i7 Wanted: New motherboard?

G.Skill Ripjaws - Memory - 8 GB : 2 x 4 GB - DIMM 240-pin - DDR3 - 1600 MHz / PC3-12800 - CL9 - 1.5 V - unbuffered - non-ECC: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

I think the above RAM is very close to or exactly what James 7679 referred to, but from Amazon UK. If you actually need 16 GB (possible, but unlikely), double the order from 8 to 16.

You have the located the Seasonic 750 watt PSU he mentioned. Seasonic is the best brand going, but the chances of you needing 750 watts on a single graphics card system is near zero. That may not matter to you.

Re "mid range gaming case": since you mentioned looks, that means that personal preference and style comes into play. You may want a side panel window and flashing lights, while the next guy maybe can't stand that stuff.

Having said that, if you want to keep the case for quite a while and maybe do some component upgrades along the way, get a mid-tower "ATX" case, not micro-ATX. Good brands generally include Antec, Coolermaster, and Fractal Design---all of which are sold at Amazon UK. At the lower end, the Antec 300 has a pretty good reputation.

Some cases are a lot quieter than others---that may or may not matter to you. The Antec Solo is among the quietest cases.

Be sure the one you choose does not have a power supply.

Yeah, I see your point. Silly of me to mention style. Anyway, I've been thinking of stretching my budget. How good are THESE? Good for working on, user-friendly, low sound and long term upgrade potential? And what about THESE?

Chips said:

Yeah, I see your point. Silly of me to mention style. Anyway, I've been thinking of stretching my budget. How good are THESE? Good for working on, user-friendly, low sound and long term upgrade potential?

I've never even heard of that brand.

You need to read reviews from people who have actually built with a particular case if you intend to have an informed opinion of it. You may have trouble doing that with that brand.

DVDs are pretty much commodities. I'd get an ordinary Samsung or Asus, unless I had some special requirements like Blu-Ray.

That Silverstone has a mesh front panel, so I would not expect it to be quieter than average.

It weighs only 4 kg. That tells me it has a lot of plastic and thin steel. More reason to believe it is noisier than average.

It also has a 7 inch fan on the top panel. I personally don’t like fans on top or fans that wide.

Do you need a case with 5 full-size external bays?

It’s over 20 inches tall and over 8 inches wide, taller and wider than I like.

I wouldn’t buy a case for which I could not find a full length independent review.

None of the above may matter at all to you.

Well...everyone said I should go for a big case and you gotta agree that this is a BIG case. And someone said that Silverstone was a good make.

Chips said:

Well...everyone said I should go for a big case and you gotta agree that this is a BIG case. And someone said that Silverstone was a good make.

You would find it between difficult and impossible to find a brand that made ONLY good cases. The normal situation with "good" brands is that the product line varies, with some models that are not so good.

You need complete reviews or hands-on experience to make an informed decision, but informed decisions are optional.

"Good" cases are somewhat similar to "good" speakers. There is no substitute for personal experience with the product.

James7679 said:

MoBo Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TPOWER X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

That board. Is THIS the same only with a different brand name?

Chips said:

James7679 said:

MoBo Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TPOWER X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

That board. Is THIS the same only with a different brand name?

I very seriously doubt it.

Why would you think that it might be?