I'm wondering whether the computer I am going to buy is worth the money

[Gareth Kidd]

So I am buying a computer after I have saved up the cash and what I have chosen has come out on the deep end of being rather expensive.
I intend to use it for pretty much everything e.g. browsing, gaming, office, Home Entertainment and maybe even designs on Photoshop.

Anyway here are the specs it comes with,oh and its a custom build from www.computerplanet.co.uk so the info is pretty much copy and paste from the quote I made.

Computer Case Corsair Carbide Series 500R - White
CPU Intel i7 3770K - (4 x 3.5 GHZ) - Ivy Bridge - (Free Hitman Sniper Game)
CPU Heatsink Cooler Master Seidon 120M (Advanced Liquid Cooling)
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x8GB) - Lifetime Warranty (DDR3)
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 - 2 GB - (Gainward) - (PCI-E) (FREE ASSASSINS CREED III & £100 In-Game Credit)
Motherboard Asus P8Z77-V LX (Intel Z77) - VGA/DVI
Sound Card Asus Xonar DGX (PCI-E)
Networking Wireless LAN 300Mbps (PCI)
Expansion Cards 4 x USB 3.0 Ports (PCI-E)
Power Supply Cooler Master GX Lite 600W PSU - Low Noise
Hard Drive #1 3 TB Seagate (3000 GB) SATA-III HDD 7200 RPM 64MB
Hard Drive #2 3 TB Seagate (3000 GB) SATA-III HDD 7200 RPM 64MB
Optical Drive #1 LG (BH16NS40) 16x Blu-Ray Re-Writer/Reader & 16x Dual Layer DVD/CD Re-Writer - Black (SATA)
Fan Controller Zalman ZM-MFC3 Multi Fan Controller Controls
Operating System #1 Microsoft Windows 8 Standard 64 BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included)
Office Software Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium (5 PC License - 1 Year Subscription)
Security Software FREE - Webroot AntiVirus 2013 (1 Year - 1 PC License) - FREE FOR ORDERS PLACED BEFORE 15/4/13
Backup Software 1-Click Recovery System - Image Backup - Original O/S DVD - 16 GB USB Recovery Drive

That is pretty much it for the computer itself the other things I bought like a keyboard and mouse are included below (you dont really need to read this, its just there for good measure)

Keyboard Logitech (MK710) Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - (Wireless)
Mouse Mat Standard Black Mouse Mat
Speakers Corsair (2112440) 2.1 Gaming Series Speakers - Black
Surge Protection Belkin Conserve Energy Saving Surge with Remote - 8 Outlets
Webcam Creative Live Cam Connect HD Webcam - Built-In-Mic - USB 2.0
Free Gift FREE - 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
Monitor Cables & Adapters FREE - DVI Port to VGA Monitor Port Adapter
Case Lights 16 Colour Remote Controlled Light System
3D Monitors 27" Asus (VG278H) HD Widescreen LED 3D VGA/DVI/HDMI, 2ms (Free NVIDIA 3D Glasses)
DVD Playback Software FREE - CyberLink PowerDVD 10
DVD/CD Burning Software FREE - Nero V10 Essentials Suite 2
CPU Compound Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
Case Fans Fans Included With Case

I'm sorry it is so long, but I'd like your personal opinion on whether I need some of the things I'm buying. It is not mentioned on the list but I already have an HDMI cable for the computer and moniter
It is £2,681.53 including the VAT

Thanks for reading and I hope I get some answers soon.

 

[Gareth Kidd]

I forgot to mention that I would like to know how long it would probably last, thanks.

 

[ssddx]

i did a search for computerplanet reviews and "67.4% of users recommend this" was on the first result.

do you need someone else to build this for you or can you build this pc yourself? honestly even a 10 year old can build one provided they do a little "how to build a computer" research first. it is much more rewarding and you have direct control over parts. the only nice thing about having someone else build it is that they check compatabilities (however i've seen plenty of screwups where companies havent!) so just keep this in mind also.

for ease of my review i am going to just copy and paste what you wrote and hypen comments in under each item. i will not be checking such things as "does the cpu socket type match the motherboard socket type" however i can give you some generic advice.

Computer Case Corsair Carbide Series 500R - White
-corsair makes some nice cases. from a quick glance it looks like it will have enough airflow. a full tower is better for heat but this should be fine.
CPU Intel i7 3770K - (4 x 3.5 GHZ) - Ivy Bridge - (Free Hitman Sniper Game)
-a k series cpu is only needed if you plan on overclocking. gaming only requires an i5 however since you want to do professional applications an i7 may be a better choice.
CPU Heatsink Cooler Master Seidon 120M (Advanced Liquid Cooling)
-dont bother unless you plan on overclocking. even if you do then buy a big air cooler over liquid since they are roughly the same performance and air is much much cheaper.
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x8GB) - Lifetime Warranty (DDR3)
-i've been out of the graphic design scene for awhile. how much memory does the newest photoshop run? 8gb is normally sufficient for gaming but i agree here that 16gb is likely a good idea if you arent sure about what applications you will be running. mushkin is another good brand.
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 - 2 GB - (Gainward) - (PCI-E) (FREE ASSASSINS CREED III & £100 In-Game Credit)
-good card. brand? personally i would pick evga.
Motherboard Asus P8Z77-V LX (Intel Z77) - VGA/DVI
-personally i would run a higher end motherboard such as an asus rampage series which includes all of the features you will ever need onboard. i have a rampage III extreme rog and it has just about everything including bluetooth. asus makes a good product. even if you dont go with a top of the line mobo i would suggest spending more than just $100.
Sound Card Asus Xonar DGX (PCI-E)
-you do not need a sound card. use onboard sound. the difference between onboard and low end soundcards is minimal. use the $50 for a mobo upgrade.
Networking Wireless LAN 300Mbps (PCI)
-i would highly suggest connecting up to your router via cat5e with the 10/100/1000 port on your motherboard. speeds over wireless are crap. for instance my laptop connects via cat5e on our network at 58mbps but only at 19mbps via wifi. if you require wifi access due to no cable available or you can not put in a wall jack then perhaps you want this.
Expansion Cards 4 x USB 3.0 Ports (PCI-E)
-how many usb ports do you need? your case has 2 usb ports on the front which connect up to the usb headers and it looks like your motherboard has 6x in the rear (2 used for m+kb). do you really need 4 extras? in any case it would be better to have them in a front bay device not on the rear panel.
Power Supply Cooler Master GX Lite 600W PSU - Low Noise
-do yourself a favor and do not go with a coolermaster psu. i would suggest instead going with corsair as they are typically rock solid.
Hard Drive #1 3 TB Seagate (3000 GB) SATA-III HDD 7200 RPM 64MB
Hard Drive #2 3 TB Seagate (3000 GB) SATA-III HDD 7200 RPM 64MB
- large multiplatter hdds can have absurdely high failure rates. i have experienced this firsthand. one rma replacement drive failed within 3 days. honestly it is better to stick with more 1-1.5tb drives than it is to go with fewer large drives. i would also suggest a raid array or at a minimum frequent backups. wd caviar black, samsung spinpoint f3 or seagate barracudas are what you should get.
Optical Drive #1 LG (BH16NS40) 16x Blu-Ray Re-Writer/Reader & 16x Dual Layer DVD/CD Re-Writer - Black (SATA)
-your choice
Fan Controller Zalman ZM-MFC3 Multi Fan Controller Controls
-do you really need a lcd screen? another option would be a rheobus (cheaper) or to just have the fans plug in to the motherboard which autoregulates (free)
Operating System #1 Microsoft Windows 8 Standard 64 BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included)
-i would highly suggest windows 7 over windows 8. the new version of windows flip flops everything around and even being a veteran windows junkie i find it very hard to navigate around efficiently (my brother recently bought a win8 laptop, i use a win7 laptop and desktop). windows 7 home premium oem is only $80, i wonder what they will be hosing you for win8 (depends on if they use retail or oem)
Office Software Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium (5 PC License - 1 Year Subscription)
-cloud based office sounds like trouble. personally i think even office 2010 with the silly ribbon bar is a better choice. the original office programs also did not have a subscription fee. another alternative is openoffice which is free.
Security Software FREE - Webroot AntiVirus 2013 (1 Year - 1 PC License) - FREE FOR ORDERS PLACED BEFORE 15/4/13
-personally i would suggest kaspersky internet security.
Backup Software 1-Click Recovery System - Image Backup - Original O/S DVD - 16 GB USB Recovery Drive
-are they charging you for this? you do not need this and if you did want software you should be able to go buy it yourself. i wonder what the 16gb drive is marked up in price to. you can buy a 64gb usb3.0 flash drive at microcenter for only $30.

That is pretty much it for the computer itself the other things I bought like a keyboard and mouse are included below (you dont really need to read this, its just there for good measure)

Keyboard Logitech (MK710) Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - (Wireless)
-just about any mouse and keyboard will work. the most important thing is comfort.
Mouse Mat Standard Black Mouse Mat
-no need to go with anything but
Speakers Corsair (2112440) 2.1 Gaming Series Speakers - Black
-i would have suggested logitech but anything will work.
Surge Protection Belkin Conserve Energy Saving Surge with Remote - 8 Outlets
-with remote? you dont need such features but any surge protector will work
Webcam Creative Live Cam Connect HD Webcam - Built-In-Mic - USB 2.0
-your choice
Free Gift FREE - 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
-always good to have another usb stick around
Monitor Cables & Adapters FREE - DVI Port to VGA Monitor Port Adapter
-useless for what you will be doing but free is free
Case Lights 16 Colour Remote Controlled Light System
-pretty but useless.
3D Monitors 27" Asus (VG278H) HD Widescreen LED 3D VGA/DVI/HDMI, 2ms (Free NVIDIA 3D Glasses)
-your choice
DVD Playback Software FREE - CyberLink PowerDVD 10
-expensive if you buy it but good to have a copy free
DVD/CD Burning Software FREE - Nero V10 Essentials Suite 2
-nero works great. better than windows burning. free is always good.
CPU Compound Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
-i use the same myself. actually, i still have my original tube i bought 10 years ago! it lasts forever.
Case Fans Fans Included With Case
-normally these are good enough unless you start to do some serious overclocking in which case you may need to upgrade to something better to move more air.

 

[ssddx]

as far as how long it will last?

if you bumped up the motherboard to a higher end unit and went with all name brand components like i suggested?

provided you do not expect to always run the latest games on ultra detail i would say about 3-5 years of good performance and a few more years of average performance. 5 years is a long time in electronics... you really start to feel the age after that (i have a 10 year old spare pc and it is a turtle! but at the time it was great).

a ssd for a boot drive would make your system more snappy. not required but suggested. in your case a minimum of 128gb but i would highly suggest 256 instead. all of your programs would be much more responsive.

 

[Gareth Kidd]

Thanks for your reply.
Would it generally cheaper to build one on my own then, I was ordering through www.Computerplanet.co.uk because I did not know how to build them from scratch, so I will try looking around a bit and learn how to make one myself (if it turns out cheaper).

Regarding the cooler and overclocking (what is it exactly). On all of the things, I had read it said that liquid coolers were best, is there any significant difference between air and liquid then?

Is your "rampage III extreme rog" motherboard good, how much did it cost you?

Can you recommend a good SSD drive brand, I have decided that after what I was told I will have a 3TB HDD with a SDD for quicker boot times (thanks for that suggestion by the way).

Again, thanks for your past reply.

 

[Gareth Kidd]

I forgot to mention windows 8 and why I am getting it. Basically I was looking on you Youtube and found a maker of these panels and when attached to an LCD monitor it turns them touchscreen (It worked with windows 7, but the initial interface of 8 looked easier to use with the touchscreen). If your think this is a bad idea let me know.

Thanks

 

[ssddx]

is building your own pc rather than from a vendor cheaper?
-it can be however typically not by a huge margin unless building your own instead of buying an expensive brand like alienware. the main benefit is that you have complete control over what parts are used.

what about cpu coolers and overclocking?
-overclocking is raising the amount of clock cycles over stock settings. put simply your cpu works harder at the expense of more heat output and a higher chance of failure. quite frankly most people do not need to overclock.
-not all coolers are equal. high end air can be comparable to small water coolers at the same cost. one benefit of water coolers is that it removes the bulk of the cooler from your cpu and moves it elsewhere inside the case. cpus come with stock coolers which perform just fine unless you plan to do some overclocking.

what about the rampage III?
-i mentioned my board as just an example. i paid around $450 but realize that this was the aboslute top of the line product they had. you can buy a new rampage IV gene for around $290 compared with the extreme for around $400. in general i could not have asked for a better board for the time i bought it (several years ago). reliable, rock solid with plenty of nice extra features. you do not have to go the same route as me for sure but it may be worth looking into an upgrade.

which ssd brands are good?
-samsung 830, 840, 840pro or intel 520. i would highly recommend a 256gb. as far as your 3tb is concerned i would highly suggest going with 2x 1.5tb drives instead for reliability.

what is the final say on windows 8?
-i have had a chance to play with a windows 8 touchscreen display computer and while true that you can navigate around via touch it is more of a novelty than a useful tool. most tasks are still better suited for mouse and keyboard operation. since you want a pc for productivity you would be better suited to use windows 7. windows 8 jumbles everything around too much.

i would suggest going to staples, best buy or any place laptops or pcs are sold. play around with windows 8. try to find the my computer icon. try to drag and drop items from your start menu onto your desktop. try to manage open program windows. i've had trouble with all 3.

 

[Gareth Kidd]

as far as how long it will last?

if you bumped up the motherboard to a higher end unit and went with all name brand components like i suggested?

provided you do not expect to always run the latest games on ultra detail i would say about 3-5 years of good performance and a few more years of average performance. 5 years is a long time in electronics... you really start to feel the age after that (i have a 10 year old spare pc and it is a turtle! but at the time it was great).

a ssd for a boot drive would make your system more snappy. not required but suggested. in your case a minimum of 128gb but i would highly suggest 256 instead. all of your programs would be much more responsive.

is building your own pc rather than from a vendor cheaper?
-it can be however typically not by a huge margin unless building your own instead of buying an expensive brand like alienware. the main benefit is that you have complete control over what parts are used.

what about cpu coolers and overclocking?
-overclocking is raising the amount of clock cycles over stock settings. put simply your cpu works harder at the expense of more heat output and a higher chance of failure. quite frankly most people do not need to overclock.
-not all coolers are equal. high end air can be comparable to small water coolers at the same cost. one benefit of water coolers is that it removes the bulk of the cooler from your cpu and moves it elsewhere inside the case. cpus come with stock coolers which perform just fine unless you plan to do some overclocking.

what about the rampage III?
-i mentioned my board as just an example. i paid around $450 but realize that this was the aboslute top of the line product they had. you can buy a new rampage IV gene for around $290 compared with the extreme for around $400. in general i could not have asked for a better board for the time i bought it (several years ago). reliable, rock solid with plenty of nice extra features. you do not have to go the same route as me for sure but it may be worth looking into an upgrade.

which ssd brands are good?
-samsung 830, 840, 840pro or intel 520. i would highly recommend a 256gb. as far as your 3tb is concerned i would highly suggest going with 2x 1.5tb drives instead for reliability.

what is the final say on windows 8?
-i have had a chance to play with a windows 8 touchscreen display computer and while true that you can navigate around via touch it is more of a novelty than a useful tool. most tasks are still better suited for mouse and keyboard operation. since you want a pc for productivity you would be better suited to use windows 7. windows 8 jumbles everything around too much.

i would suggest going to staples, best buy or any place laptops or pcs are sold. play around with windows 8. try to find the my computer icon. try to drag and drop items from your start menu onto your desktop. try to manage open program windows. i've had trouble with all 3.

Thanks again for your input. What you said about windows 8 was useful, I'll try to find a place where I can try it out first.

Honestly you have been very helpful with your information, most everywhere else I find Jargon which I just simply do not understand. If I run into anymore problems or questions that need answering would it be okay to message you?

Either way, your getting the best answer thing (award or whatever it was) So thanks for solving my question, till next time.

 

[ssddx]

not a problem.

if you have any questions or concerns we could always go over things in realtime on a free web irc chat room hosted at freenode. honestly its far easier than trying to be clear and consise on a web forum. no software to install either, just a click & join type gig.

some of us who deal with electronics as a hobby may forget that the average user has no idea what acronyms and jargon mean. ideally it would be good to familiarize yourself with the basics but a good working knowledge is often good enough.

 

[Gareth Kidd]

not a problem.

if you have any questions or concerns we could always go over things in realtime on a free web irc chat room hosted at freenode. honestly its far easier than trying to be clear and consise on a web forum. no software to install either, just a click & join type gig.

some of us who deal with electronics as a hobby may forget that the average user has no idea what acronyms and jargon mean. ideally it would be good to familiarize yourself with the basics but a good working knowledge is often good enough.

Thanks. I'd appreciate that, i'll get in contact if I need some help or advice.
Thanks again.