First PC build. Two options: custom or prebuilt?

[SmerkyG]

This is my first ever build and ideally I don't want to mess up the PC by putting it together wrong. However, I will build it depending on the replies I receive. Both options come at just over £400. This is my set budget.

The prebuilt PC costs £303 but I plan on placing a new Graphics card in it because the prebuilt only has an integrated card. This will put the prices up to £422. I looked It up and this integrated card has poor reviews so I'm wondering if this additional card is needed, if so is it compatible?

GPU:http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00FL8H49Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1415210230&sr=8-1π=AC_SX110_SY165

Prebuilt:http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00J4KSENC/ref=mp_s_a_1_25?qid=1415550163&sr=8-25π=AC_SX110_SY165

My custom is £403

CPU, RAM, Motherboard, Power supply and hard drive:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

GPU:http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00FL8H49Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1415210230&sr=8-1π=AC_SX110_SY165

Case:http://www.cclonline.com/product/121318/GALAXY-EVO/Cases/Galaxy-Evo-Gaming-Case-USB3-3x-Red/Blue-LED-Switchable-Fans-Bubble-LED/CAS0925/

Which is better?

[ThyFeared]

Custom build is better and it's always fun to build it yourself

[SmerkyG]

Thanks for the advice

[Semper]

It's not nearly as daunting as it initially looks. if you're up to it, build it yourself. There's many guides on YouTube, and this forum will always be here to help.... so long as it's still being hosted somewhere...

[Jayhawk]

Custom, that APU could bottleneck and the power supply in the prebuild probably couldn't handle a real GPU. Also your PCPartPicker is broke, just leads to the website, not your parts. If you want, I could throw something together for you as a suggestion for parts.

[SImoHayha]

I added 8GB since you have a 64 Bit OS


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  (£73.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£82.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  (£55.28 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  (£56.90 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB DirectCU II Video Card  (£131.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Enermax OSTROG ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  (£36.54 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  (£69.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £506.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-11 19:13 GMT+0000

Edited November 11, 2014 by Ramamataz

[SmerkyG]

Thaks for the helps ramamataz

[SmerkyG]

Jayhawk and all others who can't see the parts on the pcpartpicker site the parts are:

CPU:AMD FX-4350 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor

RAM:G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Motherboard:MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

Hard drive:Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Power supply:EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply

[SmerkyG]

Could you provide some suggestion parts jay hawk

[Yiz]

I added 8GB since you have a 64 Bit OSPCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchantCPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  (£73.00 @ Amazon UK)CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£82.98 @ Amazon UK)Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  (£55.28 @ CCL Computers)Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  (£56.90 @ Amazon UK)Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard DriveVideo Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB DirectCU II Video Card  (£131.98 @ Amazon UK)Case: Enermax OSTROG ATX Mid Tower CasePower Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  (£36.54 @ Amazon UK)Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  (£69.99 @ Ebuyer)Total: £506.67Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when availableGenerated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-11 19:13 GMT+0000

isn't the h100i kind of overkill?

[Yiz]

Could you provide some suggestion parts jay hawk

Hey, when you need someone to look at what you posted quote them so they get a notification

[Jayhawk]

What is your max budget?

[SImoHayha]

isn't the h100i kind of overkill?

I think that was apart of his original list, not sure if i did add it or not.

[Jayhawk]

Here:

 

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/Jayhawk/saved/3hRnTW

 

It may be a little pricy, but I can recommend all these parts, save for the optical drive, without a doubt. I chose Windows 8.1 because all 8.1 users should get Windows 10 for free as long as Microsoft keeps their word... So it's a 50/50 chance. These are quality parts so there is a small price premium, but it's better to pay a little more for reliability than to cheap out for crap parts. The fans and the thermal compound are necessary in my eyes because when working with any system, airflow is important... Especially for AMD.

 

Edit: I chose the R9 270 because it's really just a non-overclocked R9 270X, so you can really just overclock it yourself. If you really want better performance, you can buy used GPUs, I bought two used R9 280Xs myself, but you should be cautious with what vendor you buy from.

[SmerkyG]

Max excluding OS would be £450

[SmerkyG]

As you said, it is a bit pricy but I will defiantly swap out my CPU for the other because that same CPU has been suggested to me more than once. I will probably follow your build but I doubt that I could spend more on a CPU cooler at the moment