Dummies guide to Gaming?

[steptaker]

Are there any websites/links to introduction to gaming? Beginning at ground zero, i have only x-box experience, was wondering what, if any info is out there for the beginner.
Thanks
Dave

 

[Worthington]

errr, not that I know of but you are in the right place to ask questions man. What sorta stuff do you want to know?

 

[videogames101]

Find a group of people to play with! Makes for great fun! =D

 

[steptaker]

Should preface with the fact I'm a complete newbie when it comes to computers. New to computer building, just finished one for wifey, now building mine. Was reading so much about monitor resolution, special keyboards/mice, video cards, etc. Are all those really necessary? Or do they make it easier to play? Are there any games that are easier to learn than others?
Building an I3 based machine with Gigabyte MB for now, with the intention being that if I tried and liked the gaming thing, I could upgrade to I5 CPU. Was asking because I could see myself getting frustrated with the game difficulty and quitting before I really gave it a chance.
Thanks
Dave

 

[QuantumPion]

Are you trying to get into first person shooters or what? If you need ground zero starting from scratch, Portal & Portal 2 make good starters to get the feel of keyboard and mouse usage since there is no rush and no one shooting at you. Also they don't require super powerful computers so you should be good to go in that regard. Your CPU choice is not as important as the graphics card is. Of course there is Diablo 3 coming out soon which will be a very noob friendly action RPG which you can play with your wife together.

Special keyboards and mice are not necessary in the slightlest. They are purely a personal preference which you won't know what you like until you play for a while. I'd recommend a wired mouse with two thumb buttons such as the very popular Logitech MX518 but aside from that it's just what you think fits your hand best.

 

[steptaker]

Thanks for the replies! That does sound like a good way of learning. Yes, interested in the shooting and war based games, they look like alot of fun. Are the games downloads or do you buy them on disc? Is there a "best" place for purchasing games?
Thanks again
Dave

 

[Karstein]

You need: this, this, this and this.

 

[steptaker]

Wow!!!!

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Focus on building a basic computer which has good enough hardware specs to play modern games, you'll need to research what that is and balance it against your budget. Then I'd probably get around to installing steam www.steampowered.com which is a digital distribution platform for games, there's some free games on there as well as cheap Indy games, lots of regular sales and full priced AAA titles.

Grab a few games and just jump in, you can worry about better keyboards and mice for gaming, none of these details are going to make much of a difference to the experience, you'll only notice the benefits that "better" kit has once you've been playing a while. Basically don't try and do too much at once, just build on it as you get experience, PC's are highly modular and allow for this, it's one of their great strengths.

 

[OCNewbie]

You might want to pick a single game, or a few games that look really fun, and that you're interested in trying out. Ask around on the message boards what you would need to run those games smoothly. Chances are, if they are newer, somewhat graphically-intense games (lots of fancy, realistic-looking graphics), and your computer can handle those, it can most likely handle most anything else on the market.

There is a sweet spot in computer building to get the best bang/buck. It's not necessary to buy the absolute best video card available, for example. This is assuming money is an object for you to some extent. Especially as someone just trying to get their feet wet with PC gaming, you should look for good values, so you don't spend an arm and a leg, and then figure out PC gaming is not for you. How anyone could come to this conclusion is beyond me though =P

 

[wuliheron]

For hardware the Steam forums:

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39

For software the Tweakguides:

http://www.tweakguides.com/

Both sites will take you through the subjects in as much detail as can swallow.

 

[trigun500]

I feel like we are collectively ruining this person's social life.

 

[Texashiker]

In the beginning id created Doom.
And id said, Let there be Quake: and there was Quake.
And id saw Quake, that it was good: and id divided John Romeo from John Carmack.
So Valve Software created half-life, in the image of Quake created; Opposing Force and Blue Shift.

 

[gladiatorua]

CPU: i5 or even i3 should be fine. I don't think upgrade should be your concern. If you want safe bet take i5.
Ram: DDR3 2x4GB kit. 1600 or 1866.
GPU is trickier. Depends on how much are you willing to spend because things are kind of weird and I am an AMD sympathiser so I can't recommend Nvidia GPU. + the price war should start in a month or so. AMD Radeon HD7870 looks good. Should be out in couple of weeks.
Display... Even trickier. I hate TN+Film displays(mostly shit grade) with passion so I would recommend Dell U2412M that has good picture and color quality. Unless you want larger display. The price gap between low quality and good stuff is much bigger.
Mouse and keyboard... In our country we have a brand A4tech that has entry level gaming gear that's very cheap but solid. Haven't seen it on Amazon or Newegg so I don't know. Logitech is good. Unless you want wireless keyboard and mouse, pick anything you like. Wireless can be laggy and buggy so it needs more research.
Headset... I like Sennheiser
You can also use console controller with your PC.

 

[steptaker]

Hey thanks for all the responses guys. Parts started arriving today. Headed to airport to pick up wifezilla will check in later. Thanks again!!!!

 

[steptaker]

WOW!!! Thanks for all the info guys! Been playing half life and COD/MW-3 for the past 2 days, what a blast! Thanks again for all the input. Any suggestions for entry level keyboard/mouse?
Seeya
Dave

 

[RavenSEAL]

You need an i7 PC to play games :sneaky:

 

[zinfamous]

You need an i7 PC to play games :sneaky:

lies!

 

[thejunglegod]

Wow, we have an actual noob here. BTW noob means 'newbie'.

And you do not need an i7 to play games, well, probably you'll need it to play on highest detail and an i5 can match an i7 in terms of processing power. Also, a graphic card is a must if you stick to playing games cos later you'll get frustrated with your PCs ability to not be able to support better graphics. Your target should be to pull off stutter-free performance while at medium settings.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Wow, we have an actual noob here. BTW noob means 'newbie'.

And you do not need an i7 to play games, well, probably you'll need it to play on highest detail and an i5 can match an i7 in terms of processing power. Also, a graphic card is a must if you stick to playing games cos later you'll get frustrated with your PCs ability to not be able to support better graphics. Your target should be to pull off stutter-free performance while at medium settings.

Also, let it be known that a PC game at medium settings will have higher image quality than any console game can dream of.

 

[Barfo]

Look out for Steam Sales, soon you will have more games than you can play, for crazy low prices

 

[RavenSEAL]

Wow, we have an actual noob here. BTW noob means 'newbie'.

And you do not need an i7 to play games, well, probably you'll need it to play on highest detail and an i5 can match an i7 in terms of processing power. Also, a graphic card is a must if you stick to playing games cos later you'll get frustrated with your PCs ability to not be able to support better graphics. Your target should be to pull off stutter-free performance while at medium settings.

 

[Barfo]

OP said he is new to PC gaming...you just look like a jerk posting such images.

 

[steptaker]

Thanx Barfo, any tips for keyboard/mouse?

 

[VulgarDisplay]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823201045

Great no nonsense gaming keyboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104318

Cheaper mouse to make up for the cost of the keyboard.

I've always used logitech mice, and they have never disappointed. I'm currently using a G700 and it's one of the best feeling mice I've ever had. I used it wired at all times and don't use the wireless.