Help a Failed Gamer out with some recommendations

[p0rtal]

I have bad luck when it comes to computers, the last three in a row have been defects out of the box. First about a month ago I got a really great HP 17 quad core notebook, wasn't a gaming rig but it handled some games like portal and star wars battlerfront 2 easily on low. I returned it only because it had some defective speakers which I never planned to use anyway, as I have my own audiophile usb dac and amp rig. Anyway, I returned it and got an alienware m11x for $600, it was an i3, 320gb, Gt 540m 2gb. I wanted something cheap, small, low profile and that could play battlefront 2 online. The m11x came defective, a clear gpu issue as the screen would go static after a few minutes use to about a few hours later , this was the first time I had experienced ultra video graphics, as I had it hooked up to my new 32 inch lcd tv, it looked amazing. I returned it, thank god dell was very speedy with refunds and I had my money back in less than a week.

I then overboard in anger and bought i7, 12gb, dual HD 6950 2gb phantom case rig and felt I really should never have purchased it. I played Batman Arkham City on ultra, looked good, Portal 1 and 2, Bulletstorm, Battlefront, and Arkham City. I knew that the HD 6950 did not scale well in Batman City, performance on max res was terrible. Super Choppy, especially during the Grundy boss fight, I dipped down to 15fps or so and there was almost always a stutter during the entire gameplay experience. I'm returning this rig back to the seller for a full refund tomorrow.

I realized I don't want to game like this anymore and am fine with light to moderate gaming power, I hate to say it but I really fell in love with that M11x R3. I loved the design, the keyboard, the screen, everything! If I replaced the HDD with an SSD and had a faster processor, I'd be extremely happy. However, even that system was overkill. Gaming on the go is useless to me and I wanted something cheaper for home use only but with enough gaming power to handle some older games on max.

Sorry for the rant, I am just a bit stressed out over not finding happiness in the last few rigs I've had. As I say and played each of the newer games that came out recently, the batman games, Skyrim and a few other popular titles I couldnt shake the idea that I am just not a gamer anymore, but wow did I enjoy the speediness of this last gaming monster rig I had. The games would load up in 2 seconds flat sometimes and I could tab out instantly. Such speed is not possible in cheaper rigs under $500 or so, are they?

 

[p0rtal]

I am definitely only interested in an i3 rig, as I again did decide to keep my HisQ 6950 2gb so whatever rig I get should have a big enough case to house it with a sufficient psu. I see rigs like that for $350-400 all the time on newegg refurb or open box so its just a matter of time until I spot one that is something I can be okay with.

As for the USB dac sound card, they are vastly superior to anything internal with a standard audio jack at the same prices. As an audiophile I've reviewed and tested pretty much every major headphone and amplifier out there including all the latest dacs and ended up keeping the budget friendly Fiio E10 Usb Dac for its excellent performance and crisp sound. USB digital out will always beat analog left and right for purely OUTPUT PERFORMANCE, once it exits the computer in digital form. The best asus sound card, a high end sound blaster was no match for your pick of any USB dac of similar similar price, as the USB dacs are usually an amplifier as well and significantly outperform standard interface sound cards. Usb dacs are just superior in every single way and with my rig I much prefer it. I've owned all the expensive $500-2000 headphones and amplifiers and went back to the midrange $150-300 level gear. The cheap usb dacs like the Fiio E10 are simply amazing.

Anywho, I hear you on the console vs the pc thing. I am just not a gamer like that anymore and spending $300 on a ps3 and only using it for gaming seems a bit odd when it doesn't really have a community for the games I still play on the pc. Seems wiser for me to spend $400 on a half decent PC and not another Ps3. I had the ps3 and sold it to afford new headphones

I was absolutely shocked beyond reason that no updates fixed the bugs in Arkham City after all this time. ( well damn we still haven't had any proper bug fixes for CoD MW2!!! and its like 3 games later rofl ) Crossfire performance on Dx11 was truly abysmal and I felt like I bought the monster desktop rig just to play those games, $1200 or so all for two games. I guess thats what work and stress does to a man haha! Never again

 

[Proximon]

Portal, I'm having a hard time understanding you
It's not that my reading comprehension is poor, it's just that you seem to live in a different world. I'm not saying that in a critical way, exactly.

I just get the feeling that you will never be satisfied, with anything. I have no problems with that, but it makes it hard to help you... especially when it's not clear what you want.

You want a gaming rig that is hassle free, but it has to be customized.

Now you want refurbished stuff.

You have already had various solutions, and you didn't like any of them. I think if you built a computer you would even be less happy.

The more I read and re-read your posts, the more I think this is an impossible task.

 

[Guest]

Portal, I'm having a hard time understanding you
It's not that my reading comprehension is poor, it's just that you seem to live in a different world. I'm not saying that in a critical way, exactly.

I just get the feeling that you will never be satisfied, with anything. I have no problems with that, but it makes it hard to help you... especially when it's not clear what you want.

You want a gaming rig that is hassle free, but it has to be customized.

Now you want refurbished stuff.

You have already had various solutions, and you didn't like any of them. I think if you built a computer you would even be less happy.

The more I read and re-read your posts, the more I think this is an impossible task.

+1

 

[thesnappyfingers]

Portal,

It is really difficult to find a pc that is cheap but has all parts that meet your criteria. for example, It is going to be tough to find a PC that is built or refurb that has the i3 cpu or other cpu in it with a decent power supply.

it is difficult to find a gaming computer with all of the good components sans the gpu.

Your best bet may be to find a local PC shop and ask them if they would be willing to assemble a pc for you if you compile all the components.