Gaming PC for under £600

Corky20

Corky20

Corky20

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Joined
5 May 2009
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Location
Northern Ireland
I quite like the looks of this spec I seen in another thread but I also need an optical drive and gaming keyboard... can someone recommend them?

Also i've never overclocked a PC before... is it possible to overclock this build as it is and is it easy enough to do?

beejjacobs said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £179.99
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £119.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £59.99
1 x Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black £39.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
Total : £535.02 (includes shipping : £11.75).



With £20 off:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18347004
Click to expand...
 
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shadow_boxer said:
If you just need a DVD-RW then the cheapest one will do. I've got this Samsung one and it's fine.

Samsung SH-S222AB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM

Whats the budget for the keyboard?

Can't go wrong with the Microsoft SideWinder X4 Gaming Keyboard - Retail. Decent backlit keyboard with anti-ghosting.

Overclocking is stupidly easy with the i5-2500K. If you do plan on overclocking get an aftermarket cooler such as the Gelid Tranquillo.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply... i'll add that optical drive to the list and the keyboard looks good! :)

I've been thinking I might buy the Antec 300 case on eBay as i'm not fussed on the Cool Master case... can you also recommend a good power supply for around the same price as the Cool Master one?

Karateyid said:
Depending on what you plan to use the pc for an upgrade of the gfx card could be handy also, especially if your going to use it for gaming.
Click to expand...

Yea, i'll definitely be upgrading to a better graphics card when I get some more money! :)
 
do you need the os and/or hard disk?

little over budger(i.e. over rather than under £600) but the graphics card is much better for gamming.

OcUK GeForce GTX 560Ti 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card OcUK GeForce GTX 560Ti 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £199.99
(£166.66) £199.99
(£166.66)
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £179.99
(£149.99) £179.99
(£149.99)
Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
(£70.82) £84.98
(£70.82)
Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £59.99
(£49.99) £59.99
(£49.99)
Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black Cooler Master Elite 430 Windowed Case - Black £39.98
(£33.32) £39.98
(£33.32)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
(£29.99) £35.99
(£29.99)
Samsung SH-S222AB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM Samsung SH-S222AB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.98
(£14.15) £16.98
(£14.15)
Sub Total : £514.92
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.75
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £105.33
Total : £632.00

£20 off for the cm case + psu so £612.

add the gelid tranquilo/similar in the future.
 
Hi, agree with what these guy's say, and wonder about this i3 rig? Most games use two cores and the i3 is very powerful and this enables you to choose a more powerful gfx card.

I included an optical drive and you need to add a HDD assume you have one to recycle? You got an OS?

You could leave off the CPU cooler and use the stock cooler for now to save dosh.

Choose the keyboard you think suits.

Easy upgrade would be add 4gb ram

The gfx card includes £45 worth of games to play or ebay!

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus ATI Radeon HD 6950 DirectCU II 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with Battlefield 3 & Deus Ex PC Games** £239.99
1 x Intel Core i3-2120 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £101.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £66.98
1 x BitFenix Shinobi Gaming Case - Black £44.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £26.99
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AB/RSMS 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black/Silver/Biege) - Retail £19.99
Total : £626.90 (includes shipping : £12.50).

 
fowler002 - cheers for the spec. If i was to buy the Antec 300 case on eBay is there a better power supply for around the same price? Not too worried about the discount as i'll be getting the case for cheaper anyway.

I almost forgot about a HDD... I have an 160GB IDE HDD lying about, do these new PCs still support IDE?

@jpod - cheers for the spec, looks good too!! the better Graphics card with the free games is tempting!!
 
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jpod said:
Hi, agree with what these guy's say, and wonder about this i3 rig? Most games use two cores and the i3 is very powerful and this enables you to choose a more powerful gfx card.

I included an optical drive and you need to add a HDD assume you have one to recycle? You got an OS?

You could leave off the CPU cooler and use the stock cooler for now to save dosh.

Choose the keyboard you think suits.

Easy upgrade would be add 4gb ram

The gfx card includes £45 worth of games to play or ebay!

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus ATI Radeon HD 6950 DirectCU II 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with Battlefield 3 & Deus Ex PC Games** £239.99
1 x Intel Core i3-2120 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £101.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £66.98
1 x BitFenix Shinobi Gaming Case - Black £44.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £26.99
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AB/RSMS 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black/Silver/Biege) - Retail £19.99
Total : £626.90 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Click to expand...

like I said in the other thread, don't know what your fasination with the xm3 4gb ram is but you can get 8gb for £9 more

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-094-KS

if you're going for 4gb to save money then you can save another £7 and get

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-095-KS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

if going for 6950 save £24 and get http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-128-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1752

cheaper, faster factory oc and the rma is uk based so cheaper to send back for a replacement should the need arise in the future.

corkey no new mbs don't have ide, you will need sata and new hdd will eat up £80-£90 of your budget.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-081-SA&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=940

ocuk were doing offer on seagate barracuda 500gb @ £70 and 1tb @£80 the other week.

if you're not going for the cm case+psu deal then go with the psu jpod has suggested
 
IIRC, you can get something called an IDE card, that plugs into a PCI slot, that will allow you to use your IDE drive, then you can get a SATA drive later on.

An IDE card can be bought from the rainforest, for around £15 :)
 
fowler002 said:
like I said in the other thread, don't know what your fasination with the xm3 4gb ram is but you can get 8gb for £9 more

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-094-KS

if you're going for 4gb to save money then you can save another £7 and get

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-095-KS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

if going for 6950 save £24 and get http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-128-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1752

cheaper, faster factory oc and the rma is uk based so cheaper to send back for a replacement should the need arise in the future.

corkey no new mbs don't have ide, you will need sata and new hdd will eat up £80-£90 of your budget.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-081-SA&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=940

ocuk were doing offer on seagate barracuda 500gb @ £70 and 1tb @£80 the other week.

if you're not going for the cm case+psu deal then go with the psu jpod has suggested
Click to expand...

cheers for the reply again, much appreciated. i'm gonna go for the Antec 300 case, will get one on eBay and get the psu jpod suggested. will also go for the 8gb ram, i5 processor etc... will have to decide on a graphics card depending on how much money I get together!! i thought that might be the case with new mbs, another setback... i knew this was gonna end up costing more than the £600 lol.

azibux1 said:
IIRC, you can get something called an IDE card, that plugs into a PCI slot, that will allow you to use your IDE drive, then you can get a SATA drive later on.

An IDE card can be bought from the rainforest, for around £15 :)
Click to expand...

Cheers, this might have to do until I get a few more pound.

When I do get some more money to buy a HDD would it be worth investing in a SSD instead? I have an external HDD that I can store downloads on!

Once again thanks for all the replies, have been very helpful! :)
 
I like Corsair because it means Pirate (ahem)! I have had good experience of getting ram replaced very quickly under warranty, taken together this explains the fascination Mr Fowler. If you rate the alternative I wouldn't have a second thought to buy that either.

Personally I would buy my 64gb SSD Crucial now and populate with HDD when the prices reduce by at least 50% in a bit. A few months ago £70 would have got you 1TB WD Black. Hold out.

Where is the MSI and Asus RMA? Assuming it's on Earth shouldn't be an issue.

If your worried call them beforehand, Asus UK here +44 870 1208 340

Besides in the event that your PC is on the fritz a bit of time apart won't do you any harm. Both have long warranties which is ideal.
 
jpod said:
I like Corsair because it means Pirate (ahem)! I have had good experience of getting ram replaced very quickly under warranty, taken together this explains the fascination Mr Fowler. If you rate the alternative I wouldn't have a second thought to buy that either.

Personally I would buy my 64gb SSD Crucial now and populate with HDD when the prices reduce by at least 50% in a bit. A few months ago £70 would have got you 1TB WD Black. Hold out.

Where is the MSI and Asus RMA? Assuming it's on Earth shouldn't be an issue.

If your worried call them beforehand, Asus UK here +44 870 1208 340

Besides in the event that your PC is on the fritz a bit of time apart won't do you any harm. Both have long warranties which is ideal.
Click to expand...

its more the cost of sending the graphics card to another country rather than within the uk thats the issue, not the length of warranties etc. I don't have 1st hand experience with send graphics cards to asus or msi, but from what someone who knows more then me has posted on here the msi rma is based in the uk while asus rma is not.

I've had to rma my asrock extreme7 to holland which cost me more than double than if say I'd had a gigabyte board as they're uk based, not only the international shipping to asrock(which was like £10 more than if sending within the uk) but they wanted £15 to cover the return shipping(can't say if asus etc have the same thing or not but its still more expensive shipping internationally).

I've not had to rma ram(used corsair and crucial not kingston etc), can't say what kingstons rma is compared to corsair.
 
Hi again,

So my budget has went up quite a bit lol. I've currently these items in my basket. I know the Antec 902 is dated but I love the look of it. Are the any items that can be improved upon such as the PSU, Ram etc... :)

p.s. how do people post the items in their basket with links etc..?

Product Name Qty Price Line Total
MSI GeForce GTX 560Ti OC Twin FrozR II 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £229.99
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £179.99
MSI Z68A-GD65-G3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £137.98
Antec 902 Nine Hundred Two (V3) Ultimate Gaming Case (with USB3.0 Support) - Black £114.98
Antec TruePower New Modular 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £72.98
OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" SATA-3 Solid State Hard Drive (AGT3-25SAT3-60G) £71.99
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £41.99
Gelid GX7 High Performance Quiet PC Cooler (Socket Intel 775/1366/1155/6 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1) £39.98
Cherry Black CyMotion Expert (USB/PS2) Keyboard - Black £19.99
Samsung SH-S222AB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.98
TP-Link 300Mbps High-Gain Wireless-N USB Adapter (TL-WN822N) £17.99
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g) £8.99
Sub Total : £796.53
Total : £982.48
Click to expand...
 
what is your overall budget now?

I'd say something like


YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6970 2048MB Twin Frozr III GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with Dirt 3 & Deus Ex PC Games** £269.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £161.99
1 x MSI Z68A-GD65-G3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £137.98
1 x Silverstone Raven 3 RV03B-W Full Tower Windowed Case - Black/Gold £109.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT064M4SSD2) £86.99
1 x XFX Pro 850W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £79.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX) £65.99
1 x Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA775/AM2/AM3) £54.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222AB/RSMS 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black/Silver/Biege) - Retail £19.99
1 x TP-Link 300Mbps High-Gain Wireless-N USB Adapter (TL-WN822N) £17.99
Total : £1,023.56 (includes shipping : £14.75).



no need for the thermal paste as you get some with the cooler(either pre-applied or in a tube depending on the cooler you get).

how far are you wanting to push the overclock on the cpu? if its 4.6ghz then the gellid tranquilo(£26 is plenty), if you wanting 5ghz and looking at £40+ cooler then I'd say the silver arrow is the best price/performance from the reviews(plus what the experts on here have said).

16gb maybe overkill but at this price hard to argue :)

the raven 3 is meant to be one of the best cases for air cooling.

I've just realised not added the keyboard but you can easily add that.

the 850w psu will allow you to add a 2nd 6970 in the future, the 650w maybe enough but best to have some extra head room, thats if you're not worried about it not being modular. if you want modular you can go for the 750w version of the psu you've chosen

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-116-AN&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

or other options

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-001-XF&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1497

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-047-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-000-XF&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-054-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-018-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=
 
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