Budget desktop help - self build or Primo?

whitzend

whitzend

whitzend

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14 Jan 2013
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Please can you help me configure a system as a birthday present for my 10 year old son.

As a guideline for my performance requirements I have an Intel E6750, 6Gb RAM (1066MHz), ATI 3850 GPU, self-build which is a few years old. My son uses this machine quite happily, so I don’t think I need a vastly greater spec than this.

Obviously if better spec can be easily accommodated in the budget, I'm not going to turn it away, but future upgradeability (via the motherboard, I guess) and coming in under-budget is more important than squeezing every last available penny into performance on Day 1. (Hope that makes sense!)

My total budget for the project is £500-600, but that needs to include everything. By which I mean:
Computer
OS (probably Windows 7 Home Pro, just for familiarity)
Office (2010 Home + Student)
Mouse (Logitech M100 or similar)
Keyboard (Logitech K200)
Speakers (Logitech S120 / 150 or similar)
Monitor – have been looking at the LG IPS234V for about £115 (because I may steal it and give him mine!)
The other important component that I've probably forgotten! :D

Since the monitor + MS software / OS + peripherals come in around £300, it only leaves £200-300 for the system hardware.

(I realise there’s a debate to be had about MS Office versus OpenOffice, but I’d hope to use the cost saving to reduce overall spend, rather than try to push more spec into the machine itself, so it’s probably not worth going around that loop.)

Is the best option for me to go with a Primo system (6000i or 6100i), including graphics card and OS? That just leaves me Office, monitor + peripherals to buy.

Or is there a self-build system that could beat this route?

Thanks in advance
 
How good does this PC need to be Graphics-wise? Do he play games? if so what sort of games.

I'd look at the trinity's if the graphical demands aren't high, as they have great onboard GPU's.

Take a look at some A4 Bundles. :)
 
Doomedspeed said:
How good does this PC need to be Graphics-wise? Do he play games? if so what sort of games.

I'd look at the trinity's if the graphical demands aren't high, as they have great onboard GPU's.

Take a look at some A4 Bundles. :)
Click to expand...

Graphics wise, so far he's not played anything beyond Minecraft, Civ 5 and, as I said, my elderly ATI 3850 has been fine for him so far, would be reluctant to drop too far below that, though. I can see him wanting to get into more games perhaps with slightly more demand on the graphics as time passes.

At least OC systems have a decent PSU built-in so I can add a separate GPU in the future!

Presumably the microATX case doesn't restrict my GPU choice, in terms of size?

I'm aware that the APUs are better for onboard graphics than Intel. Could I safely go down to the A4-3300 line (Primo 6100a) or would I be better with the A4-5300 (6300a)?
 
honosuseri said:
That's an upgrade not a new licence.

I tried to balance a nice spec with some legs to it. He could drop to the A6K APU, lower the speakers to 2.1, making some cuts could help pay for MS office
Click to expand...

I'll be honest, honosuseri, I think your system might be a touch overkill.

An A10-5800 feels like a big jump from a E6750. I've no issue upgrading components in the future (but agree it needs to be usable on day 1, too).

My stark issue is that if I can't bring the whole thing, Office included, in for about £600 he doesn't get a computer. Hence needing to focus on a budget, but upgradeable PC now.

In reality, with the sort of usage I describe, how much is he going to notice the difference between an Intel G620 system and your A10 / A6 spec right now?

(Incidentally, really appreciate all the helpful feedback and kind treatment of a newcomer, by the way)
 
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whitzend said:
I'll be honest, honosuseri, I think your system might be a touch overkill.

An A10-5800 feels like a big jump from a E6750. I've no issue upgrading components in the future (but agree it needs to be usable on day 1, too).

My stark issue is that if I can't bring the whole thing, Office included, in for about £600 he doesn't get a computer. Hence needing to focus on a budget, but upgradeable PC now.

In reality, with the sort of usage I describe, how much is he going to notice the difference between an Intel G620 system and your A10 / A6 spec right now?

(Incidentally, really appreciate all the helpful feedback and kind treatment of a newcomer, by the way)
Click to expand...

Always happy to help. Made the changes I stated earlier.......

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung S22B300HS 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black £109.99
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-03237) £91.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A85X-D3H AMD A85X Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £64.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) HDD £54.98
1 x AMD A6-5400K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Dual Core Processor (AD540KOKHJBOX) £49.99
1 x Adata XPG Xtreme v1.0 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C10 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (AX3U2133XC4G10-2X) £47.99
1 x NZXT Source 210 Elite Midi Tower Case - Black £39.98
1 x Logitech S-220 2.1 Speaker System - OEM (980-000022) £21.98
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £11.99
Total : £605.88 (includes shipping : £12.50).



click me for a A6 gaming demo
 
pre built,

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-005-EP&groupid=43&catid=2385&subcat=2453

Why Should You Buy This System?
- Includes the superb AMD A4-5300 3.40GHz Dual Core Processor
- 4GB of high performance gaming memory guarantees the smoothest possible experience when multitasking and ensures you never have a break in the action
- 8 Hours stressed tested and quality controlled
- Precision built and cabled by Overclockers UK expert technicians
- Pre-built and read to ship out the same day

System Specification
- Case: OcUK IMP Case
- Power Supply: OcUK 500w PSU
- CPU: AMD A4-5300 3.40GHz Dual Core Processor
- Motherboard: Asrock FM2A55M-DGS AMD A55 Chipset Motherboard
- RAM: TeamGroup Elite 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Single Channel Kit
- Hard Drives: 500GB HDD
- Graphics Card: Integrated AMD HD 6310 Graphics
- Sound: 7.1 Channel Sound (On-Board)
- Optical Drive: OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black)

£179.98 inc VAT plus,

1 x Samsung S22B300HS 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black £109.99
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-03237) £91.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.99
1 x Logitech S-220 2.1 Speaker System - OEM (980-000022) £21.98
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £11.99
Total : £327.95 (includes shipping : £10.00).



£507.93 pre built with only o/s to put on by yourself, not as fast as hono build, but under budget and pre built, can also add more memory or low end video card in price for bit better gaming later :) or talk to them when ordering and maybe they will put o/s on as well :)
 
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I'm missing a PSU lol

Will need to do a respec and order some specs lol

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung S22B300HS 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black £109.99
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-03237) £91.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A85XM-D3H AMD A85X Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 micro ATX Motherboard £61.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) HDD £54.98
1 x AMD A6-5400K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Dual Core Processor (AD540KOKHJBOX) £49.99
1 x Adata XPG Xtreme v1.0 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C10 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (AX3U2133XC4G10-2X) £47.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £36.98
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Logitech S-220 2.1 Speaker System - OEM (980-000022) £21.98
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £11.99
Total : £634.37 (includes shipping : £13.75).



I apologise for the mistake, my internet connection is playing silly buggers. I did click to order a PSU but it didn't add to the basket earlier. I used this screen as it's priced close to the monitor you are interested in. Keep in mind I'm losing £300 from the budget for the monitor and software, the rest of the spec is very solid :)
 
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zakblood said:
pre built,

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-005-EP&groupid=43&catid=2385&subcat=2453

Why Should You Buy This System?
- Includes the superb AMD A4-5300 3.40GHz Dual Core Processor
- 4GB of high performance gaming memory guarantees the smoothest possible experience when multitasking and ensures you never have a break in the action
- 8 Hours stressed tested and quality controlled
- Precision built and cabled by Overclockers UK expert technicians
- Pre-built and read to ship out the same day

System Specification
- Case: OcUK IMP Case
- Power Supply: OcUK 500w PSU
- CPU: AMD A4-5300 3.40GHz Dual Core Processor
- Motherboard: Asrock FM2A55M-DGS AMD A55 Chipset Motherboard
- RAM: TeamGroup Elite 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Single Channel Kit
- Hard Drives: 500GB HDD
- Graphics Card: Integrated AMD HD 6310 Graphics
- Sound: 7.1 Channel Sound (On-Board)
- Optical Drive: OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black)

£179.98 inc VAT plus,

1 x Samsung S22B300HS 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black £109.99
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-03237) £91.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.99
1 x Logitech S-220 2.1 Speaker System - OEM (980-000022) £21.98
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £11.99
Total : £327.95 (includes shipping : £10.00).

£507.93 pre built with only o/s to put on by yourself, not as fast as hono build, but under budget and pre built, can also add more memory or low end video card in price for bit better gaming later :) or talk to them when ordering and maybe they will put o/s on as well :)
Click to expand...

That is a very interesting option, thank you for your help! Liking the look of this very much.

Just for my own satisfaction/curiosity:
I've struggled to find reliable and comprehensive GPU benchmarking information. (Am aware of Toms Hardware, Anandtech & CPUbenchmar / Videocardbenchmark). Can anyone point me to a site that will let me see how, for example the 3850 compares with the 5450 compares with the integrated i3 / AMD graphics capabilities?
 
didn't like to say hono as i've missed more bits out then you most days tbh

pre build less agro if your not into building etc, warranty 2 years pick up and return to base etc

"Full 24 Month collect and return warranty"

which for parts only you have to send them back if they dont work or go faulty etc

have built 1 machine this month, have ordered 4 pre built so far
 
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You didn't even notice Zak or you would have said, don't blag a blagger ;) I apologise but I did spot my own mistake, I should have reset the router lol

The prebuild has a naff case and PSU supplied with it. Halving the HDD capacity isn't going to save hardly any money at all. I have double the RAM and it's faster to help the IGP for gaming purposes.

OCuk I do believe honour the full warranty of the parts. The RAM is lifetime warranty, PSU, Mobo, APU, monitor is 3 years and 2 years for the 1TB HDD

whitzend said:
Just for my own satisfaction/curiosity:
I've struggled to find reliable and comprehensive GPU benchmarking information. (Am aware of Toms Hardware, Anandtech & CPUbenchmar / Videocardbenchmark). Can anyone point me to a site that will let me see how, for example the 3850 compares with the 5450 compares with the integrated i3 / AMD graphics capabilities?
Click to expand...

Intel integrated graphics are useless for gaming. The FM2 APUs have a much better IGP, I already linked a demo of the A6K in action (it was using 1600mhz RAM). HERE is one of the A10K next to the i3s IGP
 
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and I guess, as hono says, in the first instance the Intel integrated graphics will be worse - pushing me to put a GPU in sooner...

Many thanks again for the help.
 
whitzend said:
and I guess, as hono says, in the first instance the Intel integrated graphics will be worse - pushing me to put a GPU in sooner...

Many thanks again for the help.
Click to expand...

You are welcome fella. Usually I'm good at this spec'ing lark, I've not made the greatest of first impressions I'm afraid lol

I did my best to spec an all in one system to cover his needs. FM2s A6,A8 or A10Ks are ideal for really tight budget gaming rigs, which is essentially what you are asking for as well as a tool to do school work.

I can tweak my spec down but it won't save much cash and it is only nerfing the rig to be fair.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung S22B300HS 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black £109.99
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-03237) £91.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A55M-DS2 AMD A55 Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £49.99
1 x AMD A6-5400K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Dual Core Processor (AD540KOKHJBOX) £49.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 500GB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA050) HDD £47.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G160C9K) £41.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £36.98
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Logitech S-220 2.1 Speaker System - OEM (980-000022) £21.98
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £11.99
Total : £609.37 (includes shipping : £13.75).



Closer to £600 but hardly a stellar saving is it?

The mobo loses the sataIII ports and HDMI output, it only has 2 DIMM slots for the RAM so might be best to have 8GB from the get go as adding more won't be cost effective. Ideally Trinitys IGP wants fast RAM but i showed you a video of it running on 1600Mhz RAM well enough.

As I said the screen, software and speakers is really taking a toll on the budget.
 
Thanks again hono.

zakblood said:
horses for courses, both are dual core but using the 1155 would give you a better upgrade path
Click to expand...

Just done a quick search on OC catalogue for Socket 1155 CPUs and they seem to go right up to i7 territory which looks pretty "futureproof" as an upgrade path.

Obviously, putting an i7 into that system would be a bit of overkill, but am I reading it right? There's nothing (apart from bottlenecks elsewhere in the spec) that techncially prevents me buying the G540 prebuild now and shoving something like this in there in the future (suitably cooled, of course), is there?
 
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