Budget gaming spec

times_champion

times_champion

times_champion

Associate
Joined
30 Oct 2004
Posts
364
I have a 3/4 year old PC which is pretty much useless for gaming now and is getting slower for tasks like web browsing, word processing etc. I was considering getting an alienware alpha or laptop but I am now thinking of getting rid of my PS4 and Vita and going all-out for a gaming system (and possibly using an Nvidia Shield to stream games to my living room TV as a kind of mini-console). I have quite a strict budget and can re-use the PSU and DVD drive from my current system. I have had a quick look and would be looking to spend roughly the amount below on different components:

Mobo - £50
Processor - £150 (i5?)
Graphics card - £160 (GTX 960?)
8GB RAM - £50
Case - £40 (Corsair Carbide series SPEC-01)
1TB HDD - £50

I would be looking at £500 or less for the system as I also have Windows 7 on my current PC. If I have the disk do I need to uninstall it on my current system before then installing it on my new PC?

I am not dead set on the components mentioned above if I can get better performance for the same price or less. Ideally I would like a GTX card however as I could then stream to the Shield tablet. I am not looking for a beast of a system, just something better than a PS4 to use with a 37" 1080p TV and that will play upcoming games like The Witcher 3 at fairly high settings and 1080p. Thanks for your help.
 
 
Just another quick question - my current PC doesnt output sound through HDMI - would this be the case with a new PC as detailed above? I just want to play with graphics and sound through HDMI like a console. Thanks.
 
Thanks Stulid, but ideally I did want a GTX so I could then play my games on the living room PC through a shield like a console, rather than lugging my PC out of the bedroom. Also, is an additional cooler essential if I wont be overclocking, or can I use the one that comes as stock?
 
stulid said:
You will get sound via HDMI, just have to set it up to do so in sound control.
Click to expand...

Great - thanks. Im not sure about PSU but I bought it from OC last year and opted for more power than I strictly needed, it cost about £60. I will need to double check but it should be OK to use with the system specced. Oh, and I dont need shipping - I live in Stoke!
 
As its an OEM cpu (£20 less than retail) it doesnt come with a cooler.

You will need a GTX960 then to play on the Shield.
 
Its an Athlon 6000+ with a Radeon HD4850. The mobo wont really take anything beefier so would pretty much have to start from scratch anyway, and my RAM is DDR2. Plus my HDD is only 750GB and I want something a little bit bigger.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom