New system build - approx £350-400

[matt_fsr]

I'm thinking of replacing my father-in-laws ageing desktop PC, it's primarily just a general-use machine, with a little Photoshop work chucked in so doesn't need to be anything hardcore, but I want it to be a significant boost from what he's using now.

So far I'm thinking:

AMD A8 5600K CPU (Quad core, nippy, cheap and nice APU graphics)
MSI A55M-E33 motherboard (because its cheap)
8Gb DDR3 Corsair 1600Mhz
120Gb SSD for boot / software installs (because SPEEEED!)
1Tb Western Digital blue HDD for data

Anyone see any issues with any of that ^ - or anything you'd change, and reasons why?

Only problem I'm really having is what case / psu combo to go for. Trying to keep the budget fairly low, and he's not going to want anything garish or 'gamer' in relation to case, so suggestions would be welcome. As would suggestions for cheap and quiet PSU's! I know this can be done, as my media PC runs a 250W PSU which is plastic-housed, and practically inaudible and I have good hearing.

 

[shahel]

XFX pro edition 450 watt is cheap and a any cheap case can do the job.

 

[Danny75]

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A8-6600K 3.90GHz (Socket FM2) APU Richland Quad Core Processor (AD660KWOHLBOX) £71.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £63.98
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A88XM-HD3 AMD A88X (Socket FM2+) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £49.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache WD10EZEX - OEM ** Single Platter ** HDD £43.99
1 x Silverstone Strider SST-ST30SF SFX Series - 300 Watt £37.99
1 x Raijintek Pallas 140mm Low Profile CPU Cooler £33.95
1 x Aerocool Qs-101 Micro-ATX Case - Black £22.49
Total : £389.98 (includes shipping : £8.00).




Better graphics on that other APU for £2 extra - HD 8570D > HD 7560D. And faster CPU and GPU clock speed.

APU graphics will be faster with faster RAM. Honestly not sure just how much it will benefit any Photoshop work, but if it's about as cheap as the Corsair 1600, then might as well.

The MSI mobo doesn't have internal USB 3 for case front/top ports. Nor HDMI to cater for more monitor choice (when/if upgrading or replacing). Its SATA is 3GB/s not 6GB/s and only supports memory up to 1866MHz. If none of this is a bother, then okay (and switch to 1600MHz RAM again, or 1866MHz). But I reckon the Gigabyte would also last longer, barring any unforeseen eventualities (does your dad-in-law get drunk often?).

The Silverstone SFX has semi-fanless mode. Never tried it myself.

Added a good low-profile cooler to overclock/keep noise down to a minimum.

Hope some of this is useful.

 

[William-Mathew]

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A8-6600K 3.90GHz (Socket FM2) APU Richland Quad Core Processor (AD660KWOHLBOX) £71.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £63.98
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A88XM-HD3 AMD A88X (Socket FM2+) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £49.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache WD10EZEX - OEM ** Single Platter ** HDD £43.99
1 x Silverstone Strider SST-ST30SF SFX Series - 300 Watt £37.99
1 x Raijintek Pallas 140mm Low Profile CPU Cooler £33.95
1 x Aerocool Qs-101 Micro-ATX Case - Black £22.49
Total : £389.98 (includes shipping : £8.00).




Better graphics on that other APU for £2 extra - HD 8570D > HD 7560D. And faster CPU and GPU clock speed.

APU graphics will be faster with faster RAM. Honestly not sure just how much it will benefit any Photoshop work, but if it's about as cheap as the Corsair 1600, then might as well.

The MSI mobo doesn't have internal USB 3 for case front/top ports. Nor HDMI to cater for more monitor choice (when/if upgrading or replacing). Its SATA is 3GB/s not 6GB/s and only supports memory up to 1866MHz. If none of this is a bother, then okay (and switch to 1600MHz RAM again, or 1866MHz). But I reckon the Gigabyte would also last longer, barring any unforeseen eventualities (does your dad-in-law get drunk often?).

The Silverstone SFX has semi-fanless mode. Never tried it myself.

Added a good low-profile cooler to overclock/keep noise down to a minimum.

Hope some of this is useful.

+1 should be a good build

 

[matt_fsr]

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A8-6600K 3.90GHz (Socket FM2) APU Richland Quad Core Processor (AD660KWOHLBOX) £71.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £63.98
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A88XM-HD3 AMD A88X (Socket FM2+) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £49.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache WD10EZEX - OEM ** Single Platter ** HDD £43.99
1 x Silverstone Strider SST-ST30SF SFX Series - 300 Watt £37.99
1 x Raijintek Pallas 140mm Low Profile CPU Cooler £33.95
1 x Aerocool Qs-101 Micro-ATX Case - Black £22.49
Total : £389.98 (includes shipping : £8.00).




Better graphics on that other APU for £2 extra - HD 8570D > HD 7560D. And faster CPU and GPU clock speed.

APU graphics will be faster with faster RAM. Honestly not sure just how much it will benefit any Photoshop work, but if it's about as cheap as the Corsair 1600, then might as well.

The MSI mobo doesn't have internal USB 3 for case front/top ports. Nor HDMI to cater for more monitor choice (when/if upgrading or replacing). Its SATA is 3GB/s not 6GB/s and only supports memory up to 1866MHz. If none of this is a bother, then okay (and switch to 1600MHz RAM again, or 1866MHz). But I reckon the Gigabyte would also last longer, barring any unforeseen eventualities (does your dad-in-law get drunk often?).

The Silverstone SFX has semi-fanless mode. Never tried it myself.

Added a good low-profile cooler to overclock/keep noise down to a minimum.

Hope some of this is useful.

Well spotted on the CPU difference cheers, I haven't bought an AMD cpu in a while, but this will be in use for some time so any little improvements are worth getting.

The motherboard differences aren't deal-breakers, but they're probably worth paying the extra for given the lifespan of the PC - unsure if the difference in RAM cost is worth it, so I'll have a read up on that.

Semi-fanless PSU sounds nice, and that case looks ideal and won't take up too much of the small amount of desk space he has available - hopefully it'll be in stock when I'm ready to order it.

Cheers

 

[Danny75]

Well spotted on the CPU difference cheers, I haven't bought an AMD cpu in a while, but this will be in use for some time so any little improvements are worth getting.

The motherboard differences aren't deal-breakers, but they're probably worth paying the extra for given the lifespan of the PC - unsure if the difference in RAM cost is worth it, so I'll have a read up on that.

Semi-fanless PSU sounds nice, and that case looks ideal and won't take up too much of the small amount of desk space he has available - hopefully it'll be in stock when I'm ready to order it.

Cheers

You're welcome. There's a white version of that case (in stock), not sure if he might prefer it.