£450 budget gaming build spec check

pastymuncher said:
I wouldn't touch one of those and certainly wouldn't recommend one for anybody. Those units are rated at a pathetically low 30 degrees C (normal is 40 degrees C and the best units are rated at 50 degrees C) which will easily be passed in this heat. Cheap and nasty with very little quality. Don't skimp on the psu.
Click to expand...

That psu will be absolutely fine for a low-end, (mostly) used parts build, this comes from personal experience.

If Chris Beard wants to get a higher quality psu, then that's completely fine (and recommended), however to do that on this budget doesn't appear to be possible.
 
Last edited:
Chris Beard said:
Could be worse, this is REALLY cheap: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/b-gr...80-plus-certified-power-supply-bg-01c-kk.html
Click to expand...

Now you are just finding the worst psu on here to make your choice look good.


thedandyp said:
That psu will be absolutely fine for a modest build, this comes from personal experience.
If you have the choice of either a budget psu, brand new with warranty, or spending almost the same on a used 10 year old psu, then there really is no question; the new psu wins EVERY time. Now would I recommend the EVGA one i linked to for say a 3700x and a 2070 build? Absolutely not.
Conversely would I recommend putting something like a rm850i in this build? Again, Absolutely not.
This is a £350 build mainly using used parts, that is EXACTLY what a budget psu is intended for. If Chris Beard wants to get a higher quality psu, then that's completely fine (and recommended), however to do that on a £350 budget doesn't appear to be possible.
Click to expand...

The way I read it is that the 1200 is a stopgap and he is looking at putting in a 3600 further down the line. If he buys a decent quality psu now it will outlast this build and can be used in the upgrade or even the next build. You don't have to spend £100 to get a quality psu. The Bitfenix Formula Series 550w is only £66.95 and would have been my recommendation. That's a gold rated psu with decent quality internals and a 5 year warranty. However, a even better psu is in the "this week only" deals in the form of the not long released Superflower Leadex III 550w at only £64.99. That is a excellent quality gold rated psu that is fully modular and has a 7 year warranty. At that price it's a steal.

I will only ever recommend a component that I would be 100% happy to use myself and cheap psu's will never make the cut. The psu is not a place to save money and should never be skimped on. These cheap EVGA psu's are usually built by HEC (very little information on this series yet) who don't exactly have a good reputation for building a decent psu. Several of the other cheap EVGA psu's have been very unreliable and that is yet another reason why I would never recommend one.
 
@pastymuncher just forget it, you can't reason with stupid mate. Some have other priorities. They will learn from their mistakes one day...

Clearly OP has already decided his own logic is the only way.
 
pastymuncher said:
Now you are just finding the worst psu on here to make your choice look good.




The way I read it is that the 1200 is a stopgap and he is looking at putting in a 3600 further down the line. If he buys a decent quality psu now it will outlast this build and can be used in the upgrade or even the next build. You don't have to spend £100 to get a quality psu. The Bitfenix Formula Series 550w is only £66.95 and would have been my recommendation. That's a gold rated psu with decent quality internals and a 5 year warranty. However, a even better psu is in the "this week only" deals in the form of the not long released Superflower Leadex III 550w at only £64.99. That is a excellent quality gold rated psu that is fully modular and has a 7 year warranty. At that price it's a steal.

I will only ever recommend a component that I would be 100% happy to use myself and cheap psu's will never make the cut. The psu is not a place to save money and should never be skimped on. These cheap EVGA psu's are usually built by HEC (very little information on this series yet) who don't exactly have a good reputation for building a decent psu. Several of the other cheap EVGA psu's have been very unreliable and that is yet another reason why I would never recommend one.
Click to expand...

I completely see and understand your logic, it's true that if the plan is to keep the psu long-term, then of course a quality model offers far superior value for money, sometimes lasting through 2 or even 3 system rebuilds.
However, sometimes when your chucking together the cheapest thing possible, knowing full well multiple parts will have to be replaced in the future for the system to stay current, that mindset really has to go out the window. For example your psu can't be costing £15-20 more than your (brand new) cpu.
It's not a route I'd personally take, but it's one that I can definitely understand.

I really want to know what Chris beard has decided now though, don't leave us hanging here!
 
I got the cheap second hand one! Had a look at some articles where they retested after 7 and 10 years of continuous service and made up my mind.

Running for 2 hours prime @ 3.8Ghz 1.35v so far

Really loving my new machine.

One thing no-one picked up is that the cooler (even though the product page says otherwise) isn’t AM4 compatible.

If my choice of PSU had you worried you’ll be downright panicked at the cardboard shim, half-the-screws not used makeshift mounting I used!
 
Chris Beard said:
I got the cheap second hand one! Had a look at some articles where they retested after 7 and 10 years of continuous service and made up my mind.

Running for 2 hours prime @ 3.8Ghz 1.35v so far

Really loving my new machine.

One thing no-one picked up is that the cooler (even though the product page says otherwise) isn’t AM4 compatible.

If my choice of PSU had you worried you’ll be downright panicked at the cardboard shim, half-the-screws not used makeshift mounting I used!
Click to expand...
Haha, does it work though? That's the main question?
 
Fair play. I'd have gone new with psu but have gone with a 1200 for now. I'm sure a better one will be more than £20 cheaper in a few months and the 1200 worth at least £30
 
It's super strange that only the 1200 got a real discount over the last few months. Sure the 1600 has dropped in price, but it kinda had to, to stay below the 2600. Just strange that AMD could be making a killing flogging off the old stock of the 1400 and 1500x for something like £75 and £90 each. Instead they've basically become irrelevant at their current prices.
 
Chris Beard said:
Let me know if I misunderstood please.
Click to expand...
whilst you are indeed correct, the board you've chosen has trash VRMs and so wouldn't support anything except the entry level ryzens.
but if you're not planning to upgrade from your current chosen specs in the future, then it's fine.

if anything, i'd suggest spending a little less on the ram (ie get it from members' market), forgoing the aftermarket cooler (ryzen 1200 already has one) and extra fans, and spending a little more on the board to give you a better upgrade path down the line.
but, horses for courses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom