I've always wanted a gaming PC ever since I got Minecraft in 2010. (Nerd, I know.) I'm 14 and love games to death, but the problem is that I come from a barely middle-class family. Don't get me wrong though, I love my family, but I've had to skip out on a few Christmas's. I've always played with low FPS and stuff in games and it's been pretty stressing, so I've been wondering if the Alienware Alpha (i3) was too much to ask for. It's ranging in the $400 range and the laptop I play on now is my brothers, which was like $300, and I also got it in like 2011. My birthday is on Janurary 29th, which is sort of right after Christmas, so I was thinking if I just got the computer (and things like the monitor, keyboard, and mouse), I didn't need to get another thing for my birthday. Thoughts?
Is this a lot for a Christmas and Birthday present combined?
A console maybe the best way for you if money is an issue. They are designed for games to last ten plus years as the hardware never needs changing on a console like a pc might, except maybe more storage space.
there are good deals and bundles going on now through the holidays, and you can get a console for around $300-$400 if that's your price range.
if your friends play on consoles, get the one they play on most if you want to play online with them. Or get the console you want to play the most exclusives now, either halo or gears of war on xbox one, or mlb the show, bloodbourne, and others on ps4.
but mainstream games like call of duty, battlefield, gta v, minecraft, assassin's creed, and others are released for both systems, so there's still plenty of games to play.
If your budget is $400, stick to consoles. You can get Minecraft for all major consoles. Today's consoles also play most of the same big-name games you'll find on the PC as well. Then just get a small HDTV and you're all set.
Alienware is generally overpriced because you're paying for their marketing campaign. I would also suggest you stay with a desktop - they're cheaper even though you'll have to buy a keyboard, mouse and monitor (or just use a HDTV like I do for your monitor and speakers.)