Spec me a £200-£250 build?
- Thread starter Rustyy
- Start date
@Big.Wayne Thanks for all the help i'm sure you'll be of help while building my PC?
and you any good with Watercooling i was thinking about it and would like to get a cheap watercooling system for it when its all done and running sweet.
@jakesnake Dont worry mate, I am!
and you any good with Watercooling i was thinking about it and would like to get a cheap watercooling system for it when its all done and running sweet.
@jakesnake Dont worry mate, I am!
Soldato
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Hi Rustyy,
Sounds like you are on to a winner now, that X3/4GB RAM/760G spec from Bigwayne will take you far for not much money. Best of luck with the build.
As for WC, you may want to consider high-end air cooling before you go down the water cooling road. An good aftermarket air cooler (large heatsink +fan) will allow you to overclock that chip very heavily, and it will be relatively easy to install and not cost too much. On the other hand a custom water cooling system just for the CPU will cost you at least £100 and it will be a good deal more complex to install and maintain.
Anything cheaper that this (most likely advertised as "self contained" or "sealed system") is not real water cooling and will not perform to the level of high-end air cooling.
Also, would you be able to give us details (make, model number and rated capacity) of you existing "half decent" PSU?
Sounds like you are on to a winner now, that X3/4GB RAM/760G spec from Bigwayne will take you far for not much money. Best of luck with the build.
As for WC, you may want to consider high-end air cooling before you go down the water cooling road. An good aftermarket air cooler (large heatsink +fan) will allow you to overclock that chip very heavily, and it will be relatively easy to install and not cost too much. On the other hand a custom water cooling system just for the CPU will cost you at least £100 and it will be a good deal more complex to install and maintain.
Anything cheaper that this (most likely advertised as "self contained" or "sealed system") is not real water cooling and will not perform to the level of high-end air cooling.
Also, would you be able to give us details (make, model number and rated capacity) of you existing "half decent" PSU?
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@andi Thanks for that info about cooling, and erm lemme check a sec...
FSP Group Inc. FSP250-60GTA Just realised, its abismal. :/
250W - Fail.
The One that comes with the OcUK Case is that substantial enough till i can get ahold of the Corsair 400W?
FSP Group Inc. FSP250-60GTA Just realised, its abismal. :/
250W - Fail.
The One that comes with the OcUK Case is that substantial enough till i can get ahold of the Corsair 400W?
Soldato
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Yea, probably best to bin that PSU before it comes near your shiny new system. If it was a quality 250W that you knew could happily output that 250W without issue then it would be enough to run your system - but personally I wouldn't trust it. Best to stick with the new Corsair you will be getting - now that is a quality PSU for a low price.
As for the PSU that comes with the case, I think you may be confusing it with the OCUK Zeus case that you were considering before. The OCUK Medusa doesn't come with a PSU, nor do most quality cases. With this in mind you may want to reconsider the Antec 200 (which Bigwayne suggested) - for such a low price it is a great case.
As for the PSU that comes with the case, I think you may be confusing it with the OCUK Zeus case that you were considering before. The OCUK Medusa doesn't come with a PSU, nor do most quality cases. With this in mind you may want to reconsider the Antec 200 (which Bigwayne suggested) - for such a low price it is a great case.
Thing is andi Im only on EMA atm struggling to find a job whilst at college am im trying to build a Budget performance PC. I like the look of the Medusa Over the 200 but can you Mod the 200s side panel or buy a modded side panel? I like to see my Hardware xD
EDIT: and is this a good enough CPU Cooler?
EDIT: and is this a good enough CPU Cooler?
Soldato
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You like the look of the Medusa over the 200?
That is pretty much the best reason to get a case as it the thing you will always be looking at, so fair play.
However, if you want a windowed side panel - you will have to get some cutting tools out (both for the Medusa and 200) as neither come with side-panel windows. If you have experience with tools and metalwork this should not be too tough - and buying a small sheet of clear polycarbonate is not expensive.
If you want a good quality, low priced case with a side window - this is your best bet (also suggested above by bigwayne).
as for the cpu cooler - i can't find any tests of that antec, i appears to have only just come out. it may be a good cooler - but without any test data comparing it to other coolers it is impossible to recommend. instead, i would suggest this cooler, it is a bit cheaper and proven to perform very well.
That is pretty much the best reason to get a case as it the thing you will always be looking at, so fair play.
However, if you want a windowed side panel - you will have to get some cutting tools out (both for the Medusa and 200) as neither come with side-panel windows. If you have experience with tools and metalwork this should not be too tough - and buying a small sheet of clear polycarbonate is not expensive.
If you want a good quality, low priced case with a side window - this is your best bet (also suggested above by bigwayne).
as for the cpu cooler - i can't find any tests of that antec, i appears to have only just come out. it may be a good cooler - but without any test data comparing it to other coolers it is impossible to recommend. instead, i would suggest this cooler, it is a bit cheaper and proven to perform very well.
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Yeah, thing is the thing that got me into Custom PCs was windowed Kickass Cases and thats what i'd love to have, Suppose i could just ask my dad to Fabricate a window into the 200 I just love the look of a Lit up Custom PC.
As for the CPU that is, badass. Gunna change my cooler
thanks.
As for the CPU that is, badass. Gunna change my cooler
thanks.
Soldato
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What you thing of this case? looks sweet nice window don't know about airflow? Opinion?
Case Type :
Midi Tower Chassis
Model :
Saturn Blue LED Edition
Colour :
Black with Piano Black Shiny Front Fascia
Drive Bay-5.25" :
4 External
Drive Bay-3.5" :
1 External
5 Internal
PSU :
No PSU
Cooling Fans :
120mm Blue LED Front Cooling Fan
80mm Blue LED Side Cooling Fan
External Ports :
2 x USB 2.0
Audio ports (Headphones and Mic)
(On front of case, on side of the fascia)
Dimensions (mm) :
451mm x 186mm x 420mm
(D x W x H)
Other Features :
Piano Black Shiny Front Fascia
Case Type :
Midi Tower Chassis
Model :
Saturn Blue LED Edition
Colour :
Black with Piano Black Shiny Front Fascia
Drive Bay-5.25" :
4 External
Drive Bay-3.5" :
1 External
5 Internal
PSU :
No PSU
Cooling Fans :
120mm Blue LED Front Cooling Fan
80mm Blue LED Side Cooling Fan
External Ports :
2 x USB 2.0
Audio ports (Headphones and Mic)
(On front of case, on side of the fascia)
Dimensions (mm) :
451mm x 186mm x 420mm
(D x W x H)
Other Features :
Piano Black Shiny Front Fascia
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Soldato
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- Cheshire
Sorry man, you will want to remove the link as it is against forum rules to link to OCUK competitors. However, if you give the details or post up a pic (using an image host) then that should be fine.
As for my opinion on cooling of the case, I can't find any reviews - however it only comes with 1x120mm fan (front intake) and a single 80mm fan on the side. There is no large top fan - and the PSU is mounted at the top, so most likely not great for cooling.
As for my opinion on cooling of the case, I can't find any reviews - however it only comes with 1x120mm fan (front intake) and a single 80mm fan on the side. There is no large top fan - and the PSU is mounted at the top, so most likely not great for cooling.
The case that you picked would make baby Jesus cry, not to mention it will be a dust/fingerprint magnet, shoddy construction ect.
The goggles do nothing!
I highly suggest going for the Antec VSK-200 or Antec 200. They offer massively superior cooling (x2 120mm intakes, hopefully filtered!).
If you can afford to wait and save up, the latest gen of hardware is coming out within the next few months. Most interesting is AMD's Fusion as it will hopefully make the low cost computer more powerful.
The goggles do nothing!
I highly suggest going for the Antec VSK-200 or Antec 200. They offer massively superior cooling (x2 120mm intakes, hopefully filtered!).
If you can afford to wait and save up, the latest gen of hardware is coming out within the next few months. Most interesting is AMD's Fusion as it will hopefully make the low cost computer more powerful.
I understand where your coming from with the case but i dont think my processor will be generating much heat to need superior cooling, that said i dont know surely. I love to get the Antec 200 but i'm worried about the fact i have to fork out for a PSU when the Zeus comes with a PSU which can't be to bad. But then again im a noob, you lot are the experts here and your Advice is great, but having low funds coming in @ £30 a week (EMA) im limited to what i can get and i need a running Rig for late Janurary at the very latest.
And whats this new Hardware? can you go into further detail?
One more thing How would i unlock the Athlon II X3 to OC it?
Soldato
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You are right, if you stuck with zeus and the included PSU they you would probably fine running an Athon II X3 and integrated graphics.
However, if you ever wanted to add a decent graphics card you would need to buy a new PSU.
One thing I would suggest is that you could drop the RAM ammount down to 2GB. For desktop uses this will be more than sufficient and this money can be used to buy the quality case and PSU - which will stand you in good stead for the future.
New hardware from both Intel and AMD is coming out early next year. From reports it will be a fair chunk faster than existing tech, however how it will affect the low-end components is unclear. If you need a system now - then there is no point waiting, however if you won't get all the money together until then it may be worth waiting or buying the non-core components (Case, PSU) sooner and hold off on the mobo, CPU and RAM until the new releases.
As for unlocking, the AMD Athlon II X3 is actually an X4 (quad core) with one core locked off. Often this is because one of the cores is damaged - so AMD can still sell a borked-up quad core as a fully functional triple core. However, often they will just disable a core on a functional quad core and sell it as a triple core (usually isn't enough broken ones) - in these cases the user can unlock the fourth core themselves and get a functional quad core, while only paying for a triple. To do this you need an AMD 7 series motherboard with a 710 or 750 southbridge. The 8 series also do unlocking and these have really taken it to heart as it is usually offered as an option advertised by the board manufacturer. So to restate: unlocking the fourth core is not a certainty and you will require a motherboard with the correct southbridge, however if you do get lucky then it is certainly a nice thing to have.
As for overclocking, you just need to raise the Hypertransport bus speed with these athlon II chips - how well you can do this depends on the motherboard, the chip and the amount of voltage you are prepared to give it. However, I know very little about AMD overclocking, so you would be best to ask other about this (specifically BigWayne).
However, if you ever wanted to add a decent graphics card you would need to buy a new PSU.
One thing I would suggest is that you could drop the RAM ammount down to 2GB. For desktop uses this will be more than sufficient and this money can be used to buy the quality case and PSU - which will stand you in good stead for the future.
New hardware from both Intel and AMD is coming out early next year. From reports it will be a fair chunk faster than existing tech, however how it will affect the low-end components is unclear. If you need a system now - then there is no point waiting, however if you won't get all the money together until then it may be worth waiting or buying the non-core components (Case, PSU) sooner and hold off on the mobo, CPU and RAM until the new releases.
As for unlocking, the AMD Athlon II X3 is actually an X4 (quad core) with one core locked off. Often this is because one of the cores is damaged - so AMD can still sell a borked-up quad core as a fully functional triple core. However, often they will just disable a core on a functional quad core and sell it as a triple core (usually isn't enough broken ones) - in these cases the user can unlock the fourth core themselves and get a functional quad core, while only paying for a triple. To do this you need an AMD 7 series motherboard with a 710 or 750 southbridge. The 8 series also do unlocking and these have really taken it to heart as it is usually offered as an option advertised by the board manufacturer. So to restate: unlocking the fourth core is not a certainty and you will require a motherboard with the correct southbridge, however if you do get lucky then it is certainly a nice thing to have.
As for overclocking, you just need to raise the Hypertransport bus speed with these athlon II chips - how well you can do this depends on the motherboard, the chip and the amount of voltage you are prepared to give it. However, I know very little about AMD overclocking, so you would be best to ask other about this (specifically BigWayne).
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I dont Really intend on running a decent graphics card but i hope to extend my desktop to a Dual screen layout since i own 2 19" TFTs. does this mean i need a decent PSU to run a graphics card which would support dual screen?
On the RAM, my dad is running 2GB DDR2 with a 2.20GHz Intel. His PC is unacceptably slow. So I am Thinking 4GB DDR3 with a 2.70GHz X3 Would be Superbly fast in my standards and when it comes to overclocking i dont want to spend more Money on RAM to support my OCd CPU.
Thanks, Rustyy.
On the RAM, my dad is running 2GB DDR2 with a 2.20GHz Intel. His PC is unacceptably slow. So I am Thinking 4GB DDR3 with a 2.70GHz X3 Would be Superbly fast in my standards and when it comes to overclocking i dont want to spend more Money on RAM to support my OCd CPU.
Thanks, Rustyy.
Soldato
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Pretty much all modern graphics card worth their salt can happily run two monitors. However, if you go for the Asus 760G motherboard then this will actually run two monitors - so long as one of the monitors has a digital input (DVI or HDMI) and the other has VGA.
As for 2GB, it isn't inherently slow - with windows 7 it is actually almost as fast as 4GB, so long as you don't go over the limit. May I ask, what Intel CPU/OS/HDD is your dad using and when was the last time he reformatted his hard disk?
As for 2GB, it isn't inherently slow - with windows 7 it is actually almost as fast as 4GB, so long as you don't go over the limit. May I ask, what Intel CPU/OS/HDD is your dad using and when was the last time he reformatted his hard disk?
Erm i dunno he bitches on like a menstruating housewife when you touch his PC so I dunno.
As for Reformatting, god knows, he said he doesnt want to risk losing everything even though i said i have a 200GB Seagate SATA HDD for him to Store the useful Files onto then format it, but being as stubborn as he is, he said no, its fine. haha and does Win 7 run, on the whole faster than XP or Vista?
Hey Rustyy 
. . . forget about water-cooling anf forget about £41 pound aircoolers for the moment!
That case you picked out in post #30 is a "shocker!!!"
If you want a good "thermally-advantaged" chassis then go with this one
Coolermaster Elite 430
£41.99 inc
For the love of god please don't buy one of the OcUK cases that comes with a generic no-name PSU . . . I'm trying to get you a decent system together here with very little budget . . . I don't want to waste a single penny of your budget on bad hardware . . . every penny you spend is gonna be a good investment . . .
I've pretty much told you everything you need to know now Rustyy, I'm just trying to help you avoid very basic mistakes but to some extent you are gonna need to make your own mistakes to learn I guess . .
Normally when someone asks for help with a spec and they set a budget then once a suitable spec has been supplied the hardware gets bought but I have a feeling you are not in a position to spend this £250 now so I'm not sure how much more help I can be here now mate . . . I just wanted to make sure you got the best bang for your buck . . . It's a really small budget but if you follow the advice I've given you and understand all the "reasons" I've told you to buy certain hardware then all will be well . . . if you start going freestyle with no name and unbranded products its all gonna go pete tong!
For someone trying to knock up a bang-for-buck PC you sure are thinking about some funny purchases!
. . . forget about water-cooling anf forget about £41 pound aircoolers for the moment! That case you picked out in post #30 is a "shocker!!!"
If you want a good "thermally-advantaged" chassis then go with this one
Coolermaster Elite 430
£41.99 inc
For the love of god please don't buy one of the OcUK cases that comes with a generic no-name PSU . . . I'm trying to get you a decent system together here with very little budget . . . I don't want to waste a single penny of your budget on bad hardware . . . every penny you spend is gonna be a good investment . . .
I've pretty much told you everything you need to know now Rustyy, I'm just trying to help you avoid very basic mistakes but to some extent you are gonna need to make your own mistakes to learn I guess . .
Normally when someone asks for help with a spec and they set a budget then once a suitable spec has been supplied the hardware gets bought but I have a feeling you are not in a position to spend this £250 now so I'm not sure how much more help I can be here now mate . . . I just wanted to make sure you got the best bang for your buck . . . It's a really small budget but if you follow the advice I've given you and understand all the "reasons" I've told you to buy certain hardware then all will be well . . . if you start going freestyle with no name and unbranded products its all gonna go pete tong!
Something I learnt when I joined OcUK many years ago is buy cheap, pay twice. Listen to the wise & good advice from Big.Wayne & the others.
General rule is, get a decent case & PSU which will & should last you through several upgrades & even builds.
Edit: Some of the stuff Big.Wayne has recommended have reviews online you can check out for yourself e.g. Corsair CX400W PSU review
General rule is, get a decent case & PSU which will & should last you through several upgrades & even builds.
Edit: Some of the stuff Big.Wayne has recommended have reviews online you can check out for yourself e.g. Corsair CX400W PSU review
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