spec me a £300 build

Here's a build for close to £300. Basic sound. You'll need to add a good sound card for better quality.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-4130 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £83.99
1 x Avexir MPower Yellow Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U16000904G-2CM) £55.99
1 x Asus H81M-PLUS Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x SuperFlower Amazon 300W "80 Plus Bronze" Power Supply £29.99
1 x Aerocool V3X Advance Black Edition Midi-Tower - Black £25.99
1 x Pioneer 24x Internal DVR-221LBK DVD Rewriter - OEM £17.99
Total : £317.53 (includes shipping : £8.00).



Can also make do with 4GB of RAM for now and get a larger 2TB HDD.
 
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^Pretty much what you will get, maybe another £3-4 for quicker RAM and you're pretty much there (8gb still.)
 
Go for 16GB RAM if you can afford it, new VSTs on programs like Cubase/FL Studio/Ableton appreciate the extra headroom. RAM speed is less important, space is more so.
Music software runs better if installed on system drive and writing to separate drive i.e. install OS and software on C:\ and write and save all your audio on D:\
Partitioning one drive like that does not boost performance.
Also I'd recommend Quad-core CPU if you're running heavy programs and plugins, check software reviews etc for that or if you already know then you already know.
Finally I'd be inclined to go for an Antec or Corsair PSU. They're the only brands I trust to work when the PC is running for hours on end like my machine can be sometimes, when I'm producing tracks.
[EDIT: never actually came across Superflower until now and they seem to have some solid opinions behind them so possibly omit my bit about PSU brands. Although can't go wrong with the two I mentioned, speaking from experience]
These improvements are obviously more expensive but if your machine's performance and lifespan really matter I'd invest a little more for larger gain. Good luck!
 
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claypigeon101 said:
Go for 16GB RAM if you can afford it, new VSTs on programs like Cubase/FL Studio/Ableton appreciate the extra headroom. RAM speed is less important, space is more so.
Music software runs better if installed on system drive and writing to separate drive i.e. install OS and software on C:\ and write and save all your audio on D:\
Partitioning one drive like that does not boost performance.
Also I'd recommend Quad-core CPU if you're running heavy programs and plugins
Click to expand...

16GB of RAM and quad core? You did read the budget was £300? You would use that entire budget buying just the RAM and CPU.

I'd suggest the below spec. It's very similiar to Danny75's spec but I saved a little money on a cheaper case, motherboard, and optical drive, in order to try and get you a sound card as well whilst staying as close to the budget as possible.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-4130 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £83.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
1 x Asus H81M-K Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £37.99
1 x SuperFlower Amazon 300W "80 Plus Bronze" Power Supply £29.99
1 x Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 PCI-Express Sound Card with built in Headphone Amp £24.95
1 x Aerocool V3X Black Edition Midi-Tower - Black £21.95
1 x OcUK 20x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
Total : £325.44 (includes shipping : £8.00).

 
^ Probably go for the Pioneer DVD writer instead for the extra quid, and if I'm not mistaken (probably am) but will 300W be a bit tight?
 
Nah, it wont even be close. That CPU only pulls 54w at most, you could probably run that entire system off a 150W psu.
 
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