Not a technical issue but would like some advice please...

Hey all, well first off please accept my apologies if this is in the wrong section, I wasn’t really sure where to put this topic as it doesn’t fit the technical problems but I’d really appreciate any help you guys can give.


So, previously I haven’t been able to afford a PC so I’ve made do with my PS4 to play FFXIV, but recently I’ve had a little stroke of luck and I’m now in the position of getting a PC. Now I’d really like to get a PC that’s going to last me for a few years but I have a limited budget. I was thinking of going to the likes of overclockers.co.uk and getting them to build a PC. However, I’m not sure whether overclockers is the most cost efficient and was wondering if there’s anywhere that I’d definitely get cheaper. I’ve done a little google search and the other sites I’ve tried seem to be more expensive.

Also, getting a custom built PC, is that the best way to go? I used to build my own PCs in the past but I had so many problems with faulty parts (we had a terrible courier at the time and that stopped happening when the company I was with changed couriers) that I’m reluctant to try again, I’m also unfamiliar with DDR4 builds and wouldn’t be very confident with building my own just yet.

Any advise is much appreciated and again apologies if I’ve posted this in the wrong section!

If you would like to have granular control over your build, and just want to make sure everything will be compatible, you may appreciate https://pcpartpicker.com/ . As far as assembly goes, I think as long as you get an anti-static strap you should be fine. If you absolutely don't want to have to put a processor in yourself (legitimate), consider going to to newegg and simply picking out a basic desktop with a good processor and just select a graphics card seperately, and you should be fine.

I wouldn't be too reluctant to build your own PC. The general consensus seems to be that DOA parts are much rarer these days. I built mine five years ago and have had no issues, and I've helped several friends build theirs. Not saying it never happens, but we've never had to RMA.

If you have a Micro Center somewhat near you, that's another option for more convenient returns. Also, at least at the one near me, the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable.

I can't really give any advice about pre-built custom PCs, but I would trust something I built myself more than something that was built and shipped to me. And I didn't know what I was doing when I built mine. It's really easy.

Depending on what country you're in, there is probably independent builders who will build a custom PC for you. Some of them offer some parts selection and customization, others don't.

Honestly, the first question is what kinds of games do you play? Because a PC that's intended to play competitive FPS games at 4k is very different than one to play FFXIV and Civ at 1080p. If all you need is a relatively modest gaming PC, I wouldn't bother doing a custom solution at all, and just grab a prebuilt system that has the CPU and GPU you need.

If you are going custom, I second the PC Part Picker recommendation. They have guides showing completed builds that are proven to work, and you can use that as a starting point to customize. They also have a pretty helpful forum where you can show your proposed build.

Reddit's "Build a PC" group is also good, and will have pointers and videos on how to go about building one these days. If you're concerned about DOA parts, stick to reputable merchants and check their RMA policies on that before ordering. And don't order from one outside the country, returns a much bggier hassle when border crossings are involved.

I have a custom built one from a local company. It was worth every penny and I never had an issue with it. I just didn't want to make my own first PC.

That being said building your own will still be by far the cheapest way to do it.

PC Part Picker will give you a good idea what to look for. I'd go there first!

The bright side is FFXIV pretty much runs on anything so it gives you a fairly flexible budget to start with!

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Originally Posted by silverlunarfox

I have a custom built one from a local company. It was worth every penny and I never had an issue with it. I just didn't want to make my own first PC.

That being said building your own will still be by far the cheapest way to do it.

PC Part Picker will give you a good idea what to look for. I'd go there first!

The bright side is FFXIV pretty much runs on anything so it gives you a fairly flexible budget to start with!

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Right here PC part picker.

Ibuypower you could check and see if they have a pc on sale also, though I would do pc picker first.

https://www.ibuypower.com/

depending how much you wanna spend, I bought a ibuypower its lasted me up for 15 years of course I changed the processor but i didnt need to do that for a while I just wanted to.

Hey and thanks for getting back to me. I was curious as to how much of a difference it would be if I made the PC up myself with the parts I chose when looking at PC builds. It turns out that the difference isn’t as big as I’d thought it would be at £149.00. If the price difference was a lot higher then perhaps I would have gone down the route of building my own PC.

Thanks for the links as well, however I live in the UK so for me www.overclockers.co.uk is still the best option that I’ve found so far, but thank you for taking the time out to offer me some advice :)