Hi guys, I have started to build myself a desktop after using laptops exclusively in the past 3-4 year. Due to this I am a bit out of touch with what has happened in this period and need the community's help. Below I've filled in the Build Advice template and added some comments. Budget: 350-400 GBP Main uses of intended build: Everyday use + moderate gaming Parts required: PSU, Motherboard,CPU,SDD/HDD,RAM Previous build information: I will build the system into a Corsair Carbide Air240 case Monitor resolution: 1920x1080 (Asus M239H 23inch) Storage requirements: I currently use <150 GB of space, don't need that much Will you be overclocking: No Extra information about desired system: As it results from the case choice, this will be a mATX build. From what I know or have researched a 550W PSU should be enough for this build (was thinking of going for one from the Corsair VS series). I want to get the most value from the parts I choose ( as everyone most likely does), but want to get only what I need. I will get a Haswell I5 CPU (non K series, was thinking the 4460). As I don't plan to overclock & don't need that many features, was thinking of going with a chipset H81 motherboard from either Asus, MSI, AsRock or Gigabyte. In terms of storage, I have 2 options: - get a HDD or a hybrid to begin with and get a SSD at some point in the future - get a SDD to begin with and use that exclusively for a few months Lastly, this build will not include a dedicated GPU from the start due to budget constraints. i'm thinking I can get away with using the integrated GPU for a few months. Was thinking of getting a GTX750 or GX750ti when I actually do buy, what do you think? TLDR version: Build a system in a Corsair Carbide air240 case (which I already have), around a Haswell i5 (non K) CPU. The main usage will be everyday stuff (office, internet, movies) with some moderate gaming (doesn't need to be in ultra details, I'm fine with moderate). Sorry for the wall of text & I appreciate your replies.
If your gaming you will need a dedicated GPU unless you go for an AMD FM2 A10 processor build. You could also opt for an Athlon x4 860 and gigabyte GA F2A88XM for example for approx £90. This would allow more budget to be dedicated to a GPU which is the key part of a gaming build. Alternatively you could opt for an AM3+ build with an FX4300. Itll cost more but you have the option of throwing an FX6 or FX8320 at a later date if games require more than a quad (frostbite seem to like cores). Intel is better but AMD offer good performance and will allow the dedicated GPU which is key for your build. You also might be able to sneak a 60gb ssd in for OS and pick up a 500gb or 1TB driver for everything else. You could also opt for a 400W or a 350W PSU at a push if you don't overclock. PCpartpicker will allow you to add components at the "best" prices and play around with builds.
Just managed to get it within budget tho shipping may push you just over. http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Y64ssY
Thanks very much for this, it looks pretty good. I should be able to get most (if not all) of the parts locally when i finally decide to make the purchase and avoid any shipping charges. With regards to your first post, I was thinking that the integrated GPU would be able to take browsing, office, movies plus some games (mainly World of Tanks, World of Warcraft, nothing fancy) without much trouble for 1-2 months. After these 1-2 months I could get a good dedicated GPU. Let me know if you think this is completely nuts or it wouldn't work
You could do that if its that short before you upgrade. WoW should run ok with onboard graphics but later content and some instances may struggle. Buying local usually costs you more that what etailers charge. Guess you can only price up and see. As i said in my post before, Athlon x4 is a possibility. The savings would allow a 120GB SSD which would make a big difference on how the system handles even if you don't gain frames from it. Downside is I donno AMDs plan for FM2+ While an i5 is better AMDs processors are still very capable for gaming. Onboard graphics will give you a poor experience. It is your choice. The i5 will provide a great base to build upon and if you can upgrade the following month then its certainly a more viable option depending on your tolerance level when gaming
Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor £130.94 Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard £64.00 Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (cl9, 1.5v memory is important) £30.96 Western Digital BLACK SERIES 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive £39.95 Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (much better than the 250 or 250x) £106.99 XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (much better than the bq psu) £36.00 I would go with this.
Thanks for the post, it looks pretty good. It's funny that I was looking at a WD Black 500GB HDD just the other day, it looked pretty good to me. I'm still having trouble deciding on what motherboard to buy, although the Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H you mentioned is a strong candidate. Currently trying to decide between H97 & Z97 chipsets, although I can't see much difference between them. With regards to the PSU, what do you think about Corsair VS Series VS450? Don't think I can get a XFX one where I'm at, or it would cost more due to shipping. Thanks.
You don't need z97 chipset for non K CPU and the cheap ones are bad anyway so i suggest the h97. The Gigabyte h97 d3h and Asrock h97 pro4 are both good and cheap solutions, Asus h97m plus is another one but it cost a bit more. I suggested the XFX psu because they are using Seasonic psus and they are one of the best and with single 12v rail, but if you can get an FSP Raider 550 that would be good too. FSP is a great psu manufacturer. Corsair is just rebranding the psus, they don't produce them and i don't suggest cheap(vs, cx) corsair psu because they are bad. If you want really cheap psu then FSP Hexa+ 500W can be a good choice too or Chieftech CTG, but i would go with the xfx or the raider.
Just thought I'd let you guys know what I've bought / ordered so far: Case : Corsair Carbide Air 240 Power Supply: Seasonic S12II-620 Bronze 620W Motherboard: Asus H97M-PLUS CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Storage: Intel Solid State Drive (SSD) 520 Series, 120GB
