[coachwife6]

My son wants a gaming computer for his birthday, it is his first. Here is a list of what he said he wants, but I am not sure if he is making the right choice. HELP!
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 550w Power Supply (RS550-PCARE3-US) -

My link

CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA880 Desktop (Black/Blue) -

My link

EVGA GeForce GT 640 2048MB GDDR3 Dual DVI, mHDMI Graphics Cards 02G-P4-2643-KR -

My link

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Hello coachwife6

The PSU I would say no to due to the less than 80% output efficiency rating that it has, a couple of links that you can use to research the quality of PSUs http://www.pcmech.co...ide-inside.html and http://www.realhardt...vos/Page541.htm

The CyberPower computer has it`s pros and cons, the pros are it has a 64-bit OS installed and there are a USB gaming keyboard and mouse included, the cons outweigh the pros I`m afraid, the cons include the limited 1 year warranty, the need to replace both the video card and the PSU and the specifications of the Ram are not shown which means that you could go to the time and expense of upgrading the GPU and PSU only to find that low spec Ram is causing a bottleneck.

The video card is ok for what it costs but it is a budget entry level card and that is reflected in the price it costs, it would make sense to pay more to get better or risk being disappointed and especially when gaming if you want high or ultra settings and FPS.

I took the liberty of putting a list of parts together for you, it does cost more about $50 more and there are no keyboard & mouse thrown in but the quality and warranties are there for each individual item such as the 5 year warranty that the PSU has.

http://pcpartpicker....ower2/saved/ynl

Hope the above helps and if you have any other questions please let us know.

[phillpower2]

Hello coachwife6

The PSU I would say no to due to the less than 80% output efficiency rating that it has, a couple of links that you can use to research the quality of PSUs http://www.pcmech.co...ide-inside.html and http://www.realhardt...vos/Page541.htm

The CyberPower computer has it`s pros and cons, the pros are it has a 64-bit OS installed and there are a USB gaming keyboard and mouse included, the cons outweigh the pros I`m afraid, the cons include the limited 1 year warranty, the need to replace both the video card and the PSU and the specifications of the Ram are not shown which means that you could go to the time and expense of upgrading the GPU and PSU only to find that low spec Ram is causing a bottleneck.

The video card is ok for what it costs but it is a budget entry level card and that is reflected in the price it costs, it would make sense to pay more to get better or risk being disappointed and especially when gaming if you want high or ultra settings and FPS.

I took the liberty of putting a list of parts together for you, it does cost more about $50 more and there are no keyboard & mouse thrown in but the quality and warranties are there for each individual item such as the 5 year warranty that the PSU has.

http://pcpartpicker....ower2/saved/ynl

Hope the above helps and if you have any other questions please let us know.

[coachwife6]

As much as i appreciate your reply and time put into it I am looking to buy a pc not put one together. i have been looking at the alienware x51,CybertronPC GM2222D 5150 Escape Gaming PC, and the iBuyPower GAMER POWER AM699 Desktop. If you have any suggestions for another PC let me know. I am just not smart enough to put my own together.

[coachwife6]

I took your specifications in your part list and put into a custom PC build on a site called http://www.cyberpowerpc.com(Dont know if it is trustworthy). I tried to get almost everything the same and came out a little over my budget and was wondering if there was anything I didnt necessarly need to cut the price down to 700. I also need this to be able to run off of wifi so if there is anything I need to do to do that please let me know. Thank you!

(Link to my PC build) http://www.cyberpowe...om/saved/1F4EXW

[phillpower2]

The items that I suggested are all required for the build and the best performance for the budget.
You can lower the cost by selecting a less expensive case, I suggested a gaming type as that is what gamers tend to prefer, an alternative http://www.microcent...g_Computer_Case

You could also check if your son or another family member qualify for a student discount to save money on the OS https://www.dreamspa...nt/Default.aspx

For wireless connectivity you can use an adapter like the example at the link http://www.newegg.co...ID=3938566&SID=

I prefer not to offer an opinion on sites such as the one that you have used but for what it is worth I would never purchase anything without knowing the brand name first and especially with such an important component as the PSU.