Hoping to build this around Christmas time. Wondering if anyone has any improvement they could suggest.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£142.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 V2 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£39.60 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (£58.72 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£59.26 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£55.14 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card (£227.00 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£30.36 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£35.82 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £648.89

Cheers!

Boot and the programmes i use most on the SSD of course.

That looks like a pretty sweet setup. It's exactly the sort of computer I would build myself (and in fact is very similar to the one I have built myself).

One thing that jumps out at me is that your power supply is a bit feeble for the computing power it's supporting. According to this page, the Radeon R9 290 has a recommended minimum power supply of 750W. Various other sites around confirm this. I know partpicker esitmates you're fine (just), but do you want to risk it?
More importantly though, that graphics card requires two additional power connections from your PSU: one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCI power connectors. Your chosen power supply does not have both of these. Look carefully at the specifications of the power supply you choose to check for these connections. Follow links to purchasing sites (like CCL and Scan) if need be as these may provide more info. (NB: 8-pin power connectors are sometimes marked as 4+4 connectors)

Your RAM is faster than your motherboard's RAM slots. This isn't a big problem. The RAM will just go at the fastest speed the motherboard will let it. But you might be spending money on the fastest RAM unnecessarily.

Were you planning on using any CD/DVDs? If so, an internal drive might also be a good idea.

Is an operating system on your list of things to buy or do you have something lined up already?

Edit: and one minor little thing before I stop poking holes in your nice pc: your motherboard seems to only have 1 fan connector on it. The manufacturer doesn't state how many but I looked at a picture of it and I could only see one. Your case comes with 2 fans included (with space for more). You can get a molex to fan-plug adaptors, or just not use one fan.

I think this PSU would do then?
I will need an operating system but im currently checking to see if i can use my license on my current PC on my new one.
Thanks Dis!


Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.75 @ Aria PC)

I have an OEM license so yes i would need windows.

I think this PSU would do then?
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.75 @ Aria PC)

Michael_scott

Perfect. Good choice.

Thanks

Might I suggest picking up a 256GB SSD, You'll find the 120GB space will disappear quickly.

This is the one I often buy. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT256MX100SSD1-256GB-Includes-Spacer/dp/B00KFAGCWK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1414457549&sr=8-3&keywords=ssd

Also, if you are a student, the Microsoft Dreamspark program sometimes has free software/OS. I know you can pick up Windows 8.1 pro student for a (£50) as well. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msuk/en_GB/pdp/productID.288533400?tid=sE2vgwDJe_dc&cid=5366&pcrid=31596416925&pkw=%2Bwindow%208%20student&pmt=b&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=pointitsem_Microsoft+UK_google_Windows+8+-+UK&WT.term=%2Bwindow%208%20student&WT.campaign=Windows+8+-+UK&WT.content=E2vgwDJe&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc

Honestly, with the PSU change it's a good build. I can only fault you for the over-kill RAM, but it seems to be the best value for money.

I wouldn't call the RAM "overkill" - my system only has 8GB RAM (running at 667MHz) - and that runs fine ... the faster the RAM the better in my opinion.

The SATA3 (6Gb/s) drives will make a noticeable difference in loading times - even on the HDD (though the SSD is quicker than a girl to a shoe / handbag sale - and that's saying something!).

As mentioned elsewhere, I have a 120GB SSD and 2TB HDD, the SSD has the OS, and processor intensive programs on it (and stuff that will only install to C: drive - still got 29.8GB free). My HDD is split into 2 partitions, F: for my documents folder (i.e. "files"), and P: for all other programs / games not on the SSD (I just change the "C:" for a "P:" in the installation path - and leave the rest of the path as is when installing stuff - Still got 432GB free with a SHED load of games installed!)

As for your OEM licence, you can still use it on the new system - but if its Vista or XP, I wouldn't bother. I have an OEM licence version of XP which I ported from PC to PC as I built new systems. The only issue with OEM software is that you don't get any support from Microsoft (so if you get a problem, you have to figure it out and fix it). If you are buying several parts of your PC from one site (it has to include the CPU, motherboard and HDD I think) - you can buy an OEM licence for an OS (or at least that's what eBuyer allowed me to do in the past a few times) - as they classify you as a "system builder"

Yeah, but games are now being designed to work best on a SSD now. For example, BF4 takes up nearly 50GB and having it on a SSD makes a massive improvement. Faster load times are a big plus.

If you are getting a top of the range graphics card, its best to match with a hefty SSD. Shadows of Mordor is around 30-40G and it looks like more games will follow. SSDs are the best pound spent versus performance improvement at the moment.

For example (256GB SSD), I have Bioshock Infinite (41.3GB), Payday 2 (12.8GB), Divinity OS (10GB), Fallout NV (12.5GB +2GB mods), Skyrim (26GB + 8GB mods), CS:GO (9GB), Mirrors Edge (7GB), And the rest of my games makes (~10GB). And Windows takes up 15GB.

On my 64GB SSD, BF4 takes up 47.7GB.. Anyway, a 256GB is fairly cheap and the performance you gain is worth it. Its also reasonable enough to store windows and 6-10 games.

Windows 8.1 is a very nice OS now, and I believe there is an option for a free upgrade to Win 10 when released.

As long as you have 8GB of ram faster than 1333MHz, its pretty much fine. The deciding factors are the compatibility of your ram sticks, voltages, and other factors I won't go into it. It's better to have multiple smaller sticks, than one big one. (4GB stick is a good size).

In all, it depends on how you plan to use your pc. I suspect with that beefy GPU, you'll be playing all the new games with their uncompressed textures and lazy coding.