Looking for a decent, prebuilt gaming computer

[Certainlyquestionable]

Hello there!
My knowledge on tech-related things is not really too extensive so I guessed it would be worth asking here before doing anything wrong - the same thing goes for the matter 'self or pre-built?'.
Rather than breaking things I'd spend a few more coins

After searching a bit I came across many sites but one called "digitalstormonline" seemed best out of all I saw.
I customized one of the premade computers they have for sale and this is what came out: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadvirtue.asp?id=936728

Is that a good deal or can you spot anything that wouldn't fit for the price? Can you suggest a better - or cheaper? - site?
My limit is at ~1000£ / ~1700$ - all in all I don't really wish to spend more than that.

Looking forward to your opinions and thoughts!

 

[Traciatim]

Are there any non-overpriced prebuilds out there?

For that one you linked, it's a non-K processor so no chance at overclocking, the H81 chipset is kinda the budget chipset... but a liquid cooler for some reason? Something doesn't compute, it's just there for show.

I know in my country there is a store (NCIX) that charges 50 bucks to build and pre-load an OS if you want to design a machine and have it come so you can just plug it in and enjoy it.

Generally pre-built machines are done around one or two pieces of gear and then the rest of the build is crap to make it come under some arbitrary budget cut off. Though they will run fine they usually have some really weird compromises and marketing gimmicks rather than performance per dollar as the primary goal.

Edit: Also, they are charging 50 bucks to change your turbo boost settings in your BIOS, you can literally do that in 30 seconds...

 

[Certainlyquestionable]

For that one you linked, it's a non-K processor so no chance at overclocking, the H81 chipset is kinda the budget chipset... but a liquid cooler for some reason? Something doesn't compute, it's just there for show.

Generally pre-built machines are done around one or two pieces of gear and then the rest of the build is crap to make it come under some arbitrary budget cut off. Though they will run fine they usually have some really weird compromises and marketing gimmicks rather than performance per dollar as the primary goal

I meant to change the liquid cooler to a fan - it seems as though it didn't save that setting.

I probably won't need overclocking so the processor should be just fine, I guess?
Should I change the H81 chipset or will it work decently?

 

[Traciatim]

For that one you linked, it's a non-K processor so no chance at overclocking, the H81 chipset is kinda the budget chipset... but a liquid cooler for some reason? Something doesn't compute, it's just there for show.

Generally pre-built machines are done around one or two pieces of gear and then the rest of the build is crap to make it come under some arbitrary budget cut off. Though they will run fine they usually have some really weird compromises and marketing gimmicks rather than performance per dollar as the primary goal

I meant to change the liquid cooler to a fan - it seems as though it didn't save that setting.

I probably won't need overclocking so the processor should be just fine, I guess?
Should I change the H81 chipset or will it work decently?

Sure, it would work just fine at the stock speeds. Turbo boost works pretty well for most situations too. I just think the maurauder with the 4670k in it on a Z87 board would be a better buy and cheaper. You can exclude their overclocking service and save 50 bucks as well. If you ever really want to change the settings you can just look up a guide online on how to do it, it's really not all that difficult to change or reset if you need.

Have you built a similar machine on a site like pcpartspicker? It still seems to me that their machines are a little pricey for what you get.

I mean, take a look at http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3aj6v . . . it's near the same machine for under 1300 bucks. Is it really worth the extra 400 bucks for them to build it? Couldn't you get someone local to build it for 100 bucks (or maybe even a case of beer if it's a friend) if you don't want to? You even get a free el-cheapo power supply with the case

 

[Certainlyquestionable]

Sure, it would work just fine at the stock speeds. Turbo boost works pretty well for most situations too. I just think the maurauder with the 4670k in it on a Z87 board would be a better buy and cheaper. You can exclude their overclocking service and save 50 bucks as well. If you ever really want to change the settings you can just look up a guide online on how to do it, it's really not all that difficult to change or reset if you need.

Have you built a similar machine on a site like pcpartspicker? It still seems to me that their machines are a little pricey for what you get.

I mean, take a look at http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3aj6v . . . it's near the same machine for under 1300 bucks. Is it really worth the extra 400 bucks for them to build it? Couldn't you get someone local to build it for 100 bucks (or maybe even a case of beer if it's a friend) if you don't want to? You even get a free el-cheapo power supply with the case

When looking through all these parts on that site, I noticed that there was alot parts which were cheaper than others.
For example on graphics cards: Some 4GB cards were cheaper than 2GB one's - also these 4GB's were very different in price.
Why is that?

I haven't yet considered building it myself and therefore did not check every single part / price of a similar setup.
Unfortunately I don't know anyone that could build it - stores here will probably offer it alot cheaper than 300.
Also I haven't read into the "build it yourself"-matter so I don't have any idea what could be problematic.
How easily can I break the whole thing if I do a mistake / is it too risky?

Certainly I could try it before getting someone else to do it if it isn't a too difficult thing.
Of course I don't have any money to waste so I'd need to know if it's too risky to do it if never done before.

//edit: Another question - how do I know if all parts go together? Do I need to take the measures of all these or is there any other way to check the compability?

 

[NeonMane]

Sure, it would work just fine at the stock speeds. Turbo boost works pretty well for most situations too. I just think the maurauder with the 4670k in it on a Z87 board would be a better buy and cheaper. You can exclude their overclocking service and save 50 bucks as well. If you ever really want to change the settings you can just look up a guide online on how to do it, it's really not all that difficult to change or reset if you need.

Have you built a similar machine on a site like pcpartspicker? It still seems to me that their machines are a little pricey for what you get.

I mean, take a look at http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3aj6v . . . it's near the same machine for under 1300 bucks. Is it really worth the extra 400 bucks for them to build it? Couldn't you get someone local to build it for 100 bucks (or maybe even a case of beer if it's a friend) if you don't want to? You even get a free el-cheapo power supply with the case

When looking through all these parts on that site, I noticed that there was alot parts which were cheaper than others.
For example on graphics cards: Some 4GB cards were cheaper than 2GB one's - also these 4GB's were very different in price.
Why is that?

I haven't yet considered building it myself and therefore did not check every single part / price of a similar setup.
Unfortunately I don't know anyone that could build it - stores here will probably offer it alot cheaper than 300.
Also I haven't read into the "build it yourself"-matter so I don't have any idea what could be problematic.
How easily can I break the whole thing if I do a mistake / is it too risky?

Certainly I could try it before getting someone else to do it if it isn't a too difficult thing.
Of course I don't have any money to waste so I'd need to know if it's too risky to do it if never done before.

//edit: Another question - how do I know if all parts go together? Do I need to take the measures of all these or is there any other way to check the compability?

Building a PC is like adult LEGOs with a screwdriver. Only way you can screw something up is by drop kicking a component. PCPartPicker will tell you if a component maybe too long for your case. It will also tell you what components are compatible with each other.

 

[Certainlyquestionable]

Building a PC is like adult LEGOs with a screwdriver. Only way you can screw something up is by drop kicking a component. PCPartPicker will tell you if a component maybe too long for your case. It will also tell you what components are compatible with each other.

So basically I only need to read Partpicker's text, adjust parts and then assemble these to a (working) computer with guide of a few tutorials?
Sounds a bit too easy 😛

 

[NeonMane]

Building a PC is like adult LEGOs with a screwdriver. Only way you can screw something up is by drop kicking a component. PCPartPicker will tell you if a component maybe too long for your case. It will also tell you what components are compatible with each other.

So basically I only need to read Partpicker's text, adjust parts and then assemble these to a (working) computer with guide of a few tutorials?
Sounds a bit too easy 😛

Building a PC IS that easy. I'm 15 and in less than 3 months of watching a video on 'How to Build a PC', I took apart my current machine and put it back together and it still worked.

 

[dgrantp]

I'd recommend checking out Ironside computers. You're not going to get the lowest price, but damn do they build a good system. Ordered one from them a couple months ago and the quality of build and performance is excellent. Just make sure to avoid cyberpower and ibuypower, as they are literally the same company with different names, and they screw a lot of people over with their systems by leaving out parts, building with used parts, refusing to accept shipment back if the system is broken, even within the warranty.. Yeah its a nightmare. But yeah, Ironside is a pretty local place, I believe having a shop in las Vegas, and they build superb computers. Just get on live chat or call them and you'll see their customer service.

 

[Certainlyquestionable]

Building a PC IS that easy. I'm 15 and in less than 3 months of watching a video on 'How to Build a PC', I took apart my current machine and put it back together and it still worked.

Allright, so it does work if necessary - I'll check how much the stores around here would charge and decide afterwards.

I'd recommend checking out Ironside computers. You're not going to get the lowest price, but damn do they build a good system. Ordered one from them a couple months ago and the quality of build and performance is excellent. Just make sure to avoid cyberpower and ibuypower, as they are literally the same company with different names, and they screw a lot of people over with their systems by leaving out parts, building with used parts, refusing to accept shipment back if the system is broken, even within the warranty.. Yeah its a nightmare. But yeah, Ironside is a pretty local place, I believe having a shop in las Vegas, and they build superb computers. Just get on live chat or call them and you'll see their customer service.

Ironside doesn't look too bad. They're alot cheaper than Digitalstorm apparently.
In case I decide not to buy the parts and build it myself or let it build after buying all these, that surely is a nice alternative.

Thanks for all your responses until now - I'll think of what I will do

 

[Certainlyquestionable]

A 'lil update on this one - I threw together parts on pcpartpicker and that is what came out, as result: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Trollo/saved/48aG

There's a thing I'm quite worried about, on this one - when reading through the net a bit, I saw "3rd generation i5 or 4th generation?" stuff.
As the motherboard for this build would be 4th gen., I'm afraid it wouldn't go together with the CPU. How do I find out if it would go together?
Couldn't find any information on that.

 

[NeonMane]

A 'lil update on this one - I threw together parts on pcpartpicker and that is what came out, as result: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Trollo/saved/48aG

There's a thing I'm quite worried about, on this one - when reading through the net a bit, I saw "3rd generation i5 or 4th generation?" stuff.
As the motherboard for this build would be 4th gen., I'm afraid it wouldn't go together with the CPU. How do I find out if it would go together?
Couldn't find any information on that.

The only thing that matters when shopping CPUs and motherboards is socket type. An LGA 2011 CPU will not work with and LGA 1155 motherboard. I also made some modifications to the build. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3etfB
A 4GB video card isn't beneficial for games, I changed the hard drive to a WD drive for more reliability, the NH-D14 smokes the H80i in cooling, and I changed the PSU to one of a higher quality and reputation.

 

[Melach]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3eugJ

This one will defiently do for good fps. It can pretty much play anything you throw at it with good and playable FPS, especially with the 780 Ti card. For games like BF4 would be around 100FPS AVG.
All the parts are overrated, and should do very good for your games.
Also you should overclock this build, there are many tutorials about it if you do not know much about it.
This is the best I can think of :3

Hope this will do!

 

[Certainlyquestionable]

The only thing that matters when shopping CPUs and motherboards is socket type. An LGA 2011 CPU will not work with and LGA 1155 motherboard.

The one's I chose there should work together, then? They're both LGA 1150's.

I also made some modifications to the build. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3etfB
A 4GB video card isn't beneficial for games, I changed the hard drive to a WD drive for more reliability, the NH-D14 smokes the H80i in cooling, and I changed the PSU to one of a higher quality and reputation.

I went for the 4GB card in first place as it is just ~50$ more expensive than the 2GB one - rather a card that might not be used 100% than one which I probably need to overclock or upgrade within the next years is the thought behind.

Thanks for the changes on the other things - help is always appreciated

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3eugJ
This one will defiently do for good fps. It can pretty much play anything you throw at it with good and playable FPS, especially with the 780 Ti card. For games like BF4 would be around 100FPS AVG.
All the parts are overrated, and should do very good for your games.
Also you should overclock this build, there are many tutorials about it if you do not know much about it.
This is the best I can think of :3

Hope this will do!

Thanks alot for contributing c:
But in price this definitely is a little over the amount I wish to spend, unfortunately. That graphics card pushes it alot I guess ^^
Why is it more than 700$ I do wonder? 😱

 

[Melach]

Oh, well I though your limit was at 1700$
But if you want cheaper, could you tell me exactly how much you want? Then I can try to make a new build again!

The GPU is one of the best out there, so that it wil handle about everything you throw at it.

 

[Certainlyquestionable]

Oh, well I though your limit was at 1700$
But if you want cheaper, could you tell me exactly how much you want? Then I can try to make a new build again!

The GPU is one of the best out there, so that it wil handle about everything you throw at it.

Seems like I did a mistake there! My limit is 1400$

As I said, I rather would want to go for a 4GB card as it will probably stay on top of the task for a while - not sure if that'd be better than buying an equal priced with 2/3GB or not D:

 

[Melach]

4GB video card, I would only recommend it for SLI. Which means x2 Video Cards, or if u are gonna use x2 monitors. If not, 2GB is enough.
Ok, since you wanted a 1400$ build, this is the best I can think of:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3eShv

Will be able to play any games you throw at it.
High-end pc games like Crysis 3 will be able to play at around 50-60fps on ultra. If that's so, means BF4 can be played on 70-80fps+ and most other games aren't like crysis 3, which needs high-end computers. So this computer will defiently do. I added a 3GB, since it seemed like you didn't want a 2gb one. 4GB one would be a bit overkill in my opinion :S

And this case is the best one you probably can get. If you are a bit new to this, I would defiently recommend an aircooler. But there is no difference between watercooler and aircooler on performance, but only the noise by a bit.

This build is overclockable, so make sure you do overclock it. Even added really good parts for overclocking.

Hope this helps!

 

[Vic 40]

My limit is 1400$
:

For something nice under that,

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.23 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($469.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1395.13
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-23 08:13 EDT-0400)

Added a gtx 780,
750watts for sli if you choose to,
The ram is quite tall,but with the watercooler no problem,
had to get another case for the better gpu.

 

[Certainlyquestionable]

Thanks for all your builds, suggestions and answers. I'll be thinking the whole thing over - thanks alot for helping