Upgrade on a budget

bennyc

Hi folks, I am upgrading my GPU and want to build another machine to use my current GPU for teens in the house. Basically I need Case, Mobo , PSU, RAM, CPU.
this is what I had in mind from Aria its delivered for around 250.

ARIAnet Silk Black Micro-ATX Case
550W ARIAnet ACE Xtreme Series Power Supply 
Intel Core i3-2120 3.30GHz (Sandy Bridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail 
MSI H61M-P31-G3 GEN3 Intel H61 (REV B3) Socket 1155 DDR3 PCI-Express
8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Value Select 1333MHz CL9 DDR3 Dual/Quad Channel Kit

1. What is your budget? €250

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? mid range gaming Battlefield, Skyrim

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Yes
HD6850 OC edition , HDD , DVD

5. Do you need a monitor? No

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? Nope

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Yep

8. How can you pay. Paypal or Credit Card

9. When are you purchasing? This weekend

spix

That power supply is a big no !

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Midi+Tower/ARIAnet+StealthX+Type-R+Black+Midi+Tower+Gaming+Case+?productId=47777

https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/500W+Cooler+Master+Elite+Power+Power+Supply+?productId=47403

https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/AMD+%28Trinity%29+Athlon+X4+740+3.20GHz+Quad-Core+Socket+FM2+Processor+?productId=53674

https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/GIGABYTE+GA-F2A55M-HD2+AMD+A55+%28Socket+FM2%29+Micro-ATX+Motherboard+?productId=52522

Monotype

That PSU is just as bad. The Coolermaster Elite series are sh1te.
The CX430v3 is about as low as you'd want to go on that site.

https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/430W+Corsair+Builder+Series+430CX+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+?productId=52660

The xfx 450W is just a few pounds more capabilities and longer warranty (although I've heard that XFX RMA system isn't great).
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/450W+XFX+Pro+Core+Edition+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+%5BP1-450S-X2B9%5D+?productId=53989

Edit: Also, I'd be more inclined to go with AM3+ on account of already having a graphics card. I know the athlons for FM2 don't have integrated graphics and it is a good deal for what you are getting but just thinking of maximising upgradeability.
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/AMD+Socket/Socket+AM3%2B+Piledriver+FX/GIGABYTE+GA-970A-DS3+AMD+970A+(Socket+AM3%2B)+ATX+Motherboard+?productId=48467
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Processors/AMD+CPUs/Athlon+II+-+Socket+AM3%2B/AMD+Athlon+II+X3+450+3.20GHz+(Socket+AM3)+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=41578
Not the most awesome CPU on the block, but it should cover you for a while.

spix

Monotype wrote: »

That PSU is just as bad. The Coolermaster Elite series are sh1te.
The CX430v3 is about as low as you'd want to go on that site.

https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/430W+Corsair+Builder+Series+430CX+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+?productId=52660

The xfx 450W is just a few pounds more capabilities and longer warranty (although I've heard that XFX RMA system isn't great).
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/450W+XFX+Pro+Core+Edition+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+%5BP1-450S-X2B9%5D+?productId=53989

Edit: Also, I'd be more inclined to go with AM3+ on account of already having a graphics card. I know the athlons for FM2 don't have integrated graphics and it is a good deal for what you are getting but just thinking of maximising upgradeability.
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/AMD+Socket/Socket+AM3%2B+Piledriver+FX/GIGABYTE+GA-970A-DS3+AMD+970A+(Socket+AM3%2B)+ATX+Motherboard+?productId=48467
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Processors/AMD+CPUs/Athlon+II+-+Socket+AM3%2B/AMD+Athlon+II+X3+450+3.20GHz+(Socket+AM3)+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=41578
Not the most awesome CPU on the block, but it should cover you for a while.

It has decent enough reviews here http://www.ebuyer.com/253900-coolermaster-elite-power-500w-psu-rs500-psapj3-it

I know its pretty basic and cheap but would get the job done.

It's 30 pounds on aria now but was a bit cheaper earlier which is why I recommended it. The first psu he linked to didn't even have one pci-e cable!

Monotype

You can't judge a PSU by customer reviews. They can only say it's quiet and it works. They're not going to be able to see out of control voltages that's degrading their components.

That series has shown inefficiency, poor regulation (i.e., high ripple and noise) as well as over-rating.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Elite-Power-350-W-Power-Supply-Review/1184/9
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Elite-Power-400-W-Power-Supply-Review/975/10
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Elite-Power-460-W-Power-Supply-Review/1005/9

A good rule to go with is to just avoid all of Coolermaster's non-modular PSUs. Their latest ones are possibly okay but just rule them out as a PSU choice unless you buy their modular ones because they just cut corners with their cheaper ones. Their modular PSUs are worth a looking at, just to clarify.

If you were really desperate to cut coners, you could find somewhere that sells the Corsair VS350 (not sold on aria). Not much information on it but it's probably okay as it just looks like a slightly more stripped down CX to cater for European voltages only. Even the CXs weren't good when they came out but the v3 is a worthwhile PSU. I think it's worth pushing the budget that much just for the sake of safety, even.

bennyc

Thanks for this , would there be a difference in performance between the Intel chips and the AMD mentioned.

Skyrim would be one of the games I would ned running at a decent framerate, would this still be a runner with these AMD ?

Monotype

Then Intel CPU will offer better raw performance per core. The AMD spix mentioned is a quad core and is great value - AMD keep these cheap to encourage people to use this platform. Actually, AMD are releasing new processors for this socket in about two months, so you'll have somewhere to upgrade to. The one that I mentioned is a tri core. It's got 3 cores (with a possibility to unlock to 4) but it has a better board if you want to upgrade to AMD's most powerful CPUs.
Spix's recommendation will give you the most powerful CPU that you can afford now, but FM2's true strength lies with it's range of APUs that have powerful integrated graphics. Since you have a dedicated card, you don't need that option and so I'd be more inclined to go with AM3+ where you'd have a bigger range (of CPUs) to upgrade to - i.e., 6 and 8 cores.

Even if you do decide to go with FM2, you'll probably be okay for quite a while. We're expecting about two more generations of CPUs/APUs for this socket so you'll some options and AMD will keep the prices low too.
Given that you have a graphics card and you were mentioning that it's for teens, I'd assume gaming. In this regard you'll be perfectly fine and games are finally beginning to utilise additional cores cores. If you do go with this socket, I would like to suggest pushing an extra ~€15 into the board just for the sake of USB3 and SATA 6Gbps.
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/AMD+Socket/Socket+FM2+-+AMD+A85X/GIGABYTE+GA-F2A85XM-HD3+AMD+A85X+(Socket+FM2)+Micro-ATX+Motherboard+?productId=53467

bennyc

cheers for the info, I will go with the AMD, might stick to a cheaper board for now.
on another note I am upgrading my HD 6850 and was thinking of going for Nvidia 660, I had started looking at the 650ti boost and see 660's are in the same price range at lowest prices. Would a 660 be a decent choice at the 145 stg price range. I dont want to go about 150 sterling.

bennyc

OK I think I am ready to order so hows this

ARIAnet Dominator Black Midi Tower Gaming Case #54769 £ 19.99 £ 19.99
8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Value Select 1333MHz CL9 DDR3 Dual/Quad Channel Kit [CMV8GX3M2A1333C9] #51173 £ 42.49 £ 42.49
AMD Athlon II X3 450 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) Processor - Retail #41578 £ 39.95 £ 39.95
GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3 AMD 970A (Socket AM3+) ATX Motherboard #48467 £ 44.97 £ 44.97
450W XFX Pro Core Edition 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply [P1-450S-X2B9]

Monotype

Those are ex VAT prices. Including VAT, that RAM comes to £51 (€59.52).
You could get slightly faster RAM and save a little by getting this RAM from memoryc.
http://www.memoryc.com/computermemory/ddr3ram/8gbgskill1600mhzpc312800ntseriessinglemodulecl11.html

spix

bennyc wrote: »

OK I think I am ready to order so hows this

ARIAnet Dominator Black Midi Tower Gaming Case #54769 £ 19.99 £ 19.99
8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Value Select 1333MHz CL9 DDR3 Dual/Quad Channel Kit [CMV8GX3M2A1333C9] #51173 £ 42.49 £ 42.49
AMD Athlon II X3 450 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) Processor - Retail #41578 £ 39.95 £ 39.95
GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3 AMD 970A (Socket AM3+) ATX Motherboard #48467 £ 44.97 £ 44.97
450W XFX Pro Core Edition 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply [P1-450S-X2B9]

If you don't care much about upgrading processors I'd go with the FM2 cpu/motherboard. At 51 pounds that quad core x4 720 is unbeatable value for money.

The 6850 is still a capable card so I'd stick with that, will be a good fit for the system your building. Anything more powerful might get bottlenecked by the cpu in some games.