First build, need advice

[MasterCee]

So this is my first PC build, I'm making a mid-ish range AMD gaming build, here's what I'm thinking so far:

AMD bulldozer FX-6100 6 core 3.30GHz CPU
Asus M5A78L-M USB3 HDMI motherboard
8GB DDR3 Ram
(pre assembled bundle) Link
Asus HD 7770 2GB AMD Radeon Graphics Card Link
Seagate 500Gb 3.5" Barracuda Hard Drive (already have 1TB ext HD) Link
Cooler Master RC-430-KWN1 Elite 430 Midi Tower (I, know it's cheap but I don't want to spend too much here) Link
Corsair Builder Series CX 600 Watt Power Supply Unit Link
LG GH24NS90.AUAA50B 24x SATA Bare Internal DVD Rewriter Link

This is my first build so I'm trying to keep the cost right down, because of this I'm not bothering with with an SSD or a sound card or anything unnecessary. I know the processor isn't the best choice but it's part of a bundle which will help in keeping my budget down. At the moment I'm at about £460 and if you make an suggestions for changing parts I'd like to keep it all under £500 at the most. I also have't included OS, monitor, keyboard or mouse in this because I can acquire a OS through other means and I won't be buying the other things until slightly later.

Bare in mind this is my first build and I have no real experience, any help or advice is appreciated.

 

[cutebeans]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (£96.95 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£52.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£30.23 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.97 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card (£139.63 @ Dabs)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 335 Upgraded ATX Mid Tower Case (£32.87 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£67.66 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£12.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £483.28
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-06 01:54 GMT+0000)

Everything better for the money. Hope this helps.

Look at videos when you make your pc.

 

[MasterCee]

This is very helpful, I'm just wondering whether your suggested psu is better because the one I chose is cheaper and has more wattage

 

[Rammy]

This is very helpful, I'm just wondering whether your suggested psu is better because the one I chose is cheaper and has more wattage

The one you picked is fine enough, but Seasonic are widely regarded as among the best OEMs for PSUs. A good comprimise is the XFX Core 550. Made by Seasonic, but costs £50.
Cutebeans build is pretty good, I'd personally make a couple of minor tweaks.

- You definitely want the 6300 over 6100.
- If you want to get the most value from it, you probably want to overclock
- If you want to overclock, you probably want to spend a little more on motherboard (say ASrock extreme3 at £65) and get a solid CPU cooler such as the Hyper 212 Evo (around £24)
- I'd get a case with front USB3.0. Most modern cases do and it's a feature that's likely to be more and more used. (Under £50)
- The 7850 is great value but you can currently get a 2Gb version of the same card for £136. If you can force a little more into the budget, the HD7870/GTX660 start at around £155-170 and those are going to mean you can play most modern games maxed out at 1080P.
- The aforementioned XFX Core 550 is great value (£50). If you are using a HD7850 (or HD7770, GTX660) then you only need a single PCIe connector, and they draw really low power, you can actually get away with with 450W version which is a steal at £37.

 

[MasterCee]

So from your advice so far I'm going with this
Link

I will go for the cpu, motherboard and ram suggested by cute beans instead of the bundle and the case and disc drive he suggested too. As for the gpu I'm wondering whether his is better or not because the one I originally chose was cheaper and 2gb, and its only slightly lower spec. As for the psu I will go with the one suggested by rammy because it seems good quality and also cheaper. I don't plan on over clocking straight away so I'm not that bothered about a fan or better mobo at the moment, I can always upgrade later.

 

[Rammy]

Sounds decent.

The reason I mention overclocking is because the general consensus is that a lot of the "value" factor in AMD systems, especially lower priced ones, is the overclocking potential which Intel doesn't offer. The 6300 is a pretty decent CPU but in single threaded stuff it's probably behind everything Intel have, including the Pentiums. It's significantly better than its predecessor though, and by no means a bad CPU.

2Gb on a graphics card isn't especially relevant at lower prices because it's unlikely you'll be able to run stuff at high enough resolutions or details to demand it. The HD7770 is a good entry level card, but it's a fair distance behind the 7850 in performance. The HD7850 is a great mid-range card, and given that there isn't much price difference between the 2Gb and 1Gb, I'd definitely go for 2Gb. What you actually need is dependant on your display resolution, what games you want to play, and how much detail you expect

 

[MasterCee]

I won't be playing many graphics intensive games at the moment (mainly MUGEN, rts's and league, but a few fps's and stuff). I would like to be able to play any games that come out in the near future though, so I see your point about the 7850, and since the price difference isn't too much ill go with it. Also it may be worth mentioning that ill he using it for amateur level photoshoping and graphic design too.