Refurbished Laptops for Programmers and Gamers: Custom Gaming Computers & Gaming PCs

Refurbished Laptops for Programmers and Gamers: Custom Gaming Computers & Gaming PCs: PC gaming is still alive and kicking. Know that nothing beats the quality of gameplay you can get with a desktop built for gaming. But what...

Custom Gaming Computers & Gaming PCs

PC gaming is still alive and kicking. Know that nothing beats the quality of gameplay you can get with a desktop built for gaming. But what kind of PC can make major 3D games look and run better than they do on the Sony PS4 Pro or the Microsoft Xbox One S? If you have deep pockets, your answer could be a custom-built hot rod from an elite boutique PC manufacturer such as Alienware, Falcon Northwest, Main gear, or MSI. But a couple of well-informed choices will go a long way toward helping you get the right gaming desktop from a standard PC manufacturer, even if you're not made of money. Here's how to buy your best gaming desktop, regardless of your budget, and our top 10 picks in the category.

This is admittedly simplifying a complex argument, but high-powered graphics, memory, and processors improve the graphics detail (cloth, reflections, hair), physical interactions (smoke, thousands of particles colliding), and the general animation of scenes in your favorite games. Throwing more resources, like a more powerful graphics cards or a faster CPU, at the problem will help, to an extent.

Pick a Graphics Card

The most pivotal decision you'll make when purchasing a gaming desktop is which 3D graphics subsystem to use. Integrated graphics are fine for casual 2D games, but to really bring out the beast on 3D AAA titles, you'll want one or more discrete graphics cards. These cards, powered by technologies from longtime rivals AMD or Nvidia, make more advanced graphical details and improved performance possible. And although both companies' cards boast exclusive features to help smooth on-screen animation or deliver improved visual effects of various kinds (and some games are optimized for one type of card or another), for the most part, you should choose the card that best fits within your budget.

Processing the Processor

The heart of any system is its processor. While the GPU specializes in graphics quality and some physics calculations, the CPU takes care of everything else, including making sure the soundtrack syncs up with game play, managing the game's load screens, and determining if you hit your targets. At the moment, Intel's 10-core CPU (the Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition) tops the list in terms of raw processing power. AMD goes bang-for-the-buck with its FX processors, which use up to eight cores. Lesser, but still high-powered, CPUs, such as the AMD Athlon X4 and A10, and unlocked quad-core Intel Core i7 K-series processors, can also provide the computing muscle needed for a satisfying gaming experience. Budget gamers should look to lower-priced (but still speedy) quad-core processors, such as the AMD A8 or the Intel Core i5, which will knock hundreds of dollars off the bottom line.

When given the choice between paying for a higher-level GPU or a higher-level CPU, however, go with the graphics in most cases. In other words, a system with a higher-power Nvidia GeForce GTX GPU and a Core i5 processor is a much better choice for 3D-intense FPS gaming than one with a low-end card and a zippy Core i7 CPU. But you may want to choose the latter if you're into games that involve a lot of background math calculations, such as strategy titles like those in the Civilization series.

Remember the Memory

One thing that's often overlooked on gaming systems is RAM; it can be severely taxed by modern games. Try to outfit your PC with at least 8GB of RAM, and budget for 32GB if you're truly serious about freeing up this potential performance bottleneck. Faster memory also improves overall performance and lets you keep your CPU more stable if you decide to overclock it. For example, DDR4-3200 SDRAM (aka 3,200MHz) will be more stable than DDR4-2133 if you overclock your Core i7 processor. That said, installing expensive, higher-clocked memory won't necessarily help a CPU that's running at stock speeds, so make sure you budget wisely.

Do Storage a Solid

Solid-state drives (SSDs) have become more popular since the prices began dropping dramatically a few years ago. They speed up boot time, wake-from-sleep time, and the time it takes to launch a game and load a new level. Although you can get an SSD of any size (with the larger capacities still being relatively expensive), the pairing of a small one (such as 128GB) with a larger spinning hard drive (1TB or more) is a good, affordable setup for gamers who also download the occasional video from the Internet.

Make VR a Reality

With the release of the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift headsets, real VR gaming is possible in the home for the first time. If you want to be able to use them to their fullest, your PC will need to meet their system requirements.

The most important is the video card—you are pushing a 1,080-by-1,200 display to each eye, after all—so go with one of the most powerful cards from either the current or previous generation. For the Vive, this means an AMD RX 480 or an Nvidia GTX 970 or GTX 1060. For Oculus headsets, a new processing technique called asynchronous space warp promises full performance with lower-end video cards: specifically an RX 470 or a GTX 960.

You'll also want a newer AMD or Intel CPU with a minimum of four processing cores; both HTC and Oculus recommend a Core i5-4590 or its equivalent. And the 8GB of RAM we recommended should be enough to ensure the fluid gameplay you want.

The PCs outlined below should keep you covered for VR, but check out our roundup of the best Oculus Rift desktops for additional information and more specific recommendations, including bundles that include the headset.

Pair With Peripherals

Don't stop at internal components. Once you have your ideal gaming desktop, a couple of extras can really enhance your gaming experience. We recommend that you trick out your machine with a top-notch gaming monitor with a fast response rate and a solid gaming headset so you can trash talk your opponents. Comfortable Keyboards, mice, and specialized controllers round out your options at checkout.

Which Gaming Desktop Is Right For You?

Below are the best gaming desktops we've recently tested. Many are configured-to-order PCs from boutique manufacturers, but some come from bigger brands normally associated with consumer-grade desktops.

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Refurbished Laptops for Programmers and Gamers: Laptops for Programmers and Gamers

Refurbished Laptops for Programmers and Gamers: Laptops for Programmers and Gamers: Assuming we're talking U.S. or Canadian Dollars here, in which you can get a pretty decent computer and laptops for much less than 1500...

Laptops for Programmers and Gamers

Assuming we're talking U.S. or Canadian Dollars here, in which you can get a pretty decent computer and laptops for much less than 1500.00 USD.

You can do some shopping and bring a laptop.  Your requirements going to be pretty much the same as others, but didn't want to go too high in price.

Having researched the field, you can found that the Intel I5 computers are what the market demands.  I5's are probably the most popular Intel chip at the moment, being more economical, but high enough to provide some oomph.

You can look at several HP touch screen laptops as well.  However, Some people works with touch screens in job all the time, and outside of specific applications or particular hardware (tablets and phones), the touch screen is really just a gimmick.  Some customers hated the HP touch pads, too.  They feel like they're "floating", and tend not to accurately pick up touches.

You have many variety and choices in refurbished laptops with soo many brands like, Dell, Toshiba, HP, Sony, COMPAQ, Lenovo, Acers, Samsung and Asus's. And they've been performing well, with only occasional reloads, for several years now.  All brands are less expensive, and in good condition.

It will cost you under 500.00 USD or CAD on sale.  It's a little older, and came with Windows 7 rather than 8, but you’re going to like it.

For many gaming machines or programming machines, you're looking at an I7 processor with a higher end graphics card.  The low end pricing are affordable. The I5 with Intel graphics does just fine for most of programming and games and everything else. In summary, you can save your money.  Unless you're a hard core gamer or programmer.