£300 Gaming PC

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boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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Hi there:)

Finally after many moons of peering into toms hardware for advice & tips i finally sign up...
I'll cut to the chase instead of behaving like a child who wants something but wont ask..

A couple of days ago while messing around with overclocking a couple of cpu's ive frazzled my gpu & pretty much my whole system has been unstable since then.
So im looking to either build a complete new system or salvage what i can from this and combine...

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP - This week, preferably ordering in the next few days

Budget Range: £300+/-

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming/Surfing

Parts Not Required: Monitor(Acer AL1951), HDD 1x500GB 1x200GB, Keyboard/Mouse, Speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Ebuyer but open to suggestion

Country: UK

Parts Preferences: AMD

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1280 x 1024 MAX

Additional Comments: My current MOBO & CPU seem to be stable so they could be used in the build reducing cost but am unsure if they are after my overclocking fiasco. They are (Asrock N68C-S UCC & an Athlon ii x2 260) Also im dead keen on it to run games at MAX i know that shouldnt be a problem considering my resolution (Monitor will be upgraded this year).

Thanks for reading and any suggestions would be really appreciated! :)

PS: Ive been looking at these AMD FX 4100 / 6100 and ive got mixed reviews in them???
 
metal orient

metal orient

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Mar 17, 2011
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So you're looking to replace:

CPU
Motherboard
RAM
Graphics card
PSU
Case
OS

it will be tough, that said i did read an article in custom PC on a PC that they built for £350ish which can max skyrim at 1080 so should be doable if you can stretch.

I'd recommend having a look at it, i think they used:

Pentium g620
H61 board
HD 6850

Can't remember the rest but i'll see what i can make for you
 
metal orient

metal orient

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Glam it ain't but it'll do:

Pentium G620 £46
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/Intel+Pentium+%281155%29/Intel+Pentium+G620+2.60GHz+%28Sandybridge%29+Socket+LGA1155+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=44715

Asrock H61M-VS £36
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+1155+H61+%28B3%29/ASROCK+H61+H61M-VS+Intel+H61+%28REV+B3%29+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Micro-ATX+Motherboard+?productId=48563

4Gb Mushkin 1333 £19
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3/Dual+Channel+1333MHz/4GB+Mushkin+Silverline+%23996768+%282x2GB%29+DDR3+1333MHz+9-9-9-24+?productId=41783

AMD HD 6850 £105
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/AMD/AMD+6850+Series/PowerColor+AMD+Radeon+HD+6850+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=47805

XFX Core 450W £35
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/450W+XFX+Core+Edition+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+%28Seasonic+OEM%29+?productId=45329

Windows Hp £70
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Software/Operating+Systems/MICROSOFT+Windows+Home+Premium+7+SP1+64-bit+EN+1pk+-+OEM+%5BGFC-02050%5D+?productId=38272

With VAT and P&P £319.14

left out the case because i assume you have one that will do at least for now
 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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Hey there!

Thanks for the response...

Sorry i noticed that i didnt put up my PSU/case etc

Right this is the system i was running:

CPU: Athlon ii x 2 260
MOBO: Asrock N68C-S UCC
RAM: 3GB DDR2
HDD: 500GB (W764bit) 200GB (WXP)
GPU: HIS Radeon HD 3850 IceQ3 Limited Edition OC
PSU: G7 680w Extreme

I was pretty much running all my current games even Space Marine on Med/Full at 1280x1024 res.

With the GPU dying a death its time to upgrade/rebuild with £300,but like i say i didnt know what to keep and what to throw??

I was looking at:

CPU: AMD FX 6100 - £115 (£20 rebate) so £95
MOBO: Asus M5A78L/USB 3 - £57
RAM: 8GB 2x4GB PNY DDR3 1333mhz - £30
GPU: ??? this is where im stuck ??? HD 6770?? - Leaving me about £100+/- to play with???

But like i say the original MOBO is working as is the CPU but i dont know if its best to just scrap it an start again or integrate what could be jittery products into my new build?
Case/monitor/psu are all fine & i dont mind playing at 1280x1024 for now as i'll be buying a monitor later in the year.

Sorry for not being clearer earlier and i'll have a looksie at what youve suggested:)

Thanks
 
metal orient

metal orient

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So only those 4 components?

CPU: Intel Pentium G840 £55
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/Intel+Pentium+%281155%29/Intel+Pentium+G840+2.80GHz+%28Sandybridge%29+Socket+LGA1155+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=44716

MB: ASUS P8Z68-V LX £76
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+1155+Z68+%28B3%29/ASUS+P8Z68-V+LX+Intel+Z68+%28REV+B3%29+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=48445

8GB Mushkin 1600 cas 9 £35
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3/Dual+Channel+1600MHz/8GB+Mushkin+Blackline+%23996995+%282x4GB%29+DDR3+1600MHz+9-9-9-24+?productId=44336

MSI GTX 560 1GB £126
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/MSI+GeForce+GTX+560+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=45322

With VAT and P&P: £301.15

I wouldn't spend your money on the FX line, they fall down in price, performance and efficiency which is a little sad. The pentium G840 is roughly equivalent to a phenom II x4 955 in gaming so should see you through nicely

ASUS boards are great, this is decidedly budget but still has everything you need and is z68 and ATX, best check your case can fit an atx though

You could get an HD 6870 as it's roughly comparable to the GTX 560 but the 560 is cheaper, or jump down to 6850 if you want to cut costs.
 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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Cool!

All looks good:)

Its just tough for me to change over to Intel as i really do like AMD but after looking into the new FX CPUs i can see there just not up to much:(

Heres a combination of yours and mine??

CPU: Intel Core i3 - 2100 £89 (Aria)

RAM: 8GB Mushkin 1600 £35 (Aria)

MB: ASUS P8H61-M LE/USB3 £55 (Ebuyer)

GPU: XFX HD 3870 900MHZ 1GB £ 130 (Ebuyer)

Rough Total: £309ish..

I dont think that should be too bad..

Thanks for the advice man:)


 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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Also a possibility???

CPU: Intel Core i3 - 2100 £89 (Ebuyer)

RAM: 8GB PNY DDR3 1333mhz £30 (Ebuyer)

MB: ASUS P8H61-M LE/USB3 £55 (Ebuyer)

GPU: Sapphire HD 6850 2GB £140 (Ebuyer)

Total: £316 including deliv

I really dont know what to do, even with these small funds im spoilt for choice..:)
 
metal orient

metal orient

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boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Yeah i thought as much...
Anyway heres another revision, see what you think?

CPU: i3 2100 3.1Ghz
MB: MSI H61M-P22 B3 Socket 1155
GPU: Sapphire HD 6850 1GB
RAM: 6GB DDR3 1333mhz
& extra item: HD: OCZ 60GB SSD

All in all that comes to £317 incl, so a little over but not too bad i think, of course if i ditch the SSD then the GPU becomes a whole different ball game.

Just honestly looking for your opinion intelwise as i dont have a clue with it...??
 
metal orient

metal orient

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Can i understand from your builds that an i3 2100 is a must?

In which case change to MB to the asrock one listed above.

With the i3 2100, Mushkin RAM and GTX 560Ti it comes to £326.41 quite a bit over budget.

I'd recommend having a look at this article:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,review-32368.html

Shows low power CPU's like the pentium and fusion, puts them in a pretty good light i'd say.

Finally if you're willing check eBay or gumtree for potential savings. I got a 6950 for £140 through Gumtree.
 
A

AMD fanboy

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Oct 27, 2011
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how about:

AMD Athlon II X4 651 £71.38
http://www.ebuyer.com/343930-amd-athlon-ii-x4-651-ad651kwngxbox-ad651kwngxbox

Sapphire HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 £134.99
http://www.ebuyer.com/271292-sapphire-hd-6870-1gb-gddr5-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-card-includes-11179-09-20g

Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz HyperX Blu Memory Kit CL9 1.65V £32.99
http://www.ebuyer.com/272176-kingston-8gb-2x4gb-ddr3-1600mhz-hyperx-blu-memory-kit-cl9-1-65v-khx1600c9d3b1k2-8gx

Gigabyte GA-A55-DS3P AMD A75 FM1 7.1 Channel HD Audio ATX Motherboard £61.47
http://www.ebuyer.com/279250-gigabyte-ga-a55-ds3p-amd-a75-fm1-7-1-channel-hd-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-a55-ds3p


Cart total inc vat: £300.83


mobo is curently unavailable
 
JuanB

JuanB

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You don't have to change to intel, AMD fanboy has a really good gaming build there. Also, i am currently running a system with the FX-4100 and a XFX Radeon HD 6770 and i can max out current games (bf3, crysis 2, mw3, Mass Effect 3 - Demo) at a respectable 45-60 fps. It is also really good for multi tasking, i can have photoshop cs5, after effects, firefox and blender all running at the same time:)
 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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lol.. yeah does seem like that doesnt it..

Its due to reading that article previously and briefly skimming the fps/games section that ive got a thing about the i3, it mentions the i3 heavily if i remember.

All im trying to do is squeeze as much out of this £300+/- as possible and when i was just thinking AMD/ATI it seemed quite easy but throw Intel into it and i dont know which way to turn.

Sorry for constantly overlooking your cpu choice, it is there in the mix ive just been looking at the i3 A LOT! if you could point me in the right direction(apart from that article) as to if the nearly double price i3 is really worth it then i'd appreciate it;)

As for the AMD guys, thanks for the response:) its really appreciated, im still looking at the FX 6100/4100 and they were really the first thing i wanted when this happened, but after reading reviews etc my interest has wained:( are they really that bad?

I know compared to a lot of budgets on this forum £300+/- isnt a lot,but as soon as you start to mess with it you realise there are a lot of really viable options and thats whats causing me problems.

Really am open to suggestions & im constantly messing with the configuration
 
metal orient

metal orient

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I'd call it adequate, the link on sub £160 CPU's clearly shows the pentium handing the Athlon's asses back to them, and in some cases the FX 8120. All this from a £55 chip.

With the sub-£80 Pentiums performing so well, Intel's £90 Core i3-2100 easily beats more expensive Phenom II and FX models. And the £150 Core i5-2400 dominates the sub-£160 landscape without challenge, really. As such, we're almost-shockingly left without an AMD CPU to recommend at any price point.
Click to expand...

Says it all i'm afraid. Unless you have a desire to only use AMD, Intel is currently the way to go.

 
JuanB

JuanB

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have a look at the AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 960T, i heard its really good for gaming. It's also quad core unlike the i3. I would recommend a quad core for gaming:)

 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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I know i know!

Trust me when i first read it, it made me think 'really'?
Its an obvious choice, if the stats are there in front of you then you/i would be a fool to ignore them.
Theres just something very unerving knowing i got a £50 Athlon 260 a few months ago and compared to that CPU its only use is being used as a piece of primark jewellrey..

Just trying to find a price on a G630/860/840 now...
 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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Theres a 960 in my local CEX shop for £90ish but the way it is reading all these reviews etc, it seems like a waste to spend £90 on something that a £50 CPU will do??

Its a shame, i really like AMD but i need the best bang for my buck and it just doesnt look like AMD is gonna do it anymore:(
 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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Right here we go.... drum rolls please..

All from Ebuyer

CPU: Intel G860 3.0Ghz £72
MB: Asus P8H61-M LE/USB3 Intel H61 £54
RAM: PNY 6GB 1333Mhz DDR3 £25
GPU: Sapphire HD 6850 1GB £107
SSD: OCZ 60GB SSD £55

All in all.. comes to £315.15.. so a few pence over but is it any good???
 
JuanB

JuanB

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Well intel is better for gaming, I agree with you there;) if you could save an extra £100 you could go with the Intel Core i5 2500 and a better motherboard for a better system:)
 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Feb 17, 2012
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Any suggestions for the MB?

The SSD isnt essential as i already have a 500GB & 200GB HD, plus i could cut the ram down to 4GB & get the other 4Gb in a week or 2..
 
boomboxuk

boomboxuk

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Or just to show ive not completely turned to the darkside i could keep my AMD MB & get this for it:

CPU: AMD FX 4100
RAM: Kingston 8GB DDR3 1600mhz
GPU: HIS HD 6950 2GB GDDR5

That comes to £316..lol

Oh WTF! i dont know what to do...lol
 
JuanB

JuanB

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Well they are both extremely good mid-range builds that could max out any game with a decent frame rate. I would recommend the amd build because I own the fx and I think it's really good for gaming/photoshop. But from what I've heard intel is better quality and offers better value for money. it's your choice:) haha I know it's hard, only two weeks ago I was in the exact same position:p
 
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