Opinions........store bought custom build

[eddiek]

With my jobs keeping me away from home a LOT, and being away from AH and losing touch with what works well and what doesn't, I stopped by a shop that does custom builds to inquire about the cost of building a system specifically for AH.
They have one already built, put together for the owner's wife, ready to go. 
Here are the specs:

Cooler Master HAF series high airflow case
EVGA 80+ 750w Power Supply
Gigabit A88X series Motherboard
AMD A10-7860K Black Edition Processor @3.6/4.2 ghz mildly overclocked
16gb Gskill Ripjaws X series DDR3 memory
Dual Graphics with R7 on processor and Radeon R9-380 4gb DDR5 overclocked video card
240gb Crucial Solid State Hard Drive
2tb Seagate secondary drive @7200rpm
LG DVD R/W drive
Windows 10 installed and updated

I normally have always gone with Intel CPU's and Nvidia video cards, but since I am very much out of touch and practice on gather parts together, and am gone too much and too often to assemble one again, I am pretty much committed to having a system built by someone else.
I know there are a lot of players who are "in the know" about what will run AH well, and what won't.  I told the owner's wife while I was in the shop that I am looking for something that will run Aces High with all the eye candy and graphics sliders turned all the way up........why upgrade if you're not going to get the full effect?

Anyway, looking for thoughts and opinions on this particular system.


EDIT:  Okay, the owner/builder just contacted me and added that the system is water cooled (never had a water cooled system before, not sure if that's a pro or a con), and that he has run AH3 on the system:  "I tested Aces High 3 on the build you were looking at earlier. I tested it at max settings (2k resolution), after a little tweaking it's running 60fps on a 27in 2k monitor without even warming up. Perfect build for your needs".
The monitor (Samsung 27" Ultra HD, I didn't write down the model number) is available with the system if I am interested.

[morfiend]

You left out some important information!  What is aprox cost?

  Many places will build a "custom build" you simply choose the parts and they will assemble the system for a small charge. I have done this with my last 3 computers simply because I'm afraid to build my own.....

 I've been charged about 50 bucks,if you get an OS with the build they will run and test the system before they ship so it always worked right out of the box! I have used NCIX.com but there are many others that will do the same thing,I'm sure you will get more advice and suggestions on where to purchase from!



   

[eddiek]

He/they said $999 for the system.  I've been away from building them for so long, I'm not sure what a good deal is any more.  Heck, the last one I built for AH, back in 2007, ending up costing around $2200 with a new monitor and all.
I have a budget that will allow a lot more (if I can convince myself to spend more on what will be a gaming system only.  The desktop I am using now is just fine for all other internet usage).  Just not sure if the build is worth the money.

[DaddyAce]

My quick take is you'd be better off building your own, and this seems just a bit pricey.  I'm sure others here more knowledgeable will weigh in.....  Good luck whatever you do!   

[Easyscor]

This is more typical now for someone in your shoes. Many are going with a 1060 to save a few bucks and of course, I'm sure you will have slightly different priorities. It's a good starting point.

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,383354.msg5101648.html#msg5101648

[eddiek]

I played around with PC Parts Picker to get a ballpark idea of what the identical parts would cost if I bought them.  Came out to $1437 and change.
For me, it's about being able to play when I am home and not have to wait around for parts.  Gonna have to think about this one...............

[Bizman]

That one looks like it can run AH3 with ease. What slightly annoys me is that everything is "mildly overclocked". While overclocking can give some extra oomph for certain components, I see it more like a way to prolong the life span of an older system. But that's just my opinion, and I'm aware that underclocked components can also exist. Unleashing their nominal power in such cases won't do any harm, but it's very difficult to find such gems without manufacturer level testing equipment.

Anyhow, if you're going to choose that build and are going to use it for AH only, and maybe some other games, you won't need the SSD. The 2 TB HDD is also quite big for a single game, 1 TB would suffice even if you're planning to fill your storage with filmed sorties. Smaller than that wouldn't be cost effective, 500 GB and 1 TB cost the same.

[Spikes]

That seems like a high price considering it isn't Intel.

[Randy1]

Right now HTC has been unable to solve the game problems associated with AMD cards. 

[eddiek]

Thanks for the responses, everyone.  I thought it over, talked with my wife about it, and have decided that I'll just wait a while before buying anything.
Better to compile my own list of parts and have him or another person assemble the system.  These next few weeks will potentially see me travelling to UT, ND, PA, OK,and south TX on jobs, with no predictability, and I wouldn't be able to enjoy this or any other gaming system for any length of time.
I appreciate the feedback.  Thanks again!   

[Gman]

Make sure you come back here before you buy anything Eddiek, as others have said, for that 1000$ you can do better IMO.  There are lots of options out there that can build and send you a PC in just a few days, same as you building it yourself, pick your components, they'll assemble and test, then ship.  +1 for the 1060, or 1070 if you can afford it.  You should be able to build a 1070 machine for around 1000$, and with Kaby and other new Intel offerings coming in the new year when you're going to buy, price should be coming down on a lot of components then, as usual.

[eddiek]

I will definitely check here before I pull the trigger on a build or purchase, Gman. 
I've been reading the opinions on VR, specifically Oculus Rift, and have an eye towards a system capable of supporting that feature.  Only problem is, I don't want to buy that only to find out I don't like it, can't tolerate it because of vertigo or something else.............more research to do.

[Hajo]

I built a water cooled PC about 8 years ago.  It was a pain to take care of.  The cooling solution clouded up and the copper block cooler that the solution ran through added corrosion to the water.  It had to be

changed frequently and the crap on the processor copper cooler that the solution ran through was impossible to clean.  Plus, when you drained the system you had to make sure you got all the air removed from

the cooling system.  Not worth it.  Get a good CPU fan cooler instead.

[ACE]

My 25$ CPU Fan Cooler does wonders for my i5 I had liquid cooling in my old rig until it cracked wher it connects to the processor. If you spend some money on a good corsair cooling system you won't be disappointed but from what I've read unless you plan to do some overclocking I wouldn't bother. Just get a fan.

[Bizman]

Even if you plan to do overclocking a good fan can outperform many liquid coolers.

Serious overclockers use dry ice and the like.