€550-600 gaming pc

flying11

Hello everyone,

So im in the market for a new pc and i am not sure whether i should buy a pre built model or build my own. i currently have a laptop and it stuggles to play games even at the lowest settings. I have been looking around on various irish sites but nothing has really caught my eye. I would like to buy irish if there is a decent deal but i would also be willing to try and build it myself once it is'nt too complicated.

One question before i post the requirements- is ebay a complete no go for gaming pcs? because i have seen some cheap pcs with decent spec. e.g http://www.ebay.ie/itm/VIBOX-GT-S-AMD-FX-QUAD-CORE-1TB-8GB-ATI-HD6670-WINDOWS-7-FAST-GAMING-COMPUTER-PC-/220908980870?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item336f338a86

1. What is your budget? [€550-600]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Gaming (mainly Flight simulator X and battlefield 3) ,3D Modelling,Internet

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Im a student so i will be able to get it online for cheaper i think?

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No unfortunetly

5. Do you need a monitor? I have a flatscreen 19'' HD tv that contains a PC port and HDMI slots. Could i use this?
http://www.buy.com/prod/philips-19pfl5422d-27-19-widescreen-lcd-hdtv-800-1-contrast-ratio-8ms/204887629.html (not the exact model but same spec more or less)

5a. If yes, what size do you need. ...

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? see above...

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? Keyboard,Wireless Card,Card Reader

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Yes if it easy to do?

8. How can you pay? Paypal,credit Card,Laser

9. When are you purchasing? In the next 2-3 weeks

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? Kerry

98q76e12hrflnk

Well surprisingly that computer on eBay for the price is very good. Im also thinking of a new computer and that looks very good.

Getting a computer off eBay is not bad unless the seller has little feedback or low positive feedback, but his seems good. Though he has amd processors and intel core I may be better I'm not sure

ShadowHearth

That yoke on eBay is horrible!

I can't use that script, but lads should be in shortly and will make you lovely budget system.

flying11

yes that ebay pc looks pretty decent i think and it has one year warranty too
the seller has a good feedback score too.
i see what you mean about the intel processors.

would this be any good with the i5 2500 and windows 7?
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/VIBOX-iV-FW-INTEL-CORE-i5-2500-QUAD-CORE-1TB-8GB-ATI-HD6450-WINDOWS-7-DESKTOP-PC-/220893740678?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item336e4afe86

i know the graphics card isnt amazing but it is still fairly good for the price

98q76e12hrflnk

flying11 wrote: »

yes that ebay pc looks pretty decent i think and it has one year warranty too
the seller has a good feedback score too.
i see what you mean about the intel processors.

would this be any good with the i5 2500 and windows 7?
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/VIBOX-iV-FW-INTEL-CORE-i5-2500-QUAD-CORE-1TB-8GB-ATI-HD6450-WINDOWS-7-DESKTOP-PC-/220893740678?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item336e4afe86

i know the graphics card isnt amazing but it is still fairly good for the price

Ya that's probably the best pc for your money. Ya the graphics card but is still good but I'm sure the seller might change it for a small bit extra but if he didn't I'm sure this can play nearly every game on the market.
You won't build a computer yourself any cheaper.

Monotype

I quickly priced the stuff on hardwareversand.de (I know you said you'd prefer Irish but the ebay stores are in England anyway) and you can at least match their prices.

The primary issue with buying a build like this from ebay is that a lot of the items are very ambiguous. This actually does better than most listings, specifying the motherboard (which has a damn old chipset, although it wouldn't have a major impact on performance) and saying that you get a 7200 RPM drive (which is good given the worldwide shortage causing prices to be very high, but you could still get a relatively old drive).
The graphics card is... well it's midrange, I suppose. With your resolution as low as it is though, it probably would be nearly enough. The second ebay system with the 6450 is pretty poor though.

I'll see if I can get a better system for your money.

Here's the bones of a system.
Item|Price
Total build cost: €586.30 + €30 shipping
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€40.95
LiteOn iHAS122-18 schwarz SATA|€16.78
HIS HD 6770 GDDR5 1024MB DP/2xDVI/HDMI|€89.81
WD Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 3 6Gb/s|€85.00
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€196.90
MSI Z68A-G43 (G3), Intel Z68, ATX, DDR3|€90.98
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€28.46
BitFenix Merc Beta|€32.16
LogiLink USB 2.0 all-in-one Card Reader, für 3,5" Einbauchschacht|€5.26


You can get windows for €45.45 from software4students.ie (might change with VAT rates).
That's a very powerful CPU in comparison to the previous builds with the ability to overclock and it will last you a long time. If you want to sacrifice this for something cheaper and non-overclockable, you get get a cheap motherboard (i.e., H61 and H67 chipsets) which will forgo the ability to overclock in favour of lower cost. You could also get a cheaper non-overclockable CPU. Bear in mind that these CPUs are extremely easy to overclock and you do get a lot of additional power if it is within your price range.

By the time you add in windows, your keyboard and your wireless, it would come to about €700. But it would be much better than the second system linked. Although it would be even more cost, consider homeplugs too as an alternative to wireless as they will usually provide a more stable connection.

Don't buy a keyboard from hardwareversand. German layout.

flying11

cheers for that. seems to be good spec and more or less in budget. i think i have a spare keyboard lying around somewhere so i will be able to use that.
would you advise a noob like me to build it myself or pay the extra €20 for them to build it for me?

Monotype

From what I've heard, they do a tidy job. I've really only heard of one bad job they did with f-ing up someone's stuff by connecting the case USB wire to the firewire header on the motherboard.

€20 is a good price for the service, but it's a great experience and well worth doing. It's not especially difficult if you follow the instructions carefully with patience. You should really give yourself a whole day to get it all done. It's great to have built your own stuff. You'll know your components better, be more able to troubleshoot any problems and above all, you'll have the boasting rights to say that you built it yourself!

ShadowHearth

flying11 wrote: »

cheers for that. seems to be good spec and more or less in budget. i think i have a spare keyboard lying around somewhere so i will be able to use that.
would you advise a noob like me to build it myself or pay the extra €20 for them to build it for me?

monotype gave you a great system. most important: you will be able to upgrade gpy later on and have not a budget gaming pc, but a monster by todays standarts.

i would recomend building it yourself. it will give you some stress, but it will also give lots of confidence for future upgrades. there are tons of videos on youtube with step by step pc building. if you will get in trouble, then there are lots of lads, who will give you a hand.

flying11

ok, i think i wil give a go at building it myself. i just looked on youtube and there are loads of tutorials so i think i will manage.
last question- do i need any wires or cables or anything like that to get me up and running? eg HDMI cables? plug for the power supply? etc

ShadowHearth

You get 2xsata cables with that board. You don't have ssd so you don't need extra.

You will get dvi converters with gpu, but if you plan connecting you pc with hdmi sockets, then you will need hdmi cable.

Monotype

They might send a 2 pin cable with the PSU, but you can use one from an old computer.

flying11

quick question before i order-
on the software for students website it says that windows 7 is an upgrade edition and i must have a previous copy of windows installed. how will this work with my new system when it has no operating system installed?

98q76e12hrflnk

flying11 wrote: »

quick question before i order-
on the software for students website it says that windows 7 is an upgrade edition and i must have a previous copy of windows installed. how will this work with my new system when it has no operating system installed?

It won't as you need a version of windows, you can get it free but that's something I can't discuss as it's against the rules.

flying11

so do i have to pay full price or what?
im slightly confused about this....

98q76e12hrflnk

You need the full version not the upgrade version.I don't think you can buy them on the student site as they are all upgrades. You can get full version in pc world for about €130(not sure think it's that but it's the home edition)

flying11

Joel Hot Exterminator wrote: »

You need the full version not the upgrade version.I don't think you can buy them on the student site as they are all upgrades. You can get full version in pc world for about €130(not sure think it's that but it's the home edition)

i think i will get it from the german site so. this seems to be the full license
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29181&agid=185

98q76e12hrflnk

flying11 wrote: »

i think i will get it from the german site so. this seems to be the full license
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29181&agid=185

Yes that the one ya need. Your sorted so

Eboggles

The upgrade version CAN be used for a clean install, I did it myself and it works fine. All that is needed is a simple registry hack and command, takes two minutes. Save yourself some money!

Markd250

No, google "windows upgrade clean install"

flying11

hello again everyone
i have just been given a 160gb hard drive by a relative so i have now decided to get an SSD instead of a hdd from the geman site.
does this SSD look decent?
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=52212&agid=1145
all i plan on putting on the SSD is windows 7 and FSX so the size isnt really an issue. im just wondering if it looks like a decent SSD?

Monotype

It's an older SSD - still better than a HDD but not as fast as modern ones.
If you want a high quality drive, the M4 is the best choice but it's about €94.

flying11

so i am ordering this within the next hour or 2 and i have one final question.

I have decided to get hardwareversand to build it for me. i just want to know if the computer will be well packaged? - basically i want to make sure it doesnt get damaged during shipping/delivery?

Serephucus

Much faster SSD, if you can spare the tenner.

http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=51652&agid=1145

Edit: RE packaging, yeah, it will be. They may not install your GPU for you, or your CPU cooler (if you got a big, aftermarket one) for that reason - stuff can break things if it's heavy. Honestly, I'd try build it yourself, if only for the experience. It's dead easy, seriously. If you really get stuck, I can walk you through it over Skype or something, or you can just post here with problems and you'll have plenty of people on-hand to help. Go on! Give it a go!

Jovem

How did you get on with your project? I'm a noob too and would love to give this a go