Buying first ever gaming system (Under 800) - Need some guidance

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bendan80

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Mar 11, 2014
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Hi all. This is my first post within the community. I have long been a console gamer but have been lured away by the adaptability of PC gaming and also the ridiculously low prices of certain games on steam.

I'm hoping to buy a new gaming system within a month and have already been doing a considerable amount of research on bundles and deals from the usual sites, overclockers, cyberpower, curry's, pc world etc. However coming at this as someone new to PC Gaming, I don't have much knowledge on the specification front. Below is a snapshot of what I need.

Budget: Under £800
Performance: I would like ideally something that would match or surpass the new generation of consoles i.e the PS4.
Basically all I will be doing on this system is gaming and the odd bit of microsoft word and internet usage, but primarily gaming. I do not need a monitor as I intend to hook it up to my 32 inch Sony Bravia.

I've seen this deal on curry's:
ACER Predator G6-305 Gaming PC
- i5 4430 processor (3.0 GHZ with Turbo boost, 6mb cache)
- NVIDIA Geforce GTX 645 2GB
- 8 GB DDR3 RAM (Maximum installable 32GB)
- Intel B85 Mobo
-1 TB HDD
- Windows 8
- Comes with USB Keyboard and Mouse, Wifi built in.

here's the link: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/desktop-pcs/gaming-pcs/acer-predator-g3-605-gaming-pc-21656659-pdt.html

Do you reckon this would be a strong enough system for what I need? Or would there be better builds out there for the money? I'd welcome any and all suggestions.

Thank you.


 
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sweenytodd

sweenytodd

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Aug 13, 2013
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No it will be not enough for your gaming needs.

I made this build to play on ultra settings and it will max out games.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor (£105.59 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.44 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£75.89 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£60.46 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.14 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (£238.52 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£45.90 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£91.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.78 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£79.05 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £773.75
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-11 15:23 GMT+0000)
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Hi,
The PROBLEM with the above build (your initial post, not the GTX770) is that the GRAPHICS is very weak. A PS4 would be comparable to an HD7850 now and probably an HD7970 in a couple years once game developers optimize for the PS4 more.

I strongly encourage you to BUILD your own PC with pcpartpicker uk using advice from others because you can get a better build than anything you can buy pre-built at this price likely.

I'll see what I can create now...

UPDATE:
I see a build already. I'll create a different one so we can see how they compare.
 
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d1rtydeedz

d1rtydeedz

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Dec 19, 2013
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There's better. How do you feel about building your own computer? Now before you freak out, hear us out.. IT IS NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK. The bonus, better system for the same price and YOU built it.

Your wish is to have a pc better than a ps4, phffff....EASY. You'll need a graphics card better than the Radeon 7850 [that's what the ps4 has].

The only tricky part about building your own pc is the processor; installation. Watch a few youtube videos and you'll be pro. Everything else is like lego, plug and play baby. Then an operation installation, also simple and a bios set-up; for the motherboard. Most of the time the motherboard will come with default settings just where you need them.

Feeling a little better now? Let us know if you want to jump in to the awesome world of pc building and you'll have half a dozen guys posting the exact parts list, where to order it, how much it will cost, and comparison.

Let's hear those magic words bro....
 
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fields224

fields224

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Mar 9, 2014
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oh god please dont get it from currys Lol !!

build your own one, or if you cant go to scans custom builds http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ -they offer much better prices for performance

currys is not a good choice for a gaming pc unless you want to get absolutely rinsed !
 
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Immaculate

Immaculate

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Mar 26, 2013
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PS4 is much closer a 7790 than a 7850.
Building is very easy. There is really no wrong way to plug anything in, except maybe the CPU. With the CPU there is a certain orientation it needs to have. It will have pins that go into a socket or the pins will be on the mobo and you fit them into the CPU socket. You should be able to tell when you have them all lined up properly, there should be no wiggle when your lining them up. Then the next trickiest is the thermal paste, just put the thinnest layer you can and spread it with a plastic card like a credit card.

As for the system itself, i5s are much better than an 8320, there is a price difference for the performance gains though.
Nvidia 20nm Maxwell GPUs are really not that far off. If you could keep saving money for your budget and wait for them you could have a really killer PC playing every game on ultra.

Im not entirely sure but that prebuilt GPU might actually be a GTX 5xx gpu considering they usually market prebuilts that way, like how prebuilts had Radeon HD 8xxx and GTX 8xx, all just marketing lies.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Photonboy's build: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/37Zzr

Build comments:

1) CPU: i5-4440
The recent INTEL 4-core CPU's are the best for gaming. This CPU will beat the FX-8320 by up to 40% though it varies. http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested/5

Even at 1920x1080 the AMD CPU's are consistently lower performance. In Skyrim, for example, most 4-core Intel CPU's beat the FX-8350 by about 40%.

2) Asus GTX770:
Great graphics card. Most games at 1920x1080 at highest quality.

3) 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz
Pretty standard for a gamer.

4) Power Supply:
Good value, and adequate for the job.

5) Case:
Solid case.

6) Hard Drive:
2TB HDD. You may want to PARTITION IT into two.

7) Windows 8.1 64-bit
Best OS today, however I strongly recommend gettting START8 from Stardock for $5 USD.

Summary:
Good luck!
The optimal PC build is all about BALANCE of parts. I think my build is optimal for the budget. Again, the AMD CPU's aren't a good choice at this budget.

I'll put some quick install tips below.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Quick install tips. You may wish to PRINT THIS out for reference:

First, read through the MOTHERBOARD MANUAL. In particular, the DDR3 memory needs to go in the proper slots not just any two, and the case connectors are shown. Don't forget the CPU power connection near the CPU.

1) Google how to apply thermal paste if needed (minimum to coat surface).
2) Build PC.
3) Go into the motherboard BIOS (DEL on boot) click "XMP" to assign CPU/DDR3 settings and SAVE.
4) test DDR3 memory www.memtest.org before installing Windows

5) Install Windows 8.1 64-bit
6) Go to motherboard support site to get drivers/software and install, etc.:
- main chipset driver
- USB3
- possibly other Intel CPU software (if in doubt don't bother)
- audio
- software
7) Setup the FAN CONTROL software for the motherboard so your CPU (and maybe case) fans ramp from slow to fast (i.e. 40degC at 50%, then ramp up).
8) NVIDIA drivers for GTX770 (main NVidia site, has an auto-detect feature or just put in details manually.)

9) partition hard drive into two or other size (Google for how)
10) Install STEAM (I recommend to the 2nd partition which makes adding an SSD and moving Steam easier later)
11) Other apps (Start8, maybe Faststone picture viewer, K-Lite Standard codec pack for video.. , Firefox browser.. )
12) Backup IMAGE of Windows (WD drives have a Free version of Acronis True Image for this. SEAGATE has the same program but it has a different name "Seagate DiscWizard" http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/item/discwizard-master-dl/

Ideally backup to another drive if you have one. If not, backup Windows (C-drive) to the 2nd partition once everything is installed.
 
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bendan80

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Mar 11, 2014
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Okay guys thanks a lot for the advice. After contemplating a bit, I think I will go ahead and build my own.

Here is what I have priced.

CPU: Intel i5 4430 Haswell
RAM: 2X4GB Kingston DDR3 1600 MHz
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 S1150 H81/DVI-HDMI-DP
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB (7200 RPM) SATA 64MB
GPU: Gigabyte Geforce GTX 770 Overclocked Windforce 2GB DDR5
Optical Drive: Standard DVD/RW
Case: CiT Neptune Gaming Case with 12mm fan and LED's
Wireless Adaptor
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 bit
Arctic Case Fan 9PWN
Akasa High Performance CPU cooler
PSU: Corsair CX750 Builder series 750 watt ATX/PS2 Unit
Total Cost: £797.16

What do you think of this potential build? I took on photonboy's ideas and obviously I had to make a few sacrifices (No SSD). Is a 750 Watt PSU needed for this build? Or could I get rid of the Arctic case fan (there is already one provided in the case, 12 mm) or the CPU cooler to bring the cost down further?
 
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bendan80

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Mar 11, 2014
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Those are things I can add over time though (the PSU), I doubt I'll need to SLI because of the power of the GPU I'm getting.

As for the motherboard what would you suggest? And do you reckon I need those fans/cooler I priced? Or could I get away with just the case fan?
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Hey,
The motherboard in my link is really good and capable of overclocking a CPU. However, I did NOT recommend the i5-4670K for two reasons:
1) It's more expensive (about 35 pounds more), so I would have had to buy a cheaper graphics card, and
2) There's about a 1% difference in gaming on average between the i5-4440 and i5-4670K. I had a link to an article which compared about ten different games.

I do recommend the i5-4670K if you can increase your budget slightly to allow it with my build, otherwise I can't recommend taking the money from other parts.

Here's my build again: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/37Zzr

As you can see, the Graphics Card is the only thing I could have made cheaper easily, and that's something that would really impact performance.
 
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d1rtydeedz

d1rtydeedz

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Dec 19, 2013
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Not bad, but you're not meeting the minimum power requirements of 575W for the gtx 770. Also the RAM, there's little to no perceivable benefit from 1600 to 1866, save a little money and go 1600. As for the CPU, they're both good. Take your pic.
 
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sora

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Oct 30, 2013
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A PS4 is comparable to a HD7850? Never knew that, and if you need help building a computer check YouTube, they have some great tutorials that should help you out.
 
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Immaculate

Immaculate

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7850 is NOT a PS4... 7850 can run BF4 at higher resolutions with higher settings still at playable frames with a higher memory bandwidth. Comparing it to a 7970 is just nonsense.

the i5 build OP showed is fairly decent for the price, i5s are great CPUs, K edition would be best. GTX 770 is pretty good. HOWEVER that CX psu is awful. Corsair mmakes some decent psus but the CX line is one to stay away from. XFX or Seasonic.
 
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