Building a PC on a budget - Around £1000

[JackPRead]

Hi,

I am trying to build a new PC but I am on a budget. I do not need the best high end gear but want something good that can keep me going for some time to come. I would like to be able to play new games coming out (e.g. Elden Ring) on good graphics settings. I do not mind if the build cannot keep up with the newest games on high graphics coming out in 2 years.

My budget is approx. £1000.

I have made a first pass build attached below but I have no idea. This is already going over my budget. Can you please tell me where are the best places to downgrade or optimise the build to fit better into my budget and expectations?

Any help and advice is really appreciated!

Thank you


Case
PCS 3601 CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-11700F (2.5GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
GIGABYTE B560M DS3H (rev. 1.0) : LGA1200, DDR4, USB 3.2
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCSpecialist PRO DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
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 [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,329.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z590-pc/DgHSakTJsK/

 

[Bhuna50]

This isnt your first Check this Spec is it - please stick to your original thread, just let people know that your budget is now a lot lower:

Advice on building a high end build that will last me years?

Hi, I am looking to upgrade my PC. When I upgrade I like to try and buy high or top end parts that will last me for years to come. However, I find myself getting completely overwhelmed when I start to look at and compare all the various options. If anyone could offer any advice on this build...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Plus I thought you had already ordered it?

 

[SpyderTracks]

This isnt your first Check this Spec is it - please stick to your original thread, just let people know that your budget is now a lot lower:

Advice on building a high end build that will last me years?

Hi, I am looking to upgrade my PC. When I upgrade I like to try and buy high or top end parts that will last me for years to come. However, I find myself getting completely overwhelmed when I start to look at and compare all the various options. If anyone could offer any advice on this build...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

We hadn't merged it as this is an entirely different budget level.

 

[Bhuna50]

We hadn't merged it as this is an entirely different budget level.

and I just saw - he had already ordered the previous one - so is there something wrong with it? What will your uses be for this one?

Your Elden Ring game will run well on that previous build but probably not really very well on a £1000 build. Most minimum level PCs are now about £1500 build - but Im sure the experts can help you.

 

[JackPRead]

I was asking on behalf of my girlfriend to try help her buy a PC. Nevermind though. Perhaps I should have made that more clear to avoid this awkward thread. I'll just close this.

Edit: can't work out how to delete any of this... mods feel free to delete it

 

[sck451]

I'll have a stab at answering you, hoping it will be helpful.

This is about a cheap a PC as one can reasonably recommend. The graphics is relatively weak: the 1660 Super is a couple of years old now, and was only mid-tier to begin with. But it might do a passable job for you. It's actually what I have and it does a passable job in the limited amount of gaming I've done. You might look for videos of people using it (look on YouTube for "1660 super elden ring", for example) and see if it looks like settings and framerates you'd be happy with.

It's weaker than I'd like in a couple of areas, principally motherboard and power supply. These will limit upgrades, especially the latter, so if you're able to spend a little more I'd advise it. I say that realising that I haven't got all that near your £1k budget.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE As cheap as I'd go on cases
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache Good budget gaming CPU
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B660-PLUS D4 (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Not great, but at least cheap
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) The minimum you want for RAM, really
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready! See caveat above
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) I wouldn't go less than 1TB of storage, given how big game downloads are these days
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET See caveat above
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
AKASA AK-CC6606BP01 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
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00027]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,142.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/FV56ZGjSDd/

 

[JUNI0R]

I'll have a stab at answering you, hoping it will be helpful.

This is about a cheap a PC as one can reasonably recommend. The graphics is relatively weak: the 1660 Super is a couple of years old now, and was only mid-tier to begin with. But it might do a passable job for you. It's actually what I have and it does a passable job in the limited amount of gaming I've done. You might look for videos of people using it (look on YouTube for "1660 super elden ring", for example) and see if it looks like settings and framerates you'd be happy with.

It's weaker than I'd like in a couple of areas, principally motherboard and power supply. These will limit upgrades, especially the latter, so if you're able to spend a little more I'd advise it. I say that realising that I haven't got all that near your £1k budget.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE As cheap as I'd go on cases
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache Good budget gaming CPU
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B660-PLUS D4 (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Not great, but at least cheap
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) The minimum you want for RAM, really
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready! See caveat above
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) I wouldn't go less than 1TB of storage, given how big game downloads are these days
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET See caveat above
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
AKASA AK-CC6606BP01 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
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00027]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWAREhttps://www.techspot.com/review/2343-amd-radeon-rx-6600/
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,142.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/FV56ZGjSDd/

Thought I'd pop in here and blow my RX6600 horn again 😂 The RX6600 is a GPU option from AMD and it's what I'd label as the deal to be had on GPU's right now (it's the first one I've seen at retail at MSRP). It's got performance equivalent to an RTX 3060 for over £200 less from PCS, not only that, it's more than £50 cheaper than the 1660 Super!! Yes you lose out some of the NVIDIA features, but AMD basically has their own versions of all of them now and I mean just look at the raw performance gains!

Below is the 12 game average metric for the 3050 from TechSpot, although the review is actually from Hardware Unboxed. I've used it as it's up to date info and this graph has both cards. From the 1660S to 6600 you're looking at a 36% INCREASE for £55 LESS!! Think I've made this point clear enough 😂

Otherwise, I'm in agreement with @sck451 here, I think the only thing I'd really pine for is an upgrade to a TX750m, which should at least give you one GPU upgrade in the PC's lifetime without needing to change the PSU.

 

[sck451]

Thought I'd pop in here and blow my RX6600 horn again 😂 The RX6600 is a GPU option from AMD and it's what I'd label as the deal to be had on GPU's right now (it's the first one I've seen at retail at MSRP). It's got performance equivalent to an RTX 3060 for over £200 less from PCS, not only that, it's more than £50 cheaper than the 1660 Super!! Yes you lose out some of the NVIDIA features, but AMD basically has their own versions of all of them now and I mean just look at the raw performance gains!

Below is the 12 game average metric for the 3050 from TechSpot, although the review is actually from Hardware Unboxed. I've used it as it's up to date info and this graph has both cards. From the 1660S to 6600 you're looking at a 36% INCREASE for £55 LESS!! Think I've made this point clear enough 😂

Otherwise, I'm in agreement with @sck451 here, I think the only thing I'd really pine for is an upgrade to a TX750m, which should at least give you one GPU upgrade in the PC's lifetime without needing to change the PSU.

Good shout. I thought I'd checked it and found it too expensive but apparently not!