Help building a mid range gaming machine for £600.

xiaokai

New member
Hi All

I am trying to make a new mid-range gaming rig. I don't game as much as I used to. However with the Dragon Age and GTA 5 for PC, I would like to get a decent experience.
I am trying to do it for around £600 or less if possible. However the rig I made on paper keeps coming to £750.
This is what I am considering: http://goo.gl/FvwnCj

Feel free to make comments on the Google spreadsheet.

  • CPU: I feel I cant go any lower on the CPU. Keeping the cooling with the stock cooler, as i do not plan to overclock for now.
  • Motherboard: I am not too sure maybe its over kill? I am also considering mATX build (Second Tab on Google Sheets). I don't need anything fancy. I like ease of use, good GUI, more USB 3 back panel ports the better.
  • RAM: I decided to go for 1 stick of 8GB RAM, so in the future if i wish to upgrade to 16GB i can do so easily with just another 8GB. But I guess I can consider 2x 4GB if it helps with costs.
  • GPU: My graphics card is the biggest problem, I wish for something good, I feel that R9 280 is mid-range. If i go any lower I might not get able to play the games mentioned in 1080p. I considered GTX 760 but it seems R9 is better bang for the buck.
  • PSU: As for the PSU, I am not sure how low i can go with the current HW, I want full Modular because i feel it will be easier to keep the case clean. and free of wires. However i can consider Hybrid.
  • Case: I can consider going lower, I like Antec as I have been using Antec Performance One P182, and love it because of how sturdy it feels. I like the thick panels and metal body. I am not a big fan of plastic.

I would love to get some input on what i can do to bring the price down.
I am not building it asap, I am also waiting for black Friday deals and boxing day deals.

Thanks in advance.
 
Hey dude - youre really better off posting whats in your google doc here so its easier for people to read quickly
 
How about this? I know it only has a stock cooler on it but I thought an SSD would be a better initial buy. You could always get a cooler at a later date. In terms of cases you've got quite a strict budget so trying to get a entirely metal case is a waste of money.
I'd say you only really need a 270x to play GTA V/Dragon age 1080P with reasonable settings.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£130.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B85-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£51.67 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£57.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£41.52 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£35.94 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card (£137.71 @ Ebuyer)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case (£33.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£55.23 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.35 @ Aria PC)
Total: £616.94
 
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