Help Custom PC builders

[Dudley52]

I've had to get a refund for my PC that I had built from PCspecialist.co.uk due to unbearable PSU cap whine that they couldn't cure.

So can anyone recommend a reputable custom PC company? (Don't wanna build it myself)

Theres a few I've looked at:

Overclockers
Cyberpowersystem
Computerplanet
Mesh Computers


Many Thanks

 

[Lamp]

Was the PSU faulty? Do you think it was your build combo?

Haven't yet ordered my PC but I've heard nothing but good reviews from PCSpecialist & do plan to order it from them.

 

[Calaen]

I got my last one from cyber power systems, ands didnt have any problems at all.

 

[Dudley52]

Was the PSU faulty? Do you think it was your build combo?

They changed the PSU, sent it back to me, still the same problem. They sent a new video card, same again. I sent the PC back again, they tried different combos of powersupplies and video cards, unfortunately the cap whine was present with all the combos.

I would still recommend them tbh, they were great providing a quality service all the way, just unfortunately I can't accept something with horrible cap whine, they did their best to try and fix it.

I got my last one from cyber power systems, ands didnt have any problems at all.

Thanks mate, will consider them

 

[Madmaxx]

I got my last one from cyber power systems, ands didnt have any problems at all.

same.

 

[Lamp]

what PSU did you go for? I'll try to avoid ordering the same one

 

[Dudley52]

what PSU did you go for? I'll try to avoid ordering the same one

Went for the 600w. They provide FSP PSU's which are good quality I've been told. When I sent it back they tried the corsair 650 and 750 watt PSU's, still the same problem which is why I'm getting the refund.

 

[Moriath]

cougarextreme i got at xmas does good

 

[Access Denied]

Modular PSU's ftw!

 

[BloodOmen]

Not got a friend that knows how to make them well? if so get the following (nothing special but it'll last you a good few years atleast and the price isnt that bad for what you get) it'd run anything currently on the market and anything that'll be released this year/next year on max settings (I have something similar and it handles Crysis 2 on maximum settings without any sort of lag issues)

Case: Antec 300 (dated case but still very nice for the price)
CPU: 3.4GHZ (stock speed) Quad Core
Heatsink: Arctic Cooler
Memory: 4gb DDR3 1333mhz
PSU: 750w Antec
GFX: XFX 6850 (ATI)
HD: 1TB 7200RPM / 6gig/s 64mb cache

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 965 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.40GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail [HDZ965FBGMBOX] - £115

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler (Socket 939 / AM2 / AM3 / 775 / 1155/ 1156 / 1366) [] - £18

Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard [GA-MA78LMT-US2H] £50

OCZ Gold 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Low-Voltage Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3G1333LV4GK) [OCZ3G1333LV4GK] - £60

Antec TruePower New Modular 750W Power Supply [] - £110

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD1002FAEX) [] - £73

XFX ATI Radeon HD 6850 Black Edition 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card [HD-685X-ZNBC] - £150

Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black [0761345-08300-3] - £50

OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM [] - £18


Total: £644 not including delivery

 

[Keitanz]

Or just get the Crystal Advance from Crystal Technology Ltd: Computer Systems

Buy a new graphics card for about £100, and be done with it all, exactly what I did.

 

[pikeh]

novatech

 

[rynnor]

Haven't yet ordered my PC but I've heard nothing but good reviews from PCSpecialist & do plan to order it from them.

I posted one on the tech thread. Mates pc he got from PCSpecialist where the case was warped but instead of rejecting the component they had proceeded to build the components into the case.

They couldnt get the screws for the drives to line up due to the warping so just stuck the drives in and during storage and delivery the drive slipped out and smashed into the motherboard etc.

Demonstrates the lack of quality control - someone should have seen the drive wasnt fixed into its bay.

 

[Punishment]

Crystal GX3 with an i7 processor would be shweet

 

[Edmond]

novatech

Yep, almost got mine from there cos i could have gone to Reading to get it, but they were out of stock of some bits. Went with Ebuyer in the end, but Shitty-Link delivered everything but the case, that ended up in Edmington??

Had to wait 5 days for it cos of the BH weekend, fuckers

Been building it today as it happens, but i need new glasses cos my head is pounding. Just finished and about to fire it up and do the install


See you on the other side

 

[Embattle]

Chillblast

 

[Edmond]

aaaand i'm back, 2 1/2 hours to get the new machine up and running.....was using XP, this windows 7 is gonna take some getting used too

My new PSU btw is CoolerMaster silent pro 700w

 

[Aoami]

What did you do with your old pc edmond?

 

[cHodAX]

They changed the PSU, sent it back to me, still the same problem. They sent a new video card, same again. I sent the PC back again, they tried different combos of powersupplies and video cards, unfortunately the cap whine was present with all the combos.

I would still recommend them tbh, they were great providing a quality service all the way, just unfortunately I can't accept something with horrible cap whine, they did their best to try and fix it.



Thanks mate, will consider them

The problem was most likely the case chassis being slightly twisted and causing a minor leakage of current somewhere, have seen that happen before. Different case with the same hardware and the problem went.

 

[Dudley52]

The problem was most likely the case chassis being slightly twisted and causing a minor leakage of current somewhere, have seen that happen before. Different case with the same hardware and the problem went.

This is exactly how it sounded when using ATItool 3dcube.

YouTube - Corsair power supply & EVGA video card squeal/whine

 

[cHodAX]

This is exactly how it sounded when using ATItool 3dcube.

YouTube - Corsair power supply & EVGA video card squeal/whine

Ok, thats not just the PSU, that is looking like a defect on the GFX card with the voltage regulation and current draw. ATiTool will often expose hardware that isn't quite up to the task, it loads the card beyond what the manufacturers expect and pulls more power from the PSU than the VRM's were built for. Those VRM's are supposed to regulate power and scale back the card if need be but if they don't work properly the card just keeps pulling power until it hits the thermal limit when crashes occur but in this case it seems like your power supply was first to hit it's limit. Either way, better PSU with higher output won't hurt if you plan to match it up with the same graphics card.

 

[Edmond]

What did you do with your old pc edmond?

Still have it running too, whilst i transfer all my stuff over on to the new one

It about 6 yrs old now, running XP with 80gb HDD and 2gb of ram. It needs a total format as its very sloooooow

 

[Job]

What kinda spec do i need to run Youtube 720p videos?
Or should I just wait till flash fucks off and dies.

 

[Dudley52]

Ok, thats not just the PSU, that is looking like a defect on the GFX card with the voltage regulation and current draw. ATiTool will often expose hardware that isn't quite up to the task, it loads the card beyond what the manufacturers expect and pulls more power from the PSU than the VRM's were built for. Those VRM's are supposed to regulate power and scale back the card if need be but if they don't work properly the card just keeps pulling power until it hits the thermal limit when crashes occur but in this case it seems like your power supply was first to hit it's limit. Either way, better PSU with higher output won't hurt if you plan to match it up with the same graphics card.

The sound was also present when moving the mouse around the desktop screen, it changed pitch when i moved it in different directions althrough it wasn't as loud as the ATItool sound, it was enough to make me send the PC back. Also the same in the Crysis game menu.

Thanks for the help Cho, the master of Crusti crocs and PSU's

 

[soze]

I use ebuyer as well.

Over the last two weeks I have had two SSD's break, had to replace my motherboard, now I need to replace my CPU cooler (Corsair H50) as the pump has stopped working 2 months out of warranty. And today my machine started blue screening and a Memtest has shown me that 4gb of my RAM has died so that's another RMA to look forward too. That's the downside of a self build I have nowhere to go with any of this.

 

[cHodAX]

I use ebuyer as well.

Over the last two weeks I have had two SSD's break, had to replace my motherboard, now I need to replace my CPU cooler (Corsair H50) as the pump has stopped working 2 months out of warranty. And today my machine started blue screening and a Memtest has shown me that 4gb of my RAM has died so that's another RMA to look forward too. That's the downside of a self build I have nowhere to go with any of this.

Tis why I usually buy local at Aria, Microdirect or Scan, all places I can go and shout at some fucker if they sell me bits that don't work.

 

[cHodAX]

Have answered Dud privately but as a part-time PC builder myself I cannot look beyond OCZ, they deliver great performance at fantastic prices considering the quality of components. Since they bought PC P&C they have actually aquired even more expertise with power supplies and as any good PC bod knows PC P&C make godly power supplies at princely prices.

As I explained to Dud, alot of companies are now selling PSU's and passing them off as their own when infact they are made by mid-range manufacturers like Tagan, they are not bad units but considering the premium prices attached because of the label they are not worth the money. Personally I put Corsair in this bracket, premium price and a nice peice of hardware but nothing special. OCZ aren't as flash but what is inside the unit more than makes up for it, all Japanese capacitors and the highest quality components to be found inside any consumer level power unit. Oh and I wouldn't buy Lian Li if you fucking paid me, overpriced overrated underspeced aluminium trash.

 

[BloodOmen]

just been looking at that Novatech, not a bad place tbh you dont normally see i7's for so cheap

 

[Lamp]

Ok, thats not just the PSU, that is looking like a defect on the GFX card with the voltage regulation and current draw. ATiTool will often expose hardware that isn't quite up to the task, it loads the card beyond what the manufacturers expect and pulls more power from the PSU than the VRM's were built for. Those VRM's are supposed to regulate power and scale back the card if need be but if they don't work properly the card just keeps pulling power until it hits the thermal limit when crashes occur but in this case it seems like your power supply was first to hit it's limit. Either way, better PSU with higher output won't hurt if you plan to match it up with the same graphics card.

I read on one of the Corsair problems it could be your power supply, motherboard, or more likely the graphics card...but guess its academic now

 

[Punishment]

Hmm im seriously considering the Crystal technologies GX2 but with an i7 processor, your talking almost a grand but it would be beast, dunno if i would need 2x 1gb Radeon 5770's tho lol, hmmz