can't decide between pre built or self built

nataku17

nataku17

nataku17

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Joined
14 Sep 2010
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79
Location
Wales
hey =) i am new to the foums and could really use some help with getting a new gaming pc.

i have built PCs in the past but it has been about 3 years since i built my current system and it's really getting old now =P

i can't come to a decision between buying one of the OcUK pre built systems or building my own.

from looking at these forums it seems for gaming most people say to get an i5 if going for intel, the two systems i am looking at are the Ultimate Viper or the Titan Exodus with the GTX470 as my card of choice.

from looking at the price of the indavidual components there doesn't seem to be a huge price difference between building them myself or just buying the pre built.

i just can't make a decision between pre built or self build or between the i5 or i7 =/ could really use some other peoples opinions on this.

also if i did go for a pre build from overclockers would i be able to make changes to the internals? such as adding graphics cards, ram or drives =) i know with some pre builds in other places you void your warranty just by opening the case

thanks a lot in advance ^^
 
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Unless you 100% love building PCs for yourself, go for what ever option is easier and/or cheaper. Remember that the pre-built systems will come with some guarantee.

I can't answer your question re: changing a pre build. Try adding your question to the customer Services forum. I'm sure someone will be able to answer your question.
 
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It depends heavily on who you want to buy it pre-built from. If it is a company like OCUK or a local shop then go for it! But if it is from an OEM, especially Dell, then I would say build it yourself.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
Unless you 100% love building PCs for yourself, go for what ever option is easier and/or cheaper. Remember that the pre-built systems will come with some guarantee.

I can't answer your question re: changing a pre build. Try adding your question to the customer Services forum. I'm sure someone will be able to answer your question.
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i can build them but i am always so scared i will break something xD

i sent them a web note thing and got a reply after 10 mins (which i was really impressed with) and it seems i can change anything i want after getting the system without voiding the warranty =)

i still can't decide between the i5 or i7 system though >< but i guess it will come down to my own choice between future upgradability (SB) or price =/
 
nataku17 said:
i still can't decide between the i5 or i7 system though >< but i guess it will come down to my own choice between future upgradability (SB) or price =/
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Neither i7 nor i5 will future proof you when it comes to Sandy Bridge. The only future proofing you get is in how long that hardware will be able to perform to a satisfactory level. Both the 1366 and 1156 chipsets will go out the window, so you just need to look at the alternatives and figure out the performance to price ratio and what suits your needs.
 
Porcelina said:
Neither i7 nor i5 will future proof you when it comes to Sandy Bridge. The only future proofing you get is in how long that hardware will be able to perform to a satisfactory level. Both the 1366 and 1156 chipsets will go out the window, so you just need to look at the alternatives and figure out the performance to price ratio and what suits your needs.
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i thought the sandy bridge chips will be using the 1366 socket? if they arnt then i will probably just go for the I5 system i guess would rather not spend over £1000 on a computer if i can help it and most people seem to say that the i5 performs just as well as the i7 for gaming

edit: will i get any problems running 2x GTX470 in SLI with an i5? my biggest worry with the i5 is that i would end up with it bottlenecking my system (if that is the correct terminology)
 
I bought a Tian Exodus pre-build system with win7 home premium and a 5850 a few months back for my casual gaming habbit:D, I had a few problems with the cooler and a faulty gfx card when i first received the system. Overclockers replaced both the parts and gave me good customer service in the process with helping me reinstall the cooler. I am very happy with my purchase and i rate Overclockers support highly.
If its any help to you I mainly play CODMW2 and Lord of the Rings Online, this system has no issues running both games with all the eye candy turned on. COD sits at 91fps solid @1920 x 1080, frames never go up or down. Really solid performance.
I came from dated Duel core to this Overclocked beast and for me its super quick. I'll likley buy another pre build system from these guys in the future.
 
If you are planning on buying from a company like OcUK that are going to use the same quality parts that you would use I would go with that option.

I personally tend to find the building part the least satisfying part of having a PC, but still tend to end up doing myself every few years or so.

Edit - Spelling
 
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That is a major advantage with pre-builds. Warranty :)

If your happy paying for the warranty and can get all the componants put in you want go for the pre-build. I gain great enjoyment from the build :)
 
hehe =) i find building them way to stressful, worried i will break something =/ the picture looks really nice.

i think i will go with the Titan Exodus, the i7 just doesn't seem to be worth the extra money and hopefully i can ask them to build it in the HAF 912 case as i don't like the antec 300
 
Last week i ordered the Intel i5 760 overclocked bundle and also got a Gigabyte GTX 460 OC and what can i say, Both are excellent runs all the latest games on high settings without any issues :) The intel i5 760 @ 4ghz is a very good choice.
 
i am a little undecided between the GTX 460 or 470, if i got the 460 i could afford to buy a second one and SLI straight away but if i but the 470 i can only get the one for now
 
imo GTX 460 1gb in SLI will pretty much handle anything at very good FPS, If it was me i'd go that route and save the extra ££ and get an SSD later when you have enough
 
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