Looking to get a gaming pc built

greenheart

Hi Guys,
Looking for some advice, want to get a pc built up for my 11yr old son for christmas from scratch, don't know if i have left it too late, hopefully not.
He is in to minecraft, mw, battlefield etc, So i need something that can handle these games.
I've been looking online at ready made pc's but i haven't a clue when it comes to spec's. I need somewhere that builds them, made to measure.

Want to keep costs as low as I can but at the same time get one that will last a few years and if needs be can be upgraded down the line.

Anyone know of a trusted place or person with good reviews and good price!

Thanks

Monotype

How low do you have in mind with costs?

Also, do you need monitor etc?
Windows 7 can be purchased for €45, given (assuming) that he goes to school @ www.software4students.ie

greenheart

I have approx 600, thats for everything- monitor, keyboard, speakers, os, etc.
Do you think that's realistic for what i need, if not how much do you reckon it would cost for what im looking for?

Monotype

Given that you need everything and it's for gaming in mind, I think you'll need a bit more, maybe an extra €100. That also doesn't include the hard disk drive (HDD) shortage at the moment. Due to floods, they're now more than three times the price of two months ago. Are there any other drives that you can reuse?

Item|Price
Total build cost: €630.19 + €30 shipping + €45.45 windows (Total = €705.64)
Sapphire HD6870 1G GDDR5 PCI-E DL-DVI-I+SL-DVI-D / HDMI / DP|€143.49
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€41.00
BitFenix Merc Beta|€33.24
ASRock 870 Extreme3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€64.25
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€31.51
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€94.49
Revoltec Wired Gaming Mouse W102|€8.15
BenQ G2225HD|€100.98
AMD Athlon II X3 425 "Boxed" 95W, Sockel AM3|€56.81
Edifier 2.1 System M1350|€19.22
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€17.05
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00


I put an solid state drive (SSD) in there. These are fast drives and you can put windows on but they're small at only 64GB. You could only fit a few games on at a time so you'd either have to reuse an old HDD or use space very sparingly until they come back down in price.

A few items could be scaled back a bit, maybe the next graphics card down, but you won't save much. You'd also need a keyboard since you'd get the German layout from there.

greenheart

Hey monotype,
Thanks for the info.
About the hard drive, I have an old pc here thats about 10 years old, would that do? I don't know what size the hard drive is, I'll check it out. If it would slow it down in anyway I'd rather just buy a new one.

Assuming I wanted to go ahead with this, and got someone to build it, what way does it work do i order all the parts or what?
And how long approx would it take, because i want it for christmas would i need to order the stuff asap.
Also do you build them and how much would it cost for labour?

Monotype

The last item on the list is the €20 to get them to built it for you.

10 years might be a bit too old. Keep an eye on the bargain alerts forum or the bargain alerts thread here, there's a few hard drives showing up. External drives can be taken out of their shell and used inside a computer.

That site mainly takes bank transfers (which is the standard in Germany, although they accept paypal too for 3% more). Total time for transfer and delivery seems to be about 2 weeks, when items are in stock. You'd want to give it 3 weeks for Christmas slowdowns. I'd say you'd be safe as long as it's ordered before the end of the month.

greenheart

Oh I see, I didn't think they built it for you, told you I was clueless
I'll let you know how I get on.
Thanks alot for you help:D

Monotype

greenheart wrote: »

When they make it up for you, when it arrives all that needs to be done is put the operating system on and that's it, it's ready to go? Or is there anything else that needs doing? ex. are the power leads the same as ours?

I hope it turns out well for you (and don't come tracking me down if anything goes awry)!
I suggest that you test it out beforehand if you want it to go without problems. It's not quite as straightforward as taking your Dell out of the box and turning it on (but you'd end up paying more for your Dell, which is much less upgradable).
There's been mixed reports about the leads they give - I think if it's a built system, they seem to be more likely to put in our 3 pin one. If you do get a two pin plug, you can get three pin ones easily enough - they're the same kind as you can find on computers and monitors since... a very long time anyway... and the kind you find on most electric kettles. You should be able to find them around but don't pay €15 or something in your maplin/tesco.

The windows is technically an upgrade edition, but you can do a clean install. There's a few install guides and it's not too difficult. By the way, be sure to buy the 64-bit version.

I think I recommended 8GB, really you'd be fine with 4GB and you can add more later, so you could cut off €15 if needs be.
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=38042

greenheart wrote: »

Yeah I know, don't know why I taught a ten year old drive would be ok
I saw a guy on adverts selling 500gb drives for 20e, if I got one of them would I put it in with the 64gb ssd or is it one or the other?

You could have both.
So say, have windows and essential programs on the SSD. Then games on the HDD. Windows and your most important programs load up very fast then.
On the other hand, SSDs are expensive, so you might decide to leave it out altogether.
If you do get the SSD, install windows before you put in the HDD (or with the HDD disconnected) so windows doesn't put stuff on drives that you don't want it to.
When you're finished the windows install, you'll have to spend a bit of time installing drivers. Windows update will handle most of this, but you should grab the chipset drivers from the motherboard website or any other necessities (or leave your son do this part).

By the way, you might like a different mouse than that and don't forget that you'll still need a keyboard.

greenheart

hey mono
Hope you didn't mind talking about you on other thread, luckily it was all good Don't worry i won't go chasing you if all goes wrong, I'll be the one getting chased! :eek:

Was going through the pc configurator, couldn't find the ssd, do you know which sub-menu its in, I tried them all and couldn't find it. Also think I'll pick a different case, I think he'd prefer something a little flashier "maybe with a few lights " instead of plain black, is there any you recommend or can I pick which ever once it's midi w/o psu?
Sorry one last question, would it be worth my while paying the extra for intel i5 or is the one I have just as good.

Thanks again for your help.

Monotype

Nah, it's all good. You can rant about me too if you want. I just replied here to keep the answers in one place.

greenheart

Hi mono,
Only getting to order this today, keeping everything the same except the case and monitor.

I'm going to change the case to this
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=18603&agid=631
I know the bitfenix is more than likely my best bet with my budget but i know he'll love this case. I had a look at a few reviews and it seems ok, what do you think, is it suitable?

I need a monitor with HDMI and this one seems to be the best value, its from dabs so its free delivery and 3pin plug (less hassle).
http://www.dabs.ie/products/philips-e-line-227e3lhsu-lcd-display-tft-wled--21-5---widescreen--1920-x-1080--glossy--black-blue-7NPX.html?refs=428530000-428550000&src=3

It needs to be wireless, had a look on the site but not sure what type to choose, could you point me in the right direction. I'm going to get 4gb ram I think it'll be enough, what's the difference between having 4gb with one stick or 4gb on 2 sticks. Is there any?
Sorry about all the questions , I think that's it!
Thanks

Monotype

Well it's very gaudy but the most important thing is that you get a case that you like. General features seem to okay so any upgrades shouldn't be too much hassle.

Wireless...
Here's a cheap PCI-E x1 card.
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=30773
You can read the reviews on amazon about it (although there's a D at the end in the model number so it could be a slight difference - there's no non-D model listed on their website ).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WN781ND-150Mbps-Wireless-Express/dp/B0036AFAEW

Ideally, you'd want a proper wired ethernet connection or even homeplugs. Although it would be more troublesome/expensive, you should consider it down the line.

Edit: Oh yeah, the RAM. You should go for 2x2GB rather than 1x4GB. RAM should be bought in pairs. There's 4GB Blue vengence ram for €18.35.
http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=48913
I would normally avoid this RAM due to its ridiculously sized heatspreaders, which can get in the way of large CPU heatsinks, but the next RAM that's worth getting is €5 more so you'll just have to be selective if buying a new heatsink or get some new RAM to go with it. Besides, the colour goes well with the motherboard/case blue theme! :cool:

greenheart

Thanks for the info, going to order now, that ram is just 1x4gb, don't think it comes in 2x2gb, or if it does i can't see it. will i get that even tho its not a pair?

Monotype

Oh sorry, you're right, the black one is a pair.
http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=40699

greenheart

hey,
Got my order through and sent the bank transfer but I didn't use my bank account, so was wondering will this matter, the invoice address and shipping address will be different.
Also i only noticed when i got the confirmation email that the ram i ordered only had one left in stock, then about a half hour later it was out of stock, will i still recieve it, do they put them aside for you when you place an order or is it only when they recieve the payment.

Monotype

I think they usually allocate stock when you order, according to past reports.
About the invoice vs shipping address, I wouldn't be sure but I'd imagine that if they have a form for a shipping address, then that's where they will deliver. You could ask in the retailer discussion thread to see if anyone has done that before.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055293937

greenheart

Great, Thanks

greenheart

Just letting you know the pc arrived, it is huge you could live in the box it came in
Just waiting on the monitor now and then will be stress free!
Have to say it was a bit more stressful than buying from the shop but that was only because i left it so late, it's my sons christmas present and I was worried if it was going to make it in time.
I'm glad I went down this route tho, much better value for your money.
Thanks for your help mono, I'll have one happy boy on christmas day!

Monotype

Great, I hope you didn't forget windows and you should definitely install it to be sure that everything is working right.

greenheart

No didn't forget, have it in all, when I get the monitor a kind person from boards is going to help set it up, I wouldn't trust myself doing it. I'd say I would be ok but after reading mk94's threads I think im better off getting someone who knows what their doing. Don't want the same thing happening to me
They gave me different ram then I ordered, I think it was because the one I ordered went out of stock or else it was just a mistake. Im glad they did tho because I probley would of been waiting longer.
I have to say the case is actually alright, I taught it would of been ugly but its not that bad, he saw the predator case online and loved that so thats why I picked this one for him.
I also scaled down to a cheaper graphics card, he will mainly be playing minecraft and sims so it should be ok and he's only 11, this will do him for a few years and then he can upgrade if he wants.

the_syco

greenheart wrote: »

I also scaled down to a cheaper graphics card

Which card did you buy?

greenheart

the_syco wrote: »

Which card did you buy?

Hey sorry for the late reply.
I got the sapphire radeon 6770, I had a look at a few reviews and it seems to be ok.
These last couple of months thats all ive been doing is looking at review for this part and that part, I feel like an expert on gaming computers now!
(HARDLY)
This forum is a godsend tho, I wouldn't of had a clue where to start if it wasn't for this forum.

TheTacticsGuy

Monotype wrote: »

Given that you need everything and it's for gaming in mind, I think you'll need a bit more, maybe an extra €100. That also doesn't include the hard disk drive (HDD) shortage at the moment. Due to floods, they're now more than three times the price of two months ago. Are there any other drives that you can reuse?

Item|Price
Total build cost: €630.19 + €30 shipping + €45.45 windows (Total = €705.64)
Sapphire HD6870 1G GDDR5 PCI-E DL-DVI-I+SL-DVI-D / HDMI / DP|€143.49
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€41.00
BitFenix Merc Beta|€33.24
ASRock 870 Extreme3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€64.25
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€31.51
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€94.49
Revoltec Wired Gaming Mouse W102|€8.15
BenQ G2225HD|€100.98
AMD Athlon II X3 425 "Boxed" 95W, Sockel AM3|€56.81
Edifier 2.1 System M1350|€19.22
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€17.05
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00


I put an solid state drive (SSD) in there. These are fast drives and you can put windows on but they're small at only 64GB. You could only fit a few games on at a time so you'd either have to reuse an old HDD or use space very sparingly until they come back down in price.

A few items could be scaled back a bit, maybe the next graphics card down, but you won't save much. You'd also need a keyboard since you'd get the German layout from there.

Will this run the likes of Battlefield 3, Crysis 2 & The Witcher 2?

Monotype

Best to post in a new thread and give your full budget whether you need windows etc. Hard drives have dropped slightly, so you might not have to go hunting around for one.

vvv Fill in the form linked in my signature in a new thread. vvvv

TheTacticsGuy

Basically, will it run the latest games at high resolutions?

Monotype

Yes, they'll run pretty well but if you want to get the maximum detail, you would need to invest a bit more in CPU and graphics card power. Realistically, you could do with a hard drive unless you're very thrifty with space on the SSD. It's looking like it may take a while for HDDs to come back down in price, so it's hard to say what the best choice is. At least there's a good few hard drives returning below €100. To put into perspective - the samsung F3 1TB HDD was about €46 and went up to €159, it's now €119.

nesf

Monotype wrote: »

Yes, they'll run pretty well but if you want to get the maximum detail, you would need to invest a bit more in CPU and graphics card power

More than a bit if he's talking about actual high resolutions instead of 1080p.

Monotype

Yes, I was assuming high resolutions = high definition resolution.

nesf

Monotype wrote: »

Yes, I was assuming high resolutions = high definition resolution.

Once you go bigger you'll never go back, though it's criminally expensive in terms of gear to play games at high detail.

Tij da feen

Dean Wilson wrote: »

Hey all, I'm experiencing some problems with my old gaming rig and was thinking of getting a new system. I'd greatly appreciate your recommendations.

I'm looking for something within the €1,000 range and am thinking of ordering from Hardware Versand.

My ideal spec would be an i7, 16GB RAM, two 1GB+ graphics cards running SLI/CrossFire, an SSD (I have a 1TB HDD from my old system I can use), 700+ W PSU, and a good case with lots of fans/cooling system to keep everything nice and cool. Sound isn't a big issue for me, but if it can be quiet within budget even better.

I don't need keyboard, mouse, or monitor. Feel free to recommend other things I should consider getting, etc.

I'd prefer it assembled for me, so add in €20 for assembly and €30 for delivery on top of the €1,000 kit budget.

The main game I'm playing at the moment is Star Wars: The Old Republic, if that helps. I know this is probably overkill for that, but I'd like it to last me a few years of high-end gaming.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

-D

If you are just gaming on it the i7-2600k and 16GB of ram are kind of pointless. The i5-2500k preforms the exact same at gaming with maybe a drop in 1-2 fps. Sometimes the 2500k actually preforms better. Start your own thread and be sure to answer these questions.

greenheart

Monotype wrote: »

Great, I hope you didn't forget windows and you should definitely install it to be sure that everything is working right.

Hey mono,
Just letting you know I set up the pc and everythings working great.
No problems at all. It was really easy to do, windows done most of it.
I done the windows index and got a result of 6.9, is that good.
Will post pic's of it after christmas.
Thanks again.