Building a gaming PC?

[SirBongyTheSecond]

Hello there, Steam gamers. I recently decided to jump off the console ship and start gaming on PC. I have decided to build a PC from scratch, since from what I've heard, there are plenty of advantages (get to choose specific requirements, cheaper than buying one made etc) but as this is my first time, I need some advice.
1. I want specifications that can:
Render SFM videos
Play some games (I'm not a crazy spec fanatic, just need a PC that can run games like Team Fortress 2, Sonic Generations etc at decent framerates, at medium settings. I don't mind turning off SOME options, but I want to play it without having to desperately lower down the settings it order to get playable framerates)
Is fairly cheap but gives good performance.
2. I don't need a £400 graphics card, but I need one that is affordable and has good performance. I'll prefer it if it was an AMD, since they have some bargains at the lower end, but if anyone mentions a Nvidia card that is particularly good, I'll consider it.
3. What processor should I get? Again, I'd prefer if it is an AMD, since their lower-end processors are very good in terms of performance, but if there is a particularly good Intel, again, I'll consider it. I can understand how Intel processors are ranked in terms of performance (Atom, Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7), but for AMD, I'm clueless about if a APU is better than a FX, and so on. Can someone tell me how AMD ranks their processors and which ones are best for budget gaming?
4. Is there any advantage of getting one motherboard over another? I know I need to make sure all the components are compatible, but is there anything that makes some motherboards superior to to others?
5.What case should I get and how many watts should the PSU be? Currently, I'm looking at this (http://www.dabs.com/products/best-value-midi-towercase--500w-psu--usb-2-0---hd-audio--7VWT.html?src=3) since they have a Mid tower case and a power supply for £19.99, which is bargain even if you took the PSU or the case out of the equation.
6. Should I get 4GB or 8GB of RAM?
All in all, I need specifications that is affordable but reasonably powerful.
P.S. I don't need a disk drive since I can re purpose a external USB one. I'm going with a HDD, since I have concerns over the reliability and value of a SSD, despite their fantastic speed.

[SirBongyTheSecond]

So what is a good, cheap Nvidia card that doesn't compromise in terms of performance?

[_I_]

pick a price range

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

[Rove]

GTX 760 probably?

All Nvidia top-end are far overpriced. It's stupid.

[banzaigtv]

The GTX 760 is the best value right now. A $250 GPU that performs as well as an HD 7950 is hard to beat.

[Rove]

It's not as good as a HD 7950. It's only 2GB.

[_I_]

not many games use more tahn 1.5g of vram anyway, a 2g card will be good for a few years yet

[ego]

Newegg has some really nice bundles for sale that has most of the parts needed. http://www.newegg.com/Store/MasterComboStore.aspx?StoreID=7&Tpk=diy

[SirBongyTheSecond]

I don't live in America.

[SirBongyTheSecond]

So, er, is there any cheaper cases out there? I want to use more of my budget on other things.

[_I_]

Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) £37 @dabs
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xigmatek-case-cccae37bsu02

usb 3.0 port, bottom mount psu, top mount fans

[SirBongyTheSecond]

How good is this one?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vortex-GB3-Shiny-Black-Gaming-Tower-Case-Blue-LED-Fan-Micro-ATX-ATX-/360698678916?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopComponents_RL&hash=item53fb510e84#shId

And this PSU?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/550W-Gold-Silent-Power-Supply/dp/B000KND4M8

[_I_]

you can cheap out on the case, but never cheap out on the power supply

[Rove]

The PSU only has one 6 pin PCIe power connector and no mention of any 6+2 pin ones.

If you get a GTX 760 or a HD 7870 (GE or XT) you will need one 6 pin and one 6+2 pin or two 6+2 pin connectors on your PSU.

One 6 pin can power a GPU like the HD 7770, HD 7790, HD 7850 or GTX 650 ti Boost and not higher since GTX 660 takes two 6 pin and HD 7870 takes one 6 and one 6+2 pin.

I'd recommend the XFX bronze one I already did over that. I think you are overthinking this a litttle maybe?

[_I_]

a 6+2 and 6pin will work together
the +2 are both grounds, which it also gets from the case

cit makes some oem power supplies, they are decent enough, but not great

[rotNdude]

A molex adapter works just fine for a PSU that has adequate rail capacity without the proper connectors. I would definitely think twice about the two PSUs you're thinking about though.