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Raining_again

Computer buying halps.

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I'm looking to buy a computer tower, mid range gaming type. Just the tower, no peripherals needed. About £600 budget.

 

Got rusty in my computer buying skills! Realised I have no idea where to go on the internets, and need some suggestions. I am capable of building a system but prefer a prebuilt.

 

Thanks muchly =)

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I can have a go at this later, one thing I'll ask though - why prebuilt? You will get a much better value / performance rig if you build it yourself.

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because i look at the build it yourself options and my budget suddenly gets forgotten about.. i get attracted to the nice shiny computer things :(

 

Every single time I aim to spend about 500/600 on the tower, it ends up more like 1k.

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Not price checked any of this, just thought I'd get a quick benchmark up.

 

CPU: AMD FX-8350 - £135

RAM: Kingston 8GB 1600MHz - £55

GPU: Radeon HD 7850 - £110

PSU: CoolerMaster V550S - £70

SSD: Kingston V300 240GB - £85

DVD±RW: Samsung 24x - £11

 

~£466

 

That'll leave you with ~£134 for a case/mobo (didn't suggest a case as they're pretty personal, didn't suggest a mobo as it depends what CPU you go for/mobos are boring).

 

Anything you can reuse from an old PC? PSU, RAM, Case, DVD drive?

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Ok, later on I'll make sure it's no more than 600. You need the OS?

 

Yes I do indeed.

 

Not price checked any of this, just thought I'd get a quick benchmark up.

 

CPU: AMD FX-8350 - £135

RAM: Kingston 8GB 1600MHz - £55

GPU: Radeon HD 7850 - £110

PSU: CoolerMaster V550S - £70

SSD: Kingston V300 240GB - £85

DVD±RW: Samsung 24x - £11

 

~£466

 

That'll leave you with ~£134 for a case/mobo (didn't suggest a case as they're pretty personal, didn't suggest a mobo as it depends what CPU you go for/mobos are boring).

 

Anything you can reuse from an old PC? PSU, RAM, Case, DVD drive?

 

Nothing, I sold all my old PC's as whole units a long time ago. I do have laptop hdd as an option, but they are a fair age, so maybe need replacement

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Nothing, I sold all my old PC's as whole units a long time ago. I do have laptop hdd as an option, but they are a fair age, so maybe need replacement

 

For the HDD I was thinking more as a secondary hard drive. You could get a 120GB/240GB SSD which will store your OS and most of your main programs, but you'll need a second HDD for files and maybe games.

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@Raining_again here's a spec with more parts and some price checking done (good old HotUKDeals). It's £24.17 over budget but that's because Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium costs a whopping £70. You could skimp on the case to make it under 600 if you like, although the case I put looks pretty cool and makes it easier to install stuff.

 

I chose the i5-3750K processor which will provide a big boost since it's easy to overclock (it's the one I have). This is a pretty damn good machine, all things said.

 

As for an additional HDD, I haven't put one, but a medium size can be got for pretty cheap and upgraded later on as necessary. The SSD will hold your OS and some other necessary apps and some games.

 

 

Screen_Shot_2014_04_16_at_14_27_35.png

Total: 624.17

 

 

Links to products:

 

Part

Motherboard

RAM

RAM

GPU

Power Supply

DVD RW

SSD

Processor

Case

PSU cooler

Windows 7 OS

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I'd go with the FX-8350 over the i5-3570k. It's quite a bit faster as standard, and quite a bit cheaper.

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I'd go with the FX-8350 over the i5-3570k. It's quite a bit faster as standard, and quite a bit cheaper.

 

You're right. Initially I looked at a comparison website which said the i5 was better, but on closer look it seems the differences aren't huge.

 

I updated it. It's even closer to 600 now.

 

Screen_Shot_2014_04_16_at_15_50_43.png

Total cost: £611.34

 

Links to products:

 

Part

Motherboard

RAM

RAM

GPU

Power Supply

DVD RW

SSD

Processor

Case

PSU cooler

Windows 7 OS

Edited by Sheikah

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Another point: I have the R3 Fractal Pearl case. It's very purdy, but also very big and heavy. And that door is awkward if you want to keep the computer in a tight space.

Edited by MoogleViper

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I can also recommend the case I have, the Antec 300 2. Great in terms of air circulation and the front plates are easily removable to clean. Tool-less installation, lightweight and looks pretty nice. Although not as nice as the other one in the table probably.

 

Slightly cheaper at £58.49 too.

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What size screen do you want?

How much memory do you want/need?

What games will you be playing?

 

I suggest you Lenovo Y510P, it looks pretty good, one of my friends has one so i can tell you that by experience

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What size screen do you want?

How much memory do you want/need?

What games will you be playing?

 

I suggest you Lenovo Y510P, it looks pretty good, one of my friends has one so i can tell you that by experience

 

lol, who writes these bots? Fucking useless.

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lol, who writes these bots? Fucking useless.

 

I don't think that is a bot. Think it's one of those low paid workers from a poor country paid to spam message boards.

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I have a Hiper 580W PSU. It's lasted me many many years. :D

 

Your setup will be good with that bundle. However if you can afford an extra ~£40, I'd go with this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-233-OK&groupid=43&catid=2512&subcat=2693

 

The FX-8320 is ~20-25% faster than the FX-6300. Worth £40 in my books, but understandable if you'd rather save the money.

 

I'd also make sure you have a very good cooling system, especially with a fanless GPU.

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I know! Its like.... god must be 6 years old + and it still works (got it electrically tested by my dads mate). And its purdy! I have the blue one! :)

 

I went for the cheaper option in the end. I'm not really an uber hardcore extreme gfx kind of game player so I think it'll do the job just fine :) I got the bits last night - the cpu comes with a standard heatsink, but with the overclocked bundles you get a big beastie of a heatsink... with an a3 page of instructions...which were totally wrong and i ended up installing the thing myself.....

 

It JUST fits in the case and no more.....

 

1EF5DAFC-CDD3-4B82-A3A6-E2BECC55EF67.jpg

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Not to hijack the thread, but I've been thinking about building a PC for my girlfriend, looking mainly at getting the 8350. I've got an 2500k in my main PC which is a lot better for current gen gaming, but I've seen some benchmarks for less single core intensive and more multithreading heavy games and the AMD cpus perform a little better (Crysis 3 specifically, which is was baffled by). Would it be a decent long term bet to go for an 8350 or just wait it out until the Haswell-Es are out and swap out my 2500k into another case?

 

@Raining_again, if your GPU doesn't have a fan it might be a good idea to spend a tenner on a PCI slot fan. Either one just below the card to push air onto it, or one above it that can serve as an exhaust (which I've seen going for a fiver on amazon and have a 50+ CFM rating, which is pretty damn good for the price.

Edited by The Bard

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The 8350 will give you gains, but not enough to warrant forking out for a new CPU. The 2500k will be good for another few years. By the time the 2500k will be on it's way out the 8350 won't be anything special.

 

Save your money and wait for a proper upgrade.

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Yeah but until then my second PC has a Q8200 with a HD5770. Can't even call that mid range these days.

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Because I'm a nerd and I like tinkering with computers in the same way a 70s greaser (or Goafer) would with his car. I'm kidding, it's pretty much for my girlfriend when we're playing co-op, I don't want either me or her to get the shitty end of the stick with a mid tier CPU from 2007. Also when friends come around to play CoH, out of a misplaced sense of etiquette I usually get saddled with the shitty computer.

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