I'm in the UK and want to build my husband a PC as a Christmas gift. He'll mainly use it for gaming, watching YouTube, and general everyday use. My total budget is around £600–£750, and because we have a young child and other household expenses, I'll probably buy the parts a few at a time.
I already have an MSI MAG FORGE 320R Airflow case. It comes with the case panels, two pre-installed 120 mm PWM fans, cable-routing channels, the motherboard I/O shield, mounting screws, and the manual. It does not include the power supply, motherboard, CPU, CPU cooler, RAM, graphics card, storage, or any other cables besides the fan wires.
Could someone suggest compatible parts and reliable UK retailers? I'm also fairly new to PC building, so advice on which parts are most important and whether buying a prebuilt would be better would be appreciated.
3 Answers
For this budget, I’d aim for something like a Ryzen 5 5600 or Ryzen 5 7600, depending on current prices, paired with 16 GB or 32 GB of compatible RAM and a 1 TB NVMe SSD. For graphics, look for a reasonably priced card such as an RX 6600, RX 7600, RTX 4060, or a newer equivalent. The best choice will depend on sales, so don’t lock yourself to one model.
Add a reputable 650 W 80+ Bronze or Gold PSU from a known brand. The case fans may be enough to start with, and many CPUs include a basic cooler, although you should check before ordering. Make sure the motherboard matches the CPU socket and RAM type—DDR4 and DDR5 are not interchangeable.
The first thing to decide is whether the budget includes Windows, a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If the £600–£750 is only for the computer itself, you can put together a decent 1080p gaming system. A sensible target would be a modern six-core CPU, 16 GB or 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB NVMe SSD, a reliable 650 W power supply, and the best graphics card you can afford. Don’t spend too much on the motherboard or RGB parts, since the graphics card has the biggest effect on gaming performance.
Look at established UK retailers such as Scan, Overclockers UK, AWD-IT, and Amazon, while checking the exact seller and warranty. PCPartPicker can also help check compatibility and compare prices. Since you’re buying over several months, try not to purchase the CPU, motherboard, or graphics card too early because prices and newer models can change.
A prebuilt is worth considering if you’re nervous about compatibility or assembly. It may cost a little more, but retailers such as Scan, Overclockers UK, and CyberPower often provide a warranty and assemble everything for you. If you build it yourself, buy the parts from one planned list and check that the motherboard fits the case, the graphics card physically fits, the PSU has the required connectors, and the case has enough airflow.
Buying a few parts each month can be risky because the return period may expire before the computer is assembled. It’s usually better to save as much as possible and buy the core parts closer together, then test the system promptly.
That’s a good point about the return period. I may wait until I have most of the budget ready, especially for the motherboard, CPU, and graphics card.
Thanks, that helps. The budget is just for the PC itself, and he already has the other accessories. I’ll look at complete part lists rather than buying random components.