First build - only 15, kinda worried

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Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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hello everyone.

recently i started the duke of Edinburgh course and with my old desktop being out of date i decided to build a new PC and write it off as my 12 hour skill thing for duke of Edinburgh. my limit is around £500 - and if it could be cheaper i would prefer it but this system has to last at least 2-3 years before any upgrades.
after going on PC part picker i have chosen this;


CPU AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core £73.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing £25.45
Motherboard ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ £64.99
Memory Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 £29.98
Storage Sandisk 128GB 2.5" SSD £60.96
Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 460 768MB £77.93
Case Xigmatek Asgard II Black/Orange ATX Mid Tower £26.99
Power Supply Corsair 500W ATX12V £47.99
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer £12.98
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) £59.94

Total: £481.20

just afew things to ask you guys.
1) will 500w be enough?
2) is the GTX 460 ok - is there something else thats better value for money or can atleast play BF3 at medium settings? - i intend to game a bit.
3) i know theres only an SSD but im using a 500GB laptop drive as well.

is this good for a first build?

thanks
MK
 
manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
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Might want to fill this out, will best help us know how to help you.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/353572-31-build-upgrade-advice

For the questions.
1. For the rig as is, yes 500W is enough.
2. I suspect the HD7750 would be a better option at that price point.
Judging by the performance of the GTX450, I would hazard to say the 7750 and 460 are about equal. So go for the 7750, its cheaper and uses less power.
3. Thats not a question... :heink:

Not the best, though I realize this is a budget system so it cant be perfect. Fill out the form above and I'l see what I can do.

Also are you doing the Duke of Edinburgh through a Scouting organization or school?
Nothing to do with the build just curious.

EDIT: Also don't worry about the minimum time and achieving it. In my experience going from a complete tech newb to building my own gaming rig, that easily took more than 12hrs of researching, constructing the build on paper and as an actual machine. Even more if you decide to go a bit further and look into things like overclocking and/or decide to help others with their builds.
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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Approximate Purchase Date: this coming month - around january

Budget Range: £400-500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: general home and gaming - however i do like to use adobe products such as premier pro, after effects and illustrator

Are you buying a monitor: No


Parts to Upgrade: well an old pc :S

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: dabs and amazon - im open to new sites but they must be able to deliver to the UK

Location: UK, London - uxbridge

Parts Preferences: AMD - due to budget - however if intel is cheap, ill take a look

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1024x768 - i think its an old 42inch TV

Additional Comments: i do like to use adobe products such as premier pro, after effects and illustrator, and i mainly play FPS games such as BF3, and probably portal now (also an upgrade from my PS3)

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: duke of Edinburgh, adn in need of a new PC




im doing duke of Edinburgh though my school
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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also later on i am considering upgrading my cooling system, either by suing a H80 or a H100 or jsut by adding more fans to the case
 
L

legendkiller

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Jun 19, 2011
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That budget wont last you 3 years and certainly not 5 years unless your just doing very low end gaming and watching movies or surfing internet... PC that last 2-5 years is close to $1,000... I'd recommend saving more money into at least a $800 PC because you'll be able to get more CPU & GPU horse power... A $500 PC wont even do any good in Adobe Premiere and it will take like days just to complete little shows...
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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im in the UK so i meant £500 - thats about $800 :S
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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thanks i did decide to upgrade to the HD 7750 :), for my birthday ill probably ask for another and then put them in a crossfire :D
 
angaddev

angaddev

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Jan 10, 2012
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If you plan on doing gaming and video work at least a 7850 would be needed, in my opinion the value for money of the 7850 is very good compared to the 7750/7770
 
manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
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CPU: FX-6300. 115 pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX6300-Edition-4-1GHz-Socket/dp/B009O7YORK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356798263&sr=8-1
Just under an Intel i3-3220 in gaming performance and excels everywhere else. At your budget and and usage (editing applications) this is about the best CPU you can get.

Mobo: AsRock 970 Pro3. 61 pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/970-PRO3-970-PRO3-Motherboard-Processors/dp/B0083C5VQU/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1356798302&sr=1-5
Nothing overly much to say on the board, it will do.

RAM: G.Skill Ares 8GB (2x4GB) 1600Mhz CL9 1.5v. 36 pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-PC3-12800-1600MHz-Profile-Channel/dp/B007BEJ5EA/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1356798363&sr=1-4
8GB of fairly standard 1600Mhz RAM, Low Profile so you wont run into issues with large heatsinks.

PSU: XFX Core Edition 450W, 80+ Bronze Non-Modular. 40 Pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-P1-450S-XXB9-PRO450W-Edition-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EIA/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1356799230&sr=1-1-catcorr
Good quality unit.

GPU: Sapphire HD7750. 74 Pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-Radeon-HD7750-Graphics-GDDR5/dp/B00761YFPW/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1356799315&sr=1-1-catcorr
Bit weak for 1080p gaming, but might suffice at your resolution.

SSD: SanDisk Extreme 120GB. 70 Pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDSSDX-120G-G25-120GB-Extreme-Internal/dp/B006EKJCWM/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1356798751&sr=1-3

Case: Zalman Z9+. 45 Pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zalman-Z9-Plus-Midi-Tower/dp/B004FPQL0E/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1356798607&sr=1-1
Great case at this price point, surprised they make a profit off these.

CPU cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO. 27 pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-120mm/dp/B0068OI7T8/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1356798889&sr=1-1
The go-to budget cooler, should hold a decent overclock.

OS: Windows 8 64bit OEM or Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM. 70 pounds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Windows-WN7-00403-English-Version/dp/B009HI2W66/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1356798977&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Windows-software-intended-builders/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1356799009&sr=1-1
I would go with Windows 8.

Total (before rebates, shipping): 511 Pounds.

Its a bit over budget, but its a fairly good budget build. The only weak links in it are the PSU and the graphics card. The PSU for quality is fine, but its wattage is fairly low so you will be limited in your upgrade path later on. You wouldnt be able to run more than a 7850 in that rig unless you want to use Molex adapers.
The GPU is the bottom end of what AMD offer in the current series, would have preferred to squeeze a 7770 in but I couldn't. However at the resolution your playing at it might do fairly well.

If you have any questions regarding component choices or anything really dont hesitate.
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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like i said - i may get 2 7750 in june and then have them crossfired
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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see if i were to get the AMD option it would be alot cheaper and i find the I3 jsut a bit too weak as with the AMD, after a few more fans and overcloking (if i do) it could be jsut as if not more powerfullas the I3 but would cost me a bit less :S - i think i still need to look into this

sorry just realised it wasta I3 - erm, i culd but with regard to the budget wouldnt there be any other easier ways to improve it without really touching the CPU??
 
angaddev

angaddev

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Jan 10, 2012
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I'll be frank, for 500 quid you get absolutely nothing. Save up, and when you have 800 quid buy a proper build rather than a cheapo build with no upgrade path and bad performance
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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however for the case of a few pounds what about this CPU instead https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-312-AM&groupid=701&catid=1967&subcat= ????
 
manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
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Thats about the lowest parts I trust to be of good quality, to cut down a bit further anywhere would sacrifice to performance or quality. Even if I did find cheaper components that are of good quality, it would only amount to maybe 10-15 pounds in savings.

I'm kind of agreeing with angaddev, you need a bit more cash to get the rig your after. Another 100 pounds would help to round out the build and increase performance by a fair bit.

EDIT: Suppose I should mention you can likely save a fair bit by shopping around. Just that when I make build I only reference the one store for consistent pricings and just to make it easier for me. I'm not going to hunt through every store for the cheapest price, thats your job :)
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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well being quite young to be honest ill have to speak with my dad but out of intrest - for £600 what could i get???
 
manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
12,914
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The build I posted above, except with a 7770, a 550W PSU (which will give you the upgrade path to high end cards) and an FX-8320. So better performance in gaming and editing, with a better upgrade path later on.

Hehe, parental funding is crucial at that age. While I wont tell you my exact age because of obvious reasons, I am not that much older than you. Anyone can get into computers, regardless of age.
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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ok - ill try to persuade my dad to open his wallet but its probably not going to happen - ill probably jsut sell my ps3 and raise the money :/
 
K

Karmil08

Honorable
Dec 29, 2012
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just to ask is the phenom 2 as good as the 6 or 8 core ones??
 
manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
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Depends which models you are comparing and by what.
But if you are comparing a Piledriver chip (so an FX- 43XX, 63XX or 83XX) then the general answer is no. The Bulldozer chips (FX-41XX, 61XX, 81XX) its a bit more up in the air.

Even then it comes down to what your comparing them by. For single threaded performance (which is what gaming uses) the Phenom II's put up a good fight to the FX chips, with only the higher end FX chips winning.
For Multi-Threaded performance (which is what editing applications use), the FX chips are far and away better, except when your pitting a low end FX against a high end Phenom.
 
B

bloodstorm69

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Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack £59.49

LG GH24NS90.AUAA50B 24x SATA Bare Internal DVD Rewriter - Black - LG £13.47

Gigabyte SKT-1155 Z77-DS3H Motherboard - Gigabyte £67.53

Intel 3rd Generation Core i5-3550 CPU (4 x 3.3GHz, Ivy Bridge, Socket 1155, 6Mb L3 Cache, Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0) - Intel £156.20

Corsair Builder Series CX 430 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply Unit - Corsair £36.77

Chieftec iArena Mid Tower ATX Case - Black - Chieftec £34.22

Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5 inch SATA Solid State Drive - Samsung £76.77

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit - Corsair £34.98

VTX3D AMD Radeon HD 7850 X-Edition Graphics Card (1GB, GDDR5, PCI Express 3.0, HDMI, DVI-I, DVI-D, Mini Display Port, DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.2 Support) - VTX3D £126.98
Total £606.41 w/ free ship from amazon

Something else that you may want to look into would be looking for a used computer either through your local craigslist (or local equivalent). I would also suggest checking out http://lakenheath.bookoo.com/ which is what local US Military use to sell their used items.
 
K

Karmil08

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Dec 29, 2012
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thanks but with the higher end graphics card i would probably end up going for a 3570k so i can overclock - but thanks anyways:)
 
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