The PC Buying Advice Thread mk II

Original post by Jammy Duel

I see no reason, given how cheap they are, to only get a 120GB SSD rather than 250.
Similarly, if the blu ray is only 4x, and more significantly the dvd only 16x I would say either get a better blu ray or just a 24x dvd
If using an AIO cooler, personally I would go for something a bit beefier, especially given how much h55 looks to be
Should use 2x4GB RAM rather than 1x8 to make use of the dual channel capabilities (which I assume the board has)
If you can afford to wait a couple of weeks I would wait to see what nVidia is offering in it's next line of GPUs, I believe they're set to be revealed next tuesday and on sale not much later. Even if you don't plan to get one after their reveal there may also be a reduction in 700 series. Beside that, depending on how much more it will be it might be worth looking at the 4GB 770
From what I know of the CPU it seems fine, and the PSU is definitely fine
Not a clue on the mobo, but it's probably fine

I won't buy yet, I'm happy to wait until Windows 9 comes out to see what that's like. I don't hate Windows 8 but I'd like to think the next would be better.

My budget is £1000 & this comes to about 980. I could probably stretch it for a bigger SSD & x8 Blu ray drive though. In terms of the HDD, would a 10,000 RPM see any real improvement over a 7200 one? Considering both would be 1TB.

Regarding the RAM, I'm happy with one 8GB as I'll be looking to upgrade to 16 in the near future. But I don't need it at the start. I did look at the 4GB card but from what I read it only really outperforms the 2GB one with multiple monitors. Plus, I'll upgrade to the GTX 780 (or a newer card) in the not too distant future.

This system needs to be portable so I'm willing to sacrifice some power & cooling for that.

I don't suppose there's any touch screen monitors that are also decent for gaming out there?

Reply 643

Original post by Iqbal007

If you are going ultraportable than it'll be very good, but if you don't need to, you can save money and get other components which are generally better but larger/.

Thanks. Yeah it does need to be portable. It's instead of a gaming laptop. My currently Z580 can handle the older games fine & the cost/scarifices of a gaming laptop don't seem to outweigh a mini PC. Plus, with some Youtube help, I could probably upgrade a mini PC myself whereas I'd struggle with a laptop even if I could get the right parts.

Reply 644

Original post by Tempest II

I won't buy yet, I'm happy to wait until Windows 9 comes out to see what that's like. I don't hate Windows 8 but I'd like to think the next would be better.

Upgrade from 8.1 to 9 will either be free or very cheap (about 10 quid)

My budget is £1000 & this comes to about 980. I could probably stretch it for a bigger SSD & x8 Blu ray drive though. In terms of the HDD, would a 10,000 RPM see any real improvement over a 7200 one? Considering both would be 1TB.

There will be, but not really since things that benefit most should be on the SSD anyway (I think all my HDDs are 5400 because they don't need to be particularly fast)

Regarding the RAM, I'm happy with one 8GB as I'll be looking to upgrade to 16 in the near future. But I don't need it at the start.

Depending on the reason for upgrading I would still say go for the 2x4. If you're upgrading just "coz can" I wouldn't really bother, if it's through necessity then that's a slightly different story (although it's still recommended to get a 2x8 pack instead of 2 1x8 packs)

I did look at the 4GB card but from what I read it only really outperforms the 2GB one with multiple monitors. Plus, I'll upgrade to the GTX 780 (or a newer card) in the not too distant future.

We are starting to get to a point where <2GB can be useful for a single 1080p monitor. And again, why upgrade so soon rather than just waiting and getting the better card straight off, especially since you will, presumably, have to try to sell the old card?

This system needs to be portable so I'm willing to sacrifice some power & cooling for that.

I don't suppose there's any touch screen monitors that are also decent for gaming out there?

Why would you want touch screen? And I don't know of any, although I doubt there are any.

Reply 645

SomeH0w

Would you recommend Surface Pro 3 (i5/i7 256GB) or ThinkPad Yoga (i5/i7 256GB)? I am looking for something light, thin yet has a great keyboard. At the same time I want the writing experience to be good as well, hence a pen input is almost a must.

Thanks!

Reply 646

Original post by Jammy Duel

Upgrade from 8.1 to 9 will either be free or very cheap (about 10 quid)

I hope so. But I'm not in any rush seeing as I won't be back in the UK for about another 2 months. So I've been scoping out what best suits my needs:
A portable mini PC that will be mainly be used to flight sims (Strike Fighters 2, X-Plane 10, DCS) & RTS gaming (Command & Conquer mostly).
Plus, as you mentioned earlier, a new video card could come out meaning that I could get it cheaper in 2/3 months.

There will be, but not really since things that benefit most should be on the SSD anyway (I think all my HDDs are 5400 because they don't need to be particularly fast)

Thinking long term, are there any particular reasons why SSDs are so much more expensive at the moment other that because they're newer & superior it pretty much every way? Do they cost more to manufacture etc? I was wondering if within a year or two whether we'd see prices tumble.

Depending on the reason for upgrading I would still say go for the 2x4. If you're upgrading just "coz can" I wouldn't really bother, if it's through necessity then that's a slightly different story (although it's still recommended to get a 2x8 pack instead of 2 1x8 packs)

I'd upgrade within a year I'd have thought. The system only has a choice to come with either x1 8GB or x2 8GB from what I gather. There's no x2 4GB option.

We are starting to get to a point where <2GB can be useful for a single 1080p monitor. And again, why upgrade so soon rather than just waiting and getting the better card straight off, especially since you will, presumably, have to try to sell the old card?

I'll be honest, I never even thought of selling the old card. I suppose I'm also trying not to spend too much now when I can probably get it cheaper later. My system doesn't need to be absolutely cutting edge but I just want the best I can get for a grand if that makes sense.

Why would you want touch screen? And I don't know of any, although I doubt there are any.

I've always liked touch screens, even before they started getting included on smart phones. The newer generations of Windows are very touch friendly. But it's something I could live without

My comments/answers in bold.
Thanks for your help :smile:

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Reply 647

Original post by Tempest II

My comments/answers in bold.
Thanks for your help :smile:

.

Well, the new GPUs are expected in the next few weeks. SSDs are more expensive because of the technology that goes into them, it's non volatile flash memory rather than a magnetic disk. Magnetic disks are very cheap to manufacture, good quality non-volatile flash memory isn't. a SSD in, in essence, just a bigger USB flash drive with difference controller.

You may as well just straight away go with 2x8GB then, will be slightly cheaper in the long run and will definitely work, 2 DIMMs sold separately aren't guaranteed to work properly in a dual channel arrangement, or at least not as effectively as a two DIMM kit.

Working on the basis of "I will be able to get it cheaper later" isn't exactly a great philosophy, after all it would lead to never buying anything, and if not selling the old card it will obviously be cheaper just to get the more expensive card straight off :tongue:

Windows 8(.1) is more touch friendly given that it is supposed to bridge tablets and laptops/desktops. HOWEVER, windows 9 will be separating them again, so tablets will use the modern UI and desktops/laptops will be a lot more like windows 7, although you will be able to pin some metro like apps to the start menu. As far as gaming goes, it's better to just spend more on a good monitor with better response times/colour quality/higher res/higher refresh rate over touch screen.

Would also be cheaper to buy the parts and build it yourself rather than have it custom built for you.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 648

Iqbal007

19

Original post by Tempest II

Thanks. Yeah it does need to be portable. It's instead of a gaming laptop. My currently Z580 can handle the older games fine & the cost/scarifices of a gaming laptop don't seem to outweigh a mini PC. Plus, with some Youtube help, I could probably upgrade a mini PC myself whereas I'd struggle with a laptop even if I could get the right parts.

I recommend you build it yourself....check the video below

[video="youtube;d_56kyib-Ls"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls[/video]

Reply 649

Original post by Tempest II

How would a custom PC like this be for gaming on?

AeroCool DS Cube Black Edition Window Mini-ITX Case

Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4690 (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache

ASUS® H81I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs Motherboard

8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)

2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready

120GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 410MB/sW)

1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

4x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ROM

CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

Corsair H55 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler

ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)

If gaming is your priority then I reckon you could build an amd desktop with better performance in game than this for the money. If you aren't already then I would suggest using pc part picker to pick out parts and use the link to show changes to your build. The website just makes things a bit easier. For £1000 I would build - http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/362tLk

I'm sure someone will disagree with my choosing of amd parts but if you're gaming at that price spending the money from the extra cost of the i5 vs the fx 8350 on a better gpu is imo a great idea. The 8350 doesn't bottleneck the 290x as far as I know. It certainly shouldn't.

Reply 650

Original post by Blobar

You guys really recommend any monitor's around the 150 mark, yes for gaming.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-MX239H-LED-backlit-Monitor-80000000/dp/B00A4K9KVG/ref=pd_cp_computers_0

This looks pretty good.

I can swear by the AOC i2369vm. The displayport option and using the audio through can be useful. I use my speakers plugged into my monitor which allows less cables to and from the PC. the display port will be necessary if you ever plan on doing an eyefinity or surround set up. It's a great ips monitor and reasonably priced. I've seen it cheaper than it's currently at on amazon (140) as I got mine for ~120 so it's one to keep an eye on. :smile:

Reply 651

Original post by DinoPjs

If gaming is your priority then I reckon you could build an amd desktop with better performance in game than this for the money. If you aren't already then I would suggest using pc part picker to pick out parts and use the link to show changes to your build. The website just makes things a bit easier. For £1000 I would build - http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/362tLk

I'm sure someone will disagree with my choosing of amd parts but if you're gaming at that price spending the money from the extra cost of the i5 vs the fx 8350 on a better gpu is imo a great idea. The 8350 doesn't bottleneck the 290x as far as I know. It certainly shouldn't.

AMD+SFF, great plan :tongue:

Reply 652

Original post by Jammy Duel

AMD+SFF, great plan :tongue:

It's not that bad I swear! :P

Reply 653

Original post by DinoPjs

It's not that bad I swear! :P

I suppose you could cook food on the case :biggrin:

Reply 654

Original post by Jammy Duel

I suppose you could cook food on the case :biggrin:

Fried eggs and bacon while you game, what's not to love? :P

But seriously though the heat isn't as bad as it's made out to be! Just shove a 212 evo on it.

Reply 655