Building a budget gaming desktop and need help!!

[Boletes Net]

So for my birthday I thought I'd get some pc components, I want to build something that can run games but on a budget (about £300) I thought about waiting for a steam machine but I think I can do better for the money. Here's what I've picked:

AMD Athlon II X4 740 3.2GHz FM2 4MB 65W
http://www.dabs.com/products/amd-athlon-ii-x4-740-3-2ghz-fm2-4mb-65w-8F02.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc%20product%20search&utm_content=Q200&utm_campaign=Components%20and%20Storage%20-%20Motherboards%20and%20Processors%20-%20Processors&origin=pla

XFX HD 7770 DD Edition 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Graphics Card
http://www.ebuyer.com/455241-xfx-hd-7770-dd-edition-1gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-fx-777a-zdf4

Biostar A960D+ Socket AM3+ VGA DVI 6 Channel Audio mATX Motherboard
http://www.ebuyer.com/432738-biostar-a960d-socket-am3-vga-dvi-6-channel-audio-matx-motherboard-a960d-

Kingston 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Memory
http://www.ebuyer.com/394572-kingston-4gb-ddr3-1333mhz-memory-kvr13n9s8h-4


Obviously I need a case and power supply but can anyone see any problems I might have? Or can you reccomend something better for the same sort of money?

Thanks guys!

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Well, the processor is going to rapidly be an issue. I'd spend a little more to get one of the FX-4000 series. Everything else is perfectly acceptable for the time being, but more ram should be near the top of your upgrade list.

 

[Hazy992]

The CPU and motherboard aren't compatible, the CPU is for an FM2 socket, whereas the motherboard is AM3+.

If you want to use the same CPU you need something like this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-FM2-A75MA-E35-Micro-Motherboard-Socket/dp/B009LT8K26/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391692901&sr=8-3&keywords=fm2+motherboard

Or this if you want to keep the motherboard
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-4130-4-Core-Processor/dp/B0093HDM3I/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1391692877&sr=8-8&keywords=amd+fx

For a case I'd recommend something like this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Core-Series-Micro/dp/B004ZH18G4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693145&sr=8-4&keywords=pc+case

And for a power supply I'd go with this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYP208/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693251&sr=8-7&keywords=80+plus+power+supply

It's more power than you need but it gives you some wiggle room, plus it's 80 PLUS Bronze certified and it's modular, which will come in handy.

Do you have an OS?

 

[Boletes Net]

Yeah got windows 7. I was thinking about the FX-4130, is that what both of you would go for?

Cheers for the help!!

 

[Hazy992]

Yeah got windows 7. I was thinking about the FX-4130, is that what both of you would go for?

Cheers for the help!!

Here's what I would recommend:

CPU - AMD FX 4130 Quad Core @3.8GHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-4130-4-Core-Processor/dp/B0093HDM3I/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696994&sr=8-6&keywords=amd+fx+4100] - £66
Motherboard - ASUS M5A78L-M AM3+ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-M5A78L-M-HT5200-SATA2-Motherboard/dp/B007IA4KGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696976&sr=8-3&keywords=am3%2B+motherboard] - £34
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYP208/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693251&sr=8-7&keywords=80+plus+power+supply] - £37
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB DDR3 @1333MHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-KHX1333C9D3B1-4G-1333MHz/dp/B004JO10RU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697056&sr=8-7&keywords=4gb+ram] - £30
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-500GB-SATAIII-Cache-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697409&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+hard+drive] - £40
Case - Fractal Design Core 100 mATX Case [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Core-Series-Micro/dp/B004ZH18G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698034&sr=8-1&keywords=matx+case] - £33

As for the graphics card, there's a few different options I'd recommend.

You could go with;

- The Sapphire HD 7770 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11201-17-20G-CrossFireX-Multi-GPU-Technology/dp/B009YTT5RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697499&sr=8-1&keywords=7770] for £75 which would bring the total to £315

- The XFX HD 7790 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-128-Bit-Graphics-FX-779A-ZNJ4/dp/B00C5917LA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698190&sr=8-12&keywords=7790] for £96, bringing the total to £336

- Or the MSI HD 7850 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-R7850-DDR5-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B00ACHDL5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697302&sr=8-2&keywords=7850] for £118, bringing the total to £358.

Hopefully somebody can improve on this, but I think it's a decent starting point.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Yeah got windows 7. I was thinking about the FX-4130, is that what both of you would go for?

Cheers for the help!!

Here's what I would recommend:

CPU - AMD FX 4130 Quad Core @3.8GHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-4130-4-Core-Processor/dp/B0093HDM3I/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696994&sr=8-6&keywords=amd+fx+4100] - £66
Motherboard - ASUS M5A78L-M AM3+ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-M5A78L-M-HT5200-SATA2-Motherboard/dp/B007IA4KGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696976&sr=8-3&keywords=am3%2B+motherboard] - £34
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYP208/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693251&sr=8-7&keywords=80+plus+power+supply] - £37
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB DDR3 @1333MHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-KHX1333C9D3B1-4G-1333MHz/dp/B004JO10RU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697056&sr=8-7&keywords=4gb+ram] - £30
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-500GB-SATAIII-Cache-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697409&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+hard+drive] - £40
Case - Fractal Design Core 100 mATX Case [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Core-Series-Micro/dp/B004ZH18G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698034&sr=8-1&keywords=matx+case] - £33

As for the graphics card, there's a few different options I'd recommend.

You could go with;

- The Sapphire HD 7770 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11201-17-20G-CrossFireX-Multi-GPU-Technology/dp/B009YTT5RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697499&sr=8-1&keywords=7770] for £75 which would bring the total to £315

- The XFX HD 7790 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-128-Bit-Graphics-FX-779A-ZNJ4/dp/B00C5917LA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698190&sr=8-12&keywords=7790] for £96, bringing the total to £336

- Or the MSI HD 7850 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-R7850-DDR5-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B00ACHDL5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697302&sr=8-2&keywords=7850] for £118, bringing the total to £358.

Hopefully somebody can improve on this, but I think it's a decent starting point.

yeah this is a solid build for uber cheap, and I would recommend the 7850 for gaming, otherwise that 7770 will be playing medium settings on games all over the place (which is fine, but for that slight bit more money you can run most games on high/ultra besides the elite few)

also the 7850 is pretty decent on not sucking up too much power, so that power supply should still hold it just fine.

 

[Boletes Net]

Yeah got windows 7. I was thinking about the FX-4130, is that what both of you would go for?

Cheers for the help!!

Here's what I would recommend:

CPU - AMD FX 4130 Quad Core @3.8GHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-4130-4-Core-Processor/dp/B0093HDM3I/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696994&sr=8-6&keywords=amd+fx+4100] - £66
Motherboard - ASUS M5A78L-M AM3+ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-M5A78L-M-HT5200-SATA2-Motherboard/dp/B007IA4KGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696976&sr=8-3&keywords=am3%2B+motherboard] - £34
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYP208/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693251&sr=8-7&keywords=80+plus+power+supply] - £37
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB DDR3 @1333MHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-KHX1333C9D3B1-4G-1333MHz/dp/B004JO10RU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697056&sr=8-7&keywords=4gb+ram] - £30
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-500GB-SATAIII-Cache-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697409&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+hard+drive] - £40
Case - Fractal Design Core 100 mATX Case [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Core-Series-Micro/dp/B004ZH18G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698034&sr=8-1&keywords=matx+case] - £33

As for the graphics card, there's a few different options I'd recommend.

You could go with;

- The Sapphire HD 7770 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11201-17-20G-CrossFireX-Multi-GPU-Technology/dp/B009YTT5RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697499&sr=8-1&keywords=7770] for £75 which would bring the total to £315

- The XFX HD 7790 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-128-Bit-Graphics-FX-779A-ZNJ4/dp/B00C5917LA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698190&sr=8-12&keywords=7790] for £96, bringing the total to £336

- Or the MSI HD 7850 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-R7850-DDR5-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B00ACHDL5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697302&sr=8-2&keywords=7850] for £118, bringing the total to £358.

Hopefully somebody can improve on this, but I think it's a decent starting point.

I think I'm going to stick with my original motherboard and go for the Sapphire 7770, I can update everything in the future anyway. The options n the power supply do I want 430W and semi-modular?

 

[Hazy992]

Yeah got windows 7. I was thinking about the FX-4130, is that what both of you would go for?

Cheers for the help!!

Here's what I would recommend:

CPU - AMD FX 4130 Quad Core @3.8GHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-4130-4-Core-Processor/dp/B0093HDM3I/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696994&sr=8-6&keywords=amd+fx+4100] - £66
Motherboard - ASUS M5A78L-M AM3+ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-M5A78L-M-HT5200-SATA2-Motherboard/dp/B007IA4KGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696976&sr=8-3&keywords=am3%2B+motherboard] - £34
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYP208/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693251&sr=8-7&keywords=80+plus+power+supply] - £37
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB DDR3 @1333MHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-KHX1333C9D3B1-4G-1333MHz/dp/B004JO10RU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697056&sr=8-7&keywords=4gb+ram] - £30
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-500GB-SATAIII-Cache-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697409&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+hard+drive] - £40
Case - Fractal Design Core 100 mATX Case [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Core-Series-Micro/dp/B004ZH18G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698034&sr=8-1&keywords=matx+case] - £33

As for the graphics card, there's a few different options I'd recommend.

You could go with;

- The Sapphire HD 7770 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11201-17-20G-CrossFireX-Multi-GPU-Technology/dp/B009YTT5RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697499&sr=8-1&keywords=7770] for £75 which would bring the total to £315

- The XFX HD 7790 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-128-Bit-Graphics-FX-779A-ZNJ4/dp/B00C5917LA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698190&sr=8-12&keywords=7790] for £96, bringing the total to £336

- Or the MSI HD 7850 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-R7850-DDR5-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B00ACHDL5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697302&sr=8-2&keywords=7850] for £118, bringing the total to £358.

Hopefully somebody can improve on this, but I think it's a decent starting point.

I think I'm going to stick with my original motherboard and go for the Sapphire 7770, I can update everything in the future anyway. The options n the power supply do I want 430W and semi-modular?

Biostar don't exactly have a stellar reputation. For the sake of 3 quid I'd get a brand that's more reliable.

The reason I suggested that power supply is that its simply good value for money. You don't need that much power but it gives you room for upgrades etc, plus if you go any cheaper the quality starts to drop. 80 PLUS is essential.

Not only that but being modular will make things a lot easier, trust me. I don't have a modular PSU and I wish I'd spent the extra money getting one for the amount of stress it would save.

If there's one thing you don't skimp on, its the power supply.

 

[Boletes Net]

Yeah got windows 7. I was thinking about the FX-4130, is that what both of you would go for?

Cheers for the help!!

Here's what I would recommend:

CPU - AMD FX 4130 Quad Core @3.8GHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-4130-4-Core-Processor/dp/B0093HDM3I/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696994&sr=8-6&keywords=amd+fx+4100] - £66
Motherboard - ASUS M5A78L-M AM3+ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-M5A78L-M-HT5200-SATA2-Motherboard/dp/B007IA4KGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696976&sr=8-3&keywords=am3%2B+motherboard] - £34
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYP208/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693251&sr=8-7&keywords=80+plus+power+supply] - £37
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB DDR3 @1333MHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-KHX1333C9D3B1-4G-1333MHz/dp/B004JO10RU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697056&sr=8-7&keywords=4gb+ram] - £30
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-500GB-SATAIII-Cache-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697409&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+hard+drive] - £40
Case - Fractal Design Core 100 mATX Case [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Core-Series-Micro/dp/B004ZH18G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698034&sr=8-1&keywords=matx+case] - £33

As for the graphics card, there's a few different options I'd recommend.

You could go with;

- The Sapphire HD 7770 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11201-17-20G-CrossFireX-Multi-GPU-Technology/dp/B009YTT5RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697499&sr=8-1&keywords=7770] for £75 which would bring the total to £315

- The XFX HD 7790 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-128-Bit-Graphics-FX-779A-ZNJ4/dp/B00C5917LA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698190&sr=8-12&keywords=7790] for £96, bringing the total to £336

- Or the MSI HD 7850 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-R7850-DDR5-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B00ACHDL5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697302&sr=8-2&keywords=7850] for £118, bringing the total to £358.

Hopefully somebody can improve on this, but I think it's a decent starting point.

I think I'm going to stick with my original motherboard and go for the Sapphire 7770, I can update everything in the future anyway. The options n the power supply do I want 430W and semi-modular?

Biostar don't exactly have a stellar reputation. For the sake of 3 quid I'd get a brand that's more reliable.

The reason I suggested that power supply is that its simply good value for money. You don't need that much power but it gives you room for upgrades etc, plus if you go any cheaper the quality starts to drop. 80 PLUS is essential.

Not only that but being modular will make things a lot easier, trust me. I don't have a modular PSU and I wish I'd spent the extra money getting one for the amount of stress it would save.

If there's one thing you don't skimp on, its the power supply.

I just meant when you're buying the power supply it has a couple of options? It doesn't look like the asus has integrated sound though so I'd need a sound card...which yeah is only £15 so you're probably right Thanks a lot for the help by the way

 

[Robert Marrs]

Yeah got windows 7. I was thinking about the FX-4130, is that what both of you would go for?

Cheers for the help!!

Here's what I would recommend:

CPU - AMD FX 4130 Quad Core @3.8GHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-4130-4-Core-Processor/dp/B0093HDM3I/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696994&sr=8-6&keywords=amd+fx+4100] - £66
Motherboard - ASUS M5A78L-M AM3+ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-M5A78L-M-HT5200-SATA2-Motherboard/dp/B007IA4KGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696976&sr=8-3&keywords=am3%2B+motherboard] - £34
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYP208/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693251&sr=8-7&keywords=80+plus+power+supply] - £37
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB DDR3 @1333MHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-KHX1333C9D3B1-4G-1333MHz/dp/B004JO10RU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697056&sr=8-7&keywords=4gb+ram] - £30
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-500GB-SATAIII-Cache-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697409&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+hard+drive] - £40
Case - Fractal Design Core 100 mATX Case [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Core-Series-Micro/dp/B004ZH18G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698034&sr=8-1&keywords=matx+case] - £33

As for the graphics card, there's a few different options I'd recommend.

You could go with;

- The Sapphire HD 7770 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11201-17-20G-CrossFireX-Multi-GPU-Technology/dp/B009YTT5RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697499&sr=8-1&keywords=7770] for £75 which would bring the total to £315

- The XFX HD 7790 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-128-Bit-Graphics-FX-779A-ZNJ4/dp/B00C5917LA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698190&sr=8-12&keywords=7790] for £96, bringing the total to £336

- Or the MSI HD 7850 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-R7850-DDR5-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B00ACHDL5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697302&sr=8-2&keywords=7850] for £118, bringing the total to £358.

Hopefully somebody can improve on this, but I think it's a decent starting point.

I would second everything in this post with the exception to the hard drive. Caviars are known to fail so I would go with a seagate or something else. Will be the same price just more reliable. The 7850 would be your best choice on gpu from those 3 listed but make sure you get the 2GB version. You will be kicking yourself later if you don't. Only other thing I can think of is if you have the extra money go for the fx-6300 instead of the fx-4130 but both will do for gaming.

EDIT: also that motherboard does in fact has on board sound so no sound card is needed. pretty much all motherboards have built in sound at this point and its usually as good if not better than what you would get with a sound card.

DOUBLE EDIT: I need to pay more attention. Don't get that psu. You will be cutting it way to close and will have zero headroom. Go with at least a 500w which will still be cutting it close. If you can afford it go with a 600w. This would be a good choice. http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Builder-Series-Watt-CX500/dp/B0092ML0MY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391711853&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+500w

 

[Hazy992]

Yeah got windows 7. I was thinking about the FX-4130, is that what both of you would go for?

Cheers for the help!!

Here's what I would recommend:

CPU - AMD FX 4130 Quad Core @3.8GHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX-4130-4-Core-Processor/dp/B0093HDM3I/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696994&sr=8-6&keywords=amd+fx+4100] - £66
Motherboard - ASUS M5A78L-M AM3+ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-M5A78L-M-HT5200-SATA2-Motherboard/dp/B007IA4KGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391696976&sr=8-3&keywords=am3%2B+motherboard] - £34
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYP208/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391693251&sr=8-7&keywords=80+plus+power+supply] - £37
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB DDR3 @1333MHz [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-KHX1333C9D3B1-4G-1333MHz/dp/B004JO10RU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697056&sr=8-7&keywords=4gb+ram] - £30
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-500GB-SATAIII-Cache-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697409&sr=8-1&keywords=500gb+hard+drive] - £40
Case - Fractal Design Core 100 mATX Case [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Core-Series-Micro/dp/B004ZH18G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698034&sr=8-1&keywords=matx+case] - £33

As for the graphics card, there's a few different options I'd recommend.

You could go with;

- The Sapphire HD 7770 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11201-17-20G-CrossFireX-Multi-GPU-Technology/dp/B009YTT5RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697499&sr=8-1&keywords=7770] for £75 which would bring the total to £315

- The XFX HD 7790 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-128-Bit-Graphics-FX-779A-ZNJ4/dp/B00C5917LA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1391698190&sr=8-12&keywords=7790] for £96, bringing the total to £336

- Or the MSI HD 7850 [http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-R7850-DDR5-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B00ACHDL5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391697302&sr=8-2&keywords=7850] for £118, bringing the total to £358.

Hopefully somebody can improve on this, but I think it's a decent starting point.

I think I'm going to stick with my original motherboard and go for the Sapphire 7770, I can update everything in the future anyway. The options n the power supply do I want 430W and semi-modular?

Biostar don't exactly have a stellar reputation. For the sake of 3 quid I'd get a brand that's more reliable.

The reason I suggested that power supply is that its simply good value for money. You don't need that much power but it gives you room for upgrades etc, plus if you go any cheaper the quality starts to drop. 80 PLUS is essential.

Not only that but being modular will make things a lot easier, trust me. I don't have a modular PSU and I wish I'd spent the extra money getting one for the amount of stress it would save.

If there's one thing you don't skimp on, its the power supply.

I just meant when you're buying the power supply it has a couple of options? It doesn't look like the asus has integrated sound though so I'd need a sound card...which yeah is only £15 so you're probably right Thanks a lot for the help by the way

Its got a speaker jack so it will have sound.

And no problem, happy to help

 

[Baron Teapot]

Skimp on the CPU, but don't skimp on the graphics card. Processors are dirt cheap in comparison, so you ought to get a motherboard that can handle a wide range of processors; don't go for what's cheap and available now unless it's going to carry you through for several years.

You don't want it to break after a month, either, so whilst you're buying budget components there are simply some areas you can't skimp on because they directly affect the quality of your machine and decide whether you're going to drive yourself nuts buying £30 PSU after PSU, watching them burn themselves out as you burn yourself out of money. It's worth it in the long-run!

Buy a good motherboard, power supply unit and graphics card now. Then, you'll be able to upgrade a poor CPU when you've extra cash, but graphics devices cost about five times that and so you should be happy with the quality it provides. A Radeon 5950 or 5970 would probably be enough power for most mainstream games, so getting anything above that would work great for you, although I'd get the 7850 or 7870 if I could.

As regards your sound-card comment, I wouldn't expect to find a motherboard without a speaker and microphone jack on the back. They're standard. Hard disks have their own scales of quality, but storage is perhaps the cheapest part of any build, unless you're hoping to go for solid-state drives, but those aren't really necessary - they're just pleasant, allowing the machine to boot in a matter of seconds, typically.

In the choice between AMD and nVidia graphics solutions, AMD is cheaper, but typically you'd expect nVidia to edge them out performance-wise. Both companies offer some very capable cards, but with AMD you get less-consistent results, in my opinion, with high frame-rates but large gaps between the lowest and highest frame-rate in a game. nVidia cards are a lot more consistently high-quality in that respect, but as I've said, it's a personal choice and it won't really matter.

Still, what about cooling? With a lower-quality processor, are you going to overclock to unlock more latent power to run those games? That will require cooling, but nothing more drastic than a decent heatsink and fan. If you already have a case, clean it and get rid of dust, because allowing dust to heap up can really impact your CPU temperature!

Anyway, this post has been all over the place, but these are the most important things to go for:

1: Good-quality power supply unit, preferably modular, so that you don't have unnecessary cables and wires all over the place.

2: Motherboard that'll allow you to plan ahead for the future, so that replacing the motherboard, RAM and CPU all at once isn't necessary.

3: Get a decent middle-range graphics card instead of an expensive CPU and poor-quality graphics card, because graphics devices are expensive and you want it to last as long as possible.

4: The CPU is not as important as the graphics for gaming.

5: Temperature needs to be kept low and dust will build up, so if you can afford a few extra fans to improve the airflow of your case, go for it. The better the cooling system, the more power you'll be able to squeeze from the hardware.

As I said, plan ahead and aim to have a system that will remain useful over time, rather than one which will need most of its innards replaced in a year's time.

EDIT: The graphics card also ought to support DirectX 11 and as high a Shader Model as is available, 'cause where the previous console generation kept us all using DirectX 9 and its glorious FVF, the new generation will likely support the cool tessellation shaders and other more recent graphics technologies, which won't be available to you if you get a really old card.

 

[Boletes Net]

Skimp on the CPU, but don't skimp on the graphics card. Processors are dirt cheap in comparison, so you ought to get a motherboard that can handle a wide range of processors; don't go for what's cheap and available now unless it's going to carry you through for several years.

You don't want it to break after a month, either, so whilst you're buying budget components there are simply some areas you can't skimp on because they directly affect the quality of your machine and decide whether you're going to drive yourself nuts buying £30 PSU after PSU, watching them burn themselves out as you burn yourself out of money. It's worth it in the long-run!

Buy a good motherboard, power supply unit and graphics card now. Then, you'll be able to upgrade a poor CPU when you've extra cash, but graphics devices cost about five times that and so you should be happy with the quality it provides. A Radeon 5950 or 5970 would probably be enough power for most mainstream games, so getting anything above that would work great for you, although I'd get the 7850 or 7870 if I could.

As regards your sound-card comment, I wouldn't expect to find a motherboard without a speaker and microphone jack on the back. They're standard. Hard disks have their own scales of quality, but storage is perhaps the cheapest part of any build, unless you're hoping to go for solid-state drives, but those aren't really necessary - they're just pleasant, allowing the machine to boot in a matter of seconds, typically.

In the choice between AMD and nVidia graphics solutions, AMD is cheaper, but typically you'd expect nVidia to edge them out performance-wise. Both companies offer some very capable cards, but with AMD you get less-consistent results, in my opinion, with high frame-rates but large gaps between the lowest and highest frame-rate in a game. nVidia cards are a lot more consistently high-quality in that respect, but as I've said, it's a personal choice and it won't really matter.

Still, what about cooling? With a lower-quality processor, are you going to overclock to unlock more latent power to run those games? That will require cooling, but nothing more drastic than a decent heatsink and fan. If you already have a case, clean it and get rid of dust, because allowing dust to heap up can really impact your CPU temperature!

Anyway, this post has been all over the place, but these are the most important things to go for:

1: Good-quality power supply unit, preferably modular, so that you don't have unnecessary cables and wires all over the place.

2: Motherboard that'll allow you to plan ahead for the future, so that replacing the motherboard, RAM and CPU all at once isn't necessary.

3: Get a decent middle-range graphics card instead of an expensive CPU and poor-quality graphics card, because graphics devices are expensive and you want it to last as long as possible.

4: The CPU is not as important as the graphics for gaming.

5: Temperature needs to be kept low and dust will build up, so if you can afford a few extra fans to improve the airflow of your case, go for it. The better the cooling system, the more power you'll be able to squeeze from the hardware.

As I said, plan ahead and aim to have a system that will remain useful over time, rather than one which will need most of its innards replaced in a year's time.

EDIT: The graphics card also ought to support DirectX 11 and as high a Shader Model as is available, 'cause where the previous console generation kept us all using DirectX 9 and its glorious FVF, the new generation will likely support the cool tessellation shaders and other more recent graphics technologies, which won't be available to you if you get a really old card.

Okay so i'm being swayed towards an i3 now, it seems to out preform the fx-4100 I can't afford an i5 so can you help me find a suitable motherboard and a good budget i3? Thanks!

 

[Boletes Net]

Or maybe an fx-6300??