To build or buy a new PC - Value for money

LSacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 15:22
Last edited 10/01/2017 - 16:10 by 1 other user

Hi All,
I've been looking at building a gaming PC to run high demanding games at high to ultra settings for around the $1200 mark.
I've looked on the forums a few times and have found some good builds, however with the 20% off some ebay stores, am i better off buying a pre-made gaming desktop from a store. PCBYTE in particular.
I only know basics about PC's and this would be my first build if I was to build one myself.

I want to know some peoples thoughts,Is it better to build a gaming PC myself or just buy a ready made pc?

Will I be able to build a better PC for the price of the below.

PCByte are currently offering the below. (Option A & B)

Option A - $1320 Option B - $1112
CPU Intel 6th Gen Quad-Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz ~ 4.2GHz (4 Cores 8 Threads) LGA1151 Intel 6th Gen Quad-Core i7 6700 3.4GHz ~ 4.0GHz (4 Cores 8 Threads) LGA1151
CPU Cooler Model Intel Stock Cooler Intel Stock Cooler
Motherboard Intel H110 Chipset Mobo Intel H110 Chipset Mobo
RAM 8GB 2133MHz DDR4 RAM 8GB 2133MHz DDR4 RAM
Video Card Nvidia GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 256-Bit Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 192-Bit
Storage 1TB 7200rpm 3.5 Inch Desktop HDD 1TB 7200rpm 3.5 Inch Desktop HDD
Optical Drive DVD Writer Optical Drive DVD Writer Optical Drive
Power Supply 550W High Efficiency Power Supply 550W High Efficiency Power Supply
Case V1B / V1W / T2XB / T2XW (Depend On Stock Availability) V1B / V1W / T2XB / T2XW (Depend On Stock Availability
Can also add a 240GB SSD Drive for about another $100.

  • Motherboard
    Intel H110 Chipset Mobo:

    • 4xSATA
    • USB2.0 & USB3.0
    • 2xDIMM DDR4 Slot
    • VGA / DVI / HDMI
      (Asus / Gigabyte / AsRock / MSI )

  • RAM
    8GB 2133MHz DDR4 RAM
    (G.Skill / Kingston / Crucial / Corsair / Adata)

  • Storage
    1TB 7200rpm 3.5 Inch Desktop HDD
    (Toshiba / Hitachi / Seagate / Western Digital / HGST )

  • Optical Drive
    DVD Writer Optical Drive
    (LG / Liteon / Asus)

  • Power Supply
    550W High Efficiency Power Supply

    • 4+4 EPS
    • SATA Power
    • 4-pin Molex
    • 6+2 PCI Power
      (Corsair / Thermaltake / Cooler Master / FSP)

  • Case
    V1B / V1W / T2XB / T2XW (Depend On Stock Availability)

    • USB2.0 & USB3.0
    • Audio Port
    • No Case Fan Included

When I checked PC Part Picker for similar parts. The best I could come up with was about $1700+ for Option A and about $1500+ for Option B.
Thoughts?

Computing

Comments

  • OverburdenedWarrior on 10/01/2017 - 15:38
    +3

    First things first, in regards to your CPU, are you going to overclock? If yes, you'll need the 'K' series. If not, you can grab the cheaper non 'K' version.

    Option A has the better graphics card, but both would suffice depending on what resolution you're playing on. (1080p = either card, but I'd rather the 1070 for the extra juice down the line. 2/4K = 1070 (need all the grunt you can get.)

    SSD is a must-have, with the 240GB being a nice sweet-spot in terms of cost. You could go lower, but you'd have to better manage your storage options. This could always be added down the line to save on costs, but then you'd have to crack it open, chuck it in and set it all up on the SSD. (Some ready-made/prebuilds come with a warranty that voids should the tabs they place on the back of the PC be broken, so if you're going this route, keep that in mind.)

    Everything else seems fine, but being ready-made PC's they tend to cut costs and use basic cases/motherboards, which isn't a huge issue, but entirely depends on what you'd think you'll need in a motherboard. (and the amount of available cooling provided by the case, I see that it's listed as no case fan included - which I find strange. That'd be an extra cost, as you need them to help with airflow.)

    The new gen of processers has started releasing which could see prices on the previous series move slightly. (Depends on stock availability.)

    There's always something to be said for building your own PC - put in the blood, sweat and tears and you'll love it all the more.

    • [Deactivated] on 10/01/2017 - 15:49
      +1

      "There's always something to be said for building your own PC - "

      I was keen on building my own but the one nagging thought that stopped me was……what if it doesn't turn on.

      • OverburdenedWarrior on 10/01/2017 - 16:00

        It's worse when it's somebody else's PC that you've built and it doesn't turn on. It's then time to recheck everything, only to find out you forgot to flick the power supply switch. :P

        As long as you follow the instructions carefully, not much would go wrong. At worst, it'll be a DOA part which (if you've brought locally) you can head over and exchange. It's a pain having to wait on a vital part to finish a build.

        • [Deactivated] on 10/01/2017 - 16:02

          and how do you determine which part is DOA? if you're just building one

        • OverburdenedWarrior on 10/01/2017 - 16:11

          @Brissy1: Depends on the part. Power supply - you wouldn't be able to power it on/keep it powered. RAM would be picked up in a POST error. A hard drive would have difficulty being detected in the BIOS, video card would be lack of a display. Motherboard depends on if it's the full board or just a section that's not working, so could range from a POST error to not starting.

      • BargainCowboy on 10/01/2017 - 16:13

        Haha, tell me about it. I saved about $200 on a $1000 build - ordered the main components locally and peripherals and RAM from Amazon. There was a second of suspense there after plugging everything in and turning it on… will it boot??? It did.

  • Mechanist on 10/01/2017 - 15:49
    +2

    Personally I always build. Its not that hard but will take a little bit of time depending on how confident you are.
    But it is very satisfying and you'll learn a bit a long the way.

    Also on you own build factor in the cost of your Operating System.

    Go for the SSD. I wouldnt even consider a PC/Laptop without one.
    For gaming it means much quicker load times and also boot times when starting the machine.

    Get the 1070 for future proofing. Wont notice it at 1080p but above that you will.

    Put the effort in to add all the items to cart from whatever site you will buy from to get a feel of the real price of builing it yourself.

    Good luck

    • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 16:00

      Yeah, thinking about it now for an extra $100 it would be much worth the SSD. Will definantly be adding that to the list!
      Thanks!

  • ode1online on 10/01/2017 - 15:55

    If your new to building PC's then it definitely can be quite satisfying once you have built it and turn on the power to see it boot for the first time , as long as you have an idea of what your doing you should be fine, theres LOTS of info on youtube and many PC magazine sites, However if the PRICE of the build out ways the cost of a prebuilt then I think you have your answer.

    But a word of warning I NOTE that there system listings state a choice of 4 BRANDS for each component, See where below your Mobo specs its states (Asus / Gigabyte / AsRock / MSI ) , but when buying the system you don't have a choice of which component , you can select upgrades but again there are no models or Brands to choose from.

    Effectively you are giving them the go ahead to fit the cheapest items to make more margin.

    Why would a Store fit an ASUS Mobo to your build when they listed you may get an AsRock MOBO ?

    Be sure the Seller knows how you want it configured at the very least before agreeing to buy.

    So if you want to build a PC with the SPECS you want you may have to Buy the items and build it as you should get the 20% off ATM

    Anyway good luck with your choice.

    • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 16:48
      +1

      Thanks, I've just emailed them asking if they would be able to supply me with the brands that they currently have in stock. Hopefully they will be able to tell me exactly what they will be putting in!
      Cheers!

      • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 21:07

        I received a return email from them.

        CPU: Intel
        GPU: Asus Turbo or Gigabyte Windforce
        MB: Asus
        PSU: Corsair
        RAM: Crucial
        HDD: Seagate
        ODD: LG

  • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 15:56

    Thanks for the prompt response.
    I probably wont be overclocking anything at this rate however I'd prefer to have the option too.

    Will the Option A build be able to run all modern titles in 4k?

    Happy to spend the extra $100 for an 240 GB SSD. Anything higher kind of breaks bank. I think i'll be able to manage.

    In terms of cooling fans PC Byte will add one in for around the $20-$30 mark. So I can probably add that in either way.

    I was looking forward to building a PC myself, but would rather spend a similar amount on something better if its pre built and has a waranty.

    In terms of pricing difference, in your thoughts is it worth spending an extra $208 and go for a relatively more powerful machine?
    In terms of comparison for the
    i7 6700k and the GTX 1070
    Vs
    i7 6700 and GTX 1060 6GB

    • ChillBro on 10/01/2017 - 16:07

      If you want 60 fps in 4k, a 1070 will not do unless the game is very well optimised.

      Also I think the cpu is overkill. You will not notice a difference in games if you drop it down to an i5.

      • OverburdenedWarrior on 10/01/2017 - 16:13

        That was my next recommendation if you were looking to build your own (or if they have other prebuilds.)
        Unless you're doing heavy Video/3D work, the i7 could be overkill. You could cut a nice slice of the budget by going down to the i5 6500/i5 6500K and using the extra elsewhere in the build.

        • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 16:59

          If I was to build it myself Id probably use a i5 6600k. Ill quickly go through a build that I was originally looking at and post it. The only reason I looked at the I7 was because of the pricing difference between building your own or buying off PC Byte

    • OverburdenedWarrior on 10/01/2017 - 16:07

      It's always good to have the option for down the line, but keep cooling into consideration. The standard CPU fan can struggle to keep up depending on how hard you push it.

      That's hard to estimate. Possibly? It'd vary by title, as some are more optimised than others. What in particular are you looking at playing? Do you already have the monitor?

      Yeah, it's a decent price. Does it specify which brand/model they'd add? Hoping not something generic.

      That sounds like a worthy investment.

      Yeah, I can understand that. It's a decent option. If I remember I think turn-around on a build is around 4 - 7 days.
      Do you have Windows?

      In terms of future-proofing the build, I'd say yup. Can't go astray with more power down the line, especially if you're looking at 4K.

      • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 17:10

        Id be looking at playing games like Battlefield 1, Forza Horizon 3 etc.
        I've emailed them now asking what branding that they currently have in stock. When they get back to me ill post it.
        I don't have windows however I can get the education version cheap because Im a student. I can purchase it through the government for around $30.

        I'd like to future proof it as much as possible. Im hoping it will last me the next 4 or so years with only minor upgrades.

    • playswithfire on 10/01/2017 - 21:22

      go the i5 and GTX1070 and put the extra $100 into a bigger SSD. ;)

      • Sacco07 on 11/01/2017 - 09:04

        Will something like the i5 6500 with a GTX 1070 be sufficiant?

        • playswithfire on 11/01/2017 - 10:56

          Absolutely. FWIW, I'm running an i5-3570k with a GTX970 and it's handling all my non-VR games on ultra settings at 60 frames per second. The only time I'm noticing any slowdowns on anything is with the latest stuff in Virtual Reality - which is a bit more noticable because it runs at 90 frames per second 2cm from my eyeballs. It's not even a major slowdown it's only very occasionally. If I upgrade from my GTX970 to a 1070 that will fix that problem.

  • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 17:05

    If I was to build a PC I was originally looking at something like this.
    Pricing was done though PC Part Picker.
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
    $325.00 Scorptec

    CPU Cooler
    Cooler Master Hyper 103 43.1 CFM CPU Cooler
    $29.00 Centre Com

    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-H110M-S2H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
    $84.00 Shopping Express

    Memory
    G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
    $65.00 Umart

    Storage
    Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
    $88.00 Shopping Express

    Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
    $64.00 Shopping Express

    Video Card
    Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card
    $595.00 Shopping Express
    Buy
    Case
    Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case
    $49.00 Scorptec

    Power Supply
    Corsair VS 550W ATX Power Supply
    $65.00 IJK

    Optical Drive
    LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer
    $19.00 IJK

    Total Price = $1318

    • misu p on 10/01/2017 - 18:04

      The Intel Core i5-6600K is an overclock-able CPU, but the MB does not allow it. If you want that MB go for i5-6600 - $305.00 without an extra cooler (the stock cooler is fine) and you just saved 50 AUD. You are paying 16% more for not a lot.

    • scrimshaw on 10/01/2017 - 23:33

      I agree. Don't bother with overclocking. The GTX 1060 offers you great performance, but it's not so great that it is really hampered by a 6th gen Intel quad core CPU.

      You would be better off saving the $50 odd dollars and buying a PC game with that.

  • playswithfire on 10/01/2017 - 17:16

    building a gaming PC to run high demanding games at high to ultra settings for around the $1200 mark.

    You haven't included a monitor in the pricing, so I'm assuming you're going to want to use an existing monitor… if so, what resolution is your current one?

    If it's 1080p and you're wanting high-ultra settings… you'll need a GTX1070. If it's lower resolution than 1080p you will be able to go the GTX1060.

    As others have suggested, an i5 CPU is better value. You can also get some of the GTX1070 cards through the current ebay 20% off deal for a bit cheaper than the retail prices.

    • airal3rt on 10/01/2017 - 17:51
      +2

      GTX1060 is more than adequate for 1080p dude, unless his 1080p monitor is also high refresh rate(120/144hz).

      • scrimshaw on 10/01/2017 - 23:35

        can confirm, 144hz 1080p display user here and the GTX 1060 is the right kind of GPU for it.

        There are very, very few games that would make a GTX 1060 struggle at 1080p, and those kinds of games would be ones like Crysis 3 which are really just technology showcases, not games you really play for a long time. BF4 is not even that demanding.

        1070 would be nicer for a constant 144 FPS however, but I'm not the type to play games at Ultra presets with full 16x FSAA or PhysX.

  • jikijiki on 10/01/2017 - 19:02

    I'd personally build it while you have the opportunity so you'd never need to pay someone else to do it for you ever again. PC parts have become so standardised they're essentially large Lego pieces that are prone to water and static electricity damage.

    Your first build will be daunting but extremely rewarding because once you've done it you'll know where everything goes from then on and be able yo help your mates out while you're at it.

    • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 21:04

      In terms of pricing would you rather pay for something to do it yourself? If it's cheaper to get them to do it for you.
      Would I be able to get a similar build at a similar price to what they're building their PC's for?
      At the end of the day it's more coming down to cost.

    • Sacco07 on 10/01/2017 - 21:04

      I'm probably more interested in building it but strictly on pricing what are your thoughts?

  • jzdhgkd on 10/01/2017 - 20:17

    1) If you're looking at OCing down the track, you will need get a Z170 motherboard unless you get one of the brands that unofficially do it (I think ASRock?)

    2) Definitely get an SSD. Dollar for dollar I reckon that'd be the most worthwhile purchase you can make.

    3) 6700k is probably overkill right now. I don't think there are many games where hyperthreading really makes a big difference. If you do any 3d work or video editing then stick with the 6700k

    4) Regarding gtx 1060 vs gtx 1070:

    • I currently game @ 1920x1200 with a 1070 and it's more than enough for pretty much anything I throw at it. The only exception I've encountered so far is Witcher 3 - cannot maintain 60fps with hairworks going.
    • 1060 is a good 20-30% slower than the 1070 but it'll be enough for 99% of gaming. The only mainstream games I can think of right now where you wouldn't be able to maintain 60fps ultra would be Witcher 3 as I mentioned, the division, and possibly watchdogs 2. Actually upon further research there are a few games where minimum seems to drop below 60 as seen here
    • Basically if you don't mind scaling graphics back to high then go for the 1060. If you must have ultra settings all the time, get the 1070 :D

    5) Build it yourself if you can! Lots of tutorials and websites around to help you if you're apprehensive.

    • Sacco07 on 11/01/2017 - 08:42

      I can probably get away with not OCing, Im happy to fork out the extra cash for a 240 SSD.

      I think im going to have a rethink about the above options. Ill see what it will cost for me to build myself and i might also see what other options PC Byte has.

      Overall im after the most cost efficiant PC that will last me the next 4-5 years. The main reason I was thinking the 1070 over the 1060 was for future proofing.

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