Other Building a PC?

Alock1

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I live near Overclockers so could just get them to build one for me and avoid delivery costs too. It seems a waste of money when I could do it myself but I'm not sure I trust myself.

I'm torn between that and a PS4. The PC is easier for the girlfriend to swallow though (wahey?). She wants us to save for a house and doesn't understand why I'd want a PS4 when I have everything else. Even though I'll probably pay 3 times more for the PC she'd prefer that. I'm almost certain its because it means I'll buy myself a new desk and she hates the one I've got :lol:
 

Alock1

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Olly said:
It's really easy to do. I thought it might be a bit complicated but it was way simple.
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Did you have help or just watch some youtube guides? How long did it take? I've replaced some parts before but I dunno..
 

Leg-End

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It's not anywhere near as difficult as you would think, for those not into that stuff when you do it they think you are some kind of wizard, reality is all you need to do is make sure you get the right bits and do a nice job of fitting them all.

The hardest part for me is cable routing to ensure it doesn't look a complete mess inside, you should plan for that from the outset so you don't start taking bits out to get it right. Read some guides online, watch some videos and you will get an idea and I'm sure you can judge if you are up to it, it's all pretty much basic fitting processes.
 

Flying_Heckfish

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It's very, very easy these days to be honest.

However, unless you're really keen you may be better buying pre-built for peace of mind on the warranty as savings aren't what they used to be.

Having said that, custom PCs are a hobby in themselves and something I really enjoy (full custom watercooling loop here, the lot) so for me I would always want to be hands on!
 

Olly Gunnar Solskjær

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Locka said:
Did you have help or just watch some youtube guides? How long did it take? I've replaced some parts before but I dunno..
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I had a guide open on some website, but in the end I didn't really use much of it. I didn't time it, but I think it took about a couple of hours.
 

Alock1

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Olly said:
I had a guide open on some website, but in the end I didn't really use much of it. I didn't time it, but I think it took about a couple of hours.
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Would you get a train up to Stoke to help me? I mean I know people in Stoke who could but this would be a good excuse.
 

Alock1

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We will meet in the middle and build it there?
 

Olly Gunnar Solskjær

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It would be a bit weird :lol:

You could always build it yourself and I can post encouragement for you on here while you do it to keep you pumped up.
 

Alock1

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Why would meeting be weird? Only if you made it weird.
 

Alock1

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You forget that the people you know IRL don't know you like I do. We'd just play a load of games on the Wii U. It'd be wicked.
 

Alock1

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So everyone but Olly.. how much did you spend, when, hows it holding up, did you build it yourself etc.etc.

Just tell me everything please.
 

Snow

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Locka said:
So everyone but Olly.. how much did you spend, when, hows it holding up, did you build it yourself etc.etc.

Just tell me everything please.
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I spent about $1000. It was in October 2012. Bought everything inside the case in the US (except for 2 HDDs that I had) and had my brother smuggle them home. Case was too big so I bought it at home.

None of what I bought was the most expensive item available. I can still play any game out there on the highest available settings without problem. Did it all myself, wasn't a problem. Just be careful with the thermal paste and neatly tuck away the cables.
 

Cina

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Anyone who buys a pre-built instead of building their own doesn't deserve to play PC games and should die of Console AIDS.
 

Flying_Heckfish

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Locka said:
So everyone but Olly.. how much did you spend, when, hows it holding up, did you build it yourself etc.etc.

Just tell me everything please.
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For me it's a constantly evolving project. Spent just shy of £1k in 2010 for my last "full build" and probably spent £1500+ since then on upgrades, watercooling gear etc. Offset by selling as I go of course.

Still using the same processor (i7 @ 4.6) but I've switched GPU from 480 > 670 > 670 SLI > 970 in that time. If you get the platform right then switching out the GPU is the only thing you really need to concentrate on. Games obviously run fine with this set up @ 1440p, though some games (FarCry4 for example) I don't get 60fps @ Ultra.

2013 I started to get into watercooling proper, that's where the bulk of my cash has really gone since. I've also got a fileserver (for Plex) and a mini-ITX machine that runs Hyperspin exclusively.

Yes, I am a nerd :lol:
 

b82REZ

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If you're serious about PC gaming it'll stand you in good stead if you build it yourself. There's a good chance you'll need to tinker with the innards sooner or later and if you didn't put it together you won't know what to do. Unless you want to ripped of at PC repair shops build it yourself. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube, and besides it's not as difficult as you're imagining.

I was a complete noob when I built mine, but after a morning of putting things together it was up and running a couple of hours later.
 

Alock1

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Cheers for all the replies. You're bringing me round to the idea. How much would I likely save by building myself?

My concern is that I'd do a messy job more than not be able to do it, and cause problems lately. I need to make sure all the components and what not are compatible too don't I, I have no clue where to start with that shit.

I don't want to have to keep opening it up, tinkering with it or adding new stuff though. Preferably, I'd like 4 years or so without needing to do shit to it. How much have I gotta spend for that? I'm thinking about £600-£700 on the PC itself as I still need to get a monitor, new desk etc.
 

Alock1

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Flying_Hellfish said:
You could of course do that but I'd be considering a GPU upgrade every two years to keep up, as the minimum.
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Is that because you want to be playing on the highest graphics possible all the time? Aslong as it can run everything well, I don't mind taking a hit on some games.
 

Cina

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Locka said:
Cheers for all the replies. You're bringing me round to the idea. How much would I likely save by building myself?

My concern is that I'd do a messy job more than not be able to do it, and cause problems lately. I need to make sure all the components and what not are compatible too don't I, I have no clue where to start with that shit.

I don't want to have to keep opening it up, tinkering with it or adding new stuff though. Preferably, I'd like 4 years or so without needing to do shit to it. How much have I gotta spend for that? I'm thinking about £600-£700 on the PC itself as I still need to get a monitor, new desk etc.
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£25.50

£14.25

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Subtotal (9 items): £766.68

done, now suck my dick.
 
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