PC Buying - Help Please.

[Online_Addict]

Right, I know you guys must get loads of people just starting out asking loads of pointless and repetitive questions, but i need some help and you guys are the people to ask.

Im looking to buy/build a PC exclusively for gaming, but have little knowledge of PC's as I have played on console up until now.
I need to be able to play CoD4 and get the fps required for the jumps and bounces you all perform, 125 minimum, 250-333 if possible, I am not too fussed about display quality settings.

Could you point me in the right direction either to :
- Good websites (UK - I dont particularly want to ship things in from the US)
- Reccomended PC's or components (Best value for performance)
- What sort of price am I going to be paying for a decent PC
- Even just list your PC spec and price so I can start to research popular components or PC's in my price bracket.

I would say that up to 600 pounds is what I am currently willing to pay, will this be enough to buy a decent PC? If not then please specify what sort of price it will cost to buy a PC capable of playing CoD4 @ 125 fps minimum.

Thanks in advance and sorry to ask such obviously noob questions

[Soviet]

Alright, first off, let's go over the basics. You could buy a computer from a manufacturer, and it would be incredibly expensive. Or, you could build a computer. You'd get an excellent deal, it would be easier to upgrade, and you'd get much more satisfaction out of it. But understand, building a computer is not an easy process. You'd have to go over every aspect of the installation, figure out how to connect everything together, set it all up, and depending on what you're doing with hard drives and operating systems either transfer over a hard drive or install an operating system. For someone experienced it takes about a day, for someone who doesn't know what they're doing it might take several (assuming you don't run into an issues). Now, if you understand and want to build a computer then, first, good for you, and second, let's begin.

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I'll start you off with the basic hardware you'll need for what I'd consider to be a mid range computer. That will give you the ability to play on high graphics with the capability to go to your 333fps on some of the lower graphics settings. However, I don't know what type of peripherals and transferables you'll need. Which of the following do you need: a mouse, a keyboard, a monitor, a case, an operating system, a DVD Rom drive, a hard drive?

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 - $169.99 (£104.69)
A processor similar to this will be your best bet. If you want you could drop a little lower, down to maybe 2.6ghz.

Motherboard: ASUS P5P43TD Pro LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - $94.99 (£58.50)
This is just one suggestion. Really, though, you're going to want a good quality motherboard with socket LGA775 and at least 1 PCI-E 2.0 slot. Of course, note here that if you end up going with another motherboard there is a decent chance the memory you will purchase will also change, so keep that in mind.

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $74.99 (£46.18)
Again, note that the memory you want will have to be compatible with your motherboard. Beyond that, try to get 4gb (2x2gb) of memory and if you don't check reviews, at least buy from a reputable company (ie: Corsair or G.Skill).

Video Card: EVGA 512-P3-1150-TR GeForce GTS 250 512MB - $134.99 (£83.13)
Again, one example. Definitely go for some form of the GeForce GTS 250. It'll give you a nice video card without having to go too far into the high end.

Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W - $79.99 (£49.26)
Search around a bit for a power supply. Prices fluctuate frequently and you might be able to find a really good deal, just make sure you read some reviews before you buy. The one I gave you is good, but that's here in the US.

Total Price so far: $554.94 (£341.75)

So, really, it's all going to depend on what else you need. Right now you are well within price range, but you'll almost definitely need a case which is going to be another £40. So, figure out what else you'll need, and we can see how plausible a £600 budget is. Right now, it seems easily doable.

Note: I did all this on an American/Canadian site called Newegg.com. It is a fantastic site that unfortunately does not ship to the UK. I would suggest finding your parts on there then buying them on a site that ships to the UK. I'm sure some of our many British members can point you in the right direction (but don't listen to Peds, he's a douche).

[$uicide!]

Lol lots of money just to play CoD4.

[Online_Addict]

And that there, is EXACTLY why I knew I should ask you guys. Thankyou Soviet.

To answer your question Soviet, I am literally starting from scratch, so I will need everything. monitor, keyboard, mouse .... etc

Obviously building a PC will be cheaper, so I am most likely going to take this option. Although It will be the first PC i will build I have an uncle who builds his own high spec PC's so I guess he will be able to help with any issues I face. I have had a look on newegg.com, and found it a great site, but no UK shipping

I was just going to ask, Soviet, do you know if all the parts you listed will be compatible, or will it be a case of trial and error and hope to not face any compatability issues? The only reason I was thinking of buying a PC was the simpleness and the time i would save, but saying that, I did know that to get the best deal i would have to build, and building a PC does look a fun challenge

So again, Thanks Soviet, Could any UK members point me to any sites they would reccomend?

[Online_Addict]

Thanks for the sites KillerSam, much appreciated.

[helium]

Soviet summed it up pretty well I think, and I agree with all the components he chose except the graphics card. The graphics card is worse than the rest of your PC and it would suck to have a gaming PC where your graphics card bottlenecked.

I highly recommend the ATI HD4870 instead.

[Online_Addict]

Thanks helium, My freind also reccomends ATI so I will have a look.

[Online_Addict]

KillerSam, Could you list some reasons why you wouldnt buy an ATI card, or why you prefer Nvidia?

[Online_Addict]

ok, so I should go with an Nvidia because I dont want to be having to buy new cards often to get up to date technology.
Which Nvidia cards would you reccomend?

Also, seeing as you sound quite knowledgable, Could you reccomend any peripherals - monitor, keyboard, mouse? I need all of these.

[Online_Addict]

Thankyou for all the links again

With regards to the graphics card, I will use this PC often and need to find the best quality I can get for the best price. To be honest this goes for the whole of the PC as well is Im trying to find a good mid-range setup for an affordable price.

So this obviously rules out the highest quality components as i simply cannot afford to build some sort of supercomputer that runs everything high settings. This would be nice, but I am being realistic

[Pedsdude]

Another website that I would recommend is http://www.scan.co.uk/

And if you've got £200 to spare (probably cheaper now, actually), I would recommend an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 graphics card

[Online_Addict]

Thanks for the reccomendations, but Soviet said not to listen to you.
No really, thanks, I'm off to search for the best deal on an Nvidia GeForce GTX 275

[Soviet]

I stand by my original recommendation of a GTS250. The GTX275 would be considered a high end card. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it's the 2nd best card on the market right now. If you want to step it up a notch go to the GTX260. As far as mice and keyboards go, I would have to disagree with Killersam. He chose some expensive equipment that really is not necessary for a gaming computer.

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Mouse: Logitech MX518 - $39.99 (£24.58)
This is pretty much your low end gaming mouse. There really isn't a need to go for laser over optical and I owned an MX518 for about 3 years without any issues at all. It works well, it is sturdy, responsive, comfortable, and inexpensive in comparison to something crazy like the Sidewinder which you can add and subtract weight from. I am a hardcore gamer (35-40 hours per week) and have been satisfied with the MX518 for many years now.

Keyboard: Saitek Eclipse - $39.99 (£24.58)
I will agree with KS on this one, that is if you feel you need a gaming keyboard. There's nothing wrong with just a standard USB keyboard. The only real difference you'll find with gaming keyboards like the Eclipse is back lighting which could be considered a novelty and not truly useful.

Monitor: ViewSonic X Series VX1940w - $169.99 (£104.50)
This is a tough one for me to suggest. What I put up there is a 19" monitor. While that is not bad, if there is any way you could find room in your budget I'd suggest going with a 20-22" monitor. I would also suggest sticking to either Viewsonic or Asus as far as brand. Monitor is an important one, I would sacrifice something like keyboard or mouse for a good monitor undoubtedly.

Case: Something under $100 (£61.48)
With the case, I'd suggest just going to a trusted local retailer and looking around for one you want. It should be a mid-tower case and have at least a few fans included. Beyond that it is just personal preference. As far as brands go, I would recommend Antec but honestly, it doesn't really matter that much.

Operating System: Depends on how long you want to wait.
This one is tough as well. If you wait a few months Windows 7 will be out and you can just get that. Or, if you want your computer right now You can go with Windows XP 64bit. Either one is going to be fairly expensive, it's simply a question of whether or not you're willing to wait.

DVD Rom Drive: SONY Black SATA DVD-ROM - $18.99 (£11.67)
You shouldn't pay much more than that for a DVD drive. They're cheap, and you'll need one.

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3160813AS 160GB - $39.99 (£24.58)
This one is also a question of what you want. I gave you probably the cheapest solution. It is a reliable brand and decent drive, but depending on what you're doing you might not have enough storage. If you plan on downloading movies, television shows, or heaps of porn that will probably be too small. If that is the case go with something larger like a 320gb. It will kick up the cost about $20 but it will also double your space. Seagate is a good brand though, and I recommend you stick with them.

Total Price For This Addition: $408.95 (£251.41)

Total Price (Including Previous Recommendations): $963.89 (£593.16)

Yeah, that's right bitches. I just recommended every single part necessary considering his budget and came in £6.84 off his limit. I rock that much. Seriously, I own. Bow to me now.

On a serious note, unfortunately that does not include an Operating System, which is essential to have a running computer. That will probably end up costing you about £60-70, so keep that in mind. Also, KS was right about price difference, it will be more expensive in the UK unfortunately.

[Online_Addict]

I am Soviet's bitch now, aren't I?

Thankyou SO much though everyone that has helped, especially Soviet and KillerSam. If I have any more questions about it I definetly know the forums here wont let me down.

[helium]

My main gripe against ATI cards is that me / my family spent £600 on 2 new ATI cards a few years back. Long story short, the Nvidia cards of the same age / price can play newer games that the ATI cards couldn't. The reason behind this was that ATI were releasing cards with already out dated technology and missing Pixel Shader 2 (which games developers decided was essential, and ATI didn't know about this?) so within 6months the cards were no good at all for playing new games, when the nvidia equivalents were fine for a couple of years.
It seems to me that most games manufacturers gear their games up for nvidia hardware over ati, as is shown by nvidias development of PhysX which I don't believe is on board ATI cards (and is on all Nvidia cards from the 8' series onwards). Not sure if ATI include PhysX support on their hardware now however.

Basically....I have a dislike for the company's attitude regarding including necessary technology on their products, when they fully know that they are releasing products that are very quickly out dated.

I think that your reason of disliking ATI is ridiculous.

You can't really judge a company by something that happened several years ago when Pixel Shader 2 wasn't supported, can you? I can tell you that ATI has a lot better support than Nvidia, and I know this by being an ATI user and having a brother that uses Nvidia. Before the HD4870 came out, ATI was way far behind Nvidia in technology but after the release of the HD4870 everything changed for ATI. It quickly became the most popular card on the market due to the high performance you got with that price. The reason that most manufacturers 'gear' their games up for Nvidia is because Nvidia only aim for graphic cards and they pay great amounts of money to the manufacturers for doing this. And on a side note, AMD will release DirectX 11 on their new ATI cards within a few months.

It's pretty clear that you're not quite sure what you're talking about, especially when typing "Basically....I have a dislike for the company's attitude regarding including necessary technology on their products, when they fully know that they are releasing products that are very quickly out dated". Their products are absolutely not quickly outdated. They release a new driver every month including great performance boosts, bugfixes, new features etc. And yeah, I guess I'm an 'ATI fanboy' for writing this.

Online_Addict: If you want a lot of performance for a good price, get HD4870. I know what I am talking about. If you want to go for Nvidia I would recommend the GTX 260, but it costs a little more than the HD4870 and is slightly worse.