So I know just enough to know that PCs are better for gaming then Macs are but my question is by how much ?

I have had a 2007 iMac that i used to play world of warcraft on and then took a break. Just recently started up again and no big shocker it struggles with even logging in. SO i decided to upgrade to newer Mac that had worked out quite well but i decided to return it within the 14 day window as I knew the Iris Pro graphics just would not hold up very well long term.

Refurbished 21.5-inch iMac 3.1GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5 with Retina 4K display
Originally released October 2015
21.5-inch (diagonal) Retina 4K display with IPS technology; 4096-by-2304 resolution
16GB memory
1TB hard drive

Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200
Built-in FaceTime HD camera

So now as I sit with only my rust bucket and dwell on what I thought was gonna be a simple switch to the bigger Mac with a dedicated graphics card, even though it is still a mobile version,I am finding myself constantly looking through configurations on this site.
     
Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5 with Retina 5K display
Originally released October 2015
27-inch (diagonal) Retina 5K display with IPS technology; 5120‑by‑2880 resolution
8GB memory
1TB Fusion Drive

AMD Radeon R9 M390
Built-in FaceTime HD camera

So as someone thats used to Apple products and not familiar with PCs can someone help me with what my configurations should look like on here.

The 27 inch above including three years of applecare and shipping would come in just under $2000, had been trying to stay closer to $1500 which the first one was but realized i wasn't fully satisfied. Main things im looking for is decent gaming possibilities (WoW,Steam, League of Legends,Fallout 4) and quiet. Will also need a monitor.

Thanks for any input, I know this turned into a novel

Vanquish

Click Image To Go To Configuration Page

System Configuration:Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm VANQUISH 5
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 6600K 3.5GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS/GIGABYTE (Intel Z170 Chipset)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Power Supply: 750W EVGA/Corsair
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (Internal)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (240GB Digital Storm Certified Performance Series)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Seagate / Toshiba)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce GTX 1070 8GB (ASUS Turbo) (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: High Performance Cooler with Large Fan and Copper Pipes
HydroLux Tubing Style: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
HydroLux Fluid Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled LED Lighting System (Multiple color options and lighting effects)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

$1,599.00

Originally posted by db188 if your budget needs a monitor purchase factored in, figure on spending: in the $300-$500 range for a good 1080p, and $500-$800 range for a good 1440p, 27" with good connectivity and features.

i picked up a ASUS VS278Q-P Black 27" 1ms (GTG) Widescreen LCD/LED Monitor, 300 cd/m2 DCR 80,000,000:1, Dual Built-in Speakers, VESA Mountable, Extensive Connectivity, Dual HDMI/D-Sub/DisplayPort for 209 at Newegg.

Originally posted by familyman Thank you for the build info. Do you feel there is anything that could maybe be switched out to help with the price or would i then notice big changes that would not offset the savings in price? I had just been hoping to keep the total out the door price closer to 2k, (taxes,shipping,monitor, and really need a new keyboard and mouse).

Well here is the thing, as you see db188 gave you a cheaper build but here are somethings to concider:

1. my config of i7 6700k with oc stage one will endup at 4.2GHz, there are many people with higher oc if you know what you are doing, but they have a much better cooler. the i5 6600k with the boost might endup at 3.6GHz to 3.9Ghz (max boost is 3.9) but that will depend on certain factors for the 6600k. plus the 6700k has ht, but the price vs performance is up to you, I like to get the best cpu when I get a pc so that it stays feeling powerful for as long as possible since most people don't get a new pc after 2 years, I'm thinking in 4 years how is the pc going to be like also and not just today. In short my config the pc is faster in all tasks other then gaming.

2. the warranty here is 3 years labor 1 year parts, my config has the evga gpu, evga has the best customer service if something goes wrong, asus lets just say I hate them for their crappy customer service. So think about if something happened who you want to be dealing with. I want to be dealing with evga, if something should happen, you never know, I have had cards die on me in 3 months and I have cards that lasted me over 5 years or longer.

3. your second hard drive in my config is the western digital black edition known for its reliability, which is why I picked it, it has a long track record of it, I can't say the same about seagate.

I can go on about other parts like the ssd, with samsung we know what we are getting but with ds it can be different brands and different brands have different performances and reliability, again remember you are covered for one year with DS unless you raise the warranty.

so while db188's config is a good one, keep those details in mind when you are looking for something that is priced less, in the pc world 80% of the time or higher, you get what you paid for.

Edited by DST4ME - 11 Aug 2016 at 9:14pm

Originally posted by db188   i'd rather see a single large capacity ssd in a new build myself over the basic DS config.

Here is how I would do it:


If I just want to backup OS I would keep OS drive small but if I'M gonna have to back up both OS and storage drive then I would just get one big ssd for os and storage. Otherwise unless I have a reason to keep storage and OS separate I can't see a reason for why I should do that if have to I backup both.


Edited by DST4ME - 12 Aug 2016 at 1:08am

Sorry I keep saying saying "you" when I'm not referring specifically to you I just mean "you" as in anybody, I see how it comes across to you db tho my mistake on that one.

I will change it.

with the new 1tb quality ssds available now, soon we will all get a way from mechanical hdds, and why not

Edited by DST4ME - 12 Aug 2016 at 1:10am