Moving from Xbox for PC.

[FMod]

All other specs the same? Also same video card, 7850?

 

I suppose the parts aren't quite what I would pick, but at least this time it should be pretty decent. HD7850 might not max out the visual settings, but the CPU is good enough to last you for a long while. In short it's not bad.

 

 

 

I just get so confused when looking at the parts and figuring out which motherboard is compatible with the CPU I want.

That shouldn't be a problem - if you decide to build it, people here can just give you a complete list of parts to buy.

 

The only parts that can be a concern are the mechanics, i.e. handling the parts, putting in the screws, securing the connectors. Very easy for anyone with any experience handling the internals of anything, but might be daunting without.

Edited December 26, 2012 by FMod

[dejay1788]

All other specs the same? Also same video card, 7850?

 

I suppose the parts aren't quite what I would pick, but at least this time it should be pretty decent. HD7850 might not max out the visual settings, but the CPU is good enough to last you for a long while. In short it's not bad.

 

 

 

I just get so confused when looking at the parts and figuring out which motherboard is compatible with the CPU I want.

That shouldn't be a problem - if you decide to build it, people here can just give you a complete list of parts to buy.

 

The only parts that can be a concern are the mechanics, i.e. handling the parts, putting in the screws, securing the connectors. Very easy for anyone with any experience handling the internals of anything, but might be daunting without.

 

Yeah it's got the same video card too.

 

I am confident I would be able to put the machine together, plus my girlfriend has just informed me that her uncle used to build computers, but isn't really clued up on the latest parts these days.

[FMod]

Well, keep that PC in mind as an option if the build doesn't fall through.

 

If you can handle the mechanics of it, there's no reason not to build it yourself. The advantage is that you'll be able to pick better parts than what mass makers and stores put in, so the PC will be more reliable, quieter and potentially faster. Plus, in the long run, easier to upgrade.

 

Do you know any online retailers around you or stores you would consider for parts? With a website that lists parts and prices. Given that, me or someone else here can make a complete list.

[dejay1788]

Scan.co.uk

Overclockers.co.uk

 

Those are the only two major ones I know of in the UK.

[FMod]

All right, I'll make a sample config. Someone else might suggest changes later.

What are your priorities, aside from performance?

Mention what from this list they include:

 

- Low noise (can be made nearly silent)

- Future expansion

- Communication features (wireless, extra ports, etc)

- Media storage (HD films, etc)

[dejay1788]

Thank you,

 

I'd say future expansion and a decent size hard drive for media.

[FMod]

Well, here is a preliminary build. Not what to get, just an estimate.

I was shooting at a US $900 build, underestimated some things, so due to price differences it went over the budget if you add an OS (not an easy choice here either, W7 or W8).

 

But it has room for savings. This build has HD7870 instead of 7850, a 2TB HDD instead of 1TB, a better cooler and a performance motherboard with support for overclocking and dual GPU. Should be possible to cut about 60 pounds by scaling back to 7850, 1TB, on other parts.

 

I'm sure on most parts, with the exceptions of the case (I know very little about low-cost ones), and of course keyboard&mouse are personal preference.

 

 

---

£109.15 Intel Core i5 3350P, S 1155, Ivy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.1GHz, 5 GT/s DMI, 69W, Retail

LN46418

£64.77 MSI Z77A-G45, Intel Z77, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0 (x16), D-Sub/ DVI-D/ HDMI, ATX

LN43582

£61.98 2TB WD WD20EARX Caviar Green Quiet SATA 6Gb/s IntelliPower (5900rpm) 64MB Cache 8ms HDD OEM

LN40361

£134.78 2GB XFX Radeon HD 7870 Core Edition, 4800MHz GDDR5, 28nm, GPU 1000MHz, 1280 Cores, DL DVI/HDMI/mDP + *4 Free Games*

LN43945

£39.50 500W OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP-UK, Hybrid Modular, 86% Eff', 80 PLUS, SLI/CrossFire, EPS 12V, 135mm Quiet Fan, ATX

LN31466

£29.16 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Jet Black Low Profile, PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.5V

LN39754

£25.02 Silverstone PS02B Precision Black Mid Tower Case w/o PSU

LN25471

£16.98 Zalman CNPS10X-Optima Shark's Fin Blade CPU Cooler for Intel & AMD CPU's

LN43504

£8.35 Logitech K200 Keyboard for Business, Black Spillproof, Low profile but Full size keys USB

LN40657

£4.98 Logitech RX250 Black Optical Mouse, Black, 3 Button Scrol, 1000dpi, USB/PS2

LN23295

 

Net Total

£494.67

Carriage

£9.15

VAT

£100.77

Total

£604.59

---

[FMod]

Attempt at cost-cutting. Only replacements shown.

 

 

-8 pounds: £56.77 MSI Z77A-G43, Intel Z77, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0 (x16), D-Sub/ DVI-D/ HDMI, ATX

LN43584 -

-5 pounds: £24.80 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Low Profile Jet Black PC3-12800 (1600MHz), Non-ECC, Unbuffered, CAS 11-11-11-30, 1.5V

LN48374

-20 pounds: £115.78 2GB XFX Radeon HD 7850 Core Edition, 4800MHz GDDR5, 28nm, GPU 860MHz, 1024 Cores, DVI/HDMI/mDP +Free Game*

LN45220

-20 pounds: £42.98 1TB Toshiba DT01ACA100 (7K1000.D), 3.5" HDD, SATA III - 6Gb/s, 7200rpm, 32MB Cache

LN47095

-4 pounds: £35.38 380W Seasonic S12II-380 Bronze PSU, 82+% Eff', 20/24 pin, 120mm Fan, PSU

LN27627

added OS +£57.80 Microsoft Windows 8 64bit

 

Total £608.58

 

You could save another 20 by removing the CPU cooler and using the one in the box. It's louder and not as good, but it does the job.

 

Of these cost cuts, most make sense, but I would really avoid the 7870->7850 one. 7870 is faster, it's not so fast that it's "more than needed", the 4 games it comes with include DX:HR, which isn't totally worthless. The rest, pretty much feel free to, it matters little. Of course with the hard drive the capacity difference is pretty obvious.

 

On Windows, it's tricky. Microsoft had a few screwups/internal miscommunications with their licensing policy and practices for Win8, and seems to have "forgotten" to include a proper retail version. So there's just an OEM one and a "Retail upgrade", which is actually a full install. People's opinions on this are divided, it's complex and I can't go into detail; suffice to say that both work, but the licensing model implies that new customers get the OEM one.

 

And then some people just stick with Windows 7. I prefer it, personally. But it's one thing to keep what you have, another to buy a yesterday's product; it's not like Windows 8 is really bad, it just drops some features that users hold dear.

In either case, the PC specified doesn't include a DVD drive (rarely needed these days), so you'll need to use another to make a USB stick (fortunately it's easy) to install it.

Edited December 27, 2012 by FMod

[JimboUK]

Scan.co.uk

Overclockers.co.uk

 

Those are the only two major ones I know of in the UK.

 

These are worth a look http://www.novatech.co.uk/ I'm not sure what's going on with Overclockers but someone I know ordered one from there last year and it looked like it had been assembled by a drunken monkey, they were good in the past so it may just be a one off but I thought it worth mentioning.

[Erenar]

One bit of advice... never skimp on PSUs... one of the most underrated pieces of tech in a PC. Make sure you get a solid performing one that will last as most cheap ones won't last long... rails lose power quicker than they should. And I doubt 380 will be enough for the 7850 anyway... iirc the 4870 needs a 450-500 so my guess would be that you will need 500-650 or the rails just won't supply enough to get it past it's first power up sequence.

 

Also price per performance, the 7870 will outstrip the 7850 by a long margin.

 

Just my 2 cents