Gaming Computer [Australian]

Hey guys, looking to get a new desktop gaming computer, is it best to buy one off the shelf or build one yourself?

I'm guessing that its better to build one yourself so can you point me towards one of the better websites or businesses that offer this service and perhaps give me some ideas on parts etc

Thanks

 

Build yourself, and what is your budget? ^_^ And do you need an operating system(windows 7 64bit) kb+m, monitor or optical drive?

 

Budget is between 1.5-2 grand.

Don't need an operating system and don't need a monitor. No clue what a kb+m or optical drive is ^.^

Ok googled those, need optical drive, have mouse and keyboard

 

This build is excellent, and you'll be able to OC the CPU a shit tonne. Also note, you can add a second GTX 580 in the future if you need more power as the MOBO supports SLI. And this should play near every game at max at the res of 1920*1080.
if so;
i5 2500k - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16531
8gig Gskill ripjaws - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16510
Asus MOBO - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16989
Corsair 60gig SSD(you only put your Operating system on this drive) - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14954
Samsung Spinpoint F3(Data/games on this) - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12711
Coolermaster HAF 932 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=8042
Optical Drive - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13068
Gigabyte GTX 580 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16575
Corsair AX850(gold 80+ powersupply) - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15251
CPU Cooler - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13232

 

Thanks mate, can anyone point me to a website or business which assembles them?

 

Assembly is easy. Everything goes in the only place it'll fit. Shit, I'd put it together for you for free, it's that easy.

Also, I direct you to my second post on this thread. It is a beast of a computer for around $1500, though it doesn't include an optical drive or a case, it is a VERY good pc. I will post a build to fit your specified budget on here(1500-2000).




EDIT,, and here it is



$999 - Proc - Hex-core i7 990x @ 3.46 ghz (overclock-able to 4.5ghz on air, but since you've got liquid, 4.7 isn't impossible) I used passmark as a benchmark for this product, but it goes without say that it's a beast. It was number 4 on the list and number 1 and 3 were server processors with number 2 being the newer 995x. I would have chosen the 995x, however I couldn't find any well-known sites selling it.

$169 - Mobo - 1366 socket. Supports 24 gb of RAM up to 2000mhz. USB 3.0 support. 6gb/s sata

$172 - RAM - 12gb of tri-channel ddr3 @ 2000mhz. If you feel so inclined, you can purchase two of these for a total of 24gb, maxing out the mobo.

$549 - GFX - 1.5gb GDDR5 memory. I use passmark as a benchmark for my gpu's. This GPU is the same as their top ranked GPU, only clocked down a bit and with a little bit less memory.

$699 - GFX 2 - This one however is better. It is about $150 more, but is overclocked and takes up less room. Better buy in my opinion. Once again, I used Passmark as a benchmark for this product.

$105 - Cooling - Just a simple liquid cooler. Very easy to install and will keep the temperature down if you plan on overclocking your proc. I would definitely purchase this as you will need a lot of cooling for this machine, even if you don't oc.

$100 - Power Supply - Simple power supply. 850 watts should suffice.

$30 - Optical Drive - DVD+/-RW drive. Supports just about any disk and will connect through a sata 3gb/s port.

$85 - Hard Drive - 2tb internal HD for all your shit. I recommend a SSD as a boot drive, so I will list a relatively cheap one below.

$83 - Solid State Drive - A very reliable 32gb SSD made by Patriot. Use this for your OS.


Total without extra bullshit. (only 12 gb of RAM, the first GFX card, and no SSD) = Approx $2209
Total of a nearly unstoppable (built on a budget) monster (24gb of RAM, second GFX card, and SSD) = $2614

An alternative cheap GFX card @ $300 - Radeon HD 6950 (number 7 on passmarks list)

With your budget, you have the capabilities to get one of the best desktop cpu's currently on the market. If this machine is too expensive, I can try and make a cheaper build but I would definitely stick with the same proc and RAM.

Where I get my video card benchmarks - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/
Where I get my CPU benchmarks - http://www.cpubenchmark.net/
I always pick from the top of the high-end lists.

 

Watch some youtube guides it's quite simple.

Kill Dank, not much you can change in my build to make it better.

 

What is the total cost of your build? Your build is just cheaper and I can find a few points where it could use improvement. Why not try and work with a hex core cpu? With a budget of 2k a hex core isn't a bad option. I chose 2000mhz RAM over 1600mhz. My mobo can also handle more RAM and is trichannel.

 

$1.9k, because it's an Australian website, none of the ones you used ship to Aussie, and it would cost $3k+ for it here.

2500k destroys at gaming, 4gig is enough ram for gaming, I only put in 8gig because it fits in the budget.
Games are only just using quads, no need for a hexa.

Also the hydro copper needs a custom WCing loop, hence the single slot. You can't use the all in one H70's and stuff.

 

Ahh, I missed the Australian part.

True it does, but with a 2k budget I'd rather make a beast of a pc, even if it may be a little too much for what he's using. I'm not too good with choosing cases and cooling to fit honestly, so I usually try to skip that part and just pick a cooling unit that fits most.

I mean, if you had a choice, would you rather have your build or mine?

If he get's the 3rd gfx card I listed and only 12gb of RAM, my build would be under $2k.

 

http://i54.tinypic.com/1eb5z4.png
^Australian.
I'd rather mine. For the price difference in the two in Australia, you could buy one of the 27"/30" dell's.
Also, the 2500k/2600k destroying the 990x at gaming:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/03/23/intel-core-i7-990x-extreme-edition-review/6

 

www.zipcomputers.com.au have decent computers are you in sydney ?

i picked up a beast for only 1400 last year i7 and all.. give them a yell they will build you a computer if you give them a budget

 

Overpriced parts on their homepage isn't a good star IMO.

Also OP if you don't want to assemble the PC, check some local stores and ask if you bring the parts will they assemble it for you? There will be a fee(probably something like $50.

I've seen the Sandy Bridges clocked at 5.5GHz. They OC higher, and are better price to performance, considering a $1k price diff in Aussie, I'd rather go with Sandy Bridge.

And I'll go check for you.

 

Yeah I forgot about currency conversion...

It's 4th on the list and both the 2500k and 2600k are clocked almost .4ghz higher.

Hex-core and quad-core clocked the same isn't even really a question. I have seen 990x's clocked to over 4.9ghz on air and you're telling me that wouldn't destroy a sandy bridge? At least we have similar taste in GFX cards. How much would my 1500 build from this thread be in AUS?

EDIT:: and yea youtube has loads of high oc's for all sorts of procs. I will agree that i5's are amazing at overclocking. I have an i5 650 on an older machine that I have running at 4.9 ghz on air.

Just personal preference, but I personally prefer the hex-core.


editttttIll check it tomorrow, I'm going to bed.. Thanks for the help noodles.

 

Came out to be something like $1.9k, but the 970s are only $650 here, tonne cheaper then 990x.

And games aren't optimized for 6cores yet, so no difference, maybe 1-5frames more then a quad if your lucky. :s

Goodnight, no probs.

 

Oh wow overwhelming response guys, thanks heaps

If assembly isnt too bad I'll probably get a technically gifted mate over to help me with it xD

A tad OT now: Are they the only parts you need for a computer? I've always imagines 1000s of little chips controlling every mouse click.

 

Yeah, the basic components are...

Power Supply
Processor
Motherboard
RAM
Hard drive
Optical Drive
Cooling

GFX cards are extra(not required for general use since some mobo's have them built in), but required for heavy gaming that the integrated gpu can't handle.
Some people like to have sound cards as well, but it isn't a necessary investment in the least unless you have surround speakers or edit and mix music.

But they definitely will be in the near future so it doesn't hurt to be ahead of the game, especially with so much multi-tasking power. I guess I'm of no use in this thread since I don't really want to deal with converting everything over to AUS currency. $2000 in the US will get you a very nice pc though.