Advice on parts

Discussion in 'New Build / Upgrade Advice' started by gavestonhall, Nov 15, 2013.

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Nvidia GTX or Radeon AMD?

Poll closed Nov 22, 2013.
  1. Nvidia GTX

    100.0%
  2. Radeon AMD

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    Okay, I would like to be able to make a new Gaming Computer which will mostly be used for gaming and browsing. I will be playing games which require good specs, like Battlefield 4. I would like to try to spend as little as possible, since I don't know how much a PC would cost with some of these specs:

    i5 Quad Core GTX 760 8GB RAM
    These are the minimum I would like. Include other parts such as processors sound card etc. I would like a good sound card as well, but I don't have any that I want, again, just do what you think is best

    I don't want to spend more than £600 if that is possible, if not, you can still post, just nothing over £700 please, unless you think it's worth it. I would like it to be made on a site such as http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/build-your-own-pc/ So that I know all of the parts. I will not be building it myself so feel free to use other sites you think are better, just make sure that it is available in the UK.
    Thanks.
     
  2. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    Hiya there, I have done a lot of research and made a list of compatible parts on ebuyer; which will suit your needs @ http://www.ebuyer.com/lists/list/192137

    I find that http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/build-your-own-pc/ charge extortionate prices - so I really tried to avoid them. This is mainly because they charge for labour costs of assembling your machine. Also you get to know how a PC works and what actually goes into it and how it is routed.

    I know I have been stripping down and assembling PC's for a long time but it honestly is not rocket science when you initially start. Motherboard manuals have clear and well detailed diagrams that you are expected to follow. Trust me. A Sunday afternoon and a bit of Googling is practically all I needed when I built my first PC.

    There's a lot of pride that you get out of it, because even in this day and age, with technology everywhere - people do not know how it is all constructed.

    If you cannot quite afford an nVidia GTX 780ti (which I doubt you could) - then there are 2 options for graphics cards.
    I'd recommend either 2 Radeon HD 7790's in CrossFire configuration for double the graphics power for gaming.
    OR
    2 nVidia GTX 460 1GB's for the same reason.

    The total cost of the PC is approximately £665. For 16GB RAM you'd need £740. This price is including the 2 graphics cards which can be brought new for £95 each also from ebuyer. You'll need 1 CrossFire Cable to utilise the two. This cable is £6 at the most. Bringing the possible total amount to£750.

    Now, 16GB RAM isn't necessary and neither is 2 graphics cards, but if you are serious about gaming - I'd recommend this thoroughly.
    Notice that the cost also includes an SSD and SSHD? These aren't required but makes your PC ultra responsive on boot and in game. You can opt out of this and make an £130 saving before you even order.

    I'd also like to emphasize that soundcards are not necessary. The optical S/PDIF port on the motherboard will produce great sound without spending anything more than required. There is room for expansion should you want to integrate one later.

    I believed I had the job of only finding the hardware that is required to make a PC, not peripherals - i.e. keyboard, mouse monitor and external devices/cables.

    Hope this helps, as it was not an easy task making this list.

    Ryan.
     
  3. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    I can't thank you enough for using your own time to help someone, I still have some queries that I wonder if you could answer for me.

    1. Does that link you gave me include everything I need in order for it to run properly and would DirectX matter much?

    2. Couldn't I get GTX 760 instead of 780. Would you recommend buying 780 over 760 because the extra FPS is worth the money?

    3. Sorry for not being clear about external devices, my knowledge isn't so great on hardware. Since I currently have a laptop only, could you give me a heads up on a Monitor, keyboard and how much space you think I would need? (Desk etc)

    4. That link again, does it provide for them to build it or is it just the parts?


    Thanks again, you have helped me a lot.
     
  4. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    Yes, it includes all core components required to build a PC. I believe that there is thermal paste already applied to the CPU and supplied heatsink when you buy the CPU. If this is not the case; you can easily grab some of the stuff on ebay for the lower part of £5. It is absolutely necessary before you power the CPU otherwise it will get rediculously hot; potentially damaging it. It is a necessity.
    The only things not included but I have already annotated is to buy 2 graphics cards and 2 sets of 8GB RAM, as well as a CrossFire bridge cable.

    The link only buys you the parts separate; they need to be put together.

    DirectX is just like Java. It is a runtime environment for physics based applications - similar to nVidia's PhysX. The version it supports decides on what games you can play. I think DirectX is at version 11 or 12 now and all the difference is that the codes are progressively becoming shorter, as well as the backwards compatibility is being improved. These small updates also tackle problems like pixel shader support and how the GPU processes the information. Look for the latest if you can, but the differences are un-noticeable unless you record your FPS to the nearest decimal.

    To be totally honest the computer can be kept anywhere as long as it has good airflow - as in the fans are not blocked and it can exhaust the heat. Imagine the depth of a chest of drawers. That is approximately how deep the PC will be. Most gamers have their PC on the top of their desk because they like to show off their case and their components. (I'm also guilty)
    The case I listed should have its exact dimensions below in the specifications tab. Just use common sense and don't let it suffocate really...

    Keyboard and mouse do not need to be anything special. Wireless or wired is one thing you need to consider. If you must buy branded then anything from Logitech or Razer is acceptable.

    If you've got a TV that has VGA and HDMI inputs then that could be sacraficed to keep costs at a minimum. If this isn't possible - any 1920 x 1080 monitor under 27" is acceptable. Look for the lowest response time too (e.g. 25ms.) You asked for guidance so I'd say Samsung syncmasters are great (its what I use) and pretty much anything from Sony or LG. I'd recommend not spending too much over £270 in this area.

    You can opt for a 760, but 2 GTX 460's or 2 Radeon HD 7790's would be the same (performance-wise) but slightly cheaper t
    than a GTX 760.

    Only problem is that when you have 2 graphics cards- games that have not been developed to support more than 1 GPU will only utilise 1 GPU; meaning your second GPU is just sitting there consuming power it isn't really using. However on games that do support multiple GPU's it is almost doubles the framerate on some games depending on the CPU. (Only seen this commonly on Intel CPU's)

    The clever part is that the CPU I chose for you is an APU, meaning it has its own graphics processor inside the chip itself, so essentially you've got 3 graphics cards.
     
  5. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    That has answered the questions but provided more as well.
    How would I know if Thermal paste is included once bought and any ideas for how it can be put together, since I am not capable of constructing it myself.
     
  6. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    Believe it or not - I'm 16 and going to college soon to study hardware support in Information Technology. I am glad to help. If you really do support what I do; it'd be much appreciated if you visited my site cortexcomputing.tk. I'll try and make a downloadable .pdf instructing you how to assemble a PC from scratch. Even better - a real-time video,

    Ryan.
     
  7. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    I've put together a pc before but I don't think I took everything apart or together, and its connected via screws? I would happily visit your site, I would prefer for someone professional to build it, however, if putting it together is as simple as you make it sound + a guide, in fact, you've put so much effort into helping I should most likely build it myself, I guess it will help my understanding and also increase confidence due to my first build from scratch, since I were also thinking of studying computer science for college or uni.
    Thanks.
     
  8. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    Happy to help, give me a rough estimate when you are likely to be purchasing the components and I will get working on a guide; just need a deadline to meet. It will be downloadable or playable on my site when its finished depending on time I have.

    Ryan.
     
  9. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    Planning to purchase around Christmas or early January, Only do it when you want to, this isn't a deadline, just a guideline. Will this guide include how to set up the operating systems and the software part to building a pc?
     
  10. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    Good point. It's actually something I've been telling myself to do for ages but just not got around to it because theres no sense of it needing to be done. I'll probably update the site a bit too because it hasn't been in a while.

    Something I did forget to tell you is that ebuyers prices fluctuate depending on how many units of a certain product they have.

    Ok, I don't do much apart from building PC's and going out so I guess I've got a new addition.
    Thank you for your time,

    Ryan.
     
  11. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    If you need more time just say and when I go to build it, is it possible to use a webchat system since messages instantly pass through, like IRC. I assume you know what it is but if you don't its like forum but instant. Then if I have anything wrong or issues, we wouldn't need to post.
     
  12. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    Yeah; don't see why not - if you have your laptop, we can of course use teamviewer. Which is basically a free version of skype.
     
  13. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    I assume teamviewer is a programme which needs to be downloaded, webchat.quakenet.org is a site which has the same theory behind it but just typing, assuming mics are needed for teamviewer, I personally think that IRC would be better. If that doesn't work then we could try it I guess.
     
  14. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    Ok cool, I'll give your suggestion a go before I make a decision.
     
  15. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    I have been told from other people that SSD isn't needed and the GTX 760 would be better than buying 2 graphics cards, I wouldn't make a guide just yet, don't want to waste your time. I will need to do some more research before, thanks.
     
  16. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    I did mention that sometimes the second GPU will be sitting there doing nothing, depending on the coding of the software but I was trying to budget for you. A GTX 760 is a great option for a single card setup. There are benchmarks below which might help you.

    2 nVidia GTX 460's - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+460&id=31 @ 2669pts x 2 = 5338pts (2 cards)

    2 Radeon HD 7790's - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+7790&id=2502 @ 3008pts x 2 = 6016pts (2 cards)

    Single GTX 760 - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+760&id=2561 @ 5004pts (single card setup)

    From these figures the setup that seems to be most cost effective is the setup boasting 2 Radeon HD 7790's, plainly because it is the cost of one GTX 760 and has more overall computing power.

    Obviously, the option for another GTX 760 card is available, but approximately another £215; (Totaling £430 for 2) But why do this when you can buy 2 Radeon HD 7790's for the price of one GTX 760 - whilst having more graphics power. Its a no brainer but if you still want the GTX 760, so be it. It's only advice.

    As you can see, I also said that an SSD and an SSHD makes your computer more responsive on booting Windows.

    An SSD is basically RAM, but permanent. The reason I included this is in the list is because it makes your computer quicker, because data doesn't need to go through any mechanical components such as the head.
    There are no moving parts; so if it gets dropped or jogged, there is no danger of loss of data.

    I am going to ask you to take a look at the following links and videos. Don't skip any;
    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404260,00.asp




    Let me know if there are any more questions or concerns awaiting answer,

    Ryan.
     
  17. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    I would like a HDD, and since I don't have much clue about computers, I wouldn't want Crossfire, also I would prefer 1 graphic card such as GTX 760 or 780. I understand it will cost a little bit more, but I would like parts which are reliable and durable, I don't mind going over the budget if it is worth it. Do you know any Computer Hardware stores in England that have really good prices? I will be buying online anyway.
     
  18. Young-Razza

    Young-Razza Geek Trainee

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    I am in England. Maplin, Scan, AriaPC are great vendors and can be cheaper for some parts.
    How much of an overspend are you willing to make for just parts? If you want to go for the best CPU and GPU available to the public for desktops - then be prepared to spend £1180 for all internal hardware - http://www.ebuyer.com/lists/list/261317#

    Also - the monitor and everything else is likely to total £350. Final cost £1530.
    Hefty price - but it's what you pay for performance like this.
    I've found a great monitor from ASUS @
    http://www.asus.com/Commercial_Monitors_Projectors/PB278Q/
     
  19. gavestonhall

    gavestonhall Geek Trainee

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    I am willing to overpay until around £700 - £800 since it does cost a lot to get a good performance PC, also I don't want anything that is way overpowered, since I won't be able to afford. Also, a monitor that I like the sound of, "BenQ GL2450/GL2460 1920x1080" you've heard or seen them? You think that would be a good monitor? I'm also looking for a keyboard seeming I haven't owned a computer yet.
     
  20. gavestonhall

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