Advice for buying / building a PC

MrEnderkiller · Jun 3, 2014

Hello, I have decided to buy or build a new PC and need advice on the choice of components. I don't really want to play all games on ultra, medium-high is enough. I want to play games such as Battlefield 4, Watch Dogs, GTA V (when it is out)...
I've found this PC on amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JRIKX2Q/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=computers
What do you think ? Do you advise it ? Or should I rather buy all the parts and build it myself ?
Thanks in advance.

patrick47018 · Jun 3, 2014

I recommend building your own, I'll put together a build for you, what is your budget?

GhosT_Hv · Jun 3, 2014

This PC is pretty fine if you want to play games at high settings but what is your resolution ?

patrick47018 · Jun 3, 2014

What do you think? http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/jV4XnQ

MrEnderkiller · Jun 3, 2014

GhosT_Hv :

I usually play on 1680x1050, but is the CPU good enough ?

Calnin · Jun 3, 2014

It should be fine for that resolution. The cpu itself is still weak, I would imagine everything would be playable but maybe lower frame rates in the newer games.

MrEnderkiller · Jun 3, 2014

patrick47018 :

Well, I am french so it is in euros here, but I have a budget around 700 pounds (800-900 euros)
I would prefer just a bit cheaper, but I already have a Windows 8 cd so that's 70£ less. I just also need a wifi card, I don't need an excellent one but I'm using a CPL that doesn't always work so I have to use wifi sometimes.

MrEnderkiller · Jun 3, 2014

Calnin :

Thanks. I don't really want 100 fps, around 40 fps is fine for me, but are the future games (let's say in the next 2 years) still going to run fine ?

Calnin · Jun 3, 2014

They will struggle. I'd recommend maybe building or just saving up for a stronger prebuilt if you want to have a better computer to run in the future.

MrEnderkiller · Jun 3, 2014

Calnin :

Thanks, I'll probably consider patrick47018's proposition of config.

Calnin · Jun 3, 2014

Also put into consideration this build:

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/bJkkjX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/bJkkjX/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/bJkkjX/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£127.19 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£80.08 @ Dabs)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£55.34 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.50 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card (£176.11 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.95 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£56.99 @ Dabs)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive (£10.78 @ Scan.co.uk)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.88 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £663.82

patrick47018 · Jun 3, 2014

MrEnderkiller :

I'm not sure of any French computer part sites, is the configuration I came up with in budget in France?

MrEnderkiller · Jun 3, 2014

patrick47018 :

I know a few sites, your config went a bit over my budget (I get 909€ on Amazon France), but I think I can still afford it.

Calnin, your proposition seems good too, but isn't the gtx 760 a bit of a low-end gaming card ?

Also, I don't know much about this, but is the sound of the GPU enough or do I need to buy a sound card ?

Thanks for all of your answers

Calnin · Jun 3, 2014

Its a mid-range card. If you have money you can change it to a higher tier card if you have money. The 760 should be able to play games on high settings at playable frame rates (30fps+).

patrick47018 · Jun 3, 2014

Both the 760 and R9 280 is what I would consider mid-range cards, expect the R9 280 to be a bit better in most cases

patrick47018 · Jun 3, 2014

Calnin :

Agreed, here is a simple comparison of the reference versions of each card: http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-280-vs-GeForce-GTX-760

Calnin · Jun 3, 2014

The extra vRAM on the 280 would help in higher settings. Both still perform roughly the same as of right now though. I'd still pick the 760 over the 280 because they're roughly roughly the same performance level. But for the price area, either one is fine, whichever one is cheaper is fine. At 1680x1050 you might not notice that big of a difference between the two, but I could be wrong.

MrEnderkiller · Jun 3, 2014

Thanks, understood. I'll probably take the [strike]R9 280[/strike] gtx 260, my mistake.
And about the sound, is a sound card necessary ?
Could you also advise me a wireless card please ? They are going from £5 to £200, so I don't really know what to choose. As I explained in my other message, I'll only need it from time to time.

Calnin · Jun 3, 2014

Motherboard's onboard sound is good enough, you don't need a sound card.

Wireless card, just get a wireless N adapter or card. I don't think the price would really matter, get whatever you can afford.

patrick47018 · Jun 3, 2014

Agree on not needing a sound card, wireless card I went with a PCI Wireless N adapter, just get one that is well reviewed and not overpriced

MrEnderkiller · Jun 4, 2014

patrick47018 :

Thanks, I'll buy this one.
I just have two last technical questions: should I buy a SSD? I heard it offers superior speeds for example for loading games, but they are a bit expensive (correct me if I'm wrong). It is really worth the price? For movies and big files, I have an external usb 3.0 hard drive.
And also, do I need to buy some thermical paste or is the one included enough? What about the SATA cables, are there enough included? Sorry for all these questions but it's the first time I build a computer, I want to make sure I have everything.
PS: Here is probably my final list, please tell me if I forgot anything.

Calnin · Jun 4, 2014

The cooler should come with some thermal paste. If you want another brand of thermal paste, that is up to you. You'll notice marginal differences between different kinds of thermal pastes.

SSD is optional. If you're on a budget, no need for an SSD. If you get some extra money it would be nice to have. It doesn't offer any benefits in gaming or anything.

MrEnderkiller · Jun 4, 2014

Calnin :

Thanks, that's all I think. I am now going to purchase everything and build the computer. Thank you both for all your answers, this really helped me.

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