I didn't fully read through the posts on the other forum because I think they're confused. It seems that maybe they didn't look at the options available with the prebuilt and were making comparisons to the base model (or just flat out wrong). I think the prebuilt option I laid out would be the better buy as you'll see.
If you configure the prebuilt correctly, this is how I see it
Where the parts are notably different, I'll bold the better option:
PREBUILT........................................|. .......................................Build Yourself
Case:
Antec 300.............................|.................... .............BitFenix Merc Beta
PSU: PC P&C 600w...........................|.................. .................................SAME
CPU:
i5 3570K 3.40GHz @ 4.40GHz...|..........................i5 3570K 3.40GHz STOCK
Cooler:
Alpenfohn K2 Mount Doom....|...Xigmatek Dark Knight SD-1283 Night Hawk
MOBO: Asus P8Z77-V LX....................|........................... .......................SAME
RAM: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz (2x4GB)........|.................................. .............SIMILAR
HD
500GB HDD...............................|............... ................................SIMILAR
SS
Intel 330 SSD 180 GB...............|................................OC Z Vertex 3 120GB
GPU: Sapphire HD7950 OC 3GB.............|............Gigabyte HD7950 Windforce 3X 3GB
Sound: Realtek 7.1 (On-Board).............|.............................. ....................SAME
OD
OcUK 24x DVD+/-RW SATA..........|....................Samsung 22x DVD±RW SATA
OS: Windows 8 64bit OEM...................|..originally NONE, but I'm adding it as SAME
Wifi:
ASUS PCE-N15 B/G/N (internal).|....Edimax EW-7811UN B/G/N USB (external)
Monitor: originally NONE, now SAME.......|.........Samsung S24B300BS 24" LED Monitor
Keyboard: originally NONE, now SAME....|..................TT eSports Challenger Gamers
Total Cost: £1117.96..........................|............... ...............................£1094.32
The Antec case is slightly better than that BitFenix case because of the additional cooling capability (1x120mm & 1x140mm + extra fan slots vs just 1x120MM) and the fact that the system will already be assembled for you (though as I suggested, I'd move the 120mm from the back to the front blowing air in)
According to the page the CPU in the prebuilt system comes overclocked already, guaranteed and warrantied to be running @4.4GHz vs the stock 3.4GHz. While you can overclock the CPU yourself, there is no guarantee if you do so (the opposite actually, overclocking on your own usually voids warranties)...I don't know how good these guys are with the overclocks, so you may want to check/tweak it but if it doesn't properly run at 4.4GHz you're covered.
Despite what the other forum said, the Titan 8700i prebuilt system does indeed come with an aftermarket cooler, and it looks like a very nice one (read the System Specification). Similar looking to a Noctua NH-D14 and I would say superior to the cooler they suggested (larger heatsink with more/bigger fans and a higher retail price £50).
While the prebuilt doesn't normally come with an SSD you can configure it with a few options. The best option for price/performance/reliability here would be the Intel 330 180GB SSD which is simply superior to the Vertex 3 in virtually every way. Its larger faster and more reliable. There's a pretty big list of reasons why I chose this drive out of the ones they offered, but I want to keep this short. Here's a benchmark between this Intel and the Vertex 3 they suggested:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/589?vs=350
(notice that depending on the test, higher or lower may be better, and the Intel drive wins just about everything)
As far as Wifi goes, the internal card available for the prebuilt system should simply be far superior to the micro USB they suggested. I have no idea what these guys were thinking...clearly they don't know what they're talking about here. Asus generally makes good quality products (top tier manufacturer) and the PCE-N15 is rated for the same 802.11 B/G/N networks but at a higher 300Mbps N (MIMO) vs the 150Mbps N Micro USB (it should be obvious just looking at it, a pair of much larger antenna with access to more power from the internal connection). If your using wireless G the max connection speed is 54Mbps...but you'll still get a much better connection with the internal Asus card.
Originally your build list did not include the operating system, so I included it and added £90 to the total...while the prebuilt system didn't have monitor or keyboard options, it would be easy to get those yourself, so I simply added them to the cost of the prebuilt system. Now you can see the total system cost (after VAT/shipping) and build list side by side...and it should be pretty obvious that the prebuilt system is a far better value than what the other forum was suggesting you build yourself.
Some of the components, like the HDD RAM and GPU are slightly different (mostly just brand) between the systems but should be close enough in performance that I chose not to compare them...but if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Please help me pick over these 3 gaming rigs
(Dell OEM POS)
