Other Which PC should I get?

[Solius]

Hello. Got £200 worth of Curry's vouchers for Christmas so I'm looking to upgrade from my dying laptop to a desktop PC and thought I'd check with those that know more on here.

I would like a solid modern one that ideally has an i5/i7 processor, 512GB/1TB storage, 16GB RAM and an SSD. I don't plan to use this do any hardcore PC gaming but I would potentially want to play some Steam games on it and be able to to load plenty of leagues in FM without it being a snail's pace.

I initially looked at this one. But the price feels steep and I've read that All-In-Ones can have issues and be difficult to fix, is that true?

If that's the case I've also looked at this one which seems to have basically the same specs for less price and is just a tower one, or there's this for a bit more but with 1TB.

Any of these seem ok?

 

[Igor Drefljak]

An all one one is basically a non portable laptop.

laptop parts, no upgrade options and doesn’t perform the same as a pc due to cooling.
They can look fancy though

 

[Red Rash]

For an extra 50 quid I know where can get a decent gaming computer https://www.redcafe.net/threads/am-i-going-to-get-mugged.480722/

 

[Massive Spanner]

Would you build one? Generally works out cheaper and easier to future proof. Not hard to do either

 

[hobbers]

Dont get an all in one.

 

[Alex99]

The £650 is the best one there by far, but there probably are better deals available.

The £500 one has an ass GPU. Not worth it at all.

 

[hobbers]

To be honest even factoring in £200 of vouchers you can get £500-600 pre built pcs from places like Scan that have better components than these ones.

 

[Redlambs]

Nothing from Curry's/PCWorld. Ever.

Sell or shred the vouchers, and buy from somewhere who knows what they are selling.

 

[Pexbo]

I’m offering £100 cash, you take that offer and go buy yourself a whole gaming rig on ebuyer.

 

[Chipper]

Do you need a monitor, keyboard and mouse? Seeing as you were looking at the all in one I thought you might.

Could use the vouchers on them and go for the PC from elsewhere.

 

[PSV]

Yeah, stay away from prebuilt at all costs. One thing is that they are hell to repair and/or find new parts for, another is how much dumpware they come pre-installed with.

 

[Solius]

Would you build one? Generally works out cheaper and easier to future proof. Not hard to do either

I wouldn’t have a clue how

The £650 is the best one there by far, but there probably are better deals available.

The £500 one has an ass GPU. Not worth it at all.

Is there a way to tell if the GPU is ass?

 

[Balljy]

I wouldn’t have a clue how

Is there a way to tell if the GPU is ass?

It's like lego nowadays, but pre-built isn't an issue as the big companies can get discounts to pretty much negate the cost as long as you look around.

There's a few comparison sites but this one is decent. Depending what you want to do if you want to be future proof take around a 4060 as the base level, for FM the graphics card isn't so important and you'd get good performance with any modern CPU but I'd go around the 3060 as a minimum nowadays for the GPU if you want to play games.

GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy 2023 - Graphics Card Rankings | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

 

[Alex99]

Is there a way to tell if the GPU is ass?

This list is pretty decent as a guide: https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php

The £500 one you linked has a GT 1030, which is a six/seven year old GPU, and it was basement level when it came out.

The £650 one has a GTX 1660 Super, which by today's standards isn't an amazing card, but it should run pretty much anything currently out, even if you have to put the settings on low for more recent releases. It also has a newer, better CPU too.

As for how you can tell not ass graphics cards without that list:

The two big players in the graphics card business are AMD and Nvidia (Intel have entered the market of late but I can't speak for their cards too much).

Nvidia's latest are the 40xx series cards. The 4090 is the top end, then the 4080, then the 4070, then the 4060. There's a 4060Ti, which is between the 4060 and the 4070, and a 4070Ti, which is between the 4070 and the 4080.

The previous generation was the 30xx series, which topped out with the 3090ti, and went down to the budget 3050. Before that it was the 20xx series, and before that it was the 10xx series, both of which followed similar naming conventions (although Super was used in place of "Ti" for most of the cards, up until the 2080Ti, which was basically the best of those generations).

The 16xx series, which is what the 1660 Super is part of, was released alongside the 20xx series, and I think to offer one last set of cards that weren't ray tracing capable. The 1660 Super was the second most powerful of that series (1660Ti was the best).

AMD's latest series are the Radeon RX 7xxx cards, topping out with the RX7900 XTX, then the RX7900 XT, then RX7800 XT, the RX7700XT, and with the RX7600 being the budget option. Before that was the RX6xxx series, and before that the RX5xxx series. I think the series before that was the Radeon 600 series, but can't remember for certain. Again, similar naming conventions where higher number basically equals better card, and then some sort of suffix if there's the same number but a difference in quality.

If you're committed to Currys for the PC, then at a glance this or this are probably the best "budget" options they have, and are both better than the £650 one you linked to, and I would say the 3060 12GB is worth the extra outlay if you do want to play other games, and is definitely a bit more "future proof". That's your call to make though, as you seem to be most interested in its ability to to handle FM, which your £650 one will do just fine with.

 

[hobbers]

This list is pretty decent as a guide: https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php

The £500 one you linked has a GT 1030, which is a six/seven year old GPU, and it was basement level when it came out.

The £650 one has a GTX 1660 Super, which by today's standards isn't an amazing card, but it should run pretty much anything currently out, even if you have to put the settings on low for more recent releases. It also has a newer, better CPU too.

The 650 desktop he linked only has integrated graphics. The 500 one doesnt seem to say but I'd bet its only integrated as well.

 

[Alex99]

The 650 desktop he linked only has integrated graphics. The 500 one doesnt seem to say but I'd bet its only integrated as well.

Says lower down in the "Product Information" section that the £500 one has a GT 1030 and the £650 one has a GTX 1660 Super.

Unless they've just copied that from another PC and forgot to remove it.

 

[hobbers]

Says lower down in the "Product Information" section that the £500 one has a GT 1030 and the £650 one has a GTX 1660 Super.

Unless they've just copied that from another PC and forgot to remove it.

Doesnt say that for me in either. But in the specifications the £650 has

Graphics card - Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics 730

 

[Alex99]

Doesnt say that for me in either. But in the specifications the £650 has

Graphics card - Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics 730

Yeah, it's not listed in the specifications for some reason. It's in Product Information and then when you click "view more" and scroll down it mentions specific GPUs.

 

[hobbers]

Unless you're looking at this one which does have a 1660s.

Probably better value than the Acer Aspire i5 desktops in the op.

 

[Solius]

This list is pretty decent as a guide: https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php

The £500 one you linked has a GT 1030, which is a six/seven year old GPU, and it was basement level when it came out.

The £650 one has a GTX 1660 Super, which by today's standards isn't an amazing card, but it should run pretty much anything currently out, even if you have to put the settings on low for more recent releases. It also has a newer, better CPU too.

As for how you can tell not ass graphics cards without that list:

The two big players in the graphics card business are AMD and Nvidia (Intel have entered the market of late but I can't speak for their cards too much).

Nvidia's latest are the 40xx series cards. The 4090 is the top end, then the 4080, then the 4070, then the 4060. There's a 4060Ti, which is between the 4060 and the 4070, and a 4070Ti, which is between the 4070 and the 4080.

The previous generation was the 30xx series, which topped out with the 3090ti, and went down to the budget 3050. Before that it was the 20xx series, and before that it was the 10xx series, both of which followed similar naming conventions (although Super was used in place of "Ti" for most of the cards, up until the 2080Ti, which was basically the best of those generations).

The 16xx series, which is what the 1660 Super is part of, was released alongside the 20xx series, and I think to offer one last set of cards that weren't ray tracing capable. The 1660 Super was the second most powerful of that series (1660Ti was the best).

AMD's latest series are the Radeon RX 7xxx cards, topping out with the RX7900 XTX, then the RX7900 XT, then RX7800 XT, the RX7700XT, and with the RX7600 being the budget option. Before that was the RX6xxx series, and before that the RX5xxx series. I think the series before that was the Radeon 600 series, but can't remember for certain. Again, similar naming conventions where higher number basically equals better card, and then some sort of suffix if there's the same number but a difference in quality.

If you're committed to Currys for the PC, then at a glance this or this are probably the best "budget" options they have, and are both better than the £650 one you linked to, and I would say the 3060 12GB is worth the extra outlay if you do want to play other games, and is definitely a bit more "future proof". That's your call to make though, as you seem to be most interested in its ability to to handle FM, which your £650 one will do just fine with.

Cheers! Yeah I don’t think I’ll ever really use it as a ‘gaming pc’ per se. I’m assuming I’d have to get speakers if I only bought a tower? I never really thought about that.

 

[Alex99]

Cheers! Yeah I don’t think I’ll ever really use it as a ‘gaming pc’ per se. I’m assuming I’d have to get speakers if I only bought a tower? I never really thought about that.

Some monitors have speakers built in, so that might be suitable.

If you're going for one of the ones you linked, it's definitely worth confirming that it definitely has the GPU listed in the "Product information" section, as hobbers pointed out that it's not actually listed in the specifications section.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-IPS-Type-i5-10300H-Processor-FX506LH-AS51/dp/B09SVQ25XH?th=1

I got this a couple of months back and am happy with, so far.

 

[Alex99]

Unless you're looking at this one which does have a 1660s.

Probably better value than the Acer Aspire i5 desktops in the op.

No, definitely looking at the Aspires. You're right that they aren't listed in the specifications bit though, which is odd.

That one you listed is a very good option too, and certainly far better than the Aspire if it doesn't have the GPU.

 

[hobbers]

No, definitely looking at the Aspires. You're right that they aren't listed in the specifications bit though, which is odd.

That one you listed is a very good option too, and certainly far better than the Aspire if it doesn't have the GPU.

Yeah no prebuilt from curry's is going to be good value for the parts used but the gaming ones will run a lot better than the home/office ones.

 

[Solius]

So in summary what’s my best bet? I feel like I kind of have to go with currys due to the vouchers but I don’t want to spend more than £650 ideally.

 

[hobbers]

So in summary what’s my best bet? I feel like I kind of have to go with currys due to the vouchers but I don’t want to spend more than £650 ideally.

If £650 is the budget I would go for this.

For £450 it's a pretty reasonable bit of kit. Decent motherboard, decent RAM. Will do all the standard PC jobs fine and you wont have any trouble playing games at 1080p on medium graphics settings.

 

[Alex99]

So in summary what’s my best bet? I feel like I kind of have to go with currys due to the vouchers but I don’t want to spend more than £650 ideally.

Go with the HP hobbers linked to.

You might be able to find something slightly better elsewhere for a similar price, but a quick look at some other sites hasn't thrown up anything obviously better, and you won't be getting £200 off there either.

 

[Balljy]

Go with the HP hobbers linked to.

You might be able to find something slightly better elsewhere for a similar price, but a quick look at some other sites hasn't thrown up anything obviously better, and you won't be getting £200 off there either.

It's possible to get a 4060 from a reputable company for a similar price, but it's not Curry's so won't get the money off.

AWD-IT Mesh Ryzen 5 5500 6 Core NVIDIA RTX 4060 8GB Desktop PC for Gaming

 

[Solius]

If £650 is the budget I would go for this.

For £450 it's a pretty reasonable bit of kit. Decent motherboard, decent RAM. Will do all the standard PC jobs fine and you wont have any trouble playing games at 1080p on medium graphics settings.

Go with the HP hobbers linked to.

You might be able to find something slightly better elsewhere for a similar price, but a quick look at some other sites hasn't thrown up anything obviously better, and you won't be getting £200 off there either.

Ok good to know, thanks! I will find the specs of my laptop tomorrow and post those so I can guarantee it’s a definite big upgrade. I know it’s an Acer Swift laptop from around 2018 but can’t remember the model.

 

[Alex99]

It's possible to get a 4060 from a reputable company for a similar price, but it's not Curry's so won't get the money off.

AWD-IT Mesh Ryzen 5 5500 6 Core NVIDIA RTX 4060 8GB Desktop PC for Gaming

The one hobbers found has a slightly better processor, and it doesn't sound like Solius really needs a 4060

 

[Balljy]

The one hobbers found has a slightly better processor, and it doesn't sound like Solius really needs a 4060

Agreed, but it's 2% difference and an upgrade above it is £20.. For FM I agree it will be good, but a 1660 is a few years old now

 

[caid]

Hello. Got £200 worth of Curry's vouchers for Christmas so I'm looking to upgrade from my dying laptop to a desktop PC and thought I'd check with those that know more on here.

I would like a solid modern one that ideally has an i5/i7 processor, 512GB/1TB storage, 16GB RAM and an SSD. I don't plan to use this do any hardcore PC gaming but I would potentially want to play some Steam games on it and be able to to load plenty of leagues in FM without it being a snail's pace.

I initially looked at this one. But the price feels steep and I've read that All-In-Ones can have issues and be difficult to fix, is that true?

If that's the case I've also looked at this one which seems to have basically the same specs for less price and is just a tower one, or there's this for a bit more but with 1TB.

Any of these seem ok?

I'd avoid the all in one. They overheat more basically, less airflow. It wont matter for a few years, long enough for your warranty to run out probably, but they break earlier.
And i hate repairing them. It usually involves taking a stanley knife to the edge of the screen and having to glue it back on afterwards. Its just bloody stressful
Prebuilt in general aren't great for future upgrades but all in one is a whole other level of restrictive.
The other two look fine. The 2nd has a newer generation i5 as well as the memory. Acer are usually solid. More cheap and cheerful than high end but reliable.