-= Gametoast.com =-

I'm going to order a computer at the end of the month. I've done a lot of research and finally decided on the Dell XPS 8500. I have decided on most of the specs but there are some I am uncertain about, such as memory and graphics card. I will be getting a 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3770 along with Windows 8. I like to produce movies with Adobe After Effects so I am undecided about whether I should go for 16GB of ram or 24GB of ram. I am also unsure of the graphics card. The games that I most frequently play are League of Legends and Minecraft. I want to be able to play them with at least 30 FPS at medium settings.

Options for graphics card:
NVIDIA GeForce GT 620 1GB DDR3
AMD Radeon™ HD 7570 1GB GDDR5
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 1GB GDDR5

My budget is under $1200. Any suggestions on the ram or graphics card?

While any of those three graphics cards would play all of your games flawlessly, I'd go for the GT 640 'cause it's the most powerful of the trio.


Although, I strongly recommend staying away from Dell and HP (though Dell's the better of the two); they use cheap Foxconn hardware and are a lot more prone to breaking down than their desktops by their competitors such as ASUS or MSi. Instead, here's an ASUS angel for only $749.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883220156

Add a beautiful monitor for only $179.99! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052

And if you seriously don't think 12.0 gigabytes is enough (it is), replace it with this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429 for $74.99.

You'll probably want a better graphics card, so here's one for $124.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121630

And to power that graphics card, you'll need a little something like this for $59.99: http://www.tigerdirect.com/ .. gVmJz.zUKMGDTpo0uhoU7g


Your total will be:

$749.99
$179.99
$79.99
$124.99
$59.99 +
$1,189.95 plus S&H

All-in-all, you will get more bang for your buck; you'll definitely save big bucks.

Oh, and trust me, you'll be perfectly fine with an i5-3450; it's not like you're folding@home or rendering entire nebulae at NASA.


I promise that you will be happier with the hardware selections that I provided rather than that Dell garbage. While Dell's computers may not look very bad or cheap, they are certainly cheap (quality wise) and not nearly as durable and hardy as the selections I provided above.

I've used Dell often, and they are garbage. My motherboard and maybe my CPU just died randomly on my Dell laptop that was only a year old from purchase. I only use Dell because I am borderline poor and Dell makes cheaper laptops. Not better for the same price, ASUS just generally doesn't have a laptop within my budget range. Like the cheapest ASUS is like $450 that is not like a netbook, and you can get like a really crappy $350 Dell.

So get ASUS if you don't like computer parts randomly dying from shoddy production.

Just for the record, I've been using Dell computers for 10 years for a total of 5 different machines and have not had a Dell hardware-related problem ever.

So to answer OP's question rather than bash his brand choice, I've had better experience with AMD cards, and 16GB of RAM should be more than enough for modern games, my own computer only works with 4GB and is pretty good with more recent installments.

I second Twilight Warrior.
Nvidia might have issues with Zero Editor
and my XPS 7100 with 8GB RAM is perfectly adequate for XSI, TFU, TOR, etc.
...and parts don't randomly fall off...

http://www.cnet.com/reviews/dell-xps-8500/35248869
"3.0/5.0"

Anyway, power users don't use Dell, HP, or any of those related brands that make use of and abuse crappy OEM hardware.

Why? You cannot do crap in the BIOS and modifying the internals much past the RAM is generally more-or-less not very possible without having to invest a lot of money in Dell's stupid overpriced junk.

So to prevent OP from wasting 1.2 grand on something that he won't be able to perform power user tasks with or modify past the crust, I still promise you that you'll be happier with ASUS at nearly the same power, and while *ATI (AMD doesn't make graphics cards, and yes, I know they're still technically the same company; but the AMD branch does not make the GPUs [other than integrated units]) may not be bad, it's still not as good as NVIDIA (see Consumer Reports). Oh, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember reading that Noobasaurus is done modding (or something), Zero Editor shouldn't be a problem. Again, please correct me if I'm mistaken. Purchasing from Dell is like purchasing from Apple: you're spending (roughly) 150% on something when there's something better or just as good for less money overall.

While Dell may not be as bad as HP in some cases, it's still really only for linear non-power users who don't like to touch and tinker with the blood and guts of their machine.

Regardless of everything that has been said, building one's own computer from scratch is actually always the best and cheapest option.

http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/high-end-gaming-computer.html
(See "High End Gaming PC Build".) Just downgrade a few of the components in that machine and you've already got a MUCH better computer than the one I recommended and the one Noobasaurus is looking at for the same exact price.

Yeah, well, sometimes consumer convenience needs to be factored in as a cost, and if a Dell works for all intents and purposes, I see no reason to overcomplicate things if that's what Noobasaurus has decided on. Convenience is one of the reasons why people buy Macs over PCs, and you know what? The world has not exploded because of it. I see no difference here, and I realize you're trying to help, but all I see is opinionated advice being solicited when all he asked for was graphics card and RAM advice.

You're exactly correct, except I see zero (editor) point in spending more on something that can be bought for less, but whatever, it's his (or his parents') bank account, not mine. Frugality isn't important, right?

Twilight_Warrior wrote:Convenience is one of the reasons why people buy Macs over PCs, and you know what? The world has not exploded because of it.

Yes it has.

Well, this iPad is dumb. I just typed a whole message then tabbed out and now it's gone.

Marth: I appreciate the suggestions but I am wary about modifying the computers internals. I really just want a pre-built computer so I can boot it up and go. Apparently, with what I want, that can be overpriced. Are there any options out there that do not require modifying the internals in order to get a good graphics card and ram for my budget? And yes, it is my money.

Modifying the internals is still not completely out of the question though. I'm just unsure of whether it will work and how long it takes.

Others: I'm not completely sure what to say. It seems there are mixed feelings about Dell.

Edit: I was looking at the gaming desktop computer builds and it seems like you can really get a lot more for the price and plus it's completely upgradeable(as in ram and everything else). I'm starting to lean towards building one but I am still wary of it.

Dell has been fine for me - if all you really want to do is play LoL and Minecraft, choosing Dell won't ruin your life.
(I've been using Dells for a while and not had any trouble with hardware. Toshiba, on the other hand...)

Since it appears that the OP's question has been answered, I have on of my own: does anyone here have any experience of building a computer on a limited budget? What are the best choices? I've googled and searched for particulars, but I'm looking for a bit of user input, especially given that some of you have posted favorite hardware pieces on this thread already.

@Grev: http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/gaming-desktop-computer.html Both builds are excellent and well under $1,000, one being ~$900 and the other ~$500.

@Noobasaurus: Do it. Build your own computer. It's a very fun and rewarding experience and it's the best option. Before going ahead and doing it, though, watch some YouTube videos of people doing it themselves so you can get an idea and the feel of how it's done and whatnot.

Yeah, I did watch some very informative YouTube videos about how to choose all of the parts and how they fit together, how to build it and finally how to install the operating system. I'll definitely get more bang for the buck but the only drawback here is that there's always a chance something went wrong and it doesn't work in one way or another. I went to Amazon and found all the parts that were on the Dell (not exactly, but close enough) and in total (along with the OS) it was $100 less. It's also very customizable for the future if I want to do any upgrades, and I know exactly what's in it.

The cheaper the better of course, and with a custom build that's what you get. The videos I watched were from Newegg.

This info is as of about 2 months ago, so it's a LITTLE outdated.

After a lot of research as well as input from ipodzanyman (o fountain of computer knowledge), I recently bought a graphics card. I sort of went crazy out of budget and got a 670, but he recommended a 560 Ti if you're on a budget. A 570/480 if you're okay with spending more and getting more performance.

My friend recently built a computer and got the 430. Don't be worried by the 400 series. It's a phenomenal card and is actually not too expensive. Same for the 570.

Using the PC Gaming Computer guide suggested by Marth, I went to amazon and came up with this.

Thermaltake TR2 500W Continuous-Delivery Power Supply ATX12V W0379RU

Cooler Master HAF 912 - Mid Tower Computer Case with High Airflow Design (RC-912-KKN1)

EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 2048 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Graphics Card, 02G-P3-1559-KR

Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 Version C (Black)

Western Digital 1 TB WD Blue SATA III 7200 RPM 32 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive

Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K

Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI W/ HDMI,DVI,DispayPort Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard GA-Z77X-UD3H

Corsair 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 SODIMM Memory Kit (CMSO16GX3M2A1333C9)

and of course the OS, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

It all comes out to $951.75. Well within my budget, and it seems to me that it is a great computer for what I am looking for at the price. I just hope I don't screw it up when building it.

Good luck.

All of that sounds and looks gooooooooooooood........ Now uuuuuse your aaanger and-- err, I mean, uh...now use your newfound knowledge and build your computer.

And if something does go wrong you have us and Tom's Hardware.

Whoops I forgot the wireless card! Heh... +$20

I noticed that there is no SD card slot on the case. I might have to find another case or (if it's possible) somehow fit an SD card reader into one of the DVD reader slots.

RadioShack sells USB 20-in-1 (or whatever) card readers for like $20.