The PC Building Thread

I don't have much lying around of any use really, only a very old Q6600 which isn't going to be much use.

If you don't mind 2nd hand components I will have a dig around and might be able to locate an oldish i3 processor, but wouldn't be anything amazingly new.

Or could possibly see about a few components on eBay and get something together? You could potentially get an i5 2500 with a mobo and RAM for about £130..
I will have a further look later and see what is around and available.
 
Thanks for the reply :) TBH I'm completely out of the loop with Intel stuff that's why I was only pricing up AMD stuff! I told him I'll give him this year's birthday money and next year's towards it so hopefully he won't have much to add himself with him being on state income.

The reason I was thinking AM3 or AM3+ is we could get him a cheap quad core now that's enough to get him playing Fallout4 and then in 1 year or so upgrade that to an 8 core which would massively improve performance?
 
The 2500k Intel still performs incredibly well even by todays standards, if you go on Anadntechbench and have a look at CPU benchmarks it compares very well against AMD processors and is only about 25% slower than the equivalent Haswells..

The processor can be had for around £90 so you might get a good deal on something like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-Intel-...602759?hash=item280a6cedc7:g:BhQAAOSw5ZBWJVb4

You would then only need to add RAM - but this is the only thing I would never buy 2nd hand, unless you were given it from someone you trust and know they would of used precautions installing it and removing it.

As for GFX card although it states it wouldn't meet minimum spec I would of thought it would be ok to run the game fine as a 6970 although a couple of years old now still isn't bad - I personally would of thought it would run the game on medium settings in 1080.
 
 
bsmaff said:
A couple of others:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Asus-M-Bo...720584?hash=item4af2996b08:g:88AAAOSw5ZBWJQcF

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASUS-P8Z7...884905?hash=item35f3b35ce9:g:TBIAAOSw14xWICfp

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/I5-2500k-...239826?hash=item419e737092:g:A-0AAOSwwbdWIq4k

Although 2nd hand would outperform the NEW system you were looking to build considerably.

If you can get it cheap enough this seems the best one:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/I5-2500k-...239826?hash=item419e737092:g:A-0AAOSwwbdWIq4k
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They seem to be closing for minimum £130+ are they much better in performance than the brand new AMD options I found for £117 total?

saSRzGu.jpg
 
Yeah I was shocked at that, couple of them were close to £200, what about the AMD FX 6300 which has 6 cores? Looks like I can buy a bundle of that for something around the £120-£140 mark.
 
Hi guys is this worth the price his asking? Thanks for advice .he wants around 700


Custom built PC available for sale or swap for a powerful laptop. This PC will run and handle any latest games on highest graphic settings. Comes complete with 27" LG 1080p HD monitor, keyboard, mouse and all cables. Logitech 300w surround system available at an extra cost. PC spec is as follows: AMD FX 8320 350GHZ eight core processor 16GB ram memory 1TB hard drive Secondary 350GB hard drive Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 graphics card Corsair 800w power supply Genuine registered Windows 10 pro 64bit Ethernet card Card reader at front Multiple USB ports DVD/CD writer drive As you can see a lot of money has been spent on this top spec PC. The case itself has a dent in the top upon a recent removal, however does not affect usage and has not bothered me.
 
spurs7 said:
Hi guys is this worth the price his asking? Thanks for advice .he wants around 700


Custom built PC available for sale or swap for a powerful laptop. This PC will run and handle any latest games on highest graphic settings. Comes complete with 27" LG 1080p HD monitor, keyboard, mouse and all cables. Logitech 300w surround system available at an extra cost. PC spec is as follows: AMD FX 8320 350GHZ eight core processor 16GB ram memory 1TB hard drive Secondary 350GB hard drive Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 graphics card Corsair 800w power supply Genuine registered Windows 10 pro 64bit Ethernet card Card reader at front Multiple USB ports DVD/CD writer drive As you can see a lot of money has been spent on this top spec PC. The case itself has a dent in the top upon a recent removal, however does not affect usage and has not bothered me.
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Looks a bit too expensive, if you ask me. Knowing the manufacturers of each hardware component would be nice, because it really matters if the HDD, the graphics card etc. were made by a proper company...
What about warranty? Buying 2nd-hand computers can be a huge risk because of hardware failures, so if there's some warranty left, that's a huge bonus.
That 800 W power supply is a pure money-eater, this system could run perfectly fine on 500-550 W.
 
£700?

The only reason I could think the system is worth that is the 27" Monitor apart from the monitor it is a £300-£350 system 2nd hand, so I don't know why he thinks the monitor is worth £350 2nd hand.
I would love to know what games he is playing on HIGH settings using a 660 GTX..

TBH you could get a lot more for you money for £700, the monitor is something to really tempt you but I personally wouldn't.. I reckon buying 2nd hand components I could build the same system for around £300.
 
GroveStreet said:
Really?!?
And I would like to know which games he can't, because that card is better than 750ti and even 750ti can handle most of the games on high...
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I sold my GTX 680 about a year ago now as it could no longer handle games in HIGH/ULTRA settings so I seriously doubt a 660 could do it when a 680 couldn't.

A 660GTX would only be able to run modern games in medium settings with a couple of HIGH settings switched on.

But the guy asked for opinions on whether the PC is worth £700 and I said no - the monitor is good but the PC would be considered average Spec for a gaming machine and there would be much better options available.
 
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bsmaff said:
I sold my GTX 680 about a year ago now as it could no longer handle games in HIGH/ULTRA settings so I seriously doubt a 660 could do it when a 680 couldn't.
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You wrote high not ultra, so... 750ti gets average 56fps on 1080p in MGS V on high settings (as I asked you to name a game and you didn't, then I choose one of the latest for which I have a benchmark values) and if I am not mistaken, then 660 is ~10% better, so MAYBE it can achive constant 60fps, but those are only speculations...

bsmaff said:
But the guy asked for opinions on whether the PC is worth £700 and I said no - the monitor is good but the PC would be considered average Spec for a gaming machine and there would be much better options available.
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I don't argue with that!
 
stay clear of AMD CPU's they don't perform well in new games, better off picking up an intel i5.

If you haven't got the money for new, have a look on ebay for a cheap 2nd hand one.
 
GroveStreet said:
I don't argue with that!
Click to expand...

Why don't you agree with it?
The 660 GTX is an old mid range GFX card and can be picked up on eBay for an average of £65.
The processor is an AMD CPU, which performs slightly below an i5 Sandybridge, but gets hammered in Single threaded applications - but either way a £90 CPU - you can get the more powerful 3570K for only a few £ more.
16GB Ram can be had now for around £70.
Motherboard would cost about £50 second hand and on eBay you may get a bundle for around £170 with a 3570K and probably around £130-140 for the AMD.
HD is about £40 worth. PSU that powerful isn't required and could get a branded 600-700W, so lets say £70 for this.

So a better Intel i5 Ivybridge PC would cost £170+40+70+65 = £345.. So is the monitor worth £355?? no because without the model number you can get 27" LG monitors for £200. Thus it is not a good deal.

As stated for £700 it is possible to do alot better..
 
GroveStreet said:
You wrote high not ultra, so... 750ti gets average 56fps on 1080p in MGS V on high settings (as I asked you to name a game and you didn't, then I choose one of the latest for which I have a benchmark values) and if I am not mistaken, then 660 is ~10% better, so MAYBE it can achive constant 60fps, but those are only speculations...
Click to expand...

IMO I don't think a GTX 660 would be able to run the latest games like GTA 5/Battlefront on HIGH settings at a steady 60FPS.
I just checked benchmark scores online and the following games are not capable of running @60FPS on high settings:
Battlefield 4
Crysis 3
Bioshock Infinity
Company Heroes 2
Metro Last Light

Of the 7 games tested on the site only 2 ran at over 60FPS:
Total War: Rome 2
Grid 2

I consider 60FPS to be ideal FPS people should expect when playing games.

You don't agree with me that's fine everyone is entitled to their opinion.. I just wouldn't purchase a PC for £700 with a 3 year old Mid Range Card.
 
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footyfan said:
stay clear of AMD CPU's they don't perform well in new games, better off picking up an intel i5.

If you haven't got the money for new, have a look on ebay for a cheap 2nd hand one.
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I have an 8350 and it performs just fine in new games and it's not paired with a particularly strong card either (GTX 770).

AMD CPUs always have been and still are the best bang for the buck by some distance.
 
Thanks for the help guys, I've given that a miss, anyway as u can tell I'm a newbie to pick gaming,main reason I want one is for sport games ie FIFA pes, for Modding! As they are all I really play on my ps4..
 
How about this one guys?
is an Intel i7 with 12gb of ram. It has a GeForce 770gtx graphics card and runs anything you can throw at it. I will transfer my steam account over which includes CoD Modern Warfare, Ghosts, ARMA 2 and 3, Mad Max, Shadow of Mordor, Lego Lord of the Rings, damn there's like 30 odd games in there ! Also has 500gb had drive, 250gb solid state drive running Windows 8 ( with original key ) can upgrade to Windows 10 for free anytime you want, it's already downloaded I just haven't ran it yet. It's has keyboard, mouse, gameplay controller and headphones with mic. The outside case ain't exactly pretty but this computer is quick ! Just finished playing the Battlefront Front Star Wars Beta and it looks amazing. Interested ?
He wants to swap it for my ps4 and Samsung s5 I have up for sale? Is it worth it? Also is this pc alot more powerful than my ps4?.... Really appreciate the helps guys, thanks
 
spurs7 said:
How about this one guys?
is an Intel i7 with 12gb of ram. It has a GeForce 770gtx graphics card and runs anything you can throw at it. I will transfer my steam account over which includes CoD Modern Warfare, Ghosts, ARMA 2 and 3, Mad Max, Shadow of Mordor, Lego Lord of the Rings, damn there's like 30 odd games in there ! Also has 500gb had drive, 250gb solid state drive running Windows 8 ( with original key ) can upgrade to Windows 10 for free anytime you want, it's already downloaded I just haven't ran it yet. It's has keyboard, mouse, gameplay controller and headphones with mic. The outside case ain't exactly pretty but this computer is quick ! Just finished playing the Battlefront Front Star Wars Beta and it looks amazing. Interested ?
He wants to swap it for my ps4 and Samsung s5 I have up for sale? Is it worth it? Also is this pc alot more powerful than my ps4?.... Really appreciate the helps guys, thanks
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It does sound alot better than the previous system.

Could you please state the model number of the i7 it comes with.
A Galaxy s5 on ebay is worth about £200 and your PS4 depending what games you got is worth around £250-300 so, basically is the PC worth £500..
Depending on the i7 it probably is.

As for power difference yes the PC would be much better than a PS4(PS4 graphically is the equivalent on games running on MED settings on PC), you would be able to run most games in HIGH/ULTRA settings looking at benchmarks.. So massive improvement on the GTX 660 which struggles to run games on HIGH.
 
Thanks for the feed back mate.
This is what he told me about d i7

The i7 is 2.6ghz running at 3.4ghz, the 770gtx has 2gb
 
So the processor is a 2600K, did he say how old the system is?

Has the processor or GPU ever been overclocked? Although most people lie about this.

Apart from that, unless you feel confident about building your own PC from 2nd hand components then it seems a good deal.
 
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Placebo said:
Looking for some advice, my Nephew lives in a care facility in the UK and one of the few things that lets him get out of his headspace and enjoy life is gaming, he's a huge Fallout/Skyrim fan but we just realised that his PC isn't up to even minimum spec for Fallout 4 so I'm trying to find what we can come up with for him in terms of upgrading his Mobo/CPU/Ram. I gave him my old GPU so he has a AMD Sapphire 6970 2GB GDDR5 (I know that's slightly below the minimum requirement but hopefully will not make it incompatible?)

For the Mobo/CPU/RAM I just priced up this:

saSRzGu.jpg


I went with Amazon as the CPU seemed to be slightly cheaper there than anywhere else (and the motherboard is very cheap although need to factor in postage from Germany).

Personally if it were me I'd go for AM3/AM3+ as I feel it's easier to get a good deal on 2nd hand CPUs?

If anyone can suggest something similar for a similar price, or even better bang for the buck (with a possibility of going up about 25%) please let me know, if anyone has any old parts they're looking to sell themselves I'd also be interested in that option :)

These are the minimum specs for Fallout 4:
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So just to end this question :)

Found a brand new AMD FX 8320 on Ebay, retail goes for around £110, sniped that bugger for £72 + £10 shipping then ordered a Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 for £40.07 and 2x4gb RAM for £32.80 from Ebuyer, so total for the upgrade is £154.87 bit more than originally looking at but I think an 8320 will last him a lot longer than the budget quad cores I was looking at :)
 
Which of those CPU's you would recommend if money doesn't matter. With the use of a H100i GTX, overclocking or no overclocking?

- i7-5820K (3.3 GHz)
- i7-5820K (3.3 GHz - overclocked to 4.4 GHz)
- i7-5930K (3.5 GHz)
- i7-5930K (3.5 GHz - overclocked to 4.4 GHz)
- i7-6700K (4.0 GHz)

My preference is the overclocked i7-5820k. Suggestions?
 
Do you already have the H100i GTX?

As for processor and money no object the performance difference between the 5930K and 5820K is what you would expect with just 200Mhz difference in speed.

Looking at benchmarks between the 5820K and the 6700K they do seem very similarly matched on alot of the benchmarks.
The 6700K wins most of the benchmarks, but this is probably due to the higher clock speeds, the 5820K does win the benchmarks with programs that utilise all 6-cores.

It all depends on how much of the system you already have?
Do you plan on using programs that utilise all 6-cores?

Looking at prices the 5930K is an extra £100 so would rule that processor out immediately.
 
bsmaff said:
Do you already have the H100i GTX?

As for processor and money no object the performance difference between the 5930K and 5820K is what you would expect with just 200Mhz difference in speed.

Looking at benchmarks between the 5820K and the 6700K they do seem very similarly matched on alot of the benchmarks.
The 6700K wins most of the benchmarks, but this is probably due to the higher clock speeds, the 5820K does win the benchmarks with programs that utilise all 6-cores.

It all depends on how much of the system you already have?
Do you plan on using programs that utilise all 6-cores?

Looking at prices the 5930K is an extra £100 so would rule that processor out immediately.
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I have nothing for now, I will build a new PC from scratch via pcspecialist.co.uk at the end of the year. I want Windows to process as fast as possible, I want to play HQ games and using graphic and video software such as Photoshop and Sony Vegas. I plan to pay as much as 3.500 €.
 
If you still have not bought anything yet then gives you plenty of time to think about which system to get.

I personally would get the 6700K due to the future proofing which are only available with Skylake + when Canonlake comes out you could switch the processor over for an even better CPU..

I would also get the H110i GTX if you really want to go down the water cooling route.. I remember reading reviews a while ago when I bought the H110 and the H100i was no better than a very good Air Cooler.(I don't know how good the h100i gtx is)..

But with the sort of budget your playing with you should have no issue building a very high spec machine - It may even run 4K games.
 
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