Can you get a decent rig..WITHOUT building it yourself?
- Thread starter Vault101
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Or check youtube/google for a guide on how to do it?Vault101 said:
Because I never built one myself, but in school we were taught the main components, and I figured by myself how to assemble one.
But since I was not confident enough, I paid 20? for the store to build it and test it for me.
I'm an absolute noob with SSDs...Gorfias said:
Doesn't installing the OS there mean that the constant updates will wear down your drive? Just asking.
I pick my own parts, I have the shop I'm buying them from assemble the PC for me. Why?
1. It doesn't cost that much.
2. My time has an intrinsic value.
3. Life is too short.
1. It doesn't cost that much.
2. My time has an intrinsic value.
3. Life is too short.
I got a pretty darn good Gaming PC from Novatech for just £700 (including OS) which as far as I know doesn't translate into "thousands of dollars" in today's exchange rate 
It's about thirteen months now and still playing new releases on High Graphics. Hell, it could handle the Ultras and Extremes games these days have too, but the framerate will be about 30-40 instead of 60+ (side note: people say the human eye can't detect any more than 30, but I SWEAR there's a difference).
Going by the law of technology you should be able to get one that's almost twice as good as mine for a similar price
From what I've found, so long as your pre-built machine isn't purchased from PC World (or any such equivalent that skimps on the smaller-but-no-less-important components) it'll usually be peaches and cream.
It's about thirteen months now and still playing new releases on High Graphics. Hell, it could handle the Ultras and Extremes games these days have too, but the framerate will be about 30-40 instead of 60+ (side note: people say the human eye can't detect any more than 30, but I SWEAR there's a difference).
Going by the law of technology you should be able to get one that's almost twice as good as mine for a similar price
From what I've found, so long as your pre-built machine isn't purchased from PC World (or any such equivalent that skimps on the smaller-but-no-less-important components) it'll usually be peaches and cream.
There are companys out there that will do it all for you, if your in the uk overclockers uk do custom systems, but in all honesty i've always found that any pc not built by myself cannot cope with the amount of usage i throw at it (these have all been prebuilt from fujitsu, dell, etc. not custom).
Close... very close. Bonus points if you got the Speccy as a kit and soldered it together yourself.ms_sunlight said:
Although you lose all points and have to wear The Hat of Schoolyard Shame if you later owned an Amstrad.
haha, good one.Vault101 said:
Although I would probably put it down to putting together delicate lego. Just get the parts,a guide, earth yourself and get working
Or... get your token tech savvy friend to do it (maybe a computer repair shop?). Cheaper than paying retail price, if you need money.
No, I was spared that shame, although my dad did later buy a BBC micro. (Lovely machine actually, so upgradeable, but so ugly!)RhombusHatesYou said:Close... very close. Bonus points if you got the Speccy as a kit and soldered it together yourself.ms_sunlight said:
Although you lose all points and have to wear The Hat of Schoolyard Shame if you later owned an Amstrad.
Once you start looking around, you'll notice that most stores offer combo deals for a processor + a mother board.
after that all you need is
a power supply unit
a hard disk drive for your OS
some RAM would be nice
and a Graphics card.
If you check the requirements for the kind of games that you want to play, you can get an idea of what kind of processing power you will need. The rest of the stuff doesn't really need to break the bank, until you get to the graphics card. And honestly, if you can hook up a dvd player or stereo, you can put together these 5/6 elements with the assistance of a few youtube videos if need be. Save your money!
after that all you need is
a power supply unit
a hard disk drive for your OS
some RAM would be nice
and a Graphics card.
If you check the requirements for the kind of games that you want to play, you can get an idea of what kind of processing power you will need. The rest of the stuff doesn't really need to break the bank, until you get to the graphics card. And honestly, if you can hook up a dvd player or stereo, you can put together these 5/6 elements with the assistance of a few youtube videos if need be. Save your money!
There are still very good gaming options out there even in pre-built packaged options.
But you REALLY have to do some research to find them.
For example, my current laptop is an ASUS G52, and it ran me about 1000 bucks brand new (250 for the 3 year warranty, but I got a pseudo-rebate for 200 bucks for being a college student; good thing I got it too, because I cracked the screen when I slipped on some ice about a year ago).
It still runs everything I've purchased just fine (not always maxed, but at least at good/average quality) and it's approaching 3 years old.
At the time, a comparable laptop (performance) would have run me about 1400-1800 dollars if I bought it from Dell or HP. More if I got it from a specialty store.
Pay attention to deals on sites like Newegg, and always check the comments; both what they have to say, and the number. A product with a large number of comments has a higher proportion of users, so the feedback is more likely to be consistent for that model.
But you REALLY have to do some research to find them.
For example, my current laptop is an ASUS G52, and it ran me about 1000 bucks brand new (250 for the 3 year warranty, but I got a pseudo-rebate for 200 bucks for being a college student; good thing I got it too, because I cracked the screen when I slipped on some ice about a year ago).
It still runs everything I've purchased just fine (not always maxed, but at least at good/average quality) and it's approaching 3 years old.
At the time, a comparable laptop (performance) would have run me about 1400-1800 dollars if I bought it from Dell or HP. More if I got it from a specialty store.
Pay attention to deals on sites like Newegg, and always check the comments; both what they have to say, and the number. A product with a large number of comments has a higher proportion of users, so the feedback is more likely to be consistent for that model.
My high school's computer lab was all BBC Micros. Nifty little machines. Rugged as fuck, too. Took a lot to kill one.ms_sunlight said:No, I was spared that shame, although my dad did later buy a BBC micro. (Lovely machine actually, so upgradeable, but so ugly!)RhombusHatesYou said:Close... very close. Bonus points if you got the Speccy as a kit and soldered it together yourself.ms_sunlight said:
Although you lose all points and have to wear The Hat of Schoolyard Shame if you later owned an Amstrad.
Assembling a computer used to be a tricky and easily-botched thing. I wonder if anyone here has inserted a CPU into a non-ZIF socket, for example...
Nowadays, it's pretty simple. Everything is easy to plug in and keyed so you can't plug it in wrong. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that can still easily be installed backward is the heatsink/fan, and even that may not be true anymore. I haven't built a computer in a few years.
The main thing keeping people from doing it is an outdated fear of it. And of course laziness. After all, changing your own oil's not rocket science either, but most people would rather just pay someone else to do it. Even I do that. (Granted on some cars, it's a pain in the ass, but same is true for computers, depending on the case used)
Nowadays, it's pretty simple. Everything is easy to plug in and keyed so you can't plug it in wrong. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that can still easily be installed backward is the heatsink/fan, and even that may not be true anymore. I haven't built a computer in a few years.
The main thing keeping people from doing it is an outdated fear of it. And of course laziness. After all, changing your own oil's not rocket science either, but most people would rather just pay someone else to do it. Even I do that.
(Granted on some cars, it's a pain in the ass, but same is true for computers, depending on the case used)
It's fairly simple to do, just takes a little time. Basically what you want to do is set a budget. This can vary greatly on where you live, prices are 30-50% higher here than in the U.S for example. So I'm going to pretty much use US prices for that reason. You can then compare prices yourself and see where you stand.
Consider what you need. Do you have a case, mouse, keyboard, monitor? Then you likely don't need to spend any money on that.
So pretty much the only components you need are : Motherboard, Processor, Video Card, RAM modules and a Power Source (you might be able to use an older one if it's output is good enough).
Motherboard. You can get away with a good mobo at around 100$ (http://www.amazon.com/ASRock-Z68-PRO3-GEN3-Intel/dp/B005N5Q2MW/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327975283&sr=1-5). This will give you good OC'ing, good stability and good future proofing (PCIE 3.0). Other than that it's pretty barebone and comes with no fripperies. Since you are no pro, you won't really need any super-advanced OC features that come with the top of the line mobos, and middle line stuff will mostly just give you more LAN/USB/SATA ports and stuff you don't really need. I have to mention that not every 100$ mobo will do, ASROCK generally give you the best bet, since they cut down on "optional stuff" to boost the quality of stuff you need.
Processor. Around 200$ is more than enough. http://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOX80623I52500K-Core-i5-2500K-Processor/dp/B004EBUXHQ/ref=pd_vtp_e_1 for example is more than powerful enough to run ANY game without breaking a sweat. It's also very easy to OC (literally a few mouse clicks) and safe too. You can get a processor that will run anything (talking max detail here) for as low as 100$ and it still won't break a sweat. In the interest of futureproofing and having a more versatile PC, let's go for the 200$ option.
Video Card. This is probably where you want to spend most money. A 200$ card will pretty much give you all the power you need for a single display at normal resolution (1920*1080) http://www.amazon.com/Eyefinity-EAH6870-DC-2DI2S-1GD5/dp/B004H8C2XO/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327976039&sr=1-4 . It might chug slightly on max settings on some games. Might. It's certainly not over powered like the CPU.
RAM modules. These are really cheap. 50$ buys you more than you will need for games for a looong time. http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Technology-Modules-KHX1600C9D3K2-8GX/dp/B0037TO5C0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327976222&sr=1-2
A good PSU will set you back though, and since a crappy one might just burn out your entire system, you don't want to skimp on this one. Good news is that a good PSU will likely outlast all your other components too, so you probably won't need to upgrade.
100$ should see you through. http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Certified-Performance-CP-9020002-NA/dp/B005E98I0G/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327976369&sr=1-11 .
So that's a full gaming rig for under 700$ that will run absolutely any game out so far with no problems, on max detail. You can shave 100$ from the CPU by buying an AMD Phenom II 960T that will also run any game with no problems (this means a different, but similarly priced mobo that supports AMD processors), but is not quite as good in stuff like Photoshop, ACR, video editing, etc. You can even shave some 70$ on the video card and still get almost flawless performance in almost any game at max detail (thus bringing your rig at around 500$).
The above components would make a very nice cost/performance ratio PC, but you can look around at comparative benchmarks (tomshardware.com offers plenty of those for pretty much everything) and see what you can do with your budget.
As for pre-build rigs, well, it's all about how big a mark-up it has on it. You might be able to find great deals, all you have to do is find every component online and see how much they would cost if you'd just but the same components, but separate. Plenty of stores around here offer to assemble your PC for you and will even throw in free advice on what components to get.
I'd avoid laptops if gaming is all you are interested in. They can't match a desktop power/cost ratio.
Consider what you need. Do you have a case, mouse, keyboard, monitor? Then you likely don't need to spend any money on that.
So pretty much the only components you need are : Motherboard, Processor, Video Card, RAM modules and a Power Source (you might be able to use an older one if it's output is good enough).
Motherboard. You can get away with a good mobo at around 100$ (http://www.amazon.com/ASRock-Z68-PRO3-GEN3-Intel/dp/B005N5Q2MW/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327975283&sr=1-5). This will give you good OC'ing, good stability and good future proofing (PCIE 3.0). Other than that it's pretty barebone and comes with no fripperies. Since you are no pro, you won't really need any super-advanced OC features that come with the top of the line mobos, and middle line stuff will mostly just give you more LAN/USB/SATA ports and stuff you don't really need. I have to mention that not every 100$ mobo will do, ASROCK generally give you the best bet, since they cut down on "optional stuff" to boost the quality of stuff you need.
Processor. Around 200$ is more than enough. http://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOX80623I52500K-Core-i5-2500K-Processor/dp/B004EBUXHQ/ref=pd_vtp_e_1 for example is more than powerful enough to run ANY game without breaking a sweat. It's also very easy to OC (literally a few mouse clicks) and safe too. You can get a processor that will run anything (talking max detail here) for as low as 100$ and it still won't break a sweat. In the interest of futureproofing and having a more versatile PC, let's go for the 200$ option.
Video Card. This is probably where you want to spend most money. A 200$ card will pretty much give you all the power you need for a single display at normal resolution (1920*1080) http://www.amazon.com/Eyefinity-EAH6870-DC-2DI2S-1GD5/dp/B004H8C2XO/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327976039&sr=1-4 . It might chug slightly on max settings on some games. Might. It's certainly not over powered like the CPU.
RAM modules. These are really cheap. 50$ buys you more than you will need for games for a looong time. http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Technology-Modules-KHX1600C9D3K2-8GX/dp/B0037TO5C0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327976222&sr=1-2
A good PSU will set you back though, and since a crappy one might just burn out your entire system, you don't want to skimp on this one. Good news is that a good PSU will likely outlast all your other components too, so you probably won't need to upgrade.
100$ should see you through. http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Certified-Performance-CP-9020002-NA/dp/B005E98I0G/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327976369&sr=1-11 .
So that's a full gaming rig for under 700$ that will run absolutely any game out so far with no problems, on max detail. You can shave 100$ from the CPU by buying an AMD Phenom II 960T that will also run any game with no problems (this means a different, but similarly priced mobo that supports AMD processors), but is not quite as good in stuff like Photoshop, ACR, video editing, etc. You can even shave some 70$ on the video card and still get almost flawless performance in almost any game at max detail (thus bringing your rig at around 500$).
The above components would make a very nice cost/performance ratio PC, but you can look around at comparative benchmarks (tomshardware.com offers plenty of those for pretty much everything) and see what you can do with your budget.
As for pre-build rigs, well, it's all about how big a mark-up it has on it. You might be able to find great deals, all you have to do is find every component online and see how much they would cost if you'd just but the same components, but separate. Plenty of stores around here offer to assemble your PC for you and will even throw in free advice on what components to get.
I'd avoid laptops if gaming is all you are interested in. They can't match a desktop power/cost ratio.