First build in the UK

Associate
Joined
19 Aug 2010
Posts
1,983
Location
London
Hello all,

I've recently moved over to the UK from Australia and was looking at getting myself a desktop for while I'm here. I need the whole set-up, apart from maybe windows might be able to get a copy from work. I was looking to spend about £600... but on saying that would be willing to go up to £800 or so if it is going to be worth the extra money i.e. future proofing myself a bit more.

Any help would be great, I've built a PC back home before but it was a while ago and I'd probs look at going along with the guide on here just to be safe. Also a last little side note, I won't be getting the machine for about a month or so, any new tech coming out in the foreseeable future it would be worth waiting a little longer for that could cause price drops?
 
Hi there, welcome the the OCUK forums :D

May I ask a couple of questions, and from there we should be able to spec you up something suitable?


What do you mainly use the PC for? (eg. gaming, photoshop, CAD, video editing, F@H or running VMs).

When you say "whole set up", how much does that include? Do you need for example mouse, keyboard, speakers/headset, mic or wireless adapter?


As for new tech, there is a new refresh of AMD graphics cards coming up, and are expected to be available to buy in November. No significant CPU/motherboard releases are expected until the start of next year.
 
Oh yeh that would be worth adding hey, I'll be mainly using it for gaming. I'll need the mouse and keyboard, and probs a headset, ill get speakers later on I think, and the wireless adapter.

Thanks for the welcome, been following the threads for the last week or so (only been over here for a month and working since 2 weeks ago) and looking forward to actually settling in over here.
 
Yes I need a monitor and a case, not really windows, can probably wrangle one from work as I've said in my OP
 
Something like this...

t4xlyo.jpg
 
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £176.24
(£149.99) £176.24
(£149.99)
Iiyama ProLite E2208HDD 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black £117.49
(£99.99) £117.49
(£99.99)
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £111.61
(£94.99) £111.61
(£94.99)
OCZ Reaper 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 12800C7 (1600MHz) Dual-Channel (OCZ3RPR1600LV4GK) £88.11
(£74.99) £88.11
(£74.99)
Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 AMD 870 (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £84.99
(£72.33) £84.99
(£72.33)
Corsair TX 650W ATX SLi Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-650TXUK) £59.98
(£51.05) £59.98
(£51.05)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500418AS) £35.24
(£29.99) £35.24
(£29.99)
Xigmatek Asgard Midi Tower Case - Black £26.99
(£22.97) £26.99
(£22.97)
Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse (910-000616) £24.99
(£21.27) £24.99
(£21.27)
Plantronics GameCom 377 Gaming Headset (79731-05) £23.99
(£20.42) £23.99
(£20.42)
Sony Optiarc AD-7260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.99
(£13.61) £15.99
(£13.61)
Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000 120mm Fan - 3/4 Pin £10.21
(£8.69) £10.21
(£8.69)
Logitech Deluxe USB Keyboard (Black) - OEM (967738-0120) £7.14
(£6.08) £7.14
(£6.08)
Sub Total : £666.37
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £19.10
VAT is being charged at 17.50% VAT : £119.96
Total : £805.43

Although some of the deals etc will probably have changed in a month, this will be a decent outline of a nice gaming build for £800.
 
Thanks heaps for the replies.

Redmint your build looks really good, I have been thinking of dropping the monitor and headset and maybe looking at spending a bit more and getting a TV instead that has inbuilt speakers just so I can watch TV/Movies on it as well.

What do you guys reckon?
 
How about a nice SSD, and £125 left for accessories?

ddddddd.png


The i3 is pretty good, and for your casual gamer use, would be fine :)

++ With mine, you'd actually be fine with a 500w psu :)
 
Last edited:
Agree with what Relentless said really, just depends what your priorities are. :)

edit: On Ryan's build - heard issues with those Patriot SSDs 'locking up' and the Samsung F1s had mixed reviews, don't think they're nearly as good as the F3s.
 
Last edited:
If you change the PSU to THIS on my build, you can change the SSD to THIS. Its much quicker, and this one seems to only have good reviews :) And for the mechanical drive, its up to you how much you'll need, and I'd recommend F3 or any of the WD Caviar range :)

As for the TV idea, tv's aren't too bad, but stay clear of LG if you do, the other PC's on one, and changeing the res is a nightmare!
 
I'm thinking of sticking with the monitor as opposed to a TV, save a bit of cash there and it'll be mostly gaming and only the occassional movie I'm guessing.

I have a 1TB external back home (in OZ) that I was going to have sent over once I got settled over here which will have the bulk of my stuff on it (its already mostly maxed out), so I could maybe get away with no HDD and just the SSD for a while. What do you reckon?

Also if I had to skimp a bit more on something what would you recommend because I was hoping for £800 max if I got a monitor and I don't think I could get in under that with your build Ryan-3.
 
SSD drive is nice but not really 'needed' if you can't fit it in the budget. :) The 500GB drive in my build will be fine for general use.
 
Ryan-3's build is very well balanced and one that I would have selected more or less, there no problem with those SSD's you just need to install the latest firmware (it may already be updated) and it fixes the issues. The only thing I would change is the Spinpoint F1 hard drive, I would swap it for a 500Gb F3 spinipoint instead, less space but by the time you fill it (if ever) you can most probably afford a new one 2Tb model.
 
You could skimp on the SSD if you want :)

You'd certainly be able to get a nice Monitor, like THIS, and then change the HDD I listed to one or even RAID a pair of THESE? :)
 
If you are going to watch movies on your PC, i would go for the Dell monitor with better viewing angles.

Nothing worse than watching a movie and the picture starts to fade unless you are sat right in front of the screen.
 
If you are going to watch movies on your PC, i would go for the Dell monitor with better viewing angles.

Nothing worse than watching a movie and the picture starts to fade unless you are sat right in front of the screen.

I agree, my Samsung ain't too bad, but I only sit infront of the screen :) - You just need to make sure its anti-glare, unless you sit in front of it of course :p
 
Back
Top Bottom