First time PC Builder!

[CandleJakk]

Hi! I'm building a PC soon with a maximum budget of £500.

 

The build I was going to do: 
Fractal Core 1000
AMD X4 860K
R9 380X 4GB
Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H (http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?It...)
G Skill Sniper 4GB x2
EVGA 500W
Seagate 1TB

 

My questions:

1) Is this a good build?

- Could I build something better for the money?

- Is there something glaringly wrong with it?

 

2) What is the best build I could do for this price point?

 

3) As you can see, the motherboard is out of stock (I left a link) on NewEgg. I was wondering if you could suggest an alternative motherboard that would fit with this build or an alternative reliable website to buy the motherboard from.

 

Thanks!

 

[Citadelen]

It's a good build, but you should go for an Excavator CPU, the Athlon x4 845K will provide a boost in single threaded performance.

[CandleJakk]

1 minute ago, Citadelen said:

It's a good build, but you should go for an Excavator CPU, the Athlon x4 845K will provide a boost in single threaded performance.

Oh ok, thanks for the advice!

Any ideas about motherboards?

[Citadelen]

Just now, CandleJakk said:

Oh ok, thanks for the advice!

Any ideas about motherboards?

The 845 is compatible with FM2+ motherboards. As long as it does what you want and has good reviews I wouldn't worry.

[CandleJakk]

2 minutes ago, Citadelen said:

The 845 is compatible with FM2+ motherboards. As long as it does what you want and has good reviews I wouldn't worry.

Awesome! I just found this online: http://www.ebuyer.com/667590-exdisplay-gigabyte-ga-f2a88xm-ds2-socket-fm2-vga-dvi-7-1-channel-audio-matx-motherboard-ebr2-ga-f2a88xm-ds2?gclid=Cj0KEQjw5ti3BRD89aDFnb3SxPcBEiQAssnp0vKpSLbsbrGlQEDGXTVNyKvV7vHCvt_hoBxmX_O8830aAnoX8P8HAQ#fo_c=951&fo_k=2be67987d4e538058b9a073d8d06c0b4&fo_s=gplauk?mkwid=sWA3N2WiH_dc&pcrid=51630194939&pkw=&pmt=

(sorry for the long url)

Is it bad to buy items that were on display? Will it's life span be worse? Is it better to just get a fresh new one?

 

Thanks for all your help so far, btw!

[CandleJakk]

1 minute ago, CandleJakk said:

Awesome! I just found this online: http://www.ebuyer.com/667590-exdisplay-gigabyte-ga-f2a88xm-ds2-socket-fm2-vga-dvi-7-1-channel-audio-matx-motherboard-ebr2-ga-f2a88xm-ds2?gclid=Cj0KEQjw5ti3BRD89aDFnb3SxPcBEiQAssnp0vKpSLbsbrGlQEDGXTVNyKvV7vHCvt_hoBxmX_O8830aAnoX8P8HAQ#fo_c=951&fo_k=2be67987d4e538058b9a073d8d06c0b4&fo_s=gplauk?mkwid=sWA3N2WiH_dc&pcrid=51630194939&pkw=&pmt=

(sorry for the long url)

Is it bad to buy items that were on display? Will it's life span be worse? Is it better to just get a fresh new one?

 

Thanks for all your help so far, btw!

Oh wait, just saw this on sale:

http://www.ebuyer.com/705396-gigabyte-ga-f2a68hm-hd2-socket-fm2-vga-dvi-d-hdmi-micro-atx-motherboard-ga-f2a68hm-hd2

Is that one OK?

Also, I'm fairly sure this is an extremely dumb question but motherboards don't affect performance, right?

[Citadelen]

Just now, CandleJakk said:

Oh wait, just saw this on sale:

http://www.ebuyer.com/705396-gigabyte-ga-f2a68hm-hd2-socket-fm2-vga-dvi-d-hdmi-micro-atx-motherboard-ga-f2a68hm-hd2

Is that one OK?

Also, I'm fairly sure this is an extremely dumb question but motherboards don't affect performance, right?

It seems to be getting good reviews, and no, a motherboard won't directly affect performance, that it can affect the kind of overclock you can get through it's quality and VRM power phases.

[CandleJakk]

6 minutes ago, CandleJakk said:

1 minute ago, Citadelen said:

It seems to be getting good reviews, and no, a motherboard won't directly affect performance, that it can affect the kind of overclock you can get through it's quality and VRM power phases.

 

1 minute ago, Citadelen said:

It seems to be getting good reviews, and no, a motherboard won't directly affect performance, that it can affect the kind of overclock you can get through it's quality and VRM power phases.

 

1 minute ago, Citadelen said:

It seems to be getting good reviews, and no, a motherboard won't directly affect performance, that it can affect the kind of overclock you can get through it's quality and VRM power phases.

READ HERE:

Sorry, my computer froze, I pressed the reply quote button too many times. Sorry.

Anyway, could you link the 845k? I can't find it on newegg or on the shopping section of google. It comes up with 860k's when I search it.

[Aereldor]

You haven't specified a power supply. Some of EVGA's power supplies, like the Supernova G2, B2, P2, T2, GS, PS, and GQ series are great. Others, like 'B' series or the KR-80+ series are a straight-up fire hazard, and I'd recommend staying away. 

 

I'd recommend getting something from Seasonic if possible, other than the sketchy 'Hydrance by Seasonic' units that are outsourced to a Chinese factory and have cheap components and poor craftsmanship.

 

 

[CandleJakk]

Just now, Aereldor said:

You haven't specified a power supply. Some of EVGA's power supplies, like the Supernova G2, B2, P2, T2, GS, PS, and GQ series are great. Others, like 'B' series or the KKR-80+ series are a straight-up fire hazard, and I'd recommend staying away. 

 

I'd recommend getting something from Seasonic if possible, other than the sketchy 'Hydrance by Seasonic' units that are outsourced to a Chinese factory and have cheap components and poor craftsmanship.

 

 

Oh, this is the one I was gonna get: 

http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438016&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-TechSource-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=7899552&SID=

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, CandleJakk said:

Oh, this is the one I was gonna get: 

http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438016&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-TechSource-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=7899552&SID=

I just told you the KR series were terrible power supplies and a fire hazard. You could just have looked at the model number and reevaluated your choice of power supply.

 

In short, don't get it. A power supply failure can take the rest of your computer with it and even start a fire that could burn down your house. Do you really want to risk that to save a few bucks? Get the Seasonic S12ii 520 for $55 instead.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

[Citadelen]

9 minutes ago, CandleJakk said:

Anyway, could you link the 845k? I can't find it on newegg or on the shopping section of google. It comes up with 860k's when I search it.

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16819113411

Here.

[CandleJakk]

1 minute ago, Aereldor said:

I just told you the KR series were terrible power supplies and a fire hazard. You could just have looked at the model number and reevaluated your choice of power supply.

 

In short, don't get it. A power supply failure can take the rest of your computer with it and even start a fire that could burn down your house. Do you really want to risk that to save a few bucks? Get the Seasonic S12ii 520 for $55 instead.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

Oh sorry, I've been awake since 4AM and it's 10:58AM in UK, so I didn't read the model #.

Tyvm for advice!

[Aereldor]

24 minutes ago, Citadelen said:

It's a good build, but you should go for an Excavator CPU, the Athlon x4 845K will provide a boost in single threaded performance.

Doesn't the 860k still surpass the 845's single-core and multi-core performance with a slight overclock?

 

Then again, you'll need to invest in a better cooler to get that far. For some reason I never quite understood, the locked 845 actually ships with a better, beefier cooler than the overclockable 860k.

[CandleJakk]

6 minutes ago, Citadelen said:

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16819113411

Here.

I just copied & searched the exact text of that one on NewEgg UK (don't want to order from US) and it didn't come up. I then searched "AMD Athlon X4 845" and still nothing came up. Is it not available in the UK? Can't even find it on Google Shopping, lol.

[Citadelen]

3 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

-snip-

OP is using a mITX motherboard, so I would assume heat output is something they want to keep as low as possible. If heats not an issue then they should get the X4 880k.

Though, waiting for AM4 and Bristol Ridge to launch would allow them to upgrade to Zen when it launches without having to buy a new motherboard or RAM.

[Citadelen]

1 minute ago, CandleJakk said:

-snip-

It might not be, how long are you able to wait for AM4 to launch, if you don't want to wait get the 880K.

[Brennan Price]

Get a different CPU, it will hold you back on your 380's performance. Maybe use the Pentium G3258 if you are only going to be using your PC for gaming @FruitBasketSilex

 

Also, a small sized (128GB) SSD wouldnt harm the budget much. You will get better performance than just using the 1TB HDD

[FruitBasketSilex]

Heyo!

 

Just here to pop over and throw down some 860k V G3258 benches. The 860k does have double the core count, and that leads it to do slightly better in multithreaded tasks, but it also suffers in single-threaded tasks by the same amount it succeeded in multi-threaded stuffs.

 

G3258 typically scores better in games, with little to no stutter. You can even record and stuffs with your GPU. Here's a buttload of stuff yo read that is directly relevant, all info is consolidated to the OP for usefulness. <3

 

 

 

[FruitBasketSilex]

17 minutes ago, Brennan_Price said:

Get a different CPU, it will hold you back on your 380's performance. Maybe use the Pentium G3258 if you are only going to be using your PC for gaming @FruitBasketSilex

 

Also, a small sized (128GB) SSD wouldnt harm the budget much. You will get better performance than just using the 1TB HDD

Agreed on the SSD, SSDs are bae.

[Brennan Price]

2 minutes ago, FruitBasketSilex said:

Agreed on the SSD, SSDs are bae.

hahaha, I was expecting a different reply.

[FruitBasketSilex]

2 minutes ago, Brennan_Price said:

hahaha, I was expecting a different reply.

Look right above the one you quoted :3

[Brennan Price]

2 minutes ago, FruitBasketSilex said:

Look right above the one you quoted :3

Wow... How did I not see that... Well done good sir

[FruitBasketSilex]

Just now, Brennan_Price said:

Wow... How did I not see that... Well done good sir

Thank you! <3 now to bed with me,  it's 5am.

[Aereldor]

51 minutes ago, Citadelen said:

OP is using a mITX motherboard, so I would assume heat output is something they want to keep as low as possible. If heats not an issue then they should get the X4 880k.

Though, waiting for AM4 and Bristol Ridge to launch would allow them to upgrade to Zen when it launches without having to buy a new motherboard or RAM.

That's a better idea, for sure. I don't know if I can recommend AMD CPUs until AM4 hits later this year. However, we might be able to fit a Haswell i3 into his budget.

 

The board he picked out appears to be in a Micro-ATX for factor, and even so, the Fractal Core 1000 case is a Micro-ATX Mid-tower. If I recall correctly, the MSI H81M- E34 (a P33 with front panel USB 3.0) and the Biostar B85MG can both be had for about $40.