Is this a worthwhile purchase?

[Chris123]

I'm thinking of getting new desktop for gaming and came across this http://www.ebuyer.com/734666-pc-specialist-vanquish-gamer-pro-ii-gaming-pc-pcs-d890829

I've usually built my own rigs in the past and have had a look on pcpartpicker, however have not really been able to find a list with the same spec's for a significantly cheaper price. I'm looking to game at 1080p and potentially 1440p in the near future, so is the pre-built in the link worth the price you reckon?

 

[Mr Latte]

Chris for that money you could get a much better spec.
Case and motherboard are rather basic, most of the money is on the GPU.

Little point spending so much now on the Ti card for 1080p when the 1070 will suffice.
Or if you wait prices of Ti may drop quite a bit soon. 1440P is very demanding and usually people have to drop graphical detail to maintain high frames even on a Ti.

My little system that I recently built is flying along at upto 4.6 with no problems
See my sig if its any hellp as I listed prices for what I bought.

Like you I am seeking good 1080p based performance but will consider either the 1070 or new AMD based card this summer.

I got Windows 10 Pro activation code for £11.50 on ebay so don't pay big money for it.

 

[Chris123]

So would you suggest I wait a little longer until the 1070 is released rather than get a 980 Ti right now. Here's a list I put together for a custom rig http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/NLtcCy, you reckon this is good value for money?
As for the resolution, I don't mind too much right now about staying at 1080p as I've yet to see how good 1440p looks.

 

[Mr Latte]

Well the 1070 looks to offer a great performance for 1080p gaming and will be much cheaper.
As you may of seen their will also be some very nice 3rd party cards coming offering better than "Founder" edition performance/cooling.

Spec you listed looks quite good.
I would recommend you opt for a bit bigger SSD I regret not going for approx 500, even if you have to use it only now and get a backup/media drive later. See you get free DOOM with Asus motherboards at the moment too.

Dont forget you may want extra or better quality fans and possibly lighting.
Like I said do not pay £55 for windows 10 when you will get it much cheaper on ebay etc.

I have fully legit version and was emailed code within 10 mins of purchasing with instructions and direct link to download from Microsoft to then install from USB stick.

 

[SmileyOr]

As far as pricing goes, that looks a little higher than what we would pay here in the US for a system purchased through the Intel website. I'm not sure what the import tariff is on computers and components, but that does look like the sweet spot for performance vs cost other than the video card. That single component could make the difference you need if you are willing to upgrade it now or in the future.

I'm still running my old games on a duel core E6750 intel processor with 4 gb of PC1066 ram. I have an R 250 2gb video card though which is the newest component I have.

I have not played any newer or more power hungry games since rFactor v1 or GT Legends and FSX.

 

[Chris123]

Ye I'm probably going to wait until the 1070 hits and pick up one, however I'd imagine the 1070 would cost around £500-£600 and if I crank one of those onto the list I made it add's up close to the pre-built one. Have I added parts that are overpriced or am I missing something

 

[Mr Latte]

The 1070 will likely be around £300, depends on model/brand you go for with maybe some going towards the £350 - £400. The Founder edition will be first and likely more expensive than some others.

A pre-built option usually does not allow you to specifically tailor your build with products you may know perform very well compared to others or match your own personal preference. For me I researched every product with reviews and accumulated a few options then picked on personal pref or price I could find.

I took my time with the build but it was easy if even a little daunting not having built a system for over 3 years. I went for AIO based watercooling for the CPU over a large heatsink and fan as thought it looked much more compact and tidier. Its working a treat too with low temps from as low as 19 degrees even with the nice (rare good weather) and lowest fanspeeds.

 

[Mr Latte]

The pre-built system used a cheaper more basic motherboard, ram is only 2133Mhz with 16GB. It is still fine for gaming but you may want more if doing other things. Faster is possible but it shows were they cut corners a little. Also the SSD is a cheaper alternative to the popular Samsung models.

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

The pre-built system used a cheaper more basic motherboard, ram is only 2133Mhz with 16GB. It is still fine for gaming but you may want more if doing other things. Faster is possible but it shows were they cut corners a little. Also the SSD is a cheaper alternative to the popular Samsung models.

Makes me laugh when you say only 16gb@2133mhz lol. More than enough for most things unless you do really heavy and specific stuff.

I'm curious actually, for what would you need more and/or faster ram ?

 

[Mr Latte]

Makes me laugh when you say only 16gb@2133mhz lol. More than enough for most things unless you do really heavy and specific stuff.

I'm curious actually, for what would you need more and/or faster ram ?

Laugh if you want however the OP questioned the spec of the system.
You have taken this the wrong way. I illustrated it as having only 2133 Mhz Ram to indicate how/where in this particular bundle cost cutting has been applied or specs could be bettered for similar money.

Its not a point that ultra-fast Ram makes very little to almost no difference in most games or indeed even over 8GB is needed. I do not know what else the OP will use the system for which could benefit from such.

Skylake supports much better RAM speeds and getting a better spec for same or similar money IS possible. Can you tell the OP why he should buy 2133 MHz Ram when he can get better for same kind of price?

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

Laugh if you want however the OP questioned the spec of the system.
You have taken this the wrong way. I illustrated it as having only 2133 Mhz Ram to indicate how/where in this particular bundle cost cutting has been applied or specs could be bettered for similar money.

Its not a point that ultra-fast Ram makes very little to almost no difference in most games or indeed even over 8GB is needed. I do not know what else the OP will use the system for which could benefit from such.

Skylake supports much better RAM speeds and getting a better spec for same or similar money IS possible. Can you tell the OP why he should buy 2133 MHz Ram when he can get better for same kind of price?

First of all, sorry it wasnt meant in a bad way or to mock you sorry if you felt that way. I guess it's hard to tell on internet to know exactly what the other mean. But I know lots of gamers that have 980 ti and runs games at 1666mhz of ddr3 with little performance loss, maybe 5% max depending on game, but it can be on the other way around and ddr3 could actually perform better too, as high as 4%.

I dont see where it's cost cutting tbh. 16gb @2133mhz is fine for whatever you want to do. Especially for someone that have little computer knowledge (only saying this because he's asking about his config). If he needed more he would probably know how many Ram the program he want to run needs.

I dont see any application atm that need more than 16gb@2133Mhz. Only things I could see are very specific and very specialized program but usually when you run those you know how much ram you need.

The difference of speed between a 2133mhz and a 1666 mhz ram is really nothing maybe 1% tops. And if you check this, ingame a ddr3 vs a ddr4 is not much different either :

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8959/...-3200-with-gskill-corsair-adata-and-crucial/8

It can even lost sometimes so yeah, ram isnt really what you should really care about unless you're making an over the top pc. That's only my opinion tho. I dont see why you should aim higher than 2133.

And once again I apologize if you think I was mocking you or beeing a dick.

 

[Mr Latte]

Hey not a problem...

Its not as if the bundle system is a bad spec as clearly its not but all I done was highlight a couple of specifics in how the system could be bettered. I think my recommendation is valid as is saving £40 on Windows 10 to perhaps put it towards an AIO CPU cooler than large heatsink or something else.

The OP even picked 2400 ram when looking at components for a self build to compare.

I only have 2400Mhz myself and found spending money in other areas was better than paying quite a bit more for the fastest RAM available at the time. Although I could get the 2400 and even some 2600 for not much more.

If anything part of my own RAM choice was for cosmetics to fit in with the build theme.
This is also what I alluded to as the benefits of a self build but again it may not be of much interest/importance to others or the OP.

 

[Chris123]

I'm thinking this is a pretty decent list for the price http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/3vPJxY
just waiting on reviews for the 1070, what you guys think?

 

[Mr Latte]

Chris your specs seem fine. If you have parts you like/want certainly performance will be good for sure.

Personally I would hold out a little longer to see what the best performing 1070 cards may be and prices to settle. However understand your urgency/excitement!!!

Are you aware of the really beefy 3 fan version of the one you linked but called "EXTREME" for only £20 more. It will have better overclocking on the GPU/RAM and could be one of the better GTX1070 based cards but is very big.

Link
Extreme £409 Pre-Order

See Paul below cover it from recent show (1080 version fans/PCB seem to be same as 1070)


Also overview here:


Good Closeups. It looks SUPERIORI


To give you an idea of the potential of this card see the 980Ti Edition. I assume it is based on. However it may not offer as extreme overclocking on the 1070 as on the 980 model.


Reviews:
Eurogamer 1070 Review



Hope its some help.

 

[Chris123]

Ye I very much appreciate the help, I've seen the Zotac 980 Ti in person and boy that thing is huge. From the looks of it the 1070 equivalent doesn't appear to be overly large

I think this card will be decent enough for 1080p and pretty decent at 1440p for most games for a while. Just one question about pcpartpicker, when ordering my parts do I have to order each one individually, it's just that I've never used the site before, cheers

 

[Mr Latte]

I dont know anything about part picker mate sorry.
I am waiting to see what AMD brings before committing to a card.

OcUK seemed to have most of the components you want but they may match price, not sure but they specialise in custom builds.

 

[Mr Latte]

Ye I very much appreciate the help, I've seen the Zotac 980 Ti in person and boy that thing is huge. From the looks of it the 1070 equivalent doesn't appear to be overly large

I think this card will be decent enough for 1080p and pretty decent at 1440p for most games for a while. Just one question about pcpartpicker, when ordering my parts do I have to order each one individually, it's just that I've never used the site before, cheers

If you want 120Hz gaming with max detailing then still the fastest card you can afford applies for even 1080p or higher. Likewise 1440p with lower refresh would be similar. If your gaming 1080p 60Hz for now then it is likely the X480 would be fine or an upcoming 1060 for probably under or around £200. We will know by the end of the month how the X480 compares.

You can if you want get the rest of the system now and have it up and running using the intel HD530 graphics depends how patient you are.

The situation could all change come October/November when Vega may arrive or if Nvidia bring Ti type 1080 or 1070 versions. This will depend on what AMD are likely doing/performing. I find that annoying that it might happen in only a few months so consider the possibilities and your own requirements.

It still is awesome however that a 1070 brings 980ti performance cheaper and with much less power/draw.

Have you considered Ultrawide?
Worth watching...

 

[Chris123]

Yeah I've heard about this Vega thing, supposed to be AMD's trump card to pull on Nvidia and I've heard promising things about performance for decent prices. It is a little annoying as I want to get a system up and running before September when I go to Uni, so I might just hold out a little longer but we'll see.

 

[Mr Latte]

Exciting time for you then...

End of this month things might be easier to decide on.
X480 does look to perform close towards the 1070 but with the lesser price it may be enough to win people over or even have an impact on 1070 prices dropping. Either way that £200-£300 or so price point is going to be a close fought battle.

 

[Chris123]

In your opinion is it worth paying an extra £20 for a fully modular PSU, I'm planning on getting a Corsair 300R case so I'm fine with getting a non-modular as long as space won't be an issue.

 

[Mr Latte]

It does make the cable management a bit easier and is nice having. Although my own is only modular for drives etc.

 

[Mr Latte]

What display you using?

 

[Chris123]

Planning on getting a 1080p monitor

 

[Nexus]

In your opinion is it worth paying an extra £20 for a fully modular PSU, I'm planning on getting a Corsair 300R case so I'm fine with getting a non-modular as long as space won't be an issue.

I know you weren't asking me but if your budget allows for a non-modular PSU, you should definitely get one. It'll make cable management much easier. I have a non-modular PSU with a case that doesn't have much room for cable management, and despite my best attempts it still looks messy inside.

Also, make sure that you look up reviews for particular models of power supplies instead of just researching the brands. I bought a Corsair CX600 for my PC, but found out later that I could have gotten a higher quality power supply for cheaper.

 

[Mr Latte]

Planning on getting a 1080p monitor

I was shocked by the price on these if you are perhaps swayed by 21:9....

Check out the new LG IPS 34" 21:9 for under £400 or the 29" 21:9 for under £250
Not seen (english) reviews yet.

LG 34UM68
LG 29UM68

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

I have the old LG version, the LG 34um65 and while it not bad it's not really good either. Good entry model if you want to see what 21/9 can do. It's a cheap alternative but you get what you pay for.

 

[Chris123]

I'm actually considering getting an i5 6600k instead of an i7, as it seems the i7 is not worth the extra price, at least not yet anyway.

 

[Mr Latte]

I'm actually considering getting an i5 6600k instead of an i7, as it seems the i7 is not worth the extra price, at least not yet anyway.

Yeah for gaming and on a single screen not really your right.

To get my PC I had to sell items, so traded in my PS4 to CEX towards the i7 as it was a simple transaction and they had no i5 at the time. Does include a 2 year warranty though.

Im leaning at the moment towards an RX480 rather than 1070 and looking forward to benchmarks/reviews of the AIB cards. Hoping £275-£300 will be enough to get one of the fastest models and save perhaps £100 compared to the 1070. Its prices are just so high at the moment with demand outstripping current limited supplies.

 

[Chris123]

Yeah, who'd have thought buying a computer was so hard. I'm tempted in buying a 1440p monitor, but I don't know how long I will be able to get 60+fps at max settings on a gtx 1070 with new releases. So hard to find the sweet spot these days as it seems every 6 months something comes along and changes the game.

 

[Mr Latte]

Harder at the moment due to several new cards just arriving....

Its about getting the max bang for buck thats why I linked the 1070 Extreme version which will likely be amongst the fastest 1070 cards. Annoying as yet no reviews for it and perhaps other "best" 1070 cards to see how they stack up to the very best 980Ti cards.

Lots of people upgrade every 1-2 years not so much because they need too but they have an interest or desire just for more and something new again.