$439.99 Woot! Deal vs. $487 Custom Build [Gaming]

[Brunell4070]

Hello,

I don't stay too up-to-date on computer parts and which go out of date soon, etc. I have experience building computers but usually after I complete the build I go AWOL in the computer industry until my next build

Quick question - friend was looking for a new gaming computer, max $500 budget. I recommended the below build based on my findings on this forum. He found this deal on Woot! this morning for $440, and while it doesn't seem like a BAD deal to me, I don't think it will provide the most bang for his buck in terms of gaming.

Could you please make a quick recommendation on how drastic the difference would be between the two builds and also if you have another custom build that would outperform both?? (No need for Monitor/if not OS then preferably $450).

http://computers.woot.com/offers/hp-envy-quad-core-desktop-with-12gb-ram-20?ref=cnt_dly_tl

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/93JN23

Thanks so much! Have always found the forums here extremely helpful.


Brunell

 

[ThatAfricanDude]

Well for starters. Pc parts dont go out of date that fast nowadays. For example. A gtx 780 is rather old, but not outdated at all!

Now firstly, id recommend the custom built, its better for the price,

Secondly, the pentium g3258 is made for overclocking so maybe spend a bit extra for a asus z97-a, its the best overclocking board for the price, if you dont want to the asrock will do fine...

And 3rd, swap out the psu for something like a seasonic, EVGA, or super flower, they are the best psu's you can get, corsair builder series psu's is rather bad, even though it sais 80 plus gold, i mean an EVGA B or B2 is a bronze power supply and its waaaaaayyyy better than the corsair builder series, i wont trust the corsair builder series since it can potentially take out your entire system,, even house!!!

VERY IMPORTANT EDIT!!!

Rather take a dual 8gb kit (2×4gb) because a dual run performs better than using a single dim, even though both = 8gb!!! (Might cost 2$ extra though, since it is two dimms)

 

[Brunell4070]

Thank you for the insight! I will definitely follow your advice regarding the PSU and the 2x4gb ram! And will also share the recommendation on the motherboard but ultimately leave that up to him.

What about this build? It doesn't include OS which would increase the price a bit higher than he wanted, but would this outperform the first custom build by a decent amount? I was skeptical on the motherboard.

Thanks again!

 

[ThatAfricanDude]

Yes the custom built will out perform, since intel have better per core performance (very big deal in gaming) than the amd, and also you can overclock the pentium to almost the same clock speed as the amd, also the graphics card is better than the one in the pre built pc



(Remember to pick solution!!)

 

[Brunell4070]

Oh goodness, my mistake. I meant to include one additional link but forgot.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YFjdvK

Here it is. I was hoping to get a quick comparison between that and the aforementioned custom build, which I have revised here.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zQC2Bm

Thanks again!

 

[ThatAfricanDude]

Damn damn Damn!!! That first one is the best, great components, you can run linux/ubuntu (its better than windows IMO and its free) if you dont have the budget for an os yet

 

[Brunell4070]

No concerns about the cheap motherboard? And it seems like the video card is the only significant upgrade!

 

[ThatAfricanDude]

Just because Something is cheap doesnt mean its bad, also yeah but gpus is a big deal haha

 

[Brunell4070]

Haha fair enough, however definitely increases the likelihood of the quality being inferior to the alternate more expensive option!

 

[ThatAfricanDude]

True, very true, msi "gaming" motherboards are also great for a cheap price, you should check them out