How to break news to a co-worker

[EarthboundHero]

Explain to him that games need a GPU to run well, and that PC doesn't have one, and that 32GB of RAM is waaaaay too much. If he doesn't listen it's his own fault.

[Trik'Stari]

well he strictly wants a Gaming computer. I told him he only needed a 4690k and 16GB ram at most and that he would more then likely not use over 8GB

That sounds reasonable then. A gtx 980 would go good with it. Although if he wants more oomph for in the future if/when games need more threads, an I7 wouldn't hurt.

 

I mean he's already thinking of paying 1200 for a not gaming machine so he might as well build a balling ass gaming machine, plenty of SSD's etc.

[Fgtfv567]

That sounds good in theory but if he doesn't know the difference between a workstation and a Gaming PC I don't think showing him a bunch of parts is really going to help the issue 

Well you could still slap him.....

And then tell him that he needs a discrete GPU for games as games are much more GPU heavy than CPU heavy

[ELSknutson]

That sounds reasonable then. A gtx 980 would go good with it. Although if he wants more oomph for in the future if/when games need more threads, an I7 wouldn't hurt.

 

I mean he's already thinking of paying 1200 for a not gaming machine so he might as well build a balling ass gaming machine, plenty of SSD's etc.

ya I linked him the I7 build i have in the Classified's and he' like it 

but he keeps bringing up that it has a warranty till 2020 though

 

I told him that the hardware would be obsolete in 5 years or less any way 

[jessicametal]

Yeah telling him it would be obsolete in a few years is good, but also let him know that with the way computer hardware works is that when new technology comes out, it does one of two things:
-Dramatically improves performance for about the same price as previous hardware
-Streamlines the design and manufacturing process, making things cheaper

Explain to him that he can build a very awesome gaming/HTPC for half the price that he's looking at, and to save the rest of his money for games and other stuff.
Here's what I'd recommend to him if he's wanting to do just gaming and HTPC stuff:

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WxxND3) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WxxND3/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad785kxbjabox) | $139.95 @ SuperBiiz 

**Motherboard** | [MSI A88XM-E45 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-a88xme45) | $71.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c9s8gxm) | $66.98 @ OutletPC 

**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $53.97 @ OutletPC 

**Video Card** | [sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Vapor-X Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100364vxl) | $168.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Case** | [Rosewill Line-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-linem) | $39.99 @ Amazon 

**Power Supply** | [seaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ssr650rm) | $93.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Optical Drive** | [samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-optical-drive-sh224dbbebe) | $14.98 @ OutletPC 

**Monitor** | [Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-ve247h) | $137.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Keyboard** | [Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator - OEM Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-keyboard-sgb3010kkmf2us) | $17.99 @ Newegg 

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $806.82

 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 13:58 EST-0500 |

 

Explain that this processor can run with the graphics card to boost graphics card's performance (running in crossfire), has room for expansion should he decide he wants to add more RAM or another 270x with it (for 1080p gaming, he would just own any game graphically speaking at that point), and I've yet to see a single bad review on anything seasonic makes in terms of power supplies. Monitor is TN, but still has good coloring, does 1920x1080, and a response time of 2ms. He'd be great at gaming with it, and the coloring is still good enough that he'd enjoy movies and other media on it.

Taking into account that he would likely only use 1/4 of the RAM in that 32GB monstrosity, I'm confident that my build idea would stomp that $1,200 travesty and still save him $400. Plus, it would have a bit of room for expansion in the future if he wants at add more to it down the road.

The only time I'd recommend getting an i5 over the Kavari APUs is a.) if he doesn't mind spending a lot of extra money and b.) he's trying to run something higher than 1080p gaming, or trying to run multiple panels.

[razor767]

Do you have a good gaming rig yourself? Maybe you can show him.

[ELSknutson]

Do you have a good gaming rig yourself? Maybe you can show him.

I have 5 of them 2 are posted in the Classifieds 

[ELSknutson]

WOOT i win lol 

I got him to change his mind 

once he seen my add he did a complete 180 lol 

I think i got him all gitty 

 

He now wants http://linustechtips.com/main/classifieds/item/1295-price-drop-pc-i7-4790k-asus-hero-mb-and-strix-970/

[jessicametal]

While it's technically overkill, it's still a super awesome system. I think he'll be happy with it.

[ELSknutson]

While it's technically overkill, it's still a super awesome system. I think he'll be happy with it.

Ya but its the right kinda of over kill 

[jessicametal]

True. I can't fault a person for wanting some flash and prestige in a build (I know I sure want it myself  :lol: ), so I'm glad that at least he'll get some good hardware under the hood and look good in the process.

[MaxBunny]

The best way to do it is to be blunt. Sigh, put your head down, put your hands on his shoulders, look him in the eye, and tell him "No." Then guide him through the process of making a real gaming rig.

[Sauron]

Tell him without a graphics card he'll hardly be able to run any games, at all.