Purchasing advice - Buying components versus prebuilts

[Hezzy]

I am considering purchasing a new computer as the one I'm using now just can't handle new games. I'm not up to speed with the current developments in PC Hardware which is why I need your help. I know what goes in a computer, but I have no idea what is good anymore. Last time I custom built a PC was when Voodoo 2 cards were the height of graphics technology.

I have a budget of around £1000 and I do not need a monitor or any peripherals like a mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc. I want a computer that'll last me as long as possible, with perhaps the option to upgrade the components in the future. I've got a few options available to me and I want to hear your opinion on them!

[b]Option 1[/b]

Throw money at alienware. The UK alienware website is down at the moment, but I can get a computer from there for about £1000ish. I'll post the spec when it goes back up.

[b]Option 2[/b]

I was reading PC Gamer and came across an advertisement from [url]http://www.PCspecialist.co.uk[/url] - the computer in question is called the Apollo GTS and has the following spec;

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 (4 x 2.83 GHz)
Windows 7
4GB Corsair XMS2 800MHz Memory
ASUS P5N-D Motherboard
750GB Serial ATA II Hard Drive (7,200 rpm)
22x Dual Layer DVD RW + Lightscribe
896MB nVidia GeForce GTX275
SoundBlaster Audigy SE (7.1)
700W Super Quiet Quad Rail PSU
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 CPU Cooler
52 in 1 Memory Card Reader
Onboard 10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN port
Conqueror Gaming Case
Six USB Ports
2 x 1394 Firewire Port Onboard
1 year RTB Warrant including Free Collect and Return

£829 including VAT and Delivery

Now I recognise a lot of the brands of components there, but have no idea how they compare to rival brands or how powerful they are. If you could, please could you explain to me how good the components are in this package and if it is a good deal?

[b]Option 3[/b]

Custom built computer. I have no idea where to start here, so I would really need your help.

[b]Gold Member may be up for grabs for the person to get me the best deal possible![/b]

Thanks for your help guys!

[birkett]

Could build a pretty good i7 system + 5870 for that budget. Have a look around scan.co.uk, ebuyer.co.uk and overclockers.co.uk.
You can pick up an i7 920 for £200 now, with a 5870 being a good, future proof solution coming in at around £300.
Depending on your needs, onboard audio is fine, the Realtek HD chips have come along leaps and bounds.

The pcspecialist build, could be much better for the price.
Avoid Alienware, owned by Dell, horrid customer support, horrid prices.

Also, there isnt an easy way to compare brands and model numbers. Most of the work is done by reading benchmarks and reviews.

[lazyV]

[img]http://filesmelt.com/downloader/pc.JPG[/img]

Something along the lines of this.

If you're still in uni you can sometimes get windows free, if not, add another £30 or so - the student price iirc.

Also, that's just overclockers - they tend to have prices a little higher than other places, but if you time your purchase right you can get some AWESOME "this week only" deals.

And I'd agree with pretty much everything birkett has said. Avoid option 1 at all costs!

If you really don't want to build yourself, overclockers have a customisable prebuilt (by them, so no BS software bundled in) section.

[url]http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=43[/url]

[JohnEdwards]

HOW TO BUILD [url]http://www.legitreviews.com/article/316/1/[/url]
quick question are you in university or have a univeristy email account? if so you can get windows 7 for 30 euros, and that is home premium or pro [url]http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/studentoffer/[/url]
[img]http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w79/corvettefisher/build1-1.png?t=1255416401[/img]
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Coolermaster-CM-690-V2-Dominator-Black-Midi-Tower-Case-with-Mesh-Top-Panel-w-o-PSU[/url]
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1TB-Western-Digital-WD10EADS-Green-SATA-300-32MB-Cache[/url]
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Microsoft-Windows-7-Home-Premium-E-Retail-(Green)-PreOrder-Release-22-10-09[/url]
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/550W-Antec-Truepower-New-PSU-Modular-120mm-PWM-Fan-80plus-Bronze[/url]
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Intel-Core-i5-750-Quad-Core-266Ghz-(Lynnfield)-8M-Cache-LGA1156-CPU-Retail[/url]
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigabyte-GA-P55-US3L-Intel-P55-Motherboard-LGA1156[/url]
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1GB-Power-Color-HD-5850-PCI-E-20-4000MHz-GDDR5-GPU-725MHz-1440-Cores-DP-2x-DVI-HDMI-plus-Dirt2[/url] grab 2

you can reuse your DVD drive or get [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/LG-DH16NS10AUAA10B-16x-Internal-DVDROM-Black-Bare-Drive-SATA-OEM[/url] for 9bucks more

[Physlithium]

No point in getting 1600MHz, I would suggest 1333MHz.
Maybe get a aftermarket cooler too, intel stock coolers are shit.

Here's a built from overclockers.co.uk.

AMD Phenom II X4 955 - £149.98 (on par with i7 920, this is a good overclocker btw)
ASUS Crosshair III Formula AM3+ - £142.98 (Reason I chose this is because there is a SupremeFX HD 7.1 sound card, which is HELL better than onboard, sounds decent, and you can save money rather than buy another soundcard, and there's CPU Level Up option which automatically helps you overclock your CPU, if you are lazy to do it or something.)
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB DDR3 1333MHz - £74.99
Sapphire ATi 5870 - £298.99
Western Digital Caviar Green 750GB - £48.99
Coolermaster HAF 932 - £109.99
Coolermaster Silent Pro Modular 700W PSU - £90.99
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler (LGA1366/LGA1156/LGA775/AM2/AM2+/AM3) - £58.98
Samsung SH-S223L - £19.99

Total: £995.88.

Should last you very long. You can add a extra 5870 if you'd like next time. The next generation CPUs of AMD are using AM3, so it's a good choice to stick with AM3 atm. HAF 932 for case due to good airflow. Also don't forget to get some case fans.

[tankkiller]

[QUOTE=lazyV;17808147]Great stuff[/QUOTE]

That's a super computer that should last you a long, long, loooong time, I think you should get those parts and build the computer.

[JohnEdwards]

[QUOTE=Physlithium;17808235]No point in getting 1600MHz, I would suggest 1333MHz.
Maybe get a aftermarket cooler too, intel stock coolers are shit.[/QUOTE]

actually the i5 coolers DO something, intel make 1 cooler for all like they did with the C2D C2Q

[yngndrw]

I'd advise staying away from PC Specialist, a friend bought a laptop from there a couple of years ago and their customer service when it went wrong was shite.

[Hezzy]

Thanks for the input guys. LazyV, what about sound cards? Would I need one of those, because I have a subwoofer and stuff.

[Physlithium]

[QUOTE=Hezzy;17808328]Thanks for the input guys. LazyV, what about sound cards? Would I need one of those, because I have a subwoofer and stuff.[/QUOTE]

Hey, look at mine Hezzy.

SupremeFX for sound card.

[Rusty100]

I'd go with lazyv's. And no, the motherboard's integrated soundcard will be perfectly capable.

[editline]06:01PM[/editline]

[QUOTE=Physlithium;17808351]Hey, look at mine Hezzy.

SupremeFX for sound card.[/QUOTE]

there's no point. he doesn't need it and there will be no difference on standard pc speakers. the money is better spent on a better cpu, aka lazyv's i7 920 build.

[Physlithium]

Rusty, when did you became Gold Member..?

[editline]03:04PM[/editline]

It depends if he has a 5.1 or a normal 2.1, which he didn't stated in his post.

[JohnEdwards]

Don't go with a 920, you'll waste your money
[img]http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/intellynnfieldlaunch_090409000254/19910.png[/img]
[img]http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/intellynnfieldlaunch_090409000254/19909.png[/img]

the i5-750 1up's it in everything other than programs that use HT, and even then they are neck and neck but the i5 is cheaper
also
[img]http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/5850_092909204359/20201.png[/img]
2 5850's CF > 1 5870

[Bengley]

[QUOTE=lazyV;17808147][img]http://filesmelt.com/downloader/pc.JPG[/img]

Something along the lines of this.

If you're still in uni you can sometimes get windows free, if not, add another £30 or so - the student price iirc.

Also, that's just overclockers - they tend to have prices a little higher than other places, but if you time your purchase right you can get some AWESOME "this week only" deals.

And I'd agree with pretty much everything birkett has said. Avoid option 1 at all costs!

If you really don't want to build yourself, overclockers have a customisable prebuilt (by them, so no BS software bundled in) section.

[url]http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=43[/url][/QUOTE]

This is pretty much identical to what I'm going to be building, so yeah. Go with this one and don't let anyone tell you to get an i5 over an i7. It may be better at gaming, but you may never know what you might have to use your computer for one day. The extra threads are worth it.

[gringamouse]

use bing cashback :eng101:

[Playaz]

Found a site [url]http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk[/url]
Idk if your really intrested in [url=www.ibuypower.com]Prebuilts[/url]

[lazyV]

[QUOTE=Playaz;17808727]Newegg is a dependable site to use to buy shit to BUILD your pc
Idk if your really intrested in [url=www.ibuypower.com]Prebuilts[/url][/QUOTE]

He's in the UK.

[Callius]

[QUOTE=Playaz;17808727]Newegg is a dependable site to use to buy shit to BUILD your pc
Idk if your really intrested in [url=www.ibuypower.com]Prebuilts[/url][/QUOTE]

Hezzy is in the UK, newegg don't ship there or it would incur a large sum of import tax if you can.

PCspecialists aren't too bad, I thought a system from them several years ago, looking back the only complaint I had was that it was horribly overpriced. (£800 for P5N-D, 2.2Ghz C2D, 8600GT and 2Gb ram)

I'd say your best bet is building your own as the others have said.

[lazyV]

[QUOTE=lazyV;17808147][img]http://filesmelt.com/downloader/pc.JPG[/img][/QUOTE]

Just realised that the CPU there included some water cooler.

Could swap that out and crossfire some 5850s.

[img]http://filesmelt.com/downloader/PC2.JPG[/img]

[Hezzy]

So, the water cooling isn't needed?

[lazyV]

[QUOTE=Hezzy;17808852]So, the water cooling isn't needed?[/QUOTE]

No, I didn't even realise it was there in the first one. My bad.

The retail processors come with air coolers, which are more than sufficient.

[Hezzy]

Fair enough, that seems like a better build and plus I get Operation Flashpoint 2!

[editline]09:58AM[/editline]

How much difference does the crossfired graphics cards make compared to the single one?

[Bengley]

[QUOTE=Hezzy;17808880]Fair enough, that seems like a better build and plus I get Operation Flashpoint 2!

[editline]09:58AM[/editline]

How much difference does the crossfired graphics cards make compared to the single one?[/QUOTE]

A fair bit. Not quite double the power, but getting there.

[lazyV]

[QUOTE=Hezzy;17808880]Fair enough, that seems like a better build and plus I get Operation Flashpoint 2!

[editline]09:58AM[/editline]

How much difference does the crossfired graphics cards make compared to the single one?[/QUOTE]

Check JohnEdwards post above for the graph.

To clarify, you'll be comparing 5850 CF to 5870.

[Hezzy]

Belting, nice work

[duck]

Also, if you have any trouble building it when you get that parcel from the back of the van (overclockers.co.uk use DPD, they're awesome) there's a building thread somewhere with details (or just google it)

[lazyV]

You should contact Zorlok for his PDF file on building a computer - it was pretty comprehensive.

[url]http://www.facepunch.com/showpost.php?p=9533802&postcount=2[/url]

That download link is broken now.

[TheMadness]

[QUOTE=lazyV;17808823]Just realised that the CPU there included some water cooler.

Could swap that out and crossfire some 5850s.

[img_thumb]http://filesmelt.com/downloader/PC2.JPG[/img_thumb][/QUOTE]

change the i7 to an i5 and you could bump the case up quite a bit, maybe a few other parts too

and [I]again[/I] with the same performance for a much lower price in a gaming PC...

[duck]

At ^

[QUOTE=Bengley;17808646]This is pretty much identical to what I'm going to be building, so yeah. Go with this one and don't let anyone tell you to get an i5 over an i7. It may be better at gaming, but you may never know what you might have to use your computer for one day. The extra threads are worth it.[/QUOTE]

If he wants an i7, let him get an i7. The threads are probably worth it.

[editline]11:45AM[/editline]

Also hezzy, might be worth chipping a few more in and getting an Antec 902 or a HAF, your call. The 300 is more a budget case.

[CombineGuru]

Here you go Hezzy:
[img]http://img2.pict.com/4d/62/7a/1758123/0/800/hezzypc.jpg[/img]

[b]CombineGuru's Guide to building a PC[/b]
Put backplate on mobo (for cpu).
Put in I/O shield for case.
Screw mobo and PSU into case, run power from PSU to mobo.
Clip in the CPU, and apply thermal paste between the CPU core and the heatsink. Put on the heatsink and fan, and run the power from the fan to the board.
Run all fan power from the case to the board.
Run case front panel plugs, lights, and switches to the labelled pins on the mobo (will come with instructions).
Put RAM in.
Put graphics cards in, link with 2 crossfirex bridges, and run PSU PCI-E power connectors to both (2 each, I think).
Mount your HDD and dvd drive, and run power from the PSU and S-ATA from the mobo.
Boot up, in BIOS set DVD drive to priority 1.
Put in your windows cd, and install.
Install all drivers.
Voila.