£650 mATX entry-level budget gaming rig.

[Rizm]

Hello community!

I am looking to build an entry-level budget gaming PC. I will possibly hold off from buying it to see if there are any tempting Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. I am planning to buy GPU in December and my initial choice is 750Ti, or maybe 280(x) if I find it well priced.
The system is to be used mostly for MMO games like World of Warcraft or League of Legends, occasional streaming and light graphic/video editing. It is only SSD rig, as I will be using USB3 external drive. What I care about is, to get best parts for their price and at the same time keep whole build complex and portable. Although listed items price is ~£480, my budget is up to £650, including GPU and OS. Thanks for your feedback!

Q: Is listed 450w XFX PSU a good choice if I were to go TDP-efficient 750 Ti, or is it better to get its 550w version or 520/550w SeaSonic (if so, which one?) for future upgrades?

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£131.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£65.42 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£57.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£75.54 @ Aria PC)
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£23.20 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.00 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.46 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.35 @ Aria PC)
Total: £472.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 18:08 GMT+0000

 

[Gracodana]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9280xtdfd

This would be good maybe go with a 550w psu if you were to go with this card though.

 

[bootcher]

Your setup would work very good, nothing wrong with it. I would indeed go for a higher and better quality psu, keeping in mind you want to upgrade in the future. A good psu will last you 5 years or more. Also I think in a small case setup you will find a full modular psu works better to minimize cable troubles and maximize airflow.

If you want an alternative amd based setup, here is one:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£64.80 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Asus A55BM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£32.74 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Mushkin Radioactive 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£75.13 @ More Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£90.00 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (£215.96 @ Aria PC)
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£21.26 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£66.78 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.46 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.35 @ Aria PC)
Total: £649.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 18:39 GMT+0000
The cheaper and weaker cpu trade-off enables you to get marginally faster ram, a better psu, a 280x gpu and a better ssd. The 620w psu might seem overkill, but it is cheaper than comparable 550w psu's and you only use as much watts as your system needs.

 

[3Dns]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£161.50 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-E35 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£57.56 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (£59.58 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£75.54 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card (£140.79 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£29.35 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Berlin 630W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (£42.34 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.46 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.35 @ Aria PC)
Total: £649.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 18:50 GMT+0000

 

[Gracodana]

Your setup would work very good, nothing wrong with it. I would indeed go for a higher and better quality psu, keeping in mind you want to upgrade in the future. A good psu will last you 5 years or more. Also I think in a small case setup you will find a full modular psu works better to minimize cable troubles and maximize airflow.

If you want an alternative amd based setup, here is one:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£64.80 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Asus A55BM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£32.74 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Mushkin Radioactive 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£75.13 @ More Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£90.00 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (£215.96 @ Aria PC)
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£21.26 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£66.78 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.46 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.35 @ Aria PC)
Total: £649.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 18:39 GMT+0000
The cheaper and weaker cpu trade-off enables you to get marginally faster ram, a better psu and a better ssd. The 620w psu might seem overkill, but it is cheaper than comparable 550w psu's and you only use as much watts as your system needs.

Go with the i5, it will be sooooooo much better then the Athlon, the SSD doesn't really need to be that fast and i'd definitly put the money in elsewhere then it. Your original build with the 550w model psu would be better then both these.

 

[bootcher]

Your setup would work very good, nothing wrong with it. I would indeed go for a higher and better quality psu, keeping in mind you want to upgrade in the future. A good psu will last you 5 years or more. Also I think in a small case setup you will find a full modular psu works better to minimize cable troubles and maximize airflow.

If you want an alternative amd based setup, here is one:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£64.80 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Asus A55BM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£32.74 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Mushkin Radioactive 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£75.13 @ More Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£90.00 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (£215.96 @ Aria PC)
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£21.26 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£66.78 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.46 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.35 @ Aria PC)
Total: £649.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 18:39 GMT+0000
The cheaper and weaker cpu trade-off enables you to get marginally faster ram, a better psu and a better ssd. The 620w psu might seem overkill, but it is cheaper than comparable 550w psu's and you only use as much watts as your system needs.

Go with the i5, it will be sooooooo much better then the Athlon, the SSD doesn't really need to be that fast and i'd definitly put the money in elsewhere then it. Your original build with the 550w model psu would be better then both these.

Not really, considering the 280x is the better gpu. Games depends mostly on gpu. Also his original 450w psu will work, but for future upgrades it might not be enough.

 

[Gracodana]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVmIVSalP-s

If you really want to go for a cpu that low end go for the g3258 it's way better look at the video. The ram in your build is a bit too pricy as well.

 

[Rizm]

Thank you all for the feedback. I decided to go stronger version of my initial PSU choice, which is going to be XFX 550w, as it is widely recommended and is co-manufactured by SeaSonic.

One more question though. Is it likely for any of parts that I have chosen to actually get any noticeble price reduction during Black Friday/Cyber Monday? Because I am just so tempted to order it even now...

@Gracodana

That is cheapest and yet well recommended 2x4gb kit I found. As for G3258 - I am unsure whether I would be able to fit an aftermarket cooler to mATX T4 case that according to specs, allows CPU cooler "up to 140mm from the mb". Considering I would have to buy that cooler, am I actually not better off going i5-4460?

 

[Gracodana]

Thank you all for the feedback. I decided to go stronger version of my initial PSU choice, which is going to be XFX 550w, as it is widely recommended and is co-manufactured by SeaSonic.

One more question though. Is it likely for any of parts that I have chosen to actually get any noticeble price reduction during Black Friday/Cyber Monday? Because I am just so tempted to order it even now...

@Gracodana

That is cheapest and yet well recommended 2x4gb kit I found. As for G3258 - I am unsure whether I would be able to fit an aftermarket cooler to mATX T4 case that according to specs, allows CPU cooler "up to 140mm from the mb". Considering I would have to buy that cooler, am I actually not better off going i5-4460?

I was just saying to the other guy he should have went with it in his build but I think you build is much better anyway, if you want to do video editing we know who the clear winner is going to be hands down. You can still get the 280x in your budget anyway. nice choice on the psu, it's rated a really good one.

 

[bootcher]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVmIVSalP-s

If you really want to go for a cpu that low end go for the g3258 it's way better look at the video. The ram in your build is a bit too pricy as well.

Well, if you overclock the i3 heavily, sure it will perform faster in some benchmarks. In real life you won't notice the few fps of difference. Also the quad Athlon will still outperform the dual core i3 in mutliplayer games like BF4, however most games only utilize 1-2 cores. If you want to multitask the Athlon will be faster than the i3.
The ram is cas 7, which will be faster than the cas 9 he has in his original system. This difference will also be marginal, it is really my personal preference. In real life you won't notice the difference.

 

[Gracodana]

i3? pentium you mean, you wont notice much but equally you won't notice much the other way and even unoverclocked this cpu performs better or only just behind in some software. The pentium is cheaper as well.