Recommendations for store bought gaming hard drive for $1500

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2120 posts

Uber Geek

#1251954 5-Mar-2015 21:35

Take a look at this system, this is slightly different but will be much more suitable I think due to similar graphics and SSD included for a cheaper price.

http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=1238/ID=24823/SID=581786275/productdetails.html

It also has a 3 year warranty for parts and labour, which will mean that if anything fails you will be protected.

The graphics are slightly lower performing than the PB tech one, but you can customise the machine (using the customise link on that page) to add the GTX 960 (it will take the total to $1629) which is only $30 more than PB tech but you get a SSD which is all set up the right way

Regardless the playtech system will be very fast and your kid will be very happy with it for the next few years, additionally these systems are all upgradeable so when they learn more they can upgrade the graphics etc themselves.

Also despite letting your child play games that maybe he shouldn't, good on you for bothering to do some research and learning about something your child may be interested in

DebP

15 posts

Geek

#1251958 5-Mar-2015 21:54

Thanks for that. I think that one was recommended earlier and does seem to fit the specs with the upgrade. Think that will be the one for him.

Lias

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#1252031 6-Mar-2015 07:55

On the topic of the PC, the support/RMA service from both Playtech and PBTech can be pretty terrible at times. Personally I'd go with Computer Lounge, they specialise in gaming PC's, will generally price match anything Playtech build, and have won PriceSpy's "Best Computer Store" award every year since it started :-) PS: I'm under no illusions that CL is perfect, or gets it right every time, but they do so more consistently than any other company, backed up by the Price Spy awards, and being the #1 most recommended store at GPForums and GetSome gaming communities.

On the topic of under-age game playing, As his parent/guardian, _you_ are liable for 3 months in prison or a $10,000 fine for knowingly letting him play them. Food for thought.

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macuser

2120 posts

Uber Geek

#1252069 6-Mar-2015 08:50

Lias: On the topic of the PC, the support/RMA service from both Playtech and PBTech can be pretty terrible at times. Personally I'd go with Computer Lounge, they specialise in gaming PC's, will generally price match anything Playtech build, and have won PriceSpy's "Best Computer Store" award every year since it started :-) PS: I'm under no illusions that CL is perfect, or gets it right every time, but they do so more consistently than any other company, backed up by the Price Spy awards, and being the #1 most recommended store at GPForums and GetSome gaming communities.

On the topic of under-age game playing, As his parent/guardian, _you_ are liable for 3 months in prison or a $10,000 fine for knowingly letting him play them. Food for thought.

Computer lounge is pretty great, though they didn't have a PC for the $1500 price point - so if they can match it, cool.

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#1252112 6-Mar-2015 09:56

Computer lounge is indeed quite a good store - but I thought Playtech would be almost the same in terms of customer service. I agree that PB Tech can be quite terrible with customer service so do be weary.

Also, if you are located on the shore, then Playtech is closer, otherwise Computer Lounge is based in Mt Wellington near Sylvia park. So take your pick. I think Computer Lounge doesnt have any surcharge for CC (last time I shopped, they didnt). I think they do price match as well if you bring it do them and the guys are quite helpful.

Same goes for Playtech - I have dealt with them a couple of times and they do seem to be helpful, unless someone has had bad experience.

Regarding that build, an AMD R270 would suffice for most games but GTA is a whole other beast and it might pay to upgrade to a GTX960 like this one or this one from playtech.

Also, I should mention a bit about monitors - you mentioned that he has an eye out for a samsung 21.5 inch one. I assume this is a full HD (1920x1080) resolution one. IF that is the case, I dont think you need to bump up to a very high end GPU (nothing higher than a GTX960!). The reason for that is that anything between the AMD 270 and the GTX960 is more than capable of running most of the games at 1080p resolutions. But once you start going to higher resolutions (such as 1440p or 4k), then those resolutions need a lot more power to run - since there are more pixels on the screen, there needs to be more power to push those pixels.

This was just an FYI in case you are in store and the salesperson tries to oversell. Oh while we are on the topic - you dont need a very powerful Power Supply Unit (PSU) either. For the rig given above (from Playtech), 550W or 650W power supplies are more than enough. Salespersons may try to upsell on that as well. However, there is a key factor in those power supplies - that is their energy efficiency ratings, usually labeled as 80 Plus Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. Basically, how efficiently the power supply converts the energy from the wall to actually running the PC. 80Plus Bronze is about 80% (or 82%) efficiency, silver is about 85%, gold is about 90% and platinum is 95%. Bronze should be sufficient.

So try to be careful in case the salespeople start to oversell you the components. Another note on the CPU (the processor). That particular build has an AMD processor which is perfectly sufficient and good. But if they offer to give you an Intel i5 Haswell (like the Intel Core i5-4460 which is a really good gaming processor) for few dollars (less than 100!), that upgrade might be worth it since that is a much better processor and might give you more mileage in the long run. Note, along with changing the processor, they would need to change the motherboard - but that should not cost anything - this is more of an FYI.

8GB ram is enough for new generation games -> but this is one of the first things anyone upgrades after 2 years of getting a new machine. Your son can upgrade this after 2 years when he feels he "needs" a new PC ;).

Hope that helps!

Lias

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#1252165 6-Mar-2015 10:38

Krishant007: Computer lounge is indeed quite a good store - but I thought Playtech would be almost the same in terms of customer service. I agree that PB Tech can be quite terrible with customer service so do be weary.

Same goes for Playtech - I have dealt with them a couple of times and they do seem to be helpful, unless someone has had bad experience.

Regarding that build, an AMD R270 would suffice for most games but GTA is a whole other beast and it might pay to upgrade to a GTX960 like this one or this one from playtech.
The reason for that is that anything between the AMD 270 and the GTX960 is more than capable of running most of the games at 1080p resolutions. But once you start going to higher resolutions (such as 1440p or 4k), then those resolutions need a lot more power to run - since there are more pixels on the screen, there needs to be more power to push those pixels.

But if they offer to give you an Intel i5 Haswell (like the Intel Core i5-4460 which is a really good gaming processor) for few dollars (less than 100!), that upgrade might be worth it since that is a much better processor and might give you more mileage in the long run. Note, along with changing the processor, they would need to change the motherboard - but that should not cost anything - this is more of an FYI.

I am potentially bias as I quite strongly dislike Paul Kao (Playtechs owner) because of the way he has shafted the gaming community in the past (Xlan, On3, etc, more details on request). That aside I've had a bad experience with Playtech, and anecdotally I've heard many more reports of bad experiences with them than with CL (not in the same league as PbTech thou!)

Personally I think you really need a R290 or greater for 1080p gaming, but I like to have high FPS (50+ minimum)

Absolutely agree that an i5 is preferable if it can fit in the budget.

Dstarzero

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1252166 6-Mar-2015 10:43

Lias:
Krishant007: Computer lounge is indeed quite a good store - but I thought Playtech would be almost the same in terms of customer service. I agree that PB Tech can be quite terrible with customer service so do be weary.

Same goes for Playtech - I have dealt with them a couple of times and they do seem to be helpful, unless someone has had bad experience.

Regarding that build, an AMD R270 would suffice for most games but GTA is a whole other beast and it might pay to upgrade to a GTX960 like this one or this one from playtech.
The reason for that is that anything between the AMD 270 and the GTX960 is more than capable of running most of the games at 1080p resolutions. But once you start going to higher resolutions (such as 1440p or 4k), then those resolutions need a lot more power to run - since there are more pixels on the screen, there needs to be more power to push those pixels.

But if they offer to give you an Intel i5 Haswell (like the Intel Core i5-4460 which is a really good gaming processor) for few dollars (less than 100!), that upgrade might be worth it since that is a much better processor and might give you more mileage in the long run. Note, along with changing the processor, they would need to change the motherboard - but that should not cost anything - this is more of an FYI.

I am potentially bias as I quite strongly dislike Paul Kao (Playtechs owner) because of the way he has shafted the gaming community in the past (Xlan, On3, etc, more details on request). That aside I've had a bad experience with Playtech, and anecdotally I've heard many more reports of bad experiences with them than with CL (not in the same league as PbTech thou!)

Personally I think you really need a R290 or greater for 1080p gaming, but I like to have high FPS (50+ minimum)

Absolutely agree that an i5 is preferable if it can fit in the budget.

Oh, really? what's the story with playtech?

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Xeon

302 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1252169 6-Mar-2015 10:47

I'd be wanting better then a FX-6300 and a 270 for $1500..

macuser

2120 posts

Uber Geek

#1252177 6-Mar-2015 10:48

Lias:
Personally I think you really need a R290 or greater for 1080p gaming, but I like to have high FPS (50+ minimum)

Absolutely agree that an i5 is preferable if it can fit in the budget.

People tend to go overkill with graphics, I have a Nvidia 750Ti and it works fine at 1080p for most games minus some high end graphics features (super sampling for example) - it also runs older games fine on 4K which is pretty crazy

Though I'm not too worried about 50FPS+ constant

a GTX960 would be more than enough I think!

Dstarzero

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1252227 6-Mar-2015 12:08

this one seems like a good deal too maybe you can haggle with the fellow geekzone member

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=77&topicid=166167

the graphics card si pretty decent and the rig can last your son for quite a while.

DebP

15 posts

Geek

#1252308 6-Mar-2015 14:31

Thanks for the buying advice Krishant. It is easy to get talked into upgrading things that aren't necessary especially if you don't really know what you are buying.
We were only looking at PB Tech because there was a possibility of getting a discount because his fathers company deals with them.

Dstarzero- the secondhand one may be a good option but he has introduced a whole lot of new specs for me to understand. Do you think it is better than the new ones suggested. I've avoided component built systems because we are not technically minded.
Not sure how I got Geek status- I am fairly computer illiterate.

Dstarzero

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1252316 6-Mar-2015 14:58

I know it can be really daunting, but the main thing to look at would be the CPU and graphics card ( some call it GPU or just graphics)

The second hand one I linked has a better overall specs list than the pb tech models with the same price. I dunno the discount your husband can get with pbtech though.

jtan

122 posts

Master Geek

#1252318 6-Mar-2015 15:05

Was going to suggest one of the ASUS RoG laptops but realised that the OP is looking for a desktop machine.

PB has a promo on some of their RoG laptops this weekends: http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=nbkasu551169&utm_source=WeekendSpecial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Retail&utm_content=&qr=ec_

Dstarzero

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1252319 6-Mar-2015 15:05

here's another tool which I found invaluable in computer shopping, these will help you determine if the specs of one build is better or not

this link is the heirachy of CPUs while the one before that is the hierarchy of GPUS w
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

hope these helps. good luck shopping

Dstarzero

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1252335 6-Mar-2015 15:17

but to make things simpler things just ignore the other specs and focus on the graphics card and ram. ( most modern cpus can run games and productivity, and if it is pre-built, you don't need to worry about the motherboard)

Just look for at least 8gig of ram and for the price range, look for these graphics card in a rig ( from the most preferred to the least)

Tier 1: Nvidia Titan or AMD radeon R9 295X2
Tier 2: Nvidia: GTX 690 and AMD HD 7990
Tier 3: Nvidia GTX 980, GTX 780 Ti
Tier 4: Nividia: GTX 780 or 970, or AMD R9 290, or 290X
Tier 5: Nvidia 680, 770 or AMD HD 6990, 7970, R9 280X
Tier 6: Nvidia GTX 960 or AMD 7950, R9 280 or 285
Tier 7: Nvidia GTX 760 or AMD R9 270 or 270X

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