to piggy back on that, an example. right now, if i wanted to build a new computer for gaming that will be able to play all modern games on medium to high settings between now and a couple years from now, i would need:
- a case. can easily get a very good one for $40-$80.
- a motherboard. can easily get a good one that's future proof for the next couple years at $80-$120. (total: $120-$200.)
- a vid card. basic rule that works: Intel-NVIDIA, AMD-ATI. you can mix 'em up sure, but those tend to be the lines drawn. partially because AMD owns ATI. price range here can go to $50 to $120. personally, i stick with the middle ground if i can there, as $80 does you a lot nowadays. (total: $170-$320)
- a CPU. this is normally the most expensive part, however that can be midigated with some planning. this is something that you MUST examine your motherboard for if you're building. putting it this way, when picking a motherboard you first have to decide what kind of CPU you're willing to take. a dual core? a quad core? a motherboard that can do both? these days a quad core is pretty cheap and still very high quality. nothing's been demanding them outright, so really you're good. and for the interesting part with planning: if your motherboard can do it, you could start with a dual core as they're REALLY cheap then later upgrade to a quad core, when it is REALLY cheap, and be consistently on point. that route in mind, your price range here - within reason - goes from $60 to $300. most will land around $100-$150. (total: $230-$620)
- RAM. cheap. $50-60 gets you 8GB. more than enough. 4GB is down to like, $30. (total: $260-$680)
- a power supply. this one can vary a lot in pricing, and if you want a brand to work with that 99% of the time is a great product, Corsair is it (and good luck finding pre-made computers with that). there are plenty of other brands out there that are great as well, but Corsair has a very, very good reputation in terms of staying cool, being reliable, well made, and maximizing the juice it can put out. they tend to be priced a little higher than most others but it's for good reason, and half the time the Corsair will be putting out better output and have lower temps despite being 100W lower because the other is simply too inefficient. research on your own though, and you can get something of similar quality for a good deal less. does take effort and luck. price range is technically $50-$160, though i would not skimp on this too much and wholely recommend you start looking around $70 for a min (total: $330-$740)
if i already have a keyboard or mouse, then i don't need them. if i want new ones sure i can get 'em, and the price range there can go anywhere from $20 for a combo where both are fine to $100 for the keyboard and $80 for the mouse. honestly, great gaming mice exist at $50 or less already, sometimes even $20. gaming keyboards can be gotten in the same way, though make it $40. wouldn't spend more than $60 on the two parts anyway, especially not until you get used to the new stuff.
if i already have a hard drive, i'm set. but i can easily just find 1TB for $50-$70 regularly. sometimes 2TB at $70. and for smaller, 500GB at $30-$40 has been done.
once you're done, that's a computer that'll last you quite some time. though the cost up front is a bit worrysome, realize that if you have a good case, power supply, and motherboard you don't NEED to upgrade them anymore, saving costs. already went over CPU. RAM will keep being cheap and easy to expand. HDD's a joke. so you might spend $400~ on a computer starting from next to nothing, but it'll last at least a generation of games and $100-$200 upgrades you to another gen easy. buying a pre-built version of that computer rings you at least $600 for the cheapo version.
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The future must protect the clone's past.
"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.