SPEC for budget gaming build - Any advice

kazak

kazak

kazak

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Bangor, North Wales
I'm after a new gaming PC, but I'm on a student shoe string budget (around £250). All I need for now is mobo, CPU, RAM, GPU, PSU and case as I've got optical and hard drives I can use. I'm looking at OCing and want to able to upgrade the build in the future. After surfing loads of forums looking for info I've put this spec together:

Asus ATI Radeon EAH3650/HTDI/256M HD 3650 256MB GDDR3
Gigabyte SUPERB 460w PSU
Abit IP35-E (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E2160 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.80GHz (800FSB)
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC)
Coolermaster Elite 330 Midi Tower (No PSU)

Is it all compatible? I've gone for a cheap GPU as I'm trying to keep it under £250 and the reviews were good for it, however I do realise its a bit behind the times. I could always upgrade it in the future OR I could sacrifice the the CPU and mobo for lower specs now and get a better GPU. I'm looking for the right balance but also thinking about upgrades in the future when cash is flowing more heavily.

One of the problems I can potentially see is the PSU, although it is 450W, it's a cheap one so not sure its gonna be up to the job. What do you think?
What supply do think I'll need for this look remembering I've got 160Gb hard drive and 16x optical?

I'll prob be able to fork out a few extra £s if the investments worth it. Feel free to comment or suggest how it could be improved
 
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i will suggest a 3rd party cpu cooler especially if OCing is what you intend to do.

just did a build today with that cpu and the cooler it comes with is a low profile one that will not cope well with a OCed cpu
 
thanks, I new it came with one but wasn't sure how it would OC. The reviews on overclockers.co.uk reckon they got away with it. a cooler will be bought at some point tho, just trying to get the basics together first and start gaming!!
got a dell 3100C right now - its rubbish, just about handles dawn of war on medium, but nothing quick
 
I'd do this:

Gives you a P35 chipset to play with for overclocking, the Xclio gives you all the cooling you will need, and the 8600GT is a good cheap option for now until you decide to upgrade an is holding its value 2nd hand atm.
No need for additional CPU cooling for a 2160 (the man sitting next to me has his 2180 overclocked to 3Ghz on stock)
 
Cheers for the input guys:D, looks like the opinion is go for a better graphics card and cut back on mobo. think I'll go for the ATI 3850 (cheers HP!!), would love the nVidia 8800 GT but too pricey for now.

So mobo then guys...
Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L
or
Foxcon P35AX-S
seen the abit IP35-e reccommeded a lot - is it really worth the extra £10-15 investment?

Liking the XClio case suggested Guardsmon! that big fan will defo help with cooling. would have to go with the Gigabyte Superb PSU and I can't find any reviews on it. apparently its spec is as follows:

+3.3V = 30.0A
+5V = 30.0A
+12V1 = 16.0A
+12V2 = 18.0A
-12V = 0.5A
+5Vsb = 2.5A

Translate for me please guys!! Not too clued up on PSUs. Can anyone suggest a better PSU for similar price?

HP - thanks for the case/PSU combo suggestion, know the Antec Earthworks PSUs are a decent brand but how's the case gonna compare to the XClio? hmmmm...get better case or PSU?:confused:
 
I own that gigabyte board and love it. most will say get a P35 but if ya read reviews and need to same a buck or two then go with that P31. It overclocks just as well as a P35 and frankly the only difference is the southbride is older tech but that doesnt make a difference.

Id go with which is cheaper.
 
Superjeep4x4 said:
I own that gigabyte board and love it. most will say get a P35 but if ya read reviews and need to same a buck or two then go with that P31. It overclocks just as well as a P35 and frankly the only difference is the southbride is older tech but that doesnt make a difference.

Id go with which is cheaper.
Click to expand...

Sweet, that'll save me a few bob then, nice one. any opinion on the PSU?
 
Only other difference that superjeep didn't mention was that the P35 also supports crossfire, but unless you think you are planning on using that in the future and you don't mind the horrible colour of gigabyte boards :D - then i would go for the gigabyte aswell i guess.

PSU wise - those specs are very good for the price. To give you an idea here are the stats of one of the best PSU's on the market for you to compare:
Corsair HX620W (the reason it has a +12V3 is it has 2 +12V rails for GFX)

+3.3V = 24A
+5V = 30A
+12V1 = 18A
+12V2 = 18A
+12V3 = 18A
-12V = 0.8A
+5Vsb = 3A
Total power: 620 Watts

As you can see the gigabyte PSU has very similar specs. and the PSU is probably the most important part of your computer - buy the wrong one and you can say goodbye to everything in your case in a number of seconds, but its also the most overlooked part.

I don't know how good the Antec PSU is, I can't find exactly which one it is they give you on the Antec site. Mates got that case though - it looks good, but his buttons on the front broke within 6 months. Might just be his though.
 
um 8800 gt from members mart :) :)

EDIT: just seen your post count


look into some b grade bargains perhaps
 
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I'd get the antec case. Antec are a known quality Power supply manufacturer, I'd much rather trust a new PC to one of their units than whoever made that gigabyte PSU. The case looks better than you'd think from the photo, especially in the black.
 
ThermalTake TR2 RX Cable Management 14CM Fan 450Watt

I know OCUK dont stock these, but maybe you can source it somewhere else.

ThermalTake TR2 RX Cable Management 14CM Fan 450Watt

It's nice cos its modular, and I have had Thermaltake PSU's for a while, never had any pop or give issues (unlike the Hiper ones!)

Price wise it should be close to the Gigabyte one (Gigabyte make decent boards, but never had a PSU from them).
 
Foxtrot26 said:
um 8800 gt from members mart :) :)

EDIT: just seen your post count


look into some b grade bargains perhaps
Click to expand...

Cheers for the heads up on **B grade**, what are they tho, just clearance items??

Thanks for all the other advice guys, will look into it all and get back to you if I could do with some more of your input :D:D
 
Guardsmon said:
As you can see the gigabyte PSU has very similar specs.
Click to expand...
You can't compare Gigabytes cheapest PSU with Corsair's top/best! The SUPERB can only output max 29A (348W) on the very important +12V Rail while the HX 620W 50A (600W). Don't forget also the Corsair is modular, has 80%+ rating efficiency, 8 SATA connectors, etc. If you really want to compare PSUs, choose the Corsair VX 450W & that's got 33A (396W) on the +12V rail. Think that Gigabyte PSU has been 'over-marketed' because my 400W Enermax outputs better...



kazak, Antec build quality is up there, well known & especially respected around here!
 
After much deliberation and trawling the web over cases and PSUs, I think I'm gonna go with your Antec suggestion HP. cheers.

Found a XFX GeForce 8800GS Alpha Dog 384MB going for £94. But also bumped into this **B Grade** BFG GeForce 7800 GS OC 256MB GDDR3 on OcUK going for £70 (used to be £100). Do you reckon its a good worthwhile deal or will the 8800GS be far better?
 
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