Hi guys, I've built computers before but not for about 5 years which might as well be lightyears ago! I've never overclocked and don't really intend to either. I'd want the computer for gaming (CSS, Call of Duty - not bothered about max settings, just looking good is ok!), photo editing and a bit of video editing. I've got about £500 to spend and from what I can work out the Affordable All Rounder is a good place to start, however I wonder what I could do with the extra £50 and can be a bit flexible if it means a big advantage. Would appreciate any advice you could give, i've found this as a base: - Case: Silverstone PS05B - £38 - Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W - £45 - CPU: Intel Core i3 540 3.06GHz - £78 - Motherboard: Gigabyte H55N-USB3 Intel H55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 - £78 - Cooler: Freezer 7 or Gelid £~20 - RAM: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit - £~50 - Hard Drive: £30 - Graphics Card: GTX 460 - £150 - Optical Drive: £10 Which comes to approx £450.. I dont mind spend a bit more than £500 if i'm getting a noticeable difference/increasing the futureproof of it. Now my question.. is there a better CPU/Motherboard? Also - one thing I've never understood is graphics cards. Now we've got the GTX 460 but ones from Asus, Gainward, MSI etc.. which is best? Should it be simple? Really appreciate any help you guys can give me! Cheers!
Scan have an i5 650 deal on their Today Only page now, this will run until Monday afternoon (1pm-ish). It is listed at the top of the page under "Super Savers". * Coolermaster Elite 335 Mid Tower Case, Black, with Coolermaster Elite 460w PSU * Intel Core i5 650, Dual Core Clarkdale 32nm, 3.2GHz, 4MB Cache, 73W, Integrated GPU @ 733MHz, Retail * Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H, Intel H55, 1156, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR3 1600/1800/2133, SATA 3Gb/s, VGA, uATX * 1TB Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200rpm, 32MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ, OEM * 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.65V * Sony AD-7260S-0B 24x DVD±R, 12xDVD±DL, DVD+RW x8/-RWx6 ,12xRAM SATA, Black, OEM £323.11 Add a 1GB Gigabye GTX460 OC for £138.64 (further down the same Today Only page) and a Gelid Tranquilo cooler for £24.64 (if you are going to overclock) and you have a great rig for only £486.39. Edit: of course you can mix and match, all of the components in the Super Saver deal are available individually on the same Today Only page. If you want USB3 for example, choose another motherboard. If you want another case or PSU, ditto.
Not bad, but that motherboard is mini-itx, and your case isn't. I would change the mobo to a GA-H55M-UD2H, which is matx. Its also cheaper by about £10. Edit: Fingers you b***tard. Ninja'd!
So do you think that build will be solid for a few years to come? Certainly looks like a good deal to me!
Edit: Looking on the Today Only deals, theres also this: Intel i5 760, S1156, Lynnfield Quad Core, 2.8 GHz, 8MB Cache, Core Ratio 21x, 95W, Retail For only a few £ more - is this a better CPU?
yeah it is. the i5 760 is the gamers choice basically. But if you aren't a hardcore gamer, and you want to save a bit of cash, get a decent psu instead. I don't trust psu's that come with a case. Building a new machine now is probably not advised, as the new tech will be out very soon. Your new system will be out of date when you build it. But then, look at my rig. i'm still happy with socket 775 and an older GPU.
It is a much better CPU but whilst it will work with the UD2H motherboard, you will be better off with a P55 board such as the Asus P7P55D-E further down the page. The cost starts to rise though. For gaming the i5 760 is a much better CPU, with the right chip you *could* get a 4GHz overclock from it. If it was me buying, I would get a better quality PSU than the one in the Super Saver though, something like a 430w Seasonic S12II for £55, the 520w Antec High Current Gamer for about the same or a 500w OCZ ModXStream Pro for £49.99. Avoid the Corsair CX PSU's (the new Builder Series - CX430, CX500 & CX600), they are unproven. Edit: this time is is me that has been ninja'd!
Rightyo - so I'd be better waiting until after Christmas and see what comes out? Don't mind waiting a bit if it means cheaper prices/better tech.
Yeah, unless you can get something stupidly cheap you are better waiting until the new Sandy Bridge chips come out in early January which will probably shake prices up a bit by the end of the month.
