I don't know anything about gaming. The last time I regularly played video games was on my Atari. Yes, a million years ago.

  1. Basic question: I'd like to get into gaming. What's better a console or a gaming PC? My PC is super old so I have to buy a new PC anyway.

  2. I'm considering buying a renewed PC from Amazon. From what little I know - it seems like a good deal. If I buy something like a renewed Dell XPS 8940 for - I dunno up to $1,500 is that good enough for gaming? I'd prefer a boring PC case.

  3. What's the minimum I'd need to spend to get a gaming PC that plays most games?

  4. What are common mistakes people make when buying a gaming PC?

  5. Can most games be torrented?

  6. What's easier to torrent? Games for consoles or PC games? Ideally torrents will be my gaming store.

I'm giving myself until the end of the month to buy a new PC. So it's time for me to decide.

Amazon example...

Dell XPS 8940 Tower Desktop PC)

There are two PC setups on the page. Both are $1,000. Here are the specs for one of them.

[Edit: It's missing a useful graphics cad. I know I'll need the best graphics card possible because without that I'm buying a brand new car with a puny, nearly useless engine.]

  • 10th Gen Octa-core Intel i7-10700 2.9GHz Processor

  • 32GB DDR4 Memory

  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD +1TB SATA 7200 RPM HDD

  • DVD-RW Drive

  • Windows 10 w/ Accessories (Renewed)

Edit

I'm not interested in building one. I'd screw something up. It's just the way I am.

  • barrbaric [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago
    1. Since you mention wanting to pirate games, PC wins easily. Consoles are cheaper up-front, but that's about it.
    2. The integrated graphics card in that PC isn't anywhere near good enough, unfortunately (from what I can tell it's worse than 10 year old cards). 32GB of RAM is overkill. The CPU is probably also overkill but that's not a big issue compared to the others. I'm also always wary of refurbished items in general.
    3. Depends on what level of graphics settings you want, and especially if you're willing to build it yourself. Minimum probably around $600 on a good day, though that will struggle with modern AAA games. $1000 should manage to get something pretty decent.
    4. Buying parts that are incompatible, buying an HDD when SSDs are so much faster, and buying pre-builts that are marked up due to the brand (alienware etc).
    5. Yes, though it often takes a while for cracks to come out, and you generally can't play multiplayer modes due to anticheat. fitgirl-repacks.site is the place to go. I would suggest qbittorrent as your client.
    6. I haven't had a console in years, but AFAIK it's basically impossible to pirate console games (someone correct me if I'm wrong). PC is trivial.

    A good place to start, imo, is PC Part Picker (scroll down to see the budget options). Even if you decide to go with a pre-built setup, this will give you an idea of the kind of specs you want. There's also /r/buildapc , which can have decent advice, notifications of deals, etc.

    EDIT: Some more notes:

    • If it's your first time getting a PC and you don't have any background with electronics stuff, building your own PC might be a headache so it may be better to go with a pre-built. As you upgrade parts over time, you'll gain the knowledge and experience.
    • If you do build your own PC, remember to get an anti-static wrist strap so you don't fry any components!
    • Whatever you get, make sure you get a standard ATX-sized case so you can replace/upgrade things in the future without having to worry too much.