Some PC questions from a newbie. (UK)

[Nocturnal]

I decided to post my questions here since I know you guys know what you are talking about:

Since the console cycle will be ending soon, I decided to finally to start saving up for a PC.

I have no idea where to start in terms of research and planning.

I always heard that its easier and cheaper to build your own PC which I tried to start researching. I have found this difficult because: every website seems to have a different opinion on what are good companies to buy from, what are good specs/parts and how much you should spend. Also they talk like pros so most of it's hard to understand from my point of view. Also most importantly they are usually US-based. I have run into the same problem looking at pre-built PCs and not sure how to check the specs are the games I would be interested in getting.

So my questions are:

1) What are some good websites that either offer a good pre-built or parts that is UK based?
2) Are pre-built computers really that bad as it seems to be the opinion of the internet?
3) I would like to play Skyrim with plenty of mods (also games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, older ES titles and Fallout series) so what kind of specs would I would be looking for?
4) What kind of budget am I needing? (Should say since I have a Mac I have no parts to reuse for a PC)
5) Anywhere on the web that has a good walkthrough and all the information I would need.

Any answers to these questions to help me start looking would be great!

[Justice knight]

I reccomend looking at Overclockers- they let you choose parts to put together a PC.

[Nocturnal]

Yeah I just found that website and it looks good. I will need to research the parts I think...

[Justice knight]

Sorry I can't help you there, but I can tell you Overclockers is reliable- my dad's computer is straight from there.

[Nocturnal]

2) Are pre-built computers really that bad as it seems to be the opinion of the internet?

In my opinion, it's really hit and miss. Places like office supply places are usually the worst places to get one unless they're on sale. Otherwise they overcharge like nobody's business. Personally, computers that are prebuilt online have a better bang for your buck.

The conclusion though is that it's hit and miss

4) What kind of budget am I needing? (Should say since I have a Mac I have no parts to reuse for a PC)

You could get a pretty nice PC for under 700. Any more, you'd be future-proofing for maybe a year.

Great that's the budget I was hoping for, would that include the monitor as well though? When it comes to the pre-built ones most websites say that the companies don't use the best parts for most part. I will be mostly looking into building my own at this point as it's cheaper.

What do you mean about future-proofing?


EDIT: Also I do have an old TV (HD) that I think I could as a monitor.

[Andere]

I would give the common opinion I've given through years: preferably

a. build your own computer
b. find a smaller company in your vicinity, they'll give you personal advice plus service in future, and usually they have a "game freak" working there, or whatever
c. avoid ready made computers by big manufacturers - they are usually office machines, and it's not unusual that big companies restrict their build's update / extension to their own components, or at least they may restrict the warranty there.

Overclockers should be reliable, looks like it, like Justice knight states. Just be careful with the overclock part - don't go rushing there.

[Archea47]

By future proofing I believe Scozzar means that you can build a computer that is current (can play the latest games at high settings) not just now but for some time to come.

When you look at prebuilt computers you have to see ...
1.) What video card does it come with? Can you get them to tell you the manufacturer?
->Prebuilt PCs from typical vendors like Bestbuy, hhgreg, compusa/tigerdirect, etc, even when advertised for gaming, have bottom-of-the-barrel video cards in regard to model, and then on top of that they are often OEM or offbrand versions that can't be overclocked in the future
2.) What's the speed and manufacturer of the RAM?
->Reference details for 1.)
3.) Who's the manufacturer and what version is the motherboard?
->Reference details for 1.) . Also, is it crossfire/sli capable for the future if you wish to add another video card?
4.) Case design - Does it use full-size PCI/PCIe cards? Does it have room for a full size graphics card? How about for another one in the future? How many hard drives can it hold?

Given your price range you're going to want to shop for the parts that give you the best performance/dollar. Right now, in the way of video cards, that seems to be the ATI 7850 video card and various AM3+ AMD CPUs.

[Nocturnal]

By future proofing I believe Scozzar means that you can build a computer that is current (can play the latest games at high settings) not just now but for some time to come.

When you look at prebuilt computers you have to see ...
1.) What video card does it come with? Can you get them to tell you the manufacturer?
->Prebuilt PCs from typical vendors like Bestbuy, hhgreg, compusa/tigerdirect, etc, even when advertised for gaming, have bottom-of-the-barrel video cards in regard to model, and then on top of that they are often OEM or offbrand versions that can't be overclocked in the future
2.) What's the speed and manufacturer of the RAM?
->Reference details for 1.)
3.) Who's the manufacturer and what version is the motherboard?
->Reference details for 1.) . Also, is it crossfire/sli capable for the future if you wish to add another video card?
4.) Case design - Does it use full-size PCI/PCIe cards? Does it have room for a full size graphics card? How about for another one in the future? How many hard drives can it hold?

Given your price range you're going to want to shop for the parts that give you the best performance/dollar. Right now, in the way of video cards, that seems to be the ATI 7850 video card and various AM3+ AMD CPUs.

Thanks for the information, it's good to know what I will be looking for roughly. I def think I will build my own as it seems to be the better option for my price range and also I would get a better built PC. I just need to start comparing models against each other.

I would give the common opinion I've given through years: preferably

a. build your own computer
b. find a smaller company in your vicinity, they'll give you personal advice plus service in future, and usually they have a "game freak" working there, or whatever
c. avoid ready made computers by big manufacturers - they are usually office machines, and it's not unusual that big companies restrict their build's update / extension to their own components, or at least they may restrict the warranty there.

Overclockers should be reliable, looks like it, like Justice knight states. Just be careful with the overclock part - don't go rushing there.

I'm looking at overclockers and scan.co.uk, they both look good for the parts and building your own. I will also look at some companies locally but I live in a small town so it might be difficult.