best value pc for 800 euro

John Kelly of

Hi Guys
would appreciate some advice as my brain is starting to melt.
I need a new pc with monitor mouse and keyboard.
I would like something to last for about 5 years.
Does it matter if the operating system is windows 7 or 8?
I already have an old compaq presario with amd athlon 64 and am wondering would it be possible to connect old and new pcs by direct cable without using internet in order to play games.
The only other consideration is that I recently bought adobe dreamweaver for building websites so that would have to work as well.
Any recommendations?.

uncle_sam_ie

Building your own is the best way to go for a desktop PC. Building your own is very easy to do these days, it's like Lego. But if you really don't want to do it, the German site that is most used for buying components in the PC building forum will assembly it for you for 20 euro's. Or, one of us will do it for free if you ask. The warranty on all the components is much longer (2 to 7 years) then the usual one year the pre-build crowd will give you.
Go over to the PC building forum and fill this out
1. What is your budget? [€xxx]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.]

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

tuxy

Melendez wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I'm fairly sure you could have got it cheaper from hardwareversand.de they put the parts together for €20

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

tuxy

Chillblast Fusion 7

Cooler Master CM690 II Lite Case
Intel Core I7 3770K Processor overclocked up to 4.2GHz
Asaka Nero Silent CPU Cooler
Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard with Z77 chipset
8GB PC3-10666 DDR3 Memory
ATi Radeon HD6770 1024MB Graphics Card
1000GB SATA 7200rpm Hard Disk
24x DVD-RW Optical Drive
OCZ 600W Power Supply
Onboard High Definition Audio
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM

£1099.99 inc VAT = 1342.54

Item|Price
Corsair Vengeance C70 PC Gaming Case, Gunmetal Black, ohne Netzteil|€117.51
Intel Core i7-3770K Tray, LGA1155|€297.00
Scythe Mugen 3, für alle Sockel geeignet|€36.07
ASUS P8Z77-V LX, Sockel 1155, ATX, DDR3|€94.35
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€33.48
HIS HD 7770 GDDR5 1024MB DVI HDMI 2xMiniDP|€104.99
SEAGATE Constellation ES 7200 1TB SATA 6GB's|€91.33
ASUS DRW-24B5ST bare|€20.88
Corsair Builder Serie CX600 V3 Non-Modular 80+ Bronze, 600 Watt|€61.01
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|€86.49
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€982.10

I couldn't pick all of the same parts but tried to keep it as close as possible.
I don't know why they are selling the system with a graphics card that has been discontinued.


I think your calculations are a bit off, €360 is a huge saving!
We can help anyone pick all the parts and there are people on here that will even call round and build the pc free of charge.

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

tuxy

I see, that Chillbird Firebird is actually good value
You made a few mistakes with your hardwareversand parts lists. Sound and network ports already come on the motherboard.

Here's a better match
Item|Price
Intel Core i7-3770 Tray, LGA1155|€258.15
Thermalright True Spirit 120 Rev. A BW|€29.58
ASUS P8Z77-V LX2, Sockel 1155, ATX, DDR3|€95.54
16GB-Kit Corsair XMS3 PC3-12800U CL9|€69.70
Intel SSD 330 Series 120GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€94.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€87.14
Corsair Builder Serie CX600 V3 Non-Modular 80+ Bronze, 600 Watt|€61.01
MS Windows 8 64bit (SB-Version) Englisch|€86.56
Iiyama ProLite X2377HDS-B1|€168.91
Logitech Wireless Desktop MK260|€22.56
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
EVGA GeForce GTX 680, 2048MB DDR5, PCI-Express|€439.71
LogiLink USB 2.0 all-in-one Card Reader, für 3,5" Einbauchschacht|€3.32
LG CH10LS Blu-Ray ROM Bulk|€59.90
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€56.68
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€1572.74

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

TerrorFirmer

The Firebird seems good value for a prebuilt system. Can't fault it too much. The Fusion though....a 6770 in a 1,300 euro machine? Baffling. Only 200 extra for the GTX680 (about 400% faster), SSD, bigger HD, and so on...

John Kelly of

Thanks for the advice guys I reckon I might increase my spend now and get that Chillblast Fusion Firebird as I don't fancy the idea of building a pc.
http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Firebird.html
What are the odds something will go wrong with it? and is it easy to get something like that repaired here in Ireland as it would cost a fortune to send it back to England.

martinburke

Just Buy this . save a bit of money . upgrade in a few years . never spend big money on hardware !

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008LZFUJM

I think this one is even expensive , you can get them with or without OS, Keyboard, and Mouse.

John Kelly of

Thanks. I've looked at that and I am wondering why it's so much cheaper?.
The list of details for that one is as follows

3.6GHz AMD FX 4100 Quad Core Bulldozer Processor (Turbo Speed 3.8GHz)
8GB of DDR3 1333Mhz RAM
2000GB (2TB) Hard Drive Storage Space
Nvidia Geforce GT 620 1GB Dedicated Graphics Card
Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3 Motherboard & Drivers

The list for the chillblast firebird are as follows

Corsair Carbine 200R case
Intel Core i7 3770 "Ivy Bridge" overclocked to up to 4.6GHz
Akasa Nero 3 Silent CPU Cooler
Asus P8Z77-V Motherboard
16GB 1600MHZ DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX Kepler 680 Video Card
120GB Intel 330 Series SSD Drive
2000GB SATA Hard Disk
LG Blu Ray Combi Drive
Corsair 600W Power Supply
On board High Definition Audio
17 in 1 card reader
Windows 8 64bit


Now I am wondering why it's twice the price for the Chillblast and will it be worth it in 5 or 6 years time. The Chillblast website and products are recommended by pc advisor etc. but mabye thats not to be trusted either.

martinburke

*if you spend big , it will hurt you in 6 months to see new tech blow your graphics card by50% even though there are no games to utilize it fully.

*This is a comparison vid for hit-man (its one of many and their mostly all the same)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw-EajsObOo
My point , current gen game consoles are almost 10years old and can be picked up for spare change they will play the latest games flawlessley with little difference . but with one big difference in the pocket.

*As for your web building, i have a 5 year old parkard bell laptop "EasyNoteTJ61" with a battery that is busted and it runs heavy applications like Photoshop CS6 with little stutter even when i'm using multiple RAW photographs, which can be over 20mb each. Look after your machine with some free antivirus like "AVAST" and malware removal "Spybot S&D" (without TeaTimer) your system will run like the day you bought it.

*Windows 8 seems to be a lot smoother. boots and shutdowns are super fast compared to win 7 . No compatability issues as yet. (windows 8 store is terrible BTW)

* all you need to play games via cable or wireless on your pc is a router, just get a little cheep one. no need for internet unless you want it.

Bottom line a decent pc will run most games on high and still look good. When you move into ultra and above there is no major difference (look at the vid above) Save your money. and before you buy read some reviews on the products.

tuxy

martinburke wrote: »

Just Buy this . save a bit of money . upgrade in a few years . never spend big money on hardware !

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008LZFUJM

I think this one is even expensive , you can get them with or without OS, Keyboard, and Mouse.

What ever you do, do not buy that system. It's not suitable for modern games, terrible hardware. You can get something decent for that price but that one is junk and only worth. If your looking for a gaming pc for 500-600 euro range head over to this forum
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=842
The lads there really know their stuff. Most people that go there build themselves but they can give you advice on how to get the best prebuilt system.
If you live fairly close by to some of the regular posters they can even call around and put your system together for free.

martinburke

tuxy wrote: »

What ever you do, do not buy that system. It's not suitable for modern games, terrible hardware. You can get something decent for that price but that one is junk and only worth. If your looking for a gaming pc for 500-600 euro range head over to this forum
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=842
The lads there really know their stuff. Most people that go there build themselves but they can give you advice on how to get the best prebuilt system.

It really depends what he wants to run. but i agree go to the forums and read a fair bit before you decide. but you would be mad to spend big bucks.
the rig above was only a quick google search, make sure you know what you are gonna buy before you make your mind up. have a look at the buyer reviews on AMAZON see what they say about the systems and what they can and cant do.

tuxy

martinburke wrote: »

It really depends what he wants to run.

That's true but it advertises it's self as a gaming pc and then puts a €40 graphics card in it. The graphics card is the most important part of a gaming pc.
The GeForce GT 620 would struggle at games like far cry 3 even if you set everything to low.

areyawell

martinburke wrote: »

It really depends what he wants to run. but i agree go to the forums and read a fair bit before you decide. but you would be mad to spend big bucks.
the rig above was only a quick google search, make sure you know what you are gonna buy before you make your mind up. have a look at the buyer reviews on AMAZON see what they say about the systems and what they can and cant do.

Sorry but you are talking rubbish. Most of the Pcs on Amazon are crap with bad parts. Most PCs from normal shops are crap as well. Ideally for the OP he could build a decent gaming Pc for 500 quid with good parts, depends on how much he wants to spend really but ideally would want to spend 700 and get an i5 in the build.

That PC you linked on Amazon isn't worth 200 euro to be honest. Terrible graphics card and parts for the price. 500 pounds, you mad?

OP Hardware Versand will put the PC together for you for 20 euro and all parts have a three year warranty.

If you want value for money and not a PC with crappy parts, a PC that is hundreds of euros overpriced then building your own is the only option really, especially for a gaming rig.

martinburke

if you were willing to save a bit by just getting the tower you could get a serious rig for €800. you would probably have to get air conditioning though, gaming rigs can get HOT lol.

areyawell

martinburke wrote: »

if you were willing to save a bit by just getting the tower you could get a serious rig for €800. you would probably have to get air conditioning though, gaming rigs can get HOT lol.

What are you talking about?

martinburke

i really hope pc gaming comes back strong and they get the platform sorted. i think steam are going the right way with "Big Picture" and bringing it into the living room.

€129 for xbox 360 arcade, that will play crysis 3.
i want to play Planetside2 but i'm not breaking the bank.

tuxy

areyawell wrote: »

Sorry but you are talking rubbish.

Thank you, this is what I wanted to say but I held back.
I really hate people who are clueless pretending they know what they are talking about. I post on building and upgrading often and I really try to give the best advice I can. People will end up spending €500 - €2000 on hardware based on your recommended, I would feel awful if I gave bad advice.

beno619

martinburke wrote: »

i really hope pc gaming comes back strong and they get the platform sorted. i think steam are going the right way with "Big Picture" and bringing it into the living room.

€129 for xbox 360 arcade, that will play crysis 3.
i want to play Planetside2 but i'm not breaking the bank.

Fantastic video for anyone wondering about jumping into PC gaming,
Thought it would be quite appropriate, < €400 build that blows consoles away !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh455l3348s

martinburke

beno619 wrote: »

Fantastic video for anyone wondering about jumping into PC gaming,
Thought it would be quite appropriate, < €400 build that blows consoles away !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh455l3348s

Nice One !!

tuxy

beno619 wrote: »

Fantastic video for anyone wondering about jumping into PC gaming,
Thought it would be quite appropriate, < €400 build that blows consoles away !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh455l3348s

The parts that guy picked are a good example of what to go for in a low end gaming system. Good bank for buck.

areyawell

beno619 wrote: »

Fantastic video for anyone wondering about jumping into PC gaming,
Thought it would be quite appropriate, < €400 build that blows consoles away !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh455l3348s

Yes you can build a gaming PC for around 400 euro that will play all games on ultra settings, my one does. Will have to update it in a year id say.

But if you want one to last a couple of years, then better off spending the extra couple of hundred.

Basically the same as my PC but I have the X4 965 nicely overclocked too

tuxy

areyawell wrote: »

Yes you can build a gaming PC for around 400 euro that will play all games on ultra settings, my one does. Will have to update it in a year id say.

But if you want one to last a couple of years, then better off spending the extra couple of hundred.

Basically the same as my PC but I have the X4 965

There is a price point where you get the best value. I think it's around €600 - €700. Right now an i5 with 7870 would be perfect then in two years get a new graphics card for €200, the i5 will still be a good processor at that stage. This would work out better than just spending €1000 right now.
The only problem with the €400 systems is the processor could be a real weak point in a few years.

TerrorFirmer

martinburke wrote: »

*if you spend big , it will hurt you in 6 months to see new tech blow your graphics card by50% even though there are no games to utilize it fully.

*This is a comparison vid for hit-man (its one of many and their mostly all the same)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw-EajsObOo
My point , current gen game consoles are almost 10years old and can be picked up for spare change they will play the latest games flawlessley with little difference . but with one big difference in the pocket.

*As for your web building, i have a 5 year old parkard bell laptop "EasyNoteTJ61" with a battery that is busted and it runs heavy applications like Photoshop CS6 with little stutter even when i'm using multiple RAW photographs, which can be over 20mb each. Look after your machine with some free antivirus like "AVAST" and malware removal "Spybot S&D" (without TeaTimer) your system will run like the day you bought it.

*Windows 8 seems to be a lot smoother. boots and shutdowns are super fast compared to win 7 . No compatability issues as yet. (windows 8 store is terrible BTW)

* all you need to play games via cable or wireless on your pc is a router, just get a little cheep one. no need for internet unless you want it.

Bottom line a decent pc will run most games on high and still look good. When you move into ultra and above there is no major difference (look at the vid above)

This post is so full of waffle I don't know where to begin.

That video you've linked to is extremely ill-informed...

There is a massive difference in visual quality between a PC and a console - a 100 euro graphics card can play games at much higher visual levels than a console; one for about 150 can play games at almost double the visual quality of consoles. Obviously you'll never seen games running on any sort of a decent PC if you think consoles and PCs have little to distinguish one from the other.

Don't understand what this 'ultra' thing you're talking about is. 6 months down the line does not render your technology 50% slower than it's successor. I would understand somewhat if he was buying GTX690 SLI or something but a single GTX680 is hardly total overkill for a high quality gaming machine and saying that 'no game can utilize it' is completely and utterly untrue.

If you bought a Core 2 Duo E6850 almost 6 years ago, you could still be playing the latest games at decent settings with a 150 euro graphics card. I still have one in my secondary machine and with an 80 euro 7750 video card it kicks the 360 and Ps3's ass in image quality.

If you actually set out to build a machine that simply equaled the 360 and PS3, it could be built for less than the cost of either console. My secondary machine is an E6850, 7750 1GB, 3GB Ram - total cost, about 160 euro when I sourced the parts lately, including a monitor (19" 720P resolution)

If you set out to build a machine that betters both consoles, it can be done for considerably less than 400.

That Amazon PC is rubbish.New games would struggle at low settings. Hardly commendable for a 500 pound 'gaming' PC.

TerrorFirmer

tuxy wrote: »

There is a price point where you get the best value. I think it's around €600 - €700. Right now an i5 with 7870 would be perfect then in two years get a new graphics card for €200, the i5 will still be a good processor at that stage. This would work out better than just spending €1000 right now.
The only problem with the €400 systems is the processor could be a real weak point in a few years.

The advantage is that by you can constantly upgrade via the 2nd hand market, and benefit from the enthusiasts that will be selling their old S1155's in favor of newer sockets or simply better cpus. The current CPUs, especially the k's, will be good for another few years at high end gaming.

The days of budget gaming hit a peak with Core 2, when even the dirt cheap E2160 could be had for pennies and overclocked with the stock cooler from 1.6 to 3+Ghz easily, pushing them up towards performance levels of high end CPUs of the time. I miss those days, can't squeeze the value out of Intel CPUs like you used to unless you go for an i5k. I still have an old E2180, it's worth about 15 euro but it can hit about 3.4Ghz on the stock intel cooler and it's able to run BF3 alright when OC'd like that. Best price:performance ratio I have ever seen from a CPU when I first got it years ago.

martinburke

Jesus but I got told off there . apologies .

I am actually thinking of building something like this for myself. Go easy !

What to you think ?

Intel i3, 2120 Scan Code Ln36723
Asus Board P8b75 Scan Code Ln44307
Case Fractal Design 3000 ,Scan Code Ln40557
Ram 8Gb Corsair , Scan Code Ln 48065
Gfx Card XFX HD 7770 1GB Scan Code Ln43527
CD Drive Scan Code Ln 45355
HDD 500GB , Scan Code Ln 31476
PSU, Corsair CX500 Scan Code Ln47075

Total €525

Thoughts ?

tuxy

martinburke wrote: »

Jesus but I got told off there . apologies .

I am actually thinking of building something like this for myself. Go easy !

What to you think ?

Intel i3, 2120 Scan Code Ln36723
Asus Board P8b75 Scan Code Ln44307
Case Fractal Design 3000 ,Scan Code Ln40557
Ram 8Gb Corsair , Scan Code Ln 48065
Gfx Card XFX HD 7770 1GB Scan Code Ln43527
CD Drive Scan Code Ln 45355
HDD 500GB , Scan Code Ln 31476
PSU, Corsair CX500 Scan Code Ln47075

Total €525

Thoughts ?

No probs it's just you should not comment if you don't know what you're talking about. Someone could end up wasting money.

You're build looks ok but the graphics card is weak. It could not handle 1080p res. A 7850 is much better than a 7770.

How about this?

Item|Price
Intel Core i3-2120 Box, LGA1155|€104.02
ASRock B75 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€67.19
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€33.50
LiteOn iHAS124-04 schwarz SATA|€17.09
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€52.49
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.35
HIS HD 7850 GDDR5 1024MB DVI/HDMI/2xMini DP|€157.49
BitFenix Merc Beta|€32.18
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€525.30

martinburke

tuxy wrote: »

No probs it's just you should not comment if you don't know what you're talking about. Someone could end up wasting money.

You're build looks ok but the graphics card is weak. It could not handle 1080p res. A 7850 is much better than a 7770.

How about this?

Item|Price
Intel Core i3-2120 Box, LGA1155|€104.02
ASRock B75 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€67.19
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€33.50
LiteOn iHAS124-04 schwarz SATA|€17.09
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€52.49
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.35
HIS HD 7850 GDDR5 1024MB DVI/HDMI/2xMini DP|€157.49
BitFenix Merc Beta|€32.18
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€525.30

I will definitely check this out . Thank you .

Neodymium

martinburke wrote: »

I will definitely check this out . Thank you .

The ivybridge i3 3220 is only about a euro more.
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/Socket+1155/65982/Intel+Core+i3-3220+Box%2C+LGA1155.article

martinburke

Neodymium wrote: »

The ivybridge i3 3220 is only about a euro more.
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/Socket+1155/65982/Intel+Core+i3-3220+Box%2C+LGA1155.article

Good Call. benchmarked both CPU's and for the extra few dollars you get a nice bump in score. Thanks.