Question New gaming pc advice pre build

[tbgjlb]

Hello all
I'm just starting my journey into buying a pre built pc and I'm just asking the question does anyone know if the following manufacturers are any good. Reliable , customer service, decent components etc etc.
Cyberpower
Storm force
Medion
Awd-it

The one that catches my eye are storm force from Argos , they seem to offer decent specs for the price which seems a little to good to be true.

Any help gratefully received
Tom

 

[Lutfij]

Since you were looking up Storm-force, you're located in the UK? If so, why not take a look at Scan.co.uk? They've been in the industry for a long while. Their in-house prebuilt is 3XS Systems.

 

[LOGAN54321]

Example: https://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/configurator/3xs-gamer-4060-ti-amd

Close duplicate: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/LCBkPJ

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor (£144.50 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Corsair NAUTILUS 240 RS ARGB 74.37 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£94.95 @ AWD-IT)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (£156.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-5200 CL40 Memory (£53.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital WD Blue SN5000 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£58.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Video Card: Asus DUAL OC GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Video Card (£338.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Corsair FRAME 4000D RS ARGB ATX Mid Tower Case (£89.99 @ AWD-IT)
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2025) 850 W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£114.76 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: Corsair RS120 ARGB 72.8 CFM 120 mm Fan (£14.97 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1067.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-03 18:52 BST+0100


"Other version"

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor (£144.50 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (£33.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (£156.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£96.08 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN580 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£90.99 @ SanDisk)
Video Card: Gainward Python III GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB Video Card (£389.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case (£85.99 @ AWD-IT)
Power Supply: NZXT C1200 (2024) 1200 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£132.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: Corsair RS120 ARGB 72.8 CFM 120 mm Fan (£14.97 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1145.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-03 18:54 BST+0100


(Even if you pay "somebody" 250 pounds to put it together, i think it is still worth it....but that's just my opinion.)

 

[tbgjlb]

thanks logan 54321 but can I ask why you went amd instead of intel cpu

 

[LOGAN54321]

thanks logan 54321 but can I ask why you went amd instead of intel cpu

I prefer intel nowadays, but many people prefer amd, because of problems at intel - somewhat lack of innovation, chip deterioration, hotter/more energy wasteful and other things. So unless somebody specifically asks for intel, i put amd - that's what most people go for.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor (£265.97 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 77.8 CFM CPU Cooler (£35.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Motherboard: ASRock B860 Pro RS ATX LGA1851 Motherboard (£129.23 @ NeoComputers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory (£73.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN580 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£90.99 @ SanDisk)
Video Card: Asus PRIME GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB Video Card (£408.99 @ Box Limited)
Case: Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: NZXT C850 (2024) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£106.00 @ MoreCoCo)
Total: £1160.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-15 16:52 BST+0100

 

[Misgar]

(Even if you pay "somebody" 250 pounds to put it together, i think it is still worth it....but that's just my opinion.)

I'll do it for £200 or three bottles of decent red wine (my usual fee).

The one that catches my eye are storm force from Argos , they seem to offer decent specs for the price which seems a little to good to be true.

You gets what you pays for. The specs of most pre-builts rarely include the exact manufacturer and model number of the motherboard, graphics card, system RAM and most importantly the power supply.

The result is you'll probably get a low-end (cheap) motherboard from any one of three or four different manufacturers, depending on what's available at the time of manufacture. It should work fine, but might not have enough USB ports for your requirements.

The PSU is the sticking point. It's where pre-builts save most money. A good PSU is expensive (often £90+) and comes with a 7, 10 or 12 year warranty. A junk PSU is cheap (under £40) and may have a 3 year warranty or less. Junk PSUs have a tendency to stop working or go bang after a few years, which can be bad news for your mobo.

Check the amount of VRAM (Video memory) on the GPU card. For gaming 8GB is the absolute minimum, 12GB is better, but some titles require 16GB VRAM. Look for 32GB system RAM (not the same as VRAM). The SSD drive should be at least 1TB, but for lots of games, you'll need a 2TB or 4TB M.2 NVMe SSD. If you need more storage at a later date, you'll need a mobo/case with room for more drives. A cheap pre-built may have very few upgrade options.

I haven't bought a pre-built in decades, but I accept the fact some people are nervous of building a PC with zero knowledge. As a qualified electronics design engineer, I prefer to build my own systems.

 

[Misgar]

thanks logan 54321 but can I ask why you went amd instead of intel cpu

Both AMD and Intel have had their problems with CPUs dying for one reason or another. Quite often it's the fault of the BIOS on the motherboard, zapping the CPUs with too many volts, amps or watts. Change the firmware (update the BIOS) and the problem goes away (hopefully).

Here's what happened over the last few years with Intel:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2415697/intels-crashing-13th-14th-gen-cpu-nightmare-explained.html

These 13th/14th generation problems should be a thing of the past, with the new Intel Ultra 7 265K and Ultra 9 285K.

Just to be fair, here's an old AMD problem:
https://www.custompc.com/amd-ryzen-7000x3d-7800x3d-overheating-bulging-voltage-controller

The 7000 series AMD CPUs have been superseded by the new 9000 series.

If you're into gaming, many people recommend an AMD X3D CPU, e.g. the 9700X3D or more expensive 9800X3D:
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...9800x3d-review-devastating-gaming-performance

The additional 3D cache memory built into the AMD X3D chips gives a significant performance boost in some games.

It's common for Intel CPUs to consume more power than similarly performing AMD CPUs. In top-of-the-range desktop CPUs, an Intel 14900K CPU might pull up to circa 250W and an AMD 7950X CPU up to circa 200W (rough estimate) in rendering apps.