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Looking for some advise on a new PC

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Mattyh

Registered
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Hey people,

Im looking at buying my first gaming desktop, currently have an alienware m17 R5 which is 2 years old so could do with an upgrade and a desktop seems a better option now. I was looking for some advise on the spec on one ive seen which is as follows

8gb DDR4 ram
1TB HDD
Nvidea GTX 1070 founders edition
460w PSU
i5-6400 Processor (4-Cores, 6MB Cache, Turbo Boost 2.0, up to 3.3GHz

from what ive researched this seems a pretty good spec? id like to run all the latest games on ultra and 4k if possible? ive seen this for around £700 which isnt bad, will this spec be good for the next year or so running stuff in a high res with 4k becoming more popular, im playing on hooking it up to my 55'' samsung ultra HD tv too if that makes any difference

Thanks
Matt
 
Ultra settings on 4k won't be do-able at decent frame rates with that setup.
Lots of threads on here about running 4k with the new cards, and general consensus is that the Pascal Titan X is the way to go for single card 4k with Ultra settings.
The GTX 1080 handles 4k well, but don't expect huge fps running Ultra settings on AAA titles. The GTX 1070 will handle 4k as well, just plan to dial back the settings a bit.

As an aside to the rest of the system, you should plan for 16gb of ram in the DDR4-3000 or DDR4-3200 range. A SSD drive might be a good upgrade over the HDD, they've become much more common now that prices are dropping. If you do go with a GTX 1070, there are cheaper options than the FE if you look at brands like EVGA, Galax, Gigabyte, etc. Make sure the PSU is a quality PSU (again, many threads on why this is important). I just built a PC around the i5-6400 and it's no slouch, but you may want to look at the 6600k if you have any interest in overclocking (and be sure to get a z170 board as well if you get a 'k' processor).
 
yeah thats cool i understand i wont be able to run 4k on max settings, i guess down the line i could add another card?

Cool i could add another 8gb easily enough which i was planning, the pc is actually an alienware which is 2nd hand so about 2 months old, but its £400 cheaper than buying that spec new off their website
 
I missed the part where this was a pre-built that you were looking at.
If it's a good deal, that is a decent system that will play all the latest games. If you're okay dialing settings to around medium, it should handle 4k okay.
I'm not really familiar with Alienware PC's, but you should still make sure the components in it are quality items.
If you're okay building your own, you may want to price out a similar setup and see how it compares. You might be able to get a few upgrades in for roughly the same price.
 
I missed the part where this was a pre-built that you were looking at.
If it's a good deal, that is a decent system that will play all the latest games. If you're okay dialing settings to around medium, it should handle 4k okay.
I'm not really familiar with Alienware PC's, but you should still make sure the components in it are quality items.
If you're okay building your own, you may want to price out a similar setup and see how it compares. You might be able to get a few upgrades in for roughly the same price.

yeah it seems pretty good then, thanks for your help. Id still get a pretty decent price for my laptop so a desktop with much better spec wont actually cost me that much more. Plus i can always upgrade it in a year or so
 
I'd sooner sell the laptop and build from scratch (if budget allows) rather than get a prebuilt... we are a site of enthusiasts here, LOL!
 
Lol yeah i gather that :) not sure i could manage one from scratch hence the pre build, plus the alienware cases look so nice and they dont seem to be any more than other prebuilts these days
 
My only concern is that 460W PSU. Wattage is enough for the system, but, what BRAND do they put in there?
 
Its an 460W PSU Air Cooled w/ out ODD if that means anything
 
Yeah, the 460W PSU concerns me too. What make and model is the PSU?

I really think you should look at building your own so as to be able to pick your own parts. There are a number of things in that Alienware system that are not optimal, even questionable, given your goals. Building your own system is not that hard and we're here to hold your hand if you choose to build your own system. All of us took that plunge at some point.
 
Its an 460W PSU Air Cooled w/ out ODD if that means anything
We need to know the make and model that is in there man... we know its 460W, LOL!

The point we are making... If it is a crap PSU, I would say NOT to get that system. I do not know what brand PSU goes into Alienware.
 
FWIW, if I recall correctly, dell uses pretty OK power supplies. Not EVGA-supernova level, but certainly serviceable units. Im pretty sure its a HiPro unit in this one, quite acceptable. (HiPro's get 7-8's on johnnyguru.com)


op -> what would this system cost? It might be more prudent to make your own. Alienwares use proprietary equipment (usually) so upgrade path is typically pretty limited.
 
What counts is the Warranty on the alienware, what is the standard warranty? All my parts have 3 year and some 5 year warranty.
 
Historically, Dell has often used Bestec.

The last and only Dell I parted out (it was probably made about 8 years ago) had a Bestec in it.

- - - Updated - - -

What counts is the Warranty on the alienware, what is the standard warranty?

It sounds as though he is purchasing a second-hand PC. Not sure how the Alienware warranty transfers if that's the case.
 
What counts is the Warranty on the alienware, what is the standard warranty? All my parts have 3 year and some 5 year warranty.

It's not the only thing by any means! If the PSU goes out it could take other stuff with it and he would be without a PC for who knows how long and probably have to pay one way shipping to boot for repairs even if the warranty is transferable.
 
It's not the only thing by any means! If the PSU goes out it could take other stuff with it and he would be without a PC for who knows how long and probably have to pay one way shipping to boot for repairs even if the warranty is transferable.

I deal with this a lot. When you own a prebuilt system for any warranty work you have to send the complete tower in anyway. They don't need the keyboard mouse and monitor when you send it for warranty work. Folks don't trouble shoot warranty prebuilt PC's.
 
I deal with this a lot. When you own a prebuilt system for any warranty work you have to send the complete tower in anyway. They don't need the keyboard mouse and monitor when you send it for warranty work. Folks don't trouble shoot warranty prebuilt PC's.

Yes, but what I'm saying is if you start with quality components to begin with you won't have the hassle and expense of an RMA.
 
yeah i cant find anything on the make of the PSU, but surley an Alienware should come with a faily decent one? the tower has 8 or 9 months warranty which is said can be transferred and i could have it for 675 without the monitor, which i thought wasnt bad at all as its over £1000 at the moment on their site
 
yeah i cant find anything on the make of the PSU, but surley an Alienware should come with a faily decent one? the tower has 8 or 9 months warranty which is said can be transferred and i could have it for 675 without the monitor, which i thought wasnt bad at all as its over £1000 at the moment on their site

675 for a modern platform intel i5 build with a gtx 1070... youre not building it for that, thats for sure.

I'd buy it.
 
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