Is current PC deal on Catch of the day worth consider?

Lkingofduck on 25/11/2012 - 23:38

Saw this deal today. https://m.catchoftheday.com.au/event/2395
I had been wanting to build a decent gaming PC to play the Witcher II. There was a gaming PC spec that I copied from Whirlpool which will cost around $1,250 + labour to build.

So just wondering if what COTD is offering are decent so save my trip to MSY or OrangeIT.
Which one can handle the Witcher II comfortably?

My hardware skill is very limited and obsolete. I no longer has programmer friend to help me build new PCs or let me borrow his computer to play game.

Thanks heap in advance.

Computing

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Comments

  • ProspectiveDarkness on 25/11/2012 - 23:54
    +5

    Without even taking a close look at either the Whirlpool or COTD builds, I can say with confidence that the Whirlpool one will be better. The suggested Whirlpool builds use quality components (no generic RAM or PSU's) and are very, very good quality for the price. If you want further help, then sign up and make a thread, if you haven't already. The people there are very knowledgeable, and help with build requests every day.

    And it would be more accurate to say that a trip to MSY or OrangeIT would save you the pain of having to deal with COTD.

    After having a look at the $1199 COTD build, I can say:
    * It has generic 1333Mhz RAM, you want 1600Mhz RAM from a quality source, such a G.skill or Corsair
    * You don't need an i7 for gaming, therefore money is wasted on that
    * It has a shithouse graphics card. You want absolutely no less than a 660 or 660Ti, preferrably a 670 if budget allows.
    * It doesn't list the PSU, so it is most likely generic. Generic = bad.
    * It has no SSD, which a build of this price should have
    * Since it isn't otherwise indicated, I suspect that the 2TB HDD is a green drive - you do not want that on a gaming PC, especially not for the boot drive.

    You should be able to get the specs of the $1999 into a custom build of about $1200 - $1500, easily (bar the i7, since it's unnecessary).

    TL;DR: Do not buy the COTD builds. They are overpriced for what they are, and Catch of the Day is a pain to deal with.

    Also, I would recommend building yourself. It is actually quite easy, and if you do happen to get stuck, there are numerous tutorials on the web. You could also just make a thread on Whirlpool, should help be required.

  • ProspectiveDarkness on 26/11/2012 - 00:04
    +1

    Here's a proposed build (non overclocking, non-SLI). All that's missing is your choice of case, a DVD / BluRay drive, various peripherals (mouse, KB, monitor, headset, etc) and a wireless card.
    Prices are from PC Case Gear. If you'd rather have a look at their pre-built options, they're here

    Just make sure whatever you end up buying has a capable graphics card in it (660Ti / 7950 or above). People often understate exactly how much a great graphics card can influence the system's gaming capabilities, and (wrongly) spend their money accordingly. In the build above, you can swap to an NVIDIA GTX670 if you'd prefer (I can't be bothered looking up benchmarks to see which plays The Witcher better, sorry ;-)

    • issh on 26/11/2012 - 00:38

      Regardless; buy a overclockable CPU, it may be $10 more expensive or so; however when selling it, it'll retain its value better than the non-OCable CPU

      • ProspectiveDarkness on 26/11/2012 - 00:41
        +1

        $40 more expensive, without including the cost of the required z77 motherboard and aftermarket cooler. The OP already indicated that their hardware skills were lacking… I assumed that they would not want to bother with overclocking.

        • issh on 26/11/2012 - 14:50

          woah, that's a big difference for the K-version(I'm assuming).
          Apologies for that; I haven't been in the PC market since the 2600k's

        • ProspectiveDarkness on 26/11/2012 - 16:17

          To be fair, I was comparing the 3470 to the 3570K. There's $20 difference between the 3470 and 3570 (though negligible differences otherwise, hence the 3470 recommendation) and another $20 between the 3570 and 3570K.

          Only downside to Intel's superior chips: they can charge pretty much whatever they want for them :-(

          All up, an over-clockable CPU, MB and CPU cooler costs about $100 more, depending on micro / full ATX board - though that's without a beefier PSU to provide some headroom.

  • _Bruce_ on 26/11/2012 - 07:31
    +1

    Be warned, the Witcher 2 has a software mouse cursor which means that unless you hardware is massively over speced for the video quality you are running the mouse will feel laggy in the menus/inventory.

    Some people don't mind so much, but it really annoys me.

  • Doge on 26/11/2012 - 09:35
    +1

    The Witcher II is an insanely graphics intensive game, I wouldn't waste your time trying to play it on a GTX650. I have an OC 6950 in my PC and I can just barely make it over 30FPS on max. Definitely look for something with a 660Ti or better if you want nVidia, or you might get away with a 'Gigahertz' edition 7870 or better if you want AMD, Assuming you want all the eye candy turned on.

    Everything ProspectiveDarkness said is spot on.

  • kingofduck on 26/11/2012 - 10:46

    You guys are awesome.Thank you.
    I have never deal with COTD before so lucky that I will never have to.

    The spec ProspectiveDarkness said is very close to what I have got from Whirlpool forum except that the GPU is 2GB AMD Radeon HD7870.
    I experienced many crashes on the Witcher I before so I will definitely up my spec to 660Ti or 7950 for sure.

    I have no idea about over clocking - will it worthwhile to look into it further? In my original spec, the Mobo is Asrock Z77 PRO4 with Coolermaster Hyper 212 case.

    Now question about the HDD - since I will have SSD, can my 2nd HD be a green drive (I have already got one)?

    Yes, I will consider building it myself. My plan is to buy most costly small parts just before my trip to Thailand so I get 10% extra off GST - OzBargain style!

    • ProspectiveDarkness on 26/11/2012 - 16:04
      +1

      I have no idea about over clocking - will it worthwhile to look into it further? In my original spec, the Mobo is Asrock Z77 PRO4 with Coolermaster Hyper 212 case.

      I don't overclock myself, and personally I don't think it's necessary (for me, at least), so I think that the money saved on buying non-OC parts would be better spent on a more powerful graphics card.

      However, if you plan on utilising the OC'ing features, and the budget allows, then you may as well go for the OC'able parts (3570K, Extreme 4 MB, CoolerMaster Hyper 212 CPU fan). If you don't think you'll use it, then there really isn't much benefit over non-OC'able parts.

      To be completely honest, I haven't seen many people post real world evidence of performance increases due to overclocking; it all seems to be benchmarks and clock increases and what-have-you. I'd be happy if someone can prove me wrong, but I don't think there's much benefit in over-clocking.

      Now question about the HDD - since I will have SSD, can my 2nd HD be a green drive (I have already got one)?

      A Green drive will do the job - hell, I'm using one right now - but a 7200RPM drive would be better, if you're keeping your games on it (SSD notwithstanding). A 7200RPM drive should increase load times in games, and have a longer life (should have a longer warranty, too). What makes Green drives so 'green' is that they automatically spin down when idle, and spin back up when needed - it decreases life expectancy for this to continually happen (as far as I'm aware). If budget requirements force you to keep the Green drive you already have, then that's fine. But a 7200RPM drive, like Seagate Barracudas, or WD Blue/Black, would be beneficial.

  • WT on 26/11/2012 - 10:46
    +1

    whirlpool is full of enthusiasts

    COTD is a retailer (based on PROFIT)

  • retiredfeline on 26/11/2012 - 10:55
    +3

    My plan is to buy most costly small parts just before my trip to Thailand so I get 10% extra off GST - OzBargain style!

    How do you tell the OzB'er? He's the one with the CPU and GPU in his suitcase on holiday. LOL

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