Last bought a PC in 2003... Page 2

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  • Carlo 18 Jan 2015 19:48:13 21,801 posts
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    Didn't fancy this one then?

    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-alienware-alpha-review
  • Deleted user 19 January 2015 10:41:54
    Opti wrote:
    Juz wrote:


    @Opti - yeah FL Juz you plum!
    Hah. Happy 2015 mate. You had a yellow bike last I knew. Don't remember the make. I sold my Blade 4 years ago...
    Cheers dude - you too!

    Still got it - Triumph Daytona T595.

    In other news - looking at speccing a gaming PC and keep coming up to about £900..exactly like I used to years ago; I've always been shit at budgeting. Think I'll wait a while longer.

    Edited by Juz at 10:42:09 19-01-2015
  • Saul_Iscariot 19 Jan 2015 10:51:25 4,399 posts
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    I bought a PC purely to play a handful of games on. Got my parts second hand and it cost me £286 to put together. I bought an old tower for £20, made sure that it would take the upgrades I required. I put in an Intel I5 -4460 3.2Ghz processor, it had 4Gb of ram installed so I just stuck in another 4Gb to give it a little oomph. I haven't got a graphics card for it yet and it only has a 500 Gb hard drive. But the in built Intel 4600 HD allows me to run Elite Dangerous at medium settings. I have bought a few other games like Faster than Light, so I doubt I am going to struggle with the sort of games I'll be playing on it. KotOR runs fine on it.

    I've seen some games it would struggle with but as I am not interested in playing games at max settings it does me well enough.
  • SuperBas 19 Jan 2015 13:55:51 1,675 posts
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    Even a cheap videocard like a 750Ti will outperform Intel's graphics (as well as a "next-gen" console). You might want to spend a bit more on a videocard as well.
  • Opti 19 Jan 2015 14:52:33 111 posts
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    Think I might opt for this:

    http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/configurator/cheap-intel-gaming-pc-next-day-delivery-uk-g30i

    Any thoughts?
  • SuperBas 19 Jan 2015 15:40:47 1,675 posts
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    If you plan to do normal internet browsing and office work on this PC as well, you really want an SSD. The speed difference it makes is amazing.

    Edited by SuperBas at 15:42:16 19-01-2015
  • TPReview 19 Jan 2015 15:44:05 1,380 posts
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    It's not bad but a little pricey over what I think you'd pay if you'd made it.
    The PSU is quite weak (but components are using less and less power so this might not ever be an issue).
    I'd strongly recommend keeping an eye out for a good deal on an SSD as soon as possible and consider reinstalling Windows to that (it makes a hell of a difference).

    The only thing I don't particularly like in it is the GPU, it seems like you're paying quite a lot for an older 2GB card when for £60 more (on that site) you could get a Radeon R9 290 with 4GB memory and four free games. I've been using an r9 and at 1080p it seems like you can run anything at max.

    If that's at your budget then I'm sure it will do well but I'm always tempted to spend a little bit more if it's going to make much of a difference and I think over the next couple of years 4GB will become the new standard for GPUs
  • Opti 19 Jan 2015 16:26:42 111 posts
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    TPReview wrote:
    It's not bad but a little pricey over what I think you'd pay if you'd made it.
    The PSU is quite weak (but components are using less and less power so this might not ever be an issue).
    I'd strongly recommend keeping an eye out for a good deal on an SSD as soon as possible and consider reinstalling Windows to that (it makes a hell of a difference).

    The only thing I don't particularly like in it is the GPU, it seems like you're paying quite a lot for an older 2GB card when for £60 more (on that site) you could get a Radeon R9 290 with 4GB memory and four free games. I've been using an r9 and at 1080p it seems like you can run anything at max.

    If that's at your budget then I'm sure it will do well but I'm always tempted to spend a little bit more if it's going to make much of a difference and I think over the next couple of years 4GB will become the new standard for GPUs
    Thanks for this.

    I think I will tweak the base model to make those changes.

    Cheers.
  • TPReview 20 Jan 2015 08:36:11 1,380 posts
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    I didn't see it was Corsair! I take back what I said, I thought it was one of those no-brand 550w PSUs that can't get anywhere near that. Apparently the r9 290 can draw 450 so I like to have a bit of a buffer
  • barchetta 20 Jan 2015 23:05:54 3,335 posts
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    Carlo wrote:
    Didn't fancy this one then?

    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-alienware-alpha-review
    I know there are plenty of naysayers with regards the cost vs performance vs build your own, but that really got my interest tbh. I'd like to use a gaming system hooked up to the main TV (40" 1080p Plasma) and hoped for generally 60fps at that resolution.

    Having read a 2015 preview of upcoming PC games on Rock Paper Shotgun, and finding there were more PC adventure games I wanted to try than the entire forthcoming PS4 slate, let alone other PC genres, my willpower is starting to crack.

    Add a bluetooth k/m and I'd be happy I reckon. Not sure of the shelf life of the GPU though - would like a couple or three years use really.
  • barchetta 20 Jan 2015 23:30:33 3,335 posts
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    Hmm... actually looks like I'd need to set my sights a little higher for 1080p 60fps!
  • barchetta 22 Jan 2015 13:35:02 3,335 posts
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    This may fit the bill a little better: DinoPC

    Ideally going under the TV - the ssd+hdd and 760GPU caught my eye.

    Since the TV is 1080p and will suit me for sometime, I'm guessing the i5/760 combo is going to be good for a couple of years at least?
  • Dirtbox 22 Jan 2015 15:40:49 92,595 posts
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    Post deleted
  • barchetta 22 Jan 2015 15:55:21 3,335 posts
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    Dirtbox wrote:
    A question for people talking about "under the TV boxes".

    Why does it need to be under the TV?
    Yeah, I guess that may look an over used mantra, but bear with me.

    I live in a small 2 bed with kids. 1 TV in the 'living room' and kids have only other TV in the house hooked up to their XB1 in their bedroom. I use a Macbook Pro for work but would like to get back into PC gaming after a 'hiatus' of some 15+ years (hiatus is stretching it I guess ;D).

    Currently using a PS4 on the main TV and have unfettered access to it most evenings as wife is prepping school lessons etc.

    Just think it would work for me. Don't see where I would fit another screen without making the small house feel even smaller... If you're thinking about having the PC somewhere else, then maybe but groundfloor is just kitchen and living/dining. No garage etc. A nano type enclosure would be fairly unobtrusive next to my amp/digi boxes etc.

    Edited by barchetta at 15:55:49 22-01-2015
  • Not-a-reviewer 22 Jan 2015 16:19:02 7,686 posts
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    I'm sad that my days of a nice powerful desktop PC are over. With the fiancé around there's no way I would ever use one now, hopefully laptop technology improvements start to speed up over the next couple of years.
  • Armoured_Bear 22 Jan 2015 16:40:56 31,233 posts
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    Reviewer wrote:
    I'm sad that my days of a nice powerful desktop PC are over. With the fiancé around there's no way I would ever use one now, hopefully laptop technology improvements start to speed up over the next couple of years.
    Why not?
    She hogs the telly?
  • Not-a-reviewer 22 Jan 2015 16:50:22 7,686 posts
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    No, I'd be going off and sitting in another room and never seeing her for the sake of a slightly higher resolution.
  • Deleted user 22 January 2015 16:52:49
    Ahh, young love
  • THFourteen 22 Jan 2015 16:56:41 54,987 posts
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    Reviewer wrote:
    No, I'd be going off and sitting in another room and never seeing her for the sake of a slightly higher resolution.
    With steam streaming, i still have a gaming PC and just stream to my laptop whenever i'm sitting in the lounge.

    Means i can still use the PC when she's out / asleep
  • ibenam 22 Jan 2015 16:57:12 3,507 posts
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    Reviewer wrote:
    No, I'd be going off and sitting in another room and never seeing her for the sake of a slightly higher resolution.
    Still waiting for the downside to this :p
  • Dirtbox 22 Jan 2015 17:00:59 92,595 posts
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  • Deleted user 23 January 2015 01:11:15
    It's just easier to keep it with your AV and cable and whatever else, right? I prefer to use IR for most other things anyway, so it makes sense to have it all somewhere facing my seating position.
  • Dirtbox 23 Jan 2015 01:21:49 92,595 posts
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  • Phattso 23 Jan 2015 04:42:48 27,426 posts
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    Mine sits in the corner of my front room underneath a table at one end of the sofa.

    Flat, long, HDMI cable discretely tacked around the edge of the room and into the back of the TV. Actually my PS4 and Wii U are there too in a little cluster of gaming love. HDMI switcher for all.

    If you didn't know it was all there you wouldn't know it was all there, if you follow me.

    I nearly went with a small form factor two years back (Alienware as well, actually) but binned the idea and built my own instead. Hasn't met much it couldn't do a shite site better than the conslols yet, and I'm only rocking a modest 760GTX 2GB graphics card.
  • barchetta 23 Jan 2015 20:11:09 3,335 posts
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    @Phattso

    Those DinoPC Fractal Node 3s had the 760GTX 2gb - since I'm looking to improve over current PS4 behavior at 1080p and not remotely near 4k etc then perhaps either would do me for now.... Not sure about i3 though....
  • Fake_Blood 23 Jan 2015 20:30:19 11,093 posts
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    Dirtbox wrote:
    Like I said in a recent thread, mine's in the garage with HDMI and USB running through their own intranet. Haven't seen it for months.
    Are you from 1999?
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