Looking to build a budget PC

J

JDW27

Member
If anyone could help me out in building a PC for £250-350, that would be awesome!

I'm really missing my old PC, currently using a Mac laptop 2019 series... want to go back to tower based pc.

I don't need it for gaming, just need a solid PC that can run videos like movies etc and download files over the internet without any issues. And obviously stuff like word/powerpoint for job.

I currently have a 27 inch monitor so it's just a tower that I need.

Firstly is this price range right? Am I spending too much/too little? Secondly what would you suggest! Thank you :)
 
J

JDW27

Member
I would also add that I may intend to use it for gaming but for old games only, like The Sims 1/2/3 and for point and click games stuff like Baldur's Gate & The Banner Saga for example.
 
JUNI0R

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Hey there,

Realistically building a PC at this price point won't do you very well, it won't be very future proof and will be difficult to upgrade with part limitations everywhere. Currently prices are very high due to low supply and high demand and building a PC with PCS would be an expensive way to get a budget PC. I think it might start to make sense if you were to double your budget but I wouldn't recommend a basic PC for much less than that. If that'll be too much of a stretch for you, I'd suggest looking at the Tier 1 system intergrators and buying an off the shelf product as they will get large discounts on bulk purchased items so you'll get more for your money.

Sorry I wasn't able to help more
 
Last edited:
J

JDW27

Member
JUNI0R said:
Hey there,

Realistically building a PC at this price point won't do you very well, it won't be very future proof and will be difficult to upgrade with part limitations everywhere. Currently prices are very high due to low supply and high demand and building a PC with PCS would be an expensive way to get a budget PC. I think it might start to make sense if you were to double your budget but I wouldn't recommend a basic PC for much less than that. If that'll be too much of a stretch for you, I'd suggest looking at the Tier 1 system intergrators and buying an off the shelf product as they will get large discounts on bulk purchased items so you'll get more for your money.

Sorry I wasn't able to help more
Click to expand...
No that was very helpful, thank you.

Following your advice, I'm torn between

*LINK REMOVED*

and

*LINK REMOVED*

I'm guessing there practically the same but which would you pick?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
J

JDW27

Member
Then theres this but it's a bit more pricier

*LINK REMOVED*

which isn't really that much more in the grand scheme of things...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
Hi, @JDW27, as PC Specialist are a builder of bespoke systems and this forum is owned by them, I’m afraid forum rules dictate that we cannot get involved in recommendations for systems from other suppliers or brands. As such, I’ve removed the links from your posts. We’d normally recommend trying an open forum in this case, where you’ll find no such restrictions 👍
 
J

JDW27

Member
Case
PCS 3601 CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.1GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A320M-K: Micro-ATX, AM4, USB 3.0, 6GB/s
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB AMD RADEON™ RX 550 - HDMI, DVI - DX® 12
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £530.00 including VAT and Delivery
 
J

JDW27

Member
How are those specs for a budget gaming PC?? I know I've changed direction from my original post but any advice/edits would be most appreciated!

Example games that would be played would be low-med graphics on multiplayer games such as Apex Legends
 
J

JDW27

Member
AgentCooper said:
Hi, @JDW27, as PC Specialist are a builder of bespoke systems and this forum is owned by them, I’m afraid forum rules dictate that we cannot get involved in recommendations for systems from other suppliers or brands. As such, I’ve removed the links from your posts. We’d normally recommend trying an open forum in this case, where you’ll find no such restrictions 👍
Click to expand...
Hi, sorry for breaking forum rules.
 
J

JDW27

Member
Hi, first time doing specs on a PC, really have no clue whatsoever, just done a lot of googling and here's what I came up with for something under £550.

An example of games I would like to play would be med graphics on Apex Legends with 35-45 fps. It would also be used as my main home computer so not just purely gaming but I want something that can handle a multiplayer game if needed.

Any edits/advice would be much appreciated, thank you.

Case
PCS 3601 CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.1GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A320M-K: Micro-ATX, AM4, USB 3.0, 6GB/s
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB AMD RADEON™ RX 550 - HDMI, DVI - DX® 12
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £530.00 including VAT and Delivery
 
D

Deleted member 17413

Guest
Given your budget, you would do better buying off the shelf.
Its a dead end build that would need to be scrapped within a few years, and would struggle with any current release on anything but minimum settings. I really wouldnt recommend it.
 
J

JDW27

Member
sibun1 said:
Given your budget, you would do better buying off the shelf.
Its a dead end build that would need to be scrapped within a few years, and would struggle with any current release on anything but minimum settings. I really wouldnt recommend it.
Click to expand...
Ah okay, I'll probably just forget about the gaming for now then and get a basic office PC, thanks!
 
J

JDW27

Member
There's a couple I'm looking at but both are out of stock, and the next one up is too big a price increase.
 
i_Ary

i_Ary

Gold Level Poster
JDW27 said:
Ah okay, I'll probably just forget about the gaming for now then and get a basic office PC, thanks!
Click to expand...
If you really want to game, your best bet is waiting a few months while the prices die down alongside you being able to save up a bit more money. In a few months, a budget of £1000 would do you nicely and help you manage to play games at above 60 fps at 1080p with ease. For instance, the RTX 3050 would be a perfect GPU for someone like you once it releases since you want to shorten your budget as much as you can while still being able to play newer titles at above 60 fps decent settings
 
J

JDW27

Member
Hi, what if I had a budget of £1200, how would these specs look? Would I need more than standard processor cooling, Is the RAM enough to go with the cpu/motherboard/graphics card?

How would your £1200 pc look? Thanks again.

Case
PCS 3601 CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
 
SillyDrizzle

SillyDrizzle

Active member
JDW27 said:
Hi, what if I had a budget of £1200, how would these specs look? Would I need more than standard processor cooling, Is the RAM enough to go with the cpu/motherboard/graphics card?

How would your £1200 pc look? Thanks again.

Case
PCS 3601 CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Click to expand...
Youd need to upgrade the psu to something like a 750w or even 850w, just to cover any future changes and power coverage is super important for the newer gpus. The HDD could be swapped out for something with less space but overall faster and you could use an external storage device instead. Id recommend using dual channel ram as oppose to single stick of ram, better performance.

Post the config link so we can change it about for you and make something more sensible and safer for your budget
 
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