Dino PC, PC Specialist, OverclockersUK - which is best for a desktop deal?

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FuzzieLogick

New Member
After much deliberation I have decided to buy a new desktop tower to help me with my Games Design course rather than build my own. This is due to my own inexperience, I just feel more comfortable knowing I can't mess it up as I don't have the money to replace components should something go horribly wrong!

I have seen a few systems, some fixed and some customised, on 3 different sites:

Overclockers UK
Dino PC
PC Specialist

Just wondering if anybody has had experience with these sites. I have already been told by a friend that Overclockers is a good place to use but I'm struggling to get the spec I want for within my budget. I have managed to find more than suitable systems on the other two sites for the right price but am sort of wondering 'what is the catch?' Is there a compromise on quality that I'm not picking up on? Are these sites well-known for being bad build quality etc? Any feedback on any of these companies would be appreciated :)
 
im not sure on those sites, but with pre built pcs you usually have to pay an extreme amount of money for something good, and they dont tend to last too long, if you havent already maybe look at some of the guides and tutorials on this site on how to build a PC and re think it after you know how easy it is, but if you have your heart set on buying it, best thing to do would be to just link the systems you see that fit your needs and budgets so we can see if they are any good, the site really has nothing to do with it, its just whats in the computer
 
ixiboneheadixi said:
im not sure on those sites, but with pre built pcs you usually have to pay an extreme amount of money for something good, and they dont tend to last too long, if you havent already maybe look at some of the guides and tutorials on this site on how to build a PC and re think it after you know how easy it is, but if you have your heart set on buying it, best thing to do would be to just link the systems you see that fit your needs and budgets so we can see if they are any good, the site really has nothing to do with it, its just whats in the computer
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice :) I have looked at some tutorials but just don't feel confident enough that I am willing to risk my money. I feel like it only takes one small mistake and I could wreck the whole thing and so I'd rather just put my faith in someone who (hopefully!) knows what they are doing.

I will post links to the systems/paste the specs shortly :good:
 
FuzzieLogick said:
Thanks for the advice :) I have looked at some tutorials but just don't feel confident enough that I am willing to risk my money. I feel like it only takes one small mistake and I could wreck the whole thing and so I'd rather just put my faith in someone who (hopefully!) knows what they are doing.

I will post links to the systems/paste the specs shortly :good:
Click to expand...

alright, you should also post what programs and such you will be using too. someone should reply again after you post all that stuff up some time soon, as for me, well im going to bed lol, i will check in with this thread in the morning
 
Ok... here are some links/pasted specs of the systems I have been looking at. This is to be used for Games Design involving 3D modelling and using development tools. The advice I have been given by a course tutor is that a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460-550 graphics card will be fine but a 550 or above would be excellent for the job if I can stretch to it. I'm also looking for 8GB RAM and a 3.0GB+ processor where possible. Here goes...

PC Specialist
Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2500k Quad Core (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8P67 LE: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550 Ti - DVI,HDMI,VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1155/1156 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Anti-Virus
NORTON ANTI-VIRUS 2011 - 1 Year Licence for 1 PC (£12)

TOTAL: £708

Dino PC
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Motherboard: NEW! Gigabyte Z68A-D3
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1333mhz (2x 4GB)
Hard Drives: 1TB S-ATAII 3.0Gb/s
Optical Drive: 22x DVD±RW DL S-ATA
Graphics card: NEW! NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB
Sound card: Onboard 7.1 Audio
Keyboard and mouse: Logitech Wireless keyboard and mouse
Monitors: 24" Widescreen LCD
Case: Xigmatek Asgard
PSU: 500W Xigmatek

TOTAL: 716 - This one has advantage that it comes with new monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse. Not necessary but nice to have new ones! But at same site could get similar but with i7 processor for around same price.

OverClockers UK
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050)
- OCZ ZS Series 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply
- Onboard Sound Card (ZERO COST)
- OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM
- No Second Hard Drive Option (ZERO Cost)
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS)
- OcUK GeForce GTX 560 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with FREE Batman: Arkham City PC game**
- Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX)
- Asus P7H55-M LE/SI Intel H55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 Motherboard
- No Upgrade - Intel Stock Cooler (None overclocked systems)
- Intel Core i3 550 3.20GHz (Clarkdale) (Socket LGA1156) - Retail
- Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black

TOTAL: £683

There are also a couple of pre-built systems on this site I have looked at:

Titan Xenomorph
Titan Triceratop

I have spoken to customer services and it is possible to request extra RAM with these systems if you order over the phone, though they didn't specify how much extra this would be.

So... what is the verdict? Any advice/adjustments appreciated :)
 
daisymtc said:
PC Speicialist - It seems not worth the money.
DinoPC - Do you need to include 24" LCD?
OverclockersUK - Don't get outdated LGA1156!!! Get something with i5 2500K

However, with your price range, this worth considering
http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/-b-NEW-b-Alioramus-2500K-OC-4-5Ghz-94p1110.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply :)

So... aim for an i5 2500 processor... got it :good: Thanks for the link to the other system on Dinopc. That one slipped under the radar for some reason and once I made a few adjustments for what I wanted it is still in price range so definitely on my short list. My only concern is that I've read about a few people having problems with that site but plenty of people saying it was fine also. May be worth the gamble I think :D
 
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