Help choosing PC parts (£450 budget)

Bolo_Santosi · 16 Jul 2011 at 12:11

Don't need anything other that the actual parts and case.
This is almost purely for gaming (and web browsing and the basic stuff ect.)
I'll be gaming on an 1080p screen, but Im fine playing 1600x1280 (or whatever it is

) as its not the biggest screen.

Cpu Im thinking
- I5 2500k (but not sure if it's possible to fit it in with a tight budget like this)
- Or go the AMD route with this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-304-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=1943 or another quad core

GPU - I was thinking maybe a 460 or a 560 (dont think a 560ti would fit in the budget) or a 5850, not sure.

Memory - 4gb corsair 2x2 will be fine, right? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-303-CS

Case - No idea, I probably won't be overclocking for a good while as this is my first time building a pc.

HDD - 500gb, any brand should do right?

power supply - would like a reliable one, not sure what Wattage I'll need at all though.

Motherboard - No idea, I'd like quite a few USB ports but probably won't be upgrading for a long while.

I'd also like to know how hot/loud the build anyone gives will get, hopefully I wont need to worry about temperatures if i'm not overclocking but would like something quiet so maybe getting an aftermarket fan instead of a stock CPU fan would be a good idea.

Help will be greatly appreciated, thank you

And hello everybody, first post!

EDIT: as Ill be gaming on a TV screen with either HDMI or VGA cable, will this be a problem as I need to install drivers for it to work with HDMI/VGA first?

ExecutorKevin · 16 Jul 2011 at 12:26

I would suggest getting a OCUK 460
Cheap corsair 4GB 2x2gb for £23 ocuk
Hard drive - 1TB seagate barracuda 7200rpm £40
Lepa N-Series 600W Power Supply £43
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-002-LA&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=
Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) £50
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-245-GI
AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1090T = £140
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-266-AM
Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case £36
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-214-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=
Cheap dvd drive £15... Price = £350

Bolo_Santosi · 16 Jul 2011 at 12:38

ExecutorKevin said:
I would suggest getting a OCUK 460
Cheap corsair 4GB 2x2gb for £23 ocuk
Hard drive - 1TB seagate barracuda 7200rpm £40
Lepa N-Series 600W Power Supply £43
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-002-LA&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=
Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) £50
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-245-GI
AMD Phenom II X6 Six Core 1090T = £140
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-266-AM
Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case £36
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-214-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=
Cheap dvd drive £15... Price = £350

Hmm, not sure on that PSU. Wouldn't it also be better to just get a quad processor?

kmufc77 · 16 Jul 2011 at 12:46

Jony27 · 16 Jul 2011 at 12:51

suprised no one has specced a i3 2100/h61 yet.

*watch this space*

YOUR BASKET
1 x Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **OcUK Exclusive** £134.99
1 x Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £91.99
1 x MSI H61M-E33 Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard **B3 REVISION** *WITH FREE MSI GRENADE* £46.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 ATX '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £36.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500413AS) £29.99
1 x Xigmatek Midgard Midi Tower Case - White £29.99
1 x Corsair Value 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Low Voltage Dual-Channel Kit £23.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
Total : £422.50 (includes shipping : £10.50).

I3 2100 vs Phenom II X4 955
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=88

HD5850 vs GTX460
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/164?vs=180

kmufc77 · 16 Jul 2011 at 13:03

^ Nice spec,though the MSI 460 Hawk is heavily OC and can be OC even more which leaves the 5850 behind.

Is not a standard 675mhz 460 its 780mhz and should be able to reach 850-900mhz and its the same price as a 5850.

The hawk is the faster card and has superior cooling compared to the 5850.

LittleChimp · 16 Jul 2011 at 13:05

If you have a dvd drive already

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

If you dont.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Specced a p board because you can pop a i5 processor in later on if you want the option.

mufcmark · 16 Jul 2011 at 13:06

Why spec a p67 motherboard when the i3 2100 can't be overclocked?

Bolo_Santosi · 16 Jul 2011 at 13:41

I appreciate all feedback, so would this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-259-SP be better/quiter/cooler than this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-099-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1830, I read the benchmark someone linked (Thank you for that) and the 5850 was a clear winner, although not by much, is the fact it's a super-oc version make it any better?

I appreciate the i3 2100 idea, but i think i'd rather have a quad core, I think it'd last a little longer, will this be okay? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-253-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=1943

Is 125W edition a good thing or bad thing? It means less power consumption right? Are they ALL 125w editions or are there other ones out there?

Also, I still need to find out if using a tv screen will be a problem as drivers wouldn't be installed yet.

EDIT: I think the 460 would be better for being more quiet/cooler, am i right?

Also, will i need thermal paste or will it be pre-applied on the stock cooler? Should I get a cheap CPU cooler aswell just to make sure its not really noisy?

kmufc77 · 16 Jul 2011 at 13:55

Bolo_Santosi said:
I appreciate all feedback, so would this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-259-SP be better/quiter/cooler than this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-099-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1830, I read the benchmark someone linked (Thank you for that) and the 5850 was a clear winner, although not by much, is the fact it's a super-oc version make it any better?

I appreciate the i3 2100 idea, but i think i'd rather have a quad core, I think it'd last a little longer, will this be okay? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-253-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=1943

Is 125W edition a good thing or bad thing? It means less power consumption right? Are they ALL 125w editions or are there other ones out there?

Also, I still need to find out if using a tv screen will be a problem as drivers wouldn't be installed yet.

EDIT: I think the 460 would be better for being more quiet/cooler, am i right?

Also, will i need thermal paste or will it be pre-applied on the stock cooler? Should I get a cheap CPU cooler aswell just to make sure its not really noisy?

Thermal paste will come with the stock cooler.

Stay with the 955 its not worth the extra 200mhz for the price for the 965

A quad core CPU will be at an advantage if you do a lot of video encoding etc, but the SB i3-2100 is slighlty faster for some games compared to the 955,though games that use a quad core for example GTA IV benefit greatly.

The Hawk 460 is faster than a 5850 its clocks are 780mhz NOT 675mhz thats on the standard 460 which benchmarks use!!,the cooling on the Hawk 460 is also excellent.

The Hawk 460 can be overclocked even further than its factory clocks of 780mhz,you should get 850-900mhz which will give you GTX 470 performance.

What TV/screen will you be using?

This cooler will be better than a stock cooling and it comes with thermal paste already on the heatsink http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-035-AR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

Bolo_Santosi · 16 Jul 2011 at 14:07

kmufc77 said:
Thermal paste will come with the stock cooler.

Stay with the 955 its not worth the extra 200mhz for the price for the 965

A quad core CPU will be at an advantage if you do a lot of video encoding etc, but the SB i3-2100 is slighlty faster for some games compared to the 955,though games that use a quad core for example GTA IV benefit greatly.

The Hawk 460 is faster than a 5850 its clocks are 780mhz NOT 675mhz thats on the standard 460 which benchmarks use!!,the cooling on the Hawk 460 is also excellent.

The Hawk 460 can be overclocked even further than its factory clocks of 780mhz,you should get 850-900mhz which will give you GTX 470 performance.

What TV/screen will you be using?

I don't know what exact produvt, but its an 1080p LCD with both VG, HDMI outputs. what is the default for Pc's connecting to screens? Its not a cheap knock-off, so it should be okay.

Also, will i need any other cables or will they all come with the products, and is the 430w okay or should I go for the 530 for some headroom?

kmufc77 · 16 Jul 2011 at 14:13

Bolo_Santosi said:
I don't know what exact produvt, but its an 1080p LCD with both VG, HDMI outputs. what is the default for Pc's connecting to screens? Its not a cheap knock-off, so it should be okay.

Also, will i need any other cables or will they all come with the products, and is the 430w okay or should I go for the 530 for some headroom?

You will need a mini hdmi to hdmi lead to connect the GPU to the TV/Screen,as i dont know if you have a DVI connection on your screen?.

As for the PSU for a few extra quid id get the Be quiet 530w.

nuttyprot · 16 Jul 2011 at 14:18

kmuufc is spot on with

Stay with the 955 its not worth the extra 200mhz for the price for the 965.

The 955 is very very easy to overclock and can pass the 965 speed without touching the voltages.

As for the debate on getting quad core or not tbh I dont see why people even debate on it just get quad core. More and more games are using it all the time.

kmufc77 · 16 Jul 2011 at 14:24

Ive just seen this spec in another thread:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £155.99
1 x OcUK GeForce GTX 460 OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £120
1 x MSI P67A-C45 Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** *WITH FREE MSI GRENADE* £89.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 ATX '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £36.98
1 x Xigmatek Midgard Midi Tower Case - White £29.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £29.99
1 x Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler (Socket 939 / AM2 / AM3 / 775 / 1155/ 1156 / 1366) £19.99
Total : £495 (includes shipping : £10.50).

Its more money,but you get a superior CPU,the GPU is still very good but not as good as the Hawk.

There is not a DVD drive included,so thats another £15.

No HDD either so another £30-40 ontop

More money but worth it.

Bolo_Santosi · 16 Jul 2011 at 14:30

kmufc77 said:
Ive just seen this spec in another thread:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £155.99
1 x OcUK GeForce GTX 460 OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £120
1 x MSI P67A-C45 Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** *WITH FREE MSI GRENADE* £89.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 ATX '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £36.98
1 x Xigmatek Midgard Midi Tower Case - White £29.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £29.99
1 x Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler (Socket 939 / AM2 / AM3 / 775 / 1155/ 1156 / 1366) £19.99
Total : £495 (includes shipping : £10.50).

Its more money,but you get a superior CPU,the GPU is still very good but not as good as the Hawk.

There is not a DVD drive included,so thats another £15.

I appreciate it, but I do need windows 7, I just didn't include it as i can get it from a website pretty cheap. I would also need a disc drive, need a wifi adapter, another adapter and I won't be able to stretch that, far sorry

kmufc77 · 16 Jul 2011 at 14:31

Bolo_Santosi said:
I appreciate it, but I do need windows 7, I just didn't include it as i can get it from a website pretty cheap. I would also need a disc drive, need a wifi adapter, another adapter and I won't be able to stretch that, far sorry

Hey no worrys the 955 and 460 hawk is still a brilliant system

Bolo_Santosi · 16 Jul 2011 at 14:39

kmufc77 said:
You will need a mini hdmi to hdmi lead to connect the GPU to the TV/Screen,as i dont know if you have a DVI connection on your screen?.

As for the PSU for a few extra quid id get the Be quiet 530w.

No DVI connection I believe, Ill buy one of those too, thanks for everyones help, this is what im going for, any last minute adjustments?

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz

Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard

Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit

BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W '80 Plus' Power Supply

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler

Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case

Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard

Anything that's not compatible? the motherboard says "Support for DDR3 1666(OC)/1333/1066 MHz memory modules" 1600 will still work right? also, is it better to get a usb wi-fi adapter, as i'm not sure how internal ones work..? Sorry for dragging this on further!

nuttyprot · 16 Jul 2011 at 14:45

Bolo_Santosi said:
No DVI connection I believe, Ill buy one of those too, thanks for everyones help, this is what im going for, any last minute adjustments?

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz

Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard

Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit

BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W '80 Plus' Power Supply

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler

Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case

Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard

Anything that's not compatible? the motherboard says "Support for DDR3 1666(OC)/1333/1066 MHz memory modules" 1600 will still work right? also, is it better to get a usb wi-fi adapter, as i'm not sure how internal ones work..? Sorry for dragging this on further!

I would get an AM3+ motherboard not a standard AM3 one. Makes upgrading in the future easier for you.

kmufc77 · 16 Jul 2011 at 15:00

Bolo_Santosi said:
No DVI connection I believe, Ill buy one of those too, thanks for everyones help, this is what im going for, any last minute adjustments?

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz

Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard

Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit

BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W '80 Plus' Power Supply

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU Cooler

Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case

Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard

Anything that's not compatible? the motherboard says "Support for DDR3 1666(OC)/1333/1066 MHz memory modules" 1600 will still work right? also, is it better to get a usb wi-fi adapter, as i'm not sure how internal ones work..? Sorry for dragging this on further!

What GPU are you getting as you have listed the mobo twice?

Your be fine with a USB wi-fi adapter.

The ram will be fine

When i had ADSL i used one of these, cheap, but it worked : http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-055-EX&groupid=46&catid=1600&subcat=

kmufc77 · 16 Jul 2011 at 15:01

nuttyprot said:
I would get an AM3+ motherboard not a standard AM3 one. Makes upgrading in the future easier for you.

I agree though the OP budget is already stretched,if he gets an AM3+ board thats nearly double the price of an AM3.