[SOLVED] New PC build - general workstation minimal cost maximum value - UK

[cjhmason]

Hi,

I am looking at building a new PC, this will be for general use: Web browsing, light photo and video editing, as well as office and other misc programs.

The link to the PCPartPicker list is here: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/mYZhj2

Any advice you can offer would be great!, happy to change any parts, but ideally don't want to increase the price too much unless there is a substantial benefit.

Approximate Purchase Date: starting purchasing parts in Jan 2021, hopefully will be building in February 2021

Budget Range: £600 ish including a screen (I have a keyboard and mouse already and some fans)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Web browsing, emails, office, some light photo and video editing, and other misc programs

Are you buying a monitor: Yes at some point, but I current have a
19" 1080 monitor which I will use and then buy a second at some point down the line.

Parts to Upgrade: new build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes - will be buying a copy of windows 10 Home, with a view to getting a licence that can move to another motherboard in the future

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I have purchased from ebuyer and scan before which seemed ok, amazon is fine. I am UK based so ideally will have free shipping in the UK

Location: UK

Parts Preferences: looking to build an intel system

Overclocking: Probably not

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080, 1920x1200 is most likely to be the max

Additional Comments: This is mostly a budget build with a view to getting the best value, that is going to powerful enough to do some video editing at the most

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: This is a new PC build that will replace an old laptop which is not suitable for anything other than web browsing

Parts List: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/mYZhj2

CPU:
Intel Pentium Gold G5420 3.8 GHz Dual-Core Processor
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-pentium-gold-g5420
(Would be nice to get something a little better in the future so futureproofed system would be good)

Motherboard:
ASRock H310CM-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L64S5N3

RAM:
2 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 CL16 Memory
https://www.ebuyer.com/719389-corsair-vengeance-lpx-8gb-ddr4-dram-2666mhz-c16-red-1-2v-memory-kit

NVME m.2 drive:
Crucial P2 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
https://www.ebuyer.com/974128-crucial-p2-500gb-3d-nand-nvme-pcie-m-2-ssd

Storage HDD:
Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
https://www.ebuyer.com/810559-seagate-barracuda-2tb-desktop-hard-drive

Case:
Fractal Design Define Nano S Mini ITX Desktop Case
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-define-nano-s-itx-computer-chassis-mini-itx-with-window-2x-usb-30

PSU:
Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
https://www.ebuyer.com/745621-corsair-cx-series-cx450m-450w-80-plus-bronze-certified-modular-atx-psu

OS:
Windows 10 home
https://www.ebuyer.com/720366-windows-10-home-32-64-bit

Fans:
Noctua F12 PWM 54.97 CFM 120 mm Fan
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00650P2ZC

Graphics card:
May get one in the future, but not currently on the list, but would like to be able to have the option down the line.

Thanks in advance to anyone that has the time to provide feedback, I have tried to put the best parts list together, but I am sure they may be some areas that can be improved, so please let me know if you have any thoughts.

Kind regards,

Chris

 

[cjhmason]

I personally had bad experience with Multiple MSI Motherboards over Past 10Yrs. So I avoid recommending MSI boards as much as possible.

And that TUF Motherboard is of Good Quality as well.

But if MSI Motherboard worked fine for you in the past then you can go for it. No problem.

@King Dranzer thanks very much for your response.

You have been very helpful in this thread! Much appreciated! Happy new year’s

 

[King Dranzer]

@King Dranzer thanks very much for your response.

You have been very helpful in this thread! Much appreciated! Happy new year’s

Happy New Year to You Too.

 

[Prad_Bitt]

I personally had bad experience with Multiple MSI Motherboards over Past 10Yrs. So I avoid recommending MSI boards as much as possible.

And that TUF Motherboard is of Good Quality as well.

But if MSI Motherboard worked fine for you in the past then you can go for it. No problem.

My friend had an issue with an MSI board and was denied RMA, instead they said they'd service it. And took 2 weeks to do it. It was a pretty cheap board B350 or A320 chipset but that's awfully long service.

Asus and Gigabyte on the other hand, never heard one breaking down so far lol

 

[King Dranzer]

My friend had an issue with an MSI board and was denied RMA, instead they said they'd service it. And took 2 weeks to do it. It was a pretty cheap board B350 or A320 chipset but that's awfully long service.

Asus and Gigabyte on the other hand, never heard one breaking down so far lol

I had issues with Multiple Boards that too top end Z series and X series Boards from different Generations. Out of the 6 only one is running that too not Fully Functional as Two RAM slots are gone but well Board is yet Functional so I guess that is Fine considering that other 5boards went down and 3 of them sadly went down after running out of the Return Window and had to Pay to switch to ASUS Boards. So yeah MSI boards have been a headache for me. Don't know why MSI does nothing to improve quality on Motherboards where as their GPUs are well built. I had no issue with MSI GPUs on the other hand.

 

[cjhmason]

Here is the list:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10600 3.3 GHz 6-Core Processor (£208.60 @ CCL Computers)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler (£59.36 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B460M-PLUS (WI-FI) Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard (£117.98 @ Box Limited)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 CL16 Memory (£98.46 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£54.98 @ Box Limited)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£91.49 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (£69.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £700.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-28 18:21 GMT+0000

Forget Purchasing Windows10 and Run it Without Activating. It will work Fine.

Thanks @King Dranzer I have started purchasing these parts! your help is much appreciated!