The last thing you want on your shiny new PC is hardware that is slowing it down or not able to fulfil its full potential. This post will focus on key aspects that'll help you make the right choice, and could possibly end up saving you some cash in the long run! So take a quick read and feel free to comment.
Deciding what you want
So you have a rough idea as to what you want. Something that'll run Call of Duty 4 pretty high but not something extreme to even give Crysis a run for its money. You have a budget in mind but you really don't know what's best. Well there's step one already - post in the Tech section saying that you have a rough budget of X and you want a computer that'll do what you need it to do.
One step further: prices
Alright! You've now got a rough idea for a system and you've even got some specific components lined out. Great! Now it's a matter of deciding how much you are really prepared to spend. Set yourself a limit and try your best to stick to it! Buying the majority of your items from one place is likely to save you in the long run for postage and it also means that you should get all your stock in one go. Even if an item is say, 10 (enter currency here) cheaper, the postage from that store could make it not worth your while purchasing from there.
Another step: performance
This is the big one. Site X might have the new 8800GT 512MB, respectable brand, 675MHz core. Wow! But don't immediately click 'purchase'; this is where other sites come into play. Knowledge: the aim of a seller is to achievement maximum profit; to do this his/her prices will be higher. But to achieve profit, you need traffic to that site - and so; prices are lowered so that more people will purchase. 10 items at £200 (grand total of £2000) is the same as selling 9 items at £222.23 (a grand total of £2000, also). Take a look around other respectable shops and see if you can find the, for the same price, an 8800GT 512MB, respectable brand, but a core clock of 700MHz. This is getting you extra performance - for in theory no extra cost. Repeat with absolutely everything!
Brands, Warranties, Goodies etc
Let's take the first one: brand. Brands such as ASUS, EVGA, Antec and so on so forth are all respectable. Therefore you are guaranteed quality components (for the most part!). If you are in doubt, it's likely that at least someone here will have a similar product to what you are purchasing, or have knowledge on, so post in the Tech section and someone will hopefully give you a reply that you needed. Next up, warranty. Some brands offer 1 year warranty, others 3, others 5. However, some offer up to 10 years of warranty - if the cost is little to none extra, it's pretty self explanatory in that unless you are losing out performance wise - you should take it (assuming it is of reputable quality). Last up, goodies. To lure you into purchase, many companies will offer a "free game" or "free gift". If you are prepared to spend the extra little cost, then go for it! You might even find you'll be able to sell the extras and end up saving money than if you were just going to purchase the item on its on.
______
As you can see, this was pretty short. The idea is simple to follow 3 steps - decide what you want, check out price and performance, and ensure that the brand is reputable.
Hope this helps to clear things up a bit;
Kyle (Technical Team)
PS. the tech team will always be in here and their aim is to help you - so if you have a question just post in te tech section. We'd rather you didn't PM, as other people may be wondering the same question you are asking. However, don't just rely entirely on responses from the tech team as many non tech team members may have had personal experiences wit the product or are simply skilled in that rea.
Deciding what you want
So you have a rough idea as to what you want. Something that'll run Call of Duty 4 pretty high but not something extreme to even give Crysis a run for its money. You have a budget in mind but you really don't know what's best. Well there's step one already - post in the Tech section saying that you have a rough budget of X and you want a computer that'll do what you need it to do.
One step further: prices
Alright! You've now got a rough idea for a system and you've even got some specific components lined out. Great! Now it's a matter of deciding how much you are really prepared to spend. Set yourself a limit and try your best to stick to it! Buying the majority of your items from one place is likely to save you in the long run for postage and it also means that you should get all your stock in one go. Even if an item is say, 10 (enter currency here) cheaper, the postage from that store could make it not worth your while purchasing from there.
Another step: performance
This is the big one. Site X might have the new 8800GT 512MB, respectable brand, 675MHz core. Wow! But don't immediately click 'purchase'; this is where other sites come into play. Knowledge: the aim of a seller is to achievement maximum profit; to do this his/her prices will be higher. But to achieve profit, you need traffic to that site - and so; prices are lowered so that more people will purchase. 10 items at £200 (grand total of £2000) is the same as selling 9 items at £222.23 (a grand total of £2000, also). Take a look around other respectable shops and see if you can find the, for the same price, an 8800GT 512MB, respectable brand, but a core clock of 700MHz. This is getting you extra performance - for in theory no extra cost. Repeat with absolutely everything!
Brands, Warranties, Goodies etc
Let's take the first one: brand. Brands such as ASUS, EVGA, Antec and so on so forth are all respectable. Therefore you are guaranteed quality components (for the most part!). If you are in doubt, it's likely that at least someone here will have a similar product to what you are purchasing, or have knowledge on, so post in the Tech section and someone will hopefully give you a reply that you needed. Next up, warranty. Some brands offer 1 year warranty, others 3, others 5. However, some offer up to 10 years of warranty - if the cost is little to none extra, it's pretty self explanatory in that unless you are losing out performance wise - you should take it (assuming it is of reputable quality). Last up, goodies. To lure you into purchase, many companies will offer a "free game" or "free gift". If you are prepared to spend the extra little cost, then go for it! You might even find you'll be able to sell the extras and end up saving money than if you were just going to purchase the item on its on.
______
As you can see, this was pretty short. The idea is simple to follow 3 steps - decide what you want, check out price and performance, and ensure that the brand is reputable.
Hope this helps to clear things up a bit;
Kyle (Technical Team)
PS. the tech team will always be in here and their aim is to help you - so if you have a question just post in te tech section. We'd rather you didn't PM, as other people may be wondering the same question you are asking. However, don't just rely entirely on responses from the tech team as many non tech team members may have had personal experiences wit the product or are simply skilled in that rea.