Budget Build (Tiny Budget)

Hey Guys,

I am looking to build my first PC ever!. I have been involved with a simple case changeover but never built a full PC myself.

I am fairly well versed with the different iterations of processors out at the minute but just want a bit of advice, or better yet a parts list to help me out

What will the pc be used for?

The PC will mainly be used for office application (word, excel, notepad ++, etc). I would like it to be capable of multitasking (30+ tabs in browser + excel + notepad++) and to also be able to run dreamweaver and Photoshop without breaking a sweat.

I would like to be able to do some light gaming every now and then (minecraft) but this isn't a big concern at the minute.


What do you like in terms of spec?

CPUI Have been doing some research lately and am loving the reviews of the Pentium G2358
anniversary edition as it is known to be a good , solid, all round CPU with excellent overclocking potential (not to mention INCREDIBLY CHEAP!! )

I would like the socket to preferably be 1150 as I am likely to upgrade to a 4th gen I5/I7 in maybe a year or two when money allows me to. The Pentium would simply be a placeholder.

MOBO: Im not too concerned which chipset the motherboard uses so this will be up to you guys. I would LIKE it to have USB 3.0, SATA 3, 1600MHz RAM capabilities though.

RAM: If possible I would like 8 GB DDR3 1600MHz but 4GB would be fine for now and I can upgrade later.

HDD: I already have a HDD so this is not needed

CASE: I would LOVE a mini-itx/atx case in the shape of a cube (I'm probably asking too much!). I do like the look of the bitfenix prodigy on sale on the site .

I already have an O/S and all peripherals sorted so that won't be an issue at all. I also don't need a GPU at this point in time.

if it's possible maybe squeeze in a aftermarket CPU cooler

I'm not a big fan of the AMD A series APU's as I'm looking for something that I can upgrade to a 4th gen Intel CPU down the line.

Anything else is up to you guys!

BUDGET!!!! A WHOPPING £200-£250

I hope this can be done, if not I'm certainly up to hearing any other suggested builds

Thanks in advance!

The biggest thing is that you want so many web browser tabs open. Memory is the biggest issue there, but that little dualie isn't going to have much headroom for much else. Also, Photoshop (and probably DW as well) is one of those programs that benefits from a high core count. Not saying that you won't be able to comfortably work in them, so long as you aren't working with professional grade RAW images. If you were using it to, say, make some images for your website, you would probably be fine.

One thing that would actually help a lot in that situation, is a GPU. A simple GT 730 would probably do, offloading a little of the work from the CPU and it's RAM. Enough to say so, anyway. I'm pretty sure it would benefit you more than an aftermarket CPU cooler at this point (you can usually get a mild overclock on that chip with the stock cooler).

How does this look to you? The only thing I couldn't find was a cube mid tower that fit the budget, and I honestly know nothing about the case other than it's from Bitfenix. Unfortunately, even the cheapest ITX boards are around £20 more expensive, and ITX cases aren't cheap either. A mid tower can still be reasonably small, though.

Hi buddy,

Firstly, thank you very much for the reply and information you have provided, it's greatly appreciated .

I would say that the Photoshop usage would be classed as VERY light (making banners, resizing images, etc)

I completely agree with the added GPU, however I don't believe that it would be of much benefit in terms of the browsing/office applications so feel that it isn't a necessity at this point in time (please feel free to disagree, I'm here for advice ).

Regarding the aftermarket CPU cooler. I have read that when the CPU is overclocked to 4.2GHz upwards of can compete with the haswell i3/5's to a CERTAIN extent, I wouldn't expect I5 3570k performance with this chip.

That is one of my main reasons for buying the chip, the overclocking ability and price point. As mentioned it would most likely only be a placeholder for ~1 year.

I have specced a new build that you can have a look at (if you don't mind) and let me know what you think. The case is what I would like to keep 100% as I love that the MOBO lays flat and supports MATX format.

Possible Spec: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/KB6Tf7
Thanks Again

John

I definitely wouldn't go with less than the 500B PSU I linked in my post, not that you need the power, just that it's one of the best PSUs at that price point, plus it's cheaper than that CX430.

If you insist on a cooler, I wouldn't go less than the Hyper 212 Evo. Here's where I'd be at: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/PzVhXL

Looking good to me. Would you suggest that this is a good build for the required applications?.

I may be able to get my hands on a USED pc with the following specs for £300:

Pentium G3258 20th anniversary

ASROCK Z97 Anniversary MOBO

8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM

250GB Crucial SSD

Nvidia GTX 560TI

NZXT Phantom 410 Caseking anniversary edition case

750 WATT NZXT PSU

I know that this is pretty much all that I am looking for at one hell of a good price but still REALLY want to build my own.

Any 2¢?.

Cheers Again

You don't need nearly that much wattage in your CPU PSU. Given your budget, I would back off on that item and find a good 500-550 watt PSU. And, I would really like to see you go with an i-5 instead of a G5328 if you could possibly afford it. Some of those apps you list in the range of use beg for at least an i-5.

Jwalsh said:

Looking good to me. Would you suggest that this is a good build for the required applications?.

I may be able to get my hands on a USED pc with the following specs for £300:

Pentium G3258 20th anniversary

ASROCK Z97 Anniversary MOBO

8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM

250GB Crucial SSD

Nvidia GTX 560TI

NZXT Phantom 410 Caseking anniversary edition case

750 WATT NZXT PSU

I know that this is pretty much all that I am looking for at one hell of a good price but still REALLY want to build my own.

Any 2¢?.

Cheers Again

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That build would work great for what you want. Not sure about your currency local pricing, so I can't tell you if its a great deal or not.

I personally like receiving brand new boxes and pulling the plastic film off of new parts and putting my build together. So I am a little biased.