1st time system builder; any snags in this build?

Moonkey_238 · Apr 10, 2017

Hi,

Thanks for taking a look at this. I need some guidance; looking to build a pc to play more recent Total War titles inc TW Warhammer (and be general family pc, browser/homework/youtube/netflix etc). I'm not a serious gamer as such, just want to be able to play at a comfortable resolution and frame rate and not end up with choppy stuttering gameplay on high settings. Not looking to OC processor, but mobo choice should let me run xmp to get best speeds from ram i believe.

Parts selected primarily to keep costs down now, but still allow for a degree of flexibility for future upgrades to all components/peripherals as they become obsolete or requirements change ie I want bigger , faster , more!

This will be my first build so if you can see any wrinkles, I'd very much appreciate your feed back.

Currently toying with idea of losing ssd for more recent operating system, possibly could save on psu, opt for standard aspect monitor rather than ultra wide.

Parts list so far;
Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz
MSI B250 PC Mate mobo
Kingston FURY 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Mhz
Kingston Savage 240GB 2.5" SSD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Asus Radeon RX 480 4GB Dual
Zalman Z11 NEO ATX Mid Tower Case
EVGA 600W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer
Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM 64-bit
LG Monitor 25UM58 25.0" 2560x1080 75Hz
Sound will be on headphones or cheap set of speakers.
Typing will be on a keyboard and mousing on a mouse (left over from old pc)
Total: £775 (ish)

Many thanks.

Dark Lord of Tech · Apr 10, 2017

I would go 2x4 or 2x8 on the memory and use a higher quality PSU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£58.78 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Super Flower Golden Green HX 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£67.80 @ More Computers)
Total: £126.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-11 03:09 BST+0100

Moonkey_238 · Apr 11, 2017

Thanks,

I was thinking 1 x 8 so could add another 8 later on. Is there an advantage to using 2 X 4?

Hellfire13 · Apr 11, 2017

2x4 will run faster as its a dual channel board. Anyways, Warhammer is a cpu heavy game and a stronger cpu is recommended for decent framerates.
See if you like this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B250M PRO-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA Ultimate SU800 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($67.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($41.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 480 4GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-05 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($22.99 @ Jet)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.89 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: AOC E2425SWD 24.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor ($99.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $791.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-11 09:42 EDT-0400

Edit: Added optical drive.

LucoTF · Apr 11, 2017

Stay away from those cheap £30 copies of windows on amazon. You have no guarantees on how long it will work for

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor (£52.98 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: ASRock B250 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£85.37 @ BT Shop)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£83.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Kingston Savage 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£67.36 @ BT Shop)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 480 8GB Dual OC Video Card (£186.00 @ Aria PC)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case (£42.42 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£64.85 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer (£12.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit (£89.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
Monitor: AOC G2460VQ6 24.0" 1920x1080 Freesync 60Hz Monitor (£123.59 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £851.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-11 14:38 BST+0100

If you can't afford the full version just use free windows 10 until you can

Hellfire13 · Apr 11, 2017

OEM version not recommended. Use it free for now... https://www.howtogeek.com/244678/you-dont-need-a-product-key-to-install-and-use-windows-10/

"OEM: The OEM version of Windows is a system builder and primarily used by large computer manufacturers as well as local computer shops. Computer enthusiasts can use them on their workstation PCs, though Microsoft has gone back and forth as to whether or not this is allowed. The OEM version is tied to a single PC forever, and it doesn’t come with support from Microsoft."... http://www.velocitymicro.com/blog/difference-between-retail-original-equipment-manufacturers-oem/

LucoTF · Apr 11, 2017

Eh, it didn't even say it was OEM on partpicker screen. Updated (full version is same price)

Still, nice of you to nitpick at my build when you didn't even get the currency right. :sarcastic:

adiec · Apr 11, 2017

Moonkey_238 :

dual memory channel speeds are only part of the reason and not the best reason if you're going to upgrade .

i look at it in this way :- if my pc doesn''t boot after i have built it .. the first test is to remove a stick of ram and run it with 1 stick.. but if i only have 1 stick the test won't be as accurate and if it does prove to be the stick of ram.. then i can't use my pc until i receive the replacement rmodule!

you'll still have two free slots available to put in another 2x4gb in the future . unless it's crucial to your budget then for me i would steer clear of 1 stick.

Moonkey_238 · Apr 11, 2017

Hellfire13 :

LucoTF :

I didn't know there was such a thing, will look in to it thanks!

Moonkey_238 · Apr 11, 2017

adiec :

Moonkey_238 :

dual memory channel speeds are only part of the reason and not the best reason if you're going to upgrade .

i look at it in this way :- if my pc doesn''t boot after i have built it .. the first test is to remove a stick of ram and run it with 1 stick.. but if i only have 1 stick the test won't be as accurate and if it does prove to be the stick of ram.. then i can't use my pc until i receive the replacement rmodule!

you'll still have two free slots available to put in another 2x4gb in the future . unless it's crucial to your budget then for me i would steer clear of 1 stick.

Yeah i can see the boot/troubleshooting logic, thanks.

g-unit1111 · Apr 11, 2017

LucoTF :

What? There is no such thing as free Windows 10.

Dark Lord of Tech · Apr 11, 2017

OEM isn't tied to the motherboard in windows 8.1 or 10 , but you can only have the license on 1 PC at a time.

A DELL or HP etc can't be moved , but a purchased OEM can be in 8.1 and 10.

LucoTF · Apr 11, 2017

Download windows 10 iso from Microsoft, install, enjoy for 30 days free.

If you still dont have the cash after 30 days you get a watermark reminding you to activate but you can continue to use it. Its definitely an option for someone as long as they are committed to a legit purchase of win10 in due course

Dark Lord of Tech · Apr 11, 2017

There's a watermark and personalization is limited when 10 is unactivated.

LucoTF · Apr 11, 2017

Yes, no personalisation and no access to the Microsoft account services.

Still a better option than a £30 grey market key imo

Moonkey_238 · Apr 11, 2017

LucoTF :

Presume if downloaded to usb drive on old pc/laptop, new system will recognize on boot up and start install?

g-unit1111 · Apr 11, 2017

LucoTF :

Yeah I can't argue with that.

LucoTF · Apr 11, 2017

The windows 10 media creation tool allows either dvd or bootable usb. Yes, you could run it from another pc to create the bootable media.

I know those cheap keys seem tempting, but by going through a proper seller you get the peace of mind that your windows key is yours and yours alone. It has not and will not be sold to anyone else, and it will never be revoked by Microsoft as a result.

g-unit1111 · Apr 11, 2017

LucoTF :

I totally agree, I would much rather have a legitimate license of Windows 10 than take a risk on a cheap key and have something go wrong with it.

1st time system builder; any snags in this build?

Prominent

Retired Moderator

Prominent

Titan

Splendid

Titan

Splendid

Honorable

Prominent

Prominent

Titan

Retired Moderator

Splendid

Retired Moderator

Splendid

Prominent

Titan

Splendid

Titan

Share this page