I need help deciding if I should buy parts for a PC and build it or if I should just buy a pre-built. Which would run Star Citizen best for the least amount of money?
For gaming - always building your own. Always, always, always build your own. There’s a few example builds that Jay and Sam put together posted in News: atlasdefenseindustries.com/news
What do you recommend I use for the OS?
Well not Mac OS for sure. If you’re comfortable with Linux and want to go free you could, but I’ve never used it - always had Windows.
I’d recommend Win10 honestly. Just turn off the crazy reporting features.
As has been said above, build your own.
There are a ton of YouTube videos to show you how to do some of the trickier parts, like mounting the MOBO and CPU safely, but basically everything else is playing with Lego: it all just snaps together. If you go pre-built, not only will you be paying extra on each part from whatever vendor you choose, but the service fees for assembling the rig are far, far more than what they are worth. Just make sure to look up some videos on cable management so you don’t impede the airflow in your case when you put it all together and you should be golden.
Also, as b1nary said, Win10 is probably the best way to go for an OS. Win7 has lost a ton of support in the past couple years, and 10 is pretty well optimized for gaming so long as, again b1nary said, you turn off or disable the reporting features. Also get rid of Cortana too, since she just uses a bunch of resources in the background and doesn’t do anything that you cannot do yourself in five seconds with Google.
tomshardware.com are your friends here.
tomshardware.com/reviews/new … ,4402.html - the 2015 Q4 builds by Tom’s Hardware.
I’ve been buying from NCIX for years, and at least for Canada, the prices have always been really good.
(ncixus.com/)
They will assemble your parts for $49.99 as well (including OS install) which I have to say I took advantage of the last time I bought a new rig. The piece of mind of knowing everything was working (minus the monitor of course) and knowing there were no strange incompatibilies (rare these days usually).
Building your own is good, and researching your own components will help you get the most bang for the buck for your needs, but $50 bucks is not unreasonable if you really don’t want to do it yourself.
Karlman
I’d never buy prebuilt, but don’t rule it out. Generally you will be better stuff if you make it your own and most of the time come out ahead on the cost numbers.
But, you may not be able to match some of the deep discounts vendors put on aging prebuilt systems. So, pay attention to sales, and post if unsure.
And if your building your own, just jump to Windows 10. Most of the time its cheaper than Windows 7 and your going to want it anyway at some point due to DX12.
As many have said - Building is the way to go, for Ultimate customization.
However, if you’re not comfortable enough or not skilled in that area.
A Prebuilt Gaming PC is your next best bet.
Just be aware that different Sites charge various amounts for their own “power” builds.
Shop around find what matters most for you, then don’t look back.
I know frankieonpcin1080p did a review on a value gaming system for 2016 that seemed good. If your looking to stay around $1000 this seemed like a good deal. youtube.com/watch?v=W1OQGAlVr28
I myself build my own PC but haven’t actually buildt one from scratch in about 10 years, I just keep upgrading my computer in pieces based on what part needs it the most and I try to keep in mind when buying a new part if it will work down the road when I upgrade the next piece of the system. This tends to keep my cost down through the years and spreads out the payments so its not so expensive all at once.
I took a similar route with my current computer, went to a store and picked all the parts my self and then since I am not as handy/ lack experiance had them assemble it for me.
If you have to go pre-built for whatever reason, ive found that NCIX is a fairly good place from what ive seen. they dont really try to nickle and dime you to death like some other sites, and the quality of work is good. I personally have a bit of a different theory of how cable routing should be handled, but this is a minor issue.
Also, i have found that in addition to the aforementioned Tom’s Hardware, Linus Tech Tips Forums has a good community of people to help with computer issues, decisions, and discussions.