New PC

[emmerich]

Right I'm upgrading my PC. I don't know how to build from scratch but I wish I did. I'm looking to spend as much as £1,500 on it. I want as much for my money as I can get. What would I be expecting to get with that kind of money?

My current PC is a Dell PC. I upgraded my PSU and Graphics Card is a GTX560ti so I'm wanting something a lot better now that will last a few years if possible.

PS. I'm not that clued up on PC stuff lol

[John25]

That's a nice healthy Budget to have on a PC could build a serious Rig for sure (Sli GTX680's/7970's setups even) , but I really recommend building it yourself as it's easy to Do plus you'll save Money.

[emmerich]

That's a nice healthy Budget to have on a PC could build a serious Rig for sure (Sli GTX680's/7970's setups even) , but I really recommend building it yourself as it's easy to Do plus you'll save Money.

How big a difference in saving would that be for me if I bought the parts and got a friend or someone with knowledge to help me build it?

Also you say it is easy to build. I've no experience in building a PC other than upgrading a graphics card and a PSU. I found the PSU to be a little tricky and would say I got lucky with putting all the connectors in the right place.

[maltrophstitan]

How big a difference in saving would that be for me if I bought the parts and got a friend or someone with knowledge to help me build it?

Also you say it is easy to build. I've no experience in building a PC other than upgrading a graphics card and a PSU. I found the PSU to be a little tricky and would say I got lucky with putting all the connectors in the right place.

If you figured out how to change your graphics card and psu you can build a pc. It's not hard, it saves you money, and it's a rewarding experience.

for 1500 you could build an excellent rig that would play every game max/high for a good while.

[Rapture]

Building a PC is very simple. Every builder will tell you roughly the same story: it feels and seems difficult at first, but once you start to understand that the hardware isn't as fragile as a wine glass and that the build process is essentially silicon legos, it becomes very easy. It is definitely 100% worth it building yourself. Don't ever buy pre-built desktops.

The longevity principal is worth considering here. Your budget runs at about 2,200USD. You can make a beast of a gaming rig with that cash. What you could also do though is build a PC for about 1,500USD equivalent now (1,000 BP) then upgrade the GPU in a couple of years (when you feel the GPU isn't pulling enough weight anymore) with the rest of the cash saved. A good CPU can easily last 5 years or so. A good GPU can generally last (though it does depend on what you consider good enough) about 2-3 years. This does depend on a lot of variables and I'm sure someone else will comment on this.

I can't say much on the hardware specifically since I'm in the US. Prices vary a lot, as well as store accessibility. I wish Newegg shipped internationally, as they always have the best prices. I just wanted to leave my notes above.

[keefy]

£407 bundle consists of:

i7 3770k
8GB RAM
Motherboard

https://www.aria.co.uk/Systems/Bundl...roductId=52501

Then buy a GTX 680 or GTX 690



Or if you think its too hard to build a PC

£1400
https://www.aria.co.uk/Systems/Gamin...roductId=54513

[Rekmon]

How big a difference in saving would that be for me if I bought the parts and got a friend or someone with knowledge to help me build it?

Also you say it is easy to build. I've no experience in building a PC other than upgrading a graphics card and a PSU. I found the PSU to be a little tricky and would say I got lucky with putting all the connectors in the right place.

If you managed to replace a PSU then you can surely put together a PC. Almost all plugs will only fit where they are supposed to go...

Honestly the hardest part is coming up with a budget and picking the right parts, and you can assuredly find feedback on what parts.

[HellsJester]

Building form scratch is pretty easy. Plenty of how to guides on youtube. Most important thing is to just make sure the parts you got are compatible with each other.

[emmerich]

Excellent stuff, thanks to everyone with their suggestions. I may try to build it myself. I'll search up some videos online first to see how easy it is. I'm sure I can find a video of a guy building a PC somewhere.

I'm gonna try get something similar to what keefy suggested

[HellsJester]

Excellent stuff, thanks to everyone with their suggestions. I may try to build it myself. I'll search up some videos online first to see how easy it is. I'm sure I can find a video of a guy building a PC somewhere.

I dont know how expensive parts are in the UK but your budget is near $2000 here and that will get you a lot. If you need help with brand names and the like just ask us because when it comes to PC parts most people know what the good brands are.

[emmerich]

Yeah I'll do a bit of research first and come back with ideas and see what you all think.

First question I have is.. 8GB or 16GB of RAM?

My current system has 6GB.

[HellsJester]

Yeah I'll do a bit of research first and come back with ideas and see what you all think.

First question I have is.. 8GB or 16GB of RAM?

My current system has 6GB.

I havent built a PC in 2 years so i dont know what the RAM standards are now. Didnt Far Cry 3 has 6gb under the recommended? That game came out last year. 8 sounds too low to me if you are upgrading but i havent done the research.

[Rekmon]

Yeah I'll do a bit of research first and come back with ideas and see what you all think.

First question I have is.. 8GB or 16GB of RAM?

My current system has 6GB.

8gb is fine...but with your budget (excuse my ignorance on the currency conversion) you could easily go with 16gb. Ram is pretty cheap all things considered.

[Rapture]

Yeah I'll do a bit of research first and come back with ideas and see what you all think.

First question I have is.. 8GB or 16GB of RAM?

My current system has 6GB.

RAM is cheap and some future-proofing never hurts, but currently 8Gb is more than plenty for gaming. However if you ever plan to do any content creation in the future (drawing, animating, rendering) then definitely go with 16GB. Personally, between those two, I think I'd just go ahead and get 12-16GB.

[keefy]

Yeah I'll do a bit of research first and come back with ideas and see what you all think.

First question I have is.. 8GB or 16GB of RAM?

My current system has 6GB.

Unless you need it 16GB is overkill if you need more RAM at a later date just buy more it will be cheaper later than it is now.

skip to 3:37 if th elnk doesnt do it for you
http://youtu.be/FK4ip08auGg?t=3m37s

[Valefor]

Definitely build it yourself, it's as easy as putting lego together, everything is labelled on the motherboard.

I'd also recommend going for a good single GPU - if you go Crossfire / SLI, you have to deal with driver issues as you get micro-stutter more often when using multiple cards.

[emmerich]

Definitely build it yourself, it's as easy as putting lego together, everything is labelled on the motherboard.

I'd also recommend going for a good single GPU - if you go Crossfire / SLI, you have to deal with driver issues as you get micro-stutter more often when using multiple cards.

Any GPU in particular that you would recommend?

That video was very informative keefy thanks.

[MATRIX 2]

Right I'm upgrading my PC. I don't know how to build from scratch but I wish I did. I'm looking to spend as much as £1,500 on it. I want as much for my money as I can get. What would I be expecting to get with that kind of money?

My current PC is a Dell PC. I upgraded my PSU and Graphics Card is a GTX560ti so I'm wanting something a lot better now that will last a few years if possible.

PS. I'm not that clued up on PC stuff lol

I'd wait till later this year when intel releases its new processors and amd/nvidia release their new graphics cards.

[John25]

I'd wait till later this year when intel releases its new processors and amd/nvidia release their new graphics cards.

Can't wait to hear about the 770/780 GPU series but tbh I think I still got a lotta life left in my Superclocked 570 gaming wise so might hold off till the 800 series

But good advice on Holding off till the new Intel CPU's & Graphic cards come out, won't be too long a wait either

[HellsJester]

I'd wait till later this year when intel releases its new processors and amd/nvidia release their new graphics cards.

The new Intel processors are coming this year? I thought they were coming 2014. Do you have info on the release date for those?

[John25]

Can't remember where I read it but I heard around June for the new Intel CPU's (Don't quote me on that though) :P

[HellsJester]

Can't remember where I read it but I heard around June for the new Intel CPU's (Don't quote me on that though) :P

Just did a search and it looks like June is right thanks. Looked for Nvidias 700 series as well and people say Q3-Q4. Looks like im upgrading early next year.

[MATRIX 2]

The new Intel processors are coming this year? I thought they were coming 2014. Do you have info on the release date for those?

Supposed to begin in june.

Fall for the gpu's.

[Morganator]

Although 1500 euros is a pretty sizable budget for a PC, there are still some things I'd like you to consider. Price vs performance is a huge factor. Keeping this in mind, I've found AMD CPUs and GPUs to be quite satisfactory in this regard. Intel and Nvidia seem to have a knack for overpricing their wares. Another issue is the case you plan on using. Build a system around a decent case. All the bells and whistles in the world won't help you out if you're not thinking about space, airflow and future-proofing. Remember, some of the components have bulked up over the years, especially the GPUs with their triple slots and extra length, others have shrunk, like hard drives. All have gotten hotter so cooling should be a good focus too.

In short, plan your build well before buying parts. Check technical specs like main power pin counts for both the PSU and motherboard, SLI/CrossfireX support on the PSU, SATA connections on all applicable components and power requirements for everything. And get thermal paste. It works wonders.

[PeanutButterMunky]

Building PCs is incredibly easy. Everything just plugs into the motherboard like lego blocks... and if you get confused as to where to plug crap in, they usually come with a manual that tells you where. On top of that, there is such an ungodly amount of resources on the internet to help you that you couldn't possibly not figure it out.

My only suggestions are to get yourself a good static wrist strap so that you don't short out any parts or fry your motherboard. It is also crucial to remember to put the motherboard screws into the case before placing the motherboard down because you can either short the board or break it... both of which would suck ass.

Also, making sure that your PSU is powerful enough to handle all your stuff is important... 400-500 watts should be just fine if you're just running a single GPU, but if you're doing SLI or Crossfire you'll want to consider more wattage.

Picking a really nice case is also important. You'll want enough room for everything to fit and you'll be using the same case for many upgrades to come... so find one you like that has all the features you want and plenty of expandability.

It shouldn't be that big of a problem though because you'll probably only be upgrading the GPU every couple years.

Your "budget" will build you a beast of a gaming PC that will laugh at most games you play on it on max settings.

And, of course, you have us to help you out. Good luck, bro.

Edit: Oh yeah... uh... make sure everything is compatible with your motherboard. That's kind of important. o_0

Lawlmoredit: www.pcpartpicker.com is good for putting parts together.