$650/£400 - Budget Gaming PC

GWoody93

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Hey guys first time posting so sorry if I do anything wrong,

It's my birthday tomorrow, and therefore I have decided to build my own PC, i'm a bit short on money and really out of date with parts.

I am looking for someone brilliant to help me string together a PC soley for gaming, for my budget of 650$/400£. I do have a sucky monitor, however will upgrade that later.

I'll be playing WoW and various other shooters, and would like to get a constant good framerate.

If anyone can help me out it would be greatly appreciated! thanks

(I am from the UK and see this forum is mostly US.. thought I'd post anyway)
 

michxymi

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WoW is playing better with Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU. So an i3 2100 and a 460 along with 4GB and 500g HDD should be fine
 

GWoody93

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Yeah no problem man, sorry.

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP - When I'm happy with my build

Budget Range: (e.g.: 600-800): 650$ (maybe could squeeze 700 or so) / £400-450

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Games Sole Purpose -> Watching Movies -> Surfing net

Parts Not Required: Keyboard Mouse OS Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: UK Sites.. but can find myself if that is too much hassle

Country of Origin: UK

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU only

Overclocking: Would be happy to learn to so Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Not a clue ^_^

Monitor Resolution: Im pretty easy, my shooters id prob play old school 800x600.. but wow maybe 1024x768.. but for the purposes id say 1280x960 say.. (im not the best with this stuff thats why i'm asking :/)

Additional comments: Built for best performance on games
 
Some uk sites for you mate
Aria.co.uk
Scan.co.uk
Ebuyer.co.uk
Pixmania.co.uk
Envizage.com
I reckon your looking at
amd 955 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-phenom-ii-x4-955-black-deneb-core-s-am3-32ghz-8mb-cache-ht-3600mhz-125w-retail
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-150v
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/174597
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/240999
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/262260
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124228
shop around to find best prices obv, but that 955 is the cheapest I've found lately and I'm grabbing one on monday :)
Case choice I leave to you :)
Moto
 

GWoody93

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Jun 17, 2011
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Well I only played BF2, Counter Strike, WoW and games like that, I would play (if possible) BF3 when it comes out etc. Mainly World of Warcraft though.

Also thanks moto, ill have a look at all them options however can you link me to an equivelent priced Intel Processor, it is the only thing I don't like AMD Processors :) thanks alot!
 

striker410

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Why don't you like AMD? I usually say go Intel, but in this case I'd say go AMD.
Here's what I came up with....

CPU: (good tip moto) Phenom II x4 955 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-phenom-ii-x4-955-black-deneb-core-s-am3-32ghz-8mb-cache-ht-3600mhz-125w-retail $88 ($=£, K)

GPU: XFX 6870: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/244474 $122

RAM: G.skill 2x2GB 1600: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/240501 $33

Case: Rosewill challenger (under different name) http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172779 $28

PSU: CX 500 (again, good tip moto) http://www.ebuyer.com/product/240999 $44

HDD: Spinpoint F3 1TB http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173804 $40

And a cheap DVD drive brings it to $388.
However, I didn't include a motherboard. If we could find an AM3+ crossfireX motherboard, We'd be in good shape albeit over budget.
 
The i3 2100 is probably the closest priced intel proc,
but for the budget you posted, amd is pound for pound the way to go, my Gf plays WoW on a triplecore 2.9GHz chip with a 5770 and gets great frames, the 955 is going to last you a long time,
if you upped the budget I'm sure we could find a Intel build for you though
Edit ty for the praise Strike :p
an am3+ plate is going to call about £150 out of the budget
Moto
 

striker410

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^^. I could build you an i3-2100 build, but it wouldn't really have the upgradability (OCing, crossfire) that a cheap AMD would. Still, the i3-2100 is a bit stronger, especially in WoW.
 

GWoody93

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Well.. you guys are the experts, I appreciate the time you've taken to help me :) I think i'll pretty much go with your call, but people have told me to stay away from AMD (I dont really know why) what are the reasons for choosing one over the other? And what do you think the best option is for me :p thanks alot guys

Also, another noob question but why quad core and not a dual core for gaming? I know youre probably right just intrigued, again appreciate the help!!

The budget can also be anywhere between £400-500... Id like to know the options I have for a cheaper end of that budget (400) and up the scale if you get me? like saying "you could have this better CPU if you spent £500" (dno it in $) but £500 is really my max i can afford :)
 

striker410

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AMD Vs. Intel. A time old battle.

AMD
PROS
-cheap quad core performance, good for gaming
-cheaper boards
-more options in the budget range
-a bit of upgradabilty with AM3+

CONS
-Vastly outperformed by Intel quads. AMD can only hold it's own in a budget sector
-No clear upgrade options
-Some games prefer intel CPU's
-dominated in single threaded apps

INTEL
PROS
-very fast!
-excellent for single threaded apps
-IGP and virtu for power saving
-has brand recognition
-some games prefer Intel

CONS
-Expensive! Even the cheapest SB is almost outta budget.
-outperfomed in some apps
-boards with SLI/crossfire are much more expensive than AMD counterparts


I think that should help to outline the differences. In your case, AMD wins.
 
Basically as Strikes said, at the sub £600 level your almost always going to go amd on the simple fact that you get more for your pound
my own pc cost about £480 last january and I recently made a similar build on here for someone that is now about £350, so price drops help hehe
Quadcore because Blizz want a dual as minimum spec, and if you game, you never use minimum spec :) triplecores pretty much all you need for it but a quad helps you on nongaming applications as well,
add to that the Black editions are unlocked multiplier, i.e. simple overclocking
Games dont use all four cores on quads though so no point getting a 6core chip, they actually can perform worse than quads for gaming,
I'll look for an Intel Mobo and chip for you though, just swap them for the amd ones listed if you wish :)
Moto
 

GWoody93

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Brilliant, I think the AMD option sounds best for me then! :) Thanks a bunch. So I should go with the spec Striker said? and what was this about the AM3+ Cross mobo or something? Could I finally get a link to that?

:p Thanks guys you've been amazingly helpful... and i'm not going to be one of those guys who doesn't listen, i'll be going for the AMD setup ! :)
 
The Am3+ Mobo I'm going for on my build is the AsRock 890fx (Gx has integrated gfx) and has the black socket, I.E. it will take the new chips when they arrive, maybe with a bios update for certain Dozer chips though,
its about £145 but worth it imo for the usb 3.0, and black socket
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ASROCK-SKT-AM3-890FX-DELUXE5-S-L-5200MT-s-MOTHERBOARD-/220775397129?pt=UK_Motherboards_CPUs&hash=item33673d3709
That plate, a 955be from http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-phenom-ii-x4-955-black-deneb-core-s-am3-32ghz-8mb-cache-ht-3600mhz-125w-retail
Given that boxcode is correct its a c3 stepping which is the refined version,
other than that its your call on the graphics, case etc
Glad to help man,
moto
 
I have a Sapphire 5770 in my rig atm,
I'm taking the overkill option on my new build though, two Asus 6950 Direct CuII's, tripleslot beasts hehe
but for WoW, ati choice would be 5770 or better,nvidia choice is nvidia 460 or better
they're both about £100, scout about and you'll find them cheaper though
Moto
 

GWoody93

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Okay man, if its not to much trouble, I know i'm constantly asking with nothing in return, but could you lay out the final spec fully for me ? ^_^ haha, sorry to be an annoying noob im just useless at this all.. haha.

Also how is the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card ? Someone else recommended a build with that in it ?

Actually the full build they recommended was;


Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £156.98
(£130.82) £156.98
(£130.82)
XFX ATI Radeon HD 5830 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £79.99
(£66.66) £79.99
(£66.66)
Gigabyte Z68A-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
(£66.66) £79.99
(£66.66)
Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black (with 500w Elite Power PSU) £64.99
(£54.16) £64.99
(£54.16)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/4GX) £34.99
(£29.16) £34.99
(£29.16)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500413AS) £26.99
(£22.49) £26.99
(£22.49)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 High Performance CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366/939/AM2/AM2+) £22.99
(£19.16) £22.99
(£19.16)
OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
(£12.49) £14.99
(£12.49)
Sub Total : £401.60
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £82.42
Total : £494.52


Or if you use this 5850 - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=GX-259-SP

5850 vs 5830 - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/171?vs=164

Its a total of £531.52


(I know my budget here was £400 and im probably alot more likely to lean towards that but 500£ is a possibility for me.. maximum though.) :p Thanks
 

striker410

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Might I suggest 6870? How much is the 5850? http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=295
(it performs MUCH MUCH better in crossfire also... Something to keep in mind for the future ;) )
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/301?vs=303

Something like this: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-xfx-hd-6870-black-4600mhz-gddr5-gpu-940mhz-1120-stream-processors However, I saw a deal that was an XFX for £120 so keep an eye out for deals.

And DO NOT get that coolermaster case/psu bundle. Bleh. Low quality PSU Doesn't have required connectors.
 

GWoody93

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Jun 17, 2011
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£ 117 for 5850, i assume the one youve suggested is alot better, and you do get a game with it, cant go wrong there for 3-20 quid! :). Out of interest would you go for intel if my budget was 500£? I mean that build I linked really does impress me, and he is strongly backing that intel is a way better choice for me... What do you guys think? I dont want to undermine your knowledge of course.. just curious :)
 

striker410

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Well here's a question. Do you want to overclock? The 2500k is intel's cheapest overclocker.
If you have no interest (remember you need a cooler to really OC) then drop to the i5-2400. Just as powerful, but no overclocking.

And swap the case and PSU PLEASE
here's a pretty good combo of items:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/240999 <psu
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172779 <case
the case is the Rosewill challenger under a different name. The rosewill challenger actually got the Tom's nod for a budget gaming case!