My Standard Builds For PCs

[Rugnir_Viking]

I have noticed a trend in pc parts where there are certain parts that are THE parts.
you know what i mean? that one item that shows up on benchmarks for budget builds or price/performance. I have decided to throw together some sample pc's of various budgets and Processor type to link to for people who are asking.

Build 1: Budget Intel Gaming pc:
CPU: i3 3220
Mobo: Biostar TZ75B
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (1x8)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM HDD
GPU: HD 7770 GHz edition
PSU: Corsair 500M
Case: Corsir 200R
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/RvwE
Pounds - £470
Dollars (US sites) - £598
Euros (Low as Possible) - €314

Possible Upgrade Paths:

CPU: I5 2500K
This cpu upgrade will allow cpu overclocking and will also allow better numbers of cores. however, it uses more wattage so for extreme overclocking use a psu upgrade and/or a aftermarket cpu cooler
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623i52500k

GPU: HD 7870 or gtx 660
These gpus are very close however the slightly more expensive HD 7870 will come out on top a little in most games.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n660tf2gd5oc
and
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx787acnfc

PSU: Corsair 600W Plus ATX PSU
for overclocking and/or (god forbid with this build) SLI/crossfire you may need a better PSU. Personally i liek corsair for the great price and solid reliability.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m

Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout
Case is really up to personal preference but for a little more flair i would say the
Cooler Master Storm Scout. Cooler master are a great brand but stay away for cheap builds
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-sgc2000kkn1gp

How do you guys like this? want me to carry on? should i include a monitor or more upgrade paths?
My ideas so far:

• 
  Price/Performance builds for AMD and Intel
  Game/YouTube Streaming PC for AMD and Intel
  High end gaming PC for AMD and Intel
  Budget Workstation for AMD/Intel
  Home Media Center PC for AMD/Intel
  High-End Workstation for AMD/Intel
  Micro-ATX Gaming PC for AMD/Intel
  Good Cheap Peripherals

Note: For users in countries other than the uk change the tab in the top right corner of the PC Part picker Links

Build 2: AMD Based budget gaming PC
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 640 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Mobo: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (1x8)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM HDD
GPU: HD 7770 GHz edition
PSU: Corsair 500M
Case: Corsir 300R
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/RwJv
Pounds - £476
Dollars (US sites) - £617 (Needed to cahnge the hdd to http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st9500423as )
Euros (Low as Possible) - Unavailable due to all parts being invalid (?)

Possible Upgrade Paths:

CPU: FX 6300
This cpu brings the best side of AMD with 6 cores and an impressive price tag. This cpu will allow almost any gpu to perform well.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6300wmhkbox

GPU: HD 7870 or gtx 660
These gpus are very close however the slightly more expensive HD 7870 will come out on top a little in most games.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n660tf2gd5oc
and
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx787acnfc

PSU: Corsair 600W Plus ATX PSU
for overclocking and/or (god forbid with this build) SLI/crossfire you may need a better PSU. Personally i liek corsair for the great price and solid reliability.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m

Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout
Case is really up to personal preference but for a little more flair i would say the
Cooler Master Storm Scout. Cooler master are a great brand but stay away for cheap builds
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-sgc2000kkn1gp

Storage: SSD or HDD
For storage, there are several options. For more space, go with the Seagate Barracuda 2TB
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-stbd2000101
However, if speed is what you want and you like fast program loading times go with an ssd such as the Samsung 840 series at 120GB
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7td120bw


Build 3: Intel-Based Price/Performance PC
CPU: I5 - 3570K 3.6GHZ
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60
Mobo: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: OCZ Vertex Plus 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Storage 2: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card
PSU: Corsair 600W ATX
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ATX Full Tower Case
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Rx3F
Pounds: £972
Dollars (US Stores): $1246
Euros - Again trouble with item invalidation on the PC part picker


Possible Upgrade Paths:

CPU: I7-3770K
This cpu is quite high spec and will beat any game out there and very probably many to come. it also is ideal for the extreme multitasker, allowing huge calculations and many mods for games without much performace loss at all.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i73770k

GPU: HD 7970 or GTX 670
These gpus are very close however the slightly more expensive HD 7970 will come out on top a little in most games.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42670kr
and
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx797atdfc

PSU: Corsair 750W Plus ATX PSU
for overclocking and/or SLI/crossfire you may need a better PSU. Personally i like corsair for the great price and solid reliability.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m

Case: Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Editiont
This is a really Great case and huge aswell. i really like the look of it but remember cases are about personal prefrance.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-case-vn10006w2n

Storage: SSD or HDD
For storage, there are several options. For more space, go with another Seagate Barracuda 2TB
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-stbd2000101
However, if speed is what you want and you like fast program loading times go with another ssd such as the Samsung 840 series at 120GB
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7td120bw


I try to be as imapartial as possible with these builds but if you do see a better component try to tell me as calmly as possible and please do not argue.

 

[ksham]

I wouldn't call those THE parts.

1. Why not Intel i5-3570K?
2. Why Corsair 200R and not 300R?
3. No CPU Cooler?

 

[g-unit1111]

I don't really understand the point of this thread. If you want to see some killer rigs that users have come up with I'd recommend taking a look at this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/toms-hardware-bestconfigs-build-a-pc,3453.html

 

[Rugnir_Viking]

I wouldn't call those THE parts.

1. Why not Intel i5-3570K?
2. Why Corsair 200R and not 300R?
3. No CPU Cooler?

Build 1: Budget Intel PC

The corsir 200r is cheaper in the uk by £20. i wanted that there because this is tomshardware.co.uk

no cpu cooler because you dont need one for a 2-core non overclocked cpu

 

[ksham]

So a budget build can't utilize i5? And the 200R doesn't have good airflow. So I rather spend the extra £20. I wouldn't want to buy all that and skim out on just £20. Now I'm with g-unit1111. I don't understand the point of this thread.

 

[Rugnir_Viking]

So a budget build can't utilize i5? And the 200R doesn't have good airflow. So I rather spend the extra £20. I wouldn't want to buy all that and skim out on just £20. Now I'm with g-unit1111. I don't understand the point of this thread.

The comparable budget computer: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/toms-hardware-bestconfigs-build-a-pc,3453-8.html

I feel also that the i5 is not needed compared to the dual core for slightly less speed. I was going to save the i5 3570k for the Intel price/performance build, where i feel it will be done better justice as a cpu that will never be bottlenecked

i understand and take in your comment on the 300r however, and have adjusted accordingly because this still keeps the price lower than £500

 

[Rugnir_Viking]

I don't really understand the point of this thread. If you want to see some killer rigs that users have come up with I'd recommend taking a look at this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/toms-hardware-bestconfigs-build-a-pc,3453.html

Changed the thread name to better suit what i had intended

 

[TenPc]

All Pc's past 2004 require a kit of at least 2 ram modules, you listed in the details, "Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (1x8)", that surely will cause you grief.

A dual core PC is not much good for anything except XP OS.

The treend is not necessarily set in concrete, you have to know hat purpose you require for the PC, PC gaming is different system and hardware requirements than that of a programmer, video editor, or a PC used as a server.

If you intend on both PC gaming as well as programming, video making and other pirsuits you might end up with a problem Pc rather than some sort of super dooper do everything rig.

 

[g-unit1111]

All Pc's past 2004 require a kit of at least 2 ram modules, you listed in the details, "Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (1x8)", that surely will cause you grief.

A dual core PC is not much good for anything except XP OS.

Not true at all. You can run Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 8 on a dual core PC. Hell, the Microsoft Surface tablet runs a dual core CPU and full Windows 8.

 

[TenPc]

All Pc's past 2004 require a kit of at least 2 ram modules, you listed in the details, "Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (1x8)", that surely will cause you grief.

A dual core PC is not much good for anything except XP OS.

Not true at all. You can run Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 8 on a dual core PC. Hell, the Microsoft Surface tablet runs a dual core CPU and full Windows 8.

yeah yeah, you can also run Windows 7 on a Pentium 4 but it's crap. Windows 8 is barebones, you don't get the dvd software nor even Spider Solitaire nor themes so it runs on a lower core.

 

[g-unit1111]

yeah yeah, you can also run Windows 7 on a Pentium 4 but it's crap. Windows 8 is barebones, you don't get the dvd software nor even Spider Solitaire nor themes so it runs on a lower core.

I run Windows 8 on my Core 2 Duo laptop and I don't miss those MS games one bit. Not having DVD software is a problem but there's ways around that.

 

[TenPc]

yeah yeah, you can also run Windows 7 on a Pentium 4 but it's crap. Windows 8 is barebones, you don't get the dvd software nor even Spider Solitaire nor themes so it runs on a lower core.

I run Windows 8 on my Core 2 Duo laptop and I don't miss those MS games one bit. Not having DVD software is a problem but there's ways around that.

Well, ther are lots of people who still want to use Spider solitaire, even some people are playing Freecell (i've played more than 32,000 hands of Freecell about 8 years ago) and some people still play it now with Windows 7. Spider Solitaire is till a popular solitaire game, I play it at least 20 times per week.

Current DVD software has too may added options for other addin software, it is too commercial, at least with PwerDVD for XP, it was less incumbrent and was worth the money (if you actually had to pay for it, it often came bundle with a disk) Nero for XP was also a "free" software until you now can only get a lite version bundled with other commercial options and it has a set time limit that disables the program either after a period of time or uses.

Windows 8 dvd software is far and few between but that is for another thread, I assume.

Windows 8 is not the future, it is a replcament of the present. There are way too many bugs and incompatibilities, even Microsoft have withdrawn the full version from retail, they only provide upgrades from Windows 7. The Packard Bell PC with Windows 8 pre-installed is actually windows 7 with a Windows 8 upgrade. Too many issues with upgrades to a newer OS, it is not the future we want nor do users want more issues as in the past with PC's but seems to be the trend, regardless.

As per my previous post about ram, you can use one stick per bank but only if the ram is single channel ram and not part of a kit. a kit of 2 or more is used as a match in one bank and not to be used separately in each bank (where a bank represents each set of channels, ie slots).

 

[Rugnir_Viking]

Dual core pc is great for the price, see the 2013 competition builds. ALL dual core