£400 desktop build for home use

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Lard77

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Mar 15, 2013
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Guys, I asked a similar question about 3 months ago when my creaking old pc got fixed with a new fan.

However the machine has totally gone now and I think it is about time I got a new desktop.

I have about £400ish to spend and require an OS but have a monitor/speakers/keyboard etc. It will be used for browsing and films/simple games such as football manager, so the onboard graphics should be fine.

I do want something that will last and not struggle in a year or 2; plus have the option to upgrade easily if the need arises.

Would prefer a pc based on an i5 (from what I have read) but was sent this build http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/K1tv

Surprisingly the price is higher now than 3 months ago :S

Many thanks for your help
 
Solution
Madn3ss795
For the price of an i3, the 5800k gets you better multitasking ability than an i3, while its GPU is on par with a discrete HD6570, which is great for any home PC. With a good motherboard like the one picked above and the Hyper 212 EVO, it's easy to gain more processing power also. I5 won't bring many significant performance increase in daily use, plus its GPU is worse than even an AMD A4 APU ( and much worse color filter leading to uglier image quality :p )

However, here's the i5 build, would bring great performance if you decide to add in a strong VGA card and become a serious gamer :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3330 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor...
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Madn3ss795

Madn3ss795

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Mar 19, 2013
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Don't get a6 + hd6570. Dual graphic driver isn't that good. Just grab an A10, with greater performance on both CPU + GPU end. 1TB HDD is only 5 GBP more, don't be mean :p Also got you a better case with front usb 3.0 support, bottom mounted PSU, plus better RAM bars and here we are:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor (£92.39 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.40 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4 ATX FM2 Motherboard (£62.85 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£34.57 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£44.39 @ Aria PC)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£34.17 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£36.18 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£67.19 @ Aria PC)
Total: £396.14
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-11 14:20 BST+0100)
 
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Lard77

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Mar 15, 2013
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Thanks for the help - liking the fact that comes in under budget :)

So AMD is def the way to go at this price point and it isn't worth spending any extra on an i5 processor?

Also is there anything else that I would need to purchase beyond those listed parts to build it myself?
 
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Madn3ss795

Madn3ss795

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For the price of an i3, the 5800k gets you better multitasking ability than an i3, while its GPU is on par with a discrete HD6570, which is great for any home PC. With a good motherboard like the one picked above and the Hyper 212 EVO, it's easy to gain more processing power also. I5 won't bring many significant performance increase in daily use, plus its GPU is worse than even an AMD A4 APU ( and much worse color filter leading to uglier image quality :p )

However, here's the i5 build, would bring great performance if you decide to add in a strong VGA card and become a serious gamer :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3330 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£131.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£44.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£27.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£44.39 @ Aria PC)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£34.17 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£36.18 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£67.19 @ Aria PC)
Total: £386.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-11 15:39 BST+0100)
 
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Solution
RedJaron

RedJaron

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That Intel build needs a dual-channel RAM kit, but otherwise is solid. And I'd spend a little extra to get you 8GB RAM. No, you won't need it right away, but the price difference is small enough I'd get it up-front rather than have to upgrade again in a year or two.

Also, if you're not overclocking the APUs, you won't need a special CPU cooler.
 
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Lard77

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Mar 15, 2013
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Thank you Madn3ss795 :)

So what you are saying is the i5 would be better over the long run for upgrading if I was to buy a good gpu, but for current everyday use the amd build you have given me is better?

Also if I were to order those parts there are no extra things I would need to buy to build it myself? (It would be my first build so apologies if that is a stupid question)
 
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Madn3ss795

Madn3ss795

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:)
 
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Lard77

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Mar 15, 2013
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Think I will go for your i5 build then and get a gpu at a later date when I feel I need it :)

Would a small ssd for the operating system give me a worthwhile speed increase that I would notice or is it budget wasted for my basic useage?
 
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RedJaron

RedJaron

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Agree, an SSD improves overall system responsiveness. However, you're looking at least £70 more than the given build, if your budget can handle that. Also I agree you should look at a 128GB model at least.

And don't forget, the listed RAM won't work. You need two sticks for the dual-channel controller. If you want 4GB, it'll run ~£30. A good 8GB pack will be ~£40
 
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RedJaron

RedJaron

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I have two reservations about that one. 1) 450W is ok for mid-grade cards, but might be cutting it a little fine for the higher-end GPUs. 2) That one says it doesn't ship for 1 - 4 weeks.
 
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