I want to build my first PC. Where should I start?

[Piers Brown]

Im thinking of building a pc with a budget of around £500. I have never done anything like it before and dont really know much about computer parts. Could someone help me get started and give me some tips on how to start building your first pc?

 

[g1abhi]

List your objectives for the PC . Then we allocate the budget for each part.

 

[snon200]

my best teacher was youtube.. there are plenty tutorials out there.
if you want i can help you, tell me what gpu are you thinking about, do you have an idea for part of your build?

 

[Piers Brown]

I want it to play games well and run software like photoshop and adobe premiere.

 

[maddogfargo]

Im thinking of building a pc with a budget of around £500. I have never done anything like it before and dont really know much about computer parts. Could someone help me get started and give me some tips on how to start building your first pc?

I want it to play games well and run software like photoshop and adobe premiere.

AMD would be great for just gaming. But since you will also be using Adobe apps, I recommend an Intel based build for your purposes. It will cost slightly more, but Adobe is better optimized for intel and you'll get the same gaming performance but much better application performance.

Also, use this site to pick your parts list:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/

It handles finding lowest prices, parts compatibility, can filter vendors, and I've set it to the UK but it can be used for multiple locations/currencies.

 

[g1abhi]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/b/DTf8TW
This might suit you , check for the availability of the parts and their lowest price and we can adjust according to budget.

 

[snon200]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/b/DTf8TW
This might suit you , check for the availability of the parts and their lowest price and we can adjust according to budget.

he asked for 500£, and for the subject: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/jpVmzy , it costs around 530£

 

[g1abhi]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/b/DTf8TW
This might suit you , check for the availability of the parts and their lowest price and we can adjust according to budget.

he asked for 500£, and for the subject: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/jpVmzy , it costs around 530£

Learn to read properly. OP said "budget of around £500". I said "check for the availability of the parts and their lowest price and we can adjust according to budget." . Dont make a fuss over nothing.

 

[snon200]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/b/DTf8TW
This might suit you , check for the availability of the parts and their lowest price and we can adjust according to budget.

he asked for 500£, and for the subject: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/jpVmzy , it costs around 530£

Learn to read properly. OP said "budget of around £500". I said "check for the availability of the parts and their lowest price and we can adjust according to budget." . Dont make a fuss over nothing.

fine, but he should go with the one i gave him, its cheaper and better

 

[g1abhi]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/b/DTf8TW
This might suit you , check for the availability of the parts and their lowest price and we can adjust according to budget.

he asked for 500£, and for the subject: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/jpVmzy , it costs around 530£

Learn to read properly. OP said "budget of around £500". I said "check for the availability of the parts and their lowest price and we can adjust according to budget." . Dont make a fuss over nothing.

fine, but he should go with the one i gave him, its cheaper and better

Actually your build and mine are both exactly same except the custom Cooler. Also your link build contains only the price of CPU , cooler , gfx card , Hdd only . Rest are purchased earlier by the author and is not included in 460 pound cost. There goes the cheaper part. I told you learn to read properly. Dont be so impatient.

 

[g1abhi]

I want it to play games well and run software like photoshop and adobe premiere.

The link I posted also contains a few discrepancies . It doesn't take into account the 2tb HDD price and the windows 8 license cost. If you add that it crosses the 600 pound mark , We need to step down on the gpu , maybe the r9 380 / gtx 960 and and on the cabinet too. SSd is also a luxury but in my opinion worth it.

P.S. Apologies for the mess up from me and snon200.

 

[g1abhi]

Im thinking of building a pc with a budget of around £500. I have never done anything like it before and dont really know much about computer parts. Could someone help me get started and give me some tips on how to start building your first pc?

As far as tips is concerned , These were the things i followed.
1. make a budget .
2. check out tomhardware buying guide articles , they are updated monthly. Choose one in your budget.
3. Assemble the list in pcpartpicker and it checks for compatibility(automatic).
4. enquire and research about the service center and customer care centers of your components in your area. Modify if none exists in your region , or if you hear bad reviews.
5. Post the build on tomshardware.
6. check their unboxing videos and see what is bundled with what. like thermal compound comes along with stock cooler preapplied, sata cables along with motherboard , 2.5" bays in some cabinets.
7. Place an Order and get It delivered . Assemble all the bills and keep it safe, since some warranties go up to 5 years.

 

[madmatt30]

There's no way to go Intel with a £500 budget with an os included IMO.

2 amd choices here for you.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£52.00 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK AIDOS BLACK 48.6 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£15.96 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus A68HM-Plus Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£46.42 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£35.67 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.40 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card (£159.02 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£28.24 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£9.38 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.09 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £491.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-24 12:30 BST+0100

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (£78.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK AIDOS BLACK 48.6 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£15.96 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£51.00 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£35.67 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.40 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card (£148.86 @ More Computers)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£25.29 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£9.38 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.09 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £509.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-24 12:32 BST+0100

 

[g1abhi]

There's no way to go Intel with a £500 budget with an os included IMO.

2 amd choices here for you.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£52.00 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK AIDOS BLACK 48.6 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£15.96 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus A68HM-Plus Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£46.42 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£35.67 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.40 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card (£159.02 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£28.24 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£9.38 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.09 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £491.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-24 12:30 BST+0100

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (£78.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK AIDOS BLACK 48.6 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£15.96 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£51.00 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£35.67 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.40 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card (£148.86 @ More Computers)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£25.29 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£9.38 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.09 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £509.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-24 12:32 BST+0100

Which one is better amongst x4 860K and fx 6300 after overclocking??

 

[madmatt30]

In all honesty its very close - I would take the 6300 mainly for the 2 extra cores/threads personally BUT if you plan on fairly hefty overclock the the ud3p motherboard is a MUCH better choice for £13 more.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (£78.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK AIDOS BLACK 48.6 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£15.96 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£64.62 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£35.67 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.40 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card (£148.86 @ More Computers)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£25.29 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£9.38 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.09 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £523.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-24 12:54 BST+0100

Absolutely worth the extra few pounds.