Gaming Computers; Are they Worth It?

I've been reading and hearing a lot lately about so-called "gaming computers" (one brandthat comes quickly to mind are Alienware comptuers). Are they worth getting if I do other things on the computer other than gaming, such as blogging and watching videos?

gaming computer alienware

asked Jan 13 '11 at 21:02

Sixtennis
421●4●8●14

9 Answers:

oldest newest most voted

I would have to say that most gaming computers are a waste of money, because you can build your own for a fraction of the price.

My friend is building a computer, and it only takes him about $600 to get a computer with an AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor, with a great ASUS motherboard. That right there only costs just below $250.

You can pick up a hard drive for practically nothing, and you can also pick up RAM (that works with the motherboard) for practically nothing.

You wouldn't want to buy a crappy power supply, so add in another hundred dollars or so.

There's also computer cases, but that's not something that really needs to be worried about. You can pick them up for really cheap.

The only thing that's left (hardware wise for inside of the computer) is the graphics card. You can go almost full out with a graphics card and still only pay about $200.

Now, there's the operating system. My friend is going to be starting out with Ubuntu, because it's free, and he can play some games through Wine while he gets the money to get Windows. Also, he has extra displays/keyboards/mice that are available, and that's not an expense that is needed, so I am leaving out $200 or so.

So with all of the hardware that I've just listed, the computer (which is fantastic in my mind) only costs ~$550.

So, is it worth it to get a gaming computer online? No.

answered Jan 13 '11 at 23:00

catchatyou
18.8k●76●161●359

edited Jan 13 '11 at 23:02

Ok, thank you for the information, I looked up the prices of my ideal computer online (not that I have the money to afford it), and it was MUCH cheaper than a pre-built computer.

(Jan 14 '11 at 19:52) Sixtennis

Thank you, and I'm glad that I could've helped.

(Jan 14 '11 at 20:46) catchatyou

The only disadvantage is that you need to know if all the hardware pieces can fit each other. If one piece doesn't fit that that is a waste of money. Be aware of this when building your own PC.

(Jan 15 '11 at 09:08) nitrocrime

I've doubled, and triple checked all of the hardware for my friend, and they fit.

(Jan 16 '11 at 14:49) catchatyou

6	Build your own rig ! ...... answered Jan 14 '11 at 05:34 Jackster1337 (suspended)

It would be a huge waste of money.

"Gaming computers" such as Alienware computers are much more expensive than most computers, and they are also much more powerful. If all you are doing is blogging, watching videos, etc., you don't need that much power.

answered Jan 13 '11 at 21:06

Justin
8.3k●104●142●221

Not necessarily a waste of money possibly if you buy an alienware or something I will admit they are far overpriced and if anything even if you did get one you don't use it to its full potential I built myself a moderate gaming rig that can handle most of the newest games with the graphics maxed out and getting 50 frames a second and it Conley cost combined about 400 bucks and its a great machine.

(Jan 13 '11 at 21:40) snack pack88

I'm not saying Alienware and gaming computers are a waste of money, in general. I'm saying it would be a waste of money for the asker, because he/she could easily do what they wanted on a much cheaper computer.

(Jan 13 '11 at 21:44) Justin

True and I wasnt trying to dispute what you said previously I was just saying and I do agree that a "gaming" computer is a waste of money because you can make your own for much cheaper.

(Jan 14 '11 at 10:54) snack pack88

Ahh, I misunderstood.

(Jan 14 '11 at 15:41) Justin

I believe all pre-built computers are a waste of money. If you wan't a good gaming computer I would suggest building your own. But if you don't know how or couldn't be bothered I guess a pre-built system would be your only option. However if you need a gaming pc (IE. a pc with a good graphics card etc.) then I would say a system like an "Alienware Computer" would again be your only / best option.

But if you're not going to be gaming much (or playing graphically intensive games) then a non-gaming pc would be an acceptable option.

Hope I helped :)

answered Jan 14 '11 at 11:13

Blind Fury
970●30●41●53

It sounds like your a casual gamer, so for you, a full-blown gaming computer is a waste of money. For someone who takes their gaming seriously, then money is no object. I build high-end water-cooled computers (gaming and 3D rendering) for a living, and it's nothing for me to spend $5,000 on parts alone. People buy my computers, even after I add in the cost of my labor, because speed and computing/graphics power are a necessary part of their lives. Until those things become a necessary part of your life, stick with off-the-shelf computers and games that don't require a great deal of graphics power to play well.

answered Jan 14 '11 at 23:17

papawayne
76●1●2●4

0	It will become clichéd in the this thread but I will say it anyway; build your own! answered Jan 14 '11 at 08:47 Ben Grant 2.0k●3●13●36

If you're EVER planning on getting a desktop, BUILD YOUR OWN. I cannot stress this enough. It's a better deal because generally the individual parts are cheaper. Plus, you know absolutely what is inside your PC. You are the master of it. And you can upgrade it if you need to. That's the brilliant thing about it. Gaming computers have excellent build quality and have amazing hardware, but generally they are overpriced and not worth it. Most of them have unparalleled laptops, but if you're looking into a desktop, the only real way to go is to roll your own.

answered Jan 16 '11 at 17:25

HHBones
4.0k●58●80●117

0	Build your own. Saves you thousands. I just recently built a computer for 800$ Intel Core i5 2500K ASUS P8P67 Pro 4gb ddr3 1600 320gb 7200 seagate spinpoint antec 300 Nvidia GTX 460 1gb se sc answered Feb 07 '11 at 19:46 TechGeek101 16●2

Tough question.

With regards desktops if money is the only obstacle then yeah build your own.

With regards laptops, you will find it harder to get the equivalent spec in a build your own scenario.

I'd love an alienware laptop, but would probably be wasted on me.

answered Feb 08 '11 at 06:57

paddyt007
1.2k●3●10●31

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