Is This A Good Gaming PC for the Price???

[Neil Grey]

Hello,

I intend to be using this PC for relatively intensive gaming with titles such as Crysis 2, Battlefield 3 and The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim at maximum settings and some less demanding games such as World of Warcraft Cataclysm and Team Fortress 2. Is this a good build that will last for a couple of years and still be able to run modern games at high-maxed settings? And also is it well priced for the specifications? Here are the specs:

Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD BULLDOZER QUAD CORE FX-4100 (3.30GHz/6MB CACHE/AM3)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A87: AM3+ PLATFORM, DUAL DDR3,SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD6870 - 2 DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
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
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
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)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
NORTON ANTI-VIRUS 2011 - 1 Year Licence for 1 PC (£12)
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K200 USB MEDIA KEYBOARD (£10)
Mouse
LOGITECH® OPTICAL USB MOUSE (£5)
Speakers
LOGITECH S120 2.0 BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (£9)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £671.00 including VAT and delivery.

Thank you.

 

[MadMan]

its very good but it wont play your games at maximum. Whats your maximum budget?

 

[mantadog]

For the price it is a resonable gaming pc. What counts for most when gaming is the GPU, the 6870 is a good value card but it not a beast and if you want ultra settings you might end up slightly disappointed.

To get decent FPS at high settings in a couple of years you are probably looking at a GTX570 - or 580. A 570 will max out whatever you want for now, but it costs alot more than a 6870.

Their are all sorts of options, if you come back with a budget then someone can help you out a bit more.

 

[LegendMo]

If you could add another 6870 for the crossfire it would be better than getting a single GTX570/580 for a lower price

 

[mantadog]

If you could add another 6870 for the crossfire it would be better than getting a single GTX570/580 for a lower price

I would always advise you get the best single card you can, that way in a years time when you want a boost you could add the 2nd card for SLI or crossfire, and by that time prices will have dropped and you save a bit of cash. A pair of 6870's in crossfire are £10 more than a singe GTX 570 and you have already maxed out your gaming power.

 

[Neil Grey]

Really my maximum budget was £650 and my estimate above was pushing the limits already, could anyone possibly advise me as to where I could improve the GPU and where else I could save money if possible?

 

[MadMan]

No its difficult. If you could increase your budget by £100 then you would have a more powerful rig but you can still play majority of games on high.

 

[Manxjason]

Not without decreasing the spec and performance mate. If you want my advice, and i know it'd be hard to do, but why don't you wait until after Xmas? In the meantime save whatever you can and contribute any xmas money etc to the new build.

I know everyone's circumstances are different so please don't take any offence.

 

[mantadog]

Well you can try something like this....

Case
COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD BULLDOZER QUAD CORE FX-4100 (3.30GHz/6MB CACHE/AM3)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A87: AM3+ PLATFORM, DUAL DDR3,SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti - 2 DVI,HDMI,VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
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
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
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)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K200 USB MEDIA KEYBOARD (£10)
Mouse
LOGITECH® OPTICAL USB MOUSE (£5)
Speakers
LOGITECH S120 2.0 BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (£9)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £658.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/amd-bulldozer-top-spec-pc/

That is about the best you can do for your budget, it's not a bad gaming computer. It will play any game you want just turn down the settings a little. Not having ultra settings running at 60 FPS isn't the end of the world!

A 560ti is a VERY good card, it's still alot better than consoles in therms of performance. If you still want really top quality graphics then you need to find another £100-150 and you should be able to get a very good spec.

Just to make clear, we are not trying to put you down. The last thing anyone on here wants is for you to buy a pc that wont do what you need.

 

[Manxjason]

Just to make clear, we are not trying to put you down. The last thing anyone on here wants is for you to buy a pc that wont do what you need.

most definitely. There would be nothing worse then receiving a PC, which you have saved up for and worked hard to have, and then be let down by it not living up to your expectations.

Edit: Also, there is the option of finance. Pay 10% deposit now, and then X amount over the next 11 months and then finally pay the rest off as an early settlement before entering the 48month finance option (which is silly % interest). But, only do this option if you know you can afford to pay the early settlement. Entering a 48month term for PC components really isn't worth it.

The above option allows you to buy exactly what you want, instead of compromising.

I'll let you in, I chose the finance option as i don't have 1500 spare in one lump sum due to moving house last month. But i definitely know I can pay the remaining lump sum next November.

I must stress though, don't sign up to anything you can't afford to see through. The 48 month term is not a wise choice on components which go out of date so fast. worth noting that you can pay the early settle and the early fee (£29) at any time if you are able to afford it within the 12 months)

Or, you could hold back a while until your budget is more flexible.