Build Help

[tacocat]

Hello long time guest user.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. General usage and some gaming.
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread. £400 for the PC without Graphic card
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. UK (England)
4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/
5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc. None
6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. DVD drive, 1TB HDD, monitor, keyboard and mouse
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Default
8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? 1080p
9. WHEN do you plan to build it? Within 30 days
X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? Nope i have been given Windows 8 from uni for free.


So far i have chosen this parts because they fit my budget very well and i think they are the best componet i can afford. I do not need a graphic card right now but will buy one in December most likely a mid range card. I have few question before i buy these componets.

1. Is is better to buy from one website instead of multiply websites even it cost bit more.

2. Are the componet which i have chosen any good.

3. Any big imrpovement can you make which will benefit me even it goes over budget.

4. Is it worth waiting couple of month in case of new componet comes out. I heard from rumours that Broadwell is delayed till 2015 Q2 which i cannot wait this long.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£130.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£75.50 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£58.49 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£56.34 @ Aria PC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£35.28 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £401.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[DSF]

What kinds of games do you play and what else do you plan to store on your hard drive? If you play the kinds of blockbuster RPGs or FPSs that eat up hard drive space you're doing to run out of room very quickly on a 120GB SSD.

 

[Ken g6]

Not overclocking means you can go with an H97 board. That along with a cheaper case allows for a 256GB SSD :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£132.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£61.88 @ More Computers)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£60.00 @ Kustom PCs)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£79.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£30.25 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£35.28 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £399.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-07 22:36 BST+0100

One downside noted by PCPartPicker: this case doesn't have front-panel USB 3.0. :\

 

[tacocat]

Thanks for feedback.

I already have a 1TB HDD which i was planning on using for stroage therefore i didnt consider getitng anything bigger than 128GB SSD. Games i play are CIV5, Total war and other strategy games which do take quite a space.

I have made some changes to the case and did consider changing the motherbroad but £14 isnt much compared to what it gives and also will be keeping this computer for a very long time. I can go over budget by £50 if it would benefit the system.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£132.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£75.50 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£58.49 @ Amazon UK) (RAM will vary because most of them are out of stock)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£56.34 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case (£31.12 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£35.28 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £388.91

Before i start ordering the parts can i have a :thumbsup: to make sure that the componet will work together.

 

[Ken g6]

Eh, they'll work. But you get a from me for not optimizing the SSD or mobo. Unless you plan to replace the CPU and overclock in the future, in which case it's just for the SSD.

 

[mfenn]

I have made some changes to the case and did consider changing the motherbroad but £14 isnt much compared to what it gives and also will be keeping this computer for a very long time. I can go over budget by £50 if it would benefit the system.

£14 may not seem like much, but it's over half the difference between a 120GB SSD and a 256GB one. Small amounts add up when you're on a tight budget. What specific features of the Z97 Pro3 were you thinking about?

 

[MongGrel]

....

 

[Ken g6]

Hm, MongGrel might have a point. What's an equivalent graphic card you would buy if you were buying now? And from which brand, Nvidia or AMD? A CX430 is a nice low-end PSU, but it might not power a mid-range GPU.

 

[tacocat]

The graphic card is going to be most likely a AMD 7850 or equivalent to it. I think 430watt should be enough. If not should i go for the 500watt version?

Made some changes to motherboard and SSD. Will have to wait til 22 to get my Windows licence key. Will order parts near 22 Aug.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£132.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£65.45 @ More Computers) (out of stock atm)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£58.49 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£79.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case (£31.12 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£35.28 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £402.02

 

[mfenn]

430W is plenty for a 7850, R7 265 (new version of 7850), or a GTX 750 Ti. For higher GPUs, you will want to get a higher-wattage PSU.