Approximate £500 PC Build!

Neil King · 3 Jan 2013 at 15:49

I've been out of the loop for a few years so need help in which components to buy to build my very own complete PC for a budget of around £500 or slightly more.

This will be mainly used for gaming so need the best bang for buck as they say.

Please spec me a Quad Core CPU, Motherboard, Graphics Discrete or Dedicated, Fast 8GB Memory, Optical Drive, Hard Drive 1TB or more, Stylish Case, 24` widescreen matte screen anti reflective monitor and Windows 8 OS.

Thank you very much for your time.

CinderzFTW · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:21

first of all, screw Win8, stick with Win7.

also for the money, to get what you want, you need to spend just under £600

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung S24B300HL 23.6" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £129.95
1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £95.99
1 x Sapphire PURE Platinum A85XT AMD A85X Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £94.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £54.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020047-UK) £49.99
1 x Corsair Value 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMV8GX3M2A1333C9) £34.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Alpha Gaming Case - Black £29.99
1 x Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £603.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).

zakblood · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:27

same price for windows 8 and can be quicker for gaming plus later dx11 version

so if users wants 8 add in ordering

Doomedspeed · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:28

CinderzFTW said:
first of all, screw Win8, stick with Win7.

also for the money, to get what you want, you need to spend just under £600

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung S24B300HL 23.6" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £129.95
1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £95.99
1 x Sapphire PURE Platinum A85XT AMD A85X Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £94.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £54.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020047-UK) £49.99
1 x Corsair Value 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMV8GX3M2A1333C9) £34.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Alpha Gaming Case - Black £29.99
1 x Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £603.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Id change the motherboard for this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-099-AK

Can still overclock and still has HDMI output..Save £35

zakblood · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:32

1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ FARCRY3, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £155.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - White/Blue £49.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020059-UK) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST500DM002) £44.99
1 x Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro SR1 CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £35.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
Total : £647.92 (includes shipping : £12.50).

but needs windows 8 adding so over budget, learning of me dad

CinderzFTW · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:32

i had a problem with Win8 that put me off it... didn't like Cod4:MW

Doomedspeed · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:34

zakblood said:
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ FARCRY3, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £155.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - White/Blue £49.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020059-UK) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST500DM002) £44.99
1 x Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro SR1 CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £35.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
Total : £647.92 (includes shipping : £12.50).

but needs windows 8 adding so over budget, learning of me dad

Oi, stop nicking my Specs.

Na, it's fine.. Ridicule it then use it, Double standards.

And no Monitor so way over budget..

honosuseri · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:36

Cinderz really screwed the pooch with that really slow RAM, even the Geil dragon kit would have been faster (1600mhz) and cheaper as well. The trinity APU wants the fastest RAM it can get. I really hate the merc beta case as it's soooo basic for the price there are better alternatives

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung S24B300HL 23.6" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £129.95
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 £64.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) £59.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - Black £46.98
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 Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £516.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).

I'm not gonna argue over the OS. Try the developers edition for free, you can do that for 3 months then buy windows 7 or 8 whatever suits you

zakblood · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:37

i dont use win 8 either for my gaming pc, i'll wait for sp1 as always if it comes out.

and sorry dad, double standards for me double chins and bellies, oops yes also forgot monitor so way way over budget, will read more and type less

budgets tight with monitor as well as o/s and honosuseri awake now so will go and hide elsewhere in some other section before i get laughed at by both of you

Doomedspeed · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:41

Under without OS:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung S24B300BS 24" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black £129.95
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) £59.99
1 x ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M AMD A75 Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £59.99
1 x XFX Pro 450W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £43.99
1 x TeamGroup Xtreem LV 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17000C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TXD38G2133HC11DC01) £39.95
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Midi Tower Case - Black £29.99
1 x Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £492.83 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Hono has a good point, Developers Versions are a great idea..

Added Faster RAM (though it is Tall), Cheaper Case (still Solid) and a True 24" Samsung Monitor.

honosuseri · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:46

zakblood said:
budgets tight with monitor as well as o/s and honosuseri awake now so will go and hide elsewhere in some other section before i get laughed at by both of you

Awake now? I've been up all day and have replied on threads already this evening :/

Might be best you do hide, you still can't balance a build to save your life or read the brief

The budget is tight but I've managed it just about, using the preview edition of the OS was necessary really.

I'm sure there will be some good alternatives posted but my spec is pretty good and he can drop in a dedicated GPU much later when needed.

zakblood · 3 Jan 2013 at 21:49

was a jk

honosuseri · 3 Jan 2013 at 22:00

zakblood said:
was a jk

Suggesting I spend all day in bed I don't find funny. Atleast add a wink or something to show you mean it in jest.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ FARCRY3, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £155.99
1 x Samsung S24B300HL 23.6" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £129.95
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) £59.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - Black £46.98
1 x XFX Pro 450W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £43.99
1 x GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £23.99
1 x Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £755.35 (includes shipping : £13.75).

Doing a decent i5K spec with a good gaming GPU for £500ish just isn't going to happen. Even this spec I just threw together needs the OS expense added at some point. If we remove the GPU it's £600 but the IGP is no good for gaming and any GPU lower than the 7850 really is bad value.

zakblood · 3 Jan 2013 at 22:06

ok will wink in future, i don't mean to be a pain, its just my old sense of humor, some take it others don't find it so funny, it's meant to be light heart'ed fun as i know you have been here most of the day, don't take me so serious as i agree with your spec and listen to your advice, but still make basic mistakes and post clangers.

so sorry if it offended it wasn't meant to

and budget is too tight

honosuseri · 3 Jan 2013 at 22:09

zakblood said:
ok will wink in future, i don't mean to be a pain, its just my old sense of humor, some take it others don't find it so funny, it's meant to be light heart'ed fun as i know you have been here most of the day, don't take me so serious as i agree with your spec and listen to your advice, but still make basic mistakes and post clangers.

so sorry if it offended it wasn't meant to

and budget is too tight

My sense of humour doesnt often go down well here either, you are not alone

My A10K spec is on budget as he gets free P&P. Couldn't work the OS in though, he will have to "try before he buys" with the preview windows 8 OS

R-evans · 3 Jan 2013 at 22:09

I have a weird sense of humour. I have learnt to always put a smile or something to show I am joking, it's quite hard to read the intent on the Internet.

Anyway, no real harm done. You sissies put the handbags down

(<< see)

zakblood · 3 Jan 2013 at 22:12

R-evans said:
I have a weird sense of humour. I have learnt to always put a smile or something to show I am joking, it's quite hard to read the intent on the Internet.

Anyway, no real harm done. You sissies put the handbags down (<< see)

Bacon? · 3 Jan 2013 at 22:12

I'd go with Hono's spec but go for some faster RAM if possible. There is this RAM:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-018-TG&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1387
But it is high profile so fitting after market air heatsinks on could be a trouble, CLC's would be fine with it though

Or for slightly more;
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-017-AD&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1387

Its low profile so no worries with heatsink issues, I have had the 1600 version of that RAM and had nought but problems with it, could just me my RAM / MOBO though

honosuseri · 3 Jan 2013 at 22:14

The Viper mamba RAM overclocks well actually so that kit should stand a good chance of reaching upto 2133mhz if pushed a little harder (The 2133Mhz kit hits 2400Mhz). It's heatspreaders arent that tall so you can get heatsinks over them easily enough

R-evans · 3 Jan 2013 at 22:15

zakblood said:

Perfect.