Gaming PC (£1000 Budget)

leepor

New member
Hello everyone,

I am new to building PCs and am looking to invest into a gaming pc.

I don't plan to play anything too strenuous on it; Fortnite, League of Legends, PUBG, CS:GO, Overwatch etc.

I already have a monitor: Acer S241HL - 24" LED Monitor - Full HD (1080p)
I already have a keyboard and mouse.
I am going to be using Wi-fi.

I am looking to spend around £1000 on this build, if I can go cheaper then great, if i have to throw a few £100 more on top then I can try to.

If anybody has any build suggestions it would be much appreciated, thanks.

Lee
 

bobbarley

Active member
Something like this might do the trick. The i5-8400 is more than enough for any game out at the moment, it's a fantastic value for money option. It's not overclockable so you can save money not needing a fancy bells and whistles motherboard too. 16GB RAM I'd say is a must, PUBG is a bit of a pig with anything less than that. You could drop it to 8GB though if you really needed to. The GTX 1060 will handle 1080p gaming with no issues. The SSD you can pay a few quid more for something a little faster, or a few quid less for something a little slower. Around 250GB is a nice amount of space though to get Windows 10 installed and a nice little steam library. Then 1TB normal hard drive for all your other storage needs.

Case
PCS SR-620P MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-8400 (2.8GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H310M-A: Micro-ATX, DDR4, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/s R | 1600MB/s W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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® Office® 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 12 to 14 working days

Price £986.00 including VAT and delivery
 

polycrac

Rising Star
If you can stretch a little in the budget, you can have a better case (larger, better airflow, one which comes with led fans!), as the one above has no fans included. Also, faster RAM, a larger psu, for future upgrades, a cpu cooler (I hear the stock ones can be noisy and the Silver warranty. I also upgraded the cpu and downgraded the gpu, because you are more likely to upgrade the gpu in the future:


Case
GAME MAX FALCON BLACK GAMING CASE (RGB LED)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-8600 (3.1GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
1st Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/s R | 1600MB/s W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1200 867Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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® Office® 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 Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,071.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/F2UWWmeJXV/
 

bobbarley

Active member
For gaming that cpu wouldn't be an upgrade unless he was planning to stream. The 3GB VRAM on the 1060 however would gimp some of the games.
 

leepor

New member
This looks really nice, thanks, is there anything extra i could include for £50-60 that would increase performance? I might be looking to stream but my internet connection is absolutely pony. Wondering if theres anything that could help in that department?
Also could you leave a link to re-config as there isn't one at the bottom :D

@bobbarley
 

polycrac

Rising Star
I think it depends on how you see yourself upgrading in the future. Some people want a good PC now and will keep it until it dies, then replace it entirely. Some people constantly upgrade components as they go. If you plan on upgrading as you go, it makes more sense to prioritise case, PSU etc. and allow that you can improve RAM, GPU and so on as you go (if this is you, then there is also an argument for going for just 8Gb of fast RAM now, and adding more in time)

The 3GB version of the 1060 loses about 6% of performance Vs the 6Gb (https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2604-gtx-1060-3gb-vs-6gb-benchmark-review?showall=1) in most games, though significantly more in some particular games. There is no doubt that its a better card. The I5-8600 is also certainly an improvement on the I58400, the difference is small (300MHz on base and boost clocks) but real. You would probably find better performance in games right now with the 8400 and the 6Gb 1060 BUT... Most people keep their CPU for a lot longer than their graphics card. If you are as happy upgrading your CPU as GPU then fine, otherwise, I'd still advocate getting the best processor you can in your current build and swap up your GPU when you have more funds (and when the new 20 series cards come out!)

Regardless of what processor and GPU you go for, I'd certainly recommend getting a decent case - one with good airflow and cooling options. When you select a case from the configurator you can see how many fans it comes with etc. If you do decide to get a case with no fans listed then you should look to add some via the configurator option. Upgrading the case later is a serious pain in the proverbial!

If you are still looking for savings, there are cheaper NVME M.2 options, like the Intel 760p, which would save you £7, or you could hold off on this altogether and make do with your HDD for now.

IF you just want a decent PC now and don't plan on tinkering or upgrading, I'd agree with the I5-8400 and the 6Gb 1060 (but I'd still suggest that a better case would be in order)
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
RAM is super expensive at the moment, and the performance difference between 8gb and 16gb for games in general is slim to nil, and 16gb is insanely expensive. Probably better to save the money.

8gb ought to be fine for PUBG, though obviously don't run a load of extra junk in the background if you don't need it.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/playerunknowns-battlegrounds-graphics-performance,5619-4.html

The RX 580 by AMD offers similar performance (maybe just pips?) the GTX 1060, and also supports freesync which will be useful if you upgrade your monitor to 144hz as many high refresh monitors popular for shooters at the ~£200 price point support freesync. Also it comes with a bundle of free games including AC Odyssey.

However, a new generation of GPUs is being announced on the 20th August. The GTX 1060 6gbs that PCS sell are still fairly expensive so it might be prudent to wait for the new gen.

I would generally recommend the i5 8600 as it's almost £50 for only 200MHz more boost clocks, which seems pretty weak value for the money.


Case
GAME MAX FALCON BLACK GAMING CASE (RGB LED)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-8400 (2.8GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
250GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/s R | 1600MB/s W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1200 867Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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® Office® 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 12 to 14 working days
Quantity
1

Price £969.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/T!UY8xqAjz/

But waiting for the new GPUs including possible the new GTX 2060 may be the smart play.
 
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