Need sound advice on a prebuilt

NineInchNailed

Well, unlike you lads, I'm a novice when it comes to PC hardware, so I've come to you looking for enlightenment.

So, my budget is around €600 to €800 I'd say. For a gaming PC.
And I know you're meant to always build your own PC as opposed to buying a prebuilt, but I don't trust myself to do so, lack of knowledge and patience.

So basically, any ideas on a reliable prebuilt gaming desktops that have good specs, etc. for that under that budget? Preferably with a monitor?


P.S: Checked out PCworld there a few weeks ago in Limerick, saw one 'gaming' desktop, think it was either Acer or Lenovo, came with a monitor of the same brand, had 8GB ram and was around €650/€750.?
Any ideas on it?

Thanks in advance anyway lads, I'll be checking back on this tomorrow anyway. Sound!

pcadvice

im no expert either but those that are would need alot more information on the parts of the pc from pc world to say if its any good or not.

building is still better than pre built, you might be able to find someone on boards willing to help you build it.

fill this out and someone will be along to help.

1. What is your budget?

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer?

3. Do you need a copy of Windows?

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer?

5. Do you need a monitor?

5a. If yes, what size do you need.

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future?

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking?

8. How can you pay?

9. When are you purchasing?

10. If you need help building it, where are you based?

Procrastastudy

Don't buy from:

PC World
Dell
IBM
HP
Compaq
Packard Bell
Alienware (Dell)
Any one you've ever heard of...

They will all be using proprietary components and don't even have the decency to ware a mask when robbing you.

You need to look at boutique builders - probably in the UK like Mesh and others - I'll have a look at some links.

It's still going to be cheaper though to offer someone here €100 to come and build it for you and get the parts from HWVS. The fact of the matter is most people like building PCs so much they might even do it for significantly less than that.

Eboggles

€100? We'd do it for free .

Procrastastudy

Here's a build I've put together for you for comparison. Don't order this;

• German Keybaord
• German Windows

I've included them so you get a full price. If you really want to buy from PC World take this is and work off it as a base spec - some notes below on the sales patter you will encounter.

Item|Price
LG GH22NS50/70/90 bare schwarz|€17.78
*8GB*-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.44
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€40.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€60.67
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€31.57
ASRock H77M, Sockel 1155,mATX|€71.38
Samsung SyncMaster S22A200B|€113.21
Logitech B110 optical USB Mouse OEM|€4.39
Evertech USB Multimedia Tastatur|€5.25
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (SB-Version)|€82.79
Powercolor *HD6870* 1024MB Dual-DVI/HD1M2I5|€138.92
Intel Core *i3-2100* Box, LGA1155|€109.61
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€731.99

First and foremost GPU also called a Graphics Card, Video Card or Gfx card. If you don't get anything else make sure you get a decent GPU.

HD6870 in the entry point for games to keep this simple do not buy an nVidia card - GTX 5XX or GTX 6XX where XX is some other number. nVidia are the best but only at the top end. AMD who's products are all 7XXX or 6XXX are better at the entry and mid-ranges. PC Worls will tell you different - its not that they're lying its just they don't really know what they're talking about.

The next card up is the HD7850 NOT the HD7750 or HD7770. These are popular cards with the likes of people who manufacture for PC world avoid them.

In sumary HD6870 or HD7850 or HD7870

Next most important thing is your CPU. Many manufacturers have gone over to AMD rather than Intel for cost reasons. The patter you will get is that for the price of an Intel dual core CPU you can get an AMD quad core. Think 2 cylinder engline v four cylinder engine. This bears no relationship to real life however. In short buy Intel.

The CPU you want at this price point is an i3-XXXX its a dual core CPU that pretends to be a quad core but is a great budget gaming CPU. If you can get an i5-XXXX wow great but make sure the GPU is the first thing you check. An i5 with a crap GPU will be awful for games.

Next thing thing is RAM - 8GB is what you want - don't worry about speed ect.

Lastly and this is fairly minor - you want a 7200RPM Hard Drive - loading times on modern games make me want to go back to a tape drive. There are other solutions but you aren't going to get them on a €700 pre built. If there is a machine that checks all the boxes and not this one I'd still buy it. But this should help you chose between two equal machines.

Okay...

So checked Dell, Mesh and Chillblast none of them are going to build an Intel machine based on an i3 and put a decent graphics card in it. Its not because the machine wont handle it as they'll build you an AMD based one. I reckon the best you can do is get someone to build it for you as I simply can't find you a decent prebuild on that budget. A custom machine - you'd be laughing.

Procrastastudy

Eboggles wrote: »

€100? We'd do it for free .

He's in Limerick - it was more the travel insurance costs :P

Procrastastudy

Chillblast Vantage Gaming Case
Intel Core i3 2120 Processor
Asus P8H61-M LE Motherboard
8GB PC3-10666 DDR3 Memory
Chillblast Radeon 6870 1GB Graphics Card
500GB SATA III 7200rpm Hard Disk
Sony 24x DVD-RW
Chillblast 700watt CIT PSU
Onboard High Definition Audio
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM

£495 inc VAT

Shipping for this system to Ireland would be £29.

That works out at about €671 delivered - I can't find a better spec locally tbh. You'll need a monitor but they can be picked up cheaply enough.

sales@chillblast.com if you want to chat to them - they get good reviews over in Blighty.

PC World thread for you here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056708702

gave me an opportunity to moan at them so enjoy

Eboggles

Can't you just get HWVS to build it for you?

They actually do a very good job, virtually everyone who gets it built for them is delighted with the result. Although, whenever something does go wrong there is a lot of fuss about it, and thus not giving them a good reputation.

Just a thought.

NineInchNailed

Jesus, thanks for all the replies lads.
Sorry about my late one, been dying all day.

Anyway, I'll try this first.

1. What is your budget? €700 -€800

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Gaming, etc.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? I'd say so yeah, Windows 7 preferably.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Nope, doubt it.

5. Do you need a monitor? Not a huge need , but it would be fairly handy.

5a. If yes, what size do you need. Not too picky, anything over 17"

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future?

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.] No.

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Yes.

8. How can you pay? Cash.

9. When are you purchasing? Preferably by the end of the Summer!

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? South Tipp

NineInchNailed

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

Here's a build I've put together for you for comparison. Don't order this;

• German Keybaord
• German Windows

I've included them so you get a full price. If you really want to buy from PC World take this is and work off it as a base spec - some notes below on the sales patter you will encounter.

Item|Price
LG GH22NS50/70/90 bare schwarz|€17.78
*8GB*-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.44
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€40.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€60.67
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€31.57
ASRock H77M, Sockel 1155,mATX|€71.38
Samsung SyncMaster S22A200B|€113.21
Logitech B110 optical USB Mouse OEM|€4.39
Evertech USB Multimedia Tastatur|€5.25
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (SB-Version)|€82.79
Powercolor *HD6870* 1024MB Dual-DVI/HD1M2I5|€138.92
Intel Core *i3-2100* Box, LGA1155|€109.61
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€731.99

First and foremost GPU also called a Graphics Card, Video Card or Gfx card. If you don't get anything else make sure you get a decent GPU.

HD6870 in the entry point for games to keep this simple do not buy an nVidia card - GTX 5XX or GTX 6XX where XX is some other number. nVidia are the best but only at the top end. AMD who's products are all 7XXX or 6XXX are better at the entry and mid-ranges. PC Worls will tell you different - its not that they're lying its just they don't really know what they're talking about.

The next card up is the HD7850 NOT the HD7750 or HD7770. These are popular cards with the likes of people who manufacture for PC world avoid them.

In sumary HD6870 or HD7850 or HD7870

Next most important thing is your CPU. Many manufacturers have gone over to AMD rather than Intel for cost reasons. The patter you will get is that for the price of an Intel dual core CPU you can get an AMD quad core. Think 2 cylinder engline v four cylinder engine. This bears no relationship to real life however. In short buy Intel.

The CPU you want at this price point is an i3-XXXX its a dual core CPU that pretends to be a quad core but is a great budget gaming CPU. If you can get an i5-XXXX wow great but make sure the GPU is the first thing you check. An i5 with a crap GPU will be awful for games.

Next thing thing is RAM - 8GB is what you want - don't worry about speed ect.

Lastly and this is fairly minor - you want a 7200RPM Hard Drive - loading times on modern games make me want to go back to a tape drive. There are other solutions but you aren't going to get them on a €700 pre built. If there is a machine that checks all the boxes and not this one I'd still buy it. But this should help you chose between two equal machines.

Okay...

So checked Dell, Mesh and Chillblast none of them are going to build an Intel machine based on an i3 and put a decent graphics card in it. Its not because the machine wont handle it as they'll build you an AMD based one. I reckon the best you can do is get someone to build it for you as I simply can't find you a decent prebuild on that budget. A custom machine - you'd be laughing.

So basically you're saying I'm not going to get a decent prebuild at all on my budget? Damn.
Thanks for the summary too.

I get what ye're saying, but the main reason I'm not building it myself, getting someone to build it for me, is because I honestly don't know enough about the hardware to trust myself in making the right decision. like getting a certain component. E.g: A graphics card: Is it worth the money; could I have gotten better value if I went with another one; is it a rip-off for the price; is it reliable, etc

You know?

challengemaster

If you're worried about getting the best bang for buck then choosing a pre-build is the worst idea in the world. These companies have to make a profit so they in turn have to put in cheaper components, or up the price. The one thing you'll never do is get a pre-built PC that will be better bang for buck than one you build yourself.

There's plenty of experienced people on here that can tell you exactly what to buy. As for assembly, it's really not that difficult to do yourself.

NineInchNailed

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

Chillblast Vantage Gaming Case
Intel Core i3 2120 Processor
Asus P8H61-M LE Motherboard
8GB PC3-10666 DDR3 Memory
Chillblast Radeon 6870 1GB Graphics Card
500GB SATA III 7200rpm Hard Disk
Sony 24x DVD-RW
Chillblast 700watt CIT PSU
Onboard High Definition Audio
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM

£495 inc VAT

Shipping for this system to Ireland would be £29.

That works out at about €671 delivered - I can't find a better spec locally tbh. You'll need a monitor but they can be picked up cheaply enough.

sales@chillblast.com if you want to chat to them - they get good reviews over in Blighty.

PC World thread for you here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056708702

gave me an opportunity to moan at them so enjoy

Thanks man, I was wondering about the images on the website too, cleared a lot up for me now. Hopefully he'll get back to me anyway, cause if I were to get in in PC-World in Limerick and it's alright by you lads standards then It'll be a lot less hassle

NineInchNailed

challengemaster wrote: »

If you're worried about getting the best bang for buck then choosing a pre-build is the worst idea in the world. These companies have to make a profit so they in turn have to put in cheaper components, or up the price. The one thing you'll never do is get a pre-built PC that will be better bang for buck than one you build yourself.

There's plenty of experienced people on here that can tell you exactly what to buy. As for assembly, it's really not that difficult to do yourself.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking myself, I hear it being said the whole time about prebuilts not being the best option, and companies will always try and build their products with the cheapest materials for a nice profit.

But I just haven't the know-how of all the different hardware so I thought it'd be a lot less hassle and safer buying a prebuilt.

Yeah, it'd be mighty handy if I could get a general idea/ opinions on what products won't screw me over and won't do me out of pocket either.

I have no problem with assembly though, I'm grand there.

Procrastastudy

If you've no problem with assembly the build it yourself - lads here will talk to you until the cows come home about which bit does what and whats best value.

The argument that lead me here a couple of months back is pre-build vs self assembly. There are some companies out there that aren't too bad. Chillbalst is an example. PC World are normally sh1te but to be fair there is even the odd system they have one in a blue moon.

You should get a passable prebuild on your budget, especially if you fore go the monitor until you can save up again, its just very easy to get ripped off and no one here likes that happening to people.

challengemaster

Are you a student by any chance? If so you can grab a copy of windows 7 cheaper at S4S

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

You should get a passable prebuild on your budget, especially if you fore go the monitor until you can save up again, its just very easy to get ripped off and no one here likes that happening to people.

Very true

NineInchNailed

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

If you've no problem with assembly the build it yourself - lads here will talk to you until the cows come home about which bit does what and whats best value.

The argument that lead me here a couple of months back is pre-build vs self assembly. There are some companies out there that aren't too bad. Chillbalst is an example. PC World are normally sh1te but to be fair there is even the odd system they have one in a blue moon.

You should get a passable prebuild on your budget, especially if you fore go the monitor until you can save up again

I have a 32" LCD tv that would pass as a temporary monitor if I hook the PC up via a VGA cord. So I could save up for a proper monitor yeah.

I understand what you're saying about getting ripped off, that was the main reason I asked here/didn't buy my own components to build it myself.
I just don't know enough about the right graphics cards, CPU's, etc. to make an educated decision by myself on it.

And in reply to the other person who posted, yes, I am a student.
Forgot about that, thanks man.
I could probably get Windows on a discount, yeah?

Procrastastudy

You can get really good discounts on all Microsoft Software.

Personally though I'd download Windows 7 and use it without a code (Trial) for as long as you can (Some say 180 days) so you can try Windows 8 and by that if you prefer it.

challengemaster

Just to confirm you don't need a keyboard, mouse, or wifi card? If not this should be a decent build

Item|Price
Intel Core i5-3570K Box, LGA1155|€215.78
ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€90.77
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€31.57
LG GH22NS50/70/90 bare schwarz|€17.78
Thermalright True Spirit 120|€23.67
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€77.25
Club 3D Radeon HD 7850 royalKing, 2GB GDDR5|€220.02
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€52.06
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.44
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€784.33

(I'm sure someone will tell me if I forgot something)

Add in the €54.95 for windows from Here

And you've got a total build price of €839.28, with good oc potential. You can always drop back the graphics card to a 6870 to save some money if you want.

And if you want to get a screen later, something like this is quite reasonable.

Procrastastudy

Nice Build - on components the i5-3570K or 2500K (the older version of the same thing) and that Asrock Z77 mainboard is about as standard a set of components as you'll find here.

Video Cards - jesus you'd never buy if you listened to everything people have to say but the 7850 is a nice card.

NineInchNailed

challengemaster wrote: »

Just to confirm you don't need a keyboard, mouse, or wifi card? If not this should be a decent build

Item|Price
Intel Core i5-3570K Box, LGA1155|€215.78
ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€90.77
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€31.57
LG GH22NS50/70/90 bare schwarz|€17.78
Thermalright True Spirit 120|€23.67
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€77.25
Club 3D Radeon HD 7850 royalKing, 2GB GDDR5|€220.02
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€52.06
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.44
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€784.33

(I'm sure someone will tell me if I forgot something)

Add in the €54.95 for windows from Here

And you've got a total build price of €839.28, with good oc potential. You can always drop back the graphics card to a 6870 to save some money if you want.

And if you want to get a screen later, something like this is quite reasonable.

Thank you.
Right, I don't need a keyboard/mouse. Have a cheap wireless Aldi set for the last 2 years :rolleyes:

The wifi-card though, It probably isn't a NEED, seeing as I have a 15m ethernet cable, but if later on I wanted to make the PC wireless I could always just buy a wifi card and install it myself, couldn't I?


Edit: Dear god, that Radeon graphics package looks sexual. :O

Procrastastudy

Yep but;

a) not a proper gamer if you're on Wifi
b) I prefer the USB ones - just stick it in so to speak.

challengemaster

Yup, you can always install one very easily down the line. They just slot into a PCI card slot usually. Other alternative is get a USB wifi adapter if you can't be bothered putting in a PCI card.

NineInchNailed

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

Yep but;

a) not a proper gamer if you're on Wifi
b) I prefer the USB ones - just stick it in so to speak.

challengemaster wrote: »

Yup, you can always install one very easily down the line. They just slot into a PCI card slot usually. Other alternative is get a USB wifi adapter if you can't be bothered putting in a PCI card.

Wired it is then. I say I'd do without the wifi card then.
Seeing as I drilled a hole in my wall just to get the ethernet cable through in the first place.
That's handy enough then.

Didn't think these forums would be as active as they are, pleasantly surprised

I might make another thread in a while, about these computers I managed to salvage, (all work perfectly) that I can't identify for sh1t.
I'm sure some of you would be able to identify the computers pretty easily anyway

Skylinehead

I think this 7850 is easily worth the 4 quid premium, just because the Twin Frozr cooler is so good. Out of stock right now but if you're not ordering in the next few days keep an eye on it.