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So as a little side project I want to build a moderately sized PC, maybe €700-€800, what parts would you guys recommend etc.

Also would making it quite small have an effect, like if I used a case the size of an xbox one could all the components fit or would I need to pay extra for smaller parts of equal strength.

Lastly, anyone got ideas for a nice design, I'm a decently artsy type and would like to really make this one look cool, ideas?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8MmzhM

This is 600$ so I think I can improve it a good bit with a €700 budget. Mind you I'm not a PC building type of guy what else will I need with this, like bare essentials, I know windows, the case but what else

I think the power supply is a little anaemic for a 760 but that being said AMD CPUs might need less power. it won't break the machine but it might throttle performance if they aren't getting the juice. These builds from reddit etc are often extremely stingy with the PSU. I'd recommend 600 watts, as for brand, the corsair 'builders series' have a great rep.

If you buy a good PSU you can re-use it as well

I'm an intel guy so i'd recommend an i5 4570 or 4440 (Not 4570K or 4440k btw, overclocking is a waste of time imo).

You may find that 'Micro ATX' Mobo you've picked a little short on features, especially if you wanted a sound card and a capture device as well.

I notice your chosen card is an ASUS model, i'm really happy with my ASUS 'Direct CU2' 770 so that's a recommend.

The only thing with small cases is that the video card may be a tight fit, you may also only have one option for orientation of your PSU and MOBO, which might cause Airflow/cable management problems especially if you are using a large Video card. On the cable management side you would require, imo. at least a semi-modular setup, hiding the big bundle of excess cables from a non-modular model may be an issue. That being said the 760 is alot smaller than my 770, which was an absolute monster. Speaking of the videocard, the 760 still requires supplementary power and even in my mid tower case the cables were a tight fit. Finally, small cases are often more expensive.

One thing worth noting is that the stock coolers on your PSU, Video card and the one that comes along with your CPU Should be fine for all PC-cases unless you're overclocking. The case manufacturer wouldn't be able to sell it if it was gonna make your CPU and GPU explode after 10minutes. (At least not without a massive 'Liquid cooling only!!!' disclaimer.

Also, you do realise that's a Mid-tower case you've got there, mid tower is usually about 3 times the volume of an xbone. Partially Dismantling the case should be quite straight forward if wish to re-colour the metal panels, I would recommend against re-spraying any plastic pieces, you simply can't know how it will react to spray paint.

I really love my SSD boot-drive but it really is a luxury, yes my computer boots in 3 seconds but it doesn't give me any more FPS while gaming. I also still have most of my games on a mechanical hdd anyway ( i think the exact one in your build lol) as modern games are getting really large.

EDIT: Last but by no means least, Americans pay virtually no value added tax and get rebates on electronics, they also have lower import tax if memory serves. USD quotes for components will not directly translate to Euros, expect to pay 10-20% more for anything

I just copied and pasted that list from a video, but I know enough about computers to get your point, hell I didn't even know there was a case in that list :(

What's a build you'd recommend, or at least can I have what you were saying in a list format?

This is after ~30mins of research (Amazon Prices):

Bitfenix Comrade (Case) £35
Corsair CXM 600w (PSU) £50
Intel i5 4440 (CPU) £126
Asus Direct CU2 GTX 760 (Video Card) £170
EDIT: Msi z87-g41 PC mate (MOBO) £48
Your choice of RAM: (8GB (2x4GB) 1600mhz) ~£60
WD blue drive 1TB (HDD) £40

A couple things that might save you some Money: You could look for a non-modular or semi-modular power supply from a less renowned brand, it might save you a couple bucks. I'm not a Corsair fanboy, i just trust the brand. However stick to 600w for the i5/760 combo.

Another more radical thing would be to think about AMD's R9 270X it scores VERY close to the 760 in 3Dmark and is £50 cheaper, iirc it also requires less power. 'Sapphire' is a respected AMD manufacturer.

My choice of case was fairly arbitrary, i just noticed it was a very attractive price and had a well featured front panel. It's also not the ugliest. I'd certainly recommend shopping around for this item yourself. For any case you like, READ ALL THE REVIEWS!

That MOBO is quite budget orientated. Even though it has the USB 3.0 and 6GB/s SATA ports the one in the OP lacked it still only a Micro ATX board.

The case comes with one fan and the MOBO comes with one fan header. If you want to install more case fans (i don't really see why you'd need to) you'll need to buy a splitter or connect them via MOLEX.

Feel free to go AMD for the CPU with the appropriately socketed MOBO, at this price range i think AMD CPUs are very good value, it's just a case of personal preference.

If you want to spend a bit more on a CPU be aware of the socket type. I don't know about AMD but if you go for a different intel chip you may also need to be aware of chipset.

Windows 8 is fine, with updates it's nowhere near as bad as it was and it (100% fact) uses less RAM than 7.

Sounds good thanks for the 30 mind of research was not expecting you to do that.

Hmm maybe hold off, i think i messed up with the MOBO, it doesn't seem to have PCI 3.0.

Maybe try this one instead (I'm just using Scan.com for simplicity, i've never bought from them before):

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-z87-g41-pc-mate-intel-z87-s-1150-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-%28x16%29-d-sub-dvi-d-4k-hdmi

or you could just get the one i got, i know it works fine with a gtx770, it is quite a bit pricier though.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-z87-hd3-intel-z87-s-1150-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-%28x16%29-d-sub-%28vga%29-dvi-d-h

So what basics do I need,
I've got:
Monitor (using it a bit, love it)
Mouse (basic one, will upgrade)
Keyboard (razer)

Anything else?

A 32gb usb stick for installing windows unless you already have a spare optical drive. Think you can also do it on a normal External hard drive. I already had an optical drive so i just did it from the DVD, you'll have to look it up.

Does your monitor have a DisplayPort input? I'd recommend using that with your VideoCard. If so you'll need a cable i don't think you get one with the card. HDMI should be fine but PC Master-race types complain about 'Micro-stutters'.

You might as well get an anti-static wristband, it's good for peace of mind.

Bear in mind that built in Wireless is a fairly premium feature for MOBOs, budget ones don't have it. If you want wireless you'll need to look into getting a wireless card.

Will do, thanks! How big's the case for the record?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BitFenix-BFC-COM-100-WWXS1-RP-Comrade-Midi-Tower-White/dp/B00HG2VOAA

It looks to be normal Mid tower size, it's not small by any means. (It does come in black btw)

I don't know anything about small cases. I watched a build video using the Bitfenix prodigy looked to be fairly roomy inside.

http://lifehacker.com/5994570/five-best-small-form-factor-pc-cases

Thanks, got any cool ideas for a design, maybe not even using spray paint.

Thats an aweful lot for a video card I picked up a radeon R9 4gb for 220 off newegg

here's what I picked up a few weeks ago as part of my new build, I make it a point to get the most power-per-dollar via benchmarking stats, note that the prices dont include any sort of discount code or anything.

I HIGHLY suggest this processor/video card combo though, they are by far the best performing per dollar, the processor by almost a factor of 2

1
GIGABYTE GV-R927XOC-4GD Radeon R9 270X 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card
Item #: N82E16814125496
VGA Standard Return Policy
Gigabyte (626)-854-9338 option 4 www.giga-byte.com
$229.99
1
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128514
Standard Return Policy
Gigabyte (626)-854-9338 option 4 www.giga-byte.com
$128.00

AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Desktop Processor FD8350FRHKBOX
Item #: N82E16819113284
CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$189.99

You should get a good mobo that supports the latest cpu. Video cards are easy to upgrade but mobos and cpus are not.

I've heard mixed things about these increased frame buffer cards. If you want that kinda performance you should buy one that has the extra GDDR5 by default. Which coincidentally is only the top tier cards. (Aside from the R9 280/7970 which i think is Overpriced)

I also recommended the r9 270X already, it scores very close to the 760 in 3dMark, and i have seen it attain impressive benches on the latest games.

That AMD cpu does look like great value for money but like i said it's personal preference and intel have successfully cultured a trusted image. Maybe it's PR BS maybe it's not.

 Perkustin wrote:
I've heard mixed things about these increased frame buffer cards. If you want that kinda performance you should buy one that has the extra GDDR5 by default. Which coincidentally is only the top tier cards. (Aside from the R9 280/7970 which i think is Overpriced)

I also recommended the r9 270X already, it scores very close to the 760 in 3dMark, and i have seen it attain impressive benches on the latest games.

That AMD cpu does look like great value for money but like i said it's personal preference and intel have successfully cultured a trusted image. Maybe it's PR BS maybe it's not.

If you're willing to pay a lot more for a marginal increase in power, then that is all you, I try to find the point in the curve where you're paying too much for too small of an improvement, which is sort of a personal thing not fancy math. Though using this method the last time I upgraded my pc was ~2008/9 and I was still running things like sniper elite 3/smite/battlefield/ect. at medium/high resolution, its worked pretty well for me (though I did get 32gb of gskill ram back when it was cheap, its like 4x as expensive now! )
ex:

G3D Mark Rating
As of 19th of August 2014 - Higher results represent better performance
GeForce GTX 760 4,981
Radeon R9 270X 4,514

Value (G3D Mark / $Price)
As of 19th of August 2014 - Higher results represent better value
Radeon R9 270X 25.36
GeForce GTX 760 21.95