Building a new budget gaming PC
Randomguy33
Hove, East Sussex, England
Hello, I'm building a new computer because at the moment the computer I have is a bit rubbish and doesn't run any of the latest games, but I'm not sure what I should get. My friend Revorocks told me that I should join this forum and ask for advice on what to buy. My budget is at around £500-£550($740-$850) I can stretch a little more than that though. I'm going to mainly use the PC to play games and listen to music.
So far I'm thinking of getting:
Intel E8400
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
ATI HD4870
OCZ 2GB DDR2 1066MHz Reaper HPC (will buy 2GB more later)
Antec 900 Case
Antec EarthWatts 650W
I don't really know what motherboard I should get. I would also just like to check that this would be a good build and if there is anything better I could get for the same price range.
So far I'm thinking of getting:
Intel E8400
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
ATI HD4870
OCZ 2GB DDR2 1066MHz Reaper HPC (will buy 2GB more later)
Antec 900 Case
Antec EarthWatts 650W
I don't really know what motherboard I should get. I would also just like to check that this would be a good build and if there is anything better I could get for the same price range.
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Comments
JUST JOKING.
OK, seriously, a couple more questions:
1) would you please give us links to the UK online vendors you intend to shop
2) what monitor size and screen resolutions will you use or will you eventually upgrade to?
3) how long do you intend to run your new system before replacing or major upgrades?
4) music - really high fidelity, high average, or just 'good' sound
The answers will make a big difference in what we recommend.
However, I think he would also use another vendor, if they are safe, reliable and cheap.
He is running a 19" wide screen at the moment. I don't know how quickly he can get money so best wait till he tells you
I tell all my friends to join this forum when they have a question
1) I will be shopping on ebuyer
2) I have a 19" wide screen running at 1440x900, hopefully I should upgrade it to a 22" at 1680x1050 later next year
3) I intend to keep it till the i7's start to become more mainstream or till it completely fails to play games.
4) Just 'good' sound
Check out this site. I get all my gear from hear
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/
Never had any problems
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/134542
It's a better, more modern cooler.
For motherboards, you should consider the ASUS P5Q-series boards, Gigabyte's EP45 boards, and possibly DFI's Lanparty DK P45-T2RS. All are available through the retailer you've suggested using, but prices vary based on the options the board supports.
Possibly but not by much. I find overclockers seem to have a better choice and it is easier to browse for what you want. I guess it is all personal opinion
If Ebuyer work for you then its all good. I would consider an nVidia card. You seem to get more for your money. Mine has just blown up but I cant afford to get one til Feb.
These are the two im looking at.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-007-ZT&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1009&name=Zotac%20AMP%20GeForce%209800%20GTX+%20512MB%20GDDR3%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-177-AS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1009&name=Asus%20GeForce%209800%20GTX+%20"Dark%20Knight"%20512MB%20GDDR3%20HDTV/DVI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail
Cool. Looks good but will it fit in the antec 900? If so ill get that instead
Also I have a question about those motherboards, should I be looking for P45 or iP45?
There is no difference between P45 and iP45 other than adding the "i" in front of things seems to be common among European sites. I'd guess it's to signify it's an Intel chipset.
Right i have looked extensivly into buying computer parts and it is ALLWAYS best to check all known vendors before just buying the part.
The ones i allways check are:
overclockers.co.uk
ebuyer.com
scan.co.uk
aria.co.uk
crucial.co.uk (memory only)
I allways find that one or the other is cheaper on certain parts... Overclockers however i have found is cheapest on most parts you would want. but as i said check all of them.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/145683
It's not too expensive (I think), and should provide a full-featured, stable platform to build on. And when you decide to overclock, it'll do that too.
As I said before my GPU has just died and I was putting of buying a new one due to christmas and a tax bill but I found an ATI X1950 for £57 inc VAT. My old one was the X1750 and that could handle anything I threw at it so Im hopeful this one will be just as good.
They dont have all parts so you might not get the exact part you want but its a good way to get good parts cheaper. Have a look and see what you can find.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=595
You can often buy the different components from different sites depending on who has it the cheapest. Only problem is that you may have to pay two lots of delivery.
Asus P5Q SE
Intel E8400
OCZ Vendetta Cooler
Crucial Ballistix 2GB 1066mhz
Sapphire HD4870 512mb
Samsung 1TB HDD
Antec 900
OCZ SteathXtreme 600W PSU
I hope I've made a good choice on this hardware but I'm pretty pleased with it so far and it certainly makes a huge difference from the Pentium D system with an ATI X550 graphics card I've been using for years.
Yup its a nice system.. Runs very cool and quick Well done.