General Suggestion for buying a gaming PC under a thousand

Hey guys! This has been a question that has been burning in me FOR YEARS. I just want to know what are the best options I have or any opinions you duders have on any pre-built desktop gaming PC's under a $1000 (such as the Alienware X-51, ibuypower, etc) compared to building my own PC's. I'm actually leaning towards buying a pre-built one considering that I barely have any time to research on how to do proper PC building and getting parts. Thanks!

Getting a good PC under $1000 will almost require that you build it. It seems scary but it is really not very hard, newegg has a video thing showing you exactly what you need and how to put it all together.

@jking47: Yeah I'm not actually scared building a PC or think that it's actually THAT difficult. My only problem is just time. I'm sure that is going to be the biggest resource since I'm in a transitional point where I'm preparing for my certification exam and working at the same time so I can't really expend time to research building my own PC unfortunately as much as I'd prefer to do that.

Otherwise, I just need some suggestions or maybe a form of confirmation of getting some good enough pre-built desktops close to under a thousand dollars. By that I mean, I don't need to play on ultra or even high settings even with system-hog games/benchmark games like Crysis or The Witcher 2. At the very least I can meet recommended specs for most games.

If you don't have an hour to build a PC, how will you have time to play games on it?

@Kidavenger said:

If you don't have an hour to build a PC, how will you have time to play games on it?

Pretty much this. It isn't a huge time sink, I put one together about two months back in two hours or so, and most of that time was spent troubleshooting a faulty chassi. It's well worth it. Might take longer the first time because you'll end up being needlessly careful (which is fine), but it's not a huge project in the least.

Use BuyXG instead of IBuyPower. I used BuyXG back before I learned how to build my own PC and they didn't disappoint.
 
Edit: Also, I really recommend that you build your own PC. It used to be difficult, but these days it's like playing with LEGOs. I'm not exaggerating, either.

@Azteck said:

@Kidavenger said:

If you don't have an hour to build a PC, how will you have time to play games on it?

Pretty much this. It isn't a huge time sink, I put one together about two months back in two hours or so, and most of that time was spent troubleshooting a faulty chassi. It's well worth it. Might take longer the first time because you'll end up being needlessly careful (which is fine), but it's not a huge project in the least.

I'll repeat this. If you don't have time to build one, how do you have time to use it? Plus it is part of the fun and you will have a very sensual and intimate bond with your PC that you will never, ever forget ;) Am I right guys?

@Kidavenger said:

If you don't have an hour to build a PC, how will you have time to play games on it?

Well that's true but this isn't something I'm planning on doing right now though. I'm not really doing much playing as of now either. Just wanted to get some suggestions.

Also, to the other duders thanks for some of the suggestions. Considering that this would be the first time I'd be doing this though I'd be doing a lot of prepping when the time comes after I'm done with everything else I need to take care of.

Always choose to build your own PC than buy one. I made an awful mistake of buying my first PC, though I do not really regret it. Being the wiser though, I will build my next PC (countless times have I said this).

If you need a build that you want to modify, I have one for a friend of mine. Some changes can be made, but I like it~

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vIFz

Edited for corrections. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vIOW Really it is up to you.

@WasabiCurry said:

Always choose to build your own PC than buy one. I made an awful mistake of buying my first PC, though I do not really regret it. Being the wiser though, I will build my next PC (countless times have I said this).

If you need a build that you want to modify, I have one for a friend of mine. Some changes can be made, but I like it~

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vIFz

Thanks!

@TheHBK said:

@Azteck said:

@Kidavenger said:

If you don't have an hour to build a PC, how will you have time to play games on it?

Pretty much this. It isn't a huge time sink, I put one together about two months back in two hours or so, and most of that time was spent troubleshooting a faulty chassi. It's well worth it. Might take longer the first time because you'll end up being needlessly careful (which is fine), but it's not a huge project in the least.

I'll repeat this. If you don't have time to build one, how do you have time to use it? Plus it is part of the fun and you will have a very sensual and intimate bond with your PC that you will never, ever forget ;) Am I right guys?

I'm getting married to mine in March!

I wouldn't mess with pre built. They cost more and aren't worth the money.

There is a curated thread somewhere on these forums that is extremely thorough. I suggest finding it. It's by @Geno.