Looking for advice on a high performance PC

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samurai47

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May 4, 2015
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Hi,

I'm a graphic designer and animator, I'm looking to upgrade my PC as I cant run high performance software/games i.e. 3Ds Max, GTA V on my current PC. I understand PC's to some extent but I'm hoping to get expert advice on the finer details. I'm looking to buy an i7 PC from Amazon UK.

Kindly see the PC's I'm looking at currently;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KB0QHZG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X1BTKU1QGYGB&coliid=I3G59VVWBEZFO9&psc=1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DWTJONA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X1BTKU1QGYGB&coliid=I2KO87J738ESAN&psc=1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IOQUXLI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X1BTKU1QGYGB&coliid=I2SZAZ4HVVDYOM&psc=1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MVZ3RH0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X1BTKU1QGYGB&coliid=I2JGD70VUBK197

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00O8SEGV4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X1BTKU1QGYGB&coliid=I3O1US368WOQ7U&psc=1

My question is, which PC would you pick out of the ones above?

Are the parts compatible? After reading some reviews I became a bit cautious and need to be sure before I purchase any of the above.

Would also appreciate any advice on where to buy good PC's in the UK.

PS: I am not looking to build a PC.

Many thanks.

 
Solution
Darkbreeze
For what you need to do, considering high end graphics AND gaming, I'd either go with the R9 290 (NOT the 255 version. You'll be extremely sad if you go with that.) version of this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00O8SEGV4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X1BTKU1QGYGB&coliid=I3O1US368WOQ7U&psc=1



Or maybe go with this:


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Freshtech-Z97X-Gaming-Motherboard-Vengeance-Performance/dp/B00I45154S



All of the other models you listed are going to fall short in one area or another. Some have too little memory for high end graphics design machines. Others have very low end gaming cards that will not offer a good gaming experience on games like GTA V or other highly demanding titles, especially if the demands...
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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For what you need to do, considering high end graphics AND gaming, I'd either go with the R9 290 (NOT the 255 version. You'll be extremely sad if you go with that.) version of this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00O8SEGV4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=X1BTKU1QGYGB&coliid=I3O1US368WOQ7U&psc=1



Or maybe go with this:


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Freshtech-Z97X-Gaming-Motherboard-Vengeance-Performance/dp/B00I45154S



All of the other models you listed are going to fall short in one area or another. Some have too little memory for high end graphics design machines. Others have very low end gaming cards that will not offer a good gaming experience on games like GTA V or other highly demanding titles, especially if the demands of games like GTA V become the norm going forward.
 
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Solution
fport

fport

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May 22, 2011
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Which software packages do you use? Specifically. What do other people have to use that software?
What are your favorite games?

The reason you ask here usually is to have a better than for the same price. If you buy a pre-built system then you are
going to be paying for an already razer thin margined compromise.

Building your own is simple enough. Youtube is your friend.

Better parts, more value and greater capacity with room to extend later.

Your budget looks to be between 700-900 pounds.

Depending on your overall use case you could get a far better fit for the same money. 50 pounds more for a
motherboard may allow you to double your RAM later on or add additional GFX or fit a more powerful CPU a
year or three down the road. If you build it yourself you will know how to do that and why you are doing it.
 
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samurai47

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May 4, 2015
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Thank's alot for your response and feedback, would you know any other/better alternatives to amazon or is amazon the best place to purchase? Also, are there any other budget friendly PC's you may recommend? My budget is between 700-900 pounds.

Thanks.
 
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samurai47

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Thanks for your feedback fport, I had thought of building but at the moment I'm in Kenya and have my cousin bringing me the machine from the UK. If one of the parts were to be faulty it would be complicated shipping the stuff back to replace etc.

However, if you have solutions for this I would appreciate your input.

I use the following softwares:

After Effects CS6
Photoshop CS6
Illustrator CS6
Cinema 4D

They can run on my computer but After Effects and Cinema 4D really lag.

The Games I'd like to play;

GTA 5
Call of Duty
And a couple more.

Dark breeze recommended this PC:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Freshtech-Z97X-Gaming-Motherboard-Vengeance-Performance/dp/B00I45154S

Does it not have room for improvement? As I don't know how to determine that.

Let me know,

Thanks.
 
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sora

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I would personally go with building a PC because you can save money, and yes, I am aware that you aren't looking to build one.

 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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Building a PC in Kenya would probably be a very poor idea since as mentioned by the OP, availability of parts there is almost non-existent, and shipping for individual components would probably be outrageous. At least with a pre-built system you are a lot more likely to have international support, IF you go with a unit built by a major manufacturer. I don't think any of those units aside from the Lenovo would qualify as such.

I think the Lenovo model with the R9 290, not the one with the R9 255, would be a good choice. Considering Lenovo has support facilities here:

Wedgefield Office Park
17 Muswell Road South
Bryanston
Johannesburg
South Africa

They are likely to be a good choice IN the event anything does go wrong later. Considering your location I would avoid smaller companies like the Freshtell unit, as it's extremely unlikely they will offer support outside the UK, and far more likely for something to go wrong with one of their units. I've never even heard of them before, so that says something about them. They must be a relatively smaller, regional outfit or organization. The units I see by them also look very cheap, similar to CyberpowerPC and iBuypower PC, both of which should also be avoided due to the immense number of RMA and general failure rates coupled with a lack of product support that both companies are well known for.
 
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samurai47

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I agree, Lenovo was my first choice until I read a review of the wrong Graphics card being placed in a delivered machine.

Are there any other PC's you could recommend within my price range? (700-900 pounds)

Also, parts are actually available here but the prices are ridiculous compared to what you would get on Amazon etc. If I was to go the build way, my cousin would organize for me to get the parts here in Kenya but from UK. Are the scenarios where someone you know got faulty parts when building their PC?
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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Every day, in every country, from every manufacturer. It just IS. Between random faults, intermittently poor QA, shipping damage and just plain bad luck, the chances are always there for a faulty part out of the box. While I almost never recommend a pre-build over building one yourself, the chances are much lower of having a problem with a pre-built in your situation, at least IMO.
 
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fport

fport

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After Effects and Cinema 4D lean on RAM and CPU for the most part. I have 32GB for my stuff but I like BIG RAM.
The game specs may determine the GFX card. I don't think you can go wrong with any of dark breeze's suggestions
as he said all the combos lack something at one end or the other. The best thing might be to have your cousin get
it built for you before he brings it to you.

Make sure the MB has RAM expansion left over - use 2x8GB sticks.
An i7 with no video and no "K" would be adequate. I'm constantly
surprised by the performance of my i5. More important for overall
satisfaction is to use an SSD. The graphics card, 4GB of memory is
bang for buck but a fast 2 or 3GB card can balance the budget.

What is your current config that is lagging at points?
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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I use several different CAD applications and run a plethora of graphics applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design, GIMP, Inkscape and the CorelDraw graphics suite among others, and I've never had an issue with running out of resources with 16GB installed. In fact, against my own traditional stance, I allocated some of it for a RAMDISK since I was rarely using over 6-8GB even with multiple major projects open. Having a second small SSD (Which are fairly cheap now) solely as a scratch disk has helped a lot as well and keeps my main SSD from being the target of constant writes from any of these applications.

I don't create anything too terribly complex using my CAD apps but I know it can use up 16GB for very large projects, but if you're not running a heck of a lot of intensive programs simultaneously, creating massive CAD files or running VM's, it's unlikely you're going to run into memory issues with 16GB installed. Even 8 is probably fine for 90% of users.

After Effects I haven't used much so I can't really speak to that application and I don't do a lot of video editing, but I have clients who do and none of them have run into any issues with not having more than 16GB but I'll take your word for it that those two particular apps are memory hogs.
 
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