[Kagutsuchi]

Hello.

I'd like to have a go at building a computer for the first time in my life.

I'm completely clueless as to what I'll need and how to put it all together, so complete guidance and patience would be great.

My budget will be around £350 (cheaper would be more preferable though) though i'd be willing to go up to around £400.

I'll be using it for the odd game every now and again, music, watching films (so being able to stream/play high quality videos would be a must), webcamming, browsing, work and Microsoft Office. I'll be doing many of these at the same time, so something which can handle that would be a high requirement.

Also, i'd like it to be as quiet as possible.

Thanks.

[Venomilys]

I'd like to know too. I plan to make one in my gap year

[Kagutsuchi]

(Original post by Ilyas)
I'd like to know too. I plan to make one in my gap year

Done any research you could share?

[samjj8]

Hi, I will try and help. I have put together and fixed a few. ;')

If you want a casual PC then £300 - £400 is definitely is what you should be looking at.

The main components of a PC are:
CPU (processor)
GPU (graphics card)
RAM (memory)
PSU (power supply)
HDD (hard drive)
DVD/Blu-ray Drive
Motherboard

I suggest really going for low powered parts. No need to go for an Intel i7 for the 'odd game now and then'. i5 are adequate.
Mobo - Asus i find is the best brand. There is a range called the Z77. I think they start at around £80 and go up to about 200. :')
Graphics card... Either wait till the Nvidia 660 comes out, or go for ATI 7 series. What you can afford really. If you're just casual, I would say go for AMD 7770 or 8550.

[Kagutsuchi]

(Original post by samjj8)
Hi, I will try and help. I have put together and fixed a few. ;')

If you want a casual PC then £300 - £400 is definitely is what you should be looking at.

The main components of a PC are:
CPU (processor)
GPU (graphics card)
RAM (memory)
PSU (power supply)
HDD (hard drive)
DVD/Blu-ray Drive
Motherboard

I suggest really going for low powered parts. No need to go for an Intel i7 for the 'odd game now and then'. i5 are adequate.
Mobo - Asus i find is the best brand. There is a range called the Z77. I think they start at around £80 and go up to about 200. :')
Graphics card... Either wait till the Nvidia 660 comes out, or go for ATI 7 series. What you can afford really. If you're just casual, I would say go for AMD 7770 or 8550.

Thank you!

What about computer fans? Wiring? How much/what type of RAM will I need? I'm not really sure how to make it all fit together... what about the casing?

[Jamesnoble1]

Its also wirth noting if you're on a limited budget just now you could go with slightly less RAM and a no or cheap graphics card as those are easy to upgrade and you dont need 8 gigs of ram or a graphics card for it just to work as long as you dont mind games running a bit slow.

[Iqbal007]

(Original post by Kagutsuchi)
Thank you!

What about computer fans? Wiring? How much/what type of RAM will I need? I'm not really sure how to make it all fit together... what about the casing?

Depends to be honest, some cases come with a few fans and there are optional extras which aren't a hassle.

Wiring normally comes with the components ready to be connected and a few extras.

Fitting it together isn't hard at all, the case will come with a guide to where to place things and will come with screws. I did make a small guide to sticking the power supply with the components on one thread together, which I could link later to you.

What games would you like to play?
Because £350 is a very tight budget which would mean your getting an AMD processor.

ps... guys to get good advice from are Camoxide and Hassi94 off here as well as a another, forgot who though.

[samjj8]

(Original post by Jamesnoble1)
Its also wirth noting if you're on a limited budget just now you could go with slightly less RAM and a no or cheap graphics card as those are easy to upgrade and you dont need 8 gigs of ram or a graphics card for it just to work as long as you dont mind games running a bit slow.

Don't need 8GB, 4 is enough. But lets also remember that RAM is cheap at the moment. I would go with 8GB. But that's just me.

You can go off the CPU 4000 integrated graphics, which is probably decent enough for now.

In total
CPU = £150 -160: i5
GPU = integrated with CPU
Mobo = £80
RAM = £30
PSU = £30
Fan = You can either use the stock fan or buy a £20 cooler.
Case = £40 value case - Antec 300 case.
DVD drive - up to about 60 (for Blu-ray) But you can buy a DVD drive for about £10

If you want to go for the dedicated graphics, would you be prepared to spend £500?

You Mobo would come with a tutorial to build it up. Alternatively, you can go on youtube and watch some tutorials.

[LookIt'sPete]

(Original post by samjj8)
Don't need 8GB, 4 is enough. But lets also remember that RAM is cheap at the moment. I would go with 8GB. But that's just me.

You can go off the CPU 4000 integrated graphics, which is probably decent enough for now.

In total
CPU = £150 -160: i5
GPU = integrated with CPU or MUCH better for about £100 for AMD 7770
Mobo = £80
RAM = £30
PSU = £30
Fan = You can either use the stock fan or buy a £20 cooler.
Case = £40 value case - Antec 300 case.

This build will be way too expensive for what he wants. You still need to add a hard drive, dvd drive and an OS to the price.

To the OP, do you already have a monitor, mouse, keyboard? Any components you can reuse in this computer?

[Scott1541]

This is a quick rough spec I have come up with, prices from ebuyer, case and optical drive not included. It should play most games on medium to high settings.

AMD FX-4 4100 £84.99
ASUS M5A78L-M LX £36.38
Kingston 4GB DDR3 RAM £16.94
Corsair CX500 V2 £51.02
Seagate Barracuda 500GB £52.98
AMD Radeon HD 6850 £104.99

Optional: Windows 7 Home Premium £67.35

£347.30 / £414.65 with windows 7

[Intriguing Alias]

(Original post by Kagutsuchi)
Hello.

(Original post by Scott1541)
This is a quick rough spec I have come up with, prices from ebuyer, case and optical drive not included. It should play most games on medium to high settings.

AMD FX-4 4100 £84.99
ASUS M5A78L-M LX £36.38
Kingston 4GB DDR3 RAM £16.94
Corsair CX500 V2 £51.02
Seagate Barracuda 500GB £52.98
AMD Radeon HD 6850 £104.99

Optional: Windows 7 Home Premium £67.35

£347.30 / £414.65 with windows 7

Yeah OP with your budget it does seem you will have to go AMD really (or an i3 but the FX-4100 is a bit better than the i3s, and better for multitasking). I'd agree with Scott's build. Except you can get Windows 7 for £40 from Software for Students and the 6850 for £90 here.


If your 400 pounds does not include windows then definitely go for the i5 3450 here for an extra £60 and a cheap H61 motherboard (about £36 too).

To be honest I'd recommend this regardless if you can stretch your budget because the i5 is just so superior to the FX processors (especially the quad core).

[MrNeilPatel]

i would recommend you checking this website out, http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/

[Refrigerator]

In September of last year I built this for £400:

i5 2500K using the integrated GPU for everything
8GB 1333Mhz DDR3 RAM
Coolermaster Elite 330 case + coolermaster 460W PSU combo
MSI Z68MA-G45 motherboard
Seagate 1TB 7200rpm hard drive

I got it for the occasional game, but mostly photo+video editing, programming and watching stuff. My motherboard was a bit overkill so you can save some money on that, you could probably also do with 4GB RAM for now so that's another few quid off, and you can salvage a hard drive from your old computer perhaps which will save you some.

It can be done, my friend.

[gowans07]

Well for £350 your not going to get much for your money. You wont even be able to get a 2500k for the money. I suggest going to a pre built machine. An i3 would just about meet your specification, and 4gb of ram is sufficient just make sure you use 64bit OS for future. If you can extend you budget to £450-500 i already have a priced up spec. Will be uploading a video on YouTube in about a month showing how to build a pc from scratch

[Kagutsuchi]

(Original post by LookIt'sPete)
This build will be way too expensive for what he wants. You still need to add a hard drive, dvd drive and an OS to the price.

To the OP, do you already have a monitor, mouse, keyboard? Any components you can reuse in this computer?

I already have a monitor (Samsung SyncMaster P2050) but I'd like a new keyboard/mouse alongside this. I think I'll pick those on my own though.

I don't have any components I could reuse - my old P.C is... old (bought it in 2004.

(Original post by Refrigerator)
In September of last year I built this for £400:

i5 2500K using the integrated GPU for everything
8GB 1333Mhz DDR3 RAM
Coolermaster Elite 330 case + coolermaster 460W PSU combo
MSI Z68MA-G45 motherboard
Seagate 1TB 7200rpm hard drive

I got it for the occasional game, but mostly photo+video editing, programming and watching stuff. My motherboard was a bit overkill so you can save some money on that, you could probably also do with 4GB RAM for now so that's another few quid off, and you can salvage a hard drive from your old computer perhaps which will save you some.

It can be done, my friend.

What about the optical drive? And graphics card?

I might just do this build... Excuse me, but what other motherboards should I consider?

[Intriguing Alias]

(Original post by Kagutsuchi)
I already have a monitor (Samsung SyncMaster P2050) but I'd like a new keyboard/mouse alongside this. I think I'll pick those on my own though.

I don't have any components I could reuse - my old P.C is... old (bought it in 2004.



What about the optical drive? And graphics card?

I might just do this build... Excuse me, but what other motherboards should I consider?

Optical Drives cost barely £15. You can get a H61 motherboard (which means you can't overclock the processor) with Intel 3000 built in (which is what he's suggesting you use). You could stretch your budget and spend £90 on a 6850 which should give decent graphical performance. Again, do you need windows as part of the £400?

[Refrigerator]

(Original post by Kagutsuchi)
I already have a monitor (Samsung SyncMaster P2050) but I'd like a new keyboard/mouse alongside this. I think I'll pick those on my own though.

I don't have any components I could reuse - my old P.C is... old (bought it in 2004.



What about the optical drive? And graphics card?

I might just do this build... Excuse me, but what other motherboards should I consider?

I didn't use an optical drive, who uses CDs for anything nowadays? I currently use the onboard graphics (intel HD3000) which are actually very good, and can run the games I play (Diablo, WoW, LoL) on decent settings.

also the new Ivy Bridge's have intel HD 4000 which is even better

[Kagutsuchi]

(Original post by hassi94)
Optical Drives cost barely £15. You can get a H61 motherboard (which means you can't overclock the processor) with Intel 3000 built in (which is what he's suggesting you use). You could stretch your budget and spend £90 on a 6850 which should give decent graphical performance. Again, do you need windows as part of the £400?

No, I won't need Windows as part of the £400.

Ah ~ I'd like the option to overclock the processor. Do you think that'd be doable with a £400 budget?

[Refrigerator]

Here's a little build I put together:

http://www.scan.co.uk/savedbasket/20...2f0b06fc85257b

No CD drive, but you can get one if you want, has a Z68 motherboard with i5 2500K so you can overclock

You can buy another 4GB RAM to push it up to 8GB with a total of £400. You can use the stock CPU cooler for now, it can overclock a little, and upgrade later (or now if you want)

[Intriguing Alias]

(Original post by Kagutsuchi)
No, I won't need Windows as part of the £400.

Ah ~ I'd like the option to overclock the processor. Do you think that'd be doable with a £400 budget?

Realistically you could if you forgo a graphics card (and buy one at a later date when you have the money). If you go Ivy Bridge you'd get an Intel HD 4000 integrated which could handle some basic stuff at medium/high and the top games at low settings for now.

I'd recommend
i5 3570k - £173 - Amazon
MSI Z77A-G43 - £74 - Dabs
Casecom 6788 Case - £28 - Ebuyer
Corsair 500W CX V2 PSU - £51 - Ebuyer
LiteOn iHAS124 DVD Drive - £14 - Ebuyer
Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz 1 X 4GB RAM - £22 - Amazon
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 500GB HDD - £53 - Ebuyer

Which comes to £415 - this is the best I can do for an overclockable Intel system. It's main downfall is obviously the lack of a discrete graphics. I personally would say get this build and then buy the graphics card when possible. I'd be looking at getting a 6850 at the minimum