new desktop pc help required please

[owenmahamilton]

Hi, I hope someone can give me some advice please. I've just joined the site so would appreciate the help. I currently have an Alienware X51 R1 that when orientated horizontally measures 9.5 centimeters high. I have it on the middle shelf of my tv stand under my tv that I use as a monitor. The maximum height case that will fit on that shelf when orientated horizontally is 22 centimeters, I'm looking to replace my current computer so can anyone recommend one that will fit in that space? I'd prefer either an Intel Core i5 or at a push an i7 with 16Gb of memory. I'd also like to have a reasonably sized SSD and the best graphics card that will fit in that case along with a powerful enough PSU. If Windows 10 was preinstalled then I could probably go without an optical drive although I'd prefer a bluray drive, really all I want is something that can be upgraded in the future with not much hassle which the Alienware X51 is too small to be able to do. Thank you.

 

[the nerd 389]

Are you okay with building it yourself, or do you want a pre-built computer?

It's easier to find the dimensions of cases than it is to find dimensions of prebuilt computers.

UPDATE: Also, please post the depth (front of shelf to back of shelf) and width (left side to right side).

 

[owenmahamilton]

Are you okay with building it yourself, or do you want a pre-built computer?

It's easier to find the dimensions of cases than it is to find dimensions of prebuilt computers.

UPDATE: Also, please post the depth (front of shelf to back of shelf) and width (left side to right side).

Thanks for the reply, the width of the shelf is 95 centimetres (some of which is currently taken up by a bluray player (which could be removed if the new pc has a bluray drive included) and the depth is 40 centimetres. I'd prefer to purchase a pre-built computer costing no more than about £700 if that's reasonable.

 

[the nerd 389]

There are a number of OEM machines that would fit the bill, but I can't recommend them personally. They generally have no headroom with the PSU, come with cheap HDDs, and I've never found one that's simple to work inside of.

That said, most people get OEM machines, so they get the job done. If you plan to upgrade anything on them though, they tend to be more trouble than they're worth.

I've gone through a handful of models, but many simply do not publish dimensions. If you want me to spec out a build for you, I can get that done rather quickly. I don't know how long it will take to find a suitable OEM machine for someone in another country, though (I'm in the US).

 

[the nerd 389]

This is the best you can do with 700 pounds:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/LhVNFd

It's a far cry from the "best GPU that will fit," but it's still better than the vast majority of OEM builds in that price range.

If you can work with around 900 pounds (still not the best GPU that will fit):
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/LYnff8

And if you don't want to compromise on the points you outlined:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/G2pT9W

That last one is still not the "best GPU that will fit," but it's close enough that you won't be able to tell the difference.

Note that I did not account for the cost of Windows 10.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for the reply, the width of the shelf is 95 centimetres (some of which is currently taken up by a bluray player (which could be removed if the new pc has a bluray drive included) and the depth is 40 centimetres. I'd prefer to purchase a pre-built computer costing no more than about £700 if that's reasonable.

There's no good prebuilt PCs in that price range. None. You are much better off building it yourself. And don't worry about having a BD-R drive on a PC - HDCP (high definition copyright protection) makes BD-R playback extremely difficult or in some cases impossible. So you're much better off building it yourself if at all possible.

 

[owenmahamilton]

Thanks for the replies, it's given me a few things to think about.