What case & PSU will suit this build?

JordanSkittaraps

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Nov 13, 2015
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Hey. I'm struggling to decide on what specs to look at when purchasing both a case and power supply for my components, so I'm hoping you can help. These are the things I'll be buying:

Motherboard/CPU/CPU Cooler/RAM bundle: AMD FX-4300 Quad Core 3.80GHz - Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 HDMI Motherboard - 8GB DDR3 RAM Bundle

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti

DVD player: Samsung SATA DVD

Also, are there things missing from this list (other than a HDD)? It seems awfully short right now, and I'm very new to building PC's. Thanks
 


Hey, the link is fixed. Not too sure why that was happening.

It's not old, that seems like a bit of an exaggeration to be honest, but it isn't as new as newer computers. But this is pretty much what I need at the moment, it'll most likely run games from around 2013, so it's alright.

Any suggestions of a case/cpu?
 
Anything past two years is considered "old" by current standards, and the FX-4300 was released on 10-23-2012, making it a 3 and almost four year old platform, so yes, it's old. It's also not extremely capable, but there are worse systems out there that are even older and can somewhat capably play games from 2013 so long as your expectations are not unrealistic. Much will depend on the card your pair with it, to some degree.

Knowing your overall budget and what components, if any, you already have versus what is actually needed or desired would be helpful in making an accurate recommendation. I understand budget restraints, believe me, so let's try and get you the best bang for the buck we can.

Also, on that Amazon page, that CPU STILL shows that it is out of stock and not available. If I knew what your FULL budget was, and exactly what parts if any you already have, that would move us forward towards getting you where you need to be.
 


Ah, alright, fair enough 🙂 I thought you meant the link was actually broken, I didn't know you were talking about the stock on Amazon. Yeah, I'm not too bothered by the stock right now, because it was less than about a week ago that there were 3 in stock, so I'm going to assume there will be more soon.

My budget will be about £240 and under. The GPU I linked to is one that I already have and therefore is not part of that budget, of course. I also need to think about buying the OS, mind you.

 
If all you currently have is the GPU card, there is no way you're going to put together any kind of even entry level gaming machine for less than £240. Since you still haven't said specifically, I'm assuming you need a CPU, motherboard, RAM, case, power supply, hard drive, operating system and possibly a keyboard, mouse and monitor, or do you have some of those things already?
 


I'm fine for Keyboard, mouse & monitor, and probably HDD too. But yeah, if the Motherboard/CPU/RAM bundle I suggested isn't good enough then I suppose them too.

Edit: I was planning on buying this cheap refubished Win7 for my OS, if that helps at all
 
There's no such thing as a "refurbished" Windows. If it's ever been registered to any motherboard, it won't work. I suspect that's a scam, which isn't uncommon even on Amazon but especially on sites like G2A. I'd buy a valid copy. For your budget, which is unrealistic, this is probably the best bang for the buck and you may need to save a little more in fact. This would be the bare minimum I'd recommend, and a much better system could probably be had for maybe about £75 more.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£55.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£43.26 @ More Computers)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£33.44 @ More Computers)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£35.93 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) (£72.30 @ CCL Computers)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan (£5.26 @ Aria PC)
Total: £246.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-28 23:14 GMT+0000


 


Thanks for the suggestion, but when comparing the CPU I linked to and the CPU you linked to (https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2362&cmp[]=1814), it tells me that your AMD Athlon is a Laptop processor and not a desktop one?

 
Wrong. If it was a laptop processor, it wouldn't show compatibility in PCPartpicker for one thing. For another, they don't show ANY laptop parts on there. For another, I've been doing this for over 30 years, I think I know what I'm doing. In fact, the build I just did for the Best gaming rig competition here in the 500 dollar and under category, and won, is almost that identical configuration.
 


I'm not doubting your ability. I was just asking why it said that, jesus christ
 
No need to get offended, I'm just saying that whatever generic auto generated specs page is showing that, is wrong. And, in looking at the cpubenchmark website, I can see where your confusion would be because they do incorrectly list the X4 860k as a laptop CPU, when in fact it's a desktop SKU. There may be a mobile version of it, or it may have been used in some mobile devices, but strictly speaking it's a desktop chip.

It also beats out the FX-4300 by a significant margin due to a higher instructions per clock capability, so for the same or less money, it's a better choice. Overclocked it's probably even significantly MORE capable than the 4300 than it already is at stock clocks, so that's an option too if you want to get a decent aftermarket cooler to go with it.

Appologies if you felt I was lashing out at you, I wasn't, I just can't tolerate supposed tech sites that can't get their data right on hardware that's been out for more than long enough to correct inaccuracies on.
 


I understand, it's fine & sorry 🙂 Thanks for your PCPartPicker list by the way, that's actually a ton better than what I could find. I've managed to scavenge an old DVD drive from a 2006 PC, so I'm not sure if that'll come in any use. But i'm supposing that it's what i'll need to install windows on once I get it, so will its age matter?

Edit: I also noticed the list doesn't include a PSU, could you recommend one for this build at all?
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£55.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£43.26 @ More Computers)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£33.44 @ More Computers)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£35.93 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Super Flower Golden Green HX 450W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£47.71 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) (£72.30 @ CCL Computers)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan (£5.26 @ Aria PC)
Total: £293.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-29 21:17 GMT+0000


That's probably one of the best 450w power supplies money can buy, and is only separated from vastly inferior units by about 5-7 British pounds.
 
Solution


Thanks.