First time PC builder here

[KnuckleHead514]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if all of this is compatible and if not, could you suggest any alternatives? I'm a big newbie when it comes to computers.

CPU:AMD Athlon II X3 450 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95w 1.5MB L2 Cache
Motherboard:MSI GF615M-P33 GeForce 6150SE Socket AM3 VGA 8 channel Audio mATX
Case & PSU:Coolermaster Centurion 5 II Case with Coolermaster GX 550W PSU
RAM:Kingston 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz HyperX Memory Kit 1.65V CL9
HDD:Seagate 500GB 3.5" Barracuda SATA-III 6Gb/s Hard Drive - 7200RPM 16MB Cache
GPU:Sapphire HD 6450 1GB DDR3 DVI VGA HDMI PCI-E Graphics Card

Is there anything else I need to add? Budget is as cheap as possible, this comes to £270. I'm not willing to go over £300.
Used for light gaming, web browsing, and maybe some music recording.

Thanks in advance

[Ziltoid]

Why is your mobo micro atx?

[Kipaste]

Well, why not. Of course it's budget setup, but should do fine. You won't be playing any graphic intensive games on it, but should work just fine for what you described. Personally I'd go with an AMD chipset motherboard though. That can work, but the design of nvidia chipsets don't make much sense to me (unless going SLI..) and there have been some issues with tricky recording devices.
Also, if you happen to use firewire interfaces, the FW chipset can cause problems. A texas instruments chip extension card is quite affordable though, if you someday need to go that way.

I'd personally probably also go with cheapest 1333 mhz RAM and use the change towards a processor. The phenom x 4 955 is pretty power efficient and should easily fit in the budget.

Edit. So, in my neck of the woods, with the price differences, that setup with an amd 770 chipset motherboard, phenom II 955 and 1333 basic memory should stay just under 300 quid.

[KnuckleHead514]

BTW all this is off ebuyer.com

What about this? AMD 550 Bundle with AMD Phenom II 550 Socket AM3.. | Ebuyer.com It's an AMD 550 Bundle with AMD Phenom II 550 Socket AM3 Processor Asus M4A77T Motherboard And Patriot 2GB DDR3 Memory @ £127.98? So then I only have to get an extra 2GB of RAM and its still under £300. Nice

Thanks man

[Kipaste]

Why not. In fact, that motherboard features a core unlocker and with that particular processor it's possible to unlock two more cores making it a quad.

[KnuckleHead514]

Shweeeeet. Thanks man

[mmbongo]

1) Do NOT get a Micro ATX board. No room for expansion, and crippled by design.
2) I'd go with a larger hard drive. You can probably triple your size for $10 more.
3) You'll need a sound card for recording. On board won't cut it.

[KnuckleHead514]

Would really cheap sound cards cut it? Or will they need to be expensive(ish)?

[L-A]

Originally Posted by KnuckleHead514

Would really cheap sound cards cut it? Or will they need to be expensive(ish)?

Don't go for an internal sound card. Peripherals that go by the name "Audio Interface" are external sound cards. You don't need an internal one on top of that.

If you want to go cheap with good recording capabilities, look for two-in/two-out interfaces. Something in the range of the io|2 for example: Linky

Oh, and note that your motherboard has soundcard capabilities. You are already buying enough to plug a stereo sound system in, so if you want to postpone the sound card until you get a recording itch, it's all good.

[KnuckleHead514]

Thanks for the info, I think I'll wait a while until I get the sound card