Gaming PC - reasonably priced and built to last?

[Spinstar]

DS wants a desktop gaming PC for Xmas. He's spent months looking at specifications on PC Specialist, a web site recommended to me here but the one he's 'customised' online costs almost £1000! I'm hoping to get something in the region of £600 or so but not sure if he can still get what he wants at that price range.

He doesn't actually play computer games and only wants it for occasional games on a website his friends use called Steam. However, he also wants something a lot faster than his 6 yr old desktop PC and one that has better graphics, as he does lots of CGI design for fun.

I'm wary of ordering a 'customised' PC from a website and would rather get one 'off the shelf' where I can take it back if it doesn't work - but don't trust our local PC World. We'd also probably need someone to come in and set it up which they can do at PC Specialist but again it does cost a lot.

I'm also wary of getting something that is so 'high spec', it isn't as reliable as an old 'solid work horse' of a PC.

I want this one to last him at least 4 to 5 years and want a desktop not a laptop as I like it set up near where I am, rather than taken off to his bedroom.

Any ideas anyone?

Sorry should've said mouse, keyboard and monitor arn't important, as he already has them plus spares .

Super fish is malware installed by the manufacturer to track your activity and then put more targeted adverts on your browser. I think it can be removed. Apparantly it leaves your computer more open to other malware attacks.

I think the poorly constructed hard wear is an interesting comment and is my main concern with an off the shelf product. You can have great individual components but if it's all been screwed and wired together by an idiot with no interest in making a good product, no knowledge of computing and they're getting paid per item they put together you are going to get a higher percentage of duff items.

OP here, posting again. Many thanks for the help. DS has taken me through 2 different possible specs. for a PC from PC Specialist - one at £828 and the other at £1,296. I'm not sure whether the cheaper spec. is a poor compromise for what he wants. Any expert advice much appreciated. Here are the essential items of the cheaper spec.:

Case: Inwin 67 G7 Brushed effect Dark grey case
Processor: Intel Core i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4690K (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard: ASUS Z97 E ATX USB3.0 SATA 6GB/S SLi XFire
Memory: 8GB Kingston Dual-DDR3 1600Mhz (1x8GB)
Graphics Card: 2GB NVIDIA Geforce GTX 950
Hard Disk: 1TB 3.5" SATA 111 6GB/HDD7200RPM 32MB Cache
1st DVD Drive: 24xDual Layer DVD writer
Power Supply: Corsair 450W VS Series VS 450 Power supply
Processor Cooling: Intel Standard CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste: Standard Thermal paste for sufficient cooling
Wireless/Wired Networking: 10/100/1000 Gigabit Lan Port (Wifi not included)
Sound Card: Onboard 6 channel (5.1) High Def Audio
USB Options: Min.2x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 Ports back panel and min, 2 front ports
Operating system: Windows 10 Home 64 Bit

Here are the essential items of the more expensive one:

Case: Inwin 67 G7 Brushed effect Dark grey case
Processor:Intel Core i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4690K (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard: ASUS Z97 Gamer ATX USB 3.0 SATA gBG/S SLi XFire
Memory: 16GB Kingston Dual-DDR3 1600Mhz (2x8GB)
Graphics Card: 4GB NVIDIA Geforce GTX 960 - DVI HDMI 3DP-3D ready
1st Hard Disk: 500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD SATA 6Gbs (up to 540MB sR 520MB/sw
2nd Hard disk: 1TB WD Black WD1003FZEX SATA 6GBs 64 MB Cache 7200rpm
1st DVD Drive: 24xDual Layer DVD writer
Power Supply: Corsair 650W VS series VS 650 Power Supply
Processor Cooling: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste: Standard Thermal paste for sufficient cooling
Sound Card: Onboard 6 channel (5.1) High Def Audio
Wireless Wired Networking: Wireless 802.11N 450Mbps/2.4Hz Dual Band PCI E Card
USB Options: 2Port (2xType A) USB 3.0 PCI E Card + Standard USB Ports
Operating system: Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech MK520 Wireless Keyboard and mouse Combo
Gaming Mouse Pad: CMStorm Swift RX Gaming Mouse Pad - medium

Can someone tell me what the results would be of each one and whether paying a bit more would make a lot of difference to the use DS can get out of the PC?

Are there essential parts that it's best not to stint on? Are there things he doesn't really need at all? Why is he so insistent, for example, that the case is the one he's chosen rather than a cheaper one - which he says won't 'house' the internal stuff properly?

Other costs include a special Sunday morning delivery slot (as I work 6 days a week plus many evenings) and set up by engineer - but we're not sure if they come out at the same time from PC Specialist.

Feedback please?

This is amazing and only £849 www.medion.com/gb/shop/gaming-pcs-medion-erazer-x5309-f-gaming-pc-310020294.html

I get my PCs from Medion, I've had a gaming laptop from there and my current PC is also Medion, fantastic value for money.

It has the same graphics card as the more expensive one you posted (this is the most expensive part of gaming PCs), and a better processor (i7 > i5) AND an SSD + 2tb HDD, not just HDDs.

Sorry, just re-read your OP.

Occasional use for that sort of spec?

No. Way!

I'd consider second hand, occasional use with his mates...

I don't know what spec he needs for CGI stuff, ive no idea about cgi.

Dds computer has a very similar spec to your first cheaper one. I think we went with an amd processor in the end to bring the cost down a bit more.

She does a lot of gaming and it's been fine for her. She also makes YouTube videos using professional photoshop cs6 and does a lot of 3d images and graphics and it's been good for that.

Are you sure you need the engineer? I'm an idiot at stuff like this and had it set up before Dh got home. I seem to remember the leads are colour coded to the ports.

TrinityForce, DS really likes the look of that one from Medion. It seems better than even the more expensive pC Specialist one. A key factor for me is the delivery. I can't find anything on their website about delivery and whether you can pay to choose a more convenient time and day? Do you know if they do this?

I can't stay in all day for a delivery and am really busy with work for at least the next 2 weeks but by then, those Medion PCs may have sold out.

I'm willing to spend a bit on DS this year as he's waited a few years for a new PC - his current one is 6 yrs old and v low spec - and we've had a v difficult year and I want to make it up to him - but I also don't want to spend more than i need.

WhoTheFuck.... I guess DS could probably set it up himself. We were just trying to ensure we could check it definitely worked and as it might take me/him some time to set up, were thinking of getting a tech guy to do it for us.

Anyone who is after advice, nobody can help you unless you say what you want to do with the computer. (And I can try but honestly I'm not an expert on this at all.) Generally you can gain an idea of decent minimum spec if you google about building a computer for xxxxxx purpose. Whether it's intensive photo editing or CAD, video editing, gaming, programming, whatever it is.

It's difficult to go in knowing nothing and wanting to build your own. What you're better off doing, especially if you're on a budget and/or time is not an issue, if you want to learn about building your own computers is looking at upgrading a computer that you already own, or buying something fairly basic which can be upgraded and then doing that piece by piece.

There's a fairly good beginner's guide here: www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/wiki/beginnersguide

With lots of links to websites which explain the basics and DH says that the reddit subforums about building PCs are very helpful but they're not really minded for people to go on and say Hello, I know nothing, please tell me what to buy. Partly because it's really difficult to give advice when the recipient doesn't understand the advice, and partly because some people get really rude, demanding and entitled - from experience - and unfortunately it lowers the tolerance though people are normally happy to help if you know a little and give the impression that you've at least tried to research yourself first. However there are two subforums - buildapcforme and buildmeapc which are designed so that you can ask for advice and the forum buildapc has a "stupid questions" thread which might be helpful. But read some of the posts and the FAQs etc to avoid any no-nos.

Generally, you'll be much better off trying to learn and research about what it is you want, you'll be more able to spot if you're being ripped off, better able to search out deals by buying second hand or shopping around and you'll be better placed to work out what to do if it goes wrong.

And lastly it is worth saying that although it seems like recording minecraft in your bedroom is a nice reasonable thing for a child/teenager to want to do, it is an expensive hobby and the youtubers typically have professional level equipment. It's a big ask for most families for a Christmas present. In some ways, it might be an idea to go for a cheaper model without the higher spec components and present it as a project to them - that they learn the limits of the current hardware, research, save, look for, purchase, and install upgrades themselves. Or if you want a quick fix for recording games then you buy a console with a recording device, which is still several hundred, but most likely better especially if you're looking into buying a whole new PC.

If the computer is put together, setting it up is really easy. It's just a case of plugging in power cable, monitor, keyboard and mouse and switching it on. Windows comes up with a guide which will walk you through setting up the users, languages, etc, and then he just has to install his programs which he's presumably done before.

If it's going to arrive as several components in different boxes, then yes I would recommend getting someone to set it up as you can damage components by handling them incorrectly and it's an expensive mistake if you do that.

Cases - several factors to look at - size, if he has a full sized motherboard then he'll need a larger case, some of the compact ones are too small, especially for big graphics cards and cooling systems. Then ports - what type of USB slots it has, how many disc drives you can fit in, extra connections at the front e.g. for USB or speakers, microphone etc. What the airflow in the case is like when compared to the components, whether the case has any cooling features built in like a heatsink, liquid cooling, or fans or vents, and noise - some cases are built to minimise noise from the fans and hard drive.

From your two lists - why does he need two hard drives for #2? Wireless access is a plus only if you need it. Wireless access is slower than wired anyway so it's only really useful for if you can't run a cable. Or perhaps if you want to access a wireless printer or something like that.

Worth noting - If you have a PC at the moment, and don't plan to use the old one any more, do you still have the serial code for the operating system and the discs, for Windows 7 or whatever was put on that? He can put that onto the new computer by transferring the licence and then get a free upgrade to Windows 10 so you might not need a new OS.

What about these specs: for gaming, minecraft, sims, steam, dota - recording games for you tube

Intel Core i5 4470 Processor
2Gb nVidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti Graphics Card
Intel Z97 Express chipset based motherboard
8Gb Super Fast DDR3 dual channel memory
2Tb SATA3 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive for fast data storage
PCI-Express Slot for Graphics Card for Future Upgradeability
Stylish Neptune gaming case with large side window and blue LED fan
Powerful 700W PSU for future expansion
High Speed 24x DVD Writer
High Definition 8.1 Sound Card

Or

Intel Pentium G3258 Processor
Asus H81-M Plus Intel® H81 Express Motherboard
Arctic Cooling Freezer7 Pro For Superior Cooling
8Gb Super Fast DDR3 Memory
2TB 7200rpm SATA3 64Mb HardDrive
2Gb nVidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti Graphics Card
Stylish Defender Series ATX Gaming Case
Powerful 500W PFC PSU
High Speed 24x DVD Writer
Wireless 150Mbps Network Interface Card
Ultra Small USB2.0 Bluetooth USB Adapter

Its so hard when I know nothing!

Which Sims? 3 or 4? This website has excellent, detailed information for Sims games:
simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS3_System_Requirements

You definitely need a graphics card. A slot to upgrade the graphics later isn't enough.

You don't need a "stylish" case - unless it's important enough to you to pay extra (will typically add £30ish)

You don't need a DVD writer. You probably don't need a DVD drive at all if you want to play through steam/origin. Don't need bluetooth or wireless (unless you can't run an internet cable to the computer or want to connect to a wireless printer).

2TB is a large hard drive. Not a bad thing but you could definitely get away with 1TB or even smaller.

Those both sound like they have bumped up the price with things you don't need, while skimping on things which are more useful.

I honestly don't know much about current processor standards to be able to advise between the two. Google for reviews.

Thanks Bertie, its sims 4. They both have a nvidea graphics card. Ds wants a dvd writer.

The spec on both of them is fine for sims 4, more than fine.

The i5 is better than the pentium. I suspect that's reflected in the price? But the pentium is fine.

Just seen this a on a cyber Monday deal at Currys and IT looks a good price. Had no idea pc specalist made computers for Currys???

www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/desktop-pcs/desktop-pcs/pc-specialist-vortex-azure-gaming-pc-10139141-pdt.html

Wow that looks a good deal, is it? Where are everyone getting their pc's from. Startingtopanic.com

Here you go for Sims 4: modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Sims_4:System_Requirements

As said it looks like it would be okay.

Wow, that IS a good deal.

It would be helpful to know the games are in the frame. To echo what others have said aim for something like an i5 Intel processor with 8gb RAM. The crucial bit for gaming as has been mentioned is the graphics card so check out this article:

www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-card-review,review-32899.html

This is current to this year and gives you an idea what cards in different price ranges tend to cost (and what to look for in pre-built rigs).

The two graphics cards manufacturers are NVIDIA and AMD, although NVIDIA tend to have the edge these days for low-medium specs with regards to price/power.

I build my own PCs these days, and it's not as hard as all that, and upgrading the graphics card is one of the easier things to upgrade, so don't be afraid to stick to your £600 budget. Switching a graphics card is a much easier prospect than replacing motherboards/ processors.

Hope it's not too much of a derail to ask if anyone knows if John Lewis sell a reasonable gaming pc. The main game being played would be Dota....so, presumably not that high a spec pc???
I've had a look at the ones they have but I'm out of my depth.

Thanks

Looking at theJohn Lewis website you can tick a box for gaming which brings up what they consider to be gaming computers.....which will normally be dedicated graphics.

Seems like mainly a choice between HP and Acer. I'm no expert in computer brands but out the two I'd go for Acer. Ive heard bad things about HP build quality and I certainly had a shit laptop which didn't last long from them ages ago. They're mainly out of stock. This one is in stock and the spec looks ok

www.johnlewis.com/acer-aspire-xc-705-desktop-pc-intel-core-i7-16gb-ram-1tb-black/p2115943

TrinityForce, OP here again and still wondering if you have any info. about delivery of Medion products, as DS likes the look of the one you linked to?

I've tired calling Medion and can't get through and this is putting me off the company already! I just need to know if you can pay for a selected day/time of delivery of products, as it's a total non-starter if they don't give you a precise time, given I work more than full-time.

You mentioned you'd bought products from them before and so I wonder if you know how I can find out about their delivery system and what carrier they use and most particularly, if you can get a specific delivery slot?

Many thanks if you can get back to me here.

Decide, having looked at the specs of that game (which is a mod for world of warcraft, correct?) you don't need a "gaming" PC for it, which is possibly (I'm not 100% sure here) because the game is hosted on a server and you don't run it directly? It sounds as though the mod needs a higher CPU/processor than the game itself.

These are the system requirements, minimum, for Dota2

www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/requirements/dota-2/11352/?p=r

I always think though don't be ruled by one game. Might be in six months time your DS wants to play something else which may need more. Also having played WoW on systems with minimum requirements there's more lag on gameplay than with a better spec machine.

Sorry OP, I don't know about the delivery slots. Customer service is known to be bad from them, if you can get around that then build quality is great and it's fantastic value for money. If you're not that techy with PCs though and may need a manufacturer's help in future, the safer options are PC World/other such places with stores you can return them to. Sorry I can't be more help.