Advice on first [<£500] budget micro-ATX build please

[El_Mayo]

I'm building a micro-ATX build in the near future for use in the living room. It's mainly for my girlfriend for gaming as well as light Adobe Illustrator work. I wanted to go with mini ITX but FM2+ mini itx boards start from £65 where I looked. If I could find one around £40 I'd be willing to go mini-ITX again.

Here is my current part list

Notes:

I feel like the motherboard I've selected is cheap; however it is ASUS. I don't plan on overclocking. I also like Fan Xpert 3 on my Z97 board in my current build as it allows me to slow down fans further, which might be a killer feature with the single 200mm fan on the case

I already have a Thermalright True Spirit 140 Power, which is mediocre with my 4790K. I'm going to put this in the build and get a beefier cooler.

I might give her my old 256GB SSD so I can upgrade mine to 512GB

I've gone with a modular PSU to avoid a cramped build, never heard anything about Zalman PSUs, anyone know who the OEM is?

 

[krusha03]

Here is a mini ITX build <500 pounds. Note that your Thermalright won't fit in this case

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£147.54 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£47.38 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£20.99 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£20.99 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5&quot; 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.94 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 285 2GB TurboDuo Video Card (£119.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case (£34.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Zalman 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.08 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £494.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-20 19:26 BST+0100

 

[El_Mayo]

Here is a mini ITX build <500 pounds. Note that your Thermalright won't fit in this case

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£147.54 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£47.38 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£20.99 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£20.99 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5&quot; 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.94 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 285 2GB TurboDuo Video Card (£119.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case (£34.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Zalman 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.08 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £494.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-20 19:26 BST+0100

Really nice, was looking at the V1 initially but I couldn't find a cheap FM2+ board that was mini-ITX. I do feel a 4570 is overkill, the problem with Intel is they have no budget quad cores. £55 is a good price for a quad core AMD chip; the cheapest quad core Intel 1150 is £143! this rig is only for gaming after all. Saving £30 on the graphics card is really nice but I don't mind spending the extra if it's parallel to the graphics performance. Saving a few quad with 1333mhz RAM is something I'll take from your list though.

*update*

reading through the comparisons between GTX 960 and R9 285 on TPU. Good call, saves me a lot of £££. The 285 consumes way more power, but I'll be able to get away with that with a 550W PSU.

my updated list
.
I don't like to use ebuyer right now and I might look to pick up this Sapphire 285 version. Cooling looks a bit better

 

[krusha03]

Really nice, was looking at the V1 initially but I couldn't find a cheap FM2+ board that was mini-ITX. I do feel a 4570 is overkill, the problem with Intel is they have no budget quad cores. £55 is a good price for a quad core AMD chip; the cheapest quad core Intel 1150 is £143! this rig is only for gaming after all. Saving £30 on the graphics card is really nice but I don't mind spending the extra if it's parallel to the graphics performance. Saving a few quad with 1333mhz RAM is something I'll take from your list though.

*update*

reading through the comparisons between GTX 960 and R9 285 on TPU. Good call, saves me a lot of £££. The 285 consumes way more power, but I'll be able to get away with that with a 550W PSU.

my updated list
.
I don't like to use ebuyer right now and I might look to pick up this Sapphire 285 version. Cooling looks a bit better

The thing is total system price difference is only 50 pounds so I personally would go for the i5 system. In the end it's your call. And yeah 285 and 960 are comparable in performance but the 285 uses a bit more power at load.

 

[Potatoking]

If you dont need i5, get an i3, it is similar to 860k, sometimes faster.
860K does about 300 points in cinebech 15 and dualcore G3258 4GHz does about 290 points.
Current i3 is 3,7GHz

 

[El_Mayo]

If you dont need i5, get an i3, it is similar to 860k, sometimes faster.
860K does about 300 points in cinebech 15 and dualcore G3258 4GHz does about 290 points.
Current i3 is 3,7GHz

I looked at the G3258 which was cheaper but doesn't have hyperthreading. I think the i3 has 2 physical cores and 4 threads similar to the 860K. I'll have to compare performance between the cheapest i3 and the 860

The thing is total system price difference is only 50 pounds so I personally would go for the i5 system. In the end it's your call. And yeah 285 and 960 are comparable in performance but the 285 uses a bit more power at load.

That's a fair point, if I use your parts list but with an i3 then that'll save a couple more quid

 

[RCoon]

I'll have to compare performance between the cheapest i3 and the 860

You should find that the i3 often performs much better in games. I used to have a 750K paired with a GTX 780 for fun, and while it was certainly doable in most games, it suffered a fair amount in titles that needed the single core oomph, and the 750K just couldn't provide it.

 

[Potatoking]

i3-4150 (3,5ghz) does about 350 in cinebench.
Hyperthreading gives about 30-40 precent more performance compared to 2 core
860K is real 4 core but single core performance is not so good

 

[bubbleawsome]

If the i5 system is just $50 more I would go for that. The 4570 is so far beyond the AMD CPU that it is rather silly. I would expect average framerate to jump quite a bit, and minimums maybe double. That is a massive increase in smoothness.

The i5 will also allow you to crank up some settings that the AMD just won't. Things like AO and shadows can be real killers on lower-end CPUs.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

I've gone with a modular PSU to avoid a cramped build, never heard anything about Zalman PSUs, anyone know who the OEM is?

According to http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page1530.htm, it's Enhance Electronics
BTW you can easily get away with a 400 watt PSU. (If you go with the 285, make sure the PSU has 2 x 6 pin - which many 400 watt PSU's don't, but could easily)

I'll have to compare performance between the cheapest i3 and the 860

My go to comparison for gaming CPU performance: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html
To me, the biggest reason to go Intel and an i3 is that you can upgrade latter. With an 860K, you're done - no upgrade path.
Edit: As for RAM, the sweet spot on this side of the pond for $/GB is 16GB (2x8GB) (several deals today under $100 (example)) Maybe go with one 8GB stick and add latter??????

 

[El_Mayo]

If the i5 system is just $50 more I would go for that. The 4570 is so far beyond the AMD CPU that it is rather silly. I would expect average framerate to jump quite a bit, and minimums maybe double. That is a massive increase in smoothness.

The i5 will also allow you to crank up some settings that the AMD just won't. Things like AO and shadows can be real killers on lower-end CPUs.

I see your point, that's what I'd go for if it were my PC but if I go for an i3 that saves me £60 that I can put into another part (graphics card)

This is Krush's partlist with an i3 that's a great price and better than my original list
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/dMbFhM

According to http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page1530.htm, it's Enhance Electronics
BTW you can easily get away with a 400 watt PSU. (If you go with the 285, make sure the PSU has 2 x 6 pin - which many 400 watt PSU's don't, but could easily)

My go to comparison for gaming CPU performance: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html
To me, the biggest reason to go Intel and an i3 is that you can upgrade latter. With an 860K, you're done - no upgrade path.
Edit: As for RAM, the sweet spot on this side of the pond for $/GB is 16GB (2x8GB) (several deals today under $100 (example)) Maybe go with one 8GB stick and add latter??????

Couldn't find a modular 400W PSU but I'll look again if that'll save me money.

Your point about getting a single 8GB stick is valid though, altho I can't see a need for more than 8GB of RAM for 1080p gaming. Not a hardcore gamer, just wants a step up from PS3 without getting another console.

Also is there no upgrade possibility with the FM2+ socket?

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Couldn't find a modular 400W PSU

It irks me that the PSU industry is not addressing the need for modular 300-400 watt PSU's. (in standard formats) The CS450M(NOT CX430M) is a nice unit. It only comes with one 6+2 pin PCI-e connector, but you can get an 8 pin to 2 x 6 pin adaptor. There is no problem doing this because the power rating is the same for 2 x 6 pin/1 x 8 pin. GPU manufacturers need to quit making 2 x 6 pin.

Also is there no upgrade possibility with the FM2+ socket?

Not unless AMD has something up their sleeves that they're not telling us. http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/t...top-cpu-arrives-in-2016-on-socket-fm3.212161/

 

[El_Mayo]

It irks me that the PSU industry is not addressing the need for modular 300-400 watt PSU's. (in standard formats) The CS450M(NOT CX430M) is a nice unit. It only comes with one 6+2 pin PCI-e connector, but you can get an 8 pin to 2 x 6 pin adaptor. There is no problem doing this because the power rating is the same for 2 x 6 pin/1 x 8 pin. GPU manufacturers need to quit making 2 x 6 pin.

Not unless AMD has something up their sleeves that they're not telling us. http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/t...top-cpu-arrives-in-2016-on-socket-fm3.212161/

Yeah it's a bit annoying but the assumption is you're after value if you're going for 400W which is fair.

Oh okay thanks man, so FM2+ doesn't have any high performance chips? I was under the impression it's mainly their APU socket.

I'm now leaning towards an i3 with hyperthreading, but with a H81 motherboard

edit: i know dual channel 2 x 4GB is better than 1 x 8GB but does it matter for gaming?