Self-build systems - are they really worth it?

[Kilmannan]

Hi folks,

I'm itching to play GTA V when it hits the PC, but I'm on a shonky old Dell laptop which can play BF3 happily but that's about it's limit (I have Alien: Isolation on Steam which I cannot run - good waste of money there!).

I used to be an avid gamer, but a wife and new daughter soon put paid to that. I am however thinking of sneaking back into it, and have realised that I need to ditch the lappy and get a desktop again.

I've shopped around a fair bit online, and I need to ask:

For someone with zero computer technical stuff experience other than swapping out some memory and harddrives, is there really much of a saving for me to self-build?

I keep eyeing up the PC Gamer rig - they tout it as the best system you can get for under £1000 and they update it monthly with the best bits of kit to stick in it. The proviso is that it can run the latest games at reasonable if not the best settings.

I am just very, very wary of the risk of cocking it all up on a self-build.

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter or links to other reputable UK retailers who offer competitively priced gaming rigs?

Ta muchly chaps,

K

 

[RazerZ]

The experience you have with hardware is actually more than what a lot of first time builders have, believe it or not. You should be fine. The only tool you need to build a PC is a Phillips screw driver. There are plenty of step by guides online to guide you through the build process. Just search "how to build a gaming pc" on youtube and you will see what I mean.

To keep it short, if you build a pc vs buying a prebuilt you:
- Save money
- Can customize it to your exact needs
- Know which parts make up your PC
- Get the satisfaction that you're capable of building a PC and will gain some technical knowledge which can be useful if something goes wrong in the future

The major problem with buying a prebuilt is that they often cheap out on parts such as the PSU in order to make a higher profit, and they also tend to have a poor match between the CPU and GPU for gaming. EX a prebuilt could have an i7 4790k, a great CPU (but really an i5 is all you need for gaming) and pair it with a subpar GPU like a GT 730. Your gaming experience would be not great at all and on many games you would have to play on low settings.

If interested in building we would be more than happy to give you suggestions on a partlist you could purchase to build the PC.

 

[Kilmannan]

If interested in building we would be more than happy to give you suggestions on a partlist you could purchase to build the PC.

Thanks, that's appreciated.

I think in fairness the trickiest part always seems to be the thermal glue for the CPU. I can well imagine mucking that up!

So I think budget wise, I'd be looking at around £800 - remember, I need to do this in such a way that the missus doesn't find out I've spaffed a fortune on it. This was going to be my shed fund, but hey-ho.

I don't think I have any particular desires other than the case be as inoffensive (read: cheap) looking as possible. Less likely to raise suspicion!

The one game I want it to play, as I mentioned, is GTA V:

Minimum Specs
OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1, Windows Vista 64 Bit Service Pack 2* (*NVIDIA video card recommended if running Vista OS)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs) @ 2.5GHz
Memory: 4GB
Video Card: NVIDIA 9800 GT 1GB / AMD HD 4870 1GB (DX 10, 10.1, 11)
Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible
HDD Space: 65GB


Recommended Specs
OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1
Processor: Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.2GHZ (4 CPUs) / AMD X8 FX-8350 @ 4GHZ (8 CPUs)
Memory: 8GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB / AMD HD7870 2GB
Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible
HDD Space: 65GB

I don't have any bits and bobs left to use in a new system either unfortunately, so it'd all be bought.

 

[RazerZ]

It's actually fairly easy. If you're getting an aftermarket cooler all you need to do is put a dot of paste the size of a grain of rice in the middle of the CPU, then center and mount your heatsink over it. Done. In the event that something goes wrong you can use some isopropyl alcohol to clean it off and reapply it.

£800 is definitely enough to make a gaming PC. I'll post a partlist later on today. Logging off for now.

 

[Joe Newbie]

Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on what your goal is. The short run you will likely pay more to build your own rig vs buying one prebuilt by Dell or whoever... but, with that convenience you lose any customization, as well as modularity. I built my rig in June 2013, it's getting it's first big upgrade this month, a new and much better graphics card. If you had bought a PC prebuilt, you would likely have a much tougher time upgrading than I would. Because the cookie cutter computer builders have to save money where they can, so they'll put a PSU in the rig that can run the rig, without consideration for future upgrades. Plus if you had a 3 year warranty you wouldn't want to crack the seal on the case lest you void the warranty.

It's a lot more complicated than a yes or no. If you can afford to buy a whole new CPU every 3 years or so, go for it, but my case, power supply, after market CPU cooler, motherboard and CPU will go through at least 2-3 generations of graphics cards without needing to change a thing. I may pay more up front to build it, but I have a much longer lifespan. with my parts, which because they also aren't "cookie cutter" parts I can always resell things like my GTX 660, someone will buy it, which helps offset the price of the next generation of GPU I get. Ditto for Mobo/CPU/Ram. It's why I tell people don't cheap out on the case/PSU, everything else can be changed out, but to have a quality PSU/Case even if more expensive up front will give much more value.

That's the key word, Value, not just dollars to dollars, but value for those dollars. When you build your own you're usually buying a higher quality than you'll find offered in pre-builts. Not to mention the pride of looking at what you've made and said, I did that, I built it, it's awesome to see it POST for the first time knowing you connected everything correctly.

In the end what you do is up to you, but in my view, there's no better value in the PC gaming marketplace than to build your own rig.

 

[Joe Newbie]

This is what I would build.... http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/jxXft6

 

[Kilmannan]

Maybe.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I understand all sides of the argument, and I think it ultimately comes down to courage in your own ability to build it. I've done far more complicated things in my time, but it's the fact that I could bork something that might've cost a few hundred pounds with just the wrong touch.

Chillblast used to sell the PC Gamer Rig for only a few ££ more than it cost to buy it separately but they seemed to have stopped that service now - that was a great deal. I regret not buying it when I had the chance.

I think if someone can help me through a build list, or suggest some as Razer intends to, then I may very well go for it.

 

[Kilmannan]

This is what I would build.... http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/jxXft6

Oh, I should mention that I don't need to count the cost of an OS in the system - I get a workplace deal for Win 7 where it costs me about £16 for it, so I can spread that saving elsewhere on the system. Any changes based on that?

 

[Joe Newbie]

Maybe.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I understand all sides of the argument, and I think it ultimately comes down to courage in your own ability to build it. I've done far more complicated things in my time, but it's the fact that I could bork something that might've cost a few hundred pounds with just the wrong touch.

Chillblast used to sell the PC Gamer Rig for only a few ££ more than it cost to buy it separately but they seemed to have stopped that service now - that was a great deal. I regret not buying it when I had the chance.

I think if someone can help me through a build list, or suggest some as Razer intends to, then I may very well go for it.

Yeah, that "static kill" fear is a pretty big one the first time you do it. As long as you remember to keep touching something metal to ground yourself, like the case for example and you don't build it while on carpet you'll be fine. Just don't pet your cat and then touch components without touching metal to discharge yourself.

Just remember any suggestion is prejudiced on the person's own experience. I live in the desert so heat is a big deal to me, that makes me lean to Nvidia cards rather than AMD, doesn't make one better than the other, *Yesitdoes* but rather different for each need. AMD is at a lower price point and that can be a more important consideration than worrying about ambient outdoor temperatures hitting 115F in the summer.

Decide what's right for you and make up your own mind, but start with other people's suggestions who've done it before, this is a good forum to do that. And whatever you do, ENJOY the process. It is actually fun once you get over the bit of anxiety.

 

[Joe Newbie]

Ahh, a little over your budget, but yeah, it works. http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/rMqdwP

 

[RazerZ]

Here's what I came up with (blue and black color scheme, if you need it changed just tell me):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK AIDOS BLACK 48.6 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£15.02 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G55 SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£88.99 @ Dabs)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£52.99 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.99 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (£269.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£59.77 @ Scan.co.uk)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£74.09 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £792.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-02 01:10 GMT+0000

It should run games at ultra settings at 1080p. The case has a clean look to it, nothing over the top or flashy, and has a nice side panel window which you can view your components with. It comes with a sli ready Z97 motherboard and 750W PSU to match it. If you plan to use the 970 for a while and then upgrade to a single more powerful card, you could swap the PSU and motherboard out for this combo:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97P-D3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£56.76 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.79 @ Aria PC)
Total: £103.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-02 01:16 GMT+0000