Hi, i'm looking to have a custom gaming pc built thru microcenter and i have a few questions. the only thing I really need the pc to do is run the game "Hearthstone" by blizzard perfectly(without any dropped frames/lag spikes) and stream it on twitch using OBS in good quality. my budget is around $2000 usd. any help would be greatly appreciated!
1: as far as processor goes, should i be looking into getting the i7 or i9 core from intel?
2: for cooling, does a gaming PC need to use liquid cooling? or can I get away with a fan system? obviously looking to make sure it doesnt overheat but don't get a great feeling from the idea of having liquid in my pc. I also noticed its cheaper to have an air system installed so looking to cut costs if possible.
3: another question about liquid cooling, is there any maintenance required with them usually?(like replenishing water?)
4: for the video card, i see options are pretty scarce. If i dont want to go with any of the options they have available in store, am I able to purchase a gpu somewhere else and bring it to them to put in my custom build? I would still do the order thru them and have them put it together.
thank you for any help you can offer!
Hey Dylan I'd be happy to give some advice. $2000 is a great budget for a gaming PC with tons of room for flexibility.
Here recommended specs for Hearthstone:
As far as specs go, this is a very low requirement. Hearthstone itself is a very lightweight game that is meant to be played on even the most basic of PC. You wanting to stream the game to Twitch makes the requirement a little higher but still very easily doable within your budget.
To more directly answer your questions:
I specifically work in the pre-build systems department so I'll link a pre-built unit that would be a great fit to use since I am much more familiar with them. If you love that one, you can certainly come in and pick it up, or just use it as a reference for your search for parts.
https://www.microcenter.com/product/635448/powerspec-g509-gaming-computer
Thanks a bunch for your help! The prebuild stuff definitely looks like the way to go, checking out some others on the site now.
Please let us know if you have any further questions!
Hey @DylanDreyer255 !
When it comes to the processor choice, it really depends on what you are doing on the machine. If you find yourself using software that requires a lot of processor cores to complete the task, it may be worth while. However, if you are just playing video games / internet browsing / office work, I would say that the i7 would be able to accomplish the task no problem.
Most of the time, a system can get away with a fan system. Typically, the only time I recommend an AIO liquid cooling system is when the user is going to be overclocking the system. For the i7, I would recommend the Cooler master 212, and for the i9, I would recommend the Noctua D15.
For first time builders, I recommend an All in one liquid cooling system. These kits do not require any additional maintenance once installed.
You would absolutely be able to bring in the card for us to install. The only stipulation would be that we would not be able to cover the GPU in our 90 service agreement with the build.
Submit photos and a description of your PC to our build showcase
See other custom PC builds and get some ideas for what can be done
Services starting at $149.99