Hi. I'm in the market for new gaming PC. What about buying a built PC off EBAY?

[mattman18t]

Hi. All.   
I have not replaced graphics cards or increased RAM on my computer in about 4 years.  Now, I want to game again, and my computer seems almost obsolete for Call of Duty.  I can play battlefield perfectly, but COD won't play.

SO, I want a built machine that will get me thru the next 5 or 6 years, and be up to date for at least the next 2 years.
I don't really have the time or know-how to build this myself.  What do you guys think about buying a home-built computer from ebay?
Do any of these look like decent deals?

1.     http://cgi.ebay.com/High-Powered-Gaming-Computer_W0QQitemZ300272665009QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDesktop_PCs?hash=item300272665009&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1309

2.     http://cgi.ebay.com/Gaming-Computer-3-0Gzh-4GB-Ram-500GB-NVIDIA-9800-GT-SLI_W0QQitemZ160298333381QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDesktop_PCs?hash=item160298333381&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

3.    http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-built-Quad-Core-Gaming-Computer_W0QQitemZ270293708203QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDesktop_PCs?hash=item270293708203&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

4.    http://cgi.ebay.com/Alien-Gaming-Computer-Achilles-DFI-AMD-64-W-sculpture_W0QQitemZ260314769721QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDesktop_PCs?hash=item260314769721&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

  I appreciate any simple guidance you can give me.  If any of these computers look to be what most of you consider to be 'modern game-ready' , then please tell me which ones, and if some are close, please help me slowly understand which parts are insufficient.  I really appreciate any help you gurus can lend me.

-Matt

[saint_hades]

I would properly buy the second one

But if you don't mind spending money I would strongly recommend buying a Alienware http://www.alienware.co.uk/main.aspx

[mattman18t]

Thx for the reply.  I will keep looking around.  I just need to compare prices, and make sure that my choice is appropriate before I purchase.

Any other tips or reccomendations are also welcome.

Thank you guys for running this community.
-Matt

[Calum]

All but the second will be very bad for gaming, and none of them are very good deals.
No. 1 - weaker CPU than I'd like to see in a gaming rig, very weak graphics card, motherboard with limited expansion options, low PSU (no brand shown, probably bad quality), bad case.
No. 2 - slightly better case, slightly stronger CPU which has been overclocked (possibly a bad point, if you're planning on overclocking you probably want to do this yourself rather than trust someone else), much strogner graphics card which is fairly good for today's games, PSU with more power but I've never heard of "KingWin" so probably not a good brand.
No. 3 - much better CPU than any of the other computers listed, again a weak graphics card, choice of operating systems, again no PSU mentioned.
No. 4 - free sculpture (?), extremely weak CPU, very old motherboard, weaker graphics card than I'd recommend but better than nos 1 and 3, only 2GB RAM vs 4GB for the others, lots of cooling but it might be loud with 80mm fans, better rated PSu than nos 1 and 3 but again no brand listed.

saint_hades, if you can support your advice to buy Alienware, I'd be very interested.  My own advice is to steer way clear of them unless you have a lot more money than sense.

mattman, what's your budget?

Also, topic moved to hardware so it will get more attention from the right people.

[ThrowingShapes]

I personally wouldn't buy a computer from ebay.  On ebay people tend to just market the cases with neons, give it a X600gt and label it as gaming.  The first one is actually kind of funny to me.  They label it as gaming but don't include a video card until you use the buy it now function?  Seems a little fishy to me.  Elaborating on what Calum said they tend to buy cheap motherboards and cheap psu's to keep the cost low so it looks more like a good deal.  Motherboards and PSU's are the parts I'm least likely to skimp on.

I'm sure if you post a budget alot of people here would be more than happy to give you a potential build, I know I'd try.  You would probably have to put it together yourself but we would be able to walk you through that if you aren't comfortable doing so alone.

Again alienwares seem to be the worst bang for your buck out there right now. I would never ever suggest buying and alienware to anybody unless they're looking for a thousand dollar case.

[mattman18t]

Thanks so much for the elaborate responses.  That's what I'm talking about.  I would be willing to build my own, if you guys, or at least two of you, are willing to answer some questions throughout the build. 
I have installed graphics cards, hard drives, and Ram into my current PC, but the task of building from scratch still seems rather daunting to me.

I would like to spend between $800 and $1000, but if there are some substantial upgrades to certain components, that you guys deem worthy of the extra coin, I can afford $1200.  I read another post day before yesterday, of a build for $1200, but I wanted to ask about the ebay ones, just to make sure, and you guys confirmed my fears. 

Ok, So, let's do it.      .....What kind of build will be the best for $1200?

thanks again,
Matt

[ThrowingShapes]

Before I start snooping around on newegg for stuff I hoe you don't mind if I ask a few questions
Do you need a keyboard/mouse/speakers?
What resolution are you going to be playing games at?
Do you have a preference between ati/nvidia or amd/intel?
Do you need a monitor?

And don't worry, building a pc isn't very hard.  The worst part is making sure that everything is compatible, when you're actually inside the case almost everything is labeled or color coded for you. I'm sure we'd all be more than happy to help you put it together once you decide on some parts.

[Calum]

One more question I'd like to add to those above, is whether you need an operating system, and what you'd like to use.
If you already have a legal copy of XP, Vista or whatever, then you won't need one.  Otherwise, we'll need to budget that in too.
You can get an excellent computer for $800, let alone more - see this post for a bare bones example (no keyboard, monitor, mouse, operating system) for just under $600 before rebates.

[xpreshun]

Yeah absolutely, the actual physical building of a PC is not hard or complicated, fitting a heatsink is about as hard as it gets - it's just using the proper precautions while you do it, and configuring the BIOS/software that needs a little attention.

Some sound advice already on this thread - don't skimp on a PSU or a motherboard - if you want this to last you a few years, these two items can 'futureproof' your PC for a few years. I'd rate memory before a processor too, especially for gaming - you can pick up a decent Core 2 Duo processor for £60 but 4GB of well designed memory (Geil Evo One for instance) will set you back at least £80. Motherboards can look extremely cheap but remember - and this goes for all parts - most of the time you get what you pay for. Boards that have the same specs but are different in price usually have poorer quality parts that are less resistant to heat, constant use etc.

Anyway, the good people on here will be here to help. Have fun!   

[mattman18t]

Hi all. Thanks again for the responses.

To answer some questions....

I don't need mouse, keyboard, monitor, or speakers

I have no preference on Intel vs. AMD.

I currently have ATI Radeon 800x graphics card, but have read on several posts that Nvidia cards can be had for much less than ATI Radeons nowadays, for comparable performing cards.

So, I am leaning a bit towards one of the higher end Nvidia cards, since they sound like a better bang for the buck.

I have windows XP on my current pc.   Do I need anything besides the original install disc to get windows XP on the new pc?  Also, I have XP home.   Is there any reason to try to get XP Pro, or is there much difference?

thanks once again.
-Matt

[squall_01]

I'm against it entirely cheaper an eaiser to make your own the thing with that is you dont know the condition of the parts an its hard to say if they'll work at all.

[mattman18t]

Hi all. Thanks again for the responses.

To answer some questions....

I don't need mouse, keyboard, monitor, or speakers

I have no preference on Intel vs. AMD.

I currently have ATI Radeon 800x graphics card, but have read on several posts that Nvidia cards can be had for much less than ATI Radeons nowadays, for comparable performing cards.

So, I am leaning a bit towards one of the higher end Nvidia cards, since they sound like a better bang for the buck.

I have windows XP on my current pc.   Do I need anything besides the original install disc to get windows XP on the new pc?  Also, I have XP home.   Is there any reason to try to get XP Pro, or is there much difference?

thanks once again.
-Matt

[michaewlewis]

If I would have shown up earlier, I would have said don't buy any of them. For everyone thinking that #2 would have been fine.... It's only a Pentium! Not worth it. But since we've already moved on to a custom build, I just put together a list for a friend that would probably do fine for your needs too.

ASUS P5Q PRO Intel P45 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131349
VisionTek 900241 Radeon HD 4850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129112
COOLER MASTER eXtreme RP-500-PCAR - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171018
IN WIN IW-C589T.AQ350BL - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108081
Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115131
Kingston HyperX 2GB DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104030 (get 2)
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173

Total price = $881 plus shipping
Add whatever OS and other software you want, but this system should be pretty good.

[mattman18t]

Thanks for that also, Michael Lewis.    This is now starting to make a little more overall sense to me. 

The one hangup I know I'm gonna have at the end, though, is
"what are the pros and cons of going with a ATI Radeon 4800 vs. a Nvidia 9800 GT?

[michaewlewis]

Browse through the benchmarks at tomshardware.com for a lot more detailed info - http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/3DMark06-v1-1-0-3DMark-Score,794.html