First Budget PC

[Soyuz]

Budget (including currency): ~£550 for parts w/o GPU + ~£250 for GPU, when available

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Primarily simulation games (KSP, IL-2, Cities:Skylines, etc.), also some graphic design and 3D modelling (inkscape, photoshop, blender)

 

My 7+ y/o laptop is really showing its age, and I'd like to finally upgrade to a tower PC (this will be my first PC build). Due to the current GPU madness, I'd like to buy a PC with integrated graphics for now, and upgrade it with a dedicated GPU when the prices return to sensible levels. The 4.1 GHz base clock of the i5-10600K is very alluring, as the games I play are pretty CPU-intensive. However, is it the best value for my money? And would the cooler I selected be enough for it? I already have a 4TB WD External HDD with most of my files and programs on it, so I think a 500GB SSD for the OS and frequently-used programs should be enough? I'm not fussed abt case aesthetics, just want smthn that'll fit everything with resonable airflow. CCL seem to have some cheap (<£30) ones - are these any good? Finally, any suggestions on what GPU I should keep an eye out for, when they're available at RRP?

 

All suggestions/improvements are appreciated! Thanks!

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10600K 4.1 GHz 6-Core Processor  (£196.97 @ CCL Computers)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler  (£26.64 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Motherboard: MSI B460M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  (£92.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: PNY XLR8 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (£70.00 @ Currys PC World)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (£47.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  (£59.98 @ Currys PC World Business)
Total: £494.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-22 15:00 BST+0100

[tkitch]

IDK about UK pricing directly, but that CPU seems a bit overpriced.  It's 200$ US Retail, so that makes 197 your money a hell of an upcharge.  

 

But all in all, that seems like a solid starter build, assuming you have keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.  

[Nena Trinity]

3200MHz RAM kit will only run at 2666MHz on that board

 

I vote for 11500(better iGPU) + B560(support faster RAM) instead! :3

[Nena Trinity]

System Builder - Core i5-11500 2.7 GHz 6-Core, iCUE 220T RGB ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker

 

Example build:

Component		Selection		Base	Promo	Shipping	Tax	Price	Where
CPU			Intel Core i5-11500 2.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	$214.95		FREE		$214.95		Buy
CPU Cooler			ARCTIC Freezer 7 X CPU Cooler	$23.99				$23.99		Buy
Motherboard			ASRock B560M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard	$128.11				$128.11		Buy
Memory			G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory	$214.99		FREE		$214.99		Buy
Storage			Toshiba P300 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$66.46				$66.46		Buy
Storage			ADATA SU760 256 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$34.99				$34.99		Buy
Case			Corsair iCUE 220T RGB ATX Mid Tower Case	$109.99		FREE		$109.99		Buy
Power Supply			Corsair TXM Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$109.98		FREE		$109.98		Buy
Total:								$903.46

[Soyuz]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

1 hour ago, tkitch said:

IDK about UK pricing directly, but that CPU seems a bit overpriced.  It's 200$ US Retail, so that makes 197 your money a hell of an upcharge.  

 

But all in all, that seems like a solid starter build, assuming you have keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.  

 

Sadly, I'm not surprised the CPU is priced that way. Idk abt computer parts specifically, but often other consumer goods that are sold in both the US and UK often just substitute the price in $ for £, regardless of the exchange rate. It's a raw deal for us Brits, but it's still likely cheaper than paying the shipping, VAT, etc. to import it.

 

I do have a keyboard/mouse, and I was planning on picking up a monitor or small TV for ~£100-200.

 

47 minutes ago, Nena Trinity said:

3200MHz RAM kit will only run at 2666MHz on that board

 

I vote for 11500(better iGPU) + B560(support faster RAM) instead! :3

 

How much of a performance increase will the faster RAM make? Would it be worth the extra £25 for the equivalent B560 board with WiFi?

 

Hmm... It's an interesting question abt the iGPU. My plan is for it to only be temporary until I can get a dedicated GPU, but who knows how long that will be?? If I was going for a permanently GPU-less system, sacrificing the clock speed for a better iGPU would be worth it. But if I only have to wait a year or so??

[Nena Trinity]

28 minutes ago, Soyuz said:

Thanks for the feedback!

 

 

Sadly, I'm not surprised the CPU is priced that way. Idk abt computer parts specifically, but often other consumer goods that are sold in both the US and UK often just substitute the price in $ for £, regardless of the exchange rate. It's a raw deal for us Brits, but it's still likely cheaper than paying the shipping, VAT, etc. to import it.

 

I do have a keyboard/mouse, and I was planning on picking up a monitor or small TV for ~£100-200.

 

 

How much of a performance increase will the faster RAM make? Would it be worth the extra £25 for the equivalent B560 board with WiFi?

 

Hmm... It's an interesting question abt the iGPU. My plan is for it to only be temporary until I can get a dedicated GPU, but who knows how long that will be?? If I was going for a permanently GPU-less system, sacrificing the clock speed for a better iGPU would be worth it. But if I only have to wait a year or so??

I think out of box the 11400 was faster than a 10600K but no way to overclock it since non-K parts cannot overclock, the 11500 is same as 11400 mostly ecept better built in graphics chip.  (faster ram depends on workload)

[Nena Trinity]

Speaking of 11400 that one also has better iGPU than 10600K...