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Reducing the cost of my gaming build
Likes # 0
Posted November 18, 2011 at 9:27PM
This is my first gaming PC build, I've got no decent reusable parts from older computers so I'm really building from the the ground up. I'll be using it mostly for gaming on relatively high settings (mostly modern games like BF3, Skyrim), video editing and music production on the side (an expensive soundcard isn't necessary, I only produce music recreationally).
I've had a look around at recommended components and started to compile a list of a possible build. I'd prefer to limit myself to around £700-£800, but the main priority is having a computer that'll work well for what I like to do. I'm fairly adept when it comes to computing but I've never tried building a desktop myself. I also want to know if this is a balanced build and will be good for what I intend on using it for.
Here's what I have so far:
BitFenix Shinobi Black with Window Midi Tower Chassis - £59.99
650W Corsair TX650 V2 ATX2.3 SLI/Crossfire Compliant PSU- £71.06
Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz - £170.39
Asus GeForce GTX 560Ti DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 DirectCU II 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-GPU - £177.95
2TB Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive - £143.99
8GB Exceleram White Sark Series (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit - EBW301A - £35.99
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO Intel Z68 (REV B3) Socket 1155 DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard - £148.24
Sony Optical 24x DVD Writer, AD-5280S-0B, SATA, Black, OEM - £15.57
I'd like to know if any of these parts aren't compatible, but mainly if I can cut the costs by changing components to more suited ones. You'll have to pardon my pure noobness but I've never really delved into this area before.
Some good constructive answers would be appreciated, thanks.
Likes # 0
Posted November 19, 2011 at 9:02AM
I have done a quick spec for you as you can see the components from Scan with postage come to £552.15.There is no need for the high priced Z68 mobo as you are paying for features that you will probably not need. I have priced for two 1TB hard-drives as in my opinion it is dodgy to have 1 big hard-drive, if it fails you could lose everything.But by having two drive 1 can act as a backup to your main drive.Main Components. Hard-drives. You do not mention whether you need to add an operating system which I advice to be Windows 7. So the total comes to £648.85 so far.
Likes # 0
Posted November 19, 2011 at 11:47AM
Wow, great. Thanks a lot! I guess I associated videogames on computers with excessively high build costs, but £650ish is more than great. Ah yes, I can imagine that's a classic noob mistake with one 2TB HDD, that sheds about £40 in itself.
Even though I have an old monitor, what would be a good fairly cheap solution of I wanted to upgrade?
Likes # 0
Posted November 19, 2011 at 12:47PM
All depends on the size you were looking for.A 24inch will set you back about £140-£170, a 23inch about £120 and a 22inch about the same.As you have chosen quite a decent graphics card then the bigger the better.
Likes # 0
Posted November 19, 2011 at 7:47PM
Great, I'll definitely have a look around.
Also, is it safe to assume that the cables I need will be supplied with my stuff? I wouldn't normally question this with anything else, but I've been put under the impression that some cables (like the PSU plug cable) aren't delivered with the actual component. Is this the norm with computer parts?
Likes # 0
Posted November 19, 2011 at 7:53PM
All components come with all the cables you need, in fact you will be supplied cables that you will not actually need. There is one thing you will need to buy and that is thermal paste, the smallest tube you can get as you will use very little on the CPU.
Anything else do not hesitate to ask.
Likes # 0
Posted November 19, 2011 at 8:39PM
I did anticipate that I'd need some thermal paste. I read that a blob about the size of a grain of rice is enough. I'm assuming I just need to apply it onto the top of the CPU and spread it around a little but tell me if there's a proper way of doing it. Also, how often would I need to top it up?
Thanks a lot
Likes # 0
Posted November 20, 2011 at 3:26AM
You can find plenty of video's on applying the paste,oddly enough putting to much on is equally as bad as putting to little.A credit card is useful here,I tend to put a thin line along one side then spread it down the CPU.As to how often you need to replace or renew,good question.There is no real rule,every couple of years,or if you change the heat sink is probably enough. Not something you really need to worry about.
Likes # 0
Posted November 20, 2011 at 4:14AM
Thanks, some very useful tips there! I'll bear it in mind when I get to that stage. Also, I've had some good fortune, meaning I'm able to increase my budget to around £850. Even though I haven't changed many components at all, adding an HD and windows 7 has brought it nicely to that mark.
I'm pretty sure all the components are compatible, I haven't gone too outlandish with things now either.
Let me know what you think:
[IMG]http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z349/BlakOner/PCBUILD1-2.png[/IMG]
Likes # 0
Posted November 20, 2011 at 4:17AM
eugh, if you want to use that link get rid of the closing IMG tag :P
Likes # 0
Posted November 20, 2011 at 8:36AM
I think that you could easily use a 500W PSU. I still think a P67 motherboard is a better choice than the Z68.The optical drive you have chosen is an external drive, good for laptops without an internal drive but not much point for a desktop.
By the way if you use the top box for posting an image at photobucket it works better for this site.
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