Would this work?

[MrLSFerguson]

I have been looking around at computers with a £500 budget there is not a large variety of gaming computers which are good (in my opinion) I've had a burst of inspiration to self build a computer, even though I don't know anything. I've watched videos online and I seem to have a very vague idea on how to assemble one from scratch.

So I began...
I went to a site what you select parts and they assemble it for you. Put in what I thought was a exceptional computer and see what they quoted me. This is the rig:

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430
Memory - Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x4GB)
Motherboard - Asus P8H61-M LE/USB3 (Intel H61) - VGA
CPU - Intel i5 2550K - (4 x 3.4 GHZ) - Sandy Bridge
CPU Heatsink - Arctic Cooling Freezer 13
Graphics Card - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti - 1 GB
Power Supply - Corsair 800W Gaming PSU

Hard Drive - 500 GB SATA-II HDD 7200 RPM 16MB
Optical Drive - Samsung 22x DVD Re-Writer/Reader /- RW- Black - (SATA)

They quoted me £670.57.
Then I looked around and manage to get all the parts for £478.40.
Close to a £200 saving.

Now here are my questions...
How hard would it be to put together? (I've got no experience)
Is it a good computer?
Have I missed anything out?

 

[claysm]

The 800 watt PSU is major overkill for your build. Something like 500 watts is much more appropriate, with maybe a 650 watt if you intend to upgrade. The Corsair brand of PSU's is very reliable, so stick with them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

This would be much better, but again, maybe a 650 watt for future upgrades.

As for the CPU you have two issues. The i5-2550K is identical to the i5-2500K, except that it has no integrated graphics and yet it is more expensive. Go with the i5-2500K for sure. The other issue is that the motherboard you have selected uses the H61 chipset, which doesn't allow overclocking. The only reason to get the i5-2500K instead of the i5-2400 is to overclock. So either get the i5-2400, or upgrade to a motherboard with a Z68, Z75, or Z77 chipset to fully flex the muscles of the i5-2500K.

 

[dalmvern]

A few notes:

1) H61 for a motherboard is...meh, bump it up to a Z68.
2) Coolermaster Hyper 212 evo heatsink fan cools better and costs less than the AC freezer.
3) That power supply is much too much, you could easily get by with a good 550W.
4) Right now, the 550 Ti is not a good choice, you can get better performance out of a 6850 or a 7770, though if you wait a few weeks for the 660Ti to come out, prices on the midrange GPUs will come down and you can probably find a deal on the 560Ti.

As far as difficulty, its really not that hard. I built my first 2 years ago with no experience and just followed the guide they have here, no problems.


edit - I agree with what clay says above.

 

[claysm]

Newegg has a 3-part video series about building a computer, might help.

Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw&feature=player_embedded

 

[l0v3rboi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxaVBsXEiok - Part 3

A tutorial on how to build a computer. This is all I needed to learn how to. It is very easy.

Also, that build is not optimal. First, you paired a non-overclockable MoBo to an overclockable CPU. Either get the i5 2500 with that H61 Mobo, or get the i5 2500k with a z68 MoBo. I suggest the Asrock z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3.

I would suggest the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler instead of the one you have.

You only need a 550W PSU. Something like the XFX Core Edition 550 or the Corsair TX550.

Your GPU is pretty weak for gaming. I would suggest getting at least the Radeon 6870 with the savings you muster. Here is a comparison of the two cards: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=541 . Hope this helps

 

[MrLSFerguson]

The 800 watt PSU is major overkill for your build. Something like 500 watts is much more appropriate, with maybe a 650 watt if you intend to upgrade. The Corsair brand of PSU's is very reliable, so stick with them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

This would be much better, but again, maybe a 650 watt for future upgrades.

As for the CPU you have two issues. The i5-2550K is identical to the i5-2500K, except that it has no integrated graphics and yet it is more expensive. Go with the i5-2500K for sure. The other issue is that the motherboard you have selected uses the H61 chipset, which doesn't allow overclocking. The only reason to get the i5-2500K instead of the i5-2400 is to overclock. So either get the i5-2400, or upgrade to a motherboard with a Z68, Z75, or Z77 chipset to fully flex the muscles of the i5-2500K.

Dude, thanks for the advice so...

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430
Memory - Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x4GB)
Motherboard - Asus P8H61-M LE/USB3 (Intel H61) - VGA
CPU - Intel i5 2400 - (4 x 3.1GHz) - Sandy Bridge
CPU Heatsink - Arctic Cooling Freezer 13
Graphics Card - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti - 1 GB
Power Supply - Corsair Builder Series CX500

Hard Drive - 500 GB SATA-II HDD 7200 RPM 16MB
Optical Drive - Samsung 22x DVD Re-Writer/Reader /- RW- Black - (SATA)

Is that good now? Would this be a good gaming computer?

 

[claysm]

Yeah, but as some people have said, the 550 Ti isn't exactly a powerhouse. The most powerful card close to that range would be the Radeon 6790. If you can afford a little more, a Radeon 6870 or GTX 560 would both be a very nice upgrade over the 550 Ti. And as a couple of people have said, the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ Evo would be a little better than the one you have chosen.

 

[MrLSFerguson]

Right I don't want to overclock, so do I need i5-2400 or the i5 2500?

Do I need to change the motherboard?

You say my GPU is weak but then reccomend a graphics card, did you mean the graphics card is bad?

So far,
Case - Cooler Master Elite 430
Memory - Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x4GB)
Motherboard - Asus P8H61-M LE/USB3 (Intel H61) - VGA
CPU - Intel i5 2400/2500?
CPU Heatsink - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Graphics Card - Radeon HD 6790 Graphics card - 1 GB
Power Supply - Corsair Builder Series CX500

 

[claysm]

With the Intel processors, only the K processors are overclockable. So if you don't intend to overclock, get an i5-2400. I would recommend this combo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157297

That will give you the latest chipset (Z77), as well as a very nice processor.

As far as the GTX 550 Ti, there is nothing wrong with it. It's just not very powerful.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/541

A list ^ of games using a 550 Ti.

Your case, memory, and PSU are all fine, as are the HDD and optical drive choices.

 

[MrLSFerguson]

Thanks for all the help dude... this is what i'm finished with.

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430
Memory - Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x4GB)
Motherboard - Asus P8H61-M LE/USB3 (Intel H61) - VGA
CPU - Intel i5 2400 - (4 x 3.1GHz) - Sandy Bridge
CPU Heatsink - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Graphics Card - Radeon HD 6790 Graphics card - 1 GB
Power Supply - Corsair Builder Series CX500

Hard Drive - 500 GB SATA-II HDD 7200 RPM 16MB
Optical Drive - Samsung 22x DVD Re-Writer/Reader /- RW- Black - (SATA)

I priced at £490 good deal?

 

[claysm]

Yeah, that's about as much power as you can get out of £500.

 

[MrLSFerguson]

Been looking online and that graphics card has really bad reviews...

 

[MrLSFerguson]

Would a RADEON HD 6870 Graphics card - 1 GB be better and work?

 

[claysm]

Would a RADEON HD 6870 Graphics card - 1 GB be better and work?

Yes a 6870 is a great card and a much more powerful option than the 6790 or 550 Ti.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=541

 

[claysm]

Well the problem with the 6790 is that when it came out, it was a little expensive. So some of the reviews aren't awesome. But it is the best card at that price point.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_6790/26.html
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4260/amds-radeon-hd-6790-coming-up-short-at-150/15
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6790-barts-gpu-geforce-gtx-460,2917-16.html

All of these reviews say that the only problem with it is the price.

 

[MrLSFerguson]

Thank you man. Last time I will ask haha

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430
Memory - Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1600MHz
Motherboard - ASRock Z77 Pro3
CPU - Intel i5 2400
CPU Heatsink - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Graphics Card - Radeon HD 6790 Graphics Card - 1GB
Power Supply - Corsair Builder Series CX500

Okay?

 

[claysm]

Yep, all looks good.

 

[l0v3rboi]

If you don't want to overclock, you don't need your CPU cooler. Just use the stock heatsink that comes with your CPU. That would be enough for your purposes.

 

[MrLSFerguson]

Okay, dropped the heatsink.

All these components okay?

£36.98 http://www.shop.bt.com/products/coolermaster-elite-430-black-7B18.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product+search&utm_content=RR00

£35.70 http://www.kikatek.com/P170122/CMX8GX3M2A1600C9-Corsair-XMS3-8GB-2-x-4GB?source=froogle
£36.34 http://www.kikatek.com/P102767/WD5000AAKS-00A7B0-Western-Digital-Caviar-Blue?source=froogle

£144 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004FA8NS2/ref=asc_df_B004FA8NS29020711?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B004FA8NS2
£14.50 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-SH-S223C-SATA-Writer-Burner/dp/B002YXVX7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343845685&sr=8-1

£69.00 http://www.waeplus.co.uk/product/296392/ASRock-Z77-Pro3-Desktop-Motherboard---In
£115.90 http://www.waeplus.co.uk/product/662413/SAPPHIRE-TECHNOLOGY-Radeon-HD-6870---1-G
£44.42 http://www.waeplus.co.uk/product/680079/Corsair-CMPSU-500CXV2

 

[claysm]

Yep, looks solid.