Good entry level gaming PC?

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

Can anyone recommend me a build? I am from the UK, £600 budget..

What I'm looking for:

An i5 processor (no exceptions)
Overclock support
Used for gaming and browsing
I don't need a monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers
A graphics card which is something like the r9 290 which can run most games at 1080p 60fps or a little bit less.
Can play games at 1920x1080
I'd prefer a Nvidia graphics card but if you can find a better AMD one, then sure.
I wont need an aftermarket cooler but if the build is cheap enough then I can add in one or buy one at a later date as I wont OC straight away but I want the option there.

Thank you, this is like infinite threads from me about builds, but I need to find that perfect build, I have other builds in mind but I want to know what you guys will suggest.

Update: I have a i3 processor with an integrated card, 4gb ram and a 1TB HDD.
I will be using the optical drive and HDD from it, no need for a SSD either.
my motherboard is a MSI 2A9C

logainofhades · Mar 6, 2015

With that budget, I would probably forget the overclocking. I will see what I can do, though.

DasHotShot · Mar 6, 2015

I find this particularly lazy, asking people to put YOUR build together for you. You should be bringing one of those "hundreds" of builds to us to tweak for you.

Also, if you want an r290, you better have something better than a flimsy 21.5 inch 1080p @ 60Hz monitor to play on...

Also...that budget and THOSE requirements? B Please!

logainofhades · Mar 6, 2015

Definitely forget the overclocking.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£141.92 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI H87-G43 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£47.84 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£48.90 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card (£229.55 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: BitFenix Neos Black ATX Mid Tower Case (£29.27 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£61.62 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.19 @ Aria PC)
Total: £607.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 17:34 GMT+0000

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

Alright since you guys think it's impossible, well this is the two builds I have in mind..

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£180.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.50 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£80.36 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£52.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card (£175.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£26.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£61.62 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £603.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 17:33 GMT+0000

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/k7Ttqs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/k7Ttqs/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£70.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£52.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card (£229.55 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£46.39 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£61.62 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £604.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 17:34 GMT+0000

There ya go. I'm not lazy, I'm a beginner in building PC's and this will be my first time. I'm just looking for help, not have people having a go at me.

logainofhades · Mar 6, 2015

That Z97 board is junk. If it doesn't support SLI, it is a waste of $$$. Also your systems are kinda useless without a hard drive.

quilciri · Mar 6, 2015

Without using mail-ins, my humble suggestion:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£141.92 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£34.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£52.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.97 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card (£259.55 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case (£23.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£60.97 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.19 @ Aria PC)

Total: £627.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 17:36 GMT+0000

Cheers!

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

I already have a hard drive, its ok. Unless it isn't and like I said, I'm a noob, but I'm sure I can use my old HDD onto this build..

Thanks to those who are helping.

logainofhades · Mar 6, 2015

deathmask :

You should have specified this. What are the specs of your old system? If there is anything else that can possibly be reused, it is a good idea to do so.

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

Updated the main post.

AdviserKulikov · Mar 6, 2015

deathmask :

Specify on the parts more. Some i3 processors are pretty good, you may be able to keep it. Specify the motherboard, the PSU, and is the RAM 1 stick or 2?

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
MSI 2A9C
Intel Core i3 550 @ 3.20GHz

Two sticks of ram

AdviserKulikov · Mar 6, 2015

deathmask :

Ok those are all ready for the bin.

Case and PSU models?

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

I don't even know my power supply wattage, I haven't opened my PC ever since I bought it. Case uh it's a HP one.. not sure what it is.. I had no luck googling it either.

quilciri · Mar 6, 2015

No on PSU reuse as well, then.

Revised suggestion:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£50.22 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£52.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (£257.94 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case (£23.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£48.98 @ Novatech)

Total: £578.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 18:03 GMT+0000

While the 280X is a good card, if you want the best game performance on your budget, you're better off with the 4460/290X than a K series and 280X.

AdviserKulikov · Mar 6, 2015

I'm going to assume if you never opened it, it's a garbage PSU without PCI-e connectors.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/RdPhxr
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/RdPhxr/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£60.34 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£46.39 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 285 2GB Video Card (£133.45 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case (£23.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (£33.59 @ Aria PC)
Total: £441.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 17:53 GMT+0000

This gives you enough power, plenty of budget room. You can upgrade any parts you want, but this covers everything you need right now at minimum.

I would advise waiting for the AMD 300 series to come out before jumping on the prices.

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

quilciri :

No on PSU reuse as well, then.

Revised suggestion:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£50.22 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£52.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card (£259.55 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case (£23.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£60.97 @ Scan.co.uk)

Total: £591.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 17:53 GMT+0000

While the 280X is a good card, if you want the best game performance on your budget, you're better off with the 4460/290X than a K series and 280X.

That is looking really good mate, thanks

I'm still going to wait if anyone has more ideas, I'm open to suggestions.

AdviserKulikov · Mar 6, 2015

deathmask :

I like quilciri's build, with the exception of the motherboard, but it's just a matter of me liking the big roomy ATX motherboard and not wanting to worry about the b85 chipset possibly not having gotten the BIOS upgrade. (Edit: it looks like the b85 does have a haswell refresh BIOS, dont' worry about it)

quilciri · Mar 6, 2015

If you want to try your hand at overclocking on that budget, I recommend going with AMD, the 8320 in particular. A strong OC'd 6300 or 8320 is some of the best bang for the buck you can get.

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

AdviserKulikov - What does that mean? Don't understand, will it affect me any way?

AdviserKulikov · Mar 6, 2015

deathmask :

There's more physical space on an ATX motherboard vs a microATX motherboard. This means you can more easily reach in and (re)place parts and provides better airflow. It's a luxury feature, not a necessity. Worth $10? That's your call, you're the one putting it together.

The other part is unimportant CPU compatibility gobbledygook.

@quilciri I wouldn't suggest an FX-series CPU until we see what they can put out in 2016, they haven't hit solid gaming performance in a large chunk of games (not saying I approve of Intel's anti-competitive actions, but it does mean that FX processors are lacking right now.)

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

Mhm, I just google'd it and it says it wont boot if I use a incompatible CPU... ._.

Can you give me the name of the ATX motherboard you're talking about?

AdviserKulikov · Mar 6, 2015

deathmask :

ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£60.34 @ Amazon UK)

But don't worry, the one listed in his build should work for the listed CPU.

deathmask · Mar 6, 2015

I included the mobo you suggested, the ASRock H97

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£60.34 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£52.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£273.98 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case (£23.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£48.98 @ Novatech)
Total: £604.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 19:00 GMT+0000

It's at a fair price, I put a MSI 970 instead of a Zotac? Is there any difference? I like MSI's cooling system.
I did suggest a r9 290 but I'm in love with a 970 and would get that over a 290.

So to conclude it (hopefully)

Is this above a good solid build? I mean maybe buy an aftermarket cooler if I decide to OC the GPU, but till then is this a strong decent build?
Compaitiblity, and important off all, is the case good?

AdviserKulikov · Mar 6, 2015

deathmask :

That's a solid build, the case is fine.

MSI vs Zotac is a matter of personal preference, they are both almost identical in performance, I just like to give MSI my support for developing such an awesome overclocking/diagnostic tool as MSI afterburner (works on any card).

Good entry level gaming PC?

Reputable

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Reputable

Titan

Splendid

Reputable

Titan

Reputable

Honorable

Reputable

Honorable

Reputable

Splendid

Honorable

Reputable

Honorable

Splendid

Reputable

Honorable

Reputable

Honorable

Reputable

Honorable

Share this page