Build or buy?

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iCobble

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So I'm going to be getting a gaming rig soon, probably before or after Xmas ( whenever is cheaper ) and I need help deciding if I should build or buy one. I've heard building is a lot cheaper than buying, but the thing is I don't really know what the parts are - I'm afraid I'll buy the wrong thing, or that It's not really the quality I wanted. And of course I can see myself destroying my computer while trying to build it...
So what are your thoughts on this? Any info on the parts i would be shopping for? What shop should i buy from?
Lastly, I've got a budget of around £700, I presume that is enough for a gaming computer that can play the majority of games? And could those games be played on high end graphics?
Thanks for your time and your posts. :)

Edit: Forgot to add, if anyone knows of any decent monitors, please let me know! I'm hoping to game and watch films in 1080p, with roughly a 23" screen if that's possible.
 
Building FTW, man! We'll make sure you get the right parts. We suggest builds nearly every day.

If you are unaware on how to do something, there are thousands of guides and videos online. Just be sure you know what you are doing before you break it.

The animated guide to Building a PC. Learn to build a PC from scratch with PCitYourself! , for example.

It all depends upon what you are building it for. Yes, gaming you mentioned, but what games? Anything else you want to do with it, besides the normal web surfing?

I'm not well versed with UK shops. The ones I hear of most often is eBuyer.com and Aria.co.uk

£700 should get you a very nice system. Again, what games are you going to play? I'm sure we can set you up with a system that will play them on high.
 
I'm with MoM, building lets you customize, optimize, and get more for your money.

http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/hardware-shopping-megathread-237877/
Has all the reliable UK shopping sites, among others.
I don't shop UK so I can't really say which is best, but it looks like Ebuyer, Aria, and Scan have the best prices. Will let a Brit confirm/deny.

Here are some builds that have already been suggested to give you some ideas:
Intel Suggestions.
AMD Suggestion.
Prices are going to be in USD, but you can shop around on the UK sites to get an idea of cost for you.
 
Hey thanks for your reply - the guide looks useful. The games I'd probably play are mostly first person shooters, future titles like MW3 and BF3, but games like Just Cause 2 too. (Possibly Crysis games if able to) Also a must for me would be the strategy games like Rome Total War etc. Out of these I'd guess games like Just Cause 2 and Crisis would be most graphically demanding?
It would also be nice to be able to make simple slideshows and videos from my camcorder, but Windows Movie Maker would be fine for my level.
The only other things I can think of are watching DVDs and streaming videos from sites like BBC iPlayer.
Thanks for your help.
 
Hey thanks for that shopping thread, hadn't seen that, I'll take a look. I'll ask around about the suppliers you recommended.
Thanks
 
I've heard Crysis is a real test of your computer's mettle, but it looks like BF3 has higher system reqs.
Just to give you a general idea:
CPU: £158.50 Intel i5 2500k.
MB: £124.55 Asus P8P67 Pro.
RAM: £40.10 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws X 1600 CAS9.
HDD: £42.54 500GB WD Caviar Black.
ODD: £14.81 Sony Optical 24x DVD/CD Burner.
GPU: £237.59 EVGA GTX 570.
PSU: £66.91 Corsair TX650 V2.

Total = £685, but that is without a Case or OS.
If you're planning to wait 3.5 months for Christmas prices are going to drop on these components.
Also only checked Aria and Ebuyer, might be better deals shopping around.
 
I know a friend who works at Aria, he does custom builds. I do not know what the pricing would be like. He's in these forums, I'll try to get him in here.
 
Evening! :)

I work at Aria, We can do you a custom build and/or overclock.

I'd deffo reccomend Sandybridge with that kind of budget, easily beats anything else out there atm.

If you want to build it yourself that's fine just let me know and I'll spec you up a wishlist ;)
 
Well, everyone else seems to think you should build. I agree, but I thought I'd offer an argument for buying. It really boils down to warranty. If you buy all your parts from an online retailer, only the parts will have a warranty. If you put it together or have a local shop do it for you, the computer as a whole will not have a warranty in most cases? What does that mean for you? You may have to pay a technician at a local shop to diagnose problems if you don't have the patience or knowledge to do it yourself. You never know when something will fail on your computer. Usually, a brand new computer will last a few years with no problems as long as you scan it with an anti-malware and defragment every now and then. However, freak occurrences like heatsinks failing and power surges that fry your components because you were using the surge protector for something else (happened to a friend). The punch line of all this is the initial cost of a custom machine is far less than a store bought, but the cost of repairs for freak accidents could offset those costs to some degree. Keep something else in mind, though. If you have paitence and a willingness to learn, there are some very knowledgeable people here who can help you diagnose any problems you have excluding me. I'm a newb. That's my two cents.

-Draco
 
Few retailers, Dell, for example won't give you more than a year's warranty. Unless you pay more. Most manufacturers give you more, 2 or 3 years. Not all, but most.

If you build your own system, you get support for free here, if some unknown component fails. You don't have to call the crappy customer service rep.
 
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