build review and debate over custom build or alienware.

[floors10]

this is my first time build and was wondering if my build is suffecient enough to play BF4 and other upcoming games at 1080p ultra. please give your opinion on this build. i didnt include the case and peripherals and i have windows 8. case would be bitfenix prodigy.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/daylin_10/saved/dnGxFT

i am debating about getting a 850$ custom gaming pc from USA ( keyboard and mice not included and price will add up to 850$ with bitfenix prodigy)and build it or should i get the Alienware x51 824$ build which includes keyboard and mouse. i will leave pc specs down. if i do choose x51 do you think that GPU is good enough for gaming at 1080p at medium, high or ultra settings.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51-r2/pd.aspx

i would like a small portable build and debating about alienware x51 or bitfenix custom build specs above. i have a PS3 and would trade it in for 200$ and the build comes with keyboard and mouse for free.

what do you think i should get and i was thinking of upgrading GPU on alienware x51 to gtx 760 but it ends up to 1174$. the GPU when you customly change it is 350$ extra. which when you but it sperately cost 230$ so that overpriced. But can you buy gtx760 and change it manually that might be cheaper.

could you give your opinions and suggestions for the build

thank you

 

[Karsten75]

Personally I would not build a gaming PC with a mini-ITX motherboard. I'd look for a micro-ATX or ATX. I don't recall if the bitfenix prodigy supports the micro-ATX. I build one with a mini-ITX build and had significant difficulty cramming a closed-loop cooler into the case. Eventually I scrapped the idea of having an optical drive in the case and went with a USB optical drive.

The Micro-ATX gives you an extra PCI slot and also allows for more memory and SATA connectors. Now that I think about it, I'm not so sure about the SATA ports, but it's easy enough to check.

As for Alienware, I think that since Dell took them over, they are more expensive and not as great as they were before. Even then they were expensive.

If I build a machine, I'd either add an SSD or get a hybrid hard drive with a built-in SSD. No point in building a nice rig without an SSD.

 

[Calnin]

Alienware is a bit overpriced in my opinion. You can build a system that's better than that. Some of the parts they use are not needed in a build that's just for gaming or whatever.

For 1k,you could get something that would perform just as well or better than the 1.3k build. The i7 on the 1.3k alienware is only going to give marginal benefits compared to the an i5 build.

ex:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xjs66h
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xjs66h/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xjs66h/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($118.91 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $992.81

 

[Bigfootmandude]

I agree, Alien ware provides terrible bang for buck. You did not mention if you needed a monitor, so I excluded it, Calnin's build is more powerful but is more expensive and did not include a keyboard and mouse. This build is cheaper and has one included. For your budget I believe AMD has strong options. A 750ti is another great card if you need to save money, but if anything, always buy a beter GPU.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/f2KF4D

AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor $139.99 Free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime $139.99 Amazon
Cooler Master Gemin II S524 77.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $32.99
MSI 760GMA-P34(FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard $56.99
G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory $72.99
Western Digital BLACK SERIES 750GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $66.24
Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse $29.99