What specs to use to build a gaming/recording/recording/photo editing PC for about £400

[BSGaming]

I don't know much about building computers myself and the separate parts so I'm looking for someone to explain what the separate parts do and what models and makes you recommend to use to build a gaming/photo editing PC for £300-400.

I'm looking to play games like just cause 3 and black ops 3.

I would like to record my games as well so if there's anything that would help me with that.

The photo editing is to just run lightroom mostly and a little photoshop but its mostly for the gaming.

I already have a monitor so won't be needing to buy one.

 

[Forever Oleg]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/MPzHP6

CPU: It's important for such a low budget to get a nice, fast CPU but to spend much more on the GPU. G3258 is easily overclockable and is a monster even though it's only a dual-core. Can be overclocke on a stock cooler.

MOBO: Z97 chipset - cheap overclocking mobo. Can overclock with ease - opens up upgrade path to i5/i7 and the ability to overclock those CPUs as well.

RAM: 4x2GB in dual channel - perfect

HDD: WD never disappoints - generic 1TB drive - place for all your porn

GPU: GTX 950 - very nice GPU, can run any game well at 1080p. If you would extend your budget to 450 pounds, you could look into GTX 960 or R9 380.

Case: It's nice SPEC-01

PSU: G2 PSU is the highest quality you can get for your money. It is important to get a good PSU right away. This one will handle: any kind of overclocking. shortages, extreme load, your friend's fat girlfriend, anything!

Good luck, man

 

[ben001]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor (£85.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£65.74 @ More Computers)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£32.72 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card (£127.10 @ Aria PC)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H24 ATX Mid Tower Case (£26.57 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£40.49 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £408.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-13 18:10 GMT+0000


Note*
Power supply: It's better not to use more than 3 years.

The No.of hyperthreads (4) would be beneficial for your needs. The core i3 4170 is much better CPU than a Pentium G3258 even if you Overclock it to 4.5ghz.

 

[Forever Oleg]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor (£85.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£65.74 @ More Computers)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£32.72 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£29.99 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card (£127.10 @ Aria PC)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H24 ATX Mid Tower Case (£26.57 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£40.49 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £408.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-13 18:10 GMT+0000


Note*
Power supply: It's better not to use more than 3 years.

The No.of hyperthreads (4) would be beneficial for your needs. The core i3 4170 is much better CPU than a Pentium G3258 even if you Overclock it to 4.5ghz.

Unfortunately you are sacrificing on a higher quality case and a power supply. Getting a high quality power supply should always be a priority. I would rather overclock G3258 and not get the i3 than get a CX power supply. Also, then upgrading from G3258 to an i5 will be more beneficial so you are not spending much money.

 

[ben001]

If you strongly believe in your opinion, then i disagree. The CX power would face no problem with the above listed setup. Just because it is listed under Tier 4, it doesn't mean that it will be a problem to run those components. The capacitors quality may not be durable for years as i mentioned, but within that period, it will deliver with no issue. That system will hardly draw less than 250W and CX 430 can handle it.

 

[chevybiscayne1963]

I don't know much about building computers myself and the separate parts so I'm looking for someone to explain what the separate parts do and what models and makes you recommend to use to build a gaming/photo editing PC for £300-400.

I'm looking to play games like just cause 3 and black ops 3.

I would like to record my games as well so if there's anything that would help me with that.

The photo editing is to just run lightroom mostly and a little photoshop but its mostly for the gaming.

I already have a monitor so won't be needing to buy one.

If you want to save money start off with not getting an intel cpu and get a AMD this will save you money.
focus mainly on a graphics card than a cpu, since games mainly rely on a gpu
i personally built a PC for 420 dollars which is roughly 385 Euros and the specs were
10GB DDR3 Ram
Asus motherboard AM2 socket
Amd A6 6400k unlocked 3.9Ghz dual core Cpu with hyperthreading
has onboard Gpu AMD Radeon 4GB
and the extras like cases, powersupplys, optical drives, cardreaders were roughly 80 dollars which is about 70 Euros