Budget Gaming PC £450/$700

[MrLSFerguson]

Trying to create a budget PC. So far I have got this...

Case - BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case
Power Supply - Corsair Builder Series CX500 V2
Memory - Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1333MHz
CPU - Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz

Now i'm looking for a graphics card, Radeon HD 6870 seems to be in my budget, yet I have some questions. Do I need a 1GB or 2GB? Which is the best make? There's Sapphire, XFX and ASUS...

Also I need a motherboard for £50/$75 if that is possible.

Will this PC work together? I'm very strict on the budget.

 

[dudewitbow]

most games will only use 1 gb vram at 1920x1080. there are only a few select games that go past that barrier, most of which possibly can give the i3-2120 a bit of trouble when at 1920x1080

 

[MrLSFerguson]

most games will only use 1 gb vram at 1920x1080. there are only a few select games that go past that barrier, most of which possibly can give the i3-2120 a bit of trouble when at 1920x1080

Well most recent games require 2GB of RAM, I wouldn't dream of lowering my RAM to that, maybe 4GB, but i'd rather stick with the 8GB. Also I wont be playing in 1920x1080, so I think my i3 will be okay, but thanks for commenting.

 

[voiidwulf]

Well most recent games require 2GB of RAM, I wouldn't dream of lowering my RAM to that, maybe 4GB, but i'd rather stick with the 8GB. Also I wont be playing in 1920x1080, so I think my i3 will be okay, but thanks for commenting.

You are thinking of system memory, SDRAM. You need at least 4GB of that.

The 1GB/2GB on the video card is the video ram. That is what dudewitbow meant. You really only need 1GB. 2GB for certain games at high res.

So, simply:

Required video RAM: 1GB

Required regular RAM: 4GB (You have 8GB)

 

[claysm]

If you intend to get a 6870, then the 2GB model will actually put you in the price range of a GTX 560 Ti, which is a more powerful card. So either get a 6870 with 1GB, which is usually enough, or get the 560 Ti. As far as the best brand, they are all generally close, so just get the card with the right video outputs that you need. XFX cards tend to be a little more expensive, but they are also the only AMD board partner to offer a lifetime warranty, which is nice.

The i3-2120 is actually a very capable gaming CPU, and won't hold you back at 1920x1080.

As far as the motherboard, something like this would do nicely:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157304

It's a little more than you wanted, but a great board.

 

[MrLSFerguson]

I settled on

Case - BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case
Power Supply - Corsair Builder Series CX500 V2
Memory - Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1333MHz
CPU - Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz
Graphics - Radeon HD 6850 - 1GB
Motherboard - ASRock Z77 Pro3

1st problem, Radeon HD 6850 needs a 550W power supply? From what i've read.

 

[dudewitbow]

I settled on

Case - BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case
Power Supply - Corsair Builder Series CX500 V2
Memory - Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-12800 1333MHz
CPU - Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz
Graphics - Radeon HD 6850 - 1GB
Motherboard - ASRock Z77 Pro3

1st problem, Radeon HD 6850 needs a 550W power supply? From what i've read.

it can be lower, you just need to learn what is a good psu, and what isnt, because budget psus are completely littered with a lot of bad choices.

 

[MrLSFerguson]

Picked all my parts!


£32.90 http://www.amazon.co.uk/BitFenix-Merc-Beta-Tower-Chassis/dp/B005JRICQ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343916487&sr=8-1
£45.95 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPSU-500CX-Builder-Series-Supply/dp/B0045Y1EJ8/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343943544&sr=1-2
£108.64 http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-RADEON-6850-775M-PCI-E/dp/B0047ZH7FU?SubscriptionId=091S0SXB592175GYB502&tag=kikatek-21&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0047ZH7FU
£81.34 http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-Z77-Motherboard-Socket-Intel/dp/B007P709Q6/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1343943828&sr=1-1

£35.00 http://www.ebuyer.com/247674-corsair-8gb-ddr3-1333mhz-xms3-memory-cmx8gx3m2a1333c9
£90.12 http://www.ebuyer.com/254978-intel-core-i3-2120-3-3ghz-socket-1155-3mb-l3-cache-retail-boxed-bx80623i32120

Everything 100% okay?

 

[dudewitbow]

assuming the z77 mobo is there because you will upgrade cpus later, its fine.