Opinions needed on my first build!

Nutman · Jul 18, 2013

Hello forum,

I have recently chosen the set components below for my first build. It will be a Mini ITX size tower with no overclocking.

Please could you cast your opinions on my build, checking the compatibility of the components (which I think is fine) and if it is a good PC for a £600 budget.

CPU: Intel i5-3570

CPU Cooler: Intel boxed heatsink and fan

Motherboard: ASRock B75M-ITX

RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9G Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3

Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660

Hard Disks: Western Digital Black - 3.5 inch 1TB Desktop SATA Hard Drive
Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5 inch SATA Solid State Drive

Case: Coolermaster Elite 120 Advanced (Mini ITX Case)

Power Supply: Coolermaster Elite Power 500W

Optical: None

CommentariesAnd More · Jul 18, 2013

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£138.69 @ Dabs)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard (£62.54 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.46 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£73.92 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.32 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card (£159.93 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case (£32.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£49.36 @ Aria PC)
Total: £612.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-18 20:00 BST+0100)

Slightly above budget . but has a faster SSD , better GPU and a much better PSU. The GTX 660 is trashed out by the HD 7870GHz any day. The older 840's aren't as good as the new gen Ultra Plus and new gen cost 17 bucks more. The Elite power series isn't good for gaming at all. The XFX ProSeries on the other hand is meant for mainstream users.

kewlguy239 · Jul 18, 2013

that's a nice set you have picked out. the only recommendation I could give is to go for the GTX 760 instead of the 660. its only about $50 American dollars more, I dunno what that equates to in euros, but for the minimal price increase you would be getting significant performance gains. if its truly not doable with your budget, then this build looks like a great mini-itx PC.

Nutman · Jul 18, 2013

kewlguy239 :

Thanks for the advice but, unfortunately, I'm pretty glued on the budget, but I agree that the best potential upgrade would be upping the GPU to the 760.

I'll note that.

CommentariesAnd More · Jul 19, 2013

Nutman :

The cheapest GTX 760 is around 200 bucks. SO its senseless unless you break the budget or drop to a i3.Wait I am working for something better , might come ASAP. Also did you like the first build I said ?

Oh wait here it is -
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3240 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor (£96.53 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard (£62.54 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.46 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£73.92 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.32 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (£195.17 @ Dabs)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case (£32.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£49.36 @ Aria PC)
Total: £605.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-19 07:50 BST+0100)

The i3-3240 is a good performer for the money. If you drop the SSD , here's a better build than both -

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£138.69 @ Dabs)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard (£62.54 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.46 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.32 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£215.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case (£32.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£49.36 @ Aria PC)
Total: £594.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-19 07:53 BST+0100)

And another one , which I would get if the SSD is a must -

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£138.69 @ Dabs)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard (£62.54 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£36.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£71.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.32 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card (£164.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case (£32.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£49.36 @ Aria PC)
Total: £606.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-19 07:58 BST+0100)

That XFX 7870XT is a 90% HD 7950 for much less. Also the SSD is a fine performer IMO.

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Opinions needed on my first build!

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