PC Specialist Pre-Build from Currys?

W

waljoricar

Member
Good morning all,

I'm considering buying my first "proper" gaming PC this coming weekend. I know little about building a PC, but am aware that PC Specialist are a trusted company for parts and pre-builds.

Thing is, I get a 6% discount at Currys from my employer, which I can use on a new PC. I've noticed that PC Specialist pre-builds are available through Currys and am tempted to go that route (as I haven't the foggiest where to start with building my own).

So my questions are:

1. Are these PC Specialist pre-builds available through Currys legit and of the same quality one would expect room a direct purchase.

2. Is a 6% discount worth going through Currys rather than directly with PS? I'd be getting a pre-build either way - I'm just wondering if there are significant price hikes on Currys' side.

I hope that makes sense. I'd be very grateful for any guidance you all can offer. Thank you very much!
 
Last edited:
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Honestly 6% isn't enough for me to choose one of those over a custom build that you select the parts for

Pre-builds in general tend to cut costs in key areas for the sake of the GPU and CPU. This means that although they usually perform fine out of the box they are either hamstringed by poorly balanced set ups or have no longevity as they are severely hampered by the power supply, motherboard or cooling

You're better spending a little more to get a whole balanced system as it'll perform better, last longer and you'll be able to upgrade it.

It's a difference between a PC lasting 2-3 years and one lasting 7+ years

If you let us know your budget and what the machine will be used for we can help you get the most for your money
 
W

waljoricar

Member
Steveyg said:
Honestly 6% isn't enough for me to choose one of those over a custom build that you select the parts for

Pre-builds in general tend to cut costs in key areas for the sake of the GPU and CPU. This means that although they usually perform fine out of the box they are either hamstringed by poorly balanced set ups or have no longevity as they are severely hampered by the power supply, motherboard or cooling

You're better spending a little more to get a whole balanced system as it'll perform better, last longer and you'll be able to upgrade it.

It's a difference between a PC lasting 2-3 years and one lasting 7+ years

If you let us know your budget and what the machine will be used for we can help you get the most for your money
Click to expand...

Hi Steveyg, thank you so much for your swift reply. I knew I had come to the right place for support.

my budget is about £2k, though I'd love to spend less (of course) and willing to consider spending a tiny bit more if doing so would make a very significant difference in the desktop's longevity.

I intend to use the desktop almost exclusively for gaming, aside from mundane recreational stuff and basic life admin.

I mostly play single player games, but do occasionally enjoy co-op online gaming. I ideally want something powerful enough that I can enjoy new (game) releases with high/max settings for a long while. Like most people I guess.

I just want to clarify; are the pre-builds by PC Specialist available through Currys significantly different/lower in quality than what is available through PS directly? I'm very reticent to try physically building anything myself!

Thanks again!
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
waljoricar said:
Hi Steveyg, thank you so much for your swift reply. I knew I had come to the right place for support.

my budget is about £2k, though I'd love to spend less (of course) and willing to consider spending a tiny bit more if doing so would make a very significant difference in the desktop's longevity.

I intend to use the desktop almost exclusively for gaming, aside from mundane recreational stuff and basic life admin.

I mostly play single player games, but do occasionally enjoy co-op online gaming. I ideally want something powerful enough that I can enjoy new (game) releases with high/max settings for a long while. Like most people I guess.

I just want to clarify; are the pre-builds by PC Specialist available through Currys significantly different/lower in quality than what is available through PS directly? I'm very reticent to try physically building anything myself!

Thanks again!
Click to expand...
There's is nothing to physically build mate you just pick the components, PCS build it and send it to you complete. The difference being you get to choose all the individual parts

The pre-builds are as is and you don't get to choose parts. These I wouldn't recommend personally especially in this budget

We can get you a really really nice build in that price, do you have a monitor or would you need one along with the build?
 
W

waljoricar

Member
Ah, gotcha. That makes sense. Thank you for clarifying!

Nah, I'm good on the monitor front at the moment. I'm using two (albeit old) monitors provided by my employer and will likely hook my desktop up to my TV if I want to game from my sofa.
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
waljoricar said:
Ah, gotcha. That makes sense. Thank you for clarifying!

Nah, I'm good on the monitor front at the moment. I'm using two (albeit old) monitors provided by my employer and will likely hook my desktop up to my TV if I want to game from my sofa.
Click to expand...
Do you know the make and model of the TV, you match the GPU to the monitor

No point in having a 4K 144hz VR capable GPU if you're using a 22" 1080p 59HZ monitor from the stone age?

The entire build would then be held back by the monitor. If the monitor can't display what the PC is putting it then it may as well not put it out at all if you get what I'm saying
 
W

waljoricar

Member
On that note. I would be splitting my game time between my desk and my sofa, so I guess I am interested in a new monitor potentially. Sorry for the confusion.
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
waljoricar said:
On that note. I would be splitting my game time between my desk and my sofa, so I guess I am interested in a new monitor potentially. Sorry for the confusion.
Click to expand...
No worries mate I do something similar, that TV though is only 50Hz and honestly that won't feel great in gaming. Basically you'll be limited to 50FPS in any game on that screen which is an awkward framerate and one I'd probably notice a lot

I use my TV to slower paced games where framerate isn't really an issue but just fair warning, games may not look or feel great on that TV

I'll allow room for a monitor in the build give me a couple minutes see what I can come up with
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
Some reading here for you to give you an idea on why we need to know this information:

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 www.pcspecialist.co.uk


£2k is perfect for a 1440p system. To get a good 1080p system nowadays takes 80-90% of the budget anyway so 1440p is definitely the right place to aim. It would be around £300 for a decent 1440p Monitor so can the total budget be considered at around £2300?

I just want to highlight. It's imperative that you have the correct monitor for the power of the PC that you are purchasing. Getting a 1440p PC now, with a view to get a monitor down the line is bad for the pocket. By the time you get down the line the money you spent getting 1440p now will be redundant as the technology moves so fast.

If you're definitely looking to go for a 1440p system and monitor at the same time then I would say you're good to go. Otherwise the 4k TV chucks a bit of a spanner in the works but I would suggest 1080p would be a better goal and just scale the TV to match.
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
This is where I'd be swinging on the PC mate

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE - Great case, looks slick
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) - Best gaming CPU on the market
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR - Older GPU but the prices are crazy and the minute and this is still excellent for 1440p 144hz gaming
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR, 1600MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,874.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/HaW05HQR45/
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
I think it's worth bumping up the primary drive to the P44, for some speeeedddd, but other than that looks good to me. If VR isn't in your future then the 6950XT is worth considering from a GPU standpoint as it's got serious performance per £. Eats up most of the £2k budget, but just food for thought.

The difference between £2k and £2.3k total budget isn't insignificant to the performance so be sure to let us know where the purse strings are drawn :)
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Scott said:
I think it's worth bumping up the primary drive to the P44, for some speeeedddd, but other than that looks good to me. If VR isn't in your future then the 6950XT is worth considering from a GPU standpoint as it's got serious performance per £. Eats up most of the £2k budget, but just food for thought.

The difference between £2k and £2.3k total budget isn't insignificant to the performance so be sure to let us know where the purse strings are drawn :)
Click to expand...
Yeah had the 6950XT in the first too but was blowing the budget for me, it's the one I'd like to recommend

Even toyed with dropping the CPU to a 7600 to allow for the 6950XT but I'd rather lean on the 7800X3D, simply because it's easier to upgrade a GPU in future than it is for a CPU and @waljoricar saying they weren't really interested in the building side of it

So keep the upgrades simple with a GPU swap in future which is one of the easier things to do in a computer
 
W

waljoricar

Member
Scott said:
I think it's worth bumping up the primary drive to the P44, for some speeeedddd, but other than that looks good to me. If VR isn't in your future then the 6950XT is worth considering from a GPU standpoint as it's got serious performance per £. Eats up most of the £2k budget, but just food for thought.

The difference between £2k and £2.3k total budget isn't insignificant to the performance so be sure to let us know where the purse strings are drawn :)
Click to expand...
Funnily enough, £2.3k is my absolute maximum spend budget-wise, though it sounds like it's wise to factor in a monitor into this to properly enjoy the machine I'm paying for.
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
waljoricar said:
Funnily enough, £2.3k is my absolute maximum spend budget-wise, though it sounds like it's wise to factor in a monitor into this to properly enjoy the machine I'm paying for.
Click to expand...
For 2.3K we could fire something together with a monitor without making compromises I'm currently making. You'll get a much more powerful and balances machine
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
This would be a just over 2K build with plenty left over for a monitor I'll link one suitable now

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6950 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £2,052.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/Xm9j9BWtN8/
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
No change to the above build, I've just upped the PSU to 1000w to cover all bases and any future considerations. If you get the itch to change the GPU, you won't have any faff with the PSU. It's worth it for the extra £27 :)

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6950 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,079.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/p34EuUYRZ5/
 
W

waljoricar

Member
Steveyg said:
Yeah had the 6950XT in the first too but was blowing the budget for me, it's the one I'd like to recommend

Even toyed with dropping the CPU to a 7600 to allow for the 6950XT but I'd rather lean on the 7800X3D, simply because it's easier to upgrade a GPU in future than it is for a CPU and @waljoricar saying they weren't really interested in the building side of it

So keep the upgrades simple with a GPU swap in future which is one of the easier things to do in a computer
Click to expand...

Scott said:
No change to the above build, I've just upped the PSU to 1000w to cover all bases and any future considerations. If you get the itch to change the GPU, you won't have any faff with the PSU. It's worth it for the extra £27 :)

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6950 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,079.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/p34EuUYRZ5/
Click to expand...
I can't thank you enough for these build suggestions. I'm probably going to go with this one. I'm working at the moment, so will give it a once over on my lunch. I may come back with a few more questions. I hope that's alright.

Thank you again!!
 
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