PC build

[Dave Simmons]

Hey,

I'm considering building my own Gaming PC as i have been told they could be a great way to get a good system without splashing a hell amount of cash.
just looking for advice on the sorts of components people would recommend for say a reasonable budget of £400-500. and any decent places in order to purchase them.. or just general advice on pc building etc

Any help would be appreciated

Cheers
Dave

 

[Jim Cole]

There has been a recent article on Tomshardware with 3 system builds for gaming, running at stock clocks for $500, $1000 and $2000. I would recommend you have a look and see what they used and what would suit your budget

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-a-pc-value-overclock,3033.html

Key things to keep in mind:
Make sure the PSU is powerful enough to handle what you are going to run and then add a little for overhead.
Don't go crazy on the graphics if you aren't going just as crazy on the CPU, though if you go intel, an i5 2500 is plenty for most any gaming need.
If you are going to run with more than 3Gig of system ram, make sure you use a 64bit OS.

 

[Paul Mullins]

Jim - I'd suggest going for the i5 2500K as opposed to the non-overclockable 2500.. These are beasts of overclockers and will help future proof the system for only about $10-15 more.

 

[Jim Cole]

I wasn't being specific on the 2500, but good point there Paul