Advice on first build for gaming/schoolwork

[lezla]

hey guys.I would appreciate some advice on this system.thanks in advance.

Case:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/115480

Side fan for case:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/43059

psu:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159708

motherboard:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/171664

cpu:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166519

RAM:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/147903

Graphics card:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169828

DVD drive:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176026

Hard disk:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124228

OS:
http://www.software4students.co.uk/Microsoft_Windows_7_Professional_64_bit_Upgrade_Edition-details.aspx

rough total=£360

So is this everything I need and will it all work together ok as this is my first build?as in the title I'll be using it for some gaming(mainly rts such as sc2) and it just has to play them decently nothing too fancy.I also need it to be able to learn programming on. If you would like to recommend any other parts instead of the ones I have here,Please,go ahead.
My budget was initially £300 but i wanted to make it so the pc would be upgradeble in the future.I have a monitor keyboard+mouse so no need to worry about that. I would also greatly appreciate it if you guys could get the price down to £300 or as close as possible without dopping the system specs too much.I probably wont build this for a couple of weeks so theres no rush.thanks

 

[jared51182]

Please fill out the link in my sig (the build template link), the format of that would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[lezla]

here it is jared

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: in a month or so

BUDGET RANGE: £200-£350

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:schoolwork, gaming,web surfing

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: ebuyer,dont mind scan,misco or any other reputable places

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK

PARTS PREFERENCES:no preference

OVERCLOCKING: maybe but not for a year or two

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: whatever gets me best value

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1024x768

 

[jared51182]

Not sure about the PSU. Also, the OS you selected is the upgrade, so I presume you already have a valid copy of one of the other OS's that can be upgraded? Since you are building new, you will need to install an old OS, and then do the upgrade - just making sure you are aware of that, and accounting for it.

PSU got a single review - although positive - someone who bought 3, without any problems.

For your budget your build is pretty decent.

 

[doive1231]

The case will be to your taste. They're usually OK from eBuyer.
I woudl defo buy a mobo with the 785 chipset instead of 770
Buy an Antec or Silverstone PSU instead of the CIT (ie a better brand)
Buy an X3 or X4 instead of an X2
Memory is good
The HD 5xxx series cards generally use less electricity and have DX11
Hard drive is good and the O/S is good.

If you live near Scan you could collect yourself and save on delivery and wait for the Today Only deals. Ebuyer may have a store too.

 

[lezla]

thanks for the replies
are Cit psus known for failing or something?you both seem quite wary of them,any reason why?
I checked for 785 chipset ATX from ebuyer but could only see matx boards with the 785 chipset.does it make much of a difference?I also spotted this board:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/205156

seems better specs than the first board posted:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/171664

what do you guys think?and also could you please give me a possible substitute for the 4670?i dont really know how to pick graphics cards.im happy with that cpu at the moment but I can always upgrade it later on. Iv also read on ebuyer some stuff about unlocking cores? thanks again

and o yeah,will all the parts come together to actually make a workking pc??

 

[jared51182]

Here's a 5xxx series card, which is higher on the Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart from Tom's.

Sapphire HD 5670, and it's only £6 more. This should run more efficiently, at least, and should provide a stronger GPU. When compared against the 4670, at this review, the 5670 provided a 30% increase in performance, however, at your resolution, there isn't much distinction - but this means if you upgrade your monitor, you should see an advantage.

The concern with the PSU is that it is something that can destroy every component in your computer, if something goes wrong with it. It isn't that we don't trust that company, it is just that on Tom's it is ALWAYS recommended to get a quality PSU to protect your investment. That isn't to say that these other PSU companies are providing horrible products (some may, some may not), it is just that there is a lot on the line if something goes wrong.

There is a chance (and possibly good) that if you get your listed PSU that nothing will ever go wrong. But in terms of recommendations, you usually hear: Antec, OCZ, Corsair, and possibly some others. I'm not the expert in that area though. But again, there may be nothing wrong with your selected one, this is just based on recommendations from the community.

Other than that, it looks like you got all the right pieces for a functional PC. Also, did you see my comment about the Operating System?

 

[Mr Pizza]

Get your PSU from a better brand, if it fails... bye bye to computer 80% of the time..

 

[jared51182]

Also, about the PSU, if you will want to have it good upgrade path, it is worth investing in a quality PSU - but given that you may got with a 5670, you could drop the wattage down to 550W without giving up too much, as a 500W PSU can crossfire 5770s. (Link for Power Usage). But it is always nice to have a little room.

 

[batuchka]

Given your low budget i would prioritize as per what is mission critical i.e games or apps/work
Also- ya never cheap out on PSU: a dependable PSU is the foundation of many a stable rig ^^

Hmm if 317 pounds is not a bridge too far:

 

[lezla]

Thanks for all the great replies guys
ill probably get that 5670.thanks jared
I saw an antec psu for £40 which is at 500 watts so ill probably get that but what do you guys think of the brand 'arctic power'?

Also,any opinions on that mobo:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/205156

and the OS, i have an old xp disk,could i use that and then just upgrade from there?I also thought it was possible to do clean installs with it?

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/microsoft-windows-7-professional-32/731765

thanks guys