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How far can you push a bad PC with a good gpu?

ThomBassmonkey

ThomBassmonkey

ThomBassmonkey

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Joined
19 Aug 2011
Posts
871
As I've said elsewhere, my pc's bricked recently and I'm getting vouchers in return for that place with the people that wear purple shirts.

Obviously I would rather build my own computer but given the prices they charge and the fact I rely a lot on my computer and I've not had a PC for almost 7 weeks now, I'm considering buying a PC from that place.

The pcs there are fairly low spec generally, they don't even seem to have sandy bridge which is very annoying since I may end up buying a complete machine from them. But I'm considering buying the best PC I can from them then upgrading it over time as I can afford it.

Given that it'd be a gaming machine, if I got a fairly low spec machine with the intention to spend potentially up to a couple of hundred on a GPU (maybe less, depends on PSU etc), would I be left with a machine that's still fairly useless as the processor would be slow or would it still be capable enough to bide me by while I slowly upgrade?

Thanks.
 
Hi there,

It does seem like a tough situation. The issue with buying a prebuilt pc from somewhere like there is their specifications are often not up-to-date, they use small capacity/low quality PSUs (would need to replace the PSU if you want to use a good GPU), they use small cases (not great for upgrading), the motherboards have locked down BIOSs (so no overclocking and little chance of CPU upgrades) and for the spec you get the prices are sky high.

May I ask how much in terms of vouchers you will be getting? Perhaps you could buy some components from them (albeit at uncompetitive prices) and complete it with other components bought from elsewhere.
 
I did start a thread in the general section asking for advice about it that has more information on my situation, but the consensus was pretty much that I should sell the vouchers, take the loss and still come out with a better deal elsewhere, but I really need a PC ASAP now so I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about getting a computer up and running quickly. Waiting a few days for parts ordered online would probably be ok, but waiting to sell on vouchers before I cando anything would be longer than I'd be happy with.

I'll find out tomorrow exactly how much I'll be getting, but I'm expecting somewhere in the £450 area. I'll have extra cash to put in as required though.
 
cmndr_andi said:
Perhaps you could buy some components from them (albeit at uncompetitive prices) and complete it with other components bought from elsewhere.
Click to expand...

This is what I would do, granted it's not ideal but at least they do sell the odd half decent component even if they are sold at extortionate prices :eek:
 
Yeah, everyone seems to suggest the same thing, someone suggested some specific components that were ok and not too overpriced on the other thread, I'll probably post again in that thread tomorrow once I know exactly how much I have to spend there for more advice.

So frustrating to know that being forced to buy from that one place is going to mean having to compromise on quality rather than budget being the compromise.
 
They don't have all the bits, they don't even sell any sandy bridge processors. The bits that they do have are vastly overpriced, if I had £450 to spend here, from what I've seen in other threads I could get a usable gaming machine, if I do get £450 to spend there I'd be lucky to get half the parts to the same standard between them not selling some bits and other bits being overpriced.
 
ThomBassmonkey said:
They don't have all the bits, they don't even sell any sandy bridge processors. The bits that they do have are vastly overpriced, if I had £450 to spend here, from what I've seen in other threads I could get a usable gaming machine, if I do get £450 to spend there I'd be lucky to get half the parts to the same standard between them not selling some bits and other bits being overpriced.
Click to expand...

Yep, just had a quick look myself and the component prices are a complete joke to be fair. A few prime examples:

GTX 460 1GB £189.99 :eek:
AMD 6870 £209.99 :eek::eek:
Corsair 1600MHz DDR3 2x2GB £72.39 :eek::eek::eek:
XFX ATI 5850 £239.99 :eek::eek::eek::eek:

Dunno where they get these prices from, they must just pluck them out of the air?
 
Yea, those component prices are really crazy.

You would be much better off selling the vouchers, or failing that buy an Ipad 2 3G 16GB with the vouchers and sell it on at slightly below cost (since they hold their price rather well- especially if unused).
 
cmndr_andi said:
Yea, those component prices are really crazy.

You would be much better off selling the vouchers, or failing that buy an Ipad 2 3G 16GB with the vouchers and sell it on at slightly below cost (since they hold their price rather well- especially if unused).
Click to expand...

Yeah or a laptop and selling it
 
The processors were what shocked me, for the basic i5 non-sb it costs £160, the SB i5 2500k here is £155, actually cheaper by a fiver. I find out exactly how much they're giving me tomorrow hopefully.

There's a small chance I might be able to sell the vouchers to my dad who's after a camera and might do a deal with me, but if that doesn't work out, I really need a PC ASAP as, like I said, I've been without one for 7 weeks and I already have a lot of catching up to do.
 
cmndr_andi said:
Yea, those component prices are really crazy.

You would be much better off selling the vouchers, or failing that buy an Ipad 2 3G 16GB with the vouchers and sell it on at slightly below cost (since they hold their price rather well- especially if unused).
Click to expand...

Do this (the iPad suggestion)! :cool:

Then spend your cash somewhere with more choice and reasonable prices...
 
Like I said, not going to happen due to time limits. For reasons I won't go into I need a PC ASAP, basic internet access from an iPad and ps3 isn't enough for extended periods of time. The amount of time it'd take to sell something and wait for funds to clear would be way too long. I'm sure a lot of people would feel the same if they had gone almost 7 weeks with no access to their own PC.

I'm supposed to be getting a call back about 10 minutes ago telling me how much I actually have in vouchers, so at least I'll know my budget then..
 
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