Initial guidance for a beginner gamer in the UK region
Initial guidance for a beginner gamer in the UK region
Hello everyone, this is my first build and I’m checking the parts list I assembled using some online guides. Here are my main points:
I need to play higher-end games but don’t focus too much on resolution or frame rate.
I prefer a low-profile setup, so a microATX mini tower is ideal.
Budget is around £700-850, not counting the power supply.
Questions:
With only 2x16GB memory slots and a 2x16GB configuration, I’m worried about future upgrades. Will this cause any problems in 5-10 years?
Should I search for these parts second-hand to stretch my budget further?
Are there any compatibility issues that PCPartPicker might have overlooked?
Do these components usually come with extra items like cables or cooling paste?
PCPartPicker Part List:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/xPNb4p
CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (£99.99 @ Currys PC World)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING SE-214-XT PLUS 76.16 CFM CPU Cooler (£18.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI PRO H610M-G DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (£54.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory (£92.69 @ Clove Technology - OOS)
Storage: Crucial E100 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD (£89.99 @ Currys PC World)
Video Card: Intel Limited Edition Arc B580 12 GB Video Card (£239.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Lian Li A3-mATX MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£69.95 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair SF600 (2018) 600 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (Already owned)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - Download 64-bit (£109.34 @ Senetic)
Total: £775.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts where available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-01-02 17:08 GMT+0000
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
I want to be able to play some higher spec games but don't care too much about getting the highest resolution/frame rate
Please name the titles you wish to game on, without an
etc
. What resolution are you talking about here? 1080p or 1440p?
The most the motherboard will allow your ram to go is DDR4-3200MHz or DDR4-3200MT/s. The VRM on that board is lackluster, would opt for something higher in quality.
Power Supply: Corsair SF600 (2018) 600 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (
Already in possession
)
How old is the PSU in this listing and what did it power during it's tenure?
I would avoid Crucial parts after they decided to forgo their commitment to the desktop space.
This is what I came up with, provided you're looking at high settings 1080p~1440p lowered details with something concurrent;
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor
(£185.94 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Burst Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
(£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard:
MSI B650M GAMING PLUS WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard
(£124.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory:
TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
(£329.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:
Silicon Power UD85 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
(£45.73 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:
Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
(£149.65 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card:
PowerColor Reaper Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card
(£349.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case:
Phanteks XT M3 MicroATX Mid Tower Case
(£43.90 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit
(£115.47 @ Scan)
Total:
£1374.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2026-01-02 17:51 GMT+0000
The smaller drive is meant for the OS, app's and launchers. The larger drive would act as your game library drive.
Conversely something with DDR4 from AMD's AM4 platform;
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor
(£198.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard
(£153.29 @ Amazon UK)
Memory:
Patriot Viper Steel 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
(£189.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:
Silicon Power UD85 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
(£45.73 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:
Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
(£149.65 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card:
PowerColor Reaper Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card
(£349.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case:
Fractal Design Era 2 Mini ITX Tower Case
(£69.98 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit
(£115.47 @ Scan)
Total:
£1273.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2026-01-02 18:07 GMT+0000
Treat these as templates to tinker around with, they're not set in stone in any way.
Hey Lutfij, thanks for your response. I'd be satisfied with 1080p for most games I play, maybe occasionally looking to play something at higher settings (think Skyrim mods). The sorts of games I'm likely to play: Elden Ring, Helldivers, Skyrim, recent God of Wars.
Can I ask what performance benefits are gained by upgrading from some of the more budget parts in my list, namely memory and CPU?
Here’s your revised version:
The recommended board offers at least some VRM cooling and supports a second NVMe 3.0x2 speed, which is a significant improvement. It also allows for using a Wi-Fi card.
What is your overall budget? Also, consider this if you’re planning to install a 1TB or 2TB drive—purchasing one now and adding another later will ensure optimal performance.
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/92Q3fd
Keep in mind that a 1TB drive will be around 960GB, and even less after the operating system is installed.
Use this as a Windows drive (only applicable below).
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...i-...05731.html
Remember, 1TB is equivalent to roughly 960GB, and storage space will decrease once the OS is installed.
Refer to this guide for Windows use (only suitable models).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-BX500-N...71bfe&th=1
The NVMe drives can store all your heavy files such as games and downloads efficiently.
Also, a CPU cooler is recommended.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermalright-As...r=8-1&th=1
Ensure it works well and confirm the board supports 5V RGB lighting—just run the cable to the bottom of the board. (Check the manual for installation details.) Also, avoid connecting it to 12V power sources that are adjacent.
https://www.asus.com/uk/motherboard...lp...M-A-D4-CSM
Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
With DDR4, upgrading RAM in 5 years time will probably mean buyiing second hand memory. More modern DDR5 was released mid-2020, so DDR4 is likely to go the same way as DDR3.
Although I'm typing this on an 11-year old PC (i7-4770K, 16GB DDR3) which is still OK for web browsing, new games released in 5 to 10 years time might not be playable on the DDR4 machines you're considering.
For gaming rigs it's common to change GPU every 3 or 4 years, to keep up with game developments. You could still play old games if the PC is still working after 5 years, or relegate it for lesser tasks like I do.
Given your budget and the high price of DDR5, DDR4 is a sensible choice. Just don't expect a DDR4 PC to cope with new games in 5 years time. DDR4 is old technology, just like my even older DDR3 machines.
There's only so much you can do to upgrade a PC before it becomes more cost effective to build a completely new machine, which I do every 4 to 5 years.
Don't worry about having only 2 memory slots. If you had a 4-slot board, fitting two different pairs of RAM can result in instability at high XMP clock speeds, due to timing differences between the two kits. Two DIMMs tend to be more stable and may run faster than 4 DIMMs made up from two kits.
I suspect you don't mean 'low profile'. The PC in front of me is low profile and only accepts half-height video cards. Your Intel Limited Edition Arc B580 12 GB is full height, not low profile.
I'd advise against using a SFX PSU in a modern gaming rig forseveral reasons. As
@Lutfij
implies, if a PSU is not in its first flush of youth, it may struggle to power a modern GPU due to ageing components.
If your PSU is the version with ATX12V v2.4, it might not cope with an Intel Limited Edition Arc B580 12 GB Video Card.
https://www.corsair.com/ww/en/p/psu...rf...-techspecs
https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/arc-b580.c4244
Modern GPUs prefer ATX12V v3.x with higher 200% short term OCP, not v2.x with potentially 120/130% OCP.
As an example, my old RTX 3060 (170W TDP) and RTX 4070 (200W TDP) did not working reliably with a (2021) TX850M ATX12V v2.x PSU but they're fine with a new MSI A1000G ATX12V v3.x PSU. 1000W is overkill for mid range GPUs, but it fixed the unexpected shutdowns.
I recommend buying a PC case with room for a full size ATX PSU. It will allow far more choice if your SF600 proves inadequate. SFX PSUs are less common than ATX and you might regret buying a small case which doesn't accept ATX.
I use a 12400F/6700XT system with 12 GB/32 GB RAM and play AAA games at 1080p. Games from a few years back only require turning down ray-tracing. Current titles, perhaps with some details but nothing noticeable, are similar to what I had a few years ago—differences between Ultra and High often come out to be small. I’d likely do just fine at 1440p if my next monitor is that. I’m fairly sure this PC will still function well for another five years if needed. Ten years would be a long shot.
Think of this as a five-year setup. Your budget doesn’t support cutting-edge options—like the DDR5 RAM alone could consume nearly half your budget. If you’re not focused on maximum details and frame rates, don’t let pressure push you to overspend. Prices might return to a more reasonable range in five years.
Typically I’d suggest getting new components for peace of mind, but with recent AI-driven price hikes, secondhand storage could be worth considering. I recently bought a 1 TB Crucial MX500 from CEX for £65, and they now offer a 5-year warranty. The E100 uses the lowest quality chips available—80 TBW compared to the usual 400–600 TBW—and has a 3-year warranty. The gap between a 2.5" SSD drive and NVMe isn’t as significant in real-world use as it is in tests. Whether you buy used or new, budgeting for an external HDD for backups makes sense.
Your PSU is nearing its warranty period. You’re not investing in top-tier gear, so you should be fine, but you might still want to plan for an upgrade within the next year or two.
What monitor do you have? It seems you haven’t budgeted for one, which suggests you already own one. Since you’ve got a PSU, do you have a case you can reuse? If not, are you really committing 10% of your budget to a case? With a tight budget, it might be better to allocate the £30 elsewhere, like an external backup drive.
Lastly, if you have a PSU, monitor, and keyboard (those aren’t included), why don’t you already have a Windows license? Was your previous PC OEM—including any questionable case? If so, you might still use your current license for a fresh Windows 11 install (I still use the license from my old Win 7 Retail copy bought off eBay years ago). Or (this could be debated!) you could save £100 and switch to Linux instead. Unless you’re playing online multiplayer games with anti-cheat, games are performing well today, and the rumors don’t match reality. You could give it a try and if it becomes a hassle, you can always buy a Windows license and install it later.