Buying a new computer now or waiting?

Hello guys,

Sorry to open a new thread for that but I need a piece of advice.

And, since it's a concern about AC, what better than asking the community.

Well, I am currently playing on a 4 years old laptop. It was a good machine at the time but now it really has hard days when I play AC. It works, but only with all the eye's candies off, a low resolution, no mirrors,...

So, as I am passionated by racing and this damn game, I think about changing my stuff (at least to be able to post ingame screenshot without being considered like a pixel-art lover).

But... I think also of the future perspective... and the potential AC2... what if I change my PC now, and that the new one becomes already outlasted when the new game comes out???

That idea is definitely more scaring that the "It" movie trailer (ok for the clown but no more aliasing please!!!!!!!)

So, what should I do? Waiting a bit for a better technology to fit the future? Or buying right now?

Thanks!!!!

 

Buy now and you will have an even wider smile than you do now. No need to wait especially if you have the money to spend and even building now would be fun as well. You can upgrade the gear when you need. I watch this guys vids all the time and he has good recommended gear on you tube channel Carey Holzman

 

You can always keep postponing because something new might be on the way but it doesn't matter. Just upgrade now and you can always switch your graphics card up in a few years since that will probably be the biggest bottleneck for future games.

 

No one knows when AC2 will arrive, so you could end up waiting years sitting on your old laptop. If you want to buy now it depends on your budget.
New midrange AMD stuff is on the way (Ryzen 5 / RX5xx) so in 2-3 month you'll get a bit more for your money. If you aim for "highendish" parts then you can just as well buy now.

 

I highly recommend building your own gaming computer because it allows you to make improvements without completely throwing out your old computer. Many of the components don't need to be changed (case, power supply, storage) and you can upgrade the critical components (cpu, motherboard, memory and gpu) as they become obsolete. It also allows you to repair the system at relatively low cost if something fails. You can maintain a high performance unit by gradually upgrading the components overtime and not have a big onetime cost. The outdated components from a gaming computer make excellent components for a general purpose home computer so you can keep everyone happy.

It actually is easy to do and the components are pretty standardized and designed to work with each other. I find it fun and somewhat addicting.

The biggest challenge is keeping Microsoft from forcing you to buy a new operating system when you upgrade your motherboard.

 

Thanks everybody!

What do you think of buying a Dell computer? I am not used to hardware building so Dell might be a way to configure a PC without taking risk, no?
I honestly don't get their philosophy about their XPS and Alienware brands, which seem redundant each other but.... one thing at a time

 

I would advice against getting anything from big name companies. For the price you're buying from them you can get something that's a lot better when you get it yourself or a shop that builds it for you.

 

And since you're from Belgium just like I am, I'd suggest using this website:
https://www.alternate.be/html/index.html
You can configure your own pc there and I also think they have a service where they can build it for you etc. Ofc, if you want a relevant pc for current and future games you'll be spending a bit (around 1500 euros) but it'll do fine for the coming 2-3 years definitely.

And if you speak dutch you can always check this site out as well: https://tweakers.net/

 

Last year, about mid year, I decided to build my first gaming PC, mostly, 99%, to play/drive AC. It was much easier than I thought and I felt and still feel very proud of myself. As other have mentioned in this thread, it teached me that a gaming PC is just a sum of interchangeable parts, not a unit. Get the best parts you can afford today, with the emphasis on the GPU, put them together yourself, take your time, enjoy the build. When time comes to upgrade one of the parts, by then you will know how easy it is both financially and technically. If I had known earlier what I learned last year I would have done it sooner.
Just do it.

 

I agree buying desktop PC will give you the most return on investment since you can upgrade GPU with very little effort. No matter when you upgrade that technology is going to be obsolete sooner rather than later. So buy at the start of new technology release cycle. For example AMD's RYzen has caused Intel to lower their prices so it's a good time for good deals.
To start I would ask what resolution you'll be gaming at and what is your target FPS (assuming AC only). This will dictate your cost boundary. For example, if you want to do VR/4k a high end GPU would the or one of the best investments. In this example this would also point you to a CPU choice since a low cost Ryzen will equalize any Intel performance advantage.
If you can't get a friend to help you build your own, you might be able to get a bare bones PC which might be sold with a great CPU and Power supply. Never use a laptop unless it's a gift or donation. Make sure you size up a proper bundled power supply (650W for example as a sweet spot) and ensure PCIe 3.0.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

Did you play with lego when you were young? If you did, you will have an even easier time building your pc. If you are really insecure you can usually pay some companys that also sell parts, to build it for you fairly cheap and cheaper than an alienware for example

 

There's no need to wait. Build one now if you want one. Look up "best gaming pc" on the gamestar.de site or on google. There are recommendations for different price ranges.

Don't use any big name online configurators. Be smart and build it yourself. It's easy. Take it to a local PC shop if you need help.

 

Agree with everyone else.

You can wait for ever, there's always "ground breaking" new tech a year away... Build your own PC, it's easier than you think, cheaper, and you get exactly what you want and you can fix it when it goes wrong. Building is easier now than its ever been imo, hardware companies don't want stuff returned so it pays to make their gear as idiot proof as possible.

As far as mobo/CPU choices go I'd buy something that's been on sale for a few months at least. That way any bios/driver/RAM issues you always get with new stuff should be resolved or at least well documented. Other than that, do some research and you'll be fine.

 

@PhenOm : Thank you for the link, I will check it out! I don't speak dutch, but I will find a french or english website with the same idea.

@Cote Dazur, @kofotsjanne , @LeDude83 , @Mogster : Yes, I will definitely go for a "self-assembled" computer.

I aimed to buy a desktop PC of course.
But I am so used to laptops computer (not for gaming in the first instance), that I forgot the evolutive side of desktop computer
I will take my time, read, compare and find the best solution.

@colombianomd : I am not interested in 4K. Nor triple screen. VR however...
I don't have the money to invest in both computer and VR, and I certainly prefer spending my money in a good computer, then wait 6 month or so to buy an HTC Vive (I have been frighten by the review about the resolution of the Oculus Rift). But one thing at a time.

 

Two questions I have: If I wanted to buy a laptop and be able to play on it, what should I get? I mean, what brand and hardware. I currently have a 5 year old Dell XPS and it's pretty much working like new, but is there something I can buy that will give me more bang for my buck without compromising reliability?

Also, why is it that when I try a large AI field, the game constantly shows the CPU>99% warning, but in the render stats the CPU us at around 50%, and at the task manager it's around 80%? Does that have something to do with Hyper Threading? (My CPU is an i5 2450M).

Thank you.

 

CPU simply can't handle it. Mobile CPU's are a lot worse than desktop ones. My 2600k started to lack (about a year ago) so I can guarantee you that your current laptop is falling further behind.
You can always check google for the best gaming laptops (even though I personally always advise against gaming laptops)

 

You get desktop PC. I went from gaming laptops to PC a couple years back and that was the best decision ever.
Now all I need is to get new GPU (1080 Ti Hybrid when it's out) and we will be up to the task with the most demanding modern games again, try that with laptop.

 

What hardware would you recommend that won't blow my budget but will run most games with acceptable performance (No need for 4K on 120fps and ultra settings, full HD with 60fps will certainly do).

 

Check LeDude post, google is your friend. I built mine on pcpartpicker.

 

IMHO the best time to buy a computer is when you need it. If you are buying in anticipation of a new game coming out, it might be best to wait until the game is released and reviews confirm the preferred hardware requirements.