First Time Build - £450 - All Advice Appreciated

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FruityLoop23

Honorable
Jan 12, 2014
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10,510
Hi guys,

Building my first gaming computer and am a complete novice. I've been reading up (and saving up) for a few weeks now but find it almost impossible to decide on components. Either one review contradicts the last one I read, or the part seems to be outdated by the time I go to order it :D

Anyway, at the moment I'm only playing WOW, which, my mate has informed me isn't all that demanding a game, but I would like to make the rig as future proof as possible as I'll more than likely move into other games, Battlefield, COD etc. I wouldn't mind starting with a relatively decent basic system and a little further down the line when I'm more financially stable, upgrade different parts one by one, but again, all advice/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks very much:)

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the month

Budget Range: £450

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming mostly then general computer use. Maybe a little bit of video editing but nothing major at all.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, but I can wait a little longer for that, doesn't have to be in the initial £450

Parts to Upgrade: Need all parts. Building from scratch.

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon UK hopefully, but any that will ship to Rep Of Ireland.

Location: Carlow, Republic Of Ireland. It's about 45 mins outside Dublin.

Parts Preferences: Absolutely no preference.

Overclocking: First build so probably not just yet.

SLI or Crossfire: Again, open to sugeestions.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024 hopefully, but don't necessarily need that immediately.

Additional Comments:

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: First time build.

Thanks again!
 
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MDXX

MDXX

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Jan 17, 2011
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($250.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $795.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-13 10:14 EST-0500)
 
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zichus

zichus

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Aug 29, 2013
137
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10,710
Or this build

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2AAWK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2AAWK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2AAWK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (£39.98 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£34.21 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£56.50 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£57.50 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card (£162.00 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£26.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£47.12 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£12.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £436.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-13 15:22 GMT+0000)


I built smth similar with previous gen Intel CPU. I think this will give you good frames and the cpu wont bottleneck the GPU. And later on you can upgrade to i5 if you have the money but most games utilize only 2 cores and newest start to utilize more. And you could opt for better monitor with resolution 1920x1080:
Asus VS238H-P 1920 x 1080 £137.64
 
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MDXX

MDXX

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Going this cheap route you posted will only cause him to spend more in the end if he really does ever want to upgrade.
 
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zichus

zichus

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Aug 29, 2013
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And with the GPU you can go either GTX 760 or R9 270X - they are both pretty similar, gtx 760 being a bit more better and R9 270x being a bit cheaper. Check the prices and decide for yourself.
 
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zichus

zichus

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Aug 29, 2013
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Care to explain why?
 
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filippi

filippi

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Oct 18, 2012
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor (£72.50 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£64.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£40.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card (£138.81 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master K280 ATX Mid Tower Case (£34.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£48.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£12.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £458.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-13 15:32 GMT+0000)
 
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T

Trenchcoat

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May 7, 2013
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Could potentially save you loads if you can list what hardware you are running at the moment. As you're open to future upgrades you could start off with something like this:

http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-4th-gen-gamer-bundle--inc-z87-k-motherboard--intel-core-i5-4670k---8gb-vengeance-pro-black--8Y8X.html?src=2

That's a Z87-K Motherboard, Intel Core i5-4670K & 8GB Vengeance Pro Black memory. It's pretty much the best gaming platform you can get and it's only £350. (also included is 3 free games and a headset).

Then you could add on a cpu cooler and psu and still be in budget if you have suitable components you can re-use. You can always get a better gpu later.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Sep 3, 2012
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1280*1024 is really not demanding at all, by modern standards. If you have no plans to upgrade monitor, then spending a lot of money on graphics is pretty pointless, £100 is way more than you need to spend. If you are going to go be waiting a while for a new one, you might as well go heavier into CPU and light on graphics, as it gives you more flexibility going forwards and a good base to build on. If you intend on getting a new monitor as soon as you have the cash, then spending the £150-200 most people above are suggesting makes a lot more sense, as it's the main limiting factor.
 
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FruityLoop23

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Jan 12, 2014
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10,510


Cheers for the advice Trenchcoat. At the moment I'm only using a standard laptop that was pretty decent spec when I bought it 6 years ago so unfortunately I need to build from scratch.
 
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Trenchcoat

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May 7, 2013
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Your hard drive might be re-usable. I'll check with my laptop expert about the gfx too but it'll take most of a day. You need a case. You are on a budget, so ask F&F if anyone has an old one they can spare.
 
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FruityLoop23

Honorable
Jan 12, 2014
17
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10,510
Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the advice. Spent a few hours on Amazon this evening and have come up with the following very budget conscious build. (Money is quite tight at the mo)

I believe it will give me a good starting point on my gaming computer quest.

I'm not 100% on the graphics card and don't know whether a 1GB DDR5 or a 2GB DDR3 card is the one for me? Bear in mind I'm only going to be playing 1920*1080 for the foreseeable future.

Anyway I am still very open to suggestions/advice.

SSD: Kingston Technology 120GB Solid State Drive 2.5-inch V300 SATA 3 with Adapter - £54.98
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-120GB-2-5-inch-Adapter/dp/B00A1ZTZOG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1DP97DLC8NAW8&coliid=I2ISSRW7M0OF4Z

Case: CiT Vantage Midi Mesh Gaming Case with HD Audio, 4 Fans, Card Reader and No PSU - Black - £35.01
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CiT-Vantage-Gaming-Audio-Reader/dp/B0071KZNUY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1DP97DLC8NAW8&coliid=IFU90L9U47UEG

Memory: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600​C9 Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mhz CL9 XMP Performance Desktop Memory Kit Black - £64.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9-Vengeance-Performance-Desktop/dp/B004CRSM4I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1DP97DLC8NAW8&coliid=I2R45YRIDS94ZI

CPU:AMD FX4300 Black Edition 4 Core (3.8/4.0GHz, 8MB Level 3 Cache, 4MB Level 2 Cache, Socket AM3+, 95W, Retail Boxed) - £72.50
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX4300-Edition-4-0GHz-Socket/dp/B009O7YU3S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1DP97DLC8NAW8&coliid=I2R0E6GH223DIP

MB: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 Motherboard (AMD 970/SB950, DDR3, 6 x S-ATA 600, ATX, PCI-Express 2.0, USB 3.0, Socket AM3+) - £54.64
http://www.amazon.co.uk/M5A97-LE-R2-0-Motherboard-PCI-Express/dp/B008RPZ5SC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1DP97DLC8NAW8&coliid=I2K8HG13ROKP04

PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX 430 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply Unit - £34.27
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Bronze-Supply/dp/B009RMP14M/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1DP97DLC8NAW8&coliid=I3F6DQ4X3IJV6A

Graphics Card: EITHER:
Asus Nvidia GeForce GT 640 Graphics Card (2GB DDR3, PCI Express 3.0, VGA, 2x DVI-D, HDMI, Nvidia 3D Vision Ready) - £69.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nvidia-GeForce-Graphics-Express-Vision/dp/B0087YADCG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1DP97DLC8NAW8&coliid=I3KTU22DPP27ML

OR

Asus AMD Radeon HD 6670 Graphics Card (1GB, PCI-Express, GDDR5, Dust-proof Fan) - £54.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Radeon-Graphics-PCI-Express-GDDR5-Dust-proof/dp/B004XANO24/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3N63P19KXMNAZ&coliid=IJJMVSM8A5Q2T

Total: £390.05 Or £375.05 depending on graphics card
 
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MDXX

MDXX

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In my opinion, id save up another 100-150$ man
 
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FruityLoop23

Honorable
Jan 12, 2014
17
0
10,510


Hey MDXX,

Thanks for the advice. If I was to spend another £100, would it be the graphics card and processor you would upgrade??

 
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