PC Build Check

[cptwhite_uk]

Can anyone recommend any improvements over this for a budget gaming build? I'm not wanting cheap components - trying to stay with quality brands and keep the costs under £550 (£600 being the absolute upper limit).

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/mjBZyc

CPU
Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor
£85.18 £85.18 Ebuyer Buy

CPU Cooler
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
£24.95 £24.95 Aria PC Buy

Motherboard
ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
£67.16 £67.16 Scan.co.uk Buy

Memory
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
£40.56

Storage
Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
£62.69

Video Card
Club 3D Radeon R9 280 3GB royalKing Video Card
£160.14

Case
Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
£36.95

Power Supply
Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
£57.98

Case Fans
2 no. Fractal Design SSR3-140-WT 56.1 CFM 140mm Fan
£13.48

Total: £549.09

[jag272]

Looks pretty solid to me, only thing I'd recommend depending on whether you care about PSU being semimodular is the XFX Core 550W instead of the slightly bigger CX 600w.

It's a Seasonic built unit so much more reliable whereas the CX Series are known to be a little shaky, though you probably won't run into issues, but its a cheaper PSU anyway. This is the newer, haswell compatible version on Scan for £43
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-...-1x-135mm-fan-

There used to a 550W Semi/Modular XFX around £55 too but I can't seem to find it anymore.

I found this more recently, long after I built this PC, and the CX series scores pretty poorly, down in tier 4 rather than tier 2 of the XFX
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/...tier-list.html

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would use the savings from the PSU to get an R9 380 4GB:

http://www.ebuyer.com/714727-msi-rad...6379&pkw=&pmt=

Edit!!

I don't think you need such a hefty cooler for a Core i3 too.

[jigger]

It's just a touch over 600, but would make a much better gaming system and has some overclocking head room.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/m74dQ7

[AlSomething]

Looks okay to me. If this is only for gaming and not storing photos and alike, you storage will be okay for now. In the future you can always expand it.

Also a DVD drive? Although most people can get away without using one, I still using mine for burning music mp3 discs for my car and ripping DVD to my HTPC. Not essential but access to one might be handy.

I recommend a crucial SSD BX100, very good solid drive (pun intended) :-)

Other from that have you factored in the cost of coffee?

[Bonebreaker777]

It's just a touch over 600, but would make a much better gaming system and has some overclocking head room.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/m74dQ7

Nice build, better what was intended initially for sure. For plain i5 at stock frequencies the BOX cooler is just fine. Both the suggested SSDs (x110 and BX100) are better that the initial SanDisk Plus.

Should not forget the option to claim cashback and try second hand products for the non-moving components. CeX sells second hand items with warranty and a discount.

[artcon]

Just in case you didn't know, cases tend to come with fans. Both the one you and jigger chose come with 2x120mm fans. So just see how your temps are with just the stock fans and then you can buy more later if you live somewhere hot, or if you overclock. Because the ones that come with the case are usually good enough for most.

[EndlessWaves]

I'd go for a B85 motherboard personally. It avoids most of the extreme economies of H81 (2 memory slots, PCI-E 2.0, no triple output) but even one packed with lots of features is £15 less, and a plainer board could save you £20.

Memory is a commodity item, going for the cheapest - even from an established brand that could honour the warranty - will save you £8.

I'd go for the cheapest case possible on a budget build. As long as it's not so badly manufactured that parts don't fit or it collapses then why spend more? Especially if you're buying your own fans. Maybe pay a little extra to get front USB3 ports.

As others have said, corsair's budget range isn't worth paying £60 for. Stick with reasonable cheap ones like EVGA's 500W or go for something better quality for that sort of money.

I'd go for something along the lines of this:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/xHh7jX

Motherboard is the same Pro4 you chose but the B85 version, I don't know what features you're after.

I haven't looked at cooling lately so I just picked popular options.