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Pre-Built PC's

Phalanx

Myth
Location
Scotland
Yes, I hear you tech lover's scream at the thought of someone buying a pre-built PC over a self-built. However, I just can't be fucked!

Here's what I need;

- £500-£700

- I only ever play Arma so a build revolving around the game would be great

- Not looking for future proofing

- How it looks isn't a problem

- However loud it is also isn't a problem

However, I do need some Peripherals, I have a Mouse and a Headset that I'm happy with, but I need a Keyboard and a Monitor! So any suggestions would be grand! Thanks a lot!

 
Yes, I hear you tech lover's scream at the thought of someone buying a pre-built PC over a self-built. However, I just can't be fucked!

Here's what I need;

- £500-£700

- I only ever play Arma so a build revolving around the game would be great

- Not looking for future proofing

- How it looks isn't a problem

- However loud it is also isn't a problem

However, I do need some Peripherals, I have a Mouse and a Headset that I'm happy with, but I need a Keyboard and a Monitor! So any suggestions would be grand! Thanks a lot!
I've no issue with people buying pre-built computers. Like you said, some people just cant be assed with the hassle of putting it together.

I haven't bought a pre-built pc for myself or anyone in a while, but most places do some sort of deals. The issue though is that your budget doesnt lend itself to getting a good spec machine. Arma is a CPU heavy game and you just might not get good performance out of it on the likes of an i3 CPU and pushing to an I5 infringes on your budget to also get a good GPU in there, let alone all the peripherals you need.

To put it in perspective, a GTX1060 gpu - mid range - would be 35% of your max budget. A monitor at ~100 is 15% of your max budget. That's half your money on just it actually displaying something with reasonable detail and frames.

To then get the grunt behind those components for the rest of the £350 of your max is a tough sell. Scale that down to your £500 budget and the GPU and monitor is 70% of your budget.

It can be tough though do-able, it might come down to a choice of "Runs well - looks shit" "looks Great - runs shit".

Here's an example of a lower end machine (pre built from ARIA):

https://www.aria.co.uk/Systems/Systems/Gaming+Range/Next+Day+Gaming+PCs/GLADIATOR+EXODUS+-+Intel+i3+Pre-Built+Gaming+PC+?productId=67408

This is an i3 based pc. It would be low - mid range gaming - the i5 immediately blows your budget for anything extra other than the hardware.

Lots of pre-build PCs if you order them wont come with an OS which you'll need to buy as well. So factor in £80 for that.

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Software/Operating+Systems/Microsoft+Windows+10+32%2F64-Bit+-+USB+Pen+Drive+-+Retail+(KW9-00017)+?productId=64803

Throw in a 24" monitor for 1920x1080 display:

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Monitors+%26+TVs/24+inch/23.6"+Asus+2ms+Full+HD+LED+Monitor+-+VS247HR+?productId=62988

That's you up to £700 max budget and you haven't got a keyboard - you might have to make do with something thats pretty crappy, but is functional as far as pressing keys go.

If you want to shop around and find a few pre-builds I'm happy to take a look and advise, but you will need to do your research and factor in budget, and how much it'll stretch.

 
Prebuilt is shit. Often overpowered cpu compared to the grapichscard. No upgrade abilities etc.

The best thing to do if you dont want to put it together yourself, ask a friend, or let the company buying the components from build it for you

 
Prebuilt is shit. Often overpowered cpu compared to the grapichscard. No upgrade abilities etc.

The best thing to do if you dont want to put it together yourself, ask a friend, or let the company buying the components from build it for you
Prebuilt towers are just as upgradable as one you build yourself usually. Usually there is an imbalance between the GPU and CPU, particularly for those on a budget as GPUs are very expensive as I highlighted above.

@Phalanx

There are numerous companies who will build one for you, CyberPowerPC, PC Specialist, Scan 3XS, Overclockers, ARIA Gladiator etc. You will find on nearly all of them that your max budget will maybe just about get you a mid-range PC.

One big issue I find on buying a prebuilt pc over the net is if there's a problem with it, you'll be constrained by warranty and will have to ship the PC back to the manufacturer, leaving you without a PC. There's also the damage-in-transit risk which can happen to individual bits too and is just aggro.

An advantage of building it yourself is each component has it's own individual warranty, so if something breaks you just send that part back. Building a PC isn't exactly difficult, it might take you a while the first time round, patience is the key. But anyway - there some options above there for you to flick through and have a look at their options.

 
An advantage of building it yourself is each component has it's own individual warranty, so if something breaks you just send that part back. Building a PC isn't exactly difficult, it might take you a while the first time round, patience is the key. But anyway - there some options above there for you to flick through and have a look at their options.




1
One thing that's always worried me is all about static problems and having to buy stuff for it and if everything goes wrong. Also knowing how to attach things and where screws go it just seems beyond me, to be honest!

 
One thing that's always worried me is all about static problems and having to buy stuff for it and if everything goes wrong. Also knowing how to attach things and where screws go it just seems beyond me, to be honest!
Now i know static is a real danger - but never in all the time i've been building and working with computers have i ever damaged a component through static.

Everything only goes in one place, only fits one way, and/or is colour coded :) but yeah, nothing wrong with prebuilt.

 
Best of both worlds? Hire someone to build it for you with the parts you want. PC Specialist do that, but they charge through the nose for labour. You're also safe in the comfort that you know what components you're putting into your new baby.

I've made a fair few bob building computers. I love it. Not that difficult either, but some people get so nervous about sticking metal bits near a motherboard that they panic and make everything worse XD

 
@Zeito what's your thoughts on this parts list I made; https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/cssdWX

I added some peripherals in too, if you could look over it and give suggestions. Had to make the cut on the CPU but I can upgrade that later on!
Atrocious CPU, sitting on a bag of dry dicks all day will give you a more pleasurable experience than playing arma on that - consider going for an i3, it wont be amazing either, but better than a pentium.

For CPU cooler go for the Coolermaster 212 Evo, its half the cost and has universal acclaim.

Mobo wont allow for any overclocking - 'B' chipsets are for business/home office use. Go for Z if you can (and plan on getting a 'k' unlcoked cpu) or if they're too spendy, an H will do as well, but wont allow overclocking either.

1050 GPU isnt great - trying going for a 1050ti minimum, or see if you can get a good deal on last generations 960 (6gb if you can) or 970.

I'd drop the £100 keyboard and go for something else - a corsair strafe is nice and I want one myself, but I'd rather put that £100 into a better CPU/GPU first. 'Most' keyboards are all the same - they're just keyboards. Yes some have bicer features, mechanical switches etc. but in the short term a £10 keyboard will do you just as well as a £100 keyboard.

 
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