Menu

play.labs-mc.com 0 PLAYERS ONLINE
Join Our Discord! 0 MEMBERS ONLINE

Buying a PC

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

SquareAngle

Guest
So I've got my GCSE's coming up. I've been waiting for years for a PC, but have been told if I either get A's or A*'s, I'll be getting a DJI drone (Mavic Pro) and a PC.

"Spoilt!! When I finished my GCSE's my mum took me out for KFC!" ect ect ect. Yeah, may seem like that, but its a combo of many things that i've done, such as DofE and some other stuff. Anyways, Photography is something I am into, and Flying drones is a Hobby. Trust me, its fun.

Anyways, I am either thinking about buying a custom build one (I choose the parts and they build) from PC specialists or other websites, PC specialists is my main one, or building my own. Of course, most people say "Build it lazy!" but I feel it would be easier if I got it all in one go. Not a pre-built, a custom built. I find it hard to buy all the parts separately, and is very time-consuming; Something I don't like. Also, i'm not too good with tech in terms of the PC itself.

Suggestions?

What i'm looking for, is a PC with good specs (I'm not too good with knowing whats best for a PC, so give me ideas) and money isn't a huge problem. I'm obviously not paying loads, but around 1000 < 3000 MAX. Most likely in the middle. So this is what I need help with:

  • Specs - What to get, what each part does and why to buy this specific item
  • Whether to build my own or get a custom built
  • What website to buy from?
  • How much money I should look for these items to cost - Don't want to be ripped off!
  • Side note - What monitor should I get? I got my eye on one... but your Ideas would be great!
Thanks!
 

beebot99

Member
Contributor
Specs - My current PC is AMD and i strongly recommend you get an Intel CPU just for better overall performance and reliability. Plus they hyperthread. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/inte...ocket-lga1151-processor-retail-cp-581-in.html

RAM - You would be fine with either 8GB or 16GB (I personally recommend 16GB because it gives you the ability to also host servers for friends whereas with 8GB this may not be viable) of DDR3. DDR4 in my opinion is not always necessary but can be nice to have just to give your PC some more ''shelf life'' before it becomes outdated plus it simply performs better than DDR3.

GPU - To go along with that nice CPU i listed i would look at a nice Nvidea GTX 1060 Or even a 1080 if you would like a little more power. Supports VR so you could go out and buy a VR headset for fun. Plus it will run games like Arma 3 and BF1 at max settings when paired with that Intel skylake. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-...ddr5-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-32k-ms.html

Powersupply - A lot of people tend to go overboard when it comes to these and always get way more than they need. I think for the items i have listed you would be fine with a 850w. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/xfx-...old-fully-modular-power-supply-ca-017-xf.html

Motherboard - With the items i have listed it would of course have to be an Intel board however this board is DDR4. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...cket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-541-gi.html

Case - This is fully up to you so long as your build will fit inside it of course this motherboard i have listed would not fit into a mini ATX / ITX case. This part is really up to your personal opinion and how functional you want your case to be. Eg some cases look better than others however some have better airflow and cooling. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cases-and-modding/pc-cases/midi-towers

Storage - I personally run my system on a hybrid hard-drive however if your budget is as you say you could possibly splash out on a solid-state and run your PC from that. Not only would your boot up time be around 5 seconds but your PC as a whole would simply be able to access more information faster. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-components/storage/ssd-solid-state/above-400gb?ckTab=0&sSort=3

Cooling - Depending on the case you choose you may as well buy the extra fans to go in the case since most cases have extra slots for fans, you may as well fill the slots. It will help keep your PC a lot cooler and extend the life of your components. Unless you want to overclock your CPU or GPU your most likely going to be fine with just normal fan cooling however if you would like some help with overclocking i could talk you through it and with overclocking i would recommend considering water cooling.

Screen - Well since that GPU i listed is pretty beefy and has 6GB you could run yourself a nice 4k screen. Of course these cost a hell of a lot but they look absolutely stunning and i 100% recommend splashing out on a good screen, After all its what you end up looking at for hours. I personally run a 2 screen setup at the moment and it is amazing having that much extra space. Totally worth having 2 screens. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/monitors/by-type/4k-ultra-hd

Peripherals - This site i've been using also sells many nice peripherals that would be worth the time looking into. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/peripherals

Extras - While looking through this site you can also purchase extras such as extra fans for your case and extra cosmetics such as L.E.D strips for your case like i do. Just little things to enhance your gaming machine. :)

You may notice i've used the same site for all components and this is where i bought each and every piece for my PC. Throe it all in the basket and done. I personally built my PC myself and enjoyed the hour or so it took me. However you can also order gaming computers from this site (Some of which are really good for a nice price) that are pre-built.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-systems/configurator/gaming-pc Here you can make a custom PC using any components you like and they will build for you and you get a pre-built PC. But its cheaper to buy all the pieces and do it yourself but its your choice.

P.S I recommend trying to build it yourself because its so much fun and then you get that nervous moment of pressing the power button and waiting for the PC to successfully Post. Hope i helped. :)
 
Last edited:
S

SquareAngle

Guest
Specs - My current PC is AMD and i strongly recommend you get an Intel CPU just for better overall performance and reliability. Plus they hyperthread. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/inte...ocket-lga1151-processor-retail-cp-581-in.html

RAM - You would be fine with either 8GB or 16GB (I personally recommend 16GB because it gives you the ability to also host servers for friends whereas with 8GB this may not be viable) of DDR3. DDR4 in my opinion is not always necessary but can be nice to have just to give your PC some more ''shelf life'' before it becomes outdated plus it simply performs better than DDR3.

GPU - To go along with that nice CPU i listed i would look at a nice Nvidea GTX 1060 Or even a 1080 if you would like a little more power. Supports VR so you could go out and buy a VR headset for fun. Plus it will run games like Arma 3 and BF1 at max settings when paired with that Intel skylake. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-...ddr5-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-32k-ms.html

Powersupply - A lot of people tend to go overboard when it comes to these and always get way more than they need. I think for the items i have listed you would be fine with a 850w. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/xfx-...old-fully-modular-power-supply-ca-017-xf.html

Motherboard - With the items i have listed it would of course have to be an Intel board however this board is DDR4. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...cket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-541-gi.html

Case - This is fully up to you so long as your build will fit inside it of course this motherboard i have listed would not fit into a mini ATX / ITX case. This part is really up to your personal opinion and how functional you want your case to be. Eg some cases look better than others however some have better airflow and cooling. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cases-and-modding/pc-cases/midi-towers

Storage - I personally run my system on a hybrid hard-drive however if your budget is as you say you could possibly splash out on a solid-state and run your PC from that. Not only would your boot up time be around 5 seconds but your PC as a whole would simply be able to access more information faster. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-components/storage/ssd-solid-state/above-400gb?ckTab=0&sSort=3

Cooling - Depending on the case you choose you may as well buy the extra fans to go in the case since most cases have extra slots for fans, you may as well fill the slots. It will help keep your PC a lot cooler and extend the life of your components. Unless you want to overclock your CPU or GPU your most likely going to be fine with just normal fan cooling however if you would like some help with overclocking i could talk you through it and with overclocking i would recommend considering water cooling.

Screen - Well since that GPU i listed is pretty beefy and has 6GB you could run yourself a nice 4k screen. Of course these cost a hell of a lot but they look absolutely stunning and i 100% recommend splashing out on a good screen, After all its what you end up looking at for hours. I personally run a 2 screen setup at the moment and it is amazing having that much extra space. Totally worth having 2 screens. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/monitors/by-type/4k-ultra-hd

Peripherals - This site i've been using also sells many nice peripherals that would be worth the time looking into. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/peripherals

Extras - While looking through this site you can also purchase extras such as extra fans for your case and extra cosmetics such as L.E.D strips for your case like i do. Just little things to enhance your gaming machine. :)

You may notice i've used the same site for all components and this is where i bought each and every piece for my PC. Throe it all in the basket and done. I personally built my PC myself and enjoyed the hour or so it took me. However you can also order gaming computers from this site (Some of which are really good for a nice price) that are pre-built.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-systems/configurator/gaming-pc Here you can make a custom PC using any components you like and they will build for you and you get a pre-built PC. But its cheaper to buy all the pieces and do it yourself but its your choice.

P.S I recommend trying to build it yourself because its so much fun and then you get that nervous moment of pressing the power button and waiting for the PC to successfully Post. Hope i helped. :)

Oh yeah, Im thinking about either getting a Nzxt Noctis 450 (about 100 quid) or a cheaper one with RGB fans, called a game max falcon. I love RGB fans, but I feel that with one being over double price, it would be better material. Thoughts?

also, when I get 1080, do I get 11 GB Nivida or 8 GB? And what does that mean?

I do understand what you mean about building my own PC, which is what I will do! Just perhaps when I am a little older, This PC im getting is for gaming. I'm hoping that when I go to Uni in about 3-4 years, I will build myself one that I would use to work on. Just as I am nervous to break any components. Of course someone who builds me one with pieces i've picked, wouldn't do.
 

beebot99

Member
Contributor
Oh yeah, Im thinking about either getting a Nzxt Noctis 450 (about 100 quid) or a cheaper one with RGB fans, called a game max falcon. I love RGB fans, but I feel that with one being over double price, it would be better material. Thoughts?

also, when I get 1080, do I get 11 GB Nivida or 8 GB? And what does that mean?

I do understand what you mean about building my own PC, which is what I will do! Just perhaps when I am a little older, This PC im getting is for gaming. I'm hoping that when I go to Uni in about 3-4 years, I will build myself one that I would use to work on. Just as I am nervous to break any components. Of course someone who builds me one with pieces i've picked, wouldn't do.

The graphics card has a certain amount of video storage, for example you would have a 4gb GPU for a 4k screen. If you wanted a multi 4k scree setup you would want a a GPU with enough GB to scale. This isn't necessary but helps.

The 1080 would be far better and is a up to date performance card i recommend. Its generally just a better performing card.
 

Burrito2

Well-Known Member
MVP
The GB that comes with the graphics card is like dedicated memory for the GPU. Because it needs memory to do like a bunch of calculations and other stuff it needs the memory, the more it has ofc the faster it is, the memory is also much faster than normal RAM. <- Shoutout to GCSE Computer Science.

As for whether to build or not, just build it. Its literally like lego, and if you really need to, just search it up on youtube. The hardest thing you will have to do is screwing stuff in and making sure all wires are plugged in. My friend bought a £800 pc from a website and I built a £700 pc with my friend for him, and the one that built has like at least a 2x better PC, it is dumb how much they rip you off just for building it. It may be different for PC specialist but I doubt it.
 
S

SquareAngle

Guest
The graphics card has a certain amount of video storage, for example you would have a 4gb GPU for a 4k screen. If you wanted a multi 4k scree setup you would want a a GPU with enough GB to scale. This isn't necessary but helps.

The 1080 would be far better and is a up to date performance card i recommend. Its generally just a better performing card.
Ok. Should I pick 8 gb or 11?

What storage do you recommend (How much GB?)

Is Hz hertz (Freq) as in how fast something runs?

What does overclocking mean?

Should I get 2 hard disks or 1 Good one?

what are SSD cards? Should I get 2?

What is RAID?

Should I get a good sound card?

Do I need a memory card reader?

Fuck thats a lot. If you help me out a bit, ill give you something on the server.
 
S

SquareAngle

Guest
The GB that comes with the graphics card is like dedicated memory for the GPU. Because it needs memory to do like a bunch of calculations and other stuff it needs the memory, the more it has ofc the faster it is, the memory is also much faster than normal RAM. <- Shoutout to GCSE Computer Science.

As for whether to build or not, just build it. Its literally like lego, and if you really need to, just search it up on youtube. The hardest thing you will have to do is screwing stuff in and making sure all wires are plugged in. My friend bought a £800 pc from a website and I built a £700 pc with my friend for him, and the one that built has like at least a 2x better PC, it is dumb how much they rip you off just for building it. It may be different for PC specialist but I doubt it.

Hah I do GCSE computer science, but we are stuck on doing bullshit Python "Blackjack Challenge". I'll take that into account, as it'll be 2 months ish before I buy the PC.
 

Hrby

Well-Known Member
2017 Map Founder
Contributor III
MVP+
Outstanding Forum Contributor
Specs - I generally go for a dark shade with reflective lenses, available here https://www.spectacles.com/

RAM - Now to each his own, but personally prefer the 2500, available here http://www.ramtrucks.com/?sid=10370...Oiuohlvmo6rHYHBzTI6wHa2w91DuOxYfscaAtGO8P8HAQ

Powersupply - You're definitely going to want something with a surge protector, in the case that there is a tropical storm in your area. http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/w...N33T1n2EoafrsgR9bw9oyvZMLikJYXa6aEaAhSg8P8HAQ

Motherboard - I can't think of a sarcastic response for this one.

Case - I can't think of a better place to go for your case managing needs than here: http://www.cmsa.org/

Storage - These hand woven baskets are among the best places to store pretty much anything. https://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/decorative-bins-baskets/12

Cooling - Let me tell you firsthand, this monster can cool you off. Unless your house exceeds 150 square feet, you will not break a sweat when this puppy is on at full blast.
http://www.target.com/p/haier-5000-...JZoKT_7yCk_7R6tusgWtwaAhO68P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

Screen - These actually even block out UV rays, which is pretty cool if you live in a hot area. http://www.affordablewindowscreens....egory_id=2&flypage=vmj_naru.tpl&product_id=17

Peripherals - From what I have researched, you should have roughly 170 degrees of peripheral vision. For more information regarding ocular health you can click this link.
http://www.eyehealthweb.com/peripheral-vision/

Extras - Make your big screen dreams come true.
https://www.exploretalent.com/join/...um5pKXO8b8duwTxxW5Ass5xtlozeCzxgFcaAkjr8P8HAQ

P.S. I have no idea what you're trying to do, but I hope that having all of these items at your disposal will aid you in your quest.
 

beebot99

Member
Contributor
Ok. Should I pick 8 gb or 11?

What storage do you recommend (How much GB?)

Is Hz hertz (Freq) as in how fast something runs?

What does overclocking mean?

Should I get 2 hard disks or 1 Good one?

what are SSD cards? Should I get 2?

What is RAID?

Should I get a good sound card?

Do I need a memory card reader?

Fuck thats a lot. If you help me out a bit, ill give you something on the server.

I have a 2TB storage drive and after a couple years almost have it filled up XD,thats just me and all my steam games though. If you wanted to start with a 1TB and just add more when you need. The bigger a drive is the more info you could lose if it goes ''pop''.

GHz is the speed at which that component runs. For example the CPU i linked you has a GHz of 4.00. with 4 cores and 8 threads. (4 physical cores and 4 hypothetical cores) Since Intel CPUs hyper thread you get more power per core which is why Intel is the way to go!

overclocking means running it faster i guess. Forcing the component to run faster meaning it will use more electric and make more heat but produce more gaming power ect. This is when you would need water cooling to keep it cool if you overclocked it.

RAID is complicated. This is when you run multiple HDD's at the same time but in RAID config. So if you had 3 hard-drives running in RAID and you downloaded a 30GB game it would spread this information across the drives. Very useful for quick upload/downloading to a drive since it spreads the amount of information over multiple drives however if 1 drive breaks you practically lose all information on all the drives since you would miss half of your data, corrupting everything. Nothing you would have to worry about when building a gaming PC. RAID isnt necessary for you.

Sound cards are sometimes not necessary since some motherboards come with built in sound drivers to protect sound from the EM interference from the inside of a computer case. However if you care about your music (Like i do a lot) You might wanna invest in one. This is bearing in mind you have a good set of speakers that have good quality too.

for having a memory reader... not really, if you need one just buy a USB Card reader from amazon, No need to integrate into the PC

Also a CD drive isnt really needed cus most people buy games and download them online rather than using disks but i got one anyways just in case, and for installing my operating system.

Anything else just ask. :)
 

Burrito2

Well-Known Member
MVP
Beebot didn't answer one of your questions, but a SSD is a solid state drive, it just basically makes everything faster like boot up etc. But you don't need two
 
S

SquareAngle

Guest
Beebot didn't answer one of your questions, but a SSD is a solid state drive, it just basically makes everything faster like boot up etc. But you don't need two
Alight. What I've gathered is that you only really need 1 of everything heh. Except monitors.
 
S

SquareAngle

Guest
I have a 2TB storage drive and after a couple years almost have it filled up XD,thats just me and all my steam games though. If you wanted to start with a 1TB and just add more when you need. The bigger a drive is the more info you could lose if it goes ''pop''.

GHz is the speed at which that component runs. For example the CPU i linked you has a GHz of 4.00. with 4 cores and 8 threads. (4 physical cores and 4 hypothetical cores) Since Intel CPUs hyper thread you get more power per core which is why Intel is the way to go!

overclocking means running it faster i guess. Forcing the component to run faster meaning it will use more electric and make more heat but produce more gaming power ect. This is when you would need water cooling to keep it cool if you overclocked it.

RAID is complicated. This is when you run multiple HDD's at the same time but in RAID config. So if you had 3 hard-drives running in RAID and you downloaded a 30GB game it would spread this information across the drives. Very useful for quick upload/downloading to a drive since it spreads the amount of information over multiple drives however if 1 drive breaks you practically lose all information on all the drives since you would miss half of your data, corrupting everything. Nothing you would have to worry about when building a gaming PC. RAID isnt necessary for you.

Sound cards are sometimes not necessary since some motherboards come with built in sound drivers to protect sound from the EM interference from the inside of a computer case. However if you care about your music (Like i do a lot) You might wanna invest in one. This is bearing in mind you have a good set of speakers that have good quality too.

for having a memory reader... not really, if you need one just buy a USB Card reader from amazon, No need to integrate into the PC

Also a CD drive isnt really needed cus most people buy games and download them online rather than using disks but i got one anyways just in case, and for installing my operating system.

Anything else just ask. :)
Thing I am a little confused with is, for my CPU:

Intel 8 Core i7 6900k (3.3) ghz

or

Intel 6 Core i7 6850k (3.6) ghz

1. Which is better? One has a higher Frequency but has a lower "k' thing

2. What does that k thing mean?

3. Whats a "Cache" for the CPU?

Starting to get this Heh.
 
S

SquareAngle

Guest
Just wanted to point out - I do some GCSE's this year, and some next. My year are doing the Harder GCSE's. Computer Science is one I do next year, which is why we have only been doing coding and not computer parts - Why I don't know about that.
 

Burrito2

Well-Known Member
MVP
Okay so cache is like quite small memory, not many computer have it, its good for if you do the same things a lot as it stores commonly uses instructions so that the can be fetched quicker.

As for the k part that is literally the name of the product but it increases for newer ones or whatever, Idk 100% know because I like AMD more - don't kill me.

I would probably reccommend the 8 core cpu if you do a lot at once because the more cores the simultaneous instructions you can carry out but the 6 core one if you don't do much at the same time and want individual instructions to be run at the same time
 
S

SquareAngle

Guest
Okay so cache is like quite small memory, not many computer have it, its good for if you do the same things a lot as it stores commonly uses instructions so that the can be fetched quicker.

As for the k part that is literally the name of the product but it increases for newer ones or whatever, Idk 100% know because I like AMD more - don't kill me.

I would probably reccommend the 8 core cpu if you do a lot at once because the more cores the simultaneous instructions you can carry out but the 6 core one if you don't do much at the same time and want individual instructions to be run at the same time
So I would want a bigger cache? E.g In Power supply ect
 

beebot99

Member
Contributor
Cache is irreverent and you dont need to specifically buy a CPU just because of its cache space. Just look for how many cores and its clock speed (Ghz)
 

Dakotaa

Owner
Staff member
Owner
I'm pretty sure the K in Intel processors means it is unlocked - you can overclock it.
 
S

SquareAngle

Guest
I'm pretty sure the K in Intel processors means it is unlocked - you can overclock it.
Yeah but then why is there 6900 or 6850 before?

I've main some solid component setups, Post them later.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Members online

Top