Need opinions on budget pre-built gaming PCs.

[darius0995]

I'm not really up to the daunting task of building my own PC at this moment in time, and have been searching the net for some pre-built budget gaming PCs that I'd like some opinions on.

£850

http://www.aria.co.uk/Systems/Gamin...*+R9-280X++Pro+Gaming+PC+?productId=58641#rqc

£580

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007PBHL...21&ascsubtag=4a251a2ef9bbf4ccc35f97aba2c9cbda

So is the £200+ rig worth splashing out on, or would I see no comparable difference to the cheaper rig?

Also if you could recommend an even better budget pre-built gaming rig for your money, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

EDIT - My mistake, a mod may wish to move this to 'General'. Sorry.

 

[bootneck02]

Personally I would go for the VIBOX Warrior 4 from Amazon because there is hardly any difference between the two PC's also as Vibox Ltd has a good rep as does Aria.co.uk but you are saving £200.

 

[floppybootstomp]

The Amazon machine. Note that neither of them has an operating system and unless you have a copy of Windows Vista/7/8.1 for gaming then you'll have to purchase an OEM version of Windows. Win 7 can be had for around £70 atm.

 

[muckshifter]

well, not to put the cat in amongst the pigeons ...

I would choose the Aria system, I can 'see' what the MB is for one point, the other is the SSD, it to me is a 'basic' component these days, especially if gaming

... it looks a decent system.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Fair points Mr Mucks, I must confess I gave both options a cursory glance, considered the price, then made my recommendation.

As well as Aria naming the motherboard and providing an SSD for the OS, they also identify a Corsair 750W PSU, whereas Amazon don't identify the PSU they use. And the Aria machine also appears to be newer technology.

You get what you pay for, as they say.

 

[V_R]

well, not to put the cat in amongst the pigeons ...

I would choose the Aria system, I can 'see' what the MB is for one point, the other is the SSD, it to me is a 'basic' component these days, especially if gaming

... it looks a decent system.

Same, newer hardware, better upgrade path, and the case on the Amazon machine if FUGLY!!

 

[darius0995]

Thank you for the opinions guys, much appreciated. I'll be taking them into serious consideration.

However, I've found a website where you can pick parts in measure with your budget.

Here is what I was recommended in constrast to my budget - http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-home-office-pc/XDMagC5w3w/

Would this be a more convenient buy compared to the Aria machine, considering they are the same price. I'm sure the graphics card is much better in the PC Specialist machine.

Thanks

 

[muckshifter]

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/results/




well, that didn't work


:EDIT:

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA MICRO-ATX CASE + 2 FRONT USB

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4590 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
Gigabyte H81M-D2V: Micro-ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs

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

Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 760 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready

1st Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

2nd Hard Disk
500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB CACHE

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY

Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER

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

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

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE

Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

£757.00 inc VAT and Delivery.

 

[darius0995]

Thank you for the reply

Just a few questions..

I assume a 250GB SSD is greater than a standard 1TB hard drive - in terms of performance?

Also I assume a GTX 760 is better than the GTX 970? Though doesn't more video ram within the graphics card allow for a more 'future-proof' card concerning future game releases?


Thank you for the assistance.

 

[bootneck02]

Just a thought, Seagate have a 1 TB, 2 TB and I think 3 TB which is SSHD, I have ordered mine and here is the details Seagate 2TB Desktop SSHD SATA 6GB/s 64MB 3.5" 8GB SSD Solid State Hybrid Drive @ £83-98 ordered through EBAY supplied by Dabs.com, if that is any help.

 

[muckshifter]

The SSD is there to vastly improve performance ... the hard drive was traditionally the weak link in PCs ... it's bloody fast. The "std" drive is there just to store, err, stuff.

The 760? no it's not better, just as good as, imho, but cheaper ... I'm still using a 560, and the games I play, all MMOs, run on Ultra. YMMV on other type of games, but if you got the money, get the 970.

 

[darius0995]

Alright, thanks a lot guys. The information/opinions provided have been very helpful.

 

[V_R]

Once you've had SSD you cant go back.

 

[floppybootstomp]

There are 3 types of hard disk, the mechanical SATA type; the SSD type (Solid State Device) and the Hybrid drive, which as the name suggests is a bit of each. By far the best choice is the SSD device as it's faster than the other two and more reliable, no moving parts, just a whole bunch of chips.

The hybrid drives are also pretty nifty but they have the same risk of failure as any mechanical drive.

The GTX970 will outperform the GTX760 but both are fine cards. I have a 760 atm and it runs all new games ok. Whichever card you go for I'd suggest it's worth getting one with 4Gb RAM for future-proofing, as you pointed out.

Though tbh the graphics card market moves so fast future proofing will typically be 12-18 months, I usually upgrade video cards every two years or so.

If you have any more questions, ask away, I'll leave with one more piece of sound advice - don't skimp on the power supply, as everything in your machine depends on it.

 

[darius0995]

I've read that the brand of a PSU is just as important as the wattage. So would a CORSAIR 650W suffice with the other suggested components?

Thanks.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I've read that the brand of a PSU is just as important as the wattage. So would a CORSAIR 650W suffice with the other suggested components?

Thanks.

Yes.