Help! Circa £500 gaming and media centre build

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cobelbobins

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I'm looking for some help in picking parts for a build in the next few weeks.
I want to be able to play GTA V, XCOM, iRacing and skyrim predominantly. I have limited space so Mini-ITX or Micro-ATX would be prefered.

Ideally this build will be relatively quiet so it's good as a media centre but the main goal would be reasonable quality setting (medium and upwards) game-play for as long as possible.

Is £500-£600 unreasonable? What should I be looking at? Any help is welcome!
Price is not including OS or monitor.
 
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cobelbobins

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This is what I've come up with so far. Would appreciate knowing where its weak points lie, what to change etc.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/k8vJHx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/k8vJHx/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor (£87.75 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£32.36 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.77 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.95 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Core Edition Video Card (£110.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£32.86 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£38.99 @ Novatech)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (£12.36 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£75.54 @ Aria PC)
Total: £483.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
 
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cobelbobins

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Thanks! Where would you recommend going for a better GPU?
Also I was considering going for a G3258, then maybe upgrade at a later date? What would be the drawbacks of this?

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/XmYj7P
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/XmYj7P/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£51.21 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.98 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.83 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£61.32 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.95 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Core Edition Video Card (£110.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£32.86 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£38.99 @ Novatech)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (£12.36 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£75.54 @ Aria PC)
Total: £517.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-26 20:01 BST+0100
 
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cobelbobins

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Hi again,
I've swapped out a few bit to save some pennies (hopefully without any real negatives) and looked into a better PSU. Wanted your opinions if you don't mind?

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/7Tvrf7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/7Tvrf7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£51.21 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.98 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.83 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.40 @ Kustom PCs)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Core Edition Video Card (£110.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£32.86 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£38.94 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (£12.36 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£75.54 @ Aria PC)
Total: £501.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 17:02 BST+0100
 
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madmatt30

madmatt30

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Whatever you decide add a little more for the GPU & go for this 285 - its the best value card in the UK at the present time IMO.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-msi-radeon-r9-285-gaming-2g-28nm-5500mhz-gddr5-gpu-918mhz-boost-973mhz-1792-streams-dp-dvi-hdmi

I personally don't have a problem with the evga b500 - its a solid if unspectacular unit.
An i3 & a 285 isn't going to put any pressure on it at all.it only suffers a little on the ripple suppression once you hit 85+% load - which you're not going to do.
 
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cobelbobins

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Are these cards really going to give me that much better performance for further into the future? I'm wondering if the ~£50 extra (i3 + R9 285 + WD) is going to be better in the long run vs going a little cheaper now and being ready to upgrade a few bits later down the line.

For example, I'm hearing that games may become more reliant on four+ physical cores, so going with a g3258 now and getting a 4th gen i5 in a few years might be an option? Is there really that much of a difference between the g3258 and i3 4160?

I'm sure I know the answer to this, you guys obviously know what your'e talking about...
 
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madmatt30

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absolutely 100% in agreement with tea urchin ,the pentium g is a worthless purchase now.
If you can afford an i3 4160 honestly go for it,Im sure you would like a 960 but on a budget the 285 is incredibly close performance wise & is substantially cheaper.
You're talking a 30-40 quid saving to lose maybe 5fps max in most games & in a few titles the tables are turned substantially the other way,
 
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cobelbobins

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Cool, So the build should be like bellow (I will be getting the aforementioned fan, its not on partspicker) . I've got a busy few days coming up so the actual purchasing might wait until the end of the week, provided there are no other suggestions (?) or price jumps.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2yQrf7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2yQrf7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor (£87.75 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.83 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£50.77 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£38.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 285 2GB TurboDuo Video Card (£139.98 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£32.86 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£38.94 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (£12.36 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.50 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £544.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 21:51 BST+0100
 
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madmatt30

madmatt30

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apart from the psu mate yes go for this one - the 450 would run the 285 but youd end up usng a molex to pci express adapter - if you need to drop to the msi or xfx card to get back in budget its no biggie - performance is pretty much the same across all three.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS5X Performa CPU Cooler (£13.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK AIDOS 48.6 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£15.01 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£49.98 @ Novatech)
Total: £78.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 22:05 BST+0100

I dropped those coolers on there for you to have a look at as ive used them on much hotter chips than the i3 & theyve always done a very very good job - the aidos is pretty much THE best 92mm cooler on the planet & competes with some of the 120mm ones that cost twice as much.



 
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DonkeyOatie

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I realize that the thread has passed by, but just for the record, the stock cooler is plenty to overclock a G3258. It's a very stout cooler; the same one that is used for the i7 4790K.

Media center is a secondary use, gaming is first, says the OP. I3 has 150% of the throughput of a G3258 at the same clock speed (which you are unlikely to have because the G3258 will run at over 4.4 Ghz, and the i3 won't). That said, I'd go with the i3, it has more future, and I'd be figuring if I could find a second-hand or open-box i5 for a steal-of-a-deal. You limiting factor in most builds is the GPU. Get the best you can afford. If you need to save a bit more, you could drop to a H81 or B85 motherboard and 1 x 8Gb memory may save a little. If you are GPU limited, you will not notice the difference.
 
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sora

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Try and go for the R9 280 or something.
 
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DonkeyOatie

DonkeyOatie

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The last generation of boards are quite usable for a Pentium, if budget is a problem. There is no good reason for a Z97 running a Pentium, only. Spending other people's money is always easy. Well overclocked, the Pentium does perform well in general computing. http://www.overclock.net/t/1493307/relative-access-to-execution-throughput-comparison-chart

It certainly has its limitations and I said that I would choose an i3 myself.

I want the OP to be informed about possible and reasonable options.
 
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cobelbobins

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Thank you very much everyone! It's all ordered, bellow is the final pick, some things changed due to avoiding shipping costs (good excuse if you ask me). Because its gone a few quid higher than I was expecting when I started picking, I'm going to use the stock CPU cooler for a little while and invest in a better, quieter one soonish. This is more for my peace of mind regarding my wallet than anything else. If anyone wants to see how it looks when it all together or is interested in performance let me know and I'll do my best to accommodate.

Thanks again, I've enjoyed all of your input, it's been invaluable.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/CRDPHx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/CRDPHx/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor (£87.75 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.83 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£41.94 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.38 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 285 2GB TurboDuo Video Card (£139.98 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£32.86 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£49.98 @ Novatech)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (£12.36 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£76.50 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £551.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-28 16:39 BST+0100
 
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