[Trinion]

Hi all,

I am looking to buy a gaming PC since my Zenbook isn't able to run DayZ and Planetside 2 properly.
And since I only moved from NZ to Australia a few months ago I have no idea where to get good gaming PCs at decent prices. Can anyone suggest a good shop (online or physical store in Brisbane) where I can buy an already built PC?

Thanks in advance!

[ToRozliam]

How much do you want to pay for a gaming Pc do you have a price range?

[|Erasmus|]

find a good computer store (i think scorptech and umart and msy are in brisbane) and get the parts you want, and just pay ~$70-$90 or so for them to put it together if you aren't willing to do it yourself.

Quick Comments

iMSystem:

Scorptech are in VIC

[Trinion]

@ozliam
Around 1000 AUD ish exclusing monitors etc

@Erasmus
I know next to nothing about computer parts and which ones are good

[Mayo]

www.MWave.com.au

Support those who support your scene!

[ToRozliam]

Msy will be your best place to go they are really nice in there and they will tell you what specs and all to get they would also be able to put the computer together for you msy is prob tr cheapest store in Australia

[Antel0pe]

Trinion, are you only wanting to buy the computer? or are you wanting to build it yourself?
If you're just wanting to play the game, go to the link Mayo posted,
if not I can suggest some good parts for you

[Hydroid]

I know they aren't based in Brisbane, but they will ship there.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...1411&vk_sort=1

Just choose the prebuilt system you want, add it to your cart along with the $99.00 assembly service and get them to ship it to you after.

In particular if your budget is $1000 excl Monitor and peripherals you might be interested in this one. $899 + Assembly would put you just within the budget. http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...ducts_id=20899

[Fadey]

Dont listen to Antelope he has a mac! j/k . If you are looking at pre builts mwave pre built pcs are decent value for their money I have purchased a lot of stuff off mwave and they are a pretty good mob to deal with. I also use to know someone who worked at scorptech and they are good too. PC case gear will probably be the cheapest and are awesome too got alot of my last build stuff from them , cant go wrong with any of them really but like mayo said support the company that supports the scene (if they have what you want).

[TAminimat]

I could build you a mighty fine PC

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Trinion

@Erasmus
I know next to nothing about computer parts and which ones are good

Never fear: http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs

Great guide to current model stuff that's generally considered excellent quality/value. There's also a guide to Australian PC shops in that wiki with a bunch of ratings based on customer satisfaction. Shop around some of the high rated ones to find the best deal and to see who'll build for you... (hint: most shops probably will if you ask them, and they shouldn't charge tooo much for it).

Quick Comments

Trinion:

:O Thanks!

[Trinion]

Thanks all!
Didn't expect so many responses

A question regarding the PC's CPU. Does it generally make a difference if its i5 or i7? What differences do they generally make?

[Intoccabile19]

The other place to look is

www.staticice.com.au

It shows search results for technology from a huge range or IT hardware sites.

It lists all the sites mentioned above and more. If you want to find the cheapest place to get x part then punch it in there.

[TCPLemminks]

Originally Posted by Trinion

Thanks all!
Didn't expect so many responses

A question regarding the PC's CPU. Does it generally make a difference if its i5 or i7? What differences do they generally make?

Different models, different speeds i believe.

[Unstable]

When i was a pc tech I always used either

http://umart.com.au
or
http://msy.com.au/

umart is easier to browse for their particular equipment, but for 1k you should be fine to get a decent gaming pc, it wont be amazing but can run everything you need.

From what ive seen recently anything i5 or above or any gfx card with 1gig in it can run pretty much any game these days.

EDIT: http://umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=5 this will probably be perfect for you
EDIT2: grr link wont work if you go Desktop computers --> computer package --> gaming series --> intel advanced gamer for $1039 prob your best bet

Product Description:
1 Years return to base Warranty
Intel Core i5 3570K CPU - 3.4Ghz
Gigabyte / Asus Z77 Motherboard
8G DDR3-1600MHz RAM
1TB SATAIII 7200RPM Hard Disk
22X DVD Burner
ATI HD7850 PCI-E 2GB GPU
Antec Three Hundred Case
550W 80+ PSU

[TheGentleman]

Umart.

Good prices, good stuff, and it's easier to get everything in one place. Their main office is at Milton which is generally very easy to get to. Ipswich and Rosewood (Green in the South and West directions) Train then a 1k walk past all the delicious food. But it's smarter to bring a car... less temptation by the delicious food!

If you have any other questions most of them are easily answered by this thread I made ages ago: http://www.sc2sea.com/showthread.php?t=4513

Good luck!

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Trinion

Thanks all!
Didn't expect so many responses

A question regarding the PC's CPU. Does it generally make a difference if its i5 or i7? What differences do they generally make?

i5s are generally dual/quad core and don't have hyperthreading. i7s are all quad core and all have hyperthreading. Hyperthreading is cute, and will help out in some situations with your computers responsiveness (basically if there are multiple unrelated things (and i mean really low level computery unrelated things) it will sometimes do them both at once, making it look like more than a quad core).

tl;dr: if you don't already know what it is, you aren't likely doing anything technical that might see the real benefits of that kind of technology.

These days for gaming you'd probably want a mid-high end i5 quad, 8-16GB of ram, and spend 2-300 on whatever graphics card whirlpool likes best in that priice range. Don't spend more than $100 on a motherboard, and don't get a combined case/power supply package because 90% of the time they package a crap power supply they want to move with it.

[fray`Eros]

PC part picker is a really good website it also allows you too see whats compatible with what here's a really good build that is well in your budget and is a really solid machine http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dYae

[YurickHarmon]

As mentioned before, i5's are the models WITHOUT hyperthreading, whereas i7's are the models WITH hyperthreading. For gaming you most definitely want an i5, with one particular exception: If you want to stream in 1080p, an i7 will be of benefit to you (Its not NECESSARY, but it does make the process less painful on your pc, its up to you whether you deem streaming alone as a necessary reason for the price hike and slight performance hit in other areas).
At around $1000, you can make a very nice PC. Personally I would go for a good i5 with a strong motherboard (People will say the motherboard makes no difference, but its the component most worthwhile to futureproof, for example, lots of sata 3/USB3 ports), and probably a 7850 or 7870 graphics card. The aforementioned Whirlpool list of PC's is a very good place to start if you are not entirely sure of what you are looking for, but have a budget

[Trinion]

Hey all, again,thanks for all the replies!
Are all these PCs wireless ready, like the ones on umart etc?

[|Erasmus|]

generally no. It's not a feature most motherboards supply. A good quality wireless card will only cost you ~$30 though. Consider the placement of the desktop though if you are going wireless.

I have wireless myself, and sitting under my desk it receives a rather poor signal. So I also have an external antenna (just one that screws into my wireless card but has a long cord and sits up on my desk) to improve that... which was another ~$10.

[DUCKVILLELOL]

Originally Posted by |Erasmus|

generally no. It's not a feature most motherboards supply. A good quality wireless card will only cost you ~$30 though. Consider the placement of the desktop though if you are going wireless.

I have wireless myself, and sitting under my desk it receives a rather poor signal. So I also have an external antenna (just one that screws into my wireless card but has a long cord and sits up on my desk) to improve that... which was another ~$10.

Along with this I'd just like to point out personally I'd always grab a little wireless NIC in any new PC I buy... it might seem silly to chuck down 30$ on it but you never know when it'd be nice to have some wireless, whether in your house in the future; or if you head to a friends place for oldschool style LAN and are too busy to fuss with ye olde cat5!

[Trinion]

Hi all!
Thanks to everyone who replied, I went on all the websites and compared and contrasted the things I wanted and tried to work with my budget and here are the specs I came up with on MWave

Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H Motherboard
Intel Core i5 3470 Quad Core
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB)
LG GH24NS90 Internal SATA 24x Dual Layer Super Multi DVD Burner
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 3.5" 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 7200RPM
TP-Link TL-WN851ND Wireless N PCI Adapter
(Edit: Thermaltake V4 Mid Tower Case with 500W PSU (Thanks Erasmus ))

This computer will cost 925.97 including GST, building fees and Windows 7 operating system.

Any comments, further advices etc welcome! I'd like to make my order later on tonight but I wanted to know if there was anything wrong with the compatibility etc

Thanks in advance

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Trinion

Hi all!
Thanks to everyone who replied, I went on all the websites and compared and contrasted the things I wanted and tried to work with my budget and here are the specs I came up with on MWave

Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H Motherboard
Intel Core i5 3470 Quad Core
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB)
LG GH24NS90 Internal SATA 24x Dual Layer Super Multi DVD Burner
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 3.5" 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 7200RPM
TP-Link TL-WN851ND Wireless N PCI Adapter

This computer will cost 925.97 including GST, building fees and Windows 7 operating system.

Any comments, further advices etc welcome! I'd like to make my order later on tonight but I wanted to know if there was anything wrong with the compatibility etc

Thanks in advance

You might need a case and/or power supply if you don't have one you want to reuse...

[Trinion]

Originally Posted by |Erasmus|

You might need a case and/or power supply if you don't have one you want to reuse...

Oh lol, I forgot to include that
Thermaltake V4 Mid Tower Case with 500W PSU

[Antel0pe]

Originally Posted by Fadey

Dont listen to Antelope he has a mac! j/k

Balsphemy.. I have a Pentium rig as well