New Desktop Build(quote) - Good or bad deal?

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SeanoffShotgun

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#168542 17-Mar-2015 17:47

Hi everyone. So I have been considering building a PC for a while, and now I'm seriously looking at it. I contacted Computer Lounge and gave them a $1500.00 budget. Here's what they quoted me:

ASUS B85M-E Intel B85 mATX Haswell LGA1150 Motherboard
Intel Haswell Core i3 4160 3.60Ghz 3MB LGA1150
Noctua NH-U9B SE2 CPU Cooler w/Dual NF-B9 Fan
Kingston HyperX Beast 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 CL9 (KHX16C9T3K2/8X)
Samsung 850 EVO Series 120GB 2.5" SATA3 SSD (MZ-75E120BW)
ASUS DRW-24D3ST Green 24X DVD Writer SATA
EVGA GeForce GTX960 SSC ACX2.0 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E3.0 (02G-P4-2966-KR)
Seasonic SSP-450RT 450W 80Plus Gold Power Supply OEM W/o Power Cord
NZXT Source 210 Elite Mid Tower - Black
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit (Full Version)
Standard Hardware Installation + 2yr RTB Warranty + OS Configuration

They didn't give me individual prices, but all of this comes in at $1,499.95.
I don't know a lot about computers which is why I am checking in with you guys to see if you can give me a heads up - is this a good deal or just average?
I will be using this PC for gaming. Mainly mmorpg's, not so much FPS. Also downloading music/movies, and basic every day uses (e-mail/social media/banking etc). Any input is appreciated :) Cheers,
Sean

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#1261214 17-Mar-2015 17:57

Only an i3 and a 960? No.

Richard rich.ms

mattwnz

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#1261216 17-Mar-2015 17:58

Looks like a pretty basic one. I would want a 240GB SSD, and probably a 2TB normal HDD with it. Also a i5 processor and 16GB of RAM. If you were building it yourself, you maybe able to get those specs for under 1.5k by shopping around. You should use pricespy to build a PC through it. If using it for gaming you will need more storage.

HowickDota

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#1261217 17-Mar-2015 17:59

richms: Only an i3 and a 960? No.

I don't see what is wrong with that combination given OP's use scenario, seems fine.

sdavisnz

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#1261218 17-Mar-2015 18:04

what are you going to be doing on it? you don't need a 960 if your not gaming, and if you are then you want an i5 at least, if you are looking to game spend a bit more for a decent cpu

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ripdog

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#1261228 17-Mar-2015 18:13

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

Not a clue which parts you want? This is your bible. It's updated ridiculously often. It's geared to PC gaming, but if you don't want to game, literally all you have to do is ditch the graphics card. Make sure your CPU and Motherboard have integrated graphics to be safe. Most already will.

Select NZ from the dropdown for NZD prices, and *read the stuff at the bottom!* Their general recommendations are spot on.

HowickDota

423 posts

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#1261230 17-Mar-2015 18:15

I will be using this PC for gaming. Mainly mmorpg's, not so much FPS. Also downloading music/movies, and basic every day uses (e-mail/social media/banking etc). Any input is appreciated :) Cheers,

HowickDota

423 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1261236 17-Mar-2015 18:34

http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/nBh4mG

Here's the build I'd go for with your budget, i5 quad core, faster gpu, 2tb hdd and 256gb ssd.

System build not included, if you're in Auckland CL can do this with the provided parts for 149.00 but other stores like playtech or pcforce charge 80.

Or you could build it yourself for free :-)

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CYaBro

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#1261241 17-Mar-2015 18:55

HowickDota: http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/nBh4mG

Here's the build I'd go for with your budget, i5 quad core, faster gpu, 2tb hdd and 256gb ssd.

System build not included, if you're in Auckland CL can do this with the provided parts for 149.00 but other stores like playtech or pcforce charge 80.

Or you could build it yourself for free :-)

The problem with buying separate parts from all over the place, to save a few dollars, is that when something goes wrong you have know what you're doing to troubleshoot it. Find which part is actually causing the problem, then pull it out and send it back to place you got that part from.
Then wait for them to confirm that the part is faulty and repair or replace and send it back.
If you got the faulty part wrong then you will get charged for the testing that company had to do.

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networkn

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#1261254 17-Mar-2015 19:53

CYaBro:
HowickDota: http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/nBh4mG

Here's the build I'd go for with your budget, i5 quad core, faster gpu, 2tb hdd and 256gb ssd.

System build not included, if you're in Auckland CL can do this with the provided parts for 149.00 but other stores like playtech or pcforce charge 80.

Or you could build it yourself for free :-)

The problem with buying separate parts from all over the place, to save a few dollars, is that when something goes wrong you have know what you're doing to troubleshoot it. Find which part is actually causing the problem, then pull it out and send it back to place you got that part from.
Then wait for them to confirm that the part is faulty and repair or replace and send it back.
If you got the faulty part wrong then you will get charged for the testing that company had to do.

This this this!!!

Andib

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#1261256 17-Mar-2015 19:59

Personally I'd opt for something along the lines of
http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=WKSPB4601W&name=PB-4601W-Family-Entertaiment-Series-Intel-Haswell-

IMO you're going to notice the upgrade of CPU to an i5 with a lower GPU over the upgrade of GPU with an i3

Edit: Also if you're going to buy the parts yourself from all over the place you might aswell build it yourself. If you're not confident in doing that then buy a pre built system from one location :)

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ripdog

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#1261257 17-Mar-2015 20:03

Andib: Personally I'd opt for something along the lines of
http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=WKSPB4601W&name=PB-4601W-Family-Entertaiment-Series-Intel-Haswell-

IMO you're going to notice the upgrade of CPU to an i5 with a lower GPU over the upgrade of GPU with an i3

Edit: Also if you're going to buy the parts yourself from all over the place you might aswell build it yourself. If you're not confident in doing that then buy a pre built system from one location :)

For gaming, you're objectively wrong. Every benchmark under the sun for 90% of games (the GPU bound ones) shows a powerful GPU has a much bigger bonus to FPS than a bigger CPU. For the last 10% CPU bound games, you'd be right.

Plenty of people build decent gaming PCs with i3s or even pentiums (overclocked).

Inphinity

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#1261265 17-Mar-2015 20:07

Based on the spec, it looks to me like you'd be paying retail for the parts, plus about $120 - $150 for the build. Seems a bit much for me, I'd expect a few little boosts to the spec for the price - the CPU to an i5 4xxx, and the SSD to 250GB, or a 120GB SSD + 2TB HDD.

HowickDota

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#1261267 17-Mar-2015 20:11

CYaBro:

The problem with buying separate parts from all over the place, to save a few dollars, is that when something goes wrong you have know what you're doing to troubleshoot it. Find which part is actually causing the problem, then pull it out and send it back to place you got that part from.
Then wait for them to confirm that the part is faulty and repair or replace and send it back.
If you got the faulty part wrong then you will get charged for the testing that company had to do.

They're only from seperate stores because of the pcpartpicker site, I would normally find a store on pricespy with good prices on most or all of the items if possible but the pcpartpicker link is for convenience sake and being able to view the entire build.

And wouldn't you have to troubleshoot parts if you bought them all from the same store anyway or do complete builds come with a "store" warranty which means they will test for you? I still wouldn't go with CL if that was the case though as the price is not justifiable when you consider the alternative parts you can get in the same budget.

Sideface

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#1261270 17-Mar-2015 20:18

Whatever else you do, upgrade your CPU to an entry-level i5 - worth the little bit extra.

Sideface

timmmay

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#1261280 17-Mar-2015 20:52

I would:
- Go up to an i5
- Keep that SSD - it's fine, 120GB is heaps for Windows, swap, apps, and reasonable sized games. W10-64 takes up 25GB on my 120GB SSD.
- Add a hard drive, 1-4TB. Seagate or Western Digital. You'll need an external drive to back up offsite - ALL hard drive fail, the only question is when.
- Drop the Noctua cooler, stock is fine IMHO. I have a Noctua, they're great products, quiet, keep things cool, but they're expensive. Hyper 212 is cheaper and almost as good.

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