Should I (A 14 year old) get into PC gaming?

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rednal16

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Apr 7, 2012
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So I'm in 8th grade, and console gaming has gotten boring this year to me. I started in sixth grade and thought it was my favorite thing ever and I would never stop playing. It seems I only play on it when my friends come over, but when they're not I'm usually on my families computer. I had my bar mitzvah in seventh grade and I've been working for my dad for a while and I have roughly $5000-$6000 saved up. I want to know how quickly PC gaming gets boring and if a fourteen year old like me should get into it. I posted a thread last night asking people about my gaming rig, but now my mind suddenly wanted to know this answer. I'm willing to spend around 1000 on the tower itself, though I'm fine going a bit over. If I should buy the computer, I would want to build it, I know it would cost around the same if I were to buy it pre-built, but I think it would be an awesome experience building it. If you didn't see the specs, here they are:

Case: http://bit.ly/h62cS5

RAM: http://bit.ly/HRxhWW

Processor: http://bit.ly/h6dxCY

CPU fan: http://bit.ly/IeMPUN

Motherboard, $50 because of a sale going on at the store with the purchase of the i5 2500K : http://bit.ly/GCkvGS

Video Card should I get this or the GTX 560 ti? GTX 480: http://bit.ly/IjZEZw GTX 560 Ti: http://bit.ly/IqxzTc

HDD: http://bit.ly/Hnvgfb

SDD (OS): http://bit.ly/oZNNmv

PSU: http://bit.ly/HoisLt

DVD Burner: http://bit.ly/I4FTsZ

Speakers: http://bit.ly/d7XqiY

I would like it if you chose the parts from microcenter.com but I'm open to NewEgg.com
I would be using this computer for gaming, editing video with Sony Vegas, schoolwork, surfing the web and watching movies.
I need help with finding a good but cheap monitor, keyboard, and mouse (mouse and preferably gaming, would like it off of NewEgg)
How is it? Should I get into PC Gaming?
Can you also tell me what overclocking is and the pros and cons of it? All answers/suggestions are appreciated!!!!
 
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to be honest it get tiring and i consider a pc a console and u could get a xbox360 controller to use on pc. overclocking does consume more power but the results are worth it. It's best to do your research first before overclocking including a solid cooling system.
 
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My son's have been playing PC games since they were 3 (Jump Start Kindergarten) and had their own PC's since Jr. High, We have an XBox and a Playstation but they only get used when they have friends over.

$1,000 is a bit tough w/ a SSD and mid range GFX .... the tower in 2nd ones comes to $1330 so I blew ya budget by $300. Build it w/ya Dad, you will have lotta fun doing it as a joint project....my 3 boys and I have done 3 builds for each of them so far.

Overclocking can be easily accomplished using one of the guides online:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1578110

You have a mix of high end, mid range and low end products.... here's cupla "balanced" builds but 2nd one hits ya $1200-1400 budget "for the tower only".....figure $200 more for the latest top of the line GPU

Case - $ 130 - Corsair 500R White http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010
PSU - $ 245 - Corsair TX850 Combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.856296
MoBo - $ 685 - ASUS P8z68 Pro Combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790
CPU - $ 220 - Intel Core i7-2500K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Cooler - $ 43 - Hyper 612 PWM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103103
TIM - $ 5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
RAM - $ 50 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 (White) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233199
GFX - Included - Asus GTX 680 Included with MoBo Combo
GFX - Later - Asus GTX 680 Same
HD - included - WD Black 1 TB Included w/ PSU
SSD - $ 180 - Samsung 830 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147134
DVD Writer - $ 58 - Asus Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247
Monitor $ 290 ASUS VG236HE Black 23" 120 Hz Monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236104
Keyboard - $ 100 - Logitech G510 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126100
Mouse - $ 55 - Logitech G500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104318
OS - $ 100 - Win 7-64 Home Premium http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Total $ 2,161 ($1,616 for tower only)

Case - $ 140 - Antec DF-85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087
PSU - $ 120 - Antec CP-850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024
MoBo - $ 195 - ASUS P8z68 Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790
CPU - $ 220 - Intel Core i7-2500K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Cooler - $ 43 - Hyper 612 PWM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103103
TIM - $ 5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
RAM - $ 50 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 (White) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233199
GFX - $ 220 - Asus GTX 560 900Mhz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121425
GFX - Later - Asus GTX 560 900Mhz Same
HD - $ 100 - Seagate 1 TB 64 MB cache http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
SSD - $ 180 - Samsung 830 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147134
DVD Writer - $ 58 - Asus Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247
Monitor $ 290 ASUS VG236HE Black 23" 120 Hz Monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236104
Keyboard - $ 100 - Logitech G510 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126100
Mouse - $ 55 - Logitech G500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104318
OS - $ 100 - Win 7-64 Home Premium http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Total $ 1,876 ($1,331 for tower only)
 
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I don't see a copy of windows in your build. In my experience, PC Gaming has been rewarding and is graphically superior to Console gaming if you have decent hardware. Another thing to consider is that with games like skyrim, there is a well established mod community that you can use to enhance your gaming experience to your heart's desire. MMO's also have more options on the PC, if online gaming is your thing.

As you noted above, a PC does more than just game as well, so it's an investment that would see other uses if you did get bored of pc gaming.

The Downsides are there are not near as many titles for PC gamers as there are for console gamers, and also, obviously, the price.

 
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Welcome to the forum:)

That's a good amount for a computer, i wouldn't recommend going over $1000 dollars on a gaming computer if you are "just" getting into PC gaming. PC gaming is far better than console gaming, and it's fun building your own computer:) I just turned 15 and i wanted to do the same thing as you (apart from my budget was around $600). I'll be posting my system recommendation soon..
 
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Wait... change that PSU to a Corsair 80Plus Bronze or higher. Any second that machine will be up in smoke because you bought a terrible PSU.

PC gaming is generally cheaper than consoles and PC's are a lot more versatile as you can edit video, do school work etc. It's a lot different to a console and I enjoy playing PC only games like Minecraft. When I get bored of games sometimes I install modifications (which you can't do on a PS3) that make the game different and makes it more exciting. I also when games start going slow can upgrade, while for consoles sometimes the games aren't backwards compatible so I have to buy a new console which is a lot more expensive than upgrading.

Overclocking is when you can make the speed of the CPU faster, but it makes the CPU last less, can damage your hardware and consumes more power. It boosts the performance of your PC as well. I wouldn't recommend it though, as it could go wrong and damage your PC.

Also found a cheap HD monitor here: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0382673
 
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Well... I'm 14 (by the way, how'd you get that much money from a Bar Mitzvah! 😱 Yes, I had mine a year ago, too). I haven't played on consoles much, and I'm in the process of building a gaming computer. My build is over here, if you want to see: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/341836-31-still-replies-final-build

Ignore the PSU, GPU, and motherboard. Other than that, it would still apply to you. The Fractal R3 is to make it quiet.

With PC gaming, here's what I've got. PC gaming is way more versatile (I'm not going to mention mouse-and-keyboard gaming. You can connect a controller). You have a large community of mods. Also, you don't have to pay for an Xbox live feature (it's called the "internet" 😉 ). The graphics are superior. There are way more free games available to PCs. The problem is... PCs are expensive. Usually, you'll build a nice PC and upgrade parts (generally the GPU. Sometimes the CPU) as you go along.

Referring to your build, I'd suggest looking at mine (I've done quite a bit of research). I'd suggest an MSI Twin Frozr II OC 7850 2GB GPU at the least, possibly upgrading to a 7870. I don't know when you're buying, so you could wait for an Ivy Bridge processor that's coming out April 29th. Then, get the i5-2500k equivalent, the i5-3750k. Get an Extreme4 ASRock Z77 motherboard (that's available on newegg as of a few hours ago... exciting for us techies 😉 ).Since you're going from console gaming, you'll want it quiet, which is why I'd recommend something like a Fractal R3 or a Corsair 550D. If you don't care about quietness, get a Corsair 500R. (Those are cases). Get 8GB of DDR3-1600 RAM at a CAS latency of 9. A CPU cooler like the Hyper 212+ or the Hyper 212 Evo. Also, for your hard drive, get a 7200rpm. An SSD is optional (maybe a 64GB one for your operating system and a few games). I think that covers it. Good luck!
 
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Really good I think, a lot of discounts and I have one of the few real stores here in St. Louis
 
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What is it that borred you about console gaming? Was it the lack of re-playability, the controls, or the games themselves? Because if your borred of the games, most PC titles are re-makes of console titles, unless you play Blizzard games, so that won't change. However the controls are better (debatable, opinion I suppose) and re-playability grows vastly because almost all large titles are mod-able, which is something you can't do on consoles and can be alot of fun. So figure out why you got borred of consoles and you'll find out wether or not you'll get borred of PC gaming quickly. Personally, I find games on PC alot more enjoyable, even if they are just console ports.

Also, on a side note, you mentioned that building a PC is same as ordering a pre-built rig, and you're wrong. Not only is building your own PC significantly more satisfying, it's also alot cheaper, and go with Newegg, they're better 😉.
 
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the games that arent on pc is becaude they suck
 
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