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Rig building; tips needed

sam4reel

n00b
Joined
Dec 14, 2011
Messages
11
Hey guys, what's shaking? Good to be here!

Check it out, a friend of mine in the U.K. wants to build a fresh new gaming rig for £1500. I looked at the stickies and these are the answers I have right now:

1) Gaming

2) £1500; my guess is that doesn't include shipping

3) Obviously, lives in the U.K.

4) He said he needs everything because he's building from scratch. I asked him for specifics, but that's I got, plus this:

Something that will run a game like BF3 at full spec. In terms of hardware, I have absolutely nothing right now. I would need to completely start from scratch. Tower, power unit, motherboard, everything. I realise I could get a tower for about £20 from eBay that would do the job though.

5) No parts will be reused

6) No OCing

7) Monitor is anything less than 22" so I would work with 1680x1050 as the max

8) He wants to build it by the end of January

9) Didn't ask him. He's more of a console guy so I honestly doubt he would answer this.

10) He does not have a legit O/S or key but he says he can get a ripped one if he needs to.

Thanks in advance chaps.
 
Hey guys, what's shaking? Good to be here!
Welcome to the forums!

8) He wants to build it by the end of January
In that case, I recommend that you come back in mid-January and ask for advice then. Our hardware recommendations tends to change monthly and even weekly sometimes. Not to mention that new CPU and GPU parts might possibly be coming out in January which will change what parts we recommend. So if you and your friend wants an up to date build list, best bet is to ask in mid January. Maybe early January at the most.

Though if he can have the PC built in December, let us know now and we'll set up a build for December.
10) He does not have a legit O/S or key but he says he can get a ripped one if he needs to.
He will have to buy a legitimate OS key. Just utterly stupid these days to use an illegal OS key.
 
3) Obviously, lives in the U.K.

4) He said he needs everything because he's building from scratch. I asked him for specifics, but that's I got, plus this:

Something that will run a game like BF3 at full spec. In terms of hardware, I have absolutely nothing right now. I would need to completely start from scratch. Tower, power unit, motherboard, everything. I realise I could get a tower for about £20 from eBay that would do the job though.

5) No parts will be reused

7) Monitor is anything less than 22" so I would work with 1680x1050 as the max

For question 3, we also need to know of which retailers your friend will purchase his parts from. We U.S.-based folks don't always know of the benefits to using one particular UK-based store/site over others.

For clarification on question 4, does "everything" mean not only the PC tower (and its internal parts) but also the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers? Does he need other items like a USB hub, a(n) (internal or external) card reader, a wireless router or adapter, or even a surge protector or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)?

Question 7 is a little vague for me. Do your friend already have the 22" monitor? Or does he prefer a monitor of that size/resolution?
 
Thanks guys, I shall find that all out!

tiraides, to answer your second question, everything refers to the PC's internal and external components. He never made mention of things such as a UPS, card reader, etc...

He also said, in regards to the monitor, it can't be bigger than 22" due to the space he has available to him.
 
There are plenty of 22'' monitors that support 1920x1080, especially LED ones. Does he prefer a higher rez, or is he fine with a lower 1680 rez?
 
Always used to buy parts from this place before I moved to the states, good prices and decent parts, never had a problem with them http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

When you can get Windows 7 home premium for 80 quid, and the full blown ultimate for 150, it's really
not worth getting a dodgy copy, just buy it with the parts as they have OEM copies.
 
What type of space does your friend have to work with? There are a few 23" (and 23.6") monitors that aren't much larger than many 22" monitors.
 
Hey guys! Here are the answers he gave me to the last questions you all posed.

1) which retailer will you purchase your parts from?

I was thinking online as I'm betting that would be cheapest?

Quote
2) is it just pc parts you need? were you also thinking about extra items such as an (internal or external) card reader, wireless router or adapter, surge protector, uninterruptible power supply...

I don't think I really need any of that stuff mate. We don't use surge protectors here. Would the power supply be a good idea do you think?

(my guess is he's confusing "power supply" with UPS so I'll 2x check on that)

Quote
3) how much space do you have to work with in regard to the monitor? there are a few 23" and 23.6" monitors that aren't much larger than 22"

I can fit any size there really. Whatever you would think would be best for the price mate

Quote
4) also, a lot of 22" monitors will display 1920x1080. would you like that, or are you fine with 1680x1050?

I'm guessing the higher the better! Means I won't have to upgrade for a while!
 
You never did tell us: Is he going to be building in January or December?
 
In that case you should re-open this post at end of January, seeing as by then the new 7xxx cards will have released, possibly changing prices/recommendations.
 
Hey guys, I want to resurrect the thread so I can giving my guy some ideas. Do you need any extra info from me?
 
You never specified which UK-based retailer(s) you and your friend planned on buying parts from. Well...?
 
Prelim build (I use Scan.co.uk for simplicity's sake):
£150 - Intel Core i5-2400 CPU
£109 - Asus P8Z68-V LE Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard
£39 - Corsair Memory Vengeance LP Blue 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
£220 - eVGA 012-P3-2066-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores FTW 1280MB PCI-E Video Card
£85 - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SSD
£80 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
£71 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
£77 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
£74 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
£120 - LG 23" LCD Monitor
------
Total: £1025 inc VAT plus shipping
 
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