Im not sure if this is the right place to ask or even if this is allowed, but seeing as I got the advice from this direction I might as well.
Last summer I built a PC, and was told to go to reddit for a Windows code. I paid for it and everything was fine untill saturday: when Windows started telling me my copy wasnt genuine.
Is this a fault of microsoft or did I buy a fake copy (if so, why was I able to use it for 6 months).
Also: what should I do? Should I contact Microsoft?
Try reactivating with the key again? Contact Microsoft and see what they say? I won't lie, the keys from the reddit page are somewhat of a grey area - Most other people haven't had problems with them, but in the end you're dealing with a person informally selling keys, and it's not approved by Microsoft in any way. If Microsoft tells you the key was blacklisted, then there's not much you can do - either buy the official retail version of Windows, or look for a slightly cheaper OEM/system builder version of Windows, or try your luck again with a different seller from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap.
Intel i5-4590
Corsair 8GB 1600Mhz
Gigabyte H97M-D3H
MSI 290 4GB
EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Samsung DVD drive
NZXT H230
Windows 8.1 (OEM)
total price including delivery = £804.01
Any thoughts? budget is £800 so i've only slightly went over. £850 would be really pushing it cause I still need to buy a monitor and there is no way I can go over £1000 for computer + monitor.
I will be playing at 1080p and I'm not interesting in overclocking. I will also add parts as time goes on such as SSD, WiFi adapter, more fans etc. The longer the build can last me the better. I want to be able to play upcoming games at a decent quality. 1080p, 30-60fps, medium+ settings.
Where are you buying your parts from? I can see ways to cut costs, and you may be overpaying, I was able to spec out a similar build for £130 less. That's a lot of money - you could put that towards a better graphics card or something.
PCPartPicker part list /
Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£155.94 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.70 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£70.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£52.82 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card (£199.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case (£30.98 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: Antec TruePower Classic 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.50 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£74.20 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £680.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-17 20:03 GMT+0000
I was able to get most of the same parts with same performance as your listed build but was also able to add a CPU cooler and it cost just £680. I recommend the Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler as it'll do a much better job than the stock Intel cooler at noise and temperatures even if you won't be overclocking.
I think the 750 watt Supernova G2 you listed is a bit expensive for your build. It's an excellent power supply but you could save money dropping down to a cheaper yet still decent power supply like the Antec TPC model I listed. The 750 watt version of that power supply received praise from
Jonny Guru in his review of it, and the entire TruePower Classic line is manufactured by Seasonic, a trusted brand for power supplies. About 600-650 watts is enough for the entire PC plus any future storage drives, fans, and add-in cards especially when you're not going to be overclocking, as
550-600 watts is enough for a normal R9 290 as tested by professional reviewers like Guru3D.
It'd be even cheaper if the DVD drive was dropped,
Windows can be installed via USB drive anyway via the official Microsoft tool as long as you have the Windows license key.