New PC - thoughts?

podgeandrodge

Am currently looking at a new PC and am down to this:

Chillblast Fusion Elixir

EZCool A200D Case
Intel Core i5 2500K Processor overclocked to up to 4.6GHz
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Cooler
Asus P8Z68-V LE Motherboard with USB 3.0 -B3 Revision
8GB PC3-10666 DDR3 Memory
ATi Radeon 6850 1GB Graphics Card
1000GB SATA 7200rpm Hard Disk
Sony DVD-RW 24x Drive
650watt EZCool PSU


Price: £599 = €722 + €50 delivery = €772

Options: Add card reader, change PSU, add bluray writer, add a better case (every addition including the price of the previous addition)


+ 3.5 bay card reader £623 = €750 + €50 delivery = €800

+ OCZ 600W StealthXstream 2 £665 = €800 + €50 delivery = €850

+ Bluray writer £761 = €917 + €50 delivery = €967

+ dominator advanced 2 case £838 = €1,010 + €50 delivery = €1,060


(Reason for case upgrade is mainly that it has a 2.5/3.5 external drive bay fitted in the case which would be handy sometimes, also has 3 fans included)

Thoughts appreciated.

Eboggles

Thats very expensive for the components you're getting, try this:

Item|Price
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€17.83
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€187.99
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€52.08
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro(Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2 +/AM3/AM3+/FM1)|€23.99
MSI Z68A-G43 (G3), Intel Z68, ATX, DDR3|€89.23
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€33.65
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
Akasa AK-ICR-14 USB 3.0 6-Port Card Reader, 8,89cm (3,5"), schwarz/weiß|€23.16
BitFenix Shinobi Midi-Tower USB 3.0 black, ohne Netzteil|€53.04
XFX DD RADEON 7870 1000M 2GB D5 2x mDP HDMI 2x DVI|€319.58
Samsung EcoGreen F3 1TB,SATA II HD105SI|€95.54
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€75.59
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€1010.67

Comes around the same price as the slightly better build you posted.

Thats using Hardwareversand.de, a very poplular choice here at the PC Building and Upgrading forum. You're getting a much better system, for €100 cheaper. Main differences between this build and yours would be

• Much better GPU
  
• Added in an SSD, boots up Windows in seconds (and I mean seconds)
  
• Great case with USB 3.0

Whats not to love? Oh and by the way, here's a comparison between the two graphics cards.



And that's without overclocking, you'll be getting and extra 5-20% increase if you overclock.

EDIT: Forgot to throw in a Blu-Ray, they're a waste of money but if you want one here ya go.

podgeandrodge

Hi Eboggles, thanks for that.

But I think you have to take into consideration that Chillblast are actually building this for me - I don't intend to take on a build myself much as it would be potentially satisfying!

Eboggles

podgeandrodge wrote: »

Hi Eboggles, thanks for that.

But I think you have to take into consideration that Chillblast are actually building this for me - I don't intend to take on a build myself much as it would be potentially satisfying!

They will build it for you, I have the option in the basket "Rechner - Zussamenbau". They do a very tidy job .

EDIT: Actually forgot Windows 7 in the build, so its now the same price. Here it is.

Item|Price
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€17.83
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€187.99
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€52.08
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro(Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2 +/AM3/AM3+/FM1)|€23.99
MSI Z68A-G43 (G3), Intel Z68, ATX, DDR3|€89.23
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€33.65
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
Akasa AK-ICR-14 USB 3.0 6-Port Card Reader, 8,89cm (3,5"), schwarz/weiß|€23.16
BitFenix Shinobi Midi-Tower USB 3.0 black, ohne Netzteil|€53.04
XFX DD RADEON 7870 1000M 2GB D5 2x mDP HDMI 2x DVI|€319.58
Samsung EcoGreen F3 1TB,SATA II HD105SI|€95.54
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€75.59
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|€83.64
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€1094.31

podgeandrodge

Thanks Eboggles. Your cost excluded the bluray but did include an SSD and the better GPU - I'm trying to minimise my costs though and using your suggested website have brought down your build to something similar to mine - which does appear to save me about €150.

Intel Core i5-2500K Box ..................................187.99
LG BH10LS38 Blu-Ray bulk .........................................69.91
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 - Pro PWM Rev.2 .................................14.95
MSI Z68A-G43 (G3), Intel Z68, ATX, DDR3 ................................89.23
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 ......................................33.65
Rechner - Zusammenbau ......................................20.00
Akasa AK-ICR-14 USB 3.0 6-Port Card Reader ........................ 23.16
Cooler Master 690 II Advanced Window USB ........................ 91.32
Samsung EcoGreen F3 1TB,SATA II HD105SI ............................ 95.54
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit Englisch ........................ 83.64
Sapphire HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 PCI-Express .........................119.91
Corsair Builder Series CX600 V2, 600 Watt ........................ 57.57
Shipping ..................... 18.99

TOTAL .................... €905.86


The above appears to be the closest I can get to the Chillblast build of €1,060.

I am drawn still to Chillblast due to many awards on service and build quality from PC Advisor etc in the UK but Hardwareversand certainly has got me thinking!

ps. how do you get the formatted listing from that website when you have a basket?!

yoyo

I can move this over to Bulding & Upgrading for you op if you want to go that route. As said many of the component sites will build your machine for you for a smallish fee

Nick

podgeandrodge

yoyo wrote: »

I can move this over to Bulding & Upgrading for you op if you want to go that route. As said many of the component sites will build your machine for you for a smallish fee

Nick

Thanks Nick but I'll stick with the "return it all if it goes wrong" route.

Hence I will probably go with Chillblast due to their more being a shop than a component site and with a UK reputation that seems to be very high - together with advice received from them via email. But appreciate alternative advice given to me by Eboggles.

Cheers.

Would appreciate if anyone had comments on the build i.e. PSU's/MB etc - based on the options site here:

http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Elixir.html

thanks.

yoyo

podgeandrodge wrote: »

Thanks Nick but I'll stick with the "return it all if it goes wrong" route.

Hence I will probably go with Chillblast due to their more being a shop than a component site and with a UK reputation that seems to be very high - together with advice received from them via email. But appreciate alternative advice given to me by Eboggles.

Cheers.

Would appreciate if anyone had comments on the build i.e. PSU's/MB etc - based on the options site here:

http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Elixir.html

thanks.

Looks like a cheap & nasty PSU, never had a Ez Cool one but reviews on Google suggest that it may not be good. My reccomendation would be getting a decent Corsair, Antec, Seasonic etc PSU, excellent "who makes the PSU" guide here

Nick

uncle_sam_ie

Why a Blue-Ray player? I prefer Eboggels with the better GPU card and Shinobi case.

podgeandrodge

yoyo wrote: »

Looks like a cheap & nasty PSU, never had a Ez Cool one but reviews on Google suggest that it may not be good. My reccomendation would be getting a decent Corsair, Antec, Seasonic etc PSU, excellent "who makes the PSU" guide here

Nick

Hi Nick, my build includes a OCZ 600W StealthXstream 2 PSU instead which appears to have good reviews. - Edit - your guide has me wondering - a bit of a mixed bag with OCZ - might change this!

Uncle Sam - bluray cos I have a bit of archiving to do - and I had previous archives on external portable hard drives which failed - I'm beginning to think DVD/Bluray discs are a safer option for some data...based on my experience with a couple of 500gb externals anyway...Yes, Eboggles build is better (and dearer) but I am focusing on a PC shop/builder with a good reputation in the UK rather than purchasing from Germany - easier to return etc etc.

thanks.

uncle_sam_ie

The safest way to archive your data is to use one of the cloud storage sites. http://www.top10cloudstorage.com/cloud-storage/
I've never herd of Chillblast and I doubt many here would purchase from there but, you seem to have your mind set on using them so go for it.

podgeandrodge

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

The safest way to archive your data is to use one of the cloud storage sites. http://www.top10cloudstorage.com/cloud-storage/
I've never herd of Chillblast and I doubt many here would purchase from there but, you seem to have your mind set on using them so go for it.

Hi Unclesam - it's not that I have any obsession with Chillblast - I'm going on the fact that they, as a company, seem to be consistently winning nearly all the awards on PC Advisor/PC Pro and Computer Shopper. Like you, I never heard of them until a few months ago when reading these magazines. But I'm confident that they are reliable.


Chillblast wins PC Advisor's Best Desktop PC Brand of 2012 award

Read more: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features/desktop-pc/3340310/chillblast-wins-pc-advisors-best-desktop-pc-brand-of-2012-award/#ixzz1rfRBkQFq

PC Pro Review of the model I am considering:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/desktops/372364/chillblast-fusion-elixir

To be honest, it is probably these reviews and awards that is preventing me from going via the Germany route.

Thanks for the info on the cloud storage - it would take a lot of time to upload a terrabyte or so to these though?

uncle_sam_ie

I have never used Hardwareversand, I bought of my build from Komplett and Quietpc.ie, but it comes highly recommended from the lads over on PC building & Upgrading. So, I wouldn't worry about using them. The build your considering is OK( a lot better then a Dell) apart from the PSU, which is ****. But, I wouldn't buy it. Why? I don't like the case and the components are just average for the price. For example I'd prefer this MB http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=50900&agid=1601. But that's just me, each to their own. Eboggles is just one build. Go over to the PC building & Upgrading forum and see what else they can come up with. There is no harm in that.
The cloud storage took a couple of nights to upload but once it's there your flying.

TerrorFirmer

The StealthXStream I wouldn't call ****, it's a decent PSU but maybe a little short on options for any sort of enthusiast build. I would prefer the CX600 over that one really.

I definitely think the HWS build is miles better then that Chillblast one overall, especially for games...definitely think it over. HWS are a great company. I honestly never even heard of Chillblast before!

uncle_sam_ie

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

The StealthXStream I wouldn't call ****, it's a decent PSU but maybe a little short on options for any sort of enthusiast build. I would prefer the CX600 over that one really.

!

No I'm talking about the one that comes with the PC. The 650watt EZCool PSU from the review he linked

podgeandrodge

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

I don't like the case

The standard one with the original spec or the one I was thinking of upgrading to - the Cooler Master CM-690 II Advanced Dominator Case? This seems to have won a lot of good reviews?

Terrorfirmer - I agree the other build is much better for games but it is a bit dearer as a result and doesn't include the bluray writer (points on cloud storage taken which would up the price more). But I am not really a gamer so this is probably why I am not concentrating too much on that!

uncle_sam_ie

podgeandrodge wrote: »

The standard one with the original spec or the one I was thinking of upgrading to - the Cooler Master CM-690 II Advanced Dominator Case? This seems to have won a lot of good reviews?

Yeah, much better case. I considered the white version of that case for my build but went with the white R3 instead. http://www.quietpc.com/products/pc-cases/fd-definer3

yoyo

podgeandrodge wrote: »

Hi Nick, my build includes a OCZ 600W StealthXstream 2 PSU instead which appears to have good reviews. - Edit - your guide has me wondering - a bit of a mixed bag with OCZ - might change this!

Uncle Sam - bluray cos I have a bit of archiving to do - and I had previous archives on external portable hard drives which failed - I'm beginning to think DVD/Bluray discs are a safer option for some data...based on my experience with a couple of 500gb externals anyway...Yes, Eboggles build is better (and dearer) but I am focusing on a PC shop/builder with a good reputation in the UK rather than purchasing from Germany - easier to return etc etc.

thanks.

OCZ PSUs are pritty much ok tbh, It was the EzCool one I was voicing my concern about in the linked product (for the simple fact theres no proper reviews and peoples opinions are that they lost hardware with the same brand and seem to not be happy overall).
For a basic non gaming computer using a cheaper PSU will probably be ok (and for some basic builds I have done so), as without a dedicated video card and running CPU intensive programs the PSUs relyability may not even come into play, but with video cards and stuff I wouldn't risk it. Last thing you need is an unstable rig :P . Never skimp on the PSU is what they say, should get a decent case too (Coolermaster ones are good in my expierience)

Nick

TerrorFirmer

You'd think these companies would at least conjure better names for their products. Who in their right mind would trust a PSU from a company called 'EZcool'?

Seriously. Ya sorry about the mixup that was my fault, read into it as you guys referring to the StealthXstream 2 as '****', when it was actually the aforementioned EZcool one.

Overheal

From my last 2 builds I've grown very fond of Corsair. Their PSUs are nice with plenty of options and flexibility. Same goes with their cases, and their H60 watercooler was surprisingly silent, vs. watercoolers I've seen in the past. Did most of my last build with them, and the ASUS Sabertooth Motherboard. That board, btw, is awesome. ESPECIALLY if you're an overclocker: the Thermal Radar is the most fun I've had with temperatures in years. Come to grips with the fact that you don't need a Rampage or Maximus and the Sabertooth is your guy, slap in a single card solution and go nuts.

yoyo

Overheal wrote: »

From my last 2 builds I've grown very fond of Corsair. Their PSUs are nice with plenty of options and flexibility. Same goes with their cases, and their H60 watercooler was surprisingly silent, vs. watercoolers I've seen in the past. Did most of my last build with them, and the ASUS Sabertooth Motherboard. That board, btw, is awesome. ESPECIALLY if you're an overclocker: the Thermal Radar is the most fun I've had with temperatures in years. Come to grips with the fact that you don't need a Rampage or Maximus and the Sabertooth is your guy, slap in a single card solution and go nuts.

Same here, have a 650W Corsair one in my system now and it runs whisper quiet. Very well built PSUs, certainly you get what you pay for, if not a bit over priced. Most of the lower Corsair PSUs are built by Seasonic, which can be got quite cheap now and again

Nick

uncle_sam_ie

yoyo wrote: »

Same here, have a 650W Corsair one in my system now and it runs whisper quiet. Very well built PSUs, certainly you get what you pay for, if not a bit over priced. Most of the lower Corsair PSUs are built by Seasonic, which can be got quite cheap now and again

Nick

Some are made by Seasonic. Most of the lower end PSU's are made by CWT. Corsair have best service for returning stuff. I went with the Corsair AX750. It's very quite.The fan only turns on when the unit needs cooling.

podgeandrodge

Guys, thanks for all your advice earlier.

In the end I decided to tone it down a bit - I'm not a gamer (but the card will allow me some medium setting playing around on some games) and I don't need to overclock and therefore don't need better coolers etc etc and I do need harddrive space hence the 2TB drive

(And I accept I'd probably have got something cheaper from the Germans but wanted to pay by credit card with its inherent cover)

€880 total including delivery to Ireland.

InWin BUC BLACK GAMING CASE - USB 3 ports
Intel® Core™i5-2400 Quad Core (3.10GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
ASUS® P8Z77-V LX: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD6670 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11
2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE
10x LG BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£59)
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply 450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling INTEL SOCKET LGA1155 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Delivery 2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (£19)


I'm nearly afraid to have posted that cos I know you will all despair.

Oh, this was from PCSpecialist.co.uk by the way..

Cymric

Eboggles wrote: »

They will build it for you, I have the option in the basket "Rechner - Zussamenbau". They do a very tidy job .

EDIT: Actually forgot Windows 7 in the build, so its now the same price. Here it is.

Item|Price
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€17.83
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€187.99
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€52.08
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro(Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2 +/AM3/AM3+/FM1)|€23.99
MSI Z68A-G43 (G3), Intel Z68, ATX, DDR3|€89.23
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€33.65
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
Akasa AK-ICR-14 USB 3.0 6-Port Card Reader, 8,89cm (3,5"), schwarz/weiß|€23.16
BitFenix Shinobi Midi-Tower USB 3.0 black, ohne Netzteil|€53.04
XFX DD RADEON 7870 1000M 2GB D5 2x mDP HDMI 2x DVI|€319.58
Samsung EcoGreen F3 1TB,SATA II HD105SI|€95.54
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€75.59
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|€83.64
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€1094.31

I am also very seriously looking at buying the Chillblast Fusion Elixir but bumped into your conversation whilst searching for reviews and comments about it. I seriously get the point now about 'quality' components and am now very seriously considering the German route. Unfortunately I don't like the BitFenix Mid - Tower case, can you recommend a suitable alternative and preferably one that lights up blue? Silly, I know, but I like the look.

yoyo

Cymric wrote: »

I am also very seriously looking at buying the Chillblast Fusion Elixir but bumped into your conversation whilst searching for reviews and comments about it. I seriously get the point now about 'quality' components and am now very seriously considering the German route. Unfortunately I don't like the BitFenix Mid - Tower case, can you recommend a suitable alternative and preferably one that lights up blue? Silly, I know, but I like the look.

Take your pick. Any ATX midi-tower will do, this is a decent case I've used before, you can buy fans with blue LEDs in them to give a "blue light up look"

Nick