The PC Building Thread

I can't realty help you really, as don't know much about peripherals but after having a quick look at keyboards you don't seem to be able to get much for £60.
 
I use the Sidewinder X4 and, as far as keyboards go, it's pretty decent and works well for me. The backlight on the keys is particularly handy.
 
One of the most important features of a gaming keyboard is its anti-ghosting capabilities. Seems like the Microsoft one from Amazon has it: "Advanced anti-ghosting capability" - up to 26 keys lol, usually more than 6 keys simultaneously is very good. :)

So my advice would be, when you're looking for a keyboard, take into consideration its key layout, how the keys react to a press, anti-ghosting capabilities. I would watch some videos at YouTube, just to see it in action and from different angles. :)
 
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Done more thinking, and 'settled' on the following for my new build. Just waiting for August bonus :)

- Corsair 200 case
- Corsair 430w modular power
- Intel i5 3350p
- Gigabyte Z75 mobo
- G Skill DDR 1600 8GB RAM
- NVidia 650 ti Boost 2GB
- Old Hard drive, dvd, card reader etc (will one day buy an SSD)

Am excited, but also fearful of 'seating' the chip. Once that's done it's on!
 
Corsair Carbide 200r case? That's the one I've got and it's very nice. Quiet, simple and good space inside.
 
beachryan said:
Am excited, but also fearful of 'seating' the chip. Once that's done it's on!
Click to expand...

Don't worry, it's nothing to fear. There is a notch on each side of the chip as well as a gold triangle in one corner which help you line up with corresponding marks on the CPU housing. You can't really go wrong provided you take your time.
 
beachryan said:
Done more thinking, and 'settled' on the following for my new build. Just waiting for August bonus :)

- Corsair 200 case
- Corsair 430w modular power
- Intel i5 3350p
- Gigabyte Z75 mobo
- G Skill DDR 1600 8GB RAM
- NVidia 650 ti Boost 2GB
- Old Hard drive, dvd, card reader etc (will one day buy an SSD)

Am excited, but also fearful of 'seating' the chip. Once that's done it's on!
Click to expand...

Personally I would get more powerful power supply, switch the i5 for an AMD processor and to get more for your money I would consider getting a 2nd hand graphics card.
 
bsmaff said:
Personally I would get more powerful power supply, switch the i5 for an AMD processor and to get more for your money I would consider getting a 2nd hand graphics card.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I upgraded the power supply at the last second, but kept with the i5. My job requires me to use Excel and Access all day, so I liked the faster speeds for those tasks with Intel.

All arrived and built within 3 hours. Really impressed with Windows too - thought I'd have to buy a new copy, but I was able to use my 'cheap' upgrade to Win 8 Pro I bought last year to create a boot disk and activate on a new PC. Saved me some dosh.

Unfortunately I should have bought a new Hard Drive - my old one is bringing my overall Windows score down. But games are absolutely flying :) Only have Batman Arkham Asylum installed, and have it maxed out running at 50 FPS :)

Will at some point install the Witcher 2 again, as my old PC couldn't even run the bastard. Bring on PES 2014 and mods!
 
Just went and picked up my new monitor from the post office, 27" Philips LED with built in 2x6w speakers, it's huge compared to my 22"!

LdYjglv.jpg


LCD monitor with SmartImage lite
Ultra-Narrow Bezel, 27"/68.6 cm, MHL
 
Looks very nice mate. If I ever have to move my PC to the spare room I would like to pick up a monitor like this. Not sure I could handle a screen as small as 22" after gaming on a 42" TV.
 
Hey guys,I'm planning to get a monitor for my PC instead of my current 32LG LED tv....should I get 24 or 27 inch? And what about BenQ XL2420T ?I don't care about 3D......any suggestions ,thanks in advance.
 
I didn't need a new monitor but wanted one with built in speakers so that it could serve as a second console gaming screen for when the PS4 and/or GTA V come out, when the wife and I were bitten (no pun intended) by the State of Decay bug it was a bit complicated setting up the second 360 for her using a PC monitor, had to hack a pair of earphones onto the audio lead which was a bit complicated!
 
Nobleknight said:
Hey guys,I'm planning to get a monitor for my PC instead of my current 32LG LED tv....should I get 24 or 27 inch? And what about BenQ XL2420T ?I don't care about 3D......any suggestions ,thanks in advance.
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That's the monitor that I've got and it's very nice.
 
Thanks for the response lads.But I watched the vid btw IPS & TN.Viewing angles might put me off TN panels.Any recommendations for IPS monitor ?
 
They both have advantages and disadvantages.

I spent ages reading into it a while ago.
You either get to view a monitor from an angle or get the issues you used to get with TN panels 10 years ago like ghosting and shitty response times.

I chose a TN panel on the basis that I view it from one angle, 1-2m away from a straight on position.

But if you don't plan on gaming then IPS is def the way to go.
 
Hows this for a build?

Sapphire 11196-09-40G HD7950 3GB Vapox-X Graphics Card - £215
LG 23EA63V 23 inch Widescreen LED IPS Monitor - £115
CiT Vantage Type-R Gaming Case - £35
Gigabyte SKT-1155 Z77X-UD3H Motherboard - £125
XFX P1-550S-XXB9 PRO550W Core Edition Power Supply - £54
Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600​C9 Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mhz CL9 XMP Performance Desktop Memory Kit Black - £58
Intel Core i7 3770k - £229

Budget is £850, already got hard drive etc sorted.
 
wabak said:
Hows this for a build?

Sapphire 11196-09-40G HD7950 3GB Vapox-X Graphics Card - £215
LG 23EA63V 23 inch Widescreen LED IPS Monitor - £115
CiT Vantage Type-R Gaming Case - £35
Gigabyte SKT-1155 Z77X-UD3H Motherboard - £125
XFX P1-550S-XXB9 PRO550W Core Edition Power Supply - £54
Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600​C9 Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mhz CL9 XMP Performance Desktop Memory Kit Black - £58
Intel Core i7 3770k - £229

Budget is £850, already got hard drive etc sorted.
Click to expand...

Not much I would change except get a better case. The 300R is meant to be decent for £50-£60.
I would consider a more powerful PSU and that's about it.
 
Cheers, love the look of the 300R so I'll add that.

Will the power supply I included be enough for that setup? or pushing it?

Any suggestions?
 
wabak said:
Hows this for a build?

Sapphire 11196-09-40G HD7950 3GB Vapox-X Graphics Card - £215
Click to expand...

You can pick up a 7950 for sub £200 if you shop around. For instance:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-190-MS

This is the exact 7950 that I'm using.

Also worth considering the Nvidia GTX 670 as it goes head-to-head with the 7950, although it only has 2gb VRAM compared to 3gb on the 7950. There are some good deals on 670's at the moment, eg:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-219-MS
 
Wouldn't the i7 4770k also require a higher spec (more expensive) motherboard? and maybe a daft question but I guess all the other stuff I've got will still work fine with the newest mobo/processors?
 
Decided to go for IPS panel.Not many brands to chose from here.
So got Asus MX279.....been gaming on it for a couple of days (BF3 mainly) no ghosting or input lag.The IPS makes a great difference when it comes to colours.Overall I'm happy with that choice. :))
 
Maybe someone can help this lad here. :)

jaboy said:
I'm looking to build a desktop PC this year. Although I've fiddled before, I am really a dunce when it comes to choosing components.

My intention is to get a barebones system and insert a decent CPU/GPU combo for gaming - specifically PES2014. Not so interested in overclocking and intense graphics optimization. Rather, a system that will provide a good performance/resource/price ratio. PES is the only game I play and represents the most resource-intensive program I would ever use.

For reasons best known to myself :) I would prefer to get an AMD processor this time.

What are other people using? Would anyone recommend a particular CPU/GPU combo to get/avoid? Not high-end, but enough for rain :P

Any advice, tips or pointers greatly appreciated!
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Really need to know what kind of budget is available. It's difficult to suggest a build and recommend components without knowing this or if the poster has any existing components to use in the new build.

If he's building a PC purely for PES, I would say it's possible for £400.

Then again, PES goes next-gen in 12 months and the game could become much more demanding, requiring a better graphics card.
 
Jamezinho said:
Really need to know what kind of budget is available. It's difficult to suggest a build and recommend components without knowing this or if the poster has any existing components to use in the new build.

If he's building a PC purely for PES, I would say it's possible for £400.

Then again, PES goes next-gen in 12 months and the game could become much more demanding, requiring a better graphics card.
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I am that lad. And yes, the primary purpose of the build is to play PES2014, and somewhat future-proofed i.e. exceeding the specs (comparatively) of the PS4.

Money is not the limitation, I just don't want a behemoth energy-sucker under the telly. Also, my past experiences with desktop graphics cards is that they become noisy, and I need to mitigte that.

Currently I play on an i7 laptop with Radeon 6570M, but it's dying. I'm not inclined to buy a new console.

Really I'm looking for a decent-spec AMD with a well-suited graphics card that provides enough oomph to handle the new graphics, but not overkill.

Maybe I'm being unrealistic. Thanks for any advice.
 
Hi, need some advice. Currently my spec is as below.

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit SP2
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 @ 3.16GHz 41 °C
Wolfdale 45nm Technology
RAM
4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 399MHz (5-5-5-18)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5QC (LGA 775) 40 °C
Graphics
SA300/SA350 (1920x1080@60Hz)
512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850 Series (Sapphire/PCPartner)

Thinking of getting a new card. I only have a budget of 100 pound. What card do you recommend and what other things can I do (without spending a fortune) to improve my old towers performance.
 
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