PC Build or Laptop Purchase Recommendations (Budget: £700+)
4 replies, posted
Hello,
Currently at Uni, a PC build would be cheaper and stronger than a laptop however the problem is transporting the unit out of term and it becomes difficult due to the distance between my Uni and my home (when out of term) also lack of space when I'm at home.
I'm looking for a gaming/work laptop (probably higher spec if budget allows).
Could anyone post some recommendations for this budget?
£700-£1000
Thanks,
e
You should consider a mini ITX build. You sacrifice a touch over a full size, but nowhere near as much as with a laptop. Plus it's upgradable. You can make a high performing one that's smaller than your average printer you'd take to uni.
Get a small tower like Levelog said. I've heard the Bitfenix Prodigy M is the best small form factor case. As for hardware, get an i5 4670 and an GTX 760. I know that the prdigy won't have room for most heatsinks.
If you need a monitor:
[url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2OjZx]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2OjZx/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2OjZx/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]
[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670]Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] (£154.79 @ Aria PC)
[b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/scythe-cpu-cooler-scbsk2100]Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] (£44.49 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah87nwifi]Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url] (£88.60 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-memory-996770]Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory[/url] (£59.99 @ Aria PC)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw]Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk[/url] (£65.99 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003]Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] (£39.98 @ Aria PC)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n770tf2gd5oc]MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card[/url] (£249.32 @ Scan.co.uk)
[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc130kkn1]Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case[/url] (£34.13 @ CCL Computers)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500m]Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url] (£46.24 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Optical Drive:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihds11804]Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive[/url] (£10.78 @ Scan.co.uk)
[b]Operating System:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700403]Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)[/url] (£71.53 @ Ebuyer)
[b]Monitor:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vw228tlb]Asus VW228TLB 21.5" Monitor[/url] (£135.55 @ Dabs)
[b]Total:[/b] £1001.39
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-06 16:13 GMT+0000)[/i]
If you do not need a monitor:
[url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2OjY6]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2OjY6/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2OjY6/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]
[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670]Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] (£154.79 @ Aria PC)
[b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/scythe-cpu-cooler-scbsk2100]Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] (£44.49 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah87nwifi]Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url] (£88.60 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-memory-996770]Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory[/url] (£59.99 @ Aria PC)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw]Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk[/url] (£123.49 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003]Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] (£39.98 @ Aria PC)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n770tf2gd5oc]MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card[/url] (£249.32 @ Scan.co.uk)
[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc130kkn1]Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case[/url] (£34.13 @ CCL Computers)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500m]Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url] (£46.24 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Optical Drive:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihds11804]Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive[/url] (£10.78 @ Scan.co.uk)
[b]Operating System:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700403]Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)[/url] (£71.53 @ Ebuyer)
[b]Total:[/b] £923.34
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-06 16:12 GMT+0000)[/i]
If you also need to purchase keyboard, mouse, headphones, etc with a monitor, go with [url]http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2Ok1b[/url]
Only difference is I dropped the 770 to a 760. Still great performance, you'll just have some headroom for extras.
[editline]6th February 2014[/editline]
Although if you do decide to go with a laptop. (Which I do not recommend. I greatly regret buying a $1800 gaming laptop for the dorms instead of an ITX build) The Lenovo Y510p is a good choice from what I've heard. [url]http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/[/url]
Thanks for the help, the Lenovo looks great - the main problem I have is transporting builds along with everything else I own (often have to sell or store items that I can't take home due to weight and size, I have to train across the country).
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