Cheap gaming set up

[person1231]

Hi there everyone! Well I'm new to the computer scene really, I haven't had a computer that can run anything major for a good few years and have therefore decided to buy a new computer. In terms of performance I'm looking to be able to play fps games on reasonable settings and I'm a big fan on minecraft so would like to run that with no worries performance wise. It doesn't need to be lightening fast for the next 5 years worth of games so if it can run moderns games with no real problems that's good enough for me. The problem is that I'm on a tight budget, I'm essentially looking for a sub-£400 set up.

I have found a few set ups that take my fancy and I was hoping someone here could advise on which is best or if there are any problems such as needing more power etc etc. Any help will be must appreciated!

(all prices include windows 7)

Option 1

Case

STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA MICRO-ATX CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)

AMD A6-3670K APU (2.7GHz, 4 Cores) & AMD Radeonâ„¢ HD 6530D Graphics
Motherboard

ASUS® F1A55-M LK R2.0: FM1 A-SERIES, SATA 3.0GB/s, Windows 8 Ready!
Memory (RAM)

4GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card

Integrated AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series Graphics
Memory - 1st Hard Disk

500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader

INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply

450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling

STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Sound Card

ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities

10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options

6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software

NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus

NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty

3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery

STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time

Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £381.00 including VAT and delivery.

Will the dedicated graphics card be enough here or will I need to upgrade and buy a separate one too, with the radeon 6670 it would cost £433 for example. In addition even though the processor is quad-core, is the 2.7GHz enough?

From:
PCSPECIALIST - Custom PCs, Custom Computers, Custom PC, Desktop PC, Custom Built Computers, Gaming PC

Option 2

Processor:
AMD FM1 Llano A8-3870 Quad Core Processor 4x 3.0Ghz
Memory: 4Gb DDR3 1333Mhz
Graphics Card:
AMD 6550D GPU
Hard Disk Drive:
500Gb SATAIII 6Gb/s
Motherboard: AsRock A55MH FM1 LLANO - DDR3 1333/1600Mhz (16Gb Max)
Audio: Integrated HD Audio
USB Ports:
4 Rear USB 2.0 + 2x Front USB 2.0 Headers
Networking: Integrated Gigabit 10/100 Network Port
Optical Drive:
22x SATA Dvd Rw Drive
Case: Micro ATX Gaming Case
Power Supply
650 Watt
Warranty Standard Two year warranty

Price
£421

No real worries with this but it is slightly over my budget.

From: Gaming PCs | Gaming Computers | Low Price Gaming PCs | Desktop PCs | Custom Gaming PCs | UK

Option 3

Processor:
AMD FM1 Llano A8-3870 Quad Core Processor 4x 3.0Ghz
Memory: 4Gb DDR3 1333Mhz
Graphics Card:
AMD 6550D GPU
Hard Disk Drive:
500Gb SATAIII 6Gb/s
Motherboard: AsRock A55MH FM1 LLANO - DDR3 1333/1600Mhz (16Gb Max)
Audio: Integrated HD Audio
USB Ports:
4 Rear USB 2.0 + 2x Front USB 2.0 Headers
Networking: Integrated Gigabit 10/100 Network Port
Optical Drive:
22x SATA Dvd Rw Drive
Case: Micro ATX Gaming Case
Power Supply
650 Watt
Warranty Standard Two year warranty
Price
£383

Again here, I'm worries that the integrated graphics aren't going to be enough. But on the same website I could buy the AMD 6670 HDMI for £50, again tipping me over budget but is this necessary?

From:
http://www.ramcomputersystems.co.uk/ind ... id=1226432

Option 4

Options: Case: Evo Labs E-036
Optical Drive 1: 22x SATA DVD Rw Drive
Hard Disk Drive 1: 500Gb SATAII 7200RPM
Phone/Camera Memory Card Reader: None
Network Card: Internal Gigabit Network Port
Overclock: Stock Speed Is Fine Thanks
System Build Type: Standard Build & Optimization + 2Yr Warranty(Free)
Power Supply: Gamer Standard (Up to GTX550Ti or HD7770) £8.00
AMD Motherboard: Gigabyte 760G DDR3 1333Mhz (16GbMax) USB2
System Memory: 4Gb DDR3 1333Mhz (1x4Gb)
Installed Operating System: Windows 7 64Bit Home Premium £75.00
AMD Processor: AMD Bulldozer FX4100 Quad Core 4x3.6Ghz £39.83
Optical Drive 2: None
Additional Cooling Fans: 2x Standard Case Fans To Fit Case £4.10
Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX550Ti 1Gb HDMI £69.56
Hard Disk Drive 2: None
Price
£463

This seems to be a bit expensive but if I choose a radeon HD6670 it will only be £421, still a bit over budget but would that also be a good option?

From: Gaming PCs | Gaming Computers | Low Price Gaming PCs | Desktop PCs | Custom Gaming PCs | UK

Thanks a lot for looking!
James.

 

[Fallout]

AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHz (Quad Core) 45nm, AM3 6MB Cache
Spire Kestrel-King II AMD 64 fan
MSI 760GM-P23 (FX) AM3+, Onboard Video, GB LAN
8GB (4x2GB) PC8500 DDR3 1066 Dual Channel
AMD Radeon HD 6750 1GB PCI Express 16x dual head, DVI, HDMI
500.0 GB Hitachi 7200RPM SATA2, UDMA 300 8m cache
Realtek HD digital audio (onboard)
Ethernet network adapter (onboard)
Logisys Red & Black ATX Case w/side window & front USB
Case Fan 80 mm DC fan
Apevia 500W Extra Quiet Power Supply w/ 6pin PCI-E
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit DVD w/SP1 & Win 8 Pro Upgrade offer
Magicmicro.com
$636

 

[person1231]

Hi man, cheers for the reply but I can't order off that website as I live in the UK, looked good though!

What do you think of the options I posted above though?

Cheers again,
James.

 

[Fallout]

Gaming PCs | Gaming Computers | Low Price Gaming PCs | Desktop PCs | Custom Gaming PCs | UK
Category: PC Customizer
Options: Hard Disk Drive 1: 500Gb SATAII 7200RPM
Optical Drive 1: 22x SATA DVD Rw Drive
Phone/Camera Memory Card Reader: None
Network Card: Internal Gigabit Network Port
Overclock: Stock Speed Is Fine Thanks
Case: Evo Labs E-036
System Build Type: Standard Build & Optimization + 2Yr Warranty(Free)
Power Supply: Gamer Standard (Up to GTX550Ti or HD7770) £8.00
AMD Motherboard: Gigabyte 760G DDR3 1333Mhz (16GbMax) USB2
Additional Cooling Fans: 1x Standard Case Fan To Fit case £2.00
Optical Drive 2: None
Installed Operating System: Windows 7 64Bit Home Premium £75.00
AMD Processor: AMD Bulldozer FX4100 Quad Core 4x3.6Ghz £39.83
System Memory: 8Gb DDR3 1333Mhz (2x4Gb) £16.55
Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX550Ti 1Gb HDMI £69.56
Hard Disk Drive 2: None
Total:£477.72
Its a little over your budget but it is a solid setup and should hold its own against upcoming games.
edit: now that im looking at your option 4 setup, they are exactly the same except my setup has more ram, if i were you i would either go with my setup or option 4, your call

 

[person1231]

Hi there, thanks a lot for the reply man, so many decisions!

Would you recommend the radeon 6670 choice instead of the GTX550ti though, as this would save £40?

 

[cb600fshornet]

Right, here goes...

If you intend to buy an external Graphics Card, don't go for the A Series, it's essentially an Athlon II chip bundled with Graphics.

If anything, get a Quad core FX Chip, but the highest clock speed you can lay your hands on, FX4170 for example.

In terms of motherboard, you need one thats the latest technology really so you an upgrade in the future if you wish.