Help Building my son a pc please.

[sav1609]

Hi and thanks for taking a look at this for me, I'm am amateur at best in building pc's I've put together this budget system and was wondering if you guys could look over it for me I would be very greatful if you could point out possible inadequacies or whether or not these parts are compatible. It may not look like it but ive put alot of research into this and still feel i am banging my head against a brick wall.

Processor - £91.36 - Intel Core i3 3220 Ivy Bridge Dual Core Processor - Retail
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i3-3220-s-1155-ivy-bridge-dual-core-33ghz-3mb-smart-cache-retail

Motherboard - £70.52 - Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H Intel Z77 Socket 1155 Motherboard
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-z77-ds3h-intel-z77-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-a

Ram - £30.50 - G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz RipjawsX Memory
http://www.ebuyer.com/264750-g-skill-8gb-ddr3-1600mhz-ripjawsx-memory-f3-12800cl9d-8gbxl

HDD - £58 - Seagate 1TB SATA 3 Performance Hard Drive OEM ST1000DM003
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-seagate-st1000dm003-barracuda-720014-sata-6gb-s-7200rpm-64mb-cache-8ms-ncq-oem

DVD Drive - £13.18 - M-DISC Supported DVDRW the LG GH24NS90.AUAA50B
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/lg-gh24ns90-24x-dvdr-12xdvddl-dvdplusrw-x8-rwx6-12xram-with-m-disc-support-sata-black-oem

Case - Not Needed -

GPU - £174 - XFX 7870 Core Edition DD AMD/ATI Graphics Card - 2GB
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-xfx-radeon-hd-7870-double-dissipation-edition-4800mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1000mhz-1280-cores

PSU - 30.54 - 50W Antec Basiq VP450P-GB 80 PLUS, EPS 12V, Quiet Fan, ATX v2.3, PSU
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/450w-antec-basiq-vp450p-gb-80-plus-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu

Total - £466

I do not need a monitor or an OS, My budget is as close to £400 as possible not above £500. I will not be overclocking anything either.

 

[Shockeray]

The Motherboard seems really nice for you to only be using an i3, I would look for something by ASUS, but maybe a little lower priced, like the P8Z77-V LK or LX

I would go with a NVidia GPU if you're using an Intel CPU.

If You're going for cheaper, I would choose an AMD CPU, motherboard, and the same GPU you have.

I hope this helps.

 

[jmsellars1]

I'd drop that cooler, the CPU will come with a similar one.

The 500W version of that PSU would be more than enough. You are going to be consuming a maximum of roughly 250W under load. A 400W+ PSU is fine so long as it has enough connectors.

http://www.ebuyer.com/413804-xfx-proseries-450w-power-supply-unit-core-edition-p1-450s-x2b9?utm_source=google&utm_medium=products

That is a decent PSU. The lack of picture might seem unsettling but it does say it is a P1-450S-X2B9. Just google that and you will see what it is.

As far as cheap and effective cases go, this one is OK

http://www.ebuyer.com/278064-nzxt-source-210-black-gaming-chassis-120mm-fan-nzxts210001


EDIT: Another point, you could go with a H77 motherboard and you only lose out on overclocking which you can't do on that CPU anyway.

 

[Shockeray]

I like G.Skill and Mushkin RAM, so I think you have a good choice there.

 

[samuelspark]

Might go for an Antec VP450 to save money. Also get a H77 board and maybe a low end i5.

 

[djscribbles]

Since you have an i3, you would probably get more for your money with an H77 as Samuelspark suggested, an i5 wouldn't hurt, but you shouldn't sacrifice the GPU to get there. (If you have to downgrade the GPU to a 7850 for budget reasons, that is not so bad, but downgrading the gpu to get a bigger cpu is not a great idea). I assume that this is a gaming build since you have a good GPU in there?

You can probably ditch the CPU cooler, it's not really needed unless you overclock, the stock Intel fan is fine (retail CPU comes with one) if you aren't overclocking (which the i3 cannot do).

 

[sav1609]

Thankyou all for these great suggestions, I will update the original post with the new build so far. I read about the H77 being a mATX and therefore heats up more, I don't know how much of an issue that is but as you suggest it I will add it to the build. Is the new H77 adequate?

Thanks again fellas

 

[samuelspark]

Thankyou all for these great suggestions, I will update the original post with the new build so far. I read about the H77 being a mATX and therefore heats up more, I don't know how much of an issue that is but as you suggest it I will add it to the build. Is the new H77 adequate?

Thanks again fellas

There are full ATX H77 boards.

 

[jmsellars1]

Yeah, H77 is the chipset. Both chipsets come on boards with a variety of sizes.

 

[djscribbles]

Looks good. I don't see a lot you can optimize for cost left. Short of cutting down capabilities (less ram, less powerful GPU, etc).

What resolution do you plan to pair with this setup, and what detail level do you want from games? A 7850 maybe an acceptable GPU and give you budget to get a decent case within budget.

 

[sav1609]

Ok guys first I would like to thank you all again for your help. I have edited my original post with my current build, do you see any tweaks or price cuts I could add? If not then I think i'm all set. I'm going to use my old case as apparently it would be fine. Thanks again. I'm going to be running 1920x1080 doesn't need to be max settings just playable and look ok.

 

[xaephod]

It will definitely work. I just hate building a system and then afterwards wished I had gone the extra $50 for the better CPU or GPU. Regret is bad But for what you want to build, it looks fine.

 

[angaddev]

no one has asked, but what is your son doing / how old? what games does he play?
Your current buildl looks fine but upgrade your psu to a more reliable brand. Here's an 80PLUS bronze PSU for just 50 quid.
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies+-+PSUs/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/600W+Corsair+Builder+Series+600CX+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+?productId=52662

 

[samuelspark]

no one has asked, but what is your son doing / how old? what games does he play?
Your current buildl looks fine but upgrade your psu to a more reliable brand. Here's an 80PLUS bronze PSU for just 50 quid.
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies+-+PSUs/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/600W+Corsair+Builder+Series+600CX+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+?productId=52662

The XFX Core PSU's are pretty nice. The Corsair CX series are overrated. They're actually not a Seasonic OEM and are mediocre.

 

[djscribbles]

Ok guys first I would like to thank you all again for your help. I have edited my original post with my current build, do you see any tweaks or price cuts I could add? If not then I think i'm all set. I'm going to use my old case as apparently it would be fine. Thanks again. I'm going to be running 1920x1080 doesn't need to be max settings just playable and look ok.

The 7870 will max most games; it is a great choice really, if you don't mind being 70L over your preferred budget, it should play games smoothly for years to come. Since you are reusing your case, you don't have to squeeze one in under 500L, I would call the build done

If you feel like saving a bit of cash still, a 7850 will definitely give playable frame-rates for a long time as well, but the 7870 is usually worth the extra cash imo.

Here is a review of the *PSU you used: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=224

It's ok, not great though (imo). Not a seasonic built like most other xfx supplies.

 

[sav1609]

Hi and thanks again fella's, some great feedback My son will be playing WoW/Hon/CS but as i said amazing framerate doesnt matter neither does everything on ultra settings. Just a smooth running decent looking game will be fine. Could you please recommend another PSU that would do the job for around the same price? im considering going for a low price z77 board as then in a years time I could upgrade with just an ivybridge 3570 or something and have a very nice machine, Opinions fellas?

Once again thanks for the help.

 

[techdude9]

Hi and thanks again fella's, some great feedback My son will be playing WoW/Hon/CS but as i said amazing framerate doesnt matter neither does everything on ultra settings. Just a smooth running decent looking game will be fine. Could you please recommend another PSU that would do the job for around the same price? im considering going for a low price z77 board as then in a years time I could upgrade with just an ivybridge 3570 or something and have a very nice machine, Opinions fellas?

Once again thanks for the help.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020&nm_mc=AFC-C8junctionCA&cm_mmc=AFC-C8JunctionCA-_-Power+Supplies-_-Corsair-_-17139020&AID=10592396&PID=3938566

Or maybe 550W is good enough..

 

[sav1609]

Newegg don't deliever to the uk and thats not around the same price from English Retailers.

 

[samuelspark]

Save money:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-VP450P-450W-Power-Supply/dp/B004BLMFSE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354578786&sr=8-1

Actually has the ability to put out 550w max and 80+ efficiency.

 

[sav1609]

Save money:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-VP450P-450W-Power-Supply/dp/B004BLMFSE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354578786&sr=8-1

Actually has the ability to put out 550w max and 80+ efficiency.

Thankyou mate you have helped alot throughout this post I really appreciate it!

also found it a bit cheaper

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/450w-antec-basiq-vp450p-gb-80-plus-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu

I think thats me done now. Do you think it would be worth me getting a z77 board for the extra 10-20 pounds?

Maybe this one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-z77-d3h-usb-30-intel-z77-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-a ?

 

[techdude9]

Thankyou mate you have helped alot throughout this post I really appreciate it!

also found it a bit cheaper

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/450w-antec-basiq-vp450p-gb-80-plus-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu

I think thats me done now. Do you think it would be worth me getting a z77 board for the extra 10-20 pounds?

Maybe this one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-z77-d3h-usb-30-intel-z77-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-a ?

Yes if your willing to spend the extra go for it

 

[samuelspark]

Thankyou mate you have helped alot throughout this post I really appreciate it!

also found it a bit cheaper

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/450w-antec-basiq-vp450p-gb-80-plus-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23-psu

I think thats me done now. Do you think it would be worth me getting a z77 board for the extra 10-20 pounds?

Maybe this one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-z77-d3h-usb-30-intel-z77-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-a ?

No reason to unless you are going to overclock your CPU.

 

[sav1609]

Ok guys thats my final build any comments you can make on it or am I all set? Thanks

 

[samuelspark]

Perfect

 

[samuelspark]

Perfect