Need help buying my first Gaming PC

[dazedandconfused]

I can get a computer through work but they only have a few gaming desktops. If someone can help find the best they offer. the price don't matter its a monthly payment, unless you find a cheaper one that would be better with a little upgrade  here is a link to there desktops http://fedweek26ach.mypaycheckdirect.com/thumbnail/9378.uts?Mcat=9378&categoryId=30648&Mcatn=&Mcatp=category_root&type=thumbnail#/?pg=0 
from what i can tell its between these two but I know very little.   CyberPowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA500 Gaming Desktop and the CyberPowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA450 Gaming Desktop       please let me know I am planning on getting one as soon as possible to be playing ARK survival evolved when it comes out

[DaveLembke]

So your employer is going to be buying you a computer and your trying to find one with specs that can also be used for fun in addition to work?

Kind of surprised that they would be going with a CyberPower PC as for most businesses go with higher end business class workstations in which you can for example get the boss to possibly agree to a Core i7 HP Business Class Tower and then you can slip in your own video card to it to game off of it since integrated video is too weak for most games.

Most employers dont buy you gaming rigs unless your in the game development field, or graphics artist in which you can try to suggest an overkill video card and CPU for a position that would probably work just fine on a lesser processing power setup, but you can request the better hardware as leverage to get a better video card stating that it will somehow affect the art quality at your job.  * I assisted a graphic artist with getting an overkill video card this way since he wanted to be able to game as well as perform graphic arts. 

Back at my last job, my boss was a gamer too, and he stated that why dont you go with this Pentium 4 HT 3Ghz system back around 2005 which was like $1400 and then if you buy your own video card, I wouldnt object to you installing it in the corporate computer. So I installed a GeForce FX5200 AGP video card back then which cost me $75 at staples that I picked up on a lunch break and then when on break and after hours off the clock my boss and I would game with others online. My employer wouldnt buy me a system with an overkill video card, but they didnt object to me installing my own on their hardware.

So ... maybe you can get a better system than a Cyberpower for quality from your employer and then just buy a video card out of your own money to be able to game on it. I have seen many problems with Cyberpower systems using low end parts where they bundle say a Core i7 with a ECS or ASRock motherboard with low quality memory etc, and low quality power supply.

[dazedandconfused]

right I would rather have a quality computer if there was one on this site that I could upgrade that would be great. and then knowing what parts would work. and helpful hints on installing parts.

[Calum]

So your employer is going to be buying you a computer and your trying to find one with specs that can also be used for fun in addition to work?

I can't see the link because I get redirected to their main website so I may well be wrong, but I got the impression this might be one of those salary sacrifice schemes, where they take a certain portion of your pay in order to pay off a purchase?  We have something similar where I work but it's dreadful because the prices are massively inflated and there's no good choices for any of the categories.

dazedandconfused, I'd love to help but as said I can't see the website - would you be able to post a screenshot or something so we can see what options you have?

[dazedandconfused]

if you can get on to ebay or amazon maybe all these models show there as well 
CyberPowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA500 Gaming Desktop

CyberPowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA450 Gaming Desktop

[patio]

dazed i'd pay attention to this:

I can't see the link because I get redirected to their main website so I may well be wrong, but I got the impression this might be one of those salary sacrifice schemes, where they take a certain portion of your pay in order to pay off a purchase?  We have something similar where I work but it's dreadful because the prices are massively inflated and there's no good choices for any of the categories.

[DaveLembke]

I got the impression this might be one of those salary sacrifice schemes, where they take a certain portion of your pay in order to pay off a purchase?  We have something similar where I work but it's dreadful because the prices are massively inflated and there's no good choices for any of the categories.

This is the first I have ever heard of anything like this. Generally all businesses I have ever seen provide the computer for the employee and it is a capital investment and the computer gets an asset tag and serial number is recorded of the computer and its value depreciates over a number of years. The computer is the property of the business and not the employee. Interesting that an employer would have an employee select the computer to use for work, and the employee has to pay to own it.

To just think of the billions of dollars businesses would save in the USA if they said "guess what... your all getting new computers!!!!... and you hear some people cheering who are glad to see their 10 year old celeron workstations finally retire, and then the employer hands out a brochure of the many models the employees can pick and chose what computer they want.... still sounds very appealing... until in the end, sign on the line that you wish to make this purchase, and it will only be 72 easy biweekly payments of $20 out of each paycheck for 3 years to pay off the $1440 computer, and if you terminate employment with that employer either fired or by choice, they retain the difference of your paycheck to offset the debt of what is owed against the remainder of the computer cost." Oh and dont feel as if you are leaving the business empty handed... we are giving you your computer as a parting gift as a thanks for having you, and best of luck on your future endeavor. 

[Calum]

dazed i'd pay attention to this:

I should add that not all of these schemes are terrible, the place I work just employs stupid people so they can't tell that they're getting a terrible deal with any luck this one might be better.
That said it does still make sense in some circumstances, but as an example to buy an iPad from this scheme where I work makes it more expensive than taking Apple's own finance package (which itself doesn't have a great interest rate so is more expensive than taking a normal loan) - the scheme is supposed to save the employee approx 25% due to the cost being deducted from their salary before tax etc.

This is the first I have ever heard of anything like this. Generally all businesses I have ever seen provide the computer for the employee and it is a capital investment and the computer gets an asset tag and serial number is recorded of the computer and its value depreciates over a number of years. The computer is the property of the business and not the employee. Interesting that an employer would have an employee select the computer to use for work, and the employee has to pay to own it.

To just think of the billions of dollars businesses would save in the USA if they said "guess what... your all getting new computers!!!!... and you hear some people cheering who are glad to see their 10 year old celeron workstations finally retire, and then the employer hands out a brochure of the many models the employees can pick and chose what computer they want.... still sounds very appealing... until in the end, sign on the line that you wish to make this purchase, and it will only be 72 easy biweekly payments of $20 out of each paycheck for 3 years to pay off the $1440 computer, and if you terminate employment with that employer either fired or by choice, they retain the difference of your paycheck to offset the debt of what is owed against the remainder of the computer cost." Oh and dont feel as if you are leaving the business empty handed... we are giving you your computer as a parting gift as a thanks for having you, and best of luck on your future endeavor. 

Dave, again this might not be correct as this is just how it works at my place, but this is meant to be a "perk" - so we still provide computers for work, the "salary sacrifice" scheme is meant to be so that people can buy computers, bikes, phones, and some other things through salary sacrifice to save money as they save on tax.  In some places it works as it should, if they hike the prices like they do here then it's silly but I can tell you that many people have signed up to it regardless.  I don't know how common salary sacrifice schemes are elsewhere in the world, I do know they're not rare in the UK at least - hence why I'm only guessing at this point that this is something similar, I could well be way off the mark.

Apologies for the slightly off topic discussion!