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New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

CL01
Grafter
Posts: 67
Registered: ‎03-04-2014

New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

So as you can tell I am on the verge of ordering parts for my new PC. Its on a very tight budget and needs to be small. These are the specs:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3460 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  (£50.99)
Motherboard: Asus H81I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£52.38 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For £36.00)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6670 2GB Video Card  (Purchased For £69.99)
Case: Silverstone Sugo SG13B-Q Mini ITX Tower Case  (£39.50 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£39.34 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £318.19
The GPU and HDD I already had lying around from a previous build. I plan on installing Ubuntu 14.10 on the HDD (or SSD) as it will be used for document creation and surfing the web. Is there anything I need to know before I go ahead with my plans?
22 REPLIES 22
Oldjim
Resting Legend
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Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

Before a mod jumps all over you - you need to fix your sig which completely breaks the rules about overall depth
CL01
Grafter
Posts: 67
Registered: ‎03-04-2014

Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

Thanks Oldjim, I think i've fixed my criminal sig. As for the build, it is not for gaming. I just need a low power cpu which could handle csgo at max as it will mainly be for my parents to search for things and check emails. I was more wanting people's opinion on Ubuntu and if there any issues/problems which could prevent it from doing what I want (Thus why I put it in the Linux/Mac Software area.)
Oldjim
Resting Legend
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Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

I edited my post before you replied - pity
However for a Linux based machine that will do everything you need and may well be OK for CSGO however you may like to consider the advantages of a quad core AMD at about the same price even though I am not sure there are any as I am not an expert on that game
One thing you might like to consider is replacing the standard Intel cooler with a much quieter one
Just to add - if you can drop the requirement for CSGO you could build it without the graphics card and use the onboard graphics and drop the memory down to 4GB at max as well as cutting the heat generated which may be a problem given the limited cooling in that case
Also note that you need to add a 120mm case fan to your list as the case doesn't come with one
CL01
Grafter
Posts: 67
Registered: ‎03-04-2014

Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

Same 😕 and I can't go amd as they dont do any ITX motherboards, the smallest they go is Micro-ATX. A quad core would be really nice but it's just out of my price zone. The only other option I can see is go for the Pentium 3258 and overclock it on a B85 motherboard, but i'd need a better psu and cooler which would make the build a lot more expensive:/ Thankyou for your input, I'm pretty certain im going to go with Ubuntu now Cheesy
Oldjim
Resting Legend
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Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

see my edit
ReedRichards
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Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

It seems a crazy priority to pay more for the power supply and case together than the processor.  I think a modular power supply is an expensive gimmick. 
Oldjim
Resting Legend
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Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

From my experience a modular power supply is ideal where you are using an ultra compact case as you don't have masses of unused cables cluttering it up and the difference in price is only about £6
rongtw
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Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

I also like a modular PSU , not so many spare cables to hide away  Wink
Also i would say the PSU is vastly underrated as its one of the most important pieces of hardware you need to buy  Cool
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CL01
Grafter
Posts: 67
Registered: ‎03-04-2014

Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

Thankyou @Oldjim, I could do but for wat it's worth, ill loose out on GBP/GB and i'll only save about 10 pounds. I also noticed that,  but ive got a few fans lay around. I also already have the GPU and HDD from a previous build, I just plan on formatting the HDD and using that for storage. @ReedRichards in some situations you would be right, its not worth the extra expense. But when building in a very small case such as the SG13, you need to maximise your airflow to keep the components cool. @rongtw I like them too. I have an RM750 in my main gaming machine and its awesoem that I dont have to fill the basement with cables which I dont use. I also struggle for cablemanagement space in my H440 so less cables means more space in the basement for cables that can be shoved away.
VileReynard
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Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

There's no way you can use 8GB on a Linux Desktop, unless you are going to be running multiple VM's - so you could save a small amount there.
I'm rarely able to achieve 2GB.  Cheesy
Have you considered an AMD CPU - I find that they are generally cheaper...

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ReedRichards
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Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

I've used these Ace fans in the past and they are genuinely quiet http://www.ebuyer.com/566861-ace-black-120mm-fan-500w-fully-wired-efficient-power-supply-psuace500br .  Not modular but cost £11.99.  I would have thought wire cutters and some electrical tape over the ends would be sufficient to get rid of any excess leads if there's really no room to stow them. 
nanotm
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Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biostar-A68N-5000-Motherboard-Mini-ITX-A4-5000/dp/B00LM3IEQQ/ref=sr_1_12?ie=... here you can get the mobo + cpu in mITX for less than the cpu alone /saving you enough to buy a better psu http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CP-9020076-UK-Builder-CS550M-Semi-Modular/dp/B00GN8VTVW/ref=sr_1_1?i...
which will leave you with a much better graphics capability from your all in one device whilst letting you sell the old gpu and still being able ot play csgo at max settings, on top of saving you about £40 in the build
just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you
w23
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Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

Sorry @nonotm, that A4-5000 might have 4 cores but its performance would be about half of the 2 core G3460 (though power consumption is low so it's not bad for a small quiet system but I doubt it has any real gaming capability).
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nanotm
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Re: New PC Build, Am I Making The Right Decision?

its not for a gaming rig, the cost and power savings alone make it worthwhile, it will play hd dvd content happily without buffering and will even play csgo on max settings. the performance from the anthill is only "better" if your doing high end benchmarking for the described usage the AMD saves you £50 up front and costs less over time to run giving multiple savings, and that's totally ignoring the fact the anthill is just yet another p4 clone with a higher price and half the real world processor capability/
just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you