Speck me a £400 basic gaming PC

HXSVN · 2 Jan 2018 at 02:13

Hello all, I am new to this forum. I don't understand gaming PC's either. I have a budget of £400 and I need a gaming PC. No peripherals needed.

I just want to run Cities: Skylines and FM 2018

Thank you

HXSVN · 2 Jan 2018 at 14:58

tamzzy said:
need an operating system?

Sorry, OS not needed. Monitor not needed too.

HXSVN · 2 Jan 2018 at 15:01

Minibiker said:
Its a big ask at a low budget but can be done using second hand..

The budget can be stretched to maybe 500. But I dont want a top spec one. I have a voucher that I want to use up.

HXSVN · 2 Jan 2018 at 21:15

tamzzy said:
My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 3 Quad Core 1200 3.40GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £94.99

1 x MSI GeForce GTX 1050Ti OC 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £128.99

1 x EVGA 450BT 450W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply= £37.99

1 x Kolink Aviator M Micro-ATX Gaming Case - Black= £32.99

1 x MSI A320M Pro-VH Plus AMD A320 (Socket AM4) DDR4 Micro-ATX Motherboard= £44.99

1 x Toshiba P300 1TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache High Performance Hard Drive (HDWD110UZSVA)= £36.95

1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD48G3000= £89.99

Total: £479.19 (includes shipping: £12.30)

you could ask ocuk to build it for you for a small fee, and ask if they would warranty the whole build, rather than individual part warranty, if you're not comfortable building it yourself.
unfortunately for the spec above, a couple parts are currently out of stock

Can I find alternatives for the products that are out of stock?

HXSVN · 6 Jan 2018 at 21:38

I've looked through some benchmark results for the processors and Intel i3 8100 seems to be better than the AMD Ryzen 3 1200. Which one would you guys recommend?

HXSVN · 7 Jan 2018 at 22:01

If you were to spec me the cheapest possible Intel-based system to fit in a Corsair CC-9011106-WW Carbide Series 270R case, what would it look like?

HXSVN · 8 Jan 2018 at 18:59

lltfdaniel said:
No problem behind the scenes i am indeed like this.

I hope the 450w power supply can run the gtx 970 and whichever ryzen processor.

16gb of ram would be ideal but ram prices are not cheap at the moment.

Have fun.

Edit

Just need a box with bubble wrap just in case my gtx 970 does indeed go off to the op.

As you can see it just lives in a anti static bag, so am happy and the the person who receives it is welcome, otherwise it will sit there till it is so old it wouldn't even you know run games on high setting.

People will be thinking on here about why i don't sell it, well for one am lazy when it comes to setting up accounts and two i like to give spoils to people, if i did sell it, it would be priced around about £100.

Regarding that i always consult and not the other way around when i want to give free things .

I just want the op to have the best priced spec pc to game on as well.

Any case all i need is just his address, then i will send it, no worries about security as the police will be there if any trouble comes, just knowing what most likely people will be thinking of my post, any case i wouldn't bother causing trouble.

If your uneasy with giving me your address that may i suggest you set up a p.o. box address at the post office so i send it there instead for you to collect?

Setting up a p.o. box address will grant you the anonymity that you seek.

Thank you for your incredible generous offer. I really appreciate it. I am new to this platform so I how can I pm you to arrange this?

HXSVN · 8 Jan 2018 at 19:39

thanks to the generous offer from @@lltfdaniel, I have around £100 to spare now. Would it be wiser to stay with AMD Ryzen 5 or go for the Intel i5 and Intel motherboard?

HXSVN · 8 Jan 2018 at 21:04

lltfdaniel said:
Stick with ryzen 5 for sure here, it beats the 7600k when the processor is used to it's fullest with it's cores/threads, i posted a video demonstration this which is this link > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RMbYe4X2LI the intel 7600k is defeated in crysis by the ryzen 1600 by quite a margin here.

As you can see the ryzen has quite a margin in the lead here you can see that in time frame window at the bottom right so yeah the ryzen is more consistent in its performance unlike the 7600k

But the new coffeelake processors from intel well if you went with a 8600k or a 1700 costing around the same which is 250 quid the 1700 beats the 8600k when the 1700 is used to its fullest.

Anyways i read that ryzen priceing will be lower which is good news > https://www.pcper.com/news/Processors/CES-2018-AMD-Drops-Ryzen-CPU-Prices-30-Percent .

Either way now you know why @Plec said that the ryzen is future proofed because the cores and threads is where ryzen truely shines here when that happens in the future the 7600k will be quite behind the ryzen as its demonstrated in the picture here.

Would the above set up by @Plec be sufficient in runnint Cities: Skylines with a few mods? Im also considering adding Samsung Evo 250gb SSD.

HXSVN · 8 Jan 2018 at 21:07

Or would it be wiser to go for 16GB ram rather than a SSD?

HXSVN · 8 Jan 2018 at 21:17

lltfdaniel said:
Personally i'd pick 16gb of 3000mhz ram (you have to set the ram speed in the motherboard bios) over the ssd.

ddr4 3000mhz ram for the ryzen is ideal since ryzen loves fast ram and 3000mhz is the sweet spot.

You have to make sure the motherboard can support 3000mhz ram speed so yeah.

Ssd is nice but i'd pick the ram.

What's a decent 16GB ram you could recommend?

Does more RAM mean faster gameplay in Football Manager 18 too?

HXSVN · 8 Jan 2018 at 21:45

lltfdaniel said:
Well since i giv
e a lot of money, a person who streams online noticed quite a performance boost going from 2400mhz ram to 3000mhz, he has a 1500x ryzen processor.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-components/memory/ddr4/ddr4-3000-mhz

I am not the best person to pick the best ram but i know for sure lower the ram timings the better performance you get so to speak.

Your looking at about £200 for the ram.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...nnel-kit-black-red-tdprd416g30-my-071-tg.html

To be honest 8gb of ram is the bare minimum to play games with, 16gb is the ideal amount nowadays.

The more ram the less hiccups you get with the game demanding more ram than you currently have because if you don't have enough ram it will start to use virtual memory which comes from the hdd and it will hiccup or stutter.

If you say a ssd will be good as virtual memory i say ddr4 is a lot faster so i'd pick the ram here.

For the money what you will get you will be able to play game on high/max @ 1080p for sure.

The Corsair Vengeance LPX 16gb (https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...kit-black-cmk16gx4m2b30-my-445-cs.html#awards) also seem to operate at same levels, no?

Maybe if I find the used parts section of OCUK forums, I'll see what SSD's are people selling and see if I can stretch further

HXSVN · 8 Jan 2018 at 21:58

Plec said:
Although i would personally put any extra money to a better PSU:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Super Flower Platinum King 450W 80 Plus Platinum Power Supply - Black= £54.95

I want to learn as I build, hence my low level questions:

1. What does a better PSU enable?
2. With the RAM, theres only £11 difference between 2400MHz and 3200MHz. Is it worth saving that £11 for potentially slower speed?

HXSVN · 8 Jan 2018 at 23:33

Plec said:
You're jumping from a budget spec to a very respectable/quality build - the only weakness being the budget PSU. A quality platinum efficiency PSU backed a 5 year warranty is a wiser choice for your new build for an extra ~£15 if you can afford it.

Depends on your funds. There's no guarantee you'll hit 3200Mhz - but you will definitely hit 3000MHZ (2933MHz) with either set. You would be spending the extra £11 in the hope of hitting 3200MHz now or in the future with future BIOS/AGESA updates. Ryzen performs better with faster memory and 3000+ is the sweet spot - your choice as to what you can afford.

I would pick a better PSU over 200MHz if you have to choose between the two - as the above spec coupled with a GTX 970 is worth investing in a quality PSU.

Would you recommend the 1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C14 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G24 above or VENGEANCE LPX 16GB (2X8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C14 2400MHZ DUAL CHANNEL KIT - RED (CMK16GX4M2A2400 (https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...hannel-kit-red-cmk16gx4m2a2400-my-438-cs.html) ? seems to be 1o quid cheaper

HXSVN · 9 Jan 2018 at 07:21

Plec said:
I personally buy Corsair - but there's no difference. Both will hit 3000MHz using XMP and it would be down to luck if you could run tighter timings on either set.

The red of the Corsair would compliment the MB colouring - something to consider with a windowed case.

What else do I need, any idea of a silent CPU cooler?

Anything else I need? Wires or cables etc?

HXSVN · 9 Jan 2018 at 07:57

Plec said:
if you're buying the Ryzen 1600 then the stock Wraith cooler is more than adequate - even if condidering a moderate clock.

Your MB, PSU still come with all the cables you need. Perhaps a DP/HDMI cable for the monitor. Depends on your monitor/inputs and what you want to use.

Do you need a WiFi or will the PC be hardwired into the network?

I already have an HDMI, mouse etc.

With the WiFi, I have a basic TP Link WiFi module. Would that be sufficient?

HXSVN · 9 Jan 2018 at 08:47

Plec said:
For City Skylines, Football Manager and general browsing the basic TP Link should be fine.

Thank you. Once @lltfdaniel informs me that the GPU is posted, I'll order the remaining parts and build it.

HXSVN · 9 Jan 2018 at 09:24

lltfdaniel said:
Yea i'll let you know right away.

Anyways was looking for post office in my area and there is one nearby which doesn't need a lot of walking which is good.

Thank you mate

HXSVN · 9 Jan 2018 at 09:49

Plec said:
Looking at @lltfdaniel's #32 post he's really gone 'above and beyond' in making sure the GPU gets to you safely at considerable cost.

@lltfdaniel - don't paint yourself into a corner bud. The act of donating the GTX 970 is generous enough - more than generous. Buying a GTX 1060 if for some reason it doesn't work would be too much - especially if you have to wait to be paid to afford it. That would indicate to me that you don't have funds to spare/savings.

You've already been incredibly generous - don't put your self out of pocket if for some reason the card doesn't work.

Honestly this is not necessary. I cant believe you went out of your way for this. I am truly grateful. The GTX 970 was more than enough and now you went and did this.

HXSVN · 9 Jan 2018 at 10:26

Plec said:
Looks like @HXSVN hit the jackpot with this thread - you owe @lltfdaniel a few drinks.

@lltfdaniel - you've always come across as a decent, respectful forum member - and the above is an incredible generous act. However, I wouldn't make a habit of this as you'll find that you'll get 'begging/hint posts' and my concern is that you'll find it hard to decline due to your obvious generous nature.

I'm not telling you how to spend your money/act (your money, your decisions etc) - it's just a friendly heads up for the future. But again kudos - it's great to see a random act of generosity to a new member who you don't even know.

Enjoy your good fortune @HXSVN - and make sure you get a decent PSU for what is now a very respectable core build.

@lltfdaniel knows where I work, he can always come down - anytime.

I hope he doesnt feel as if I am taking advantage of him at all. If so, I wouldnt not be comfortable at all and would return the item immediately.

Im buying all parts except the PSU from a competitors website due to having a gift card there. The PSU will be from OCUK, the one you recommended above. Is that good enough for this system?