• ~£600 gaming build, first time builder, help much appreciated
    35 replies, posted
Hey guys, yesterday our outdated family Dell computer finally copped it and I want to build a new gaming PC, since I know we can get better value for money and it'd be a great project to do. My budget is £600 - I can go a bit over, but probably not more than £10. I already have: -A mouse -A keyboard -A monitor (native 1280x1024 resolution, I don't need anything better) -A graphics card which I'm planning to reuse (radeon HD 5750 - bought fairly recently, works fine for now) -Speakers/headphones I need: Pretty much everything else, including a case. It should be able to play upcoming games, preferably at a nice smooth 60 FPS. I've successfully replaced graphics cards, RAM and an optical drive before, so I'm not completely inexperienced with this kind of thing, but I've never built a PC before. I'd be grateful if you could point me in the direction of some really good idiot-proof tutorials to help me build this computer myself (how to do it, things to watch out for etc.) I plan to be extremely cautious. Other things to mention: -Intel CPU preferred -I'm not bothered how the case looks, cheap and functional is fine -OSes won't be an issue or factor into the cost, I'm hoping to use Windows 7, can probably get a discount -Last time I got my parts off overclockers.co.uk, but I'm not that bothered about where I get them from as long as they're reliable and decent prices Thanks in advance for your time and advice.
I will whip something up for you [img]http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4070/scanoz.jpg[/img] [url]www.scan.co.uk[/url]
Bad Acapon, why get an H61 motherboard with a 2500[b]k[/b]? Get a p67/z68 (whichever is cheaper); Swap the HX750 with Strider 750w/XFX 750w (usually are cheaper). And for his specs, 8GB ram is definitely overkill.
[QUOTE=Armotekma;30912938]Bad Acapon, why get an H61 motherboard with a 2500[b]k[/b]? Get a p67/z68 (whichever is cheaper); Swap the 932 for a 912 and the HX750 for something like an XFX 750w (usually are cheaper). And for his specs, 8GB ram is definitely overkill.[/QUOTE] I was originally going to post 4gb, but he had the extra money so there's no harm in having for the future, Also the case is the new shape, and thought it would have more appeal, also there's nothing wrong with that power supply? its a good brand and fully modular [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] As for the motherboard, you could go for this instead: [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-p67a-d3-b3-intel-p67-1155-pci-e-%28x16%29-ddr3-1866-2133-sata-6gb-s-raid-atx[/url]
[QUOTE=Acapon;30912971]I was originally going to post 4gb, but he had the extra money so there's no harm in having for the future, Also the case is the new shape, and thought it would have more appeal, also there's nothing wrong with that power supply? its a good brand and fully modular[/QUOTE] 4gb is sufficient for the moment I think, but yeah thanks. I might use the extra money on a different HD (I tend to distrust Samsung, already had two fail on me, might go WD or Seagate or something) I'm wondering slightly about the motherboard. It only has one PCI-e 16x slot, and I'm wondering if it might be worth going for one which could do SLI in the future (one of the reasons I was hoping to build it myself was the potential for future upgrades, something which my old Dell was really lacking in). [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] Whoa, you read my mind :O
Get only 4gb of ram instead of 8, and use that price to get a p67. Z68 isn't worth it unless you have a solid-state.
Updated list for you [img]http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/598/scansj.jpg[/img] I forgot to edit the motherboard again lol, use this one :[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-p67a-d3-b3-intel-p67-1155-pci-e-%28x16%29-ddr3-1866-2133-sata-6gb-s-raid-atx[/url]
Acapon, thanks very much. I'm think I'm gonna go with the build above, except with the slightly more expensive motherboard with 2 16x PCI-e slots. [URL="http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-p67a-d3-b3-intel-p67-1155-pci-e-%28x16%29-ddr3-1866-2133-sata-6gb-s-raid-atx"]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigab...6gb-s-raid-atx[/URL] One more thing - do I have to buy thermal paste seperately for the CPU?
[QUOTE=Turnips5;30913125](I tend to distrust Samsung, already had two fail on me, might go WD or Seagate or something)[/QUOTE] You're doing something wrong, I have 2 Spinpoints in my machine, they've been running beautifully for absolutely ages.
Ah, you changed it anyway :v: [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=nikomo;30913494]You're doing something wrong, I have 2 Spinpoints in my machine, they've been running beautifully for absolutely ages.[/QUOTE] Well, I had one go in my laptop, and another ages ago in a desktop computer. I was probably just unlucky. [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] Oh yeah, and is it at all worth going 64 bit yet for Windows 7? I'm out of the loop when it comes to these things
Well technically if your only going to be using 4gigs of ram just use 32bit but 64 bit will alow you to add extra in latter years to come, Also the heat sync will come pre applied with thermal paste when you buy the Intel i5 :)
[QUOTE=Acapon;30913204]Updated list for you [img]http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/598/scansj.jpg[/img] I forgot to edit the motherboard again lol, use this one :[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-p67a-d3-b3-intel-p67-1155-pci-e-%28x16%29-ddr3-1866-2133-sata-6gb-s-raid-atx[/url][/QUOTE] still not good OP hold on a sec
[QUOTE=Acapon;30913629]Well technically if your only going to be using 4gigs of ram just use 32bit but 64 bit will alow you to add extra in latter years to come, Also the heat sync will come pre applied with thermal paste when you buy the Intel i5 :)[/QUOTE] I was thinking more of in terms of software compatibility and stuff, is that at all a problem these days? And thanks, that's great to know. edit: oh, both versions seem to come in the same box. That's a non-issue then, looks like I'll be going 64 bit :D
[QUOTE=reapaninja;30913636]still not good OP hold on a sec[/QUOTE] There is absolutely nothing wrong with this build... [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Turnips5;30913650]I was thinking more of in terms of software compatibility and stuff, is that at all a problem these days? And thanks, that's great to know.[/QUOTE] In terms of compatibility its fine these days, once you install windows, theres like a zillion and 1 updates that patch up any problems with the OS
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-ddr3-xms3-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-165v[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-samsung-hd103sj-spinpoint-f3-sata-3gb-s-7200rpm-32mb-cache-89ms-ncq[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/lianli-pc-p50b-armoursuit-black-aluminum-mid-tower-gaming-case-w-o-psu[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-silverstone-strider-modular-80-plus-silver-88-eff-sli-crossfire-36db-eps-12v-135mm-fan[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sandy-bridge-quad-core-33ghz-gpu-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-retail[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-p67a-gd65-(b3)-intel-p67-s1155-motherboard-inc-free-coolermaster-hyper-212plus-cpu-cooler[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/samsung-sh-s222ab-bebe-22x-dvdr-12x-dvdr-dvdplusrw-x8-rw-x6-sata-black-oem[/url] £602.37 including delivery, make sure you remove scansure motherboard comes with a free hyper 212+ and yes go with 64bit home premium
[QUOTE=reapaninja;30913683][url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-ddr3-xms3-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-165v[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-samsung-hd103sj-spinpoint-f3-sata-3gb-s-7200rpm-32mb-cache-89ms-ncq[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/lianli-pc-p50b-armoursuit-black-aluminum-mid-tower-gaming-case-w-o-psu[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-silverstone-strider-modular-80-plus-silver-88-eff-sli-crossfire-36db-eps-12v-135mm-fan[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sandy-bridge-quad-core-33ghz-gpu-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-retail[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-p67a-gd65-(b3)-intel-p67-s1155-motherboard-inc-free-coolermaster-hyper-212plus-cpu-cooler[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/samsung-sh-s222ab-bebe-22x-dvdr-12x-dvdr-dvdplusrw-x8-rw-x6-sata-black-oem[/url] £602.37 including delivery, make sure you remove scansure motherboard comes with a free hyper 212+ and yes go with 64bit home premium[/QUOTE] Already justified that the OP doesn't want to use Samsung, so altered to seagate. Also that case does the job yes, but in terms of a visual aspect, none :/ I agree that the psu selected is good though, OP you might want to consider having the one selected :[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-silverstone-strider-modular-80-plus-silver-88-eff-sli-crossfire-36db-eps-12v-135mm-fan[/url] Also the motherboard is better because it supports sli :) nice one reapaninja, i was almost there :P
[QUOTE=reapaninja;30913683][url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-ddr3-xms3-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-165v[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-samsung-hd103sj-spinpoint-f3-sata-3gb-s-7200rpm-32mb-cache-89ms-ncq[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/lianli-pc-p50b-armoursuit-black-aluminum-mid-tower-gaming-case-w-o-psu[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-silverstone-strider-modular-80-plus-silver-88-eff-sli-crossfire-36db-eps-12v-135mm-fan[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sandy-bridge-quad-core-33ghz-gpu-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-retail[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-p67a-gd65-(b3)-intel-p67-s1155-motherboard-inc-free-coolermaster-hyper-212plus-cpu-cooler[/url] [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/samsung-sh-s222ab-bebe-22x-dvdr-12x-dvdr-dvdplusrw-x8-rw-x6-sata-black-oem[/url] £602.37 including delivery, make sure you remove scansure motherboard comes with a free hyper 212+ and yes go with 64bit home premium[/QUOTE] I appreciate it, but I think I'm gonna go with Acapon's build, it's about £45 cheaper and I like the motherboard better (not to mention the case is cheaper). Thanks very much though. [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Acapon;30913752]Also the motherboard is better because it supports sli :) nice one reapaninja, i was almost there :P[/QUOTE] The one I've selected at the moment can do Crossfire though, so it's not a huge deal I think.
[QUOTE=Acapon;30913653]There is absolutely nothing wrong with this build...[/QUOTE] x16/x4 mobo instead of x8/x8 "green/low power/other marketing BS for slow" hard drive as a boot drive overpriced PSU [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Acapon;30913752]Already justified that the OP doesn't want to use Samsung, so altered to seagate. [B]samsung currently make the best mechanical drives, regardless of what experiences one person has had[/B] Also that case does the job yes, but in terms of a visual aspect, none :/ [B]translation: "the only thing that matters is how ricer a case is"[/B] I agree that the psu selected is good though, OP you might want to consider having the one selected :[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-silverstone-strider-modular-80-plus-silver-88-eff-sli-crossfire-36db-eps-12v-135mm-fan[/url] Also the motherboard is better because it supports sli :) nice one reapaninja, i was almost there :P[/QUOTE]
Now I'm actually wondering about those power supplies. What's the difference between 6+2 pin PCI-e power and just regular 6 pin? The Corsair one doesn't seem to have any normal 6 pin cables, so if I can't use the 6+2 ones for my old 5750 HD, then I might have to go for the Silverstone one. Also, what's the deal with the CPU power cables? The Silverstone one says "4+4pin CPU +12V", and the Corsair has "8pin CPU +12V". [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] "[B]the only thing that matters is how ricer a case is" [/B]What's the difference between the two cases then, apart from Acapon's being £15 cheaper?
[QUOTE=Turnips5;30913771]I appreciate it, but I think I'm gonna go with Acapon's build, it's about £45 cheaper and I like the motherboard better (not to mention the case is cheaper). Thanks very much though. [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] The one I've selected at the moment can do Crossfire though, so it's not a huge deal I think.[/QUOTE] £45 cheaper but much worse change the case then but lian li make excellent quality cases rather than just shoving LEDs and plastic all over any P67 mobo supports sli (only higher end mobos are "certified" for it which is just nvidia marketing BS) but with an x16/x4 PCI-E slot layout mobo you'll have lower performance than an x8/x8 mobo as no card exceeds x8 bandwidth but anything approaching higher end will be limited by x4, this applies to both sli and crossfire [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Turnips5;30913901]Now I'm actually wondering about those power supplies. What's the difference between 6+2 pin PCI-e power and just regular 6 pin? The Corsair one doesn't seem to have any normal 6 pin cables, so if I can't use the 6+2 ones for my old 5750 HD, then I might have to go for the Silverstone one. Also, what's the deal with the CPU power cables? The Silverstone one says "4+4pin CPU +12V", and the Corsair has "8pin CPU +12V". What's the difference :v:[/QUOTE] most graphics cards have 6 pin PCI-E connectors however some require more power than a 6pin can provide and use an 8 pin connector, a 6+2 connector is a 6 pin with the extra two pins to make it an 8 hanging off the side if a 6 pin is required just leave the extra 2 hanging, if an 8 is needed clip the "+2" pins on the side and the CPU powers cables are a similar thing, lower end mobos only take a 4 pin CPU power connector while mid and high end take 8 pins, so most PSUs have the 8 split into two (4+4) so that like the +2 with PCI-E when the 8 is needed you just clip them together [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] the extra £45 with my list nets you a much better mobo, a better CPU cooler, faster hard drive, fully modular (rather than semi-modular) PSU and depending on if you choose it a better case (lighter due to being aluminium rather than steel, better build quality, less plastic, cleaner looking rather than ricey) [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] that said there's nothing necessarily wrong with the HAF series, the build quality is still fine and it's a good case if you don't mind it being ricey
HAF 932 is better than Reap's case imo, better cooling. But the rest of Reap's build is better.
[QUOTE=reapaninja;30913951]the extra £45 with my list nets you a much better mobo, a better CPU cooler, faster hard drive, fully modular (rather than semi-modular) PSU and depending on if you choose it a better case (lighter due to being aluminium rather than steel, better build quality, less plastic, cleaner looking rather than ricey) [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] that said there's nothing necessarily wrong with the HAF series, the build quality is still fine and it's a good case if you don't mind it being ricey[/QUOTE] Okay, thanks. I'm not that bothered what the case looks like (I'm not a fan of ricer shit, but to be honest if it's £15 cheaper I'm not complaining). I'll definitely swap the PSU for that Silverstone one, cheaper and seems just as good. The motherboard... I really have no idea. I was fine with the Gigabyte one, and the other one is a load more expensive. I'm keeping the seagate HD. I'm still not sure about the case. I'm not a fan of ricer-looking stuff, and I'd like my case to be solid and easy to access, but I'm not sure I can justify an extra £15 on what is essentially a cosmetic decision. D: [editline]5th July 2011[/editline] [IMG]http://i55.tinypic.com/2rxvhxd.png[/IMG] Final build... the only thing I'm still trying to decide on is the motherboard. I'm wondering if SLI/Crossfire is even that important. I mean, I might just be able to get a great single card down the road (or one of those double-GPU-in-one-slot dealies), in which case the Gigabyte one would suffice. But... gahhh :v: Thanks Acapon, reapaninja and armotekma for helping me narrow this down. I'm almost ready to buy the stuff now. edit : got the MSI mobo instead.
Get Reap's motherboard. It's a good overclocker (and can auto-overclock for you), pretty decent performance, runs very cool and it has a 212+ with it.
[QUOTE=SataniX;30914833]Get Reap's motherboard. It's a good overclocker (and can auto-overclock for you), pretty decent performance, runs very cool and it has a 212+ with it.[/QUOTE] Okay, done. You guys convinced me :v: Now, before I order this, are there any other things I should look into buying? And does anyone have any good PC building guides for beginners?
Nope your all set mate, also go on youtube and search for some tutorials, there's loads!
Fantastic. Thank you all, I'll be sure to report back in a few days with progress/questions/a working PC.
[QUOTE=Turnips5;30915830]Fantastic. Thank you all, I'll be sure to report back in a few days with progress/questions/a working PC.[/QUOTE] Excellent, cant wait to see it all in progress, when are you purchasing everything?
[QUOTE=Acapon;30915894]Excellent, cant wait to see it all in progress, when are you purchasing everything?[/QUOTE] [img]http://i54.tinypic.com/21odb1l.png[/img] I don't need to buy standoff screws for the motherboard or anything?
screws and other case related stuff should come with the case, mobo will include some SATA cables and possibly some other useful stuff, power cables are all on PSU anything you need will be included somewhere
[QUOTE=reapaninja;30916336]screws and other case related stuff should come with the case, mobo will include some SATA cables and possibly some other useful stuff, power cables are all on PSU anything you need will be included somewhere[/QUOTE] yeh all standoff screws come with the case.
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