Feronix
New member
Good morning all 
I'm back with another buyer's guide, this time for a £250 gaming PC.
Little disclaimer:
Don't follow this guide and expect to run the latest titles on 1080p, for that I will refer you to the £300 Gaming PC. This PC can run games on 720p, but is mainly built for online games like Team Fortress 2, League of Legends, Minecraft, Hearthstone, etc on 1080p.
This system will be perfect as a Steambox though.
As it is so perfect for a Steambox, I have decided to go with a small form factor. This build only consist of 5 separate components and is very easy to build, even for beginners. The only things that you need to do are:
- Install CPU in motherboard socket
- Install stock CPU cooler (literally attaching a few clips)
- Install RAM (open clips on RAM slots and push them in)
- Install motherboard with CPU and RAM in it into the case with a few screws
- Plug in 24 pin and 4 pin headers for power, plug in front I/O (consult motherboard manual)
- Install hard drive into the case, plug in Sata power, and a Sata cable from the motherboard to the drive.
To start off, we're picking up a Powercool T01B Slim for a mere 30 quid, with a built-in 300 Watt Power Supply. This won't be the greatest power supply, but it provides plenty wattage for this little system and will do the job for now. You can always upgrade the SFX PSU at a later stage.
The case is a low-profile µATX case with two front USB 2 ports and console-like looks so it won't look half bad in a living room.
Alternatives:
Aerocool QS-101 / QS-102: This is a similar form factor case for around £20 and slightly more aggressive 'gamer' looks. It comes without a PSU though, so will be more expensive in the end. You do get an optical bay with the Aerocool so that you can include a Blu-Ray burner and turn it into an HTPC (but I'll do a guide for that later).
--------------------
Second on our short shopping list is the heart of this build. Being a CPU as well as a decent-for-the-money GPU, the AMD A8 7600 seems a perfect match here, being a quad-core CPU at 3.3GHz and having integrated Radeon R7 graphics . The second highest end APU series of the latest generation should provide us with enough power for the aforementioned games, as well as game-streaming.
It comes with a small cooler, that won't be silent but is up for the job. Maybe you can even overclock the CPU a little. As with everything in this build; for a tenner more you can go for the fastest APU or aftermarket cooling, but if you do that you might as well get the £300 build.
Alternatives:
AMD A10- 6800k: This is a faster APU from the highest end line-up, but is also quite a bit more expensive. If you have the extra money to spend though, and want to use it in your living room (the £300 build would look bulky), this APU is a good choice.
--------------------
The motherboard that we're putting our socket FM2+ APU in, is the MSI A88XM-E35. This MSI motherboard has the 88x chipset, and thus allows us to overclock the A8 7600 a little. It also supports Sata III for our storage, and even two USB 3 ports on the back. There is also a front USB 3 header, but in this build sadly that will remain unused.
Also included in the rear I/O, there are VGA (D-Sub), DVI and HDMI ports so that you'll always have a way to hook it up to your TV.
Alternatives:
Asus A88XM-E: This Asus board is very similar to the MSI, but slightly more expensive. It has pretty much the exact same rear I/O, 6 Sata ports and the same PCI slot lay-out. The only real difference is the colour, but if you prefer Asus over MSI, the option is there.
Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-DS2: This board it very, very similar as well, but it is missing the HDMI port on the back and only has 4 Sata ports (which is still more than you can put in the case). On the upside; It is a little cheaper than both the others.
--------------------
Since our APU relies on system memory, I wanted to make sure we have at least 8GB to play with, at a decent speed. Since the case is half-height I didn't want to take chances with high heatspreaders, so I grabbed a set of Corsair Vengeance LP Red 2x4GB at 1866Mhz, with CL timings of 9-10-9-27 at 1.5v. This kit also comes in blue and black, but since we're on a strict budget here and you can't see into the case anyway, I wasn't too bothered about the colour scheme.
Alternatives:
Really any 2x4GB kit at 1866MHz+ from Corsair, Crucial, Adata, Kingston, Samsung, Partiot, Mushkin, Avexir, G.Skill or GeIL.
Most RAM chips come from the same factory anyway, so there won't be much of a quality difference. You can base your decisions off whichever is cheapest, has the nicest heatspreader or offers the best warranty.
--------------------
All we need now to make this system work is a hard drive. For the money, you can get a 120GB SSD, which is plenty if you're just streaming games from your main PC and you can always hook up an external hard drive that you have lying around for movies.
However, since this build guide is mainly for people who want to use this as their main computer I have decided to go with a 500GB mechanical hard drive. The 500 GB Toshiba DT01ACA050 is the same hard drive that we're using in the £300 build, and this 3.5" drive offers us 500GB of storage options at 7200RPM.
For an extra few pounds you can pick up a 1TB version, but I already went a few quid over the budget here so this was not an option.
Alternatives:
Hitachi HTS725050A7E630 Travelstar 500GB (This is a 2.5" drive)
Total price: £256.30
Optional components
- Crucial MX100 120GB SSD. 120GB really isn't that big for an SSD these days, but 120GB will be plenty for your operating system, such as Windows, a few of your favourite apps like Skype or Steam, and a couple of your favourite games.
- TP-Link WDN-4800 WiFi card. While WiFi really isn't recommended for a gaming rig, if you HAVE to use it, you might as well get a really good one, especially for game streaming. This card is half-height and so will fit in the system without a problem.
- Asus Xonar DG/ DGX. The DG is the PCI version, where the DGX is the PCI-E 1x version. Either way, both fit in in this system, although the PCI version might have slightly higher latency. On the upside, keeping the PCI-E 16x slot free allows you to add a single slot graphics card, as well as WiFi AND the sound card. The sound card is not necessary, as there is one included on the motherboard, but if you want to use this PC as a home theater PC, you might enjoy better audio.
- Sapphire R7 240 2GB. This low-end GPU is both single slot, and half height. It fits in our case, and you can still include WiFi and a sound card if you want. It can be put into CrossfireX with the APU, and for not even £50 it will nearly double your performance. This card also has VGA, DVI and HDMI, so you can always hook it up to any TV or monitor.
- Zalman VF2000 LED. This cooler costs just over a tenner and performs a lot better than the AMD stock cooler. It is a low profile cooler so it still fits in our case comfortably. With the bigger fan it will also be a lot quieter, and give you more headroom for overclocking.
- Samsung SE-208DB. Cause our build does not include a DVD burner, as DVDs tend to not be a thing anymore. With this external DVD burner you can still use DVDs to install stuff on this computer, and then still enjoy looking at the PC without an ugly optical drive in the front. Only downside: For the price you could also get the other case with a power supply and a cheap internal DVD burner.
- Windows 8.1. For a gaming rig, there is no way around Windows, and with mainstream support for Windows 7 ending soon, there really isn't any reason not to go with the better performing Windows 8.1 OS. You'll also get a free upgrade to Windows 10, or at least that's what Microsoft promised!
- Steam OS. If you don't want to drop the full price on a Windows license, you can choose to install Steam OS on your machine for free. This Operating System is based on Linux, so there aren't too many games for the OS itself, but you can stream any game from your Windows PC straight to your TV via Steam In-Home Streaming.
More information here: http://store.steampowered.com/steamos
Accessories
- Microsoft All In One keyboard. With this small, chiclet style keyboard with touchpad, you can sit comfortably on your couch and control the PC. The integrated functions keys and touchpad work really well to controll Windows 8(.1). As a bonus it is 'waterproof', so no worries if you spill your drink on it.
- Xbox 360 Controller for Windows. If you want to control your games from the couch as well, a touchpad is no good so you might want to pick up a wireless xbox 360 style controller that works with most games. If you have the money, you can also get the Xbox One controller, which will work with Windows natively. Comes in black and white.
Tips & Tricks
Install Windows from a USB
This is much faster than from any disc. You can find a guide here.
Start8
Start8 will add the regular old start button and -menu from Windows 7 back into Windows 8 and 8.1. You'll also be able to boot straight to the desktop, completely avoiding the entire Metro interface. Download here
Ninite.com
www.ninite.com lets you select all the (free) software that you like to install and download it as a single installer package. This way you'll only have to download and install one file, rather than many seperate ones.
SSD maintenance
Please have a look at our thread on SSD maintenance by member Wraithguard:
http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=67884
I'm back with another buyer's guide, this time for a £250 gaming PC.
Little disclaimer:
Don't follow this guide and expect to run the latest titles on 1080p, for that I will refer you to the £300 Gaming PC. This PC can run games on 720p, but is mainly built for online games like Team Fortress 2, League of Legends, Minecraft, Hearthstone, etc on 1080p.
This system will be perfect as a Steambox though.
As it is so perfect for a Steambox, I have decided to go with a small form factor. This build only consist of 5 separate components and is very easy to build, even for beginners. The only things that you need to do are:
- Install CPU in motherboard socket
- Install stock CPU cooler (literally attaching a few clips)
- Install RAM (open clips on RAM slots and push them in)
- Install motherboard with CPU and RAM in it into the case with a few screws
- Plug in 24 pin and 4 pin headers for power, plug in front I/O (consult motherboard manual)
- Install hard drive into the case, plug in Sata power, and a Sata cable from the motherboard to the drive.
To start off, we're picking up a Powercool T01B Slim for a mere 30 quid, with a built-in 300 Watt Power Supply. This won't be the greatest power supply, but it provides plenty wattage for this little system and will do the job for now. You can always upgrade the SFX PSU at a later stage.
The case is a low-profile µATX case with two front USB 2 ports and console-like looks so it won't look half bad in a living room.
Alternatives:
Aerocool QS-101 / QS-102: This is a similar form factor case for around £20 and slightly more aggressive 'gamer' looks. It comes without a PSU though, so will be more expensive in the end. You do get an optical bay with the Aerocool so that you can include a Blu-Ray burner and turn it into an HTPC (but I'll do a guide for that later).
--------------------
Second on our short shopping list is the heart of this build. Being a CPU as well as a decent-for-the-money GPU, the AMD A8 7600 seems a perfect match here, being a quad-core CPU at 3.3GHz and having integrated Radeon R7 graphics . The second highest end APU series of the latest generation should provide us with enough power for the aforementioned games, as well as game-streaming.
It comes with a small cooler, that won't be silent but is up for the job. Maybe you can even overclock the CPU a little. As with everything in this build; for a tenner more you can go for the fastest APU or aftermarket cooling, but if you do that you might as well get the £300 build.
Alternatives:
AMD A10- 6800k: This is a faster APU from the highest end line-up, but is also quite a bit more expensive. If you have the extra money to spend though, and want to use it in your living room (the £300 build would look bulky), this APU is a good choice.
--------------------
The motherboard that we're putting our socket FM2+ APU in, is the MSI A88XM-E35. This MSI motherboard has the 88x chipset, and thus allows us to overclock the A8 7600 a little. It also supports Sata III for our storage, and even two USB 3 ports on the back. There is also a front USB 3 header, but in this build sadly that will remain unused.
Also included in the rear I/O, there are VGA (D-Sub), DVI and HDMI ports so that you'll always have a way to hook it up to your TV.
Alternatives:
Asus A88XM-E: This Asus board is very similar to the MSI, but slightly more expensive. It has pretty much the exact same rear I/O, 6 Sata ports and the same PCI slot lay-out. The only real difference is the colour, but if you prefer Asus over MSI, the option is there.
Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-DS2: This board it very, very similar as well, but it is missing the HDMI port on the back and only has 4 Sata ports (which is still more than you can put in the case). On the upside; It is a little cheaper than both the others.
--------------------
Since our APU relies on system memory, I wanted to make sure we have at least 8GB to play with, at a decent speed. Since the case is half-height I didn't want to take chances with high heatspreaders, so I grabbed a set of Corsair Vengeance LP Red 2x4GB at 1866Mhz, with CL timings of 9-10-9-27 at 1.5v. This kit also comes in blue and black, but since we're on a strict budget here and you can't see into the case anyway, I wasn't too bothered about the colour scheme.
Alternatives:
Really any 2x4GB kit at 1866MHz+ from Corsair, Crucial, Adata, Kingston, Samsung, Partiot, Mushkin, Avexir, G.Skill or GeIL.
Most RAM chips come from the same factory anyway, so there won't be much of a quality difference. You can base your decisions off whichever is cheapest, has the nicest heatspreader or offers the best warranty.
--------------------
All we need now to make this system work is a hard drive. For the money, you can get a 120GB SSD, which is plenty if you're just streaming games from your main PC and you can always hook up an external hard drive that you have lying around for movies.
However, since this build guide is mainly for people who want to use this as their main computer I have decided to go with a 500GB mechanical hard drive. The 500 GB Toshiba DT01ACA050 is the same hard drive that we're using in the £300 build, and this 3.5" drive offers us 500GB of storage options at 7200RPM.
For an extra few pounds you can pick up a 1TB version, but I already went a few quid over the budget here so this was not an option.
Alternatives:
Hitachi HTS725050A7E630 Travelstar 500GB (This is a 2.5" drive)
Total price: £256.30
Optional components
- Crucial MX100 120GB SSD. 120GB really isn't that big for an SSD these days, but 120GB will be plenty for your operating system, such as Windows, a few of your favourite apps like Skype or Steam, and a couple of your favourite games.
- TP-Link WDN-4800 WiFi card. While WiFi really isn't recommended for a gaming rig, if you HAVE to use it, you might as well get a really good one, especially for game streaming. This card is half-height and so will fit in the system without a problem.
- Asus Xonar DG/ DGX. The DG is the PCI version, where the DGX is the PCI-E 1x version. Either way, both fit in in this system, although the PCI version might have slightly higher latency. On the upside, keeping the PCI-E 16x slot free allows you to add a single slot graphics card, as well as WiFi AND the sound card. The sound card is not necessary, as there is one included on the motherboard, but if you want to use this PC as a home theater PC, you might enjoy better audio.
- Sapphire R7 240 2GB. This low-end GPU is both single slot, and half height. It fits in our case, and you can still include WiFi and a sound card if you want. It can be put into CrossfireX with the APU, and for not even £50 it will nearly double your performance. This card also has VGA, DVI and HDMI, so you can always hook it up to any TV or monitor.
- Zalman VF2000 LED. This cooler costs just over a tenner and performs a lot better than the AMD stock cooler. It is a low profile cooler so it still fits in our case comfortably. With the bigger fan it will also be a lot quieter, and give you more headroom for overclocking.
- Samsung SE-208DB. Cause our build does not include a DVD burner, as DVDs tend to not be a thing anymore. With this external DVD burner you can still use DVDs to install stuff on this computer, and then still enjoy looking at the PC without an ugly optical drive in the front. Only downside: For the price you could also get the other case with a power supply and a cheap internal DVD burner.
- Windows 8.1. For a gaming rig, there is no way around Windows, and with mainstream support for Windows 7 ending soon, there really isn't any reason not to go with the better performing Windows 8.1 OS. You'll also get a free upgrade to Windows 10, or at least that's what Microsoft promised!
- Steam OS. If you don't want to drop the full price on a Windows license, you can choose to install Steam OS on your machine for free. This Operating System is based on Linux, so there aren't too many games for the OS itself, but you can stream any game from your Windows PC straight to your TV via Steam In-Home Streaming.
More information here: http://store.steampowered.com/steamos
Accessories
- Microsoft All In One keyboard. With this small, chiclet style keyboard with touchpad, you can sit comfortably on your couch and control the PC. The integrated functions keys and touchpad work really well to controll Windows 8(.1). As a bonus it is 'waterproof', so no worries if you spill your drink on it.
- Xbox 360 Controller for Windows. If you want to control your games from the couch as well, a touchpad is no good so you might want to pick up a wireless xbox 360 style controller that works with most games. If you have the money, you can also get the Xbox One controller, which will work with Windows natively. Comes in black and white.
Tips & Tricks
Install Windows from a USB
This is much faster than from any disc. You can find a guide here.
Start8
Start8 will add the regular old start button and -menu from Windows 7 back into Windows 8 and 8.1. You'll also be able to boot straight to the desktop, completely avoiding the entire Metro interface. Download here
Ninite.com
www.ninite.com lets you select all the (free) software that you like to install and download it as a single installer package. This way you'll only have to download and install one file, rather than many seperate ones.
SSD maintenance
Please have a look at our thread on SSD maintenance by member Wraithguard:
http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=67884
Last edited:
