Gaming PC for £1000 or less.

[Smokeyirish]

I am looking to buy a gaming desktop for under £1000 including decent size HD monitor & keyboard/mouse. I was considering getting the new Alienware X51 but after reading a few negative reviews & comments that I could buy a more powerful desktop I am not as sure anymore. The specs & price of the the X51 I am considering is as follows:

£978(including the cheapest monitor available)
PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ i5-2320 (3.00GHz, 6MB L3 Cache, 4C)
OPERATING SYSTEM: English Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT)
GRAPHICS CARD: 1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 545
MEMORY: 8GB 1333MHz (2x4GB) Dual Channel Memory
HARD DRIVE: 1TB Serial ATA (7,200 rpm)
OPTICAL DRIVE: DVD+/-RW (Read/Write)
SOUND CARD: Internal High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY: Integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless LAN

I am not dead set on getting an Alienware & am open to other suggestions but I do quite like the design of this particular desktop. I looked on cyberpowersystem.co.uk but there is so many options & choices I got kind of lost in it all. It would be great if I could get a better desktop than the X51 for the same price as I would like i7 & 6GB or 8GB of RAM if possible for that price. I want the desktop for gaming, I don't have any particular game in mind but would like to be able to play the latest games & run them at a good fps. Any help/opinions & suggestions would be greatly appreciated I am struggling to pick the right desktop for gaming for my £1000 price limit.

 

[keynes]

I am looking to buy a gaming desktop for under £1000 including decent size HD monitor & keyboard/mouse. I was considering getting the new Alienware X51 but after reading a few negative reviews & comments that I could buy a more powerful desktop I am not as sure anymore. The specs & price of the the X51 I am considering is as follows:

£978(including the cheapest monitor available)
PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ i5-2320 (3.00GHz, 6MB L3 Cache, 4C)
OPERATING SYSTEM: English Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT)
GRAPHICS CARD: 1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 545
MEMORY: 8GB 1333MHz (2x4GB) Dual Channel Memory
HARD DRIVE: 1TB Serial ATA (7,200 rpm)
OPTICAL DRIVE: DVD+/-RW (Read/Write)
SOUND CARD: Internal High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY: Integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless LAN

I am not dead set on getting an Alienware & am open to other suggestions but I do quite like the design of this particular desktop. I looked on cyberpowersystem.co.uk but there is so many options & choices I got kind of lost in it all. It would be great if I could get a better desktop than the X51 for the same price as I would like i7 & 6GB or 8GB of RAM if possible for that price. I want the desktop for gaming, I don't have any particular game in mind but would like to be able to play the latest games & run them at a good fps. Any help/opinions & suggestions would be greatly appreciated I am struggling to pick the right desktop for gaming for my £1000 price limit.

I'd strongly recommend PCspecialist. I had purchased Dell/Alienware computers and they were reliable however the cost of warranty was extremely expensive especially for Alienware machines and it takes ages to get a response from customer support. I was unable to customize my pc with specific components, limited choice of gpu and when I wanted to upgrade my system I was discouraged to use other parts unless provided by Dell.
You'll definitely get better value for money choosing PCS and the customer support/technical assistance is very prompt in solving issues, a problem was found in my system yesterday and it is going to be collected today. I am confident I'm going to get it back early next week.

 

[Fear]

For a sub £1000 spec including a monitor and keyboard/mouse you won't be able to get an i7 CPU without drastically dropping other components which will then loose the gaming performance as modern games mainly use the GPU so this is the area you want to be placing the higher amount of money not the CPU i have put 2 specs together for you to have a look at below the first is an intel with an i5 and GTX560Ti, the second build is an AMD CPU but has a better GPU GTX570, both builds will outperform the alienware spec you posted.

Intel build

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM ENFORCER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2500 Quad Core (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z68-V LX: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti - 2 DVI,HDMI,VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB SEAGATE Barracuda SATA-III 6Gb/s HDD, 32MB Cache (7200rpm)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] 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
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE INTEL CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£16)
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
Monitor
22" Widescreen TFT 1920 x1080 2MS D-Sub, DVI, 21.6" Panel (£99)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£5)
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK250 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO (£21)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £990.00 including VAT and delivery.


AMD build

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM ENFORCER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD BULLDOZER QUAD CORE FX-4100 (3.60GHz/6MB CACHE/AM3)
Free Item
FREE DIRT3 GAME with any AMD FX Processor!
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A97: AM3+ PLATFORM, DUAL DDR3, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1.25GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB SEAGATE Barracuda SATA-III 6Gb/s HDD, 32MB Cache (7200rpm)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] 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
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE AMD CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£16)
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
Monitor
22" Widescreen TFT 1920 x1080 2MS D-Sub, DVI, 21.6" Panel (£99)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£5)
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK250 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO (£21)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £982.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Smokeyirish]

Thank you for the very quick response rubensolo & fear. After seeing those builds I realise i7 is a little out of my price range at the minute & I doubt I even need it if I am being honest with myself & can always upgrade in the future. I do love the Intel build. Thanks Fear for taking the time to show me those 2 builds. It has confimed than I would be wasting my money with the X51 & would be basically paying just for the Alienware Logo & design & I am not interested in paying for a brand just interested in getting the most powerful deskptop I can for my limited budget I have available.

 

[adahil]

Personally, I think Fears Intel spec is unbeatable for a £1000 buget. I would be seriously leaning towards that if i was you!

 

[wereireland]

Personally, I think Fears Intel spec is unbeatable for a £1000 buget. I would be seriously leaning towards that if i was you!

I second this

 

[Smokeyirish]

Sorry for the necropost. Just wanted to post back & say I have finally ordered my gaming PC from here. Thanks Fear for showing me the kind of build I needed I ordered the Intel build you posted.

 

[scottke]

The Intel spec that FEAR posted is the same as what i purchased except the HDD was 1TB and the case was a coolermaster 912plus. Its smooth and quiet whatever i've had on it. I dont have a monitor though using a 40'' tv and it's great, playing gta4, bfbc2 and fallout3 all over 55fps on high and sims 3 over 150fps!

 

[Fear]

Sorry for the necropost. Just wanted to post back & say I have finally ordered my gaming PC from here. Thanks Fear for showing me the kind of build I needed I ordered the Intel build you posted.

NP hope you enjoy it when it turns up

 

[Smokeyirish]

NP hope you enjoy it when it turns up

It turned up 2 days ago & it is amazing & very powerful. Thanks again Fear for posting such a pro spec.