New PC System - UK

[ajh1979]

Hello,

I am looking to buy a UK built gaming pc with operating system (Windows 7 64 bit) and have a budget of £1300 I will need it to be built as I do not have the knowledge to do this myself at the moment.

The system will need a monitor (24 inch preferd) but I will not require speakers keyboard or mouse as I have these already and can upgrade at a later date.

The system will mainly be used for gaming and dowloading movies / music and watching on the large tv via HD connection a blu ray player is also required the system will also be used for light Microsoft Office 2010 use (already have a copy)

I will want to be able to connect to the web via both Ethernet and wireless. I am currently considering the Chillblast fusion Volt below:

http://www.chillblast.com/product.php?productid=17907&cat=263&page=1

with the following customisation:

Antec Three Hundred Gaming Case
Intel Core i7 2600K Processor Overclocked to up to 4.5GHz
Corsair A70 Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler
Generic thermal paste
Asus P8Z68-V LE Motherboard
8GB PC3-10666 1333MHz DDR3 Memory (2 x 4GB sticks)
Chillblast NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1536MB Graphics Card
60GB Corsair Force 3 Solid State Drive
1000GB 7200RPM Hard Disk
SSD Caching Configuration - Choose one Hard drive and one SSD
Samsung Blu-Ray ROM / DVD-RW Combi Drive
Corsair Ultra Low Noise 600W PSU
Onboard High Definition Audio
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

Logitech S-220 2.1 Speakers
24" Asus VS247H Widescreen LED Monitor
Generic Wired Keyboard and Mouse

£1296.40 inc VAT

Any advice would be much appreciated and or could anyone point me in the direction of something better for the price as I state £1300 is my budget I could perhaps go to £1400 at a REAL push

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

Why dont you make your own pc?
Its easy just follow the instruction manual.
You could also save 300quid off some of the hardware.It is even possible to get all your hardware at £1000

 

[ajh1979]

Hi ghnader,

Thanks for your reply!

Im by no means very good when it comes to doing things like that and im not confident in giving it a try, I know its going to cost me more this way but I would feel much more at ease buying a pre built system.

I just want to get the best pre built system I can for the money I have to spend and im certainly no guru when it comes to harware so any advice on what and where to buy would be very much apreciated!

Thanks

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

Is there a shop that allows you to choose your own parts and they get it fixed?
If you arent confident of course its normal.Everyone is but i am still interested to know this Chillblast fusion does it come with Warranty?

 

[ajh1979]

Hi ghnader,

Chillblast offer a full warranty on all of there products they are a reputable company and have been awarded top spots in PC Advisor Reviews quite a few times.

I have also read many reviews on forums giving the company a good reputation and feedback.

I just want to obtain the best gaming rig I possible can for my £'s

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

Alright do you have to pay extra for the customizations or no?
It looks like a good rig already

 

[ajh1979]

Hi ghnader,

The standard unit is £1000

But I have customised as per below:

Antec Three Hundred Gaming Case
Intel Core i7 2600K Processor Overclocked to up to 4.5GHz
Corsair A70 Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler
Generic thermal paste
Asus P8Z68-V LE Motherboard
8GB PC3-10666 1333MHz DDR3 Memory (2 x 4GB sticks)
Chillblast NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1536MB Graphics Card
60GB Corsair Force 3 Solid State Drive
1000GB 7200RPM Hard Disk
SSD Caching Configuration - Choose one Hard drive and one SSD
Samsung Blu-Ray ROM / DVD-RW Combi Drive
Corsair Ultra Low Noise 600W PSU
Onboard High Definition Audio
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

Logitech S-220 2.1 Speakers
24" Asus VS247H Widescreen LED Monitor
Generic Wired Keyboard and Mouse

£1296.40 inc VAT - Total for the above spec includes free delivery / shipping.

I was wondering if this one would be better though

http://www.chillblast.com/product.php?productid=17914&cat=263&page=1

Fractal Design R3 Case
Intel Core i5 2500K Processor at up to 4.8GHz
Asus P8Z68-V LE Motherboard
16GB PC3-10666 DDR3 Memory
Radeon 6970 2GB Graphics Card
120GB Corsair Force 3 SSD
1000GB SATA 7200rpm Hard Disk
Samsung DVD-RW/Blu-ray Reader Combo Drive
600watt Corsair PSU
Onboard High Definition Audio
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM

Included Peripherals:

LG 23" LG Flatron IPS231P Monitor
Microsoft Cordless Keyboard and Mouse
Logitech S-220 Speakers

Ports on rear of system: *

6 x USB 2.0 ports
2 x USB 3.0 ports
1 x PS/2 for keyboard
Audio outputs
1 x 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet for network
2 x DVI outputs
1 x Mini HDMI
1 x DisplayPort

This is £1,199 inc VAT with free delivery / shipping

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

I like the first build but i kinda wish they would tells us the psu.Kinda worried about its qualty.And hdd quality is not to be mentioned games with on fast hdd is more smooth than on normal 7200rpm.

I have a WD Black Carviar and i find it amazing!

 

[ajh1979]

Here is a description of the PSU:

The Corsair Builder Series of PSUs are designed for worry-free compatibility for your home desktop PC system build or upgrade. With features usually reserved for premium power supplies, they are a great choice for systems where continuous and reliable power delivery and low noise are essential.
Inside you will find a power supply that conforms to universal ATX standards, a power cable, and a clear, detailed Quick Start Guide. Corsair Builder Series power supplies get your system up and running quickly and easily, for years of trouble-free operation.

- Supports the latest ATX12V v2.3 standard and is backward compatible with ATX12V 2.2 and ATX12V 2.01 systems
- Rated up to 600W of continuous power output at 30°C
- Ultra-quiet 120mm fan delivers excellent airflow at an exceptionally low noise level by varying fan speed in response to temperature
- Up to 80% energy efficiency means less heat generation and lower energy bills
- 0.99 Active Power Factor Correction provides clean and reliable power
- Universal AC input from 90~264V — No more hassle of flipping that tiny red switch to select the voltage input!
- Dedicated single +12V rail offers maximum compatibility with the latest components
- Over-voltage and over-power protection, under-voltage protection, and short circuit protection provide maximum safety to your critical system components
- Extra long fully-sleeved cables support full tower chassis
- Two year warranty and lifetime access to Corsair's legendary technical support and customer service
- Complies with ErP Lot 6 European Union standard for low standby power consumption
- Dimensions: 5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) X 5.5"(L); 150mm(W) x 86mm(H) x 140mm(L)
- MTBF: 100,000 Hours

OTHERWISE i can upgrade to:

Corsair TX 750W PSU for £35

Capable of powering PCs with more than one graphics card, this quality power supply from Corsair offers plenty of connections for future system expansion, but is also very quiet and highly reliable.

- Supports ATX12V v2.2 standard and older ATX12V 2.01 spec
- Ultra-quiet 120mm (140mm on TX750W) double ball-bearing fan delivers excellent airflow
- 80%+ energy efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% load condition for less heat generation and lower energy bill
- 99% Active Power Factor Correction provides clean and reliable power to your system
- Universal AC input 90~264V automatically scans and detects the correct voltage
- Dedicated single +12V rail offers maximum compatibility with latest components
- Over Current/Voltage/Power Protection, Under Voltage Protection, and Short Circuit - Protection provide maximum safety to your critical system components.
- High quality Japanese capacitors provide uncompromised performance and reliability.
- Extra long cables support full tower size chassis.
- TX750W Dimension: 5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) X 6.3"(L);
- TX650W Dimension: 5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) X 5.5"(L);
- MTBF: 100,000 Hours
- 5 Year Warranty

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

If its the TX750 V2(Not 1).Here is the review
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=230

I would suggest it the scoring on this psu reviews were great(Not exceptional)!

Performance (40% of the final score) - there's really not a lot to complain about on this unit. It's not the best I've ever tackled in terms of ripple suppression, but it's well above average. Regulation isn't the best I've ever seen, but it's again well above average. Efficiency easily passed Bronze, so no whining from me there. In the end, I think I'll give this unit a solid 9.5, just like its cousin in the XFX Core Edition 750W. There are a few things that could be improved, but not many, and these are very minor.

 

[diellur]

If you're in the UK, I'd suggest taking a look at the www.scan.co.uk website.

Firstly, you can take the build of those PCs above and plug it into Scan's website and see how much the individual components are. Secondly, Scan also have a range of decent pre-built and pre-overclocked systems. I think you can also custom build your own rig and they assemble it for you, although I'm not 100% sure on that.

For suggestions on your build:

CPU: Unless you plan on video-editing, go for the i5-2500K over the i7-2600K as the latter is overkill for gaming.

RAM: No need to get more than 2x4GB for gaming (2x2GB would do, also, but you have the budget for 8GB).

CPU Cooler: Careful here...the Corsair ones are water-cooling solutions. Nothing against them, but a minority of users have reported leakages. As it's water, it'll do a lot of damage if it occurs, and you can get an air-cooler for much less that would do just as good a job on an i5/i7 CPU.

GPU: Both look good, but the motherboard can't support SLI (it does support Crossfire, however). So if you get the Nvidia GPU, you don't have the option to add a second card at a later date with that motherboard.

PSU: In both cases, I'd up that to a 700 - 750W PSU just to get the headroom. Always pick a reputable brand (Corsair is fine, actually).

HDDs: The SSD / spinning HDD is a good combo with the Z68 motherboard as the SSD will just act as a cache. Pick the size of spinning HDD to suit you, but make sure you don't get an SSD bigger than 120GB as Intel's drive-caching (Smart Response Technology) doesn't support larger capacities.

Case: Purely down to aesthetics here. I love the Define R3 (nearly got it for my server, actually), but have a look around the Scan website (or any other) for the high-end cases they have. Corsair do an excellent range, as do Coolermaster and Silverstone.

Windows: Small point, but you may want to get the retail version and not OEM (doesn't actually state it below, mind you). Reason being, you can take the retail version with you to another system, but OEM is tied.

 

[ajh1979]

Hi diellur

Thank you very much for a great reply I will take your advice and have a good look on the scan website!

I will have a look through the site this evening and re post my findings and probably changes tomorrow

Again your advice is VERY much appreciated

 

[mcnumpty23]

another good site is overclockers.co.uk you can build your own in a real time configurator--they will even overclock it for you if you want--though they do charge for the overclocking

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=43&catid=1951