£600-£650 gaming PC

[14adamzac]

Hi all,

I'm getting into PC gaming a want to build a PC for £600 to £650 (not including OS and keyboard, monitor etc) and was was looking for some recommendations. I want it to last me at least a couple years before I have to upgrade but if that is not possible I accept that. I will be playing a variety of games and want to play at 60fps @ 1080p. Please recommend your best builds in this price range.

Thanks in advance,

Zac

 

[WildCard999]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£145.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard (£79.19 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£90.90 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£34.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 580 4 GB NITRO+ Video Card (£181.90 @ Alza)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£46.99 @ AWD-IT)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£70.68 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £650.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 18:11 GMT+0000

Next upgrade I would recommend would be getting a 250gb+ SSD, then 16gb memory.

 

[Barty1884]

I would look to a strong foundation that'll support GPU upgrades over time.

For example:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£145.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£115.19 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Crucial - BX500 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£34.79 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£31.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX - Radeon RX 570 4 GB RS XXX Video Card (£169.00 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3.1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£38.44 @ Box Limited)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£47.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £643.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 18:12 GMT+0000

6c/12t, CPU, 16GB of sufficiently fast RAM and a motherboard that'll support overclocking. The RX570 is perfectly capable fo 1080p 60FPS on High (medium on some titles).

That base platform could pair nicely with substantially stronger GPUs - like a 1080TI, 2080 etc.

OR
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£145.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£115.19 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Crucial - BX500 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£34.79 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£31.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 580 8 GB Video Card (£194.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3.1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£38.44 @ Box Limited)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£47.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £669.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 18:13 GMT+0000

Slightly over budget, with a stronger GPU. Probably the route I would go if I were you.
While a 580 and 1060 trade blows, the 1060 is a good 10-20% more expensive.

 

[vMax]

That is so tough...but I have tried with a Ryzen 2600, 16GB DDR4 3000 and a Radeon RX570 8GB and I have just gone over £600 to £640 ish...you can save money by dropping the ram to just 8GB .....but make sure it is 2x4GB. The RX570 8GB is on par with a GTX 1060 and to be honest you could probably upto to a 1060 6gb and for a little more....Others will also jump in and help....


PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ZFPrLJ
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ZFPrLJ/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£145.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard (£94.72 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£121.19 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£34.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 570 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card (£179.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA - 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (£42.73 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £649.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 18:21 GMT+0000

 

[14adamzac]

Thank you for you answers. What would be your opinions on a Ryzen 5 1600 and an rx 580 4gb vs a 2600 and an rx580 4gb?

Just trying to keep prices down a little.

Thanks.

 

[SgtScream]

I would look to a strong foundation that'll support GPU upgrades over time.

For example:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£145.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£115.19 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Crucial - BX500 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£34.79 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£31.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX - Radeon RX 570 4 GB RS XXX Video Card (£169.00 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3.1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£38.44 @ Box Limited)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£47.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £643.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 18:12 GMT+0000

6c/12t, CPU, 16GB of sufficiently fast RAM and a motherboard that'll support overclocking. The RX570 is perfectly capable fo 1080p 60FPS on High (medium on some titles).

That base platform could pair nicely with substantially stronger GPUs - like a 1080TI, 2080 etc.

OR
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£145.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£115.19 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Crucial - BX500 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£34.79 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£31.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 580 8 GB Video Card (£194.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3.1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£38.44 @ Box Limited)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£47.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £669.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 18:13 GMT+0000

Slightly over budget, with a stronger GPU. Probably the route I would go if I were you.
While a 580 and 1060 trade blows, the 1060 is a good 10-20% more expensive.

I don't know how you found these prices! Great job.

 

[Barty1884]

Thank you for you answers. What would be your opinions on a Ryzen 5 1600 and an rx 580 4gb vs a 2600 and an rx580 4gb?

Just trying to keep prices down a little.

Thanks.

A 1600 is first Gen, so a little more picky with memory.
The 4GB RX580 is a perfectly capabale 1080p card.

Still a very solid machine. Depends on the savings though, if it's 50quid or less saved dropping to 1st Gen and a 4GB card.... I'd probably suggest pushing the budget just a little to get the newer/better hardware.

 

[14adamzac]

Thank you for you answers. What would be your opinions on a Ryzen 5 1600 and an rx 580 4gb vs a 2600 and an rx580 4gb?

Just trying to keep prices down a little.

Thanks.

A 1600 is first Gen, so a little more picky with memory.
The 4GB RX580 is a perfectly capabale 1080p card.

Still a very solid machine. Depends on the savings though, if it's 50quid or less saved dropping to 1st Gen and a 4GB card.... I'd probably suggest pushing the budget just a little to get the newer/better hardware.

Thanks. I will aim to get an 8gb card so that it is more 'Futureproof' but probably stick with the 5 1600.

 

[Barty1884]

Futureproof is a myth. The 8GB card may or may not last longer, it's really an unknown. But certainly does hurt, if prices are negligible.
I see the price delta between the cheapest 4GB 580, and cheapest 8GB being ~13quid.
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/FVRzK8,rKgzK8/

If you opt for the 1600 + B350 or X370 (1st Gen), I'd highly recommend you select compatible RAM that appears on the QVL* for the motherboard.
It'll show you the kits that have been verified to run on the board, at their rated speeds. For Ryzen, you want fast memory (3000MHz ideally), and one 1st gen boards ,those were more difficult to come by. Typically they needed to be Samsung B-Die chips.

So, price up a 1600 + 300 series motherboard AND RAM that appears on the QVL at ~3000MHz.
You might find that a 2600 + 400 series motherboard and RAM that doesn't necessarily appear on a QVL to work out cheaper overall.

I have a 2700X and an X470 board. My RAM does not appear on the QVL, is 3200MHz, CL16 and uses Hynix chips. 2nd Gen is much more friendly with 'standard' RAM than 1st Gen was.

*Qualified Vendor List.

 

[14adamzac]

Futureproof is a myth. The 8GB card may or may not last longer, it's really an unknown. But certainly does hurt, if prices are negligible.
I see the price delta between the cheapest 4GB 580, and cheapest 8GB being ~13quid.
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/FVRzK8,rKgzK8/

If you opt for the 1600 + B350 or X370 (1st Gen), I'd highly recommend you select compatible RAM that appears on the QVL* for the motherboard.
It'll show you the kits that have been verified to run on the board, at their rated speeds. For Ryzen, you want fast memory (3000MHz ideally), and one 1st gen boards ,those were more difficult to come by. Typically they needed to be Samsung B-Die chips.

So, price up a 1600 + 300 series motherboard AND RAM that appears on the QVL at ~3000MHz.
You might find that a 2600 + 400 series motherboard and RAM that doesn't necessarily appear on a QVL to work out cheaper overall.

I have a 2700X and an X470 board. My RAM does not appear on the QVL, is 3200MHz, CL16 and uses Hynix chips. 2nd Gen is much more friendly with 'standard' RAM than 1st Gen was.

*Qualified Vendor List.

At the moment this is the build I am going to go with so if you could advise me that would be fantastic.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/

I realise the title said £600 to £650 but I am trying to keep costs as close to £600 as possible. If you could let me know your opinions that would be great, thanks.

 

[Barty1884]

You need to link the permalink, not just the address. The address will just take us to our own PCPP lists.

 

[14adamzac]

You need to link the permalink, not just the address. The address will just take us to our own PCPP lists.

Oh, here:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ZysdfH

 

[Barty1884]

Looks fine, but a couple of changes I'd suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor (£122.39 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AX370M-DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£47.99 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (£64.79 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£31.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card (£199.97 @ Ebuyer)
Case: NZXT - H500 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£69.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.99 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £601.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-14 19:11 GMT+0000

You can have an X370 board for the same price as a B450 - with a first Gen chip, it doesn't matter 300 vs 400, but the "X" boards are typically overbuilt, stronger VRMs and better overclocking.

The PSU wasn't the best, and you're not far off the TX550M which is a great quality PSU.

With those two changes, you'd have a stronger platform, for the same money.

 

[14adamzac]

Looks fine, but a couple of changes I'd suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor (£122.39 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AX370M-DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£47.99 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (£64.79 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£31.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card (£199.97 @ Ebuyer)
Case: NZXT - H500 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£69.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£64.99 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £601.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-14 19:11 GMT+0000

You can have an X370 board for the same price as a B450 - with a first Gen chip, it doesn't matter 300 vs 400, but the "X" boards are typically overbuilt, stronger VRMs and better overclocking.

The PSU wasn't the best, and you're not far off the TX550M which is a great quality PSU.

With those two changes, you'd have a stronger platform, for the same money.

Fantastic, thank you so much for you advice. But will the suggested motherboard be ok when I upgrade to a more powerful, first generation cpu?

 

[Barty1884]

Yes, absolutely. Provided you update the BIOS, it'll support anything up to (and including) a 2700X today -- and should cover the next couple of updates through 2020/2021 as per AMDs promise that AM4 will last.

 

[14adamzac]

Yes, absolutely. Provided you update the BIOS, it'll support anything up to (and including) a 2700X today -- and should cover the next couple of updates through 2020/2021 as per AMDs promise that AM4 will last.

Great, thank you for your help.