£400 Gaming PC

LukieBoy007

LukieBoy007

LukieBoy007

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My mate is looking to get a £400 PC, but he will be paying it on finance I think. So, anyway he asked me to do a spec for him so I suggested either this:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £72.98
1 x MSI HD 7750 2048MB GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card £71.99
1 x Intel Pentium G840 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £55.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £51.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020047-UK) £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Single Channel Module (TED34GM1600C1101) £17.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £346.92 (includes shipping : £10.00).


Or this:
YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £95.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A85X-D3H AMD A85X Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £61.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £51.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020047-UK) £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Xtreem LV 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17000C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TXD38G2133HC11DC01) £39.95
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £325.90 (includes shipping : £10.00).



What build would you suggest to get?
As for the case, I was thinking a Zalman Z9-U3 as I see it recommended here a lot for builds around this price point.
Please try not to go any higher than £400, as his budget was £300 not too long ago.
Thanks in advance for any help.
 
for me i'd go for the 2nd one, as the cpu is better ie quad against dual, but then again you have paid more for it cpu wise

1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £95.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) £69.98
1 x Intel 330 Series 60GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £59.99
1 x Asus F2A55-M LE AMD A55 Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £55.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020047-UK) £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Xtreem LV 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17000C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TXD38G2133HC11DC01) £39.95
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £397.88 (includes shipping : £10.00).



have put boot on a sdd, can also cache hdd on this as well for a bit more speed, nearer yes to max budget, but take away sdd and add case and your there

after re looking also at the first build, with a card, it may be that this might just make it number one as cpu slower but vga better might make it a go, and as well it's better to upgrade as well?

so i've change my mind and now go for more or a long term balanced guess, for upgrade and fitted card for now, choose 1st :)
 
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inferior is a matter of opinion, if it doesn't have the parts you need then yes, it's not fit for purpose, if it has all the parts you require but has less bells and whistles then it's only a choice or judgement call.

more ram slots, yes if needed, more pcie etc yes if needed, if not why pay more for something you dont need, unless to add to it later, when later comes i replace, so go cheaper for some bits and spend more on others

i also think it's a better HDD, but then again that also a choice / opinion (mine)

also have now changed my mind and after relooking and doing some quick checks, i'd vote for first build.
 
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I like the look of the first build. It will offer more upgradability in the future for your mate (could add in an i5 Sandybridge or Ivy Bridge CPU or upgrade GOU) and I would agree that given the budget you can do away with the SSD for the time being. I'd be tempted to just spend a little more on the GPU and cut back elsewhere as the primary purpose is gaming and this'll be where he sees the returns. If the budget is closer to £300 then AMD Trinity is probably the best bet.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7850 OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards w/ FARCRY3, Nexuiz & Sleeping Dogs PC Games £131.99
1 x ASRock B75 Pro3-M Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £55.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £51.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020047-UK) £49.99
1 x Intel Pentium G640 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £49.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Alpha Gaming Case - Black £29.99
1 x Avexir Blitz Series 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (AVD3U16000802G-2GW) £19.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £403.92 (includes shipping : FREE).

 
you pay more, you get more, and SB above puts it better than i did, upgradability v budget

so sometimes its not what you have in your basket now it's what can be added later that matters.

good price and spec, im learning, just need to read more and watch and not post so quick :(
 
Ok thanks for the help. I'll consider shadow's build too, as the 7850 is at a decent price. However, he may need a wireless adapter but he's not sure if he will yet, as well as a keyboard so we will have to see when he gets back to me.
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7850 OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards w/ FARCRY3, Nexuiz & Sleeping Dogs PC Games £131.99
1 x ASRock B75 Pro3-M Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £55.99
1 x Intel Pentium G640 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £49.99
1 x **B Grade** Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-252-SE) £40
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020058-UK) £38.99
1 x Avexir Blitz Series 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (AVD3U16000802G-2GW) £19.99
1 x Zalman T1 Mini Tower Case - Black £17.99
1 x TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter (TL-WN881ND) £16.99
1 x Logitech K200 Media Keyboard (920-002733) £13.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £399.91 (includes shipping : FREE).

 
I'm a fan of the Z9 I have one myself. Sadly OCuk dont stock the U3 which is the updated version with a proper window and USB3 ports.

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £95.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A85XM-D3H AMD A85X Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 micro ATX Motherboard £61.99
1 x Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £52.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £51.98
1 x XFX Pro 450W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G186C9K) £41.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £377.03 (includes shipping : £11.75).



Not spent all his cash. It will game and personally I'd sooner buy a 1GB 460 for ~£50 2nd hand than paying more to get anything other than a 2GB 7850. He can drop in the dedicated GPU much later, either save for a 7850 or keep an eye out for a 460 or even AMDs 6850 2nd hand to up the gaming grunt

460 vs 7750 460 wins at stock clocks. Mine is OC'd to 900mhz which is nigh on 6870 performance, you can adjust the search in the link to see how far ahead it pulls overclocked ;)
 
Ok thanks, I'll ask him if he wouldn't mind going secondhand and I'll link him to the comparison too. Also, wouldn't the RAM I posted be better as it has higher speeds and is cheaper, I'm guessing the answer is that it's because it is high profile? Finally, should I go for the ATX version of the motherboard (it's currently the same price)?
I told him about the Zalman Z9-U3 but he said he prefers this case so we may end up going for that one.
Hopefully he'll agree to going secondhand for the GPU in the future so thanks for the help :)
 
I'm sure you have seen the videos I have embedded showing the Trinity APUs gaming. These videos they used the 1600Mhz kits. I used faster than that and yes I kept it low profile incase he wanted to add a heatsink and overclock

If you want the full sized ATX mobo that's cool. I used mATX as it opens up choices for cases. I do like the Z9 with it's many fans (you get LEDs too), digital temp display, fan controller and it also has an extension to get the P4/8 power cable round the back of the mobo tray.
 
 
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YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte HD 7770 OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ FARCRY3 & 20% MOH WarFighter PC Games £91.99
1 x Intel Pentium G840 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £55.99
1 x ASRock B75M Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £52.99
1 x **B Grade** Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-252-SE) £40
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 400W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £40
1 x NZXT Source 210 Elite Midi Tower Case - Black £39.98
1 x Avexir Blitz Series 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (AVD3U16000802G-2GW) £19.99
1 x TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter (TL-WN881ND) £16.99
1 x Xebec Stream-Line Keyboard - Black £14.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £401.92 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 
honosuseri said:
I'm sure you have seen the videos I have embedded showing the Trinity APUs gaming. These videos they used the 1600Mhz kits. I used faster than that and yes I kept it low profile incase he wanted to add a heatsink and overclock

If you want the full sized ATX mobo that's cool. I used mATX as it opens up choices for cases. I do like the Z9 with it's many fans (you get LEDs too), digital temp display, fan controller and it also has an extension to get the P4/8 power cable round the back of the mobo tray.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've seen the videos. Unless a 2133MHz set goes on sale next week then I'll go with the set you suggested then. I think I'll get him the ATX mobo, as for the case he still needs to choose even though he did say he prefers the NZXT.


Idleman - Thanks for the options but I think I am going to get a Trinity build for him now, as money is his main priority.
 
 
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