challenge: £300 for a whole PC. can it be done?

Tea_Bag

so ive been asked to build a PC for £650, but now the budget has been slashed. can it still be done?

1. What is your budget? [£300/€370]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/HTPC/Internet] at this budget Age of empires probably?

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? no

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes]

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? [hopefully]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Speakers]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes if i have to]

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

9. When are you purchasing? [1 week]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [no help needed, but based in the UK so can avail of cheaper delivery from whoever]


second hand is fine/likely at this point, if anyone has links for a PC for sale in Ireland or the UK that'll do the job shout out, i can collect in either country.

budget is probably a little stretchable, but not by a hell of a lot.:(

thanks!:o

Jonny7

Yup, should be possible, can't post it up as am in work

but built around an AMD 5600K with a 90 euro monitor (should "handle" most games and leave room later to add in a more powerful graphics card)

Only thing is - have to scrimp heavily on case and PSU

Some kind soul will have something up in a sec from hardwareversand

smileyj1987

You could go with this combo if you are looking for a gaming pc .

PC
https://www.adverts.ie/desktops/gaming-pc/2520262
Monitor
http://www.adverts.ie/monitors/dell-widescreen-monitor-17-inch/2733492

Tea_Bag

Jonny7 wrote: »

Yup, should be possible, can't post it up as am in work

but built around an AMD 5600K with a 90 euro monitor (should "handle" most games and leave room later to add in a more powerful graphics card)

Only thing is - have to scrimp heavily on case and PSU

Some kind soul will have something up in a sec from hardwareversand

thats what im thinking, apu seems the logical choice.

smileyj1987 wrote: »

You could go with this combo if you are looking for a gaming pc .

PC
https://www.adverts.ie/desktops/gaming-pc/2520262
Monitor
http://www.adverts.ie/monitors/dell-widescreen-monitor-17-inch/2733492

thats actually a pretty decent set up for its price! it'll do a lot more than minecraft anyway!

Serephucus

That's a pretty good deal actually. I couldn't make everything fit on HWVS without it being significantly worse than that.

deconduo

Item|Price
Intel Celeron Dual-Core G1610 Box , LGA1155|€37.44
ASRock H61M-VG3, Sockel 1155, mATX|€38.84
4GB Corsair Valueselect DDR3-1333 CL9|€24.97
Seagate Spinpoint HD502HJ 500GB SATA II|€48.18
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Core 1000 black|€29.54
Corsair VS Serie VS350, Non-Modular, 80+|€29.56
Hanns.G HL190APB|€79.45
Club 3D Radeon HD 7750, 1024MB GDDR3, AMD Radeon HD 7750, PCI- Express|€75.11
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€382.08

I'm a bit wary about that PSU, couldn't find much information on it. However its Corsair, with a 3 year warranty and 25A on the +12V rails so it can't be terrible.

Serephucus

Aaaaand I've been bitch slapped, ladies and gentlemen! :P

smileyj1987

deconduo wrote: »

I'm a bit wary about that PSU, couldn't find much information on it. However its Corsair, with a 3 year warranty and 25A on the +12V rails so it can't be terrible.

You Could change the case to this :
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Mini/76429/Special+item%3A+Zalman+T1+Mini+Tower+-+schwarz%2C+ohne+Netzteil.article

You Could then add 3 or 4 euro more and go with the reliable Super Flower Amazon 450 watt psu that so many people here have used .

deconduo

smileyj1987 wrote: »

You Could change the case to this :
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Mini/76429/Special+item%3A+Zalman+T1+Mini+Tower+-+schwarz%2C+ohne+Netzteil.article

You Could then add 3 or 4 euro more and go with the reliable Super Flower Amazon 450 watt psu that so many people here have used .

That case is a returned item that is damaged and doesn't have any of the usual accessories with it. I'd be more inclined to drop the GPU down to a 6670 or something instead of cheaping out on the case.

smileyj1987

deconduo wrote: »

That case is a returned item that is damaged and doesn't have any of the usual accessories with it. I'd be more inclined to drop the GPU down to a 6670 or something instead of cheaping out on the case.

Sorry about that wrong link , I found a non damaged one !

http://www.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=73546&agid=635&apop=0

joetoad

Item|Price
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€47.79
4GB G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€25.29
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€44.14
MSI 760GM-P34 (FX), Sockel AM3+, mATX|€42.82
HIS HD 7770 GDDR5 1024MB DVI HDMI 2xMiniDP|€99.74
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Box, Sockel AM3, 125W|€75.00
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Core 1000 black|€29.54
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€383.31

A very solid gaming pc and will be able to play most games at 1080P mostly on max settings. Do you have a tv you can use as a monitor?

Serephucus

That's only slightly more powerful than deconduo's build, will not be able to play games at max settings, and is missing a monitor.

joetoad

Serephucus wrote: »

That's only slightly more powerful than deconduo's build, will not be able to play games at max settings, and is missing a monitor.

I have a similar build, plays the new bioshock infinite maxed out flawlessly, dishonored maxed out flawlessly, Crysis 3 medium to high(mostly high), Far Cry 3 at 35 FPS with Post FX set to medium, assasins creed 3 flawlessly. Might not be hitting 50 FPS but does the job!

Obviously not with AA, actually just edited bioshock infinite, dishonored, assasins creed 3 run grand with AA to the max!

smileyj1987

joetoad wrote: »

Item|Price
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€47.79
4GB G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€25.29
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€44.14
MSI 760GM-P34 (FX), Sockel AM3+, mATX|€42.82
HIS HD 7770 GDDR5 1024MB DVI HDMI 2xMiniDP|€99.74
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Box, Sockel AM3, 125W|€75.00
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Core 1000 black|€29.54
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€383.31
A very solid gaming pc and will be able to play most games at 1080P mostly on max settings. Do you have a tv you can use as a monitor?

That is a very solid build and is would a be a great pc to buy for 380 it proves you can get into pc gaming without breaking the bank . The main problem is the fact Tea Bags build needs a monitor and you haven't included one .

joetoad

smileyj1987 wrote: »

That is a very solid build and is would a be a great pc to buy for 380 it proves you can get into pc gaming without breaking the bank . The main problem is the fact Tea Bags build needs a monitor and you haven't included one .

Hence why I asked him does he have a tv he can use:)

Tea_Bag

thanks for all the help lads! honestly you've saved me hours of work and I've very little free time to have done it myself.

while I admire AMD and like the x4 955, from a future proof POV, it'd be foolish not to go for Decs h61 build, and at €380, I'm pleasantly surprised the PSU even has a sticker on the box.

OT: I don't know if I'm the only one who gets this, but I always get tingly feelings on the back of my neck when I see a CPU for €37. I've studied in depth silicon engineering and fabrication and it's an incredibly complex science, far too complex to do without a computer actually. that single chip has more computational power than the entire planet had 50 years ago. €37. mind boggling.

smileyj1987

Tea_Bag wrote: »

thanks for all the help lads! honestly you've saved me hours of work and I've very little free time to have done it myself.

while I admire AMD and like the x4 955, from a future proof POV, it'd be foolish not to go for Decs h61 build, and at €380, I'm pleasantly surprised the PSU even has a sticker on the box.

Both PC's where neck and neck but if you want performance intel has that crown now . So maybe in a years time you could pick a cheap intel quad core to go in the H61 mobo .

joetoad

smileyj1987 wrote: »

Both PC's where neck and neck but if you want performance intel has that crown now . So maybe in a years time you could pick a cheap intel quad core to go in the H61 mobo .

No there not at all, x4 955 is within 10% of an i3 and practically the same when overclocked. I personally wouldn't go for the cheap dual core processor because games are starting to use more and more cores and will seriously bottleneck the computer. If you plan on gaming at 720P which the monitor is it should be fine though

The only way Intel is better is if you have an i5 processor. AMD FX processors are much better than an i3. Intel only lead the range if i5 or above. AMD all the way otherwise!

Tij da feen

joetoad wrote: »

No there not at all, x4 955 is within 10% of an i3 and practically the same when overclocked. I personally wouldn't go for the cheap dual core processor because games are starting to use more and more cores and will seriously bottleneck the computer. If you plan on gaming at 720P which the monitor is it should be fine though

The only way Intel is better is if you have an i5 processor. AMD FX processors are much better than an i3. Intel only lead the range if i5 or above. AMD all the way otherwise!

For single threaded programs Ivy bridge will perform a lot better and the initial cost of the AMD build is higher than the cost of the Intel build.

Also, Tea, remember that you might have to perform a BIOS upgrade on that motherboard with a Sandy Bridge processor before it'll take the Ivy processor.

deconduo

Tij da feen wrote: »

For single threaded programs Ivy bridge will perform a lot better and the initial cost of the AMD build is higher than the cost of the Intel build.

Also, Tea, remember that you might have to perform a BIOS upgrade on that motherboard with a Sandy Bridge processor before it'll take the Ivy processor.

Nope I checked that already. The mobo supports that CPU natively.

smileyj1987

Hey Tea , what about going for a 7770 for 15 dearer and buying a monitor for €50 off adverts .

http://www.hardwareversand.de/1024+MB/65947/PowerColor+Radeon+HD+7770+GHz+Edition+V2%2C+1GB+DDR5.article

A monitor I found after a quick search :
http://www.adverts.ie/monitors/acer-al2202w-22-widescreen-lcd-monitor/2787502

TerrorFirmer

You're really not going to beat deconduo's build considering it includes a monitor. The only thing I would change is add €15 and stretch to the €400 mark and get a G2020 or similar processor, faster and more cache and actually a pretty respectable gaming CPU.

For €400, at the native resolution of the monitor, with a G2020 and a 7750, you'd be playing pretty much most games at high settings.

Tea_Bag

yea I'll try get him to stretch the CPU. I think the 7750 will be fine, I got my brother a ddr3 version and he's thrilled with it, even though it's a downgrade from his previous Gtx460.

it's an incredible amount of PC for >€400. monitor and all, its going to be difficult to sell the next gen consoles at similar money. the only people to buy them won't know any better, unless MS and Sony pull something out their bag.

as always, thanks for the help!

if any of ye are ever in Limerick, I'll get you a drink.

joetoad

Tea_Bag wrote: »

yea I'll try get him to stretch the CPU. I think the 7750 will be fine, I got my brother a ddr3 version and he's thrilled with it, even though it's a downgrade from his previous Gtx460.

it's an incredible amount of PC for >€400. monitor and all, its going to be difficult to sell the next gen consoles at similar money. the only people to buy them won't know any better, unless MS and Sony pull something out their bag.

as always, thanks for the help!

if any of ye are ever in Limerick, I'll get you a drink.

Triple Vodka and red bull please, sound

Tea_Bag

ordered decs build last night. speakers are out of stock til Friday so I'm not expecting any shipment soon.

VISA payments are working now, with a 3% charge like PayPal.

thanks guys.

pedatron

Tea_Bag wrote: »

ordered decs build last night. speakers are out of stock til Friday so I'm not expecting any shipment soon.

VISA payments are working now, with a 3% charge like PayPal.

thanks guys.

Did you go for Decs build totally or switch to the different processor? I'm very tempted to go for it too! What speakers are you waiting on also?

Thanks.

Tea_Bag

i actually couldnt upgrade the CPU, as i had to add wireless, speakers, mouse etc etc and i had already blown the budget.

if you have the €15 to spare, get the better CPU over a GPU, but if not its still an ivy celeron, its excellent value for money.

these speakers are the best in their price range. ive bought 3 sets already for friends, everyone more than happy. you'd never know they were €23.

pedatron

Tea_Bag wrote: »

i actually couldnt upgrade the CPU, as i had to add wireless, speakers, mouse etc etc and i had already blown the budget.

if you have the €15 to spare, get the better CPU over a GPU, but if not its still an ivy celeron, its excellent value for money.

these speakers are the best in their price range. ive bought 3 sets already for friends, everyone more than happy. you'd never know they were €23.

Thats great Tea_Bag. I'm gonna bite the bullet when I'm paid tomorrow! Excited now!

Tea_Bag

its a lot of PC for the money, really.

early last year for this kind of money you'd be lucky to get a 5770 and an athlon x3. actually i paid £500 or something for my athlon x3 455 + gtx460 768mb 2 years ago i think.

pedatron

The graphics card availability is unknown atm. Is the wait for restock normally very long do people know??

Tea_Bag

get this instead:
here

its actually a little nicer @ 2gb, not that it'll matter at 720p.

BloodBath

That's 2gb of gdd3 not gddr5. It will perform worse than the 1gb model ddr5.

pedatron

BloodBath wrote: »

That's 2gb of gdd3 not gddr5. It will perform worse than the 1gb model ddr5.

So should I wait or maybe just get it elsewhere?

TerrorFirmer

89.90 plus 10 postage for a 7770.

78.67 plus 10 postage for a 7750.

Tea_Bag

BloodBath wrote: »

That's 2gb of gdd3 not gddr5. It will perform worse than the 1gb model ddr5.

they're both gddr3. it's worth stretching to the 7770 if you can though.

Snowie

Tea_Bag wrote: »

they're both gddr3. it's worth stretching to the 7770 if you can though.

Carefull now that's how it starts slight stretch here and there and the build becomes a bastardised shadow of its self

NTMK

Snowie wrote: »

Carefull now that's how it starts slight stretch here and there and the build becomes a bastardised shadow of its self

thats what happened with me €800 with monitor turned into close to €1500 and whats worse is that could have been more:o

Tea_Bag

I have a habit of destroying people's budget lol

Serephucus

I think we're both fairly bad for that. :P

€800 you say? Well, for only a little more... water cooling... IPS monitor... surround sound... dedicated sound card...

€3,000 later.

Snowie

NTMK wrote: »

thats what happened with me €800 with monitor turned into close to €1500 and whats worse is that could have been more:o

Tea_Bag wrote: »

I have a habit of destroying people's budget lol

Serephucus wrote: »

I think we're both fairly bad for that. :P

€800 you say? Well, for only a little more... water cooling... IPS monitor... surround sound... dedicated sound card...

€3,000 later.

Being honest im glad i blew my budget into next year. I got a decent system well untill i get a second card which I crosfire and of course a water cooler and bigger psu maybe bye then amd will have something even better then the 8350 :pac:


wait, wut

NTMK

Tea_Bag wrote: »

I have a habit of destroying people's budget lol

You do.:pac:

you were so close to getting me to buy a 580 sli rig with 3 3d monitors

and you have to remember our other housemate you convinced (partial help from me) to go from "im not getting a gaming rig they're too expensive" to a budget of over 2,000 :pac:

pedatron

http://www.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=70157&agid=1200&apop=2

Sorry lads. This is my first build and was wondering would this case be able to take all the parts mentioned by deconduo in his build earlier in this thread?

Tij da feen

pedatron wrote: »

http://www.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=70157&agid=1200&apop=2

Sorry lads. This is my first build and was wondering would this case be able to take all the parts mentioned by deconduo in his build earlier in this thread?

No you'd need a different motherboard. Make a new thread and answer all of the questions that Tea_Bag answered in the first post and we'll help you.