Creating a gaming PC (£2500)

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
J

Joel98

Commendable
Apr 29, 2016
63
0
1,630
Hi all,

I'm looking at getting a gaming PC and have a budget of up to £2,500.

I have looked and tried to build one via pcspecialist.co.uk but I'm not very knowledgeable so just found myself mostly guessing on which parts to include.

Could anyone build an idea on their site and reply with a link to it? It'd be really much appreciated as I'm currently stuck here!

Help with any particular components which are crucial would also be very much welcome.

I have a monitor, mouse etc etc already so its just the actual PC I need.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joel :)
 
MERGED QUESTION
Question from Joel98 : "Creating a gaming PC (£2500)"

Hi all,

I'm looking at getting a gaming PC and have a budget of up to £2,500.

I have looked and tried to build one via pcspecialist.co.uk but I'm not very knowledgeable so just found myself mostly guessing on which parts to include.

Could anyone build an idea on their site and reply with a link to it? It'd be really much appreciated as I'm currently stuck here!

Help with any particular components which are crucial would also be very much welcome.

I have a monitor, mouse etc etc already so its just the actual PC I need.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joel :)
 


I have one monitor, which is an ASUS. Had it a couple of years but don't know exactly which model it is.

Will check that site out, thanks. Not sure how far I'll get though... haha
 
We need to know the monitor specs, resolution and refresh rate will be important to know so we can tailor the build correctly.
In the meantime I'll concoct a couple of systems. 😉

First one, no holds barred maximum frame rates for a super fast 1080 monitor:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (£303.59 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£115.08 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£144.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£163.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£299.49 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (£702.79 @ Alza)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C TG ATX Mid Tower Case (£75.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£92.67 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit (£102.19 @ PC World Business)
Total: £2000.37
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-01 19:07 BST+0100

Second build for a 144Hz 2560x1440 ( or similar ) monitor:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor (£275.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX AM4 Motherboard (£155.97 @ Box Limited)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£185.00 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£299.49 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (£702.79 @ Alza)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C TG ATX Mid Tower Case (£75.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit (£102.19 @ PC World Business)
Total: £1892.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-01 19:11 BST+0100
 


Thank you! Found the monitor I have- Asus VS248HR 24 Full HD Black Flat Computer Monitor. But I'm happy to buy another if needed. Will give those a look now
 
OK, there was plenty in the budget left over to add a monitor, so here's the maximum frame rate i7 build with a stupidly fast HD display:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (£303.59 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£115.08 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£144.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£163.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£299.49 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (£702.79 @ Alza)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C TG ATX Mid Tower Case (£75.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£92.67 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit (£102.19 @ PC World Business)
Monitor: Asus - ROG Strix XG258Q 24.5" 1920x1080 240Hz Monitor (£384.97 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £2385.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-01 19:33 BST+0100

And here's the Ryzen build with a 27" 2560x1440 display:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor (£275.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX AM4 Motherboard (£155.97 @ Box Limited)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£185.00 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£299.49 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card (£702.79 @ Alza)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C TG ATX Mid Tower Case (£75.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit (£102.19 @ PC World Business)
Monitor: Acer - XF270HU 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor (£502.41 @ PC World Business)
Total: £2394.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-01 19:36 BST+0100

And I have that Acer display BTW, wouldn't swap it for the world. 😉
 


Really appreciate that mate! Is this the site to use? Would prefer to choose the parts but have it delivered pre-built haha
 


I wouldn't have a clue how to do it if I'm honest, never done this sort of thing before
 
There are pretty easy to follow videos now on the net, some of which show parts assembly and OS/Driver install. The new parts are more complex in some ways, but the nice thing is the Motherboards now auto detect the parts you've installed. Plus their BIOS is navigable via mouse now instead of just keyboard.

If you don't plan to overclock there are only a few settings to worry about in the BIOS, like XMP RAM profile to make sure it runs at it's rated speed, AHCI setting on storage devices because most are SATA III now, and then the usual Boot Device Priority where you choose which device the system prioritizes on bootup. This you need set to the DVD drive when install W10 from disc.

The physicality of assembling parts is pretty easy though. It only takes putting together 7 or 8 parts, and all the electrical plugs only fit one way due to the way they're shaped. It's not even really that hard to apply thermal paste and aftermarket CPU coolers, and most have fairly easy to follow instructions.

Here's a couple of assembly and OS/Driver install vids so you can see what it's like.

Assembly
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIF43-0mDk4"][/video]

OS/Driver Install
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zAdwedmj1M"][/video]

One thing I always highly recommend, especially for first time builders, is making a partition on your OS drive just for the OS and any drivers, etc that don't allow alternate install paths. That way when you need to reinstall the OS for any reason, it goes a LOT quicker because you don't have to reinstall tons of program files. This is easy to do during the W10 install. Before actually installing the OS, it will ask which drive you want to install on and on that screen it also lets you pick the size of the partition. 40GB is s good comfortable amount of space for OS and anything else that has to be installed on the C: drive, just set it to 40000.

However do note that when installing anything that lets you pick an install path, this requires you to remember to designate a drive other than C: drive for the install path. It's a simple thing to do, just edit the C: with the drive letter you want to install on in the install path. If you don't, your OS partition will become too full. Once you get in the habit of it, it becomes 2nd nature though.

Windows will also automatically make a small partition for critical system files, and though you can avoid it doing that, it's best for beginners to let it do that, because it helps avoid system file corruption that can be caused by things like letting an OS drive fill up too far, whereby non system files can interfere with system files and corrupt them.
 


Thanks for the comment, I'll consider putting it together myself then
 
Taking the DIY route has pros and cons.

For:
More choice of parts; you can fully customise the build as you see fit and use any supplier you wish.
Lower cost.
You can spread the cost by making a parts list and purchasing over a period to suit you rather than paying up front.

Against:
Nerves; Many who are more than capable of assembling a PC choose not to do so because they're worried about damaging a component or making a mistake.
No warranty; each part will carry the warranty applicable to the country it is purchased in but you will be responsible for taking any actions needed to make a claim, a system purchased pre built will carry an overall warranty that many find worth the extra cost.
Credit is available; many companies offer credit terms, allowing you to spread the cost.

Most DIY build guides miss out on some of the little details that make the first build go so much more smoothly:

It's not particularly hard but there is some potential issues to bear in mind:

Static is an overrated risk, touching a radiator pipe is a good way to keep it at bay.

You'll need a few tools to make the build go smoothly: A good quality, magnetic Phillips screwdriver, either a pair of pliers or a suitable socket wrench to tighten the motherboard standoffs, possibly a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass to help with the front panel cables ( some cases use tiny single cables ).

Work on a flat, stable and well lit surface that is free of clutter and has enough room around it to store the parts and empty boxes.

ALL the power cables will only go in one way, if one seems too hard to insert, check you have it correctly aligned.

That big 24 pin motherboard connector is always tight, lubricate the plug with a little petroleum jelly before trying to push it home with one hand while supporting the underside of the motherboard with the fingertips of your other hand.

It's easier to install to motherboard with the CPU cooler attached, it gives far better control to have something chunky to hold on to. Also lower it in at an angle so you can slide it into the rear IO shield before lowering it fully down onto the standoffs. In most cases that IO shield has a number of springy fingers on it that will push the motherboard a little ' forwards ' and out of alignment with the standoffs, attach a mounting screw to the 'driver, gently push the motherboard into alignment and start, but don't tighten that screw, repeat until all the mounting screws are started THEN tighten them firmly down.

Check the case and case manual, there's a 4 or 8 pin connector block on the motherboard, usually top left, and it's not always possible to route that cable from the power supply, behind the motherboard tray and out the top of it with the motherboard installed as the motherboard can block the exit hole, if you're in any doubt about this, install the power supply first, then route the 4/8 pin EPS cable then install the motherboard.

Sellotape and/or elastic bands can be great friends, use then to keep stray cables out of the way, especially when installing the motherboard.


General tips:

Allow plenty of time, don't rush, turn off your mobile and don't get distracted, if you have to move away from the build, finish the task you're doing then move away, never leave a task halfway through, it's an open invitation to Murphys Law to step in.

DONT'T PANIC! If it doesn't start up first time you've probably made one of the embarrassing errors we have all made in the past so start with the basics: Is the power lead plugged in? Is the socket turned on? Is the PSU switched on? If yes, power down, disconnect the power cord wait a minuet to allow the motherboard to discharge then check the cables are fully home and in their correct locations.

Finally: READ THE MANUALS! It is essential for your first build to read and understand these documents.


 
And yet more babbling. :)

You don't have to go through a major E-tailer or boutique seller to get a system built to order, check out the local computer shops, the few close to me will all build to order and even get parts in if they don't have what I want in stock.
They'll also, probably offer better tailored advice, the two builds I have listed are pretty extreme, just because you have a budget of £2500 doesn't mean you NEED to spend it, for example, this will give truly excellent HD gaming for a good deal less than the i7 8700K build I've listed previously.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor (£203.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15S 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler (£72.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£144.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£163.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£103.19 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£34.74 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Palit - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GameRock Video Card (£479.96 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C TG ATX Mid Tower Case (£75.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£92.67 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit (£102.19 @ PC World Business)
Monitor: Iiyama - G-MASTER RED EAGLE 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor (£209.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1684.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-02 18:36 BST+0100
 


Thanks mate, been so much help withe build and information, really appreciate it! Will have more of a look, thats the max i'd spend but yeah as you say, don't need the best. I don't play games all of the time, every other day or so
 
@ coozie,
buying parts over time doesn't make much sense because you still won't have a full gaming PC until you get all of them, and prices drop and tech changes over time. Therefore you save nothing and risk getting out of date or unbalanced tech.

On warranty, I completely disagree. Most build houses use OEM parts that don't have a warranty, and the ones that claim they give you a 3 year warranty with their build are either going to give you the run around or use used parts to replace with. The exception is boutique build houses that charge quite a bit.

Most every major component on a PC will have a 3-5 year manufacturer's retail box warranty, as long as you buy retail box vs OEM parts. Even HDDs that don't come in a box usually have 3-5 year warranties for decent models.

That includes...

CPU - 3 year
GPU - 3 year
MB - 3 year
RAM - lifetime
HDD- 3-5 year
PSU - 3-7 year

The only parts that don't typically come with a 3 or more year warranty are DVD drives and cases, but some cases like my Antec have a 2 year. Also even my Cryorig H7 CPU cooler has a 3 year warranty. So I beg to differ, it's build houses that use parts t hat aren't warrantied, and only the boutique ones can be trusted on 3 year warranties.

While it's true that some companies still give lesser warranty period in some countries, there are alternatives. Decent brands like EVGA used to only offer their 3 year GPU warranty in North America for instance, but now you can pretty much get it in any country that sells them.
 
@ Frag Maniac:

By buying over time I mean over a few weeks or maybe months, yes parts do change, as do prices but quite a few of us build our systems this way, it's up to the OP: You have put one valid point against, I have put a fair one for purchasing over a period of time ( provided it's fairly short ).

Warranties vary a lot according to location, here in the UK-where both the OP and I live-the vendor is responsible for warranty, not the manufacturer or importer, and there is a raft of legislation here in both UK and EU law governing how warranties work. Yes, some companies will give a purchaser the run around-it happens everywhere and with every product-but here a SYSTEM will be warranted rather than individual parts, regardless of where those parts were sourced. That said, it's always a good idea to read the terms and conditions carefully.


@ Joel98: Glad we're helping, mate. Take your time, it's a fairly large chunk of cash to be dealing with, however you choose to spend it, so post in other Forums or post again here with a more detailed question to get a wider choice of opinions and options.
Perhaps " £1800-2200 ( your choice of monitor size/rez/refresh rate here ) UK gaming build." would get better tailored replies.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom