New Build - €450-€500

T-b0n3

I'm helping my little cousin build his first rig (he's 14). I build a Shuttle system years back but haven't done it in a while so just looking for a bit of help here. I've read around the forum and came up with something. Any advice or changes would be much appreciated. I'm not sure what the best graphics card to go for is.

1. What is your budget? [€450/500]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games) Gaming and normal use, he plays a lot of Runescape, but would like to be able to run other games to a decent standard.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility) No

5. Do you need a monitor? No

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] Will be using a standard monitor with a plan to upgrade at Christmas.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.] No. Can pick them up at a later date if needed.

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Would consider it yes.

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser] Any

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days] This week.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.] Based in South Dublin. Knocklyon.

Item|Price
NZXT Phantom 410 Midi - White , ATX, ohne Netzteil|€96.95
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€43.33
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€19.34
ASUS P8H61 REV 3.0, Sockel 1155, ATX, DDR3|€60.99
Intel Core i3-3220 Box, LGA1155|€111.20
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€27.68
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 3 6GB/s|€66.89
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€445.37

The case was his choice and he doesn't want to downgrade it. He likes the look of it. Any idea what graphics card would be best suited?

Thanks.

IrishMetalhead

A 7770 would do nicely but will put you well over budget.
In my honest openion getting a Phantom for a system thats not going to run hot or be overclocked is just a huge waste of money would there be no possible way of making him reconsider?
Also i made a few slight changes to your post.
I changed the i3 to a Sandybridge one to save a tenner plus Ivybridge i3 only really offer better onboard video which won't be used. Also included a B75 motherboard so the option of upgrading to a K series i5 or i7 is there and will support CPU overclocking:

Item|Price
Intel Core i3-2100 Box, LGA1155|€102.99
ASRock B75 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€69.29
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€27.42
Samsung SH-222BB schwarz|€16.14
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 3 6GB/s|€66.87
XFX DD RADEON 7770 1000M 1GB D5 mDP HDMI DVI|€105.91
NZXT Phantom 410 Midi - White , ATX, ohne Netzteil|€97.32
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€53.68
InLine ATX/EPS Verlängerung 20cm|€2.90
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€561.51

Monotype

Seagate 7200.12 is old. There's a newer version, the 7200.14 or ST3000DM001 (I don't think it's labelled at all on hardwareversand), but I'd go for the WD Blue first.

The Ivy Bridge CPU would actually be a fair bit faster. Maybe even up to 20%. The graphics differences actually wouldn't be much since the Ivy Bridge i3 only has 2500.

I agree that the case could be chopped down to divert the funds into the components.

T-b0n3

Thanks for the input. Although now I'm slightly confused on the processor. And I completely agree about the case, I'll try talk him down. Where would the money be best spent if he decides to go for a cheaper case.

Thanks again.

Monotype

Well, you could put an extra €50 into the graphics card and get a 7850.

Or with a bit of shuffling around, you could get an AMD CPU (and motherboard to match) like the 8120. That wouldn't cost much more than the i3s. The additional cores would be helpful in the video editing/modelling if you were doing a lot of encoding. For gaming, the i3 would be better, even though it's a dual core as it's faster per core and games tend to only use a few cores.

Ivy Bridge = Current generation CPU
Sandy Bridge = Last generation

Last generation is still compatible with the same board - it's still fast of course, but the new ones would be 10-15% faster if they were running at the same clock speed (in GHz).

T-b0n3

He found another case he was happy with and it's a lot cheaper. Anyone any opinion on it? I went for the WD blue hard drive as recommended too. Any other changes that need to be made?

Item|Price
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.08
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€19.90
ASRock B75 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€69.29
Intel Core i3-3220 Box, LGA1155|€110.92
Sharkoon Vaya Value weiß, ohne Netzteil|€33.11
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€71.15
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€27.42
InLine ATX/EPS Verlängerung 20cm|€2.90
XFX DD RADEON 7770 1000M 1GB D5 mDP HDMI DVI|€105.91
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€501.67


Thanks again for the comments.

Basket not correct, editing now.

Sorry about that, thought it had been updated.

Eboggles

Get a B75 board instead of a H61; chances are the H61 won't be on the Ivy Bridge BIOS, so it'd be much less hassle to just get the newer chipset.

That case looks pretty meh as well, maybe the Bitfenix Merc? Or Xigamatek Asgard?

IrishMetalhead

I Think he's looking for something more flashy since it is for a 14 year old,

Could go for this if it has to be a white case altho the fans it in are quite loud:

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/Midi/62130/Thermaltake+Commander+MS-I+USB+3.0+Snow+Edition%2C+ohne+Netzteil.article

T-b0n3

Eboggles wrote: »

Get a B75 board instead of a H61; chances are the H61 won't be on the Ivy Bridge BIOS, so it'd be much less hassle to just get the newer chipset.

That case looks pretty meh as well, maybe the Bitfenix Merc? Or Xigamatek Asgard?

Yea sorry my basket hadn't been updated correctly. I have fixed the above post to include the board, HDD and graphics card recommend.

IrishMetalhead wrote: »

I Think he's looking for something more flashy since it is for a 14 year old,

Could go for this if it has to be a white case altho the fans it in are quite loud:

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/Midi/62130/Thermaltake+Commander+MS-I+USB+3.0+Snow+Edition%2C+ohne+Netzteil.article

Pretty much hit the nail on the head there. I'll show him that and see what he thinks. Other than the case it's fairly solid then yea?

Thanks again.