[Closed] PC buiding or off the shelf ready to go

<p><p>1) Find the specs for the games you want to play</p><p>2) Go to Logical Increments and find a build that meets the requirements.</p><p>3) Go to PC Partpicker and input the parts spec for cheapest prices.</p></p><p>Alternative is the likes of PC SPecialist but you will pay through the nose, they are nowhere near as competitive as they used to be.</p>

I looked at PC specialist when I built mine, but they were punting last years processors at this years prices, and didn't do barebones systems, in fact no one seems to anymore.

So I went the PC part picker route. It's important to factor in postage, as most places charge and getting two slightly less cheap parts from the same outlet can net you an overall saving due to the postage costs.

I'm waiting for graphics cards to drop in price as my 3gb 1060 isn't quite up to serious graphical quality, but everything better is eyewateringly expensive,

Novatech offer some pre-built machines and you can modify them to suit budget / spec if you want. I buy a couple a year from them and they'll always well put together.

[url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/8k7xkd ]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/8k7xkd/by_merchant/ ]Price breakdown by merchant[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/LHYWGX/intel-core-i5-8400-28ghz-6-core-processor-bx80684i58400 ]Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor[/url] (£234.23 @ Aria PC)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/Khm323/msi-h310m-pro-vh-micro-atx-lga1151-motherboard-h310m-pro-vh ]MSI - H310M PRO-VH Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard[/url] (£48.98 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/J27CmG/corsair-memory-cmk16gx4m2a2666c16 ]Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory[/url] (£117.59 @ Aria PC)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/btDzK8/kingston-a400-240gb-25-solid-state-drive-sa400s37240g ]Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive[/url] (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/Ft7CmG/zotac-geforce-gtx-1060-6gb-mini-video-card-zt-p10600a-10l ]Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Mini Video Card[/url] (£219.59 @ Amazon UK)
[b]Case:[/b] [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/zxh9TW/bitfenix-case-bfccom100kkws1rp ]BitFenix - Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/XCjG3C/evga-power-supply-100w10500kr ]EVGA - 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply[/url] (£44.37 @ CCL Computers)
[b]Operating System:[/b] [url= https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/wtgPxr/microsoft-os-kw900140 ]Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit[/url]
[b]Total:[/b] £724.74
[i]Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available[/i]
[i]Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-02 15:32 GMT+0000[/i]

Thanks

Definitly build your own. Spec list above will suffice, check your LCD monitor outputs as you might be capped at 30hz through a HDMI which will be ok but not lovely for pc gaming.

A Ryzen 2600 will be a cheaper alternative to the 8400 with little performance difference.

Personally I'd say don't build your own - you'll only save yourself around £50-100 on a sub £1k PC and potentially get a lot of additional grief.

I built mine last year and after 6 weeks it stopped booting (I hadn't overclocked at that stage). Error codes/googling didn't really get me anywhere (I was confident it was either the motherboard, CPU or memory but didn't have spares to swap in to narrow it down). Eventually had to take it to a local PC repair shop to see if they could swap in a CPU and memory to help me identify the fault - they managed to ID it as the motherboard in the end (and didn't charge me as they couldn't repair it, felt slightly guilty after as I didn't expect it to be FoC...).

Anyway, I then had to contact the place I bought the motherboard from who passed me onto the motherboard manufacturer returns process. I followed that and sent it back, they came back to me saying the CPU pins were bent so it was my fault (that didn't explain why it ran fine for 6 weeks but I had no way to prove that and if the pins really were damaged it would either of been when I removed the CPU to send it back or whilst in transit, both seemed unlikely). They offered that they could attempt a repair (I think $50 at my cost) but couldn't guarantee it would work afterwards.

I ended up just telling them to keep their shitty motherboard and ordered a new one from a different company (these are £200 boards though 🙁 ).

So the money I saved from the initial build went on buying a new motherboard and I still effectively don't have a single point of contact for any issues (even though I bought most of the parts from one shop you still get caught up in different vendor warranty programs), at least with a pre-built system you get a single warranty (and the PC company deal with vendor warranty issues). It has been fine since though.

So unless you have a real desire to build it yourself (there's not actually much achievement to it, just like fancy Lego really) I would spend a bit extra and get a pre-built system...

I can think of two compelling reasons for a self-build from scratch:.

1) You're particular about what components you specifically want, CPU / GPU / motherboard etc. (and even then, a bare-bones system may be a better option).

2) You want a bit of a project and will enjoy building it.

If neither of those apply to you, I'd go for a pre-built.

It will only be for racing games as the xbox covers all the other workshop entertainment

A copy of Forza would be considerably cheaper than a gaming rig...

He's intending to play iRacing and Raceroom, Forza doesn't really fill the same niche.

Agreed about the reasoning behind self builds though. The price premium for a pre built PC isn't that big last I checked, if you'd find doing it yourself a chore rather than a project. You do have to watch out for cut corners though, cheap cases, PSUs and motherboards might limit your options for upgrades later.

Just when I thought I knew what do do ...............................

Can anybody now link me a similar spec to PCpartpicker one that mattyfez kindly posted? Although I do like the PCpartpicker website

Are the cloud based gaming services a lot of bollocks

Nvidia, Liquidsky or Shadow?

We have Forza, in fact had all the Forza games since the 360 version and get a nice started bonus with each version based on previous purchases But the newest one looks stunning and the in car detail is superb but it still feels arcade in nature and I'd rather use pad than wheel. Horizon is another beauty that is perfect for the console, its beyond terrible with the wheel

The price premium for a pre built PC isn’t that big last I checked

The last time I checked, which granted was about ten years ago, it was actually more expensive to self-build.

Rebuilt Mattyfez's spec link on PC Specialist, as close as i could get to, came in at £987 - Pretty certain building your own computer nowadays is cheaper than a pre built one or getting another company to build it.  You could go even cheaper if you went for an AMD CPU and matching mobo.

Having this debate with myself at the moment.  Looking at some Ryzen 2700X upgrade part to replace my now failed motherboard (and/or RAM or CPU).  I still have a decent GPU in there, a good PSU and lots of disk, so swapping out CPU/Motherboard/RAM makes the most sense but it's a terrible bore trailing through all the options to figure out what to choose...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

<strong class="bbcode-strong">CPU: Intel – Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor (£234.23 @ Aria PC)
<strong class="bbcode-strong">Motherboard: MSI – H310M PRO-VH Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£48.98 @ Amazon UK)
<strong class="bbcode-strong">Memory: Corsair – Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (£117.59 @ Aria PC)
<strong class="bbcode-strong">Storage: Kingston – A400 240GB 2.5″ Solid State Drive (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
<strong class="bbcode-strong">Video Card: Zotac – GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Mini Video Card (£219.59 @ Amazon UK)
<strong class="bbcode-strong">Case: BitFenix – Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
<strong class="bbcode-strong">Power Supply: EVGA – 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.37 @ CCL Computers)
<strong class="bbcode-strong">Operating System: Microsoft – Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
<strong class="bbcode-strong">Total: £724.74

The specs look good but you have forgotten the CPU cooling in your list.

To save some cash I suggest Noctau air cool as that is cheaper than water cool if budget is a concerned.

I have recently bought all the parts but yet to build it up yet.  My mobo is also MSI.  My RAM is only 8GB with a passive video card since I am not playing games.  CPU is the same i5.  My SSD is Samsung and case is ATX cheapo Corsair as I bought at discount.

Was thinking of AMD Ryzen but abandon that option due to some software programme with Ryzen at that time.  Think they have sorted that out now.

I belive the 8400 comes with a stock cooler as it's not a k series chip.

Can't overclock it Keeps price down as you don't need to buy a cooler or a more expensive z series motherboard..

<p>Depends on if OEM or not, I don't believe OEM chips come with coolers. That said, Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo's are cheap as chips and do the job fine on my 130W chip.</p>

Its a retail chip, comes with heatsink:

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Processors/Intel+CPUs/Core+i5+-+Socket+1151+Coffee+Lake/Intel+Core+i5+8400+-+2.80GHz+Hex+Core+%28Coffee+Lake%29+Processor?productId=68438&utm_source=uk.pcpartpicker.com&utm_medium=referral

<p>Depends on if OEM or not, I don’t believe OEM chips come with coolers. That said, Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo’s are cheap as chips and do the job fine on my 130W chip.</p>

The Hyper 212 Evo is a good air cool that does not break the bank. 😀

Was thinking of 212 Evo too but opted for Noctua as I got some "spare cash".

I am trying air cool this time as my current PC with Corsair H50 (nearly 10 yr old) water cool is driving me deaf from the pump noise. 🙁

I actually run a hyper 212 evo currently.

Better than a standard cooler but quite middle of the road... But it's cheap so ..

Aye it was that or a Noctua, budget won. Sadly it won't fit in the 4U rack I was going to use so stuck with the tower for now.

The be-quiet coolers seem pretty good, standard size tower cooler like the hyper but the fan seems better quality. But a little more pricey.

That said I'd probably go for a noctua if I could bring myself to buy a new air cooler.

I'm lazy and the thought of pulling the mother board out to refit the cooler... Can't be arsed and the hyper is ok for moderate overckocks

I considered this question earlier this year.

Like you, I was a little out of the game with respect to specs and building, but did quite a lot of research to work out what I needed.

After deciding the spec, I looked at bespoke builds and buying parts before settling on a PCSpecialist box that was reduced at PCWorld.

It was cheaper to buy this unit (delivered next day) than it was to buy the parts - and I got an easy warranty with a national chain.

Built a pc with a water cooled (all in one) 8600k, a 1080, a high spec motherboard and the best consumer PSU money can buy - for less than 1300 - all in a small but stylish case...a raijintek thetis....the 4.5 ghz CPU doesn't go above 55 and the GPU tops out at 60 degrees....for 1300.

I wasn't able to find a spec anything like that for that money off the shelf - at the time, everything had a 1070.

You will want 60fps minimum for Sim Racing, anything less is a real struggle, I didn't think it would be until I tried 30 vs 60fps, so much easier to place the car. I use a TV too, but you may need a beefy GFX card for 4k @ 60fps, such as the 1080ti or 2080 which is more than your budget. If running at 1080 you should be able to get away with a cheaper GFX card. I too was interested in VR racing on the PC, but the cost of GFX cards for VR are way too expensive, once you add the cost of the headset/etc. In the end I bought the PSVR and GT Sport which keeps my VR need at bay. A couple of laps of Nordeschleife in an F40 and I'm happy.

I highly recommend building a simrig for your wheel. RaceDepartment is a good resource for simrigs/tactle transducers/wind generators/PC stuff. Here is my build thread of my sim rig.

<div class="bbp-reply-content">

I highly recommend building a simrig for your wheel. RaceDepartment is a good resource for simrigs/tactle transducers/wind generators/PC stuff. Here is my build thread of my sim rig.

</div>
That looks ace,

I have a GT Omega ART frame wanted the Pro but like having the

Thrustmaster T3PA Pro 3 Pedals Add-On inverted but you cant with the PRO.

Using the following hardware

THRUSTMASTER TH8A Add-On Gear Shifter

Thrustmaster TS-XW Racer Sparco wheel

with a Buttkicker Gamer, SBB2 Button Box & loadcell attached. Hopefully this will all be an effortless transfer to PC.

I think the OP would be better off going with a Ryzen 5 and a 1070 tbh