New desktop PC - prebuilt or custom?

[kingoc]

Hi there!

Just to start off, I don't know much about building computers but I'm on the hunt for a new one after my previous Dell stopped working properly.

I came across PC Specialist whilst looking for a new PC on Currys PC World & saw some of their pre made builds on there, both at £599.

Intel one: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...l-core-i3-gtx-1650-1-tb-hdd-10199161-pdt.html

AMD one: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...tx-1650-1-tb-hdd-120-gb-ssd-10203761-pdt.html

I'll be using the computer for poker sessions across 2 monitors & some gaming.

Couple questions...
1) I don't know which is better, Intel or AMD?
2) Which PC is better on the whole?
3) Are these good value or can I build better here for the same price/cheaper?
4) Are these simply too much PC for what I'll be using it for?
5) would it be better to buy direct through here?

Help help would be great. Thanks!

 

[ubuysa]

Hello, and welcome to the fora!

I'm not the hardware expert on here so I'll leave detailed comments for those who are, but I wanted you to know that we're not ignoring you.

Almost nobody on here works for PCS, we're all PCS customers who like to help out with advice, problem solving, etc. and we volunteer our time and energies so you need to wait for people to have the time to reply

It will help to know what monitor you'll be using, what games you play, and what your maximum budget is?

Generally with a custom build you get exactly what you want/need and nothing you don't. Pre-built tends to be a compromise because they're always built down to a price. I will say that you're not likely to find a gaming PC for £600 however, you should expect to have to spend around £800 to get something that will be decent, but the experts will confirm that.

You'll find tons of advice from some very knowledgeable people on here who will help you build exactly the PC you need and (if possible) at a price you can afford.

If you have an old PC with a Windows license that is being replaced, you might be able to save the cost of a new Windows license by converting your existing license to a digital license which you can transfer to your new PC. It is still possible to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free too. PCS will sell custom built PCs without an OS installed and that can save a bit of cash.

 

[Scott]

As correctly suggested above I wouldn't recommend either of those builds for that sort of money. The trouble is that you end up spending £600 (plus inflation) every couple of years just to try and stay at the bottom rung of the PC platform. It makes far more sense to have a much better starting base that you can simply upgrade with a GPU refresh every couple of years.

Most of the enthusiasts on here will testify that they have had the base of their system for a minimum of 5 years, with a likely lifespan of 10+. The main changes over the course of this time would be GPU, Monitor and Storage.

With all that in mind, a good base system is going to be around £850 just for the tower, without taking into account any peripherals or a monitor. This would be based on 1080p too, rather than higher resolution (more money).

I did a building guide a little while ago to try and put into perspective all of the above, along with all the rationale and the various options recommended for different budgets. Have a little read and feed back what you think...

Desktop Building Guide - April 2023

A "quick" reference guide to building the perfect system. This is the sort of logic I go through when suggesting systems, so thought I would jot it down on the page. Clearly this is an ever changing suite of options but I'll update periodically as my default go-to's change... I'm noticing the...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[kingoc]

Thanks guys.

So I've already got 2 monitors that I'd like to connect, can't remember the specs of them now as I've had them for a good few years but they're HP Pavillion 23xi. Think they were 1080p.

When I say gaming I mean very light gaming like Football Manager. I have a MacBook Pro for work so it's just Football Manager and Poker really that'd I'd be using it for. With Poker I run multiple tables at once across 2 screens, running softwares such as Poker Tracker & Holdem Manager at the same time... I don't need anything fancy, just something that will be able to handle it and run these programmes at the same time.

Budget I'm not too sure on right now, as cheap as possible really, just something to get the job done. I don't want to spend too much more than £500-£600 really, but not sure how realistic that is.

Was initially contemplating this Acer for £350 on PC World: [link removed, sorry you can't post links to competitor's builds]
Just not sure if it'll be able to run the things I want it for smoothly.

My old PC is a Dell XPS i7, 16gb, 512SSD, with a Nvidia graphics card (can't remember which one now), had it for a good 6-7 years or so but now starts freezing and turning off by itself when I play FM or poker. No idea why that is but guessing I need a new one.

Came across this site and thought I might be able to get more for my money and better quality too.

Thanks for the guide too... Just not sure I want to spend £850 minimum for something that's more for leisure, not sure if that's realistic or not for what I'd be using it for.

 

[Scott]

If you consider the Dell XPS that is failing, that's a great example. It has WAY more than £600 worth of hardware in it and would have been far more expensive than what you are budgeting to replace it.

I get that you don't want anything fancy, but to that end I would go with an off the shelf laptop, rather than a custom built PC. You just aren't going to get the benefit at this range unfortunately.

 

[Scott]

This is about as good as you will get... note that it's based on old tech. It's not something I would recommend, but nothing at this range is going to be for me. You won't beat this off the shelf IMO though...

PCSPECIALIST - Custom Computers and Laptops Built to Order

PCSpecialist is a manufacturer of high quality custom computers and laptops. Configure your ideal computer in just a few simple steps with a broad range available.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Scott]

Just FYI, if you register your Windows license to your account you can transfer it over for free and you wouldn't need to pay for Windows. This would save you ITRO £80 as well.

 

[kingoc]

Thanks Scott!

Main reason why I want to in essence downgrade my XPS is I feel like I wasn't using it to it's full capacity before, so kind of wasting money there, and I most likely won't be using it as much as I did in the past too.

Few questions...

On the one on the link above, when you say old tech, how old is it? Looks decent to me... Do you think I could get away with lowering some of the specs even more... 8gb ram for example?

Does the outside case make any difference?

What's your thoughts on the cheap Acer one for what I'd be using it for... Do you know if I could get away with using that or would it be too slow?

Re windows - Ah nice, never knew that! How would I even go about that? Just on the Windows website?
I'll have to check if my XPS will even let me turn it transfer that over... Have left it for a few months now!

 

[Scott]

Thanks Scott!

Main reason why I want to in essence downgrade my XPS is I feel like I wasn't using it to it's full capacity before, so kind of wasting money there, and I most likely won't be using it as much as I did in the past too.

Few questions...

On the one on the link above, when you say old tech, how old is it? Looks decent to me... Do you think I could get away with lowering some of the specs even more... 8gb ram for example?

Does the outside case make any difference?

What's your thoughts on the cheap Acer one for what I'd be using it for... Do you know if I could get away with using that or would it be too slow?

Re windows - Ah nice, never knew that! How would I even go about that? Just on the Windows website?
I'll have to check if my XPS will even let me turn it transfer that over... Have left it for a few months now!

You cannot change the specs of the review spec PCs. All you can do is remove the requirement for Windows and add any extras.

I wouldn't purchase an off the shelf PC of any kind, custom is the only way to go really. Off the shelf laptops are different though. That being said, we cannot discuss competitor builds or supplied systems, we only mention they exist.

With regards to your license, simply register an account at Microsoft.com and then login on your PC.

This covers all the steps...

How to use a Microsoft account in Windows 10

A Microsoft account lets you sync settings and other content across multiple Windows 10 devices. A local account is restricted to just a single PC.

www.cnet.com

 

[kingoc]

Right ok, my bad if I broke the rules with the Acer PC!

Thanks for the Windows info - will give that a go.

With the PC Specialist build you sent through - would you not recommend that one then what I'd be using it for? Seems like it'd perform all the tasks I'd need it for.

Just tried building my own one with the same specs but a different outer cover thing and it was £150 more... Is the one you sent through cheaper because it's already made?

 

[Scott]

Right ok, my bad if I broke the rules with the Acer PC!

Thanks for the Windows info - will give that a go.

With the PC Specialist build you sent through - would you not recommend that one then what I'd be using it for? Seems like it'd perform all the tasks I'd need it for.

Just tried building my own one with the same specs but a different outer cover thing and it was £150 more... Is the one you sent through cheaper because it's already made?

Yes, it will do exactly what you want it for..... and then some. My concern isn't regarding it not meeting your requirements, I'm just pointing out that if you were to save a little more and spend around £850 you could have a better platform with more future potential.

The Review spec that I posted is already pre-determined, hence the large discount. It's by far the best bargain you are going to see and it's a GREAT system for the money. I'm not knocking it in the slightest. What I'm saying is that I would never purchase such a system as I like my base systems to last 5-10 years without having to start from scratch. With that particular system, if you want to stay current with games, it will die out pretty quick and start to feel slow.

Again, it depends on your future needs.... but that system MORE than meets what you are asking right now