A question on gaming pc's

[caz105]

I finally saw the light and decided to get a gaming PC for Christmas, I chose to get a custom one from cyberpower PC and got this one:

Spoiler

*BASE_PRICE: [+208]
CAS: Silverstone Precision PS01B-W Mid Tower Case Black with Side-Panel Window [+20]
CASUPGRADE: NONE
CS_FAN: Maximum Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+10]
CPNR: Cyberpower Power Supply Gasket -- reducing the noice generated from Power Supply [+3]
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core? 2 Duo E7400 CPU @ 2.80GHz 1066FSB 3MB L2 ***Overclockable XXX*** Cache 64-bit [+35]
CD: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (Black Color)
CD2: NONE
CABLE: None
EXPAN: NONE
FAN: XtremeGear HDT 120 Xtreme CPU Cooler (5 Heatpipes Direct Core Contact, with rubber rings detachable 120m Neon Fan) ***Overclockable XXX*** [+22]
FLASHMEDIA: None
FA_HDD: None
FLOPPY: NONE
HOMEINSTALL: NONE
HDD: Single Hard Drive (1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16M Cache Hard Drive [+22])
HDD2: NONE
IEEE_CARD: NONE
KEYBOARD: Logitech PS/2 Keyboard (Black) [+8]
MOUSE: NONE
MODEM: NONE
MOTHERBOARD: MSI P43 Neo-F P43 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1333 DDR2/800 SATA2 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio [+19]
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC8500 DDR2/1066Mhz Dual Channel Memory [+17] (G.SKILL PK Series w/Heat Spreader)
MONITOR: NONE
MONITOR2: NONE
NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista? Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 [+74] (64-bit Edition)
OS_UPGRADE: Upgrade to Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
PS_VGA: NONE
POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts Power Supplies [+22] (CyberPowerPC Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
PRO_WIRING: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU [+11]
RUSH: NONE
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: Logitech S120 2.0 Stereo Speaker Set [+8] (BLACK COLOR)
TEMP: NONE (AS SHOWN)
TVRC: NONE
UPS: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBHD: NONE
VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 4670 PCI-E x16 512MB Video Card [+47]
VIDEO2: NONE
VIDEO3: NONE
WEBCAM: NONE
WNC: NONE
WAP: NONE
WARRANTY: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
_PRICE: (+526)
_view_: detail

Is this a good PC for £604(inc VAT)? Can anyone recommend any improvements or changes? I would like to keep it about £600 or cheaper.

 

[Emphraim]

Your processor and graphics card are a bit weak. Don't expect to play a lot of games on max settings.

I suggest buying all those parts on Newegg and building it yourself or getting a friend or local technician to build it. You will save a lot of money which you can use to get a better CPU and GPU.

 

[caz105]

Your processor and graphics card are a bit weak. Don't expect to play a lot of games on max settings.

I suggest buying all those parts on Newegg and building it yourself or getting a friend or local technician to build it. You will save a lot of money which you can use to get a better CPU and GPU.

I'm not too worried about the graphical settings as long as I can play the majority of games at regular settings, will this rig handle that?

 

[Emphraim]

Your processor and graphics card are a bit weak. Don't expect to play a lot of games on max settings.

I suggest buying all those parts on Newegg and building it yourself or getting a friend or local technician to build it. You will save a lot of money which you can use to get a better CPU and GPU.

I'm not too worried about the graphical settings as long as I can play the majority of games at regular settings, will this rig handle that?

Most likely yes. Just don't plan on running Crysis or anything like that.

 

[LopezMeister]

It will play the games that are out but in a few months, maybe a year it will start to struggle. £600 seems a bit much for this system considering you're not getting a monitor with it.

 

[caz105]

It will play the games that are out but in a few months, maybe a year it will start to struggle. £600 seems a bit much for this system considering you're not getting a monitor with it.

Can you recommend any changes? I don't need a monitor because I can use my TV.

 

[AbuFace]

Can you recommend any changes? I don't need a monitor because I can use my TV.

In order of significance...

1) A 4670 isn't a terribly fast card. It's sufficient to play current titles, but you won't be getting any kind of spectacular performance. If you want some eye candy, you'll need to go bigger. For a bit of extra performance without breaking the bank, check out the Radeon 4850.

2) 2 GB of RAM on a Vista x64 machine will hurt. 4 GB is the sweet spot.

3) Your CPU is a touch on the weak side. It's hard to say for sure though, as nobody can really predict how soon truly multi-threaded apps will take off.
About 7 weeks ago, Tomshardware.com did a re-visit of an older article they did about multiple core CPUs and their effectiveness. This page of results [http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cores-performance,2373-9.html] from that article will be the most use to you, as it demonstrates how multiple CPU cores will affect your gaming. The overall result is that 2 cores is sufficient for gaming - for now, at least. Keep in mind that in most games, you won't be running minimum details like the test did, and your graphics card will be the limiting factor for your performance, not the processor. Seriously, who honestly averages 76.4 FPS in Crysis? =P
It's up to you if you think the slightly improved performance and potential "future-proofing" is worth the extra cost of a quad core. Personally, I think you will be fine with the CPU you have selected, but I wouldn't disagree at all if you wanted a quad core.

£600 is a bit steep for those parts, unless you are getting an incredible service and support plan with it. Unfortunately, other than building your own (or having a friend do it), there isn't much way out of paying a premium to have it built for you =/

 

[Danny Ocean]

I'd try this:

Case: Antec 300 ~£45
Mobo: MSI 770-c45 ~£65
CPU: AMD Phenom X2 550 Black Edition ~£75
RAM: Corsair TWIN3X02048-133C9A ~£30
GPU: Perhaps a 4770? ~£85
CPU cooler: OCZ Vendetta 2 ~£20
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W ~£55
HDD: WD Caviar Blue (320GB) ~£35
Opical Drive: LG GH22ns40 ~£15

Which comes out at about £425, which leaves you some money spare for peripherals, a couple of games, or to upgrade a component or two. S'up to you.

Everyone else: Feel free to pick this apart.

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

I think that just about cuts it or cuts it a lot

 

[wordsmith]

I suggest buying all those parts on Newegg

The prices are listed in £, Newegg is American and don't deliver to UK. Try Overclockers UK.

I think that just about cuts it or cuts it a lot

EDIT: Not particularly, as people have said before me, it's a little weak in the CPU department, and 2GB RAM with Vista is trouble...

 

[Mr Orange]

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2009/08/11/what-hardware-should-i-buy-august-2009/2

Buy these components and build the PC yourself. It is incredibly simple and there are LOADS of guides on the interweb to help you. With this system, you come in under budget aswell.

However, do check out other cases, like the Antec 300 that Danny Ocean mentioned. It is about half the price and I think it looks better.Another case you might like to consider is the Lancool K62. It has a window and LED blue fans but is very reliable and well built aswell. This is the one I would recommend for you.

If you do buy the Antec 300, make sure you buy a couple of intake fans aswell as it is only equipped with exhaust fans. Hope this helps.

Here is a link to the K62: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-005-LN&utm_source=froogle. You can find other pictures of it on google.

 

[Ethereal]

POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts Power Supplies [+22] (CyberPowerPC Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)

NO.
Don't do that to yourself.
If you're really on that tight of a budget I suggest waiting until you get a little more
money saved up.

Going around buying "bargain", or no brand, parts for a computer is a stupid idea.
Especially when you're talking about parts like power supplies which can potentially cause tons of damage to your computer should it fail.
Furthermore, the power supply is probably the only part that will last you at least 3-4 years, so it's really important to see it as an investment.

P.S:
Also, it seems you're trying to buy this from CyberPower PCs. I would stay away from them if I were you. They have a horrible reputation for customer service, most of their parts are not seated or inserted correctly before shipping, and they never check to see if your parts will actually work (whether it be compatibility or a DOA issue). I HIGHLY suggest building yourself to save money and time.

 

[caz105]

I was waiting for someone to figure out it was a CyberPower xD
I'm looking for a gaming PC too, but I can't get any help, since everyone tells me to build one. No one seems to get the, "I'M NOT BUILDING A DAMN PC, JUST FIND ME ONE THAT WILL PLAY NEWER GAMES!" It's really irritating, too, since I'm allowed to get one for Christmas, and no one can find me one (If you can, PM me the link? )

I've never built a PC before but with the help of Abu and Danny hopefully I'll do it. Buying individual parts and putting them together is soo much cheaper.

 

[Mr Orange]

I was waiting for someone to figure out it was a CyberPower xD
I'm looking for a gaming PC too, but I can't get any help, since everyone tells me to build one. No one seems to get the, "I'M NOT BUILDING A DAMN PC, JUST FIND ME ONE THAT WILL PLAY NEWER GAMES!" It's really irritating, too, since I'm allowed to get one for Christmas, and no one can find me one (If you can, PM me the link? )

I've never built a PC before but with the help of Abu and Danny hopefully I'll do it. Buying individual parts and putting them together is soo much cheaper.

If you want to buy a pre-built gaming PC it is going to cost ALOT more than if you'd just spent 3 hours (including driver installation and cable management)doing it yourself.

Building a PC is really simple and it makes it feel like the PC is really yours.

Also, if you get he Bit Tech recommended system, you will be able to unlock the extra fourth core in the Phenom II X3 processor - 4 cores for the price of 3.

 

[caz105]

If you want to buy a pre-built gaming PC it is going to cost ALOT more than if you'd just spent 3 hours (including driver installation and cable management)doing it yourself.

Building a PC is really simple and it makes it feel like the PC is really yours.

Also, if you get he Bit Tech recommended system, you will be able to unlock the extra fourth core in the Phenom II X3 processor - 4 cores for the price of 3.

Which components are needed to get the extra core, because I was thinking of taking Danny's advice and choosing the Antec 300 case and either choosing http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-022-AK&tool=38 or http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-016-CS.
I'm probably going to use AMD Phenom II X3 and this GPU http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-108-HT&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=939

 

[Zildjin81]

Isn't Cyberpower a well known scam? I mean like there stuff is all kind of half-assedly assembled.

 

[jonnopon3000]

I finally saw the light and decided to get a gaming PC for Christmas, I chose to get a custom one from cyberpower PC and got this one:

Spoiler

*BASE_PRICE: [+208]
CAS: Silverstone Precision PS01B-W Mid Tower Case Black with Side-Panel Window [+20]
CASUPGRADE: NONE
CS_FAN: Maximum Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+10]
CPNR: Cyberpower Power Supply Gasket -- reducing the noice generated from Power Supply [+3]
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core? 2 Duo E7400 CPU @ 2.80GHz 1066FSB 3MB L2 ***Overclockable XXX*** Cache 64-bit [+35]
CD: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (Black Color)
CD2: NONE
CABLE: None
EXPAN: NONE
FAN: XtremeGear HDT 120 Xtreme CPU Cooler (5 Heatpipes Direct Core Contact, with rubber rings detachable 120m Neon Fan) ***Overclockable XXX*** [+22]
FLASHMEDIA: None
FA_HDD: None
FLOPPY: NONE
HOMEINSTALL: NONE
HDD: Single Hard Drive (1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16M Cache Hard Drive [+22])
HDD2: NONE
IEEE_CARD: NONE
KEYBOARD: Logitech PS/2 Keyboard (Black) [+8]
MOUSE: NONE
MODEM: NONE
MOTHERBOARD: MSI P43 Neo-F P43 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1333 DDR2/800 SATA2 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio [+19]
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC8500 DDR2/1066Mhz Dual Channel Memory [+17] (G.SKILL PK Series w/Heat Spreader)
MONITOR: NONE
MONITOR2: NONE
NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista? Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 [+74] (64-bit Edition)
OS_UPGRADE: Upgrade to Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
PS_VGA: NONE
POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts Power Supplies [+22] (CyberPowerPC Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
PRO_WIRING: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU [+11]
RUSH: NONE
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: Logitech S120 2.0 Stereo Speaker Set [+8] (BLACK COLOR)
TEMP: NONE (AS SHOWN)
TVRC: NONE
UPS: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBHD: NONE
VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 4670 PCI-E x16 512MB Video Card [+47]
VIDEO2: NONE
VIDEO3: NONE
WEBCAM: NONE
WNC: NONE
WAP: NONE
WARRANTY: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
_PRICE: (+526)
_view_: detail

Is this a good PC for £604(inc VAT)? Can anyone recommend any improvements or changes? I would like to keep it about £600 or cheaper.

Well the PC I am building next year is like £900 and like....WWWAAAAAAYYYYY better than that. I mean...more than £300's worth. Seriously...that was not worth £600 in my opinion.

But that's not what you asked. It is a nice PC at any rate, and will play a lot of games. I would reccommend another 1 or 2 GB of RAM, and maybe an Nvidea GeForce GTX250 or better graphics card...at least 512 mb. It might be expensive, but worth it. Using the PC-specific Nvidea Physx is amazing. I have only seen it in action, but gape.

These are, as you required, the improvements I would make. Also...i mean it is a BIG change and a LOT of money...but an intel core i5 (New out in September) processor is ready to take full advantage of directx 11 in october. i7 also is and is slightly cheaper, but is slightly older and the i5 has higher overcklocking and data-sharing capabilities between it's standard 4 cores. Ultimate speed. This is only a luxury-as it is, your processor should not have any trouble with most games...a lot on high graphs aswell due to your graphs card.

 

[caz105]

I finally saw the light and decided to get a gaming PC for Christmas, I chose to get a custom one from cyberpower PC and got this one:

Spoiler

*BASE_PRICE: [+208]
CAS: Silverstone Precision PS01B-W Mid Tower Case Black with Side-Panel Window [+20]
CASUPGRADE: NONE
CS_FAN: Maximum Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+10]
CPNR: Cyberpower Power Supply Gasket -- reducing the noice generated from Power Supply [+3]
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core? 2 Duo E7400 CPU @ 2.80GHz 1066FSB 3MB L2 ***Overclockable XXX*** Cache 64-bit [+35]
CD: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (Black Color)
CD2: NONE
CABLE: None
EXPAN: NONE
FAN: XtremeGear HDT 120 Xtreme CPU Cooler (5 Heatpipes Direct Core Contact, with rubber rings detachable 120m Neon Fan) ***Overclockable XXX*** [+22]
FLASHMEDIA: None
FA_HDD: None
FLOPPY: NONE
HOMEINSTALL: NONE
HDD: Single Hard Drive (1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16M Cache Hard Drive [+22])
HDD2: NONE
IEEE_CARD: NONE
KEYBOARD: Logitech PS/2 Keyboard (Black) [+8]
MOUSE: NONE
MODEM: NONE
MOTHERBOARD: MSI P43 Neo-F P43 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1333 DDR2/800 SATA2 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio [+19]
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC8500 DDR2/1066Mhz Dual Channel Memory [+17] (G.SKILL PK Series w/Heat Spreader)
MONITOR: NONE
MONITOR2: NONE
NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista? Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 [+74] (64-bit Edition)
OS_UPGRADE: Upgrade to Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
PS_VGA: NONE
POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts Power Supplies [+22] (CyberPowerPC Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
PRO_WIRING: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU [+11]
RUSH: NONE
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: Logitech S120 2.0 Stereo Speaker Set [+8] (BLACK COLOR)
TEMP: NONE (AS SHOWN)
TVRC: NONE
UPS: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBHD: NONE
VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 4670 PCI-E x16 512MB Video Card [+47]
VIDEO2: NONE
VIDEO3: NONE
WEBCAM: NONE
WNC: NONE
WAP: NONE
WARRANTY: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
_PRICE: (+526)
_view_: detail

Is this a good PC for £604(inc VAT)? Can anyone recommend any improvements or changes? I would like to keep it about £600 or cheaper.

Well the PC I am building next year is like £900 and like....WWWAAAAAAYYYYY better than that. I mean...more than £300's worth. Seriously...that was not worth £600 in my opinion.

But that's not what you asked. It is a nice PC at any rate, and will play a lot of games. I would reccommend another 1 or 2 GB of RAM, and maybe an Nvidea GeForce GTX250 or better graphics card...at least 512 mb. It might be expensive, but worth it. Using the PC-specific Nvidea Physx is amazing. I have only seen it in action, but gape.

These are, as you required, the improvements I would make. Also...i mean it is a BIG change and a LOT of money...but an intel core i5 (New out in September) processor is ready to take full advantage of directx 11 in october. i7 also is and is slightly cheaper, but is slightly older and the i5 has higher overcklocking and data-sharing capabilities between it's standard 4 cores. Ultimate speed.

Are you including OS in that price?

 

[jonnopon3000]

I finally saw the light and decided to get a gaming PC for Christmas, I chose to get a custom one from cyberpower PC and got this one:

Spoiler

*BASE_PRICE: [+208]
CAS: Silverstone Precision PS01B-W Mid Tower Case Black with Side-Panel Window [+20]
CASUPGRADE: NONE
CS_FAN: Maximum Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+10]
CPNR: Cyberpower Power Supply Gasket -- reducing the noice generated from Power Supply [+3]
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core? 2 Duo E7400 CPU @ 2.80GHz 1066FSB 3MB L2 ***Overclockable XXX*** Cache 64-bit [+35]
CD: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (Black Color)
CD2: NONE
CABLE: None
EXPAN: NONE
FAN: XtremeGear HDT 120 Xtreme CPU Cooler (5 Heatpipes Direct Core Contact, with rubber rings detachable 120m Neon Fan) ***Overclockable XXX*** [+22]
FLASHMEDIA: None
FA_HDD: None
FLOPPY: NONE
HOMEINSTALL: NONE
HDD: Single Hard Drive (1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16M Cache Hard Drive [+22])
HDD2: NONE
IEEE_CARD: NONE
KEYBOARD: Logitech PS/2 Keyboard (Black) [+8]
MOUSE: NONE
MODEM: NONE
MOTHERBOARD: MSI P43 Neo-F P43 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1333 DDR2/800 SATA2 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio [+19]
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC8500 DDR2/1066Mhz Dual Channel Memory [+17] (G.SKILL PK Series w/Heat Spreader)
MONITOR: NONE
MONITOR2: NONE
NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista? Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 [+74] (64-bit Edition)
OS_UPGRADE: Upgrade to Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
PS_VGA: NONE
POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts Power Supplies [+22] (CyberPowerPC Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
PRO_WIRING: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU [+11]
RUSH: NONE
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: Logitech S120 2.0 Stereo Speaker Set [+8] (BLACK COLOR)
TEMP: NONE (AS SHOWN)
TVRC: NONE
UPS: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBHD: NONE
VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 4670 PCI-E x16 512MB Video Card [+47]
VIDEO2: NONE
VIDEO3: NONE
WEBCAM: NONE
WNC: NONE
WAP: NONE
WARRANTY: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
_PRICE: (+526)
_view_: detail

Is this a good PC for £604(inc VAT)? Can anyone recommend any improvements or changes? I would like to keep it about £600 or cheaper.

Well the PC I am building next year is like £900 and like....WWWAAAAAAYYYYY better than that. I mean...more than £300's worth. Seriously...that was not worth £600 in my opinion.

But that's not what you asked. It is a nice PC at any rate, and will play a lot of games. I would reccommend another 1 or 2 GB of RAM, and maybe an Nvidea GeForce GTX250 or better graphics card...at least 512 mb. It might be expensive, but worth it. Using the PC-specific Nvidea Physx is amazing. I have only seen it in action, but gape.

These are, as you required, the improvements I would make. Also...i mean it is a BIG change and a LOT of money...but an intel core i5 (New out in September) processor is ready to take full advantage of directx 11 in october. i7 also is and is slightly cheaper, but is slightly older and the i5 has higher overcklocking and data-sharing capabilities between it's standard 4 cores. Ultimate speed.

Are you including OS in that price?

Yes. Windows 7 ultimate I think I will be getting. Why does this affect your judgement?

 

[Starke]

Can you recommend any changes? I don't need a monitor because I can use my TV.

Honestly, you really do need a monitor. Unless you've got a high quality HD TV, you're not going to be able want to use the TV for basic interface stuff. Even 720 is painfully low res for a computer.