Help needed with first gaming PC

[cl91]

Hi,

What are your opinions on the build I have listed below? I am looking to build a PC suitable for playing games such as Skyrim and Battlefield with reasonable settings. I'm not a heavy gamer but I would like the ability to play these sort of games occasionally. I can't really afford a graphics card at the moment but will be looking to add one in the future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£77.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard (£41.72 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£40.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£75.59 @ Aria PC)
Case: CiT Vantage ATX Mid Tower Case (£31.96 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£34.15 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.79 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£69.59 @ Aria PC)
Total: £383.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-25 13:05 GMT+0000)

 

[FinneousPJ]

Please fill this in http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/353572-31-build-upgrade-advice

 

[cl91]

Here you go, thank you.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next two weeks

Budget Range: £400 and below

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mainly basic home but would like the ability to play games such as Skyrim at reasonable settings

Are you buying a monitor: Yes - But I don't expect this to be included in the price

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No preference

Location: UK

Parts Preferences: No preference

Overclocking: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Not yet decided on a monitor

Additional Comments: If my budget isn't realistic, please let me know.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Don't currently own a PC

 

[FinneousPJ]

OK, your build's pretty good for £400. However, the AMD A10 is only a couple of quid more so go for that CPU. You should try bumping up to as fast RAM as possible - the APUs really like fast RAM.

If you're planning to upgrade to a GPU ASAP you can just get an i3 or FX6300 for your budget, which would be better for pairing with a modern GPU.

 

[cl91]

Thanks for your advice.
I think I'm going to go for the A10 instead.
Would you say this APU will give me the performance I require without the need to install a graphics card?

 

[FinneousPJ]

That's subjective. If you're fine with lower resolutions and/or lowered settings you're good. Full HD gaming isn't brilliant.

 

[cl91]

Ok, thats great thanks.
In regards to the RAM is there another one you would reccommend?

 

[FinneousPJ]

Yeah, here's the A10 and some faster RAM.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£98.48 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard (£41.72 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (£42.79 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£75.59 @ Aria PC)
Case: CiT Vantage ATX Mid Tower Case (£31.96 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£34.15 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.13 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£69.59 @ Aria PC)
Total: £405.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-25 15:38 GMT+0000)

 

[cl91]

Thats great.

I've just ordered all the parts now and they should be arriving tomorrow.

Thanks for you help, its much appreciated.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Let us know how it goes.

 

[cl91]

I certainly will.

Thanks again