Darth Krawlie Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 So I'm archaic as hell and still enjoy and prefer the desktop experience to using a laptop or tablet. The PC I have was built by a friend about 6 years ago. It's still working pretty well for the most part, not really much to complain about, but it's feeling like time to upgrade. I mostly use it as an internet machine and to write (I've been saying for a year now I'm gonna start a new project soon, and I swear I am), but with my son playing more and more on the PS4, I've started getting some interest in playing games again. But I don't need a full on gaming machine. I'm not gonna play THAT much. His number one game is Fortnite and it's fun watching him play, to the point he's gotten me to play a handful of rounds (even a relatively simple game like this, though, is way beyond the SNES, which is the last system I really gamed out on). There are a few other games I'm interested in too, but one of the driving forces of this is he really wants us to play as a team, which you can't do on one console. I know there are more tech savvy people on here than me--my knowledge of up to date computer specs is about two decades out of date now. I definitely don't need anything top of the line, but something that'll be able to handle a handful of gaming from time to time. Any advice/tips? If it helps, my brother in law works for Dell and can likely get me a discount if I buy through them. No idea if Dells are even considered good anymore, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odine Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Are you wanting to build it or buy a premade rig? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted February 19 Author Share Posted February 19 Probably premade. I’m capable of building one if I knew the right parts to get—no clue how to pick motherboards or video cards these days, though, or how to choose a case they’d all fit in, etc. It’s probably cheaper to go that route though, isn’t it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamevet Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Dell makes the Alienware PCs. They aren't what they used to be, but if he can get you a family discount, I'm sure that you could get a pretty solid rig for around $1,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Skywalker Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 So I'm not a huge gamer. Dell did buy Alienware, though. And while the reputation has fallen a bit because of that, when I Google best gaming desktops, the Alienware Aurora series pops up a lot. I mean, honestly as long as you don't live on the thing, it's probably fine for what you want to do. We just bought a new laptop because my kids think they will be YouTubers and want to make videos. Haven't done shit with it yet lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamevet Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Here's a the decent Alienware Aurora 16. I think that the Power Supply is a bit weak and only having 16GB of RAM is behind the times. It's $1179 and a decent 1080p rig. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/alienware-aurora-r16-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r16-desktop/useahctor16i11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted February 19 Author Share Posted February 19 Nice I already had that one saved to look at later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 lol. I got the blue screen this morning. So I too am in the market for a new desktop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoLA Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Mine is going to be 5 years old in a few months, so I'm starting to think about this, too. I built this one but now I'm too lazy to put another together LOL, I just want to unbox and log in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamevet Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I’ve built my last 5 PCs. My latest was a $420 upgrade from a i9-9900K to a 12900K. I ended up selling the old CPU/motherboard, RAM and an old AIO for $350 to my brother. I’m so fortunate to have a nearby MicroCenter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I could actually fix mine as it’s a desktop. But it’s from 2017 I think and if I upgrade the motherboard I will probably have to change a few other things. Ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Palpatine Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 I've been eying the Aurora too. It would be replacing my elderly Mac desktop and my very hated gaming laptop. The only thing that's currently holding me back is that I'm still hesitant to commit to a full time desktop rig because I do like to drag the laptop out onto the patio and play ffxiv outside on nice evenings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathras Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 On 2/18/2024 at 8:37 PM, Gamevet said: Here's a the decent Alienware Aurora 16. I think that the Power Supply is a bit weak and only having 16GB of RAM is behind the times. It's $1179 and a decent 1080p rig. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/alienware-aurora-r16-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r16-desktop/useahctor16i11 Agreed, the 16 GB RAM is a bit low, but RAM is cheap these days and an easy install. Since you are looking to get a whole new computer, Jacob, the Aurora looks (on paper) to be a good rig. If it was me, and my desktop was working fine still, and as long as the PC can run Windows 11, I would consider just upgrading the graphics card to one that will run the games you play, the RAM, and possibly the power supply. This is assuming you are using an M.2 or SSD for a boot drive. If you have a mechanical hard drive, might as well just get a new computer, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 I plan to try a Best Buy outlet tomorrow. The blue screen of death will eat my lunch or tax return but my last computer lasted from 2018 I think and I bought it as an out of box special at Best Buy. Current set up at home and school is my school issued tablet with a Magic Keyboard, I splurged and bought the Apple Pencil and love it! But I want my home computers LARGE monitor I bought a year ago as it’s much easier to multitask,. I know I want a desk top. That’s about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Skywalker Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Our Gateway low-end gaming desktop from 2008 is still running. Didn't realize it was so robust! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathras Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 I have a 2005 Dell that refuses to die! I never use it anymore, but I zoomed on it the last time I was at a Nightly Zoom party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamevet Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 8 hours ago, Ms. Spam said: I plan to try a Best Buy outlet tomorrow. The blue screen of death will eat my lunch or tax return but my last computer lasted from 2018 I think and I bought it as an out of box special at Best Buy. Current set up at home and school is my school issued tablet with a Magic Keyboard, I splurged and bought the Apple Pencil and love it! But I want my home computers LARGE monitor I bought a year ago as it’s much easier to multitask,. I know I want a desk top. That’s about it. Funny, I dropped by the Best Buy Outlet near my office earlier today. I saw a couple of PCs for under $300 and then I noticed that both of them only had 8GB of RAM. I would steer clear of that. They had some really nice displays though. I saw a 32” 1440p 165 Hz UHD display for $250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 So my brother in law can get me a 25% discount on Dell PCs, which is great. I also just discovered r/buildapcforme, so maybe I'll piggyback off someone in there and just build it myself after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Why didn’t I get the pencil for my iPad sooner? OMG it makes it so easy to grade papers on my iPad until I get my new computer. Sooooo if I went to a website to have a computer built to avoid hulk smash anger at building my own where would you go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathras Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 At my job we had a custom PC built for VR purposes, and we used: https://www.ibuypower.com/. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathras Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 If I were looking, I'd get this one. https://www.ibuypower.com/store/rdy-trace-7mp-005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 Probably not getting one now anyway because my raise/bonus were shit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathras Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Bummer, man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odine Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Ahh nuts. I was looking forward to another middle aged PC gamer to join the ranks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamevet Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 I sold my old RTX 3060Ti for $240 to a guy through Craigslist about a week ago. I got a text from the guy a day or 2 ago, being very thankful for selling the card to him. I gave him a really good deal, considering that the card was $650 two years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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