PC Pros - Help me Get a Computer

[Kyrdra]

In order to break a prosessor you must have tried to install it on a mobo made for another brand's CPU chips.

That's not entirely true. I've seen some nasty-as-fuck cheap mobos with dodgy ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) mechanisms that have severely damaged CPU pins. Of course, if you're the kind of person that buys cheap, off-brand mobos from street vendors, you're only keeping your techs in work.

Beyond that, there are other ways to break a processr but they go beyond ignorant and require agressive stupidity.

posts like this always make me go back to my favourite site to look how people fuck up their pcs.
These are some of the ignorant ways to destroy your CPU:

Spoiler

As for the OP: I can only echo what the other people have said: Pre-built is a scam in most cases. If you aren't willing to spend an hour to build your own pc then the best deal you can get is a console.

 

[SJXarg]

I'd like to just leave this here.

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

This is a video by JackFrags, about how to build a cheap gaming pc for 300 pounds-ish. Now, I'm not advocating that you buy this exact computer, but just figured you'd appreciate another point of view. It may be 26 minutes, but it's a rundown on the parts, how to assemble them, how to get things installed, and some quick demos on how the pc performs on a small selection of games (Battlefield 3 on low (30-50fps), Black Ops 2 on high (60 fps), CS:GO on high (other than shadows, 100_ fps), Dota 2 on high (70fps), DayZ on low (30-50 fps))in 1080p. This video was uploaded on the 28th of December 2012, so for the same price you could get a better system based on newer technology.

Edit: I'm guessing you're a US based customer? 300 pounds would be something like $450?

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

In order to break a prosessor you must have tried to install it on a mobo made for another brand's CPU chips.

That's not entirely true. I've seen some nasty-as-fuck cheap mobos with dodgy ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) mechanisms that have severely damaged CPU pins. Of course, if you're the kind of person that buys cheap, off-brand mobos from street vendors, you're only keeping your techs in work.

Beyond that, there are other ways to break a processr but they go beyond ignorant and require agressive stupidity.

posts like this always make me go back to my favourite site to look how people fuck up their pcs.
These are some of the ignorant ways to destroy your CPU:

Spoiler

As for the OP: I can only echo what the other people have said: Pre-built is a scam in most cases. If you aren't willing to spend an hour to build your own pc then the best deal you can get is a console.

what in the hell....is that regular elmers glue they tried to use?!?!?!

bwah...sometimes people's stupidity hits me like a figurative fist in the face.

 

[Kyrdra]

what in the hell....is that regular elmers glue they tried to use?!?!?!

bwah...sometimes people's stupidity hits me like a figurative fist in the face.

No the first one is the thermally conductive paste which by the way also is conducting electricity and the second one is where someone managed to get the processor under the socket

 

[proghead]

As a compromise between costs and performance you should ask around what parts to buy and then buy them in one place and let the retailer put them together for you for a little money. Then you have one place to go, if something goes wrong, too.

The difficult part in building your own PC is not putting it together. It's knowing what to buy and then troubleshooting if something doesn't work out as it should.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

I guess buying a PC is a bit like buying a car. Unless you fix cars or know about them, you can't really put one together yourself.

If you trust a dealer to sell you a good one, you're likely to have some components come broken or really cheap (and therefore likely to break quickly).

So if you want a good affordable car, you have to build it yourself...

:| This is why people stick with consoles. They come put together, are extremely cheap, have no compatibility issues, don't come with cheap or broken parts and they function. Best of all you don't need to know how to make them. Unfortunately they don't support RTS and MMORPGs really.

My message to PC users (who fix and build PCs and know how they work) don't advertise that its easy, cheap and that anyone can do it. Because that's just not true it seems.

Thanks for your time guys this has been educational. I'm going to buy one of these prebuilt PCs and hope my luck holds out, because that's really all I can do. I don't have the time to learn to build them myself or the desire to. I might try replacing the power supply and graphics card though as that seems to be the important bits.

Don't go prebuilt, trust me. I've been using a custom for only a week and it is outstanding. Its performance is through the roof, though I did pay quite a bit for it... Just relax, educate yourself on how to build one, and take your time. If you aren't confident in building it yourself, maybe get a friend.

If worst comes to worse, spend a tiny bit extra and see if the store you get the parts from (in person, which is what I did) can build it for you for a small fee. I did just that cause I didn't trust myself with the parts. I knew I COULD try and do it myself, but I decided not to risk it, just incase I messed up.

Again, just take your time with it, and do some research. I spent 7 months doing research on the computer I needed as I got the funds I needed to get it built. My choices changed often, but I narrowed down on a true beast of a build. It's worth the effort, trust me.

 

[Suave Charlie]

I'm glad this thread popped up, I didn't want to start a fresh one just to get 1 or 2 replies, anyway!

I've been a fairly solid console gamer for many years, but playing FTB has gotten me into PC games but my laptop just can't handle it and I'd like to play full retail games I'm in a job where I can afford to fund my hobbies and I've decided I should build at least one pc in my life.
Admittedly I'm probably throwing more money at it than I should but here's what I came up with after a few hours of research:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£142.79 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£91.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£59.76 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£44.71 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£191.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master NSE-200-KKN1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£32.15 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£49.61 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £612.99

This is my first time so if anyone has any tips/suggestions or if there's straight up anything I've missed please tell me, I'd appreciate any input. Especially about the case, not massively happy with that. Price wise I'm quite happy with everything in that list.
Already have a monitor and m&kb.

 

[GladiatorUA]

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£91.98 @ Amazon UK)

I wouldn't go for Mini ITX board unless I had to.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-H87M-PRO4-Motherboard-Generation/dp/B00CYWEYOK/ref=sr_1_8?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1381631499&sr=1-8&keywords=motherboard+h87
I think, something like this would be better. And you can add more RAM to it easier when(not if, with new console generation) you need more. Unless you really want smaller Mini ITX case and that wi-fi.

Case is more of taste thing.

 

[Suave Charlie]

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£91.98 @ Amazon UK)

I wouldn't go for Mini ITX board unless I had to.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-H87M-PRO4-Motherboard-Generation/dp/B00CYWEYOK/ref=sr_1_8?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1381631499&sr=1-8&keywords=motherboard+h87
I think, something like this would be better. And you can add more RAM to it easier when(not if, with new console generation) you need more. Unless you really want smaller Mini ITX case and that wi-fi.

Case is more of taste thing.

Okay, that makes sense, I've updated my list. Going to start buying within the week.

In your opinion how long would it be before I'd ideally add more RAM?

 

[GladiatorUA]

In your opinion how long would it be before I'd ideally add more RAM?

I think within two years. Right now two next-gen major releases recommend 6gb of ram. That means that 8gb might not be enough for comfortable use without some memory management like closing some background apps or currently memory-hungry browsers.

perhaps the most important thing to check is the power draw of the graphics card you intend to use and whether or not the power pack has plenty juice (in terms of amps) to support it on the power "rail" (such as +12V) that it requires the most from when running at full tilt.

some PC builds are supposedly much more energy efficient nowadays but personally i haven't used something as low as 500W pack since the days of AGP cards...so you might wanna look for some more advice and buy a bigger one...especially with an eye on future upgrades...on the upside a good powerpack is one of the things that should easily last across multiple PC builds.

Unless the power supply was made by some noname company, rails should not be a problem. Corsair is not a noname company. And judging by feedback it's a solid PSU.
With one GPU and no overclocking 500W should be more than enough.

 

[Yuuki]

For a first-time build I would recommend an ATX case and ATX motherboard, it would give you the most expansion options and most room to work in. I wouldn't really venture into mATX (micro-ATX) or mITX (mini-ITX) builds unless you knew what you were doing.

 

[GladiatorUA]

For a first-time build I would recommend an ATX case and ATX motherboard, it would give you the most expansion options and most room to work in. I wouldn't really venture into mATX (micro-ATX) or mITX (mini-ITX) builds unless you knew what you were doing.

mITX - sure. mATX is mature enough. 3-5 years ago I would have agreed with you, but now you don't have to spend more money to make sure you don't screw up with mATX. You don't need full ATX number of PCIe expansion slots unless you really need it. Maybe internal wi-fi or sound card. mATX should be enough unless you know you need more.

Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£49.61 @ Amazon UK)

Maybe go for modular power supply that has disconnectable cables.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALK1GFC/ref=sr_1_7?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1381702805&sr=1-7&keywords=power+supply+modular
or
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYOTTI/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1381702805&sr=1-1&keywords=power+supply+modular
for additional 100W.

 

[Suave Charlie]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYOTTI/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1381702805&sr=1-1&keywords=power+supply+modular
for additional 100W.

For the sake of a fiver more than the one I'd had in my list I've gone with this one, there aren't any problems tied in with slightly excessive wattage are there?

Due back a good deal of money on tuesday so going to start ordering the parts then. Still browsing for a case I like.

Thanks for the advice so far guys.

two things tho: make sure your chosen OS can support more memory because if you chose windows 7 (64 bit ofc) different versions have different memory limits (8GB being the limit on "Home Basic", 16GB on "Home Premium").

Was not aware of that, I've got a spare home premium so I'll be fine in that respect but this was interesting to find out.

 

[Faelix]

The cheapest from Digital Storm is 700$, but it's better put together than the Newegg ones, and with better components.

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/vanquish.asp

 

[J Tyran]

I think I'll just preorder a PS4 if no reliable help comes my way. But I will say this: you PC pros best not gloat if its not true. I'll call you guys out from now on.

PS4 by far is your best choice, you cannot even come close to buying a pre built PC that will have the same performance for the same price. Building one would be a damn struggle too if not impossible, considering at least £200 will need to go towards a next gen capable GPU and that leaves next to nothing for the rest of the build as the PS4 is only £350.

Its only worth going to the extra expense if you really want a gaming PC, trying to do it on the cheap in place of a next gen console just isnt going to work out.