Computer Opinions

Technology and Gaming
#1

Hey all,

First post, so please be nice!

I am considering purchasing the below system before the new year; with the expected VAT and component cost increases looming I think that I should invest in a new rig fairly soon. I am by no means a computer G, so I would greatly appreciate any input/advice.

This is the system;

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-101-OE

I am just looking for opinions or concerns which you would raise if you were purchasing the system yourself. I am looking for rig which will leave me open to longevity and upgrades further down the line. For example, worth getting a system with USB 3 features etc.

I’m at work atm so I’ve not really written my first post very well and I’m sure that I more questions will come to me over time!

Thanks for your time :slight_smile:

(If this is in the wrong portion of the forum, feel free to move!)

#2

You won’t get a system that will comfortably last you a long time/be easily upgradable. Every time I’ve designed a computer for such, it turned out to not work out that way. However, you still shouldn’t buy a pre-made computer.

What’s VAT? What component cost increases?

#3

Thanks for the reply :slight_smile:

Vat is ‘value added tax’; I’ve been reading that, in the UK at least, there will be a bit of hike in Vat in the coming year. I’ve also been reading that component prices in general are set to rise, such as RAM currently being more expensive than it was say, at the start of this year. I’m not an economist so I don’t know how much merit there is in what I’ve been reading; I just think that I’d rather shell out now as opposed to paying more for the same/similar product in the new year.

Alot of people have suggested that I shouldn’t purchase a pre-made machine, mainly for the cost reasons. If I’m honest, I’d love to make one myself but as I’ve never done it before I don’t have too much confidence. From looking around on the internet at similar spec systems, the price seems okay considering they put the system together, ready overclocked. I have friends who swear by their pre and post customer service support as well.

In regards to the actual machine, do you think it’s a viable option for someone who wishes to have a fairly decent gaming rig for the next 2-3 years? I’m aware of the rate which technology progresses; which has put me off buying a new system for quite a while now. The way I see it is that I could keep thinking this and putting it off for longer and longer and being in this position another year down the line.

:slight_smile:

#4

It’s a little excessive, IMO. Then again, I tend not to buy the bleeding edge of technology, and I don’t expect to be able to play every single latest and greatest game with MEGGGGAA GRRAPHICXXXZZZZ!! at the highest detail settings at 100fps, whereas a lot of other gaming nutjobs here do.

It all comes down to what you’re willing to pay and what you’re willing to sacrifice in performance to pay less. I’m somebody who thinks it’s worth it to save a few hundred bucks to buy a system that can only run Crysis at medium/high settings and runs typically at 30fps, then try not to upgrade again for 3 years and watch as the new computer makes the old one run screaming, yet still not cost very much.

#5

I know what you mean; I was considering going down a slightly cheap AMD route. I’ve been using a system from early 2005 which wasn’t designed for gaming. It currently has an Atl 4760 and 1GB of DDR (which is comprised of two different 512 sticks). I feel like Dr Mengele, sticking the odd upgrade in there to keep it ticking over.

I’ve been quite restricted in the games I’ve been able to buy and play properly due to my system limitations. The company I linked above has an option to pay within 12 months with no interest added at all; this makes the cost factor slightly less of an issue; not having to pay it all at once is good for me tbh.

I’ve had my eye on it for about a month now; just wondering what other people think of the spec and what could/should be altered. I’d like to stick a Blu-Ray drive in there too.

Unfortunately, my biggest decision would be the ATI / NVIDIA option; can’t make head nor tale of the comparisson charts all over the internet. While the latest Fermi cards seem to come out top, I’m finding it hard to quantify/justify the extra cost in the board itself and the extra power usage and heat expenditure.

#6

Shameless bump.

#7

You can’t really quantify the extra performance for a price increase, especially when you get closer to the top, where slight increases in performance can nearly double a price tag. I’d also avoid the BLU-RAAAAAAAAYYYY drive for now, since they’re still mad expensive and not really the norm, yet.

Everybody around here shouts for ATI, but I haven’t had any trouble with my NVidia cards, and honestly the performance difference is probably negligible to anybody who isn’t a gigantic graphics whore, and those people are shallow anyway.

#8

Well it depends. I definitely wouldn’t get any of the GTX 4xx series unless you’re SLIng them (2 460s in SLI are a really great value). The new GeForces are powerhungry and run extremely hot. In general Radeons give you better bang for the buck, but you’ll be fine either way.

#9

Building a computer by yourself is by no means difficult, especially with the literal thousands of guides you can get on the internet. All parts to computers come with manuals anyway, unless you’re buying something off of a shady Ebay dealer.

#10

There’s still a million little unexpected things that can go wrong when building a computer. It took me a good while and help from a friend to troubleshoot and find out that my NTSF errors were actually caused by one of the RAM slots on my brand new motherboard being wonky/broken.

#11

Linux, i use overclockers to (recent build parts) , another british lad i see? there pretty solid, as for the computer build, youd feel alot more comfortable building the system yourself. youll also know everything that is in it, its honestly a piece of piss to do.

#12

not a bad spec
and the comment on blu ray drives being expensive: https://www.ebuyer.com/product/172638

45 quid = approx 55$. piss cheap really… got one in my pc. runs like a dream, means i can watch 1080p on my desktop via telly. dont need to constantly use the electricity gobbling ps3…

#13

if you feel like going nvidia, but not necessarily top-of-the-line, the only one I would recommend is last gen’s GTX 275.

If you want the best GFX cards, don’t go nVidia right now. Their latest cards are much more expensive, run much hotter, and provide negligible difference in performance (if any) over the latest ATi cards, minus Crysis which will always run better with nVidia.

#14

I just bought the Fermi GTX 480, don’t worry about the heat, besides, its designed to run at those temp’s otherwise it wouldn’t be on the market, as for 'better on Crysis its been shown that Ati is now taking the lead, saying this, 480 takes the 5870 out of the competition, but the 5970 has an advantage in power, but Nvidia seem to be the superior for utilizing other area’s including tessellation of a such, but comparing the GTX 480 to the 5970 is pretty unfair, look at how much THEY cost.

But to be fair, all the prices are different, at the moment, id reccomend the GTX 480 (I own the Asus edition)

#15

This is literally the deepest and most profound nugget of eternal wisdom I have ever heard in my life and I am literally weeping with joy that I am so blessed as to have read this.

#16

Hey while we’re at this, what’s a decent computer you can get for 400 dollars and can still run Left 4 Dead 2 at very low settings with around 30 to 40 fps?

#17

Athlon II X3 445 - $85
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103872
mobo - $100
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398
-4 gigs ddr2 - $90
-320 GB hdd - $50
-radeon 5670 or equivalent - $90
-300W psu - $30
-Case - $50
would probably run you around $500 without OS, monitor, mouse, keyboard. It would run l4d well on midrange settings.

#18

Thanks already have the mouse moniter etc. except the OS but I’ll just use my old hard drive

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