nightwolf Posted September 1, 2011 Posted September 1, 2011 So yeah, to cut to the chase I was looking at this: http://www.ebuyer.com/279909-acer-aspire-m3970-desktop-pt-sg5e2-086 I've sent a message to ebuyer to ask if it's an i3 or an i5, if it's an i5, I'm thinking of getting it, but I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything ridiculous before I do. Or could anyone suggest a similar priced pc that might be better? I'd rather not go above 600-700quid for it, but I pretty much need a decent upgrade after this one, specially with gaming, as that's all I seem to be using it for nowadays. Herp derp!
Ten10 Posted September 1, 2011 Posted September 1, 2011 (edited) It says i3 in the description. Edit: I see the dilemma. I just checked a review which states it is in fact an i3. Wanted to scratch my whole post. If I'm honest when looking for a new pc don't scratch out ebay. There are lots of reputable businesses selling on there. http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=desktop+pc+i7+gaming&_sacat=0&_dmpt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&_odkw=desktop+pc+i7&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 Edited September 1, 2011 by Ten10
nightwolf Posted September 1, 2011 Author Posted September 1, 2011 It says i3 in the description. It then says i5 at the bottom description, hence why I've emailed them.
Emasher Posted September 4, 2011 Posted September 4, 2011 Never under any circumstances buy a product made by Acer. For a desktop, you're really better off building it yourself anyway. Its not hard, and it will save you money. Not to mention its fun and rewarding. I'd recommend the following parts for gaming: CPU: i5 2500k Motherboard: Any Asus (or other decent manufacturer) socket 1155 ATX board that supports multiple graphics cards (SLI/Crossfire), just in case you want to upgrade down the road PSU: Buy from a decent manufacturer like Corsair or OCZ, you should be fine with something between 500 and 700 watts. Make sure its modular. Case: Any ATX Mid tower. This is one place you can go as cheap as you want. Optical Drive: The cheapest you can find. You don't even need one if you can install your OS via a USB device Hard Drive: Unless you need a new one, just use the one from your old PC. RAM: Don't go above 4 GB. Be sure to buy DDR3 desktop RAM, and at least 1600 MHz Graphics Card: This one really depends on how much you're willing to spend. On a budget, go with a 1GB 460 GTX (NOT the SE version though) or a Radeon 6850. If you want some real power, go with a 560 TI. OS: Windows Home Premium 64 Bit. Buy the OEM version and save some money. Edit: Oh, and the 2300 is an i3 not an i5.
McPhee Posted September 4, 2011 Posted September 4, 2011 Nup, the 2300 is an i5. Check out DinoPC. My brother got his PC from them and they are VERY keen on price. £600 buys you a pretty wicked machine (considerably better than that Acer). If you want any help on spec just ask.
The Bard Posted September 4, 2011 Posted September 4, 2011 I'm gonna get on this wagon. I'm looking to build a PC too, but the only thing I'm lost with is the motherboard. What would go well with this processor: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-i7-2600K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B004FA8NOQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315168875&sr=8-1 ? Gonna stick with my HD5770 for the meantime, since ATI are gonna launch a new set of GPUs in Oct, hopefully that should knock the 6970 down a notch in terms of price.
Emasher Posted September 4, 2011 Posted September 4, 2011 (edited) Shit, I must have been thinking of the 2100. I realized my mistake soon after posting, but I didn't really have time to correct my post. Either way, the 2500k/2500 are what you should be after for gaming anyway. I'm gonna get on this wagon. I'm looking to build a PC too, but the only thing I'm lost with is the motherboard. What would go well with this processor: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-i7-2600K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B004FA8NOQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315168875&sr=8-1 ? Gonna stick with my HD5770 for the meantime, since ATI are gonna launch a new set of GPUs in Oct, hopefully that should knock the 6970 down a notch in terms of price. If all you're doing is gaming, you may want to consider just buying an i5 2500k, which is more than adequate. Edited September 4, 2011 by Emasher
The Bard Posted September 4, 2011 Posted September 4, 2011 (edited) O rly? So you're saying that there won't be any palpable difference in performance between the two? I'm running a q8200 atm, what kinda performance jump do you reckon I can expect with an i5 2500k? Edited September 4, 2011 by The Bard
Emasher Posted September 4, 2011 Posted September 4, 2011 I'm not very familiar with Core 2 Quads. Lets just say that with a 2500k, the CPU is almost never going to be your limiting factor when playing games (It may be worth getting the 2600k if you do any sort of rendering). You're much better off spending the money you save on a better graphics card when you go to buy one. I'll also mention that unless you're doing rendering or running some sort of server, you're better off staying under 4GB of RAM, as you'll probably never go above that just playing games.
The Bard Posted September 4, 2011 Posted September 4, 2011 Yeah man, just looked at some benchmarks, and it seems that there's little difference between the two in terms of gaming. I pretty much just want a CPU that won't limit the performance I'm going to get out of Battlefield 3 and Rage for example. Also, seeing as you seem to know a lil bit about this ish, is it worthwhile getting a 6970 when the price comes down a little bit, or should I get another 5770 and get some XFX action going? Still don't know what motherboard I should go for though =p.
Emasher Posted September 5, 2011 Posted September 5, 2011 I don't know how those two setups compare performance wise, but not all games can take advantage of dual card setups. Lots of games also require tweaking to get working properly in SLI/XFX. If you have the money, I'd just go for the 6970.
Happenstance Posted September 5, 2011 Posted September 5, 2011 Nup, the 2300 is an i5. Check out DinoPC. My brother got his PC from them and they are VERY keen on price. £600 buys you a pretty wicked machine (considerably better than that Acer). If you want any help on spec just ask. Just had a look on the DinoPC site and those prices look very good, I think i'll possibly get my new PC from there when I can afford it.
nightwolf Posted September 9, 2011 Author Posted September 9, 2011 Holy crap guys, sorry, I didn't realise you lot had even posted. I finally got a reply from ebuyer that it's an i5, so that's cool, I'm not interested in building my own, I want a pre-build or one that someone will build me and ship to me. Anyway, had a look on dinopc, I'm not really clued up about graphics cards, so I had a look and thought about this: http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/configurePrd.asp?idproduct=1006 (I don't know if you can see the customised, but I'm not particularly bothered unless it's quite cheap to upgrade to something that could make a noticeable difference.) From the looks of it, I could go for an i7 for a bit of an upgrade, which is better than the i5 on the ebuyer, more memory etc, thoughts? by the way, have you used dinopc before, what was shipping like?
Emasher Posted September 10, 2011 Posted September 10, 2011 As I said before, for gaming you want an i5 2500k and 4GB of RAM, anything more is really a waste of money. For the graphics card, I would go for the 560TI, but that's just because I'm more familiar with Nvidia. The AMD equivalent would obviously be fine, actually, if you use dual monitors you should seriously consider the AMD equivalent (6950).
nightwolf Posted September 10, 2011 Author Posted September 10, 2011 1. Yes I use dual monitors, I'll have a look. 2. The pc isn't just for gaming, I'll need to be able to render on max. 3. All the gaming pcs on dino except the very cheapest has 8gb - I'm not massively caring about that - but I changed it down to 4.0GB Corsair DDR3 1600mhz XMS3 (2x 2GB). 4. Put the cpu as i5 2500k 5. graphics as 560ti Doing all that pushes me about 60quid over budget plus the £25 they charge for delivery (not a massive issue mind you, but it'd be nice.), but that's fine I guess as long as it'll last me a good while . (The numbers thing is just so I don't forget to mention/ask anything, it's been a long week!) I think that's it..? 657 plus 25 postage. should be alright, might have to wait a bit longer to get it.
Emasher Posted September 10, 2011 Posted September 10, 2011 If you do rendering, 8GB would be a good idea actually, so would a 2600K, but both are easy enough to upgrade down the road.
nightwolf Posted September 10, 2011 Author Posted September 10, 2011 If you do rendering, 8GB would be a good idea actually, so would a 2600K, but both are easy enough to upgrade down the road. I'll probably stick with the 2500k and maybe upgrade to 8gb depending on the pricing, it's starting to get a little too much over my budget. But at least I'm nearer to a decent system, I'll probably stick with that and grab it when I get paid in two weeks, thanks a boodle.
McPhee Posted September 11, 2011 Posted September 11, 2011 Don't go with the Veloce, configure the more expensive Alioramus instead. The base spec on that machine is awesome. A pre-overclocked i5 2500k (4.5GHz), and aftermarket cooler, an SSD, a better case and a better power supply all for £18 more than the build you spec'd earlier. Removing these upgrades nets you the Veloce build that you made (with the 6870 instead of the 560Ti, but the 560Ti realy isn't worth the extra that they're asking) along with the pre-overclocked 2500k (no saving for removing this) for about £590. Alternatively, you could upgrade to a 2600K and 8GB while staying under the £700 mark.
nightwolf Posted September 12, 2011 Author Posted September 12, 2011 I'd rather try and stay under the £600 mark if I'm honest, I don't particularly wanting to be spending more than that. I see what you mean though! I've just changed the Alioramus to this: Intel Core i5 2500K @ 4.5Ghz wins 7 64bit 4gb Gigabyte Z68A-D3 (motherboard) 1tb hdd ATI Radeon HD 6870 1GB (honestly as long as I can play most games and use my dual screen I'm happy. Which brings me to 570ish, plus the 35quid postage (a friend at work recently bought a pc from dino and mentioned to pay the extra to get the pc in 2 days as they leave it quite late to send it on normal delivery.) I could upgrade to 8gb for the extra 25quid, so I possibly will, it only puts me just over 600, so I'll give it a think.
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