I dunno, AMD’s CPU stuff is pretty behind at this point. I’d recommend a mid-range Skylake or Broadwell Core i3 chip (or i5 if you want to be a bit fancier) over literally anything in the AMD stable today. More modern platform and amenities.
I hope AMD can turn their fortunes around on the CPU front because it’s looking dire and has been for about the last four years now… an Intel with zero credible competition (well outside of smartphones and tablets I guess) is quite scary
I have a jigsaw, access to a hardware store, and no particular desire or need to keep the panels of my tower on. There was a period in my teens when I spent so much time tinkering inside the computer that I just left its guts exposed forever. Now I know less about computer hardware, but know a lot more about working with metal. Tower size isn’t an issue. For a new gaming-PC-of-my-dreams, I would build one. That being said, I would do it I could predict my cash outlay in such a way that I could rely on my ability to slowly accumulate necessary parts, but then I’d probably want to get the GPU last depending on how long it takes.
I think you heard my sigh. I have nothing against Intel, really, but competition would be nice.
Sorry, I was unclear there: I meant ‘headroom’ in terms of ‘additional power delivery capacity, beyond what the system requires as shipped’ not not about size specifically. Gateway(as well as basically everyone else) tends to have little patience for genuinely awful PSUs(since warranty calls really, really eat into profit margins); but, while typically more honest and less likely to catch fire than the really nasty ones, their power supplies are usually aimed at being more or less exactly what the computer needs as shipped, without much spare capacity for upgrades(the major exception being workstations and servers, which do tend to ship with the PSU required to install whatever expansions the model is advertised as capable of).
If you do end up needing to show the sheet metal who is boss, though, do post pictures.
Went to the used bookstore (which also sells old games) and picked these up:
I don’t normally like the Hitman series, but I played this one at a friend’s place a while back and I really got into it.
Check out what came with this edition of Oblivion:
This is the one big drawback to Steam, a PDF just isn’t the same as a foldout map and bonus lore.
I agree with the consensus: PC. With emulator software, you can play almost all old console games for free. You can also play most all old PC games (and a lot of new ones) for free or negligible cost via GOG and Steam sales. I suspect you’d find most of your top 10 list on GOG, DRM free, for a couple $ each.
If you do like console-style action games, you can use a controller with your PC. Plus you have options of mouse + keyboard, joystick / flightstick, wheel and pedals, etc. etc. for other types of games. (the Saitek x52 flightstick was great for MechWarrior games!) One of console’s worst drawbacks is the miserably limited UI options - 2 thumbs for everything.
Re: hardware - I have an old Core2 Quad 2.40GHz with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti. I think that’s decade-old tech (bought it used cheap). I’ve just finally begun to hit the limit where new games don’t run well at max settings. Fallout 4 doesn’t do well 
But that’s because of the RAM (motherboard is limited to 4GB). There was one other game I tried that didn’t do well (again because of RAM - too much disk swapping).
I have looked at upgrading, and as the others have said, it sounds like an i5 (or maybe a recent i3) with 16GB of RAM (or more) would be the way I’d go. I could use any modern video card because for the games I prefer, even my old one does fine at high settings. That might be different depending on the games you like.
I don’t really have a top 10, but to give an idea of the things I like:
Fallouts: 1, 2, 3, New Vegas (and hopefully 4 once I get an upgrade)
4X’s: Civilizations, Alpha Centauri, Master of Orion 1/2, Space Empires IV
Wargames: Gary Grigsby’s World At War, Advanced Tactics Gold, Decisive Campaigns, Strategic Command - European Theater, Field of Glory, Harpoon Ultimate Commander’s Edition, Combat Mission
Strategy: Europa Universalis series, Warlords II
Sub Sims: Dangerous Waters, Sub Command, 688i Hunter Killer, Silent Hunter IV, Fast Attack
Driving: Burnouts, FlatOuts
RPG/Roguelike (other than Fallout): Baldurs Gate, Temple of Elemental Evil, Titans of Steel, Ancient Domains of Mystery, Decker
Economic: Capitalism Labs, Wall $treet Raider
RTS: Old Command & Conquers, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of Wars, 8-Bit Armies
other: Lately, I’ve been trying out weird new indie games and adventure games; used to love flight sims (F-19/F-117, F-22) but haven’t tried any lately; FPS are mostly in the past for me, but I might fire up the Crysis games again; have a ton of games I haven’t even played yet
So my take on it may be a bit different than others. If you like open-world games, you’ll want more RAM than I have. Modern CPUs are more than up to the task (at least in the intel i# line). Graphics cards have been more than up to the task (for what I like) for over a decade. There are more games than I’ll ever have time to play. A new gaming PC for me would probably be cheaper than a console.
(My last PC was a newer i7 with 8GB RAM, but it never got near capacity when gaming. I did overheat it, but only after playing several hours when it was over 100° in the room. This $250 one performs at least as well as that $1200 one did, although that one would probably do better with modern open-worlds due to the RAM.)
Well that gives a new meaning to liquid cooled.
Just ran across this (backpack PC’s) and it made me think of this thread - if VR is your bag, maybe this is worth looking into…
You know… I genuinely don’t know. I lucked into a free GearVR by crazy random happenstance. I tried it, but it’s limited without the controller, which isn’t cheap. The genre is definitely going to explode and it definitely has potential, but it looks like I’d be creating more financial competition for a good gaming PC, and I’m not sure I want that at this point. I think my best bet is to hold my course and add VR to an existing system. By then there will be more games too. But I agree it is tempting. I have strabismus, so stereoscopic-dependent effects like 3D movies left me kind of cold because I didn’t get anything out of them. I was worried VR would be the same story, and now that I know it’s not I’m getting really excited about it.
How much would that weigh?
F.E.A.R. is great fun, I played it through many a time.
FTA: <= 10lbs
There are a lot of independent games out there that are tons of fun and will probably run on your system. I’m not checking my list to make sure these are definitely indie but based on your description I think you might enjoy them:
I agree. It’s also old enough that a comparatively underpowered system will play it nicely. Hasn’t aged too badly either. Although it’s a bit quirky with a game controller on PC. It clearly supports one but half the time it’s telling me the key combos for a keyboard. Still, it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
I have a Skylake Core i7 in my current PC. I did manage to max out the CPU. But not by gaming. 
I bought this much CPU for my video / audio editing hobby. I just happen to also play video games on the computer. 
I’m building an actual gaming computer for my roommate soon. And that’ll be a Core i5. Probably still overdoing it but I’d hate to build an i3 and then have surprise performance issues.
I just searched this thread (with discourse cuz I’m mobile, so if this is a dupe that’s why) but for older games have you thought about picking up a gen1 Xbox and loading emulators on it (MAME/NES/SEGA/NeoGeo/etc) on it? I have one now and it works great. I still have to do the complicated load procedure to get Dragon’s Lair working (and the game like it) but for nostalgic couch based gaming, it can’t be beat.
I just looked @ eBay and you can find them with games for about $30-50. You just need a bigger HDD, a library (I’ve had mine for ages, but picking up the ol odd/end has been very easy) & a console manager (search: CoinOps or Vision) and you’re retro gaming. & if you ever spent any time in an 80’s arcade there are few thigs better than getting to go at your fav arcade game with infinite quarters 
Not too bad then.
No, and considering the companies that are involved/ investing, some variant of “mobile computing” platform will be integral to VR’s wide adoption & success.
I still look at VR as being in its infancy- like the big brick celly’s yuppies had in the 80’s - and it needs a major evolution or three before we will see it approaching a “final form” for what will ultimately be the cellphone of tomorrow.
I’m expecting a “Snowcrash” type result where VR is to everyone what Google is today, aka “the Internet”.
IMHO / YMMV of course.
Psychonauts actually got patched recently (within the last couple of months on GOG, longer ago on Steam) which fixed up controller compatibility. Now it’ll always show the 360 icons.
+1 for that recommendation though, the graphics are stylised enough that they still look sharp (except in a few pre-rendered cutscenes) and it’s one of the funniest games ever made (written by Tim Schafer and Eric Murray [of Old Man Murray/Portal/Portal 2 fame])
Look what came in the mail!
There are some appallingly priced versions of this on Amazon that I don’t get.
In any case, it’s been well over a decade. Prepared to feel some serious nostalgia.
The first one? It’s a wonderful tech demo. You’ll probably enjoy Assassin’s Creed II more, which has better mechanics, storyline, characters, the whole package.
AC 4- Black Flag is the best of the series for my money. Spent hours sailing around in the Pirate Jukebox, hunting down ships and pausing for a spot of fishing…
There’s a reasonable main quest somewhere in there too.
