self-build or store

ste · 21-02-2014 12:15am #1

Hi folks

I've been working off a laptop and have a small form factor media PC. As a result I haven't been playing any games for a while.
I want to spec up to a modest set-up to play a few FPS- notably Titanfall next month. I have a monitor and may hook up to my TV.

I've built computers myself when I was younger but don't know if I have the appetite for a self-build any more. In any event, as a possible alternative, I was checking out Dell...

1 option stuck out as a potential solution

Buy an Dell XPS 8700 €619 delivered get the following

XPS 8700
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz - 2 DIMMs
NVIDIA GeForce GT 635 1GB DDR3
1TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive 6.0 Gb/s
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-4440 Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.3 GHz)

and then pick up a Radeon R9 270X for €200 (available widely)

(I understand from some online forums that the 460w power in the Dell should manage this OK)

So about ~ €820 deliver for a pc capable of playing modern games reasonably?

What do we think? Appreciate any input. thanks

SterlingArcher · 21-02-2014 12:58am

Man you gotta be ****ting me.

yawhat! · 21-02-2014 1:10am

Item|Price
Intel Core i5-4440 Box, LGA1150|€159.11
ASRock H81M, Sockel 1150, mATX|€48.52
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€69.01
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€51.27
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€32.64
Windows 8.1 64-Bit (SB-Version)|€84.74
PowerColor Radeon R9 280X TurboDuo OC, 3GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort|€270.99
Corsair CX Series Modular CX500M, 500W|€58.66
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€793.93

You can get them to build it for 20 euro. Dell Pc's come with ****e power supplys and ****e motherboards.

BloodBath · 21-02-2014 1:12am

Good but since his budget is 800 I'd change the gpu to a 760gtx or 280x and add an ssd + change to an english version of windows

I assume he needs a dvd drive to install windows as well. Maybe opt for a better case too.

yawhat! · 21-02-2014 1:17am

BloodBath · 21-02-2014 1:28am

It's not bad but there are better for around the same money. It has only 1 fan and no usb3.

That build looks much better anyway.

Serephucus · 21-02-2014 2:35am

Dell PSUs are usually pretty good, actually. They're very much function over everything else - noise, aesthetics, etc. - but they are usually 80+ Bronze, Delta manufactured units. Their motherboards are nothing special at all though.

To be clear, I wouldn't go near that Dell in lieu of a self-build, I'm just pointing out that they're not completely 100% horrible, etc.

ste · 21-02-2014 11:42am

Thanks fellars - self build it will be
Now I just have to justify spending the 800+ quid to play a few games

Genghiz Cohen · 21-02-2014 11:46am

ste wrote: »

Thanks fellars - self build it will be
Now I just have to justify spending the 800+ quid to play a few games

Not just games, think of all the porn you could be watching!

smacl · 21-02-2014 12:06pm

Serephucus wrote: »

Dell PSUs are usually pretty good, actually. They're very much function over everything else - noise, aesthetics, etc. - but they are usually 80+ Bronze, Delta manufactured units. Their motherboards are nothing special at all though.

To be clear, I wouldn't go near that Dell in lieu of a self-build, I'm just pointing out that they're not completely 100% horrible, etc.

I've bought a number of Dells over the years, and while they're reliable enough, I'd also favour self build. Principal issue I've had is blown capacitors on the mother boards which are a pain to replace, probably down to bad heat management. I've had a few PSUs die as well, where they were an unusual shape and difficult to replace.

IMHO, you get more for your money with self build, and are less likely to run into a dead end when it comes to upgrades.

SterlingArcher · 21-02-2014 12:30pm

ste wrote: »

Thanks fellars - self build it will be
Now I just have to justify spending the 800+ quid to play a few games

If you can hold off for a month or two.

ste · 21-02-2014 12:38pm

yawhat! wrote: »

Item|Price
Intel Core i5-4440 Box, LGA1150|€159.11
ASRock H81M, Sockel 1150, mATX|€48.52
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€69.01
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€51.27
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€32.64
PowerColor Radeon R9 280X TurboDuo OC, 3GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort|€270.99
Corsair CX Series Modular CX500M, 500W|€58.66
Windows 8.1 64Bit Eng Intl (SB-Version) DVD|€85.98
Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic 120GB SATA 6Gb/s|€74.99
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€870.16
Cheers bloodbath, updated. Merc Alpha not a bad little case.

I will leave out the SSD for the moment
Will push storage up to 2TB
Is there a recommended prettier case? Something mATX? BitFenix Prodigy M recommended?

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Not just games, think of all the porn you could be watching!

Haha - laptop, tablet & media pc isn't enough!

SterlingArcher wrote: »

If you can hold off for a month or two.

Something coming down the line?

thanks for response

SterlingArcher · 21-02-2014 1:36pm

It's always going to be cheaper, but a new Gpu line up and a decrease in ram prices should have a knock on.

As for the case coolmaster silenco can't think of it off top of my head but mini case of theirs. And more expensive nzxt h440 have a look see on overclokers.

BloodBath · 21-02-2014 1:53pm

Ya the CM Silencio 352 is a good budget matx option. Good features, decent cooling, silenced and only €50.

Go for the prodigy or phenom if you prefer though.

I wouldn't ditch the ssd. Go for the Crucial M500 120gb if you want a cheaper option. It's only about €57 through geizhals.

An ssd will make a huge difference to the performance of your pc.

SterlingArcher · 21-02-2014 2:02pm

Hells yeah. Try keep the SSD does not seem a big deal but when you get one you see it is . Once you go black your ass going to be in a wheelchair. Wait wrong saying but you get the jist.

ste · 05-07-2014 8:15pm

Took me a while to buy

just ordered

8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9 59,88 €
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W 61,01 €
Crucial MX100 SSD 256GB (2,5", 7mm) 86,89 €
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Arc R2 Midi Tower 78,69 €
Gigabyte GA-H97-HD3, Sockel 1150, ATX 75,99 €
Good Connection High-Speed-HDMI®-Kabel, vergoldete Stecker, 10m 13,64 €
HIS R9 270X Mini IceQ X² Boost Clock 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E DLDVI-I/HDMI/2xMini DP 149,89 €
Intel Xeon E3-1231v3 Box, LGA1 206,88 €
Rechner - Zusammenbau 29,99 €
TP-LINK TL-WN881ND Netzwerkkarte/-adapter 11,36 €
WD Red RD1000S 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB 82,40 €
Windows 8.1 64-Bit (SB-Version) 79,59 €
Shipping 11,99

Total 948,20

Ordered from hardwareversand - if anything incompatible plz let me know! Or maybe they will!

Use; work, media and wee bit o gaming

Genghiz Cohen · 07-07-2014 1:46pm

Why a Xeon?

ste · 07-07-2014 6:55pm

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Why a Xeon?

Hyper threading and good value. Do some brute force work each month that likes some grunt. Cheaper than i7...

ste · 23-07-2014 11:08pm

ste wrote: »

Took me a while to buy just ordered

8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9 59,88 €
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W 61,01 €
Crucial MX100 SSD 256GB (2,5", 7mm) 86,89 €
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Arc R2 Midi Tower 78,69 €
Gigabyte GA-H97-HD3, Sockel 1150, ATX 75,99 €
Good Connection High-Speed-HDMI®-Kabel, vergoldete Stecker, 10m 13,64 €
HIS R9 270X Mini IceQ X² Boost Clock 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E DLDVI-I/HDMI/2xMini DP 149,89 €
Intel Xeon E3-1231v3 Box, LGA1 206,88 €
Rechner - Zusammenbau 29,99 €
TP-LINK TL-WN881ND Netzwerkkarte/-adapter 11,36 €
WD Red RD1000S 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB 82,40 €
Windows 8.1 64-Bit (SB-Version) 79,59 €
Shipping 11,99

Total 948,20

Ordered from hardwareversand - if anything incompatible plz let me know! Or maybe they will!

Use; work, media and wee bit o gaming

OK got this delivered today after the usual hassle with hardwareversand because items were out of stock.

I had asked them to build it ... I haven't had a look in the case yet, but I managed to get windows etc. installed with no issues.

Fans in the case aren't connected. I'm concerned other things may not be 100% - any1 have any advice on this.

Any recommendations for useful tools to check specs and make sure everything is in order...

Also Titanfall cdkey - you think vendors listed on allkeyshop are generally reliable ?
http://www.allkeyshop.com/blog/buy-titanfall-cd-key-compare-prices/

thanks

Genghiz Cohen · 24-07-2014 11:08am

ste wrote: »

Any recommendations for useful tools to check specs and make sure everything is in order...

Best way I think might be to crack her open and post some pictures. Maybe follow a build video to see what goes where in a hands-on environment.

ste wrote: »

Also Titanfall cdkey - you think vendors listed on allkeyshop are generally reliable ?
http://www.allkeyshop.com/blog/buy-titanfall-cd-key-compare-prices/

thanks

I've used G2Play in the past and they were fine. Others have had issues. It's kind of a lottery.

ste · 24-07-2014 8:33pm

cheers - few pics attached

The fan setting on the case has 3 levels, it only works on one. [edit: got fans working]

TheBandicoot · 25-07-2014 10:32am

What is the small board above the graphics card?

Bepolite · 25-07-2014 10:53am

TheBandicoot wrote: »

What is the small board above the graphics card?

I'd assume from the antenna sticking out the back of it, it's some for or alien homing beacon. That or a wifi card :P

ste · 27-07-2014 4:54pm

Yup tis WiFi card. Well I must say pc appears to be in good nick & so fingers crossed nothing pops up in next few weeks.

self-build or store

Comments