Pre built PC for under 700 pounds?

[LITOralis.nMd]

pcspecialist.co.uk looks pretty good.

Depending, what are you doing with your current PC when you get a new one?
Do you have a DVD drive in it?

IF you give them a call and ask for them to not install the PSU and DVD drive and HDD and OS, and are willing to put aside the money for the OS, you can get some pretty excellent value for your money from them.

(installing windows 8 or 8.1 is literally the easiest OS I've ever installed, JUST do NOT select to download updates before you finalize the installation, takes like 35 minutes , then do the updates later when you have time)

ex:

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA MICRO-ATX CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
Intel? Core?i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS? Z87M-PLUS: m-ATX, USB3.0, SATA 6.0, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
3GB AMD RADEON? R9 280X - DVI, HDMI, DP - DX? 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB CACHE (CALL and ask them to NOT install) Make sure they reduce the price .
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive IF you have a DVD Drive from current PC, remove this option, then
(CALL and ask them to NOT install) Make sure they reduce the price .
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ?R/?RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES? VS-350 POWER SUPPLY (CALL and ask them to NOT install) Make sure they reduce the price .
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 - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (?79) (You can remove this option if you want to buy online, , might find it cheaper, if you don't buy a HDD from them, they can't install it, so you'll have to install it no matter which way)

Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NORTON ANTI-VIRUS 2014 - 1 Year Licence for 1 PC (?10) *SPECIAL*
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)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: ?795.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: PCSPECIALIST - Custom PCs, Custom Computers, Custom PC, Desktop PC, Custom Built Computers, Gaming PC

That would be 795 before removing the parts listed above.

You could then upgrade the CPU cooler to a Corsair all in one liquid cooler , and be done with it for a few years.
Intel i5-4670 (non-K version) and a R9 280X will keep you gaming in style for quite a few years.

regards,

[ShockUnitBlack]

Not many config options there unfortunately.

[Trooper909]

I'm confused...How is any of the DIY options cheaper and more powerful then this pre built?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ankermann-PC...ords=gaming+pc

Not being sarcastic Just genuinely curious.

Guy in the review section says hes running arma3 on ultra with it.(could be an employee tho)

[Trooper909]

Originally Posted by Trooper909

I'm confused...How is any of the DIY options cheaper and more powerful then this pre built?

Ankermann-PC.WildCAT GAMER., Intel Core i7-3770 4x 3.40GHz, GeForce GTX 660 OC 2GB, Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit, 2TB Toshiba HDD, 16 GB RAM, 24x DVD-RW Writer-, Card Reader, Art.Nr.: 28597, EAN: 4260219657327: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Not being sarcastic Just genuinely curious.

Guy in the review section says hes running arma3 on ultra with it.(could be an employee tho)

I appreciate all the advice given to me in this thread.Oops quoted instead of edited.

Then you see a review like this

ANKERMANN-PC AMD A8-3850 (4x2,90GHz)-ASUS ENGTX550Ti 1GB-16GB RAM-1TB HDD SATA2-ASUS F1A75-M-24xDVD-Writer-PSU 80+ 450W Bronze-CASE 905
Take no notice of the above.
All Ankerman computers on amazon have identical reviews. I wish they would stop treating us as idiots. These Ankermann computers are all different and I'm sure trading standards would have something to say about misleading the public by applying the same reviews to different models.
Come on amazon try and have a little bit of integrity before we begin to think you are not worth dealing with.
Ronh

Now I'm more confused lol

I am open to building my own if it is trully cheaper and more powerful but only as a last resort.

[FatalWaffles]

When the guy says that all of them have the same reviews he is stating that all of the Ankermann products share the same reviews. They are all grouped together. Some other retailers do this for similar products but I wouldn't think they should do this for computers that can vary so much. For example, Newegg does a similar thing for power supplies of the same product line but different wattages.

If you build your own system that fits your needs you can get exactly what you need or want and in most cases that can save you money. That savings can continue on if you want to upgrade your system later in its life. For example if you bought the Ankermann computer but later on you wanted to drop in a new video card you would be really limited as it only comes with a 350W PSU. If you build your own system you can think ahead and get a higher watt power supply to open up an upgrade path. In the long term I would think it would be the cheaper option.

[Trooper909]

Yeah makes it really confusing unless you know your stuff already.

But is that PC worse then the self built ones listed by others? I have a 700w power supply in my current PC that canbe swapped so ignoring that weak point is it?

Also is that exact PC running Arma3 on ultra? I mean is it capable of such things?

Is that Ankerman better then this one I would have to build myself?

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (?171.94 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (?23.90 @ Ebuyer)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 Tri-Linear 2.7g Thermal Paste (?6.66 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87MX-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (?99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (?49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (?59.98 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card (?147.77 @ Dabs)
Case: Zalman Z5 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (?38.96 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (?46.59 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (?11.98 @ Ebuyer)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (?72.16 @ CCL Computers)
Total: ?729.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-25 18:33 GMT+0000)

[ShockUnitBlack]

The GTX 660 probably can't run ArmA3 at decent frames per second at ultra quality. I'd say the graphics card is the weak part in that build.

HOWEVER - that is a pretty decent build they have there. Not great, but definitely decent (again, the GPU is a bit of a weakness). Your own build above is, at first glance, about equal, although you have an overclockable CPU, which is good (although also somewhat unnecessary for gaming). That said, that advantage only applies if you actually intend to overclock your CPU, which I don't know if you are.

@ Your PSU. Precluding something I don't know about, your 700W PSU should be able to handle just about anything, although I'd still be curious what model it actually is.

Now, I imagine you're kind of tired of component lists, but here's one last one for you. If you can scrape together another fifty or so pounds, this would be worth every extra penny and most definitely would run ArmA3 (or any other game, for that matter) at ultra settings.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (?172.98 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (?23.90 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (?107.84 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (?63.50 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (?37.97 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card (?229.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (?47.98 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (?46.54 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) (?84.21 @ Amazon UK)
Total: ?814.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-08 00:16 GMT+0000)

[FatalWaffles]

The review that says he is running ArmA 3 on ultra is using the i7 3770 system you linked above. It certainly capable of running it on ultra/very high, I'm not sure what framerates it would achieve though. So it can be argued that it won't run it.

Here are what I see as the main differences between the two.

i7 3700 vs. i5 4670k = They are both 4 core processors from Intel. The 4670k is a generation newer than the 3700 but lacks the hyperthreading that the i7 3700 has. On the otherhand the i5 4670k is an unlocked processor so you can easily overclock it. If you don't know what hyperthreading is you can watch this video, it can explain it better than I can. (Tech Quickie - What is Hyper Threading Technology as Fast As Possible) Most people would argue that for current games hyper threading doesn't give that much of an advantage.

H75 vs. Z87 = The H75 chipset for the i7 3700 is just fine because the 3700 isn't an unlocked processor and can't really overclock easily. The Z87 chipset is the best for the 4670k as its unlocked and is easily overclocked.

In both builds the GPU isn't the greatest option. A 660 is a decent card, but it won't run the latest games, ArmA 3 included, on high settings at decent framerates.

If you want to buy the prebuilt, go ahead. Most people would argue against it just because its a prebuilt but its your money, your decision. It looks to be a good computer and if you're worried about it breaking or having issues it comes with a 2 year warranty (I'm not sure what the warranty covers or how well they'll deal with it)

[Trooper909]

Thanks for all the info..

I'm still uncertain whether or not to build one myself ..I mean if I can get one prebuilt for the same price ofc I would go for that but if a DIY one is that much better for the same money I would go that route....I just want the best possible comp for my price range really.

This is the first time I've bought something just for me in a long time lol

Reading things like this destroy my soul

?582.50 ex VAT (?699.00 inc VAT) Why do they tell me I could get it for 582.50 if I didn't live an arsehole country?Whyyyyy?

[Careless]

It's decent for a prebuilt computer I must say.
I looked on Overclockers.co.uk to relate the prices and I got around 700 pounds with the same parts.

The only "draw-back" is the graphics card. It's decent, but still.

I have a 4770 (4th gen. 3770) and a GTX 760 (next gen. 660), and I get around 30 to 60 FPS on ArmA 3 on Ultra, but it runs very hot (up to 78?C)


Also try going for an option with 8GB of RAM, just for the sake of saving 50 pounds.

It's your choice but you won't be able to use 16GB of RAM unless you're planning to run a server, do hard CAD-simulations and video-editing, at the same time.