Anyone care to share advice on how to get started with PC gaming?

[aso95]

Only ever played FS on an xbox, and looking to switch to PC based on the amount of mods alone. Never gamed on a PC platform before. What type of computer would I even look at purchasing? FS is probably the only game I'd play on it so it wouldn't have to be extremely high tech, just enough to properly run the game. I have no experience in this field so please feel free to be specific and share as much information as you can.

Thanks!

[BreadedVirus]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B6 ... p_hza?th=1

[PrincessJessi84]

I would watch suggesting cyber power breaded.. they have some major short comings.. sure they r affordable but the psu units r vastly inferior and the fans don't stand up to the test of time among other things.. my wifes sounds like a jet powering up (we r working on either refurbishing hers or just replacing it all together).. honestly.. I like my dell.. its got a nice professional look while still obviously being a gaming tower.. runs really cool and super quiet.. and comes with all the bells and whistles for non gaming use and gaming use alike.. built in blue tooth.. all the card readers.. wifi.. blue ray player and plenty of expansion ports with a psu big enough to accomidate.. I consider my dell to be a solid long term investment

[SirLANsalot]

If you are looking for a pre built system.

Asus Republic of Gaming (Usually labeled Asus ROG) computers are all very good systems to get. They use their own components (Asus is a manufacturer of computer parts) so everything from them is good.
Razer also has some built computers, stats look fine on any of their systems. Razer is a manufacture of peripherals (headphones/keyboards ect) so their computers are built by someone else (I think Asus builds them).
CyberPower does custom systems (like as if you built it yourself) but you can just get it as is, either way it will be plenty powerful for most games for a few years.

All 3 of those I have personally bought from at times, either for myself or friends. Not one of them ever has had an issue with a component failing or anything. Dell on the other hand.....2 years and the motherboard failed, or with another friend, the GPU died 6 months later after buying the computer. HP on the other hand I never have had an issue with, both laptops and desktops. While Anecdotal in evidence, I would highly suggest getting a system from Asus or Cyberpower if you are not going to build a system yourself by hand.

Also you can plug your xbox controller into the computer and use it to play games with too, so win/win.

[Arclight]

Spec out your computer and have a local shop/person/friend build it. Boxed computers have a lot of excessive software them.

https://www.xoticpc.com/

[BigTex114]

I went to Best Buy and bought a PC that's more than enough for my needs.

HP - OMEN by HP Desktop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 - 1TB Hard Drive - Brushed Aluminum $819.99

[parad0x177]

Boxed computers have a lot of excessive software them.

True, but not as bad as it used to be in many cases, at least from what I have seen of late. Plus, assuming the manufacturer/assembler/whatever follows proper Windows licensing/distribution rules (I.e. they provide you an actual Windows key so that you can perform a clean installation if you choose to, rather than just a “restoration disc”), then you can easily correct that problem.

[FarmingRemasterd]

so what yo need to do is find out what kinds of games your going to want to play, then, you need to set a budget for your build, the one thing you need to factor in is the fact its gotta last a while before you need to upgrade, so you need to find the requiremtns of your game, then i compare buying a pc to buying a tractor, you really want a size bigger than what you think, anyhow, so look at your minimin specs for a start, configure a and configure a machine to the specs of your most intensive game, then, if you have any money left, try and upgrage some things to make it that much better.

[PoggleBox]

As you are new to PC gaming, you need to be aware that one persons ideal PC will not be everyones ideal PC. There are as many brands and configurations as there are cars on the road. You have 2 choices. Pre-built or build your own. The second choice is not for the faint-hearted, especially as it's your first time PC. The first choice is also fraught with potential problems, as there are plenty of PC's for sale with mis-matched components. The learning curve is huge.

What you need is advice from a trusted friend. Someone you know to be PC literate, preferably a long time PC user who plays games. And someone you trust. Getting advice from a forum like this is not a sensible route to take. You'll get biased opinions based on individual experiences. From people who may or may not have a clue what they are talking about.

So, do you know anyone that fits the bill? Do yourself the biggest favour and speak to them first, at length. Give them time to think about what you want, your budget and what peripherals you need. Ask why what they suggest is better than other choices. Take your time and get it right.

[BreadedVirus]

I would watch suggesting cyber power breaded.. they have some major short comings.. sure they r affordable but the psu units r vastly inferior and the fans don't stand up to the test of time among other things.. my wifes sounds like a jet powering up (we r working on either refurbishing hers or just replacing it all together).. honestly.. I like my dell.. its got a nice professional look while still obviously being a gaming tower.. runs really cool and super quiet.. and comes with all the bells and whistles for non gaming use and gaming use alike.. built in blue tooth.. all the card readers.. wifi.. blue ray player and plenty of expansion ports with a psu big enough to accomidate.. I consider my dell to be a solid long term investment

I have had my CyberPower PC since December last year and had no issues with the PSU. Swapped out the GPU and CPU and had no issues at all. The only sound i hear from my PC starting up are the 3 Coolmaster Jetflo fans i have installed.

[george.earlslight]

Only ever played FS on an xbox, and looking to switch to PC based on the amount of mods alone. Never gamed on a PC platform before. What type of computer would I even look at purchasing? FS is probably the only game I'd play on it so it wouldn't have to be extremely high tech, just enough to properly run the game. I have no experience in this field so please feel free to be specific and share as much information as you can.

Thanks!

Getting a new PC is kind of getting a new car. You need to learn about PCs if you want to get something that will match your expectations and requirements.
Two points are key when deciding what to buy: intended use and budget, much like a car.
Mind you though, a PC can be much more than a gaming platform.

For playing FS19, I would suggest building a PC around a Nvidia GTX1060 or AMD RX580 graphics cards and Intel i5 7th to 8th gen or AMD Ryzen 1600 or 2600 CPU.
A 24-inch 1080p monitor is the best match for the above hardware. You'll get plenty of FPS (frames per second) of silky buttery PC master race visual pleasure.
The power supply is a choice often made too hasty, but it's one of the most important components for your PC's stability and longevity. I suggest something at around 600W, Gold or better class.
Your motherboard must be chosen depending on your CPU choice. Look for one that matches its socket. As for RAM, 8 to 16GB is plenty, but check your motherboard specs for speed/frequency compatibility.
For storage, I suggest a 256GB M2 SSD and a 1TB hard disk. The SSD will hold the Windows OS and some of the games you'd like to load (startup) faster. The hard disk will hold all your downloads, photos, videos and generally stuff that you don't use so often or don't mind having a few seconds loading delay.
I intentionally didn't mention specific brands or models (apart from GPU and CPU) so you can have a look on your own and learn the market. You'd also need to budget for yourself, as different brands can have large price variations.

Good luck!

[IceUul]

Just to add, most important thing in gaming is graphics card, 4-core cpu and 16gb of RAM will do for all games.
What graphic you have depents you can play as 4k or Full HD or low reso or maxxed out.

CPU speed and RAM speed is not so important, HDD/SSD speed will only change loading times.

[Coldlandlord]

You'll need about £1000 for something decent that won't be obsolete in a year or 2. I knew nothing about the internals of a pc but I decided to build one ready for fs19. I can't quite believe how easy it was. I had mine up and running in about 3 hours with no previous experience and it's awesome for what I need.

I recommend you set a budget and stick to it no matter what. I found it quite stressful on forums with conflicting info. I'd ask which cpu to use for example and some would say that this is rubbish, go for this and then others would say that that one is rubbish, before I knew it, I was looking at doubling the cost of it.
I spent 1100 quid. I did not get the best that money can buy but it's smashing every game I throw at it on max settings without overclocking it. If I had listened to everything on the internet, I'd have spent 3 times that and it really wouldn't have made my experience any better

[Coldlandlord]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZcQG3C ... ture=share

I built this but as it happened, there were some pretty good sales on so I upgraded some of it for pretty much a few quid more than what this exact machine would have cost.

I went for
msi motherboard (z390 gaming edge)
Gigabyte gtx 1060
16gb corsair vegence ram
500gb SSD.

Really is plug and play and if you follow this YouTube guide, you'll be fine.
The only issue I had was the ram was slightly too tall so I had to adjust the position of one of the cpu fans.

[Superducked]

Ooh boy, the infamous First PC.

This is a topic that has been covered many times on many different forums but just for reference i'll give you my version.

(Also i should probably mention that i've built a couple of PCs myself so i know at least a bit what i'm talking about... in theory at least.)

Basically what you need to know when picking a computer is the main components that make up a PC.

Processor/CPU
Motherboard/MLB
Memory/RAM
Video Card/GPU
Power Supply/PSU
Hard Drive/HDD/SSD
Coolers
Sound Card
CD/DVD/Bluray reader
Case/Chassi

Those are the main components.

If you're buying a readybuilt PC then i'd say aim for an Intel i5 processor, about 8-16gb of RAM, a GTX 1060 or a GTX 1070 for a GPU (or the AMD equivalent of that) and about 1-2Tb of total storage space, preferrably with a smaller SSD to run your operating system from. Try to stay away from water cooling unless you want to overclock since that will just be money wasted. Don't pay for stuff like sound cards or network cards since that usually comes built into your motherboard and don't pay for CD/DVD/Bluray drives unless you know that you'll be running discs in your PC. Also make sure that the Power Supply is up for the job. I'd say 500-600W at least. About 1000 euros or thereabout will get you a decent gaming rig that will definitely let you run FS19 well and many other games as well if you should feel like it (yes, pc gaming is expensive). Keep in mind that you can sometimes buy "PC-kits" where the computer arrives in parts and you have to assemble it yourself. This can sometimes save you money and let you buy a more powerful PC since you don't have to pay for assembly. Don't be too afraid to do this, modern PC building has been compared to "adult lego" and there are plenty of guides so you should be fine.



Now, if you wanna build your own PC from scratch then buckle up because here we go...

The CPU and GPU that you choose are basically gonna determine what the rest of your build is going to look like. There are two main offenders when it comes to CPU manufacturers: Intel and AMD. Their components can generally not be swapped between one another so once you pick one you're stuck with buying a motherboard that fits it. Basically the way it works is that each CPU fits into a specific socket on a motherboard. It's critical that you pick a motherboard whose socket fits your CPU or you're not gonna have a functioning PC. Basically just look for the socket name when looking at a CPU and then look for a well-rated motherboard that has the exact same socket. Have someone tech-savvy look into this for you before you pull the trigger if you feel unsure.

Now for some good news! A gaming PC is not going to need a super powerful CPU so unless you plan on doing a lot of video editing or 3D modeling you can probably look around the mid-range to find one. For this i'd suggest something like an Intel i5 or the AMD equivalent if all you're going to do is gaming. There are many processors from Intel named i5 so try and pick the latest one if you can, otherwise go with the second latest one. For reference, the Intel i5 9600 is the latest model and the i5 8600 is the previous model. You'll want it to sit around the 3,5gHz makr. The Intel i3 is the next step down and the Intel i7 is the next step up but again, if all you're gonna do is play games then i wouldn't recommend either (i3 is too weak while i7 is a waste of money for a gaming PC). If you wanna go for AMD then i can't help you a lot since i run Intel myself. All i can really tell you is that you'll want an AMD Ryzen CPU in the same general price and performance range as the Intel i5.

Now to pick a video card! This is the most important component in a gaming rig since it will basically determine how well your PC can run games. The two main offenders here are Nvidia and AMD. The rule USED to be that if you picked an Intel CPU then you'd want an Nvidia card, meanwhile picking an AMD CPU meant you'd be picking an AMD GPU as well. Nowadays it doesn't really matter and you can pretty much pick a GPU regardless of your CPU. My recommendation would be picking an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or a GTX 1070. The 1060 is a good budget card while the 1070 is good mid-range card that will let you run pretty much any game fairly well. Both of these CAN run 4k to some extent but they won't do it super well and they're basically designed to be used with 1080p monitors. If you wanna try to run 4k well or run games at their absolute highest graphics settings you're gonna have to step up to a GTX 1080ti which will also cost you a lot of money. Not really necessary if you really only want to run FS19. And again, the 1060 and the 1070 SHOULD run pretty much any game for you, maybe just not always at their highest graphics settings. If that's fine with you then by all means, go ahead and get either of them. And the same thing here, if you want AMD stuff then i'm not really your guy since i run Nvidia. Again, all i can tell you is that you'll want and AMD card in the RX series, possibly an RX 480. Really, if you want to get AMD stuff then ask someone else.

Next up is the Motherboard and Memory/RAM. Like i said above, just match your motherboard to your CPU and you're golden. Ask someone if you feel unsure. Memory can get a bit tricky though. IN THEORY any memory will work with any motherboard so long as they have the same DDR version. For example, any DDR 4 memory SHOULD work with any DDR4 motherboard. HOWEVER things don't always work out that way in reality. To make sure that you get the right memory for your motherboard, look up what's called the "Qualified Vendor List" (or QVL for short) for the motherboard you have in mind. What this is, is basically a list of memory sticks that the motherboard manufacturer has tested and guarantees will work with that specific motherboard. These can usually be found on the support section of the manufacturer's web page or simply by searching " *motherboard name* QVL" in google. Navigate the list and look for memory sticks in the capacity you want, then google the serial number to find a store that sells them. Keep in mind that you generally want your total memory capacity spread out over two or more sticks for best performance. So if you want 8 gigs of memory total, go with two 4gb modules. Same thing if you want 16 gigs in total (which is what i would recommend), go with either two 8gb modules or four 4gb modules. Don't buy one 8gb module or one 16gb module since this can lead to issues. Also make sure that your motherboard has enough RAM slots if you decide to go for more than two modules.

Next up is the Power Supply. This is the thing that provides power to all the components in your system. There are web pages that will let you input the components in your system and then it will spit out how strong of a power supply you'll need. I would say off the top of my head that you should go for a 500-600w psu if you build a system with an i5 and a 1060/1070. You PROBABLY shouldn't need more. HOWEVER, there's also other important aspects to picking a PSU. The first one is to pick a PSU from a well known brand like Corsair or EVGA. Don't buy off-brand stuff as they use lower quality components that might fail or sometimes even be dangerous depending on the situation. Basically look at reviews and buy a PSU with a solid score. Second, i would highly recommend buying a gold tier PSU. Basically PSUs come in tiers: bronze, silver, gold and platinum and what these teirs represent is the quality of the components used to build the PSU. The better the components, the more stable the entire system is going to be and the longer your PSU is going to last before becoming worn out. Of course, buying a better tiered PSU is going to cost you more but it's better than having a system that crashes or is unstable because your power supply is crapping out. I'd say gold or maybe silver will be alright but stay away from bronze or unmarked units. Also don't go for platinum since that's enthusiast-level stuff. Waste of money for most people.

Hard drives are basically what you use to store games and files on your PC. There are two types: SSD (Solid State Drive) and HDD (Hard Disk Drive). SSDs have no moving parts and are much faster than HDDs BUT they also cost a lot more per storage unit. They also have a finite number of times that they can be written to before they give up the ghost. This number is really high though so most people never get to see their SSD fail. HDDs are your traditional spinning-disc magnetic hard drives from the old times. They are significantly cheaper per storage unit than SSDs so people usually use them to store their large games and files on, however they are also a bit slower which makes them not ideal to store programs that you are going to be using a lot. So for example, installing Windows on an SSD is gonna make your PC boot faster and make browsing feel smoother since the PC can load in files a lot faster from a SSD than an HDD. Games installed on an SSD are also gonna load faster than games installed on an HDD. What most people do (and what i would recommend) is to get a smaller SSD to install windows and some select programs on, then get a larger HDD for storage. I'd recommend that you get a 128gb SSD to be your boot drive and then get a 1Tb or 2Tb HDD to be your "Game/Storage Drive". 1Tb might seem like a lot but trust me, storage on a PC is one of those things you can never really have too much of. Especially not if you start playing more games than FS19 and you want to keep a lot of games installed at once.

Coolers! In short, some processors come without coolers. Check whether or not your CPU does and then it's the same thing here as it is with motherboards, check what socket your CPU has and then get a cooler that fits that socket. Don't go for water cooling unless you plan on overclocking, which i'm guessing you won't on your first PC. An air cooler will probably suit you fine. Don't look too much at the size, look more at the reviews. You generally don't need a huge expensive cooler unless, again, you're going to overclock. Mount the cooler inside the case so that it *censored* air from the front of the case and pushes it out the back.

Sound cards/network cards etc. Good news! All of this stuff comes built into your motherboard! No need to buy any of it unless you want enthusiast-level sound or you REALLY want wi-fi in your PC case.

CD/DVD/Bluray Readers. Basically, do you plan on installing games or software using physical discs or will you download your stuff digitally? Do you plan on using your PC as a media center to watch movies and stuff? Basically if you only plan on downloading your games/software from the internet and you already have a console to play DVD/Bluray movies on then you don't need to buy one of these. Most modern cases don't even feature slots to install them in, which leads me neatly into...

Cases/Chassis! The only thing i can say here is make sure that your components will fit inside the case. Motherboards use special standards (for example ATX, Micro ATX, etc) to be screwed into the case so make sure that your case is compatible with the standard that your motherboard uses. Also make sure that your GPU is not too long or high to fit into the case you want. Check how many fans come with the case. You'll want at least two up front and one in the back for three in total, though getting more fans will improve airflow. Set the case to *censored* air into the front of the case and blow air out of the back on the case. You do this by changing which way you mount your fans. Don't *censored* air up from under the PC if you can avoid it, especially not if you have your PC sitting on the floor. *censored* air from the bottom of the case will just mean that you *censored* up a lot of excess dust that will get into the PC and cause your heat sinks to clog up which might eventually cause problems with overheating. (Clean your PC with compressed air!) Also try to manage your cables as neatly as possible inside the rear hatch of the PC. Don't leave them all bunched up inside the main compartment as that will only mess with the airflow which, again, might lead to thermal issues.


Phew... well that's about it. Now either use your TV and speakers or look at a decent 1080p monitor. A 60hz 1080p monitor should be fine for FS19 so don't bother with 144hz monitors unless you're gonna get into semi-serious FPS games. You'll also need a mouse, a keyboard and a headset and you'll be set. The PC itself should, like stated above, cost roundabout 1000 euros or a bit more depending if you can get stuff on sale, but the screen and keyboard and stuff is gonna cost extra.

Well then. Good luck with your PC adventures and hope all of this helped