in i5s.

 

[botfly10]

Some sites to look at:

NewEgg
Tiger Direct
Amazon

ummm, what else?

 

[Crystallas]

http://www.amazon.com/Unique-Innova...8&qid=1416550132&sr=1-6&keywords=gaming+mouse

 

[fatbeard]

I was worried about the i3. The next step up was an AMD that was actually cheaper but rated better but I didn't know if that would work with the rest. I'm clueless about comparability

I would stay away from AMD processors. They've been getting crushed by Intel for some time now.

 

[fatbeard]

I would choose between the 3 i5s in that "excellent" category, but I don't really know shit about what is the best value in i5s.

When it comes to CPU questions, I always go with Tom's Hardware. They do a monthly roundup of every available processor and will show you which ones get you the most bang for your buck, and when it might be worth upgrading. They also do the same thing for graphics cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

 

[Ares]

When it comes to CPU questions, I always go with Tom's Hardware. They do a monthly roundup of every available processor and will show you which ones get you the most bang for your buck, and when it might be worth upgrading. They also do the same thing for graphics cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

And adding on.... I know purely for gaming having the best CPU is not mandatory.... but I find that with a higher powered machine I find myself doing stuff I wouldn't have bothered with on older machines.... casting streaming video from my machine to my TV.... running applications in the background while I play my games..... so while having the best CPU like the i7 over the i5 or i3 may not matter a whole lot as far as performance when all you do is play a game, it may be worth considering that you may want to do more stuff with a more powerful machine than you would otherwise.

Having the processing capacity to render streaming video to my TV in the background while still being able to play a game is something I wouldn't consider or would not be able to get away with using a lesser CPU.

If you gotta save the money somewhere and you just wanna game you can cut back on the CPU but I figured it was worth mentioning.... I can't be the only one who finds myself doing more stuff when I upgrade to a machine with a significant addition of resources than what I had before.

 

[Monk]

And adding on.... I know purely for gaming having the best CPU is not mandatory.... but I find that with a higher powered machine I find myself doing stuff I wouldn't have bothered with on older machines.... casting streaming video from my machine to my TV.... running applications in the background while I play my games..... so while having the best CPU like the i7 over the i5 or i3 may not matter a whole lot as far as performance when all you do is play a game, it may be worth considering that you may want to do more stuff with a more powerful machine than you would otherwise.

Having the processing capacity to render streaming video to my TV in the background while still being able to play a game is something I wouldn't consider or would not be able to get away with using a lesser CPU.

If you gotta save the money somewhere and you just wanna game you can cut back on the CPU but I figured it was worth mentioning.... I can't be the only one who finds myself doing more stuff when I upgrade to a machine with a significant addition of resources than what I had before.

I'm thinking I'll probably get back into recording music and editing video and stuff too. So once it decide it's time to get a new computer, I'll probably go with in i7. First off though I have to get my wife a laptop for her work. She can probably be fine with a Chromebook but I'll most likely get a decent used laptop. She just needs email, office, and billing functionality. Not a big deal.

 

[Jester]

And adding on.... I know purely for gaming having the best CPU is not mandatory.... but I find that with a higher powered machine I find myself doing stuff I wouldn't have bothered with on older machines.... casting streaming video from my machine to my TV.... running applications in the background while I play my games..... so while having the best CPU like the i7 over the i5 or i3 may not matter a whole lot as far as performance when all you do is play a game, it may be worth considering that you may want to do more stuff with a more powerful machine than you would otherwise.

Having the processing capacity to render streaming video to my TV in the background while still being able to play a game is something I wouldn't consider or would not be able to get away with using a lesser CPU.

If you gotta save the money somewhere and you just wanna game you can cut back on the CPU but I figured it was worth mentioning.... I can't be the only one who finds myself doing more stuff when I upgrade to a machine with a significant addition of resources than what I had before.

NOTHING LESS THAN THE BEST CPU IS ACCEPTABLE !!! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND ARES ???

 

[Crystallas]

I said this before, have been saying it for 16 years. Be careful with tom's. They produce a lot of sponsored reviews. More than any hardware review site. Even when they get hardcore outed for fudging numbers, they'll only tone down enough until different hardware labs stop pointing it out, and they start back up again.

And you can find benchmarks direct from the sources of the benchmark tool providers, if that is your thing. ie: http://www.futuremark.com/hardware https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_value_alltime.html

 

[Ares]

NOTHING LESS THAN THE BEST CPU IS ACCEPTABLE !!! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND ARES ???

Dis my take.... you said it much better lol

 

[Ares]

I said this before, have been saying it for 16 years. Be careful with tom's. They produce a lot of sponsored reviews. More than any hardware review site. Even when they get hardcore outed for fudging numbers, they'll only tone down enough until different hardware labs stop pointing it out, and they start back up again.

And you can find benchmarks direct from the sources of the benchmark tool providers, if that is your thing. ie: http://www.futuremark.com/hardware https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_value_alltime.html

Is there no integrity left on da internets?

 

[Crystallas]

Is there no integrity left on da internets?

It's a fanboy issue. Otherwise people would see through false claims easily.

 

[botfly10]

I like tomshardware for the forums as much as the reviews.

I also really like the owner's lounges on notebookreview.com. You can get great info on specific models from people that own then. Though you have wade through people bitching about inane shit.