Set-Up

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 21:52

Hi all. Great forum with some useful info.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to high end gaming PC's but have a budget of £1500-£2000 for a good set up.

The PC will be for gaming only. I don't need windows or anything like that I have an iPad for emails etc.

I will be playing games such as Comp of Heroes, Hearts of Iron etc.

Can somebody please offer some advice. I am thinking a Black Pearl will be ideal but would like some advice on upgrades/downgrades

Thanks in advance.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:21

Hey zakblood..

I need the whole set up. I'm currently using an old HP but I am now in the position to afford a decent set up. I'm not educated enough to figure everything out but I'm slowly learning. I want a set up that can run games on good settings that will last for a few years.

Thanks for your interest and hopefully you can expand my knowledge.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:23

@The ReaperGuy. No. I would only need a system that would allow me to play games both on and offline. I have no need or desire for Windows, email, excel or any other nonsense. Purely a gaming system. I am looking for a per-built.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:28

Acme15. That is precisely why I came on here. I stated I was a novice. How is your post supposed to be helpful. I would rather you kept your unhelpful comments to yourself. Thanks.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:29

ThaReaperGuy said:
I think your a little mis-understood, you would need an operating system in place to get onto the computer, unless you have an idea to go for some other operating system such as Linux or...?

Zak, I think the 3930k may be a tad too overkill for a simple gaming machine, would be a simpler to use a 3570k, no point using up the full 2k budget for the hell of it.

So could I get a basic OS and used the saved money on a more useful upgrade?

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:36

acme15 said:
I would rather you keep your inflated comments to yourself also. Thanks.

You stated that you were a novice with 'high end systems'.

Also, you could play the games which you mentioned, completely maxed out on a PC thrown together from about £150 - £200 worth of used parts. Those are the sort of games I would expect to be able to play on my 5 year old mid range laptop.

My comments weren't inflated.

I stated I was a novice wanting a high end system.

I have the budget for a good set-up which will let me explore different games.

Thanks again for you unhelpful comments.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:43

ThaReaperGuy said:
Precisely that, and with your budget I'm sure a lot of people will spec a nice system up for you. I would but I'm more a 500-1k kinder budgeter.

Thanks for that. I have found a few companies that will build the PC. CyberPower seem quite reputable. Do you know of any companies with a good reputation? What do you think of the BlackPearl as a starting base? It has very good reviews and out performs machines costing £1500 more.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:47

Thanks, Lee. Would I need to add monitor/,Mouse/keyboard? Where would it be best to upgrade, if at all? Would that play most games and how long before it fell behind new game releases?

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:51

zakblood said:
black is good, these can be pre build at well, i spec high end as that what the black is, high end, there all i7 and top end at that, please don't judge me on spending all the budget, i did as asked

I really appreciate your help. I basically want a machine that will play any game I want without the problems I'm sure we've all experienced at some point when trying to play on a PC that isn't fit for purpose. I have the money so I figured why not. I used to be heavily into RTS games but my life got hijacked by boxing for a few years. I now have more time to get back into the RTS games and want to make sure I have a decent system that won't let me down.

I've only ever purchased off the shelf PCs before so this high end customisation stuff is all a bit daunting.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:52

Thanks RJC. It's great so many people are keen to help.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:55

I've read about problems with wide screen. If a game isn't comparable, it "stretches" the screen and causes viewing difficulties. How true is this?

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 23:00

zakblood said:
sorry Mr Toodles, better to pick a spec you like, and if you want overclockers to build it for you they will, i picked some bundles as BLACK gives you the options, so do OC as well, if you want to go pre built or have a spec done for you and built, no problem, just let us know.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=136

post in there ^^ as some of above don't go there and we can carry on with high end stuff if you want, or ask a mod to move the thread if you want a pre built system etc, we can spec it for you, then let you phone or email OC to build it

I certainly have plenty of food for thought here. How technical is all of this. Will I be able to educate myself on all the components. After all, knowledge is power. I have no knowledge of PC components but I am educated to degree level and have good common sense. I am more than happy to pay someone to build it for me but I would like to be able to make informed decisions on what I am buying and how I can improve performance within my budget.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 23:02

lee32uk said:
But he also said that he would like to explore different games, and that the system would hopefully last a few years

I also said I had been off the gaming scene for a few years now. I want a system that will play anything I decide to buy without crashing/lagging due to lack of muscle.

I figured £2000 would do that.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 23:12

lee32uk said:
Yes you would need to add a monitor/mouse/keyboard/speakers. The system I have specced will allow you to add a second 7950 video card if and when it starts to struggle, that is why I put a 850W power supply in there. If you just want to run a single card then you could change the power supply to a 550W or so and also get a cheaper motherboard. I also put a good cooler so that you can overclock the cpu if you wanted too (and you should )

Im not too clued up on monitors/mice/keyboards so maybe best to look at reviews or go for someone elses choices on that.

I understand what you mean about the video card and power. It's certainly better to have the option of more muscle so having the power ready and waiting makes sense.

I've read about overlooking. It seems most people recommend 20-30%. I've also read it is better to overlock the turbo as it is there when needed and not constant. I kind of understand this but don't understand what overlooking achieves.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 23:14

lee32uk said:
£2000 will buy you a killer rig

That's great news, thanks. I'd rather have more than I need. I didn't realise some people would get so upset by that but I guess there's always one.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 23:26

acme15 said:
Hey now, try reading my last post

I did. Thanks for your help. I should have been clearer from the start in terms of my gaming/performance requirements. I basically want a machine that will be capable of playing anything I chose to buy and play. I would like it to be able to do this for a few years and then have the option of upgrading once it starts to lack power.

I would rather have too much power than face the diss ointment and frustration of being unable to play a game I wanted to.

Mr Toodles · 1 Mar 2013 at 23:27

lee32uk said:
Overclocking the cpu is basically free extra performance. You are making the cpu run faster than it's stock value.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17612922

Ok. I guess it's like "chipping" a car? You hack into the CPU and tweak it?