Need some advice on chosen parts for my new build

[saroy94]

Hi there, it's been a while

I need avice on the parts i've chosen for my new build. Will mainly be used for gaming, Internet browsing, work and music.

Intel CPU Core i5 3470 Quad Core Processor - Retail - BX80637I53470 - Scan.co.uk

Corsair Memory Dominator 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz CAS 9 DHX XMP Dual Channel Desktop - CMP8GX3M2A1600C9 - Scan.co.uk

Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H Intel Z77 Socket 1155 Motherboard - Scan.co.uk

XFX 7850 Core Edition DD AMD/ATI Graphics Card - 2GB - FX-785A-CDFC - Scan.co.uk

Sandisk Extreme 120GB SSD - Solid State Drive - SDSSDX-120G-G25 - Scan.co.uk

 

[hubnerqup]

It will show a good performance.

There might be only one suggestion,
decrease all the noises of it.

 

[saroy94]

Yeah i'll sort that out. I might change the processor to a 3570k though, interested in getting into overclocking!

 

[DeaconFrost]

The only thing I'd consider is a good aftermarket cooler, and maybe a bigger SSD from Crucial, Samsung, Intel, etc.

 

[ITtechy]

A few suggestions I have is to change the ssd. Get like a Intel, Kingston hyperx, or a ocz agility 3 or vertex 3. They are very good drives. I would say the ocz is lower end then the Kingston hyerx but not by much (I have both) with the Kingston ssd I get boot times of like under 10secconds on my i5-2500k system. And about the same on my laptop with the ocz. Also don't waist your money on dominator ram its not worth it. Anything over about 1600mhz there ain't but performance gain. Get something with low latency that's the key. I would also consider getting the sandy bridge CPU instead of a ivy bridge. There is not much performance difference in the to. Plus the sandy can be much cheaper, and the sandy bridge over clock better!

 

[saroy94]

Ok thanks for some of the advice/recommendations but I decided to change my plan. I don't want to spend too much because I am never satisfied with buying more than what I need, then I think it's just a waste of money. Hate being like that, so here it is. Two options, which one is better?

OPTION 1:

http://www.scan.co.uk/savedbasket/62a318d4a60644308a5598228af958ca

+

MSI HD 7850 Twin Frozr III OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards w/ Nexuiz & Dirt Showdown PC Games [V273-003R]
Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply [RS500-AMBAD3-UK]
Toshiba (7K1000.D) 500GB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA050) [DT01ACA050]
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) [BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU]
Arctic Cooling Freezer i30 Intel Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1155/1156) [UCACO-FI30001-GB]

or

OPTION 2:

http://www.scan.co.uk/savedbasket/34aa6ace7b204547b06d4399cfa6e680

+

MSI HD 7850 Twin Frozr III OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards w/ Nexuiz & Dirt Showdown PC GamesToshiba (7K1000.D) 500GB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA050)

Sorry about the rubbish layout, thanks.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If I waded through the rubbish layout correctly, the 2 choices are mostly the same and differ only on these parts:

First package:

Intel Core i5 3570K CPU
MSI H77MA-G43 motherboard, micro ATX
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB RAM

Total package price: 770.25; price of just those 3 parts: 281.91

Second package:


Intel Core i5 2500K CPU
Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 motherboard, full ATX
Corsair DDR3 Vengeance RAM, 8 GB

Total package price: 752.44; price of just those 3 parts: 274.81

Personally--I'd go with the first package. The processor is slightly stronger. But I would swap motherboards, using the Gigabyte board from the second package instead of the MSI.

And I'd ditch the Coolermaster PSU in exchange for either of these:

XFX Pro 550 watt Core Edition; 59.99, not yet in stock

Antec High Current Gamer 520 watt; 62.99

My changes would add a total of 10 or 12 pounds to the total price.

Good choice on the Samsung SSD.

 

[saroy94]

If I waded through the rubbish layout correctly, the 2 choices are mostly the same and differ only on these parts:

First package:

Intel Core i5 3570K CPU
MSI H77MA-G43 motherboard, micro ATX
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB RAM

Total package price: 770.25; price of just those 3 parts: 281.91

Second package:


Intel Core i5 2500K CPU
Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 motherboard, full ATX
Corsair DDR3 Vengeance RAM, 8 GB

Total package price: 752.44; price of just those 3 parts: 274.81

Personally--I'd go with the first package. The processor is slightly stronger. But I would swap motherboards, using the Gigabyte board from the second package instead of the MSI.

And I'd ditch the Coolermaster PSU in exchange for either of these:

XFX Pro 550 watt Core Edition; 59.99, not yet in stock

Antec High Current Gamer 520 watt; 62.99

My changes would add a total of 10 or 12 pounds to the total price.

Good choice on the Samsung SSD.

I know I just realised that when I left for work, thinking "Hang on.. i think they were the same" :huh:

But thanks for the PSU recommendations. I have no idea about the good PSUs out there but I just picked that one out. I'll be looking for a monitor too, know any good ones under £100?

Oh and one extra thing which could help, but not too bothered about - Are there any good cases which look very unique, like the NZXT Phantom? I want my PC to look a bit like a gaming console in a way, thankss

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Cases are mostly personal preference. Some are mostly interested in looks. Others in airflow and cooling. Others in drive capacity and overall size. My "good" might be your "hopeless". Antec and Coolermaster are two common and pretty well thought of brands, but you have to carefully look over each model.

ATX cases are going to be a larger and may be easier to work on and cool.

I don't stay up to date on monitors. My current one is 4 years old and has worked perfectly. NEC brand. But monitors are hit and miss too. I read negative comments about nearly any brand.

 

[saroy94]

I agree to be honest. As long as my PC is good, i am fine with everything else. Don't want to make everything so complicated. Thanks for your help either way.

 

[essenbe]

I agree with ignatzatsonic on the motherboard. It is a waste of money to buy a K CPU and an H77 motherboard. If you want a K CPU get a Z68 GEN 3 board or a Z77. The 3570K is a stronger CPU than the 2500K, but if you want to overclock it, you will need a better CPU cooler, they run very hot during stress testing. During normal useage they run about the same temps though. As far as cases, Coolermaster HAF cases are nice in that they use large fans that are very quiet and move a lot of air, Corsair makes some good cases but if you want to 'style' with your case, look at the Thermaltake Level 10, if you want to spend that much money. It is true that cases are a matter of taste, but you can find some nice cases that offer both good performance and good looks too, no matter what your taste is.

 

[Layback Bear]

Case, case, case. Their are bunches and bunches to choose from. Some very good brands have been mentioned. Once you get past how pretty it is I recommend thinking functionality.
1. Does the case have very good cooling or better.
2. Does the case have the ability to improve the air flow by adding fans if you so choose to do so.
3. Does the case have access to the back of the motherboard so you can remove the cpu cooler if needed.
4. Does the case have a designed in method for proper neat cable management.
5. Is the case large enough to make it easier to work inside and add things later if you care to.
Note: Some Branded cases that are called full size are actually smaller than other Branded mid size case. Look at the measurements. Also conceder the weight. Normal the heaver case made out of the same materials have more material and are built stronger. Aluminum cases compared against other aluminum case for example.
It will take a little homework on your part but you computer will thank you for your efforts.

 

[saroy94]

So far i'm sticking with the NZXT Phantom. I love it's unique look, but thanks for the guidelines.

I now have a new dilemma. Buy a gaming pc or build one myself. I can buy either but built rigs cost cheaper if i was to buy each part separately!

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I now have a new dilemma. Buy a gaming pc or build one myself. I can buy either but built rigs cost cheaper if i was to buy each part separately!

The higher the overall cost, the more you save by building yourself.

At say $700 or $800, it's fairly close. As you go beyond 1000, the bought PC is a lot more expensive---the higher priced parts are marked up excessively by the builder----$150 for going from 8 GB RAM to 16 GB; $200 or more for a second hard drive; $200 for a modest monitor upgrade; etc.

And you apparently pay extra for flashy stuff and doo-dads that have no effect at all on gaming performance.

 

[saroy94]

Tbh if it's going to save me money then i'd rather buy a ready-made system of my own choice, so I can get more out of my money. I'll only be spending roughly £800 nothing majorly more than that

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Tbh if it's going to save me money then i'd rather buy a ready-made system of my own choice, so I can get more out of my money. I'll only be spending roughly £800 nothing majorly more than that

Ready-made may or may not save you money.

Depends on the particular PC and the particular parts. Less likely to help the more you spend.

The largest advantage of self-built is the complete control over parts and the likely avoidance of an OEM Windows license. And the freedom from aggravation by customer service.

 

[saroy94]

Hmmm true true. I just want the most out of my money parents are helping me buy the pc anyway, giving me around £350 so tbh I don't mind it being around £800 either way.

I'd find it more fun in a way if i build a pc because it's sort of turning into a hobby for me, then i'd start overclocking and maybe case modding too. I just want to excplore the possibilities of computers! Plus my parents think i'm so cool haha

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Plus my parents think i'm so cool haha

Yeah, it's always fun to confuse your parents.

All I can suggest is to make another post when you have your ready-built chosen and we can decide then if it's cheaper than self-built.

A couple of more things about ready-made:

If you later decide to upgrade the parts in it, you may find there are some non-standard parts that would conflict with your upgrade plans. Cases and PSUs found in ready-made are sometimes unusual in some way. You avoid this by building your own.

You will clearly learn more by researching your own parts and building it yourself. Most people who buy ready-made rarely if ever open the case and know little about what's happening in there other than software.

 

[essenbe]

You also get to choose the quality and features of your own build. Most ready made companies put whatever parts the can get the cheapest in the machine. After all, like this discussion, they are competing on price, not quality and features. And if you buy from places like Dell, HP or Gateway, forget overclocking. The BIOS is locked usually.

 

[saroy94]

Yeah i'm just gonna buy my own parts now. It's more loving then, like it's my own son rather than adopting a random one.