Hi, Spec me a budget gaming PC for £450

solarp

solarp

solarp

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Good afternoon all,

Been asked yet again by the better half's family members to build a PC (do not ever announce you work in IT to future family-in-law... ) and have set a budget of around £450.

Can you recommend the best system spec for this price? All they require is the the tower unit + components and a copy of Windows 7 (I might be able to get a copy elsewhere but an alternative recommendation like upgrading the GPU with the excess would be welcome)

Would be nice to set something that would work well for casual gaming for the next 2 years, I have already explained that this budget will get you a low-mid range system but on the right graphics settings, it should be comfortable to run most modern games

Thanks for your time and effort in advance.
 
I wouldn't trust them with Windows 8 (they'll be phoning me every 5 seconds I can see it!) they can just about fathom XP!

Sorry, I should elaborate a bit further, all they will need is the PC unit so Case, PSU, CPU, GPU, HDD, RAM, Mobo etc :D I think onboard sound should suffice, so no need to include that.

HDD size can fall into what ever is left over from the budget

Thanks guys :cool:
 
With OS


YOUR BASKET
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x Intel Pentium G840 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £56.99
1 x Asus HD 6670 1024MB GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card £53.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST250DM000) £47.99
1 x Gigabyte H61MA-D2V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £41.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £36.98
1 x Silverstone Precision PS05 USB3.0 Midi-Tower - Black (SST-PS05B) £35.98
1 x OcUK Value 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit £26.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £413.88 (includes shipping : £12.50).




without OS.


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £99.95
1 x Sapphire HD 7750 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £79.99
1 x Gigabyte B75M-D3V Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £53.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST250DM000) £47.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £36.98
1 x Silverstone Precision PS05 USB3.0 Midi-Tower - Black (SST-PS05B) £35.98
1 x OcUK Value 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit £26.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £410.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 
Excellent spec indeed! You're a star Firefly, thanks very much ;)

I'll see if they fancy the extra power or a genuine copy of W7 thrown in.

The PSU should be able to cope with that load ok I take it?

Thanks once again!
 
Fire_fly said:
With OS


YOUR BASKET
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x Intel Pentium G840 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £56.99
1 x Asus HD 6670 1024MB GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card £53.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST250DM000) £47.99
1 x Gigabyte H61MA-D2V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £41.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £36.98
1 x Silverstone Precision PS05 USB3.0 Midi-Tower - Black (SST-PS05B) £35.98
1 x OcUK Value 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit £26.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £413.88 (includes shipping : £12.50).




without OS.


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £99.95
1 x Sapphire HD 7750 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £79.99
1 x Gigabyte B75M-D3V Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £53.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST250DM000) £47.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £36.98
1 x Silverstone Precision PS05 USB3.0 Midi-Tower - Black (SST-PS05B) £35.98
1 x OcUK Value 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit £26.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £410.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Click to expand...

So edits to fireflys build above without OS, only came to 410. worth spending a little extra for the below

mboard

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-391-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2261

ram

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-133-GL&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

gfx card

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-306-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411

better case IMO

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-018-XG&groupid=2362&catid=1572&subcat=

Would take it to around £505

extra 50 quid on your budget. defiantly worth it!

if you could spare another £10 on ttop of that could upgrade PSU.
 
dunn2010 said:
So edits to fireflys build above without OS, only came to 410. worth spending a little extra for the below

mboard

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-391-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2261

ram

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-133-GL&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

gfx card

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-306-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411

better case IMO

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-018-XG&groupid=2362&catid=1572&subcat=

Would take it to around £505

extra 50 quid on your budget. defiantly worth it!

if you could spare another £10 on ttop of that could upgrade PSU.
Click to expand...

That motherboard gives them the option to upgrade to an i5 later.
Difference in the RAM is that the cheaper stuff is OCUK unbranded. It probably actually isn't any worse, but I do normally spec the more expensive branded RAM.
If you are going a 7850 I don't think a 430W PSU is enough, you probably want 500W.
 
I understand why you dont want to put them on the windows 8 developers copy but it does make sense to save some cash now for the spec. Some people don't like it but windows 8 is trying to bring the microsoft PC OS,tablet,phones,xbox into a similar GUI so it's easier for "plain joes" to pick up and use. Tell them it's a try before you buy and that it is released next month and you can prove to them you are in the know ;)

G840 vs SB i3

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £161.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £81.98
1 x OCZ ZT 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply £63.98
1 x Intel Pentium G840 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £56.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 500GB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA050) £46.99
1 x BitFenix Outlaw Gaming Case - Black £39.95
1 x GeIL EVO Leggera 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GEL38GB1600C9DC) £31.19
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £509.66 (includes shipping : £10.50).



I'd aim for that. I've used the G840 a few times, it's a pokey little chip for the price. Although it doesnt support quicksync like the i3 as it's much cheaper it means you have cash to put into the GPU. Quicksync does help with video encoding but the 7850 is a good gaming GPU and can also accelerate video encoding.

The Z77 mobo is entry level but still packed with features. Because the G840 is pretty cheap it's easier to justify wirting it off much much later for say a second hand i5K which could be overclocked on the Z77 mobo. GB have a uk based 3 year warranty too for their piece of mind.

The 7850 is now the default gaming GPU with it's 2GB of VRAM, don't consider 1GB cards it's false economy. I've used the GB 7850 which also has the 3 year warranty and is clocked faster than it's close rivals. It includes games and it will overclock well so they get even more bang for their buck.

PSU is fully modular. Easy to remove it from the case to clean. You only use the cables you need so no mess of cables blocking airflow which is good for temps in the case.

Hope this helps. It's worth pointing out there is a growing trend for free to play games. Warface is powered by the crysis engine and the starwars MMO is offering a free to play option in november. The hunter is also a excellent looking hunting sim that is free aswell :) It makes sense to go for the 7850 as it can run these titles with ease.

Hope this helps, any questions or problems you know where we are
 
honosuseri said:
I understand why you dont want to put them on the windows 8 developers copy but it does make sense to save some cash now for the spec. Some people don't like it but windows 8 is trying to bring the microsoft PC OS,tablet,phones,xbox into a similar GUI so it's easier for "plain joes" to pick up and use. Tell them it's a try before you buy and that it is released next month and you can prove to them you are in the know ;)

G840 vs SB i3

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £161.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £81.98
1 x OCZ ZT 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply £63.98
1 x Intel Pentium G840 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £56.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 500GB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA050) £46.99
1 x BitFenix Outlaw Gaming Case - Black £39.95
1 x GeIL EVO Leggera 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GEL38GB1600C9DC) £31.19
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £509.66 (includes shipping : £10.50).



I'd aim for that. I've used the G840 a few times, it's a pokey little chip for the price. Although it doesnt support quicksync like the i3 as it's much cheaper it means you have cash to put into the GPU. Quicksync does help with video encoding but the 7850 is a good gaming GPU and can also accelerate video encoding.

The Z77 mobo is entry level but still packed with features. Because the G840 is pretty cheap it's easier to justify wirting it off much much later for say a second hand i5K which could be overclocked on the Z77 mobo. GB have a uk based 3 year warranty too for their piece of mind.

The 7850 is now the default gaming GPU with it's 2GB of VRAM, don't consider 1GB cards it's false economy. I've used the GB 7850 which also has the 3 year warranty and is clocked faster than it's close rivals. It includes games and it will overclock well so they get even more bang for their buck.

PSU is fully modular. Easy to remove it from the case to clean. You only use the cables you need so no mess of cables blocking airflow which is good for temps in the case.

Hope this helps. It's worth pointing out there is a growing trend for free to play games. Warface is powered by the crysis engine and the starwars MMO is offering a free to play option in november. The hunter is also a excellent looking hunting sim that is free aswell :) It makes sense to go for the 7850 as it can run these titles with ease.

Hope this helps, any questions or problems you know where we are
Click to expand...
+1, great spec for the price.
Only thing I would question is whether 500GB storage is enough. If not this 1GB HDD is availiabe for £13 more and is twice the size.
Another thing, this Silverstone Strider Plus 500W Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply is £5 cheaper not sure if its worse than the OCZ though, could look at reviews I guess.
 
Cheers bud. Was trying to keep prices down as it was already over. The suggested changes I won't argue with. However 500GB isn't a small drive really any more cash thrown at the system I'd be looking at putting into a small SSD perhaps.
 
Many thanks for all your help, I'll start piecing together the best stuff and work within his budget, might be able to get a copy of 7 so can go for the original spec (the man only wants to play simulation games at a high FPS)
 
solarp said:
Many thanks for all your help, I'll start piecing together the best stuff and work within his budget, might be able to get a copy of 7 so can go for the original spec (the man only wants to play simulation games at a high FPS)
Click to expand...
I think honosuseri's spec is already pretty much the best for the money despite little over-budget. But if a Windows 7 is a must, then I guess what you could possibly consider split the budget of the 7850's £160 to £80/£80 for getting a copy of Windows 7 and a 2nd hand card around £80 (i.e. 6870, GTX470). But it still ain't gonna change the fact that it would require £500. The only other thing I can see cut down is may be the motherboard down to this and save £40:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-400-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=
But a H61 chipset will not allow overclocking if upgrading CPU to a K-version CPU in the future, but this board would still support IvyBridge CPUs.
 
I think a Z77 motherboard would be a good idea for future CPU upgrades and you would love to help your family out right? :p
 
Yeah just found a copy of W7 64bit laying around so I can use that, thing is the old boy is in his 70's and loves his simulation games, so I wouldn't want to go too overboard for something he probably won't use the potential of. But I wanted to get him a decent machine at the very least so he can play MS Flight Sim 2011 with a nice FPS and for future games of the same nature (I have heard Train Simulator rocks!!! ;))

Looking at the systems you can get from say PC world (granted they include a monitor + OS) to get around the same performance you will need to spend about £600-£700 or perhaps more (integrated graphics only pfft)
 
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