help on a pc build please

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Hello my name is jay im new to this website but ive used it loads for reading up on pcs.

my question is can anyone please help me on a pc build.

I have a £300 budget for the time being I will have more eventually but I cannot push past it atm for abit.
I would like a pc that can run wow mop and bf4 eventually I would like to add an sapphire r9270x into it once I can afford it but at the moment id like to just have something that can run wow untill I add that gpu.
I have nothing what so ever im sure I can get win7x64 disc from my friend and I have a mouse hd monitor and keyboard but other than that I have nothing so im looking for a decent cpu that can handle bf4 and a rig that can be upgraded gradually I know its alot to ask for for only 300 pounds but my last pc cost me 330 and I added that r9 270x into it and it ran wow at ultra with shadows off and ran bf4 mixed high / ultra it was an:-
athlon x4 750k
8gb ram
500w psu
Sapphire r9270x 2gb oc edition.
but that was 5+months ago and I do not know if there are better parts available now if thats not possible I shall just try get the pc I had previously and do what I done last time but I hope that theres better out theree.
im sorry for this long and confusing post and if you have read this far I am truly great full that you have taken the time to help me so thanks ever so much and I will be looking forward to reading whats being posted.

thanks in advance Jay

geofelt · Jul 16, 2014

Here is a post I made while ago that might help:

For a budget build, I like to recommend that one builds for future expandability.
That means paying a bit more up front for some parts that allow for an easier future upgrade.
Let me start where you might not expect:
1. Buy a good 620w psu. Such a unit will run any future graphics card.
I would normally suggest Seasonic 620w:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
But this EVGA 600w unit is going for a very good price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
2. Buy a Z97 based motherboard. Z97 will allow you to install a overclockable cpu and even offer a future 14nm broadwell upgrade.
You should fine one for about $100.
Here is a M-ATX : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
3. I suggest a G3258. It is a overclockable dual core at a budget price of about $75.
Here is what it can do: http://techreport.com/review/26735/overclocking-intel-p...
In time, you can upgrade to any cpu that you want and market the G3258.
4. The intel stock cooler will do the job up to a point. But, I suggest a $30 tower type cooler like the cm hyper212 with a 120mm fan. It will cool better and be quieter under load.
5. For ram, speed is not important. Buy a 8gb kit of 2 x 4gb DDR3 1.5v ram.
6. Cases are a personal thing. Buy one you love. Most will do the job for <$50.
It would be hard to beat $34 delivered for this Antec GX500 :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
7. The graphics card is the most important component for gaming. My usual rule of thumb is to budget 2x the cpu cost for the graphics card. I like the GTX750ti and EVGA as a brand.
Here is a superclock version:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
You could go stronger in the video card if your budget permits and your games need it.
On the other hand, you could build using the integrated graphics and see how you do.
By deferring on the graphics card, you will get a better idea of what you really need.
Integrated is fine for sims, but not fast action games.
8. Lastly, I will never build again without a SSD for the "C" drive. It makes everything you do so much quicker. 120gb will hold the OS and a handful of games. With 240gb you may never need a hard drive at all. Defer on a hard drive until your ssd approaches 90% full.

-------------good luck------------

LucoTF · Jul 16, 2014

£300 including windows?

What about monitor, mouse, keyboard etc?

Scremin34Egl · Jul 16, 2014

What happened to the old pc ?, it still looks good apart for minor upgrades like the motherboard and cpu

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Hello geofelt thank you very much for the fast reply I do not know if I mentioned it but for time being I would just like to play wow for time being untill I have more money to upgrade so if I can get a build for 300 pounds thatd be great that I can upgrade soon I can get say a radeon 5450 1gb for time being and say spend abit more on a better cpu / other parts just untill I can get a better gpu like with ram aswell I could just use 4gb (2x2gb) for time being untill I can upgrade to 8gb (2×4gb) that probably saves me 30-50 pounds for a better cpu that wont have to be touched for a while like I said im just after wow for now even at med settings with shadows and liwuids etc down to lowest.
But I need the cpu to run bf4 on med to high intel or amd makes no difference im after best proformance for my money.

thanks again in advance for replys

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Hello luco and scremin thank uou for replying

I dont need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, I believe I dont need an os as mt sisters bf may have one if not theres somewhere you can get for like $ 25 /15 pounds.
I do not have that pc anymore unfortunately it was good though for the price I thought and after adding that gpu to it it was awesome for the cost. But if I cannot get one thats better than my previous one then I shall just grab it again and adda gpu like before but 5+ months have passed and im hoping there are better options out here now.

LucoTF · Jul 16, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£43.19 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£38.50 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£32.40 @ Kustom PCs)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£36.00 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 1GB Video Card (£83.66 @ CCL Computers)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.81 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £300.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

geofelt · Jul 16, 2014

I do not know prices in pounds.

I would suggest starting with the G3258 intel integrated graphics. A discrete 5450 is no better and would be a waste of money.

Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
That is why ram vendors will NOT support ram that is not bought in one kit.
Although, I think the problem has lessened with the newer Intel chipsets. Still,
it is safer to get what you need in one kit.
If the extra price is a real problem, go ahead and use 4gb. Most likely a future upgrade to 8gb will be ok, but no guarantees. If it makes a difference get 1333 speed which is perhaps 1% slower than 1600.

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

That looks like a good build luco only thing is I do not like ordering from other places other than amazon unfortunately but ill look into it more thank you for the reply

geofelt · Jul 16, 2014

Any copy of windows less than normal pricing is suspect.
You may not be able to activate or it may be full of malware.
If you are a student, you can look into educational pricing.

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Hello geo 300 pounds is around 500 $

yeah pcs are baffling to me im afraid I just wans have something that I can play wow for now then upgrade when I have more money available but the cpu needs ti be able to run bf4 thank you

LucoTF · Jul 16, 2014

imcrapatthis :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£52.45 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£34.62 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£33.84 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 1GB Video Card (£87.54 @ Amazon UK)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.81 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £315.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Hello luco thank you ever so much again for the reply that build looks awesome pal thank you but theres a couple of questions if you dont mind I know you cant say for certian what proformance / fps I can get but could you tell me if that motherboard will last for abit on upgrades and that cpu is that good enough for bf4 / best one I can get for price I know 300 is so low but hopefully I can do something . Also what sort of fps would I be looking at on wow and sorry again but can you estimate what settings that could run for the time being untill I can get a better gpu.
thanks in advance

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Also a question about the psu and case I just read about the case someone saying that uou may need a modular psu because the holes arent big enough in the case? Im so confused about modular for psu if you could please tell me if that will be a problem thank you.
sorry also 1 more thing about fm and am I know fm2 is newer but am3+ still has potential but im straying from my question, what type of motherboard is it. Thx

LucoTF · Jul 16, 2014

imcrapatthis :

I have to change the motherboard slightly, the CPU I picked is so new that you need a BIOS update for it to work:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£53.47 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£36.62 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£33.84 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 1GB Video Card (£87.54 @ Amazon UK)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.81 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £318.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Fortunately Asus boards can be updated via usb while the PC is off, so we're good to go.

Performance - the G3258 is very similar to the athlon 750k in games, but you have much better upgrade options with the G3258. The motherboard is cheap but it's lga1150 and will take an i5 or an i7 when you do decide to upgrade, whereas the 750k's FM2+ socket doesn't have any strong CPUs at all, AM3+ is the best AMD socket and it's still way behind 1150 in gaming.

CPU performance in BF4 -

Case - best I could do on a budget. That reviewer meant you'd need to go modular if you wanted to do proper cable management, just run the cable over the motherboard instead - it will work.

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Thanks for your reply again see im ever so sorry but I am really crap with pcs I dont know what a bios update is or even how to go about it and I also dont have a flash drive sorry for my questions but I am really intrested in pcs

LucoTF · Jul 16, 2014

BIOS update is straightforward: http://www.asus.com/microsite/2014/MB/New_4th_gen_Intel_processor_compatibility/

the update is only 5mb in size so any flash drive will do, they can be bought from £2 on ebay

Download from
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H81ME/HelpDesk_Download/

Just copy and paste the update to the stick, plug it in and press a button. If you can build a PC you can handle this

Edit: aaand that cheap motherboard doesn't have this feature... give me a sec...

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Thanks for the reply and soz for making this so complicated

LucoTF · Jul 16, 2014

Nah it's me that's making it complicated by wanting intel...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 740 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£47.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI A78M-E45 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£37.93 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£33.84 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 1GB Video Card (£87.56 @ Amazon UK)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.81 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £314.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

This build would meet your needs. The 750k is £10 more.

After looking, the most economical way to get the intel build working would be to buy the cheapest CPU that works (G1820, £30), update the BIOS with it then sell it on (currently selling for almost £30 on ebay) but it's easier just to go amd...

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Hey no I appreciate you trying pal you have saved me ill probably just fork the extra 10 out as I had the x4 750k previously and it worked a treat.

Soon as I have the last bit of money ill be ordering all that from amazon so thank you very much but I do have 1 last question if you do not mind what sort of settings will I be able to achieve with that set up or with the athlon x4 750k please thank you

LucoTF · Jul 16, 2014

it will be pretty damn close to your other build, so plenty playable for sure

imcrapatthis · Jul 16, 2014

Ok I am greatly appreciative of your help I cannot thank you enough I will grab those parts when I can but again thank you ever so much and I hope you have an enjoyable night

sora · Jul 17, 2014

imcrapatthis :

It would run WoW and MoP perfectly. Battlefield 4 I think would play at Medium or maybe even High.

imcrapatthis · Jul 19, 2014

Hello im back again ive got just a litte bit more money I can go between 340-370 pounds u kbow its not alot but every little helps so im wondering luco is there anything better that can be done thanks in advance

LucoTF · Jul 19, 2014

imcrapatthis :

There sure is

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£43.19 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£62.36 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£58.18 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£36.00 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (£99.30 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£31.19 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£34.99 @ Aria PC)
Total: £365.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

8gb ram, slightly better graphics card, haswell CPU.

help on a pc build please

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