Hey guys, I think it's about time to get a new PC, since my old one fuzzed out and my downgrade is making life so much worse. I was able to scrounge up about $1,300, which was pretty much the price of my last PC(which wasn't gaming, but still pretty powerful) and I figured that this would be a good time to go exploring for possibilities.

So yeah, I'm looking for a high-spec gaming PC ASAP--like, one of those Saw Bitch Workhorse-type megaliths, something nice and powerful, that can run games and/or editing programs efficiently and maybe some decent editing/animation options as well.

Space isn't too much of a factor, especially considering how many external hard drives I have...but it would be nice for me to see my Steam Library again. So while a terabyte would be nice, I'd much rather have the hardcore strength to run Dolphin at max settings or give FaceRig or SFM a shot.

Obviously $1,300 won't be enough for something that strong, but if nothing else, I could either do some financing or possibly barter for some negotiations and such. My quandary though, is the long-run planning. It took quite a bit of time to save up that much at once, without some major emergency or something immediately draining it out. I don't want to put down at least a thousand dollars on a computer without knowing firsthand whether it's really a powerhouse or a penguin. Which leads me to my main dilemma: I've heard of places that sell high-end PC's like Best Buy and stuff, but I've also found out about gaming companies that lease-to-own powerful PCs. I doubt I'd be able to pay off a full priced computer for $1300, but I can shop around for options. The lease companies would end up charging much more in the end, but they'd be in small dependably easy payments that I could handle without much (if any) issue. So what I'm trying to figure out is: Do I go to a full price retail store with what I have and schmooze my way towards something substantial(or perhaps settle?) or do I go for the lease-to-own and pay more, but in smaller payments?

Not on anything specific, but on average if you build it yourself you can stretch your money a lot better. PC part finders, compatability checkers, and a little time hunting for parts can get you what you’d pay 2000 for from a company at half that. The last PC I built was 800 with the capabilities of a number of pre-built machines at twice the price (when I built it a couple years ago)

I mean. If you are trying to get the most bang for the buck.

$1300 could build a pretty beastly PC if you can assemble it yourself.

More than likely, but unfortunately I have no knowledge of assembling computers whatsoever. Like, nothing! One time my disc tray got stuck and I spent 15 minutes peeling the skin off my index finger before I found the paper clip release. Ugh.

If I was confident enough to build my own PC without somehow managing to set something on fire, I'd be happy to. lol

Youtube has lots of stuff on it. And most people who like to build PCs will chase an excuse to build a new one. I doubt you couldn’t find someone willing to help or guide the process more directly than forum posts.

Most importantly, building a PC is now much, much easier than it used to be. The parts are designed much more friendly.

I was able to get an extra $500 for my birthday, so I’m a little better off right now. Looking at a few sites, most of them had just info about cases and “We’ll build it for you for as much as a car”. I have to admit I’m nervous about something like this. I don’t know where to begin, only what I need.

PC Part Picker

This is the one that I have gotten the most recommendations for. There are build examples, and other information, price comparison tools, etc.

Front page has "Magnificent Intel Gaming/Streaming Build" for 1842.82 (roughly your price range) which, likely, you could get for about 1-200 less if you part hunt.

I googled "Custom built PC" and it returned this article from Lifehacker (nearly five years old, now). I clicked through some of their stuff, it all looks fine, as far as I can tell. It's pricey, but that's going to be the case if you buy a prebuilt gaming rig.

There's also CyberPowerPC, which I've heard good things about.

This beast is currently $1725. It's labeled as the daily deal, so no idea what it'll be priced at tomorrow.

I built some computers in the early 2000s--it was nerve wracking.

Then I built a computer in mid-2017 and I was amazed how easy it was. There are even color-coded parts now!

Both buying or building a new computer is a big investment, and these days there is not as much reason to upgrade quickly, so whatever you get--you'll probably have it for a while.

If you build yourself you can get exactly what you want and you can save a lot of money. (I got a ridiculous amount of RAM and a good SSD for the primary/OS hard drive.) I would advise you to watch some videos about it before you spend the money on a pre-built.