Hello all, I'm new to posting on the forum but have watched/read enough to see this is a very insightful community and for that reason I would be stupid not to get some advice from it. Let me first add that I know for the most of you this section of the forums gets rather repetitive, tedious, and tiresome dealing with people who lack sufficient knowledge on the subject to offer anything more than sentences ending in a question mark. Sadly, I more likely than not will be another PC noob going through the ropes needing patience and understanding. The last part was a joke, but I do ask you offer some explanations to things that go over my head. For starters my intentions are for general web browsing, possibly blue ray, and definitely gaming.
For 10+ years I have played on PlayStation's and Xbox's. A large proportion of my gaming has become sim racing which isn't really offered on the consoled in full to begin with. If I were to race on the new consoles a replacement for my current wheel and pedal set would be necessary. Considering that would cost 500 for little to no gain in performance I think I'll pass. Besides I love all kind of games that only get better with upgrading to PC. So here I am switching to the master race so I can spend money on products that make a difference lol. Thanks for reading this far and now for the info check list!
Budget- 1750-2000 USD range (will go over if the bang for your buck is worth it)
Retailer Preference- None really, but I'm curious as to why I hear a lot about intel being the better building platform?
What I will be using- Astro A40 headset, wheel, pedals, buttkicker, and my Panasonic 55vt30 as a monitor until I move on to triples.
Needed Peripherals- Keyboard, mouse, mouse pad, and depending upon further advice a sound card. I should also note that I will be playing in my living room so any tips on a movable keyboard tray would help. Please inform me of things I should also look into!
PC Usage- Gaming, blue ray, and basic stuff lol.
Overclocking- Would like to in the future but wouldn't trust myself to it right away.
Custom Watercooling- Possible if it's worth it
OS- I need one
Graphics and game types- I love graphics so by all means the best I can get! For games BF4, Skyrim, Fallout, Arma, Assetto Corsa, F1 2013, and a bunch of other titles. Mainly AAA titles as you call them.
Rendering- Nope. just the occasional photo edit here and there.
Kinds of Peripherals- I don't have much experience with key board and mouse gaming so keep that in mind. I don't play huge strategy games that need multiple buttons on a mouse either.