Help! Finding a Pre-Built "Small" PC for Gaming?

Hi ATS, I am having a dilemma as to which pre-built tiny gaming computer I should purchase for my travels.
I've examined the specs as best I can, and read/watched as many reviews as possible. However, I remain skeptical.
Maybe some of you savvy folks can hook a brother up with some insight?


Disclaimer: While I'd opt for having a PC built with the cash ($2,000+), I am constantly traveling between two homes and will be in need of a small PC.

So far I'm torn between two options, but maybe some of you guys & girls can help me find something better.

FIRST: Asus G20CB Asus G20CB (GTX1080)
The G20CB made by Asus has a pretty ugly case in my opinion, but apparently it's intended to reduce noise and allow for better cooling.

SECOND: Zotac Magnus 1080
The Zotac Magnus 1080 apparently has liquid cooling, which seems nice.

Main concern is temperature and size. Price is not an issue for me, but having one built will be a difficult task as I live in rural areas.

Any and all suggestions are welcome, thanks again guys.

a reply to: ThinkingCap

Just bought a Zotac 1060 Graphics card! AWESOME! I can run damn near anything without ANY frame rate drops!

a reply to: ThinkingCap

Have you thought about a high-performance laptop? Alienware makes a good system, which might fill your needs.

TheBorg

a reply to: TheBorg

Thanks for the response Borg! I purchased a really nice gaming laptop a year and a half ago, alas the temperatures were a bit outrageous. I ended up realizing the hard way: regardless of specs, with a laptop's thin size it is very rare that the specs will live up to the full potential before the temperatures start culling everything down.

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: ThinkingCap

Just bought a Zotac 1060 Graphics card! AWESOME! I can run damn near anything without ANY frame rate drops!

I was hoping someone grabbed one of them! Regarding the Zotac, I learned that it doesn't come with any RAM or Windows installed. Did you need to purchase RAM and Windows 10 afterwards? Was it difficult to set up?

originally posted by: ThinkingCap

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: ThinkingCap

Just bought a Zotac 1060 Graphics card! AWESOME! I can run damn near anything without ANY frame rate drops!

I was hoping someone grabbed one of them! Regarding the Zotac, I learned that it doesn't come with any RAM or Windows installed. Did you need to purchase RAM and Windows 10 afterwards? Was it difficult to set up?

I am running a desktop. I had already upgraded the motherboard and have 16G of ram and I can go 32 if need be. However my graphics card sucked. I did some research and for the money the Zotac 1060 fit the bill. Now I am waiting for the price of SSD hard drives to go down!

a reply to: seeker1963

Did it come with Windows 10 installed though?
I heard they arrive basically bare-bones.

originally posted by: ThinkingCap
a reply to: seeker1963

Did it come with Windows 10 installed though?
I heard they arrive basically bare-bones.

If you are buying the PC or laptop the operating system should be included. My pc came with windows 7. Since then I have just upgraded my hardware and kept updating windows as it came out for nothing.

That is bare bones if they are not even including the operating system in the price of the system.

Maybe I don't quite understand....

a reply to: seeker1963

Ah! I was the one confused, on some of the reviews; people opted for the Barebones version of the Zotac machines.

Everything makes sense now.

How are the temperatures when running games for long periods of time?

a reply to: ThinkingCap

No monitor or peripherals? Just the box?

Are you against building it yourself? Youtube vids and a little research can have you building your own quickly!

a reply to: JinMI

Thanks for the response Jin!
I luckily have peripherals in both homes, so only the box is required.

Personally, if I had the time, I would love to build my own, alas I just don't.
I'd like to be gaming within a week or two if possible, and being that I live in pretty rural areas I don't have the option of meeting talented individuals who I could trust enough to build one for me.

a reply to: ThinkingCap

I'll sniff around but I implore you to at least watch one video of someone putting one together. It is not as hard as it seems.

I can and will assemble a parts list and am sure many others here would as well. With some community help we can assure you get the right parts to your door and you can assemble and install within two weeks.

Here is a taste.
pcpartpicker.com...


Also, here is one from a reputable builder. Less in the stats but it is warrantied. Ship date is 3/6

www.originpc.com...

a reply to: JinMI

Wow, thank you so much.
Fractal Design Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case = Amazing looking. I really do prefer the simplicity of a black box over Republic of Gamer's gaudy "12 year old console killer" style.

Your Origin link sent me to the shopping cart unfortunately though.

a reply to: ThinkingCap

You're welcome. Pcpartpicker is an amazing resource for building pc's. Price guides, forums, trends, how-to's. There is even a section in the forums dedicated to asking for build advice.

Yea, I breezed through a similar build. Did it show it? You can customize a PC through them if you wish. Click on their banner to start one if it did not show the completed build.

a reply to: ThinkingCap

www.originpc.com...

Try building your own on this micro atx case set up by Origin.

www.originpc.com...

www.maingear.com...

us.msi.com...

Here are a couple more.

originally posted by: JinMI
a reply to: ThinkingCap

I'll sniff around but I implore you to at least watch one video of someone putting one together. It is not as hard as it seems.

I can and will assemble a parts list and am sure many others here would as well. With some community help we can assure you get the right parts to your door and you can assemble and install within two weeks.

Here is a taste.
pcpartpicker.com...

Also, here is one from a reputable builder. Less in the stats but it is warrantied. Ship date is 3/6

www.originpc.com...

It's not as hard as it seems when everything is going as intended. I hate when people say it's easy. It is, if you know how to troubleshoot through the problems. You shouldn't have any but new comers don't know where to start when a PC is new and wont boot.

a reply to: Antipathy17

I didn't claim it to be easy, just not as difficult as usually perceived. There are many-MANY tutorials on building and common troubleshooting. The resources exist to save money and time, why not use them?

a reply to: ThinkingCap

Have you looked into the Steam Machine? If nothing else, you get a simple, small box that can be transported to different locations with enough hardware to run just about anything new. It would probably be better than anything you could build for the same cost.

Just thinking aloud here.

TheBorg