Gaming Build - Advice needed - £500 budget

[MJPreston]

All,

I haven't built a computer for 6-7 years and therefore I am VERY out of touch when it comes to technology. I am looking for your advice on if I have made any silly mistakes or there are better alternatives out there, especially if they are cheaper!

Location: UK
Purpose: Gaming
Overclocking: A little, but not massively!
Budget: £500

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor - £160
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sandy-bridge-quad-33ghz-hd3000-igp-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-retail

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard - £130
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007KTY4A6/?tag=pcp0f-21

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory - £80
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/16gb-(4x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-lp-cerulean-blue-pc3-12800-(1600)-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-15v

Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Mid Tower Case - £70
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-define-r3-usb-30-black-pearl-mid-tower-case-new-cable-routing-noise-absorbing-w-o-psu

Cooler Master 650W ATX12V Power Supply (Already purchased) - £60

Total £500

I already have a 1TB Barracuda Seagate SATA III

--

The two main components I am not sure about are the motherboard and the ram (Is 16gb really required or will 8gb suffice?).

Ideally I would hope this build will last approx. 4 years until an upgrade is required.

All help is greatly appreciated!

 

[MJPreston]

Sorry I should have added,

I have no preference when it comes to UK sites to purchase from.

Do I need SLI/Crossfire?

I also have a 26inch HD TV I will be using as a monitor (HDMI).

Thanks.

 

[Silvune]

16GB is massive overkill for gaming, 4GB perfectly fine for gaming. But RAM is very cheap right now so you might as well get 8GB.

Does the graphics card need to be included in the budget?

Having SLI/CF as an upgrade option can be quite useful.

The Asrock Z77 Extreme4 is a good board, but if you want a cheaper option I'd suggest this:
Gigabyte Z77X-D3H £103
http://www.cclonline.com/product/78337/GA-Z77X-D3H/Motherboards/Gigabyte-GA-Z77X-D3H-Motherboard/MBD0356/
It has less USB 2.0 connectors (6 vs 8), more USB 3.0 connectors (10 vs 6), it has an mSATA connector, it doesn't have an eSATA connector. It has one less fan connector (4 vs 5). They use different audio and ethernet codecs.
The widths of the boards are different as well (24.4 vs 21.8).

Overall I think that unless you really need an eSATA connector then the Gigabyte Z77X-D3H is the better buy, especially considering the lower price.

 

[MJPreston]

Thanks for the response. I will look into that board. The graphics card is not part of the budget, how well will the inbuilt graphics work on games? I imagine poorly? Any recommendations for graphics cards with that setup?

I agree with the 16gb RAM point, it's just so cheap at the moment! Maybe ill just get 8.

 

[Silvune]

The iGPU on the Sandy Bridge CPUs is definitely not good enough for high quality 1080p gaming.

I suppose if you want a GPU that will last for 4 years then a 7970/7950 or GTX 670/680.
If those are too much then 7800 series.

 

[metal orient]

Any reason to not go with an ivy bridge CPU?

Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz £168
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Intel+Core+i5-3570K+3.40GHz+%28Ivybridge%29+Socket+LGA1155+Processor+%2877W%29+-+Retail+?productId=49755

Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB £40
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory+-+RAM/DDR3/Dual+Channel+-+%281600MHz%29/Corsair+Vengeance+Low+Profile+8GB+%282x4GB%29+DDR3+PC3-12800C9+1600MHz+Dual+Channel+Kit+%28CML8GX3M2A1600C9%29+?productId=45511

Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl V2 £78
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Midi+Tower/Fractal+Design+Define+R3+Black+Pearl+V2+Midi+Tower+Soundproof+Chassis+w%2F+USB3.0+?productId=46520

You can get the Asrock Z77 Ex4 from Dabs.com for £112
http://www.dabs.com/products/asrock-z77-extreme-4-s1155-intel-z77-ddr3-atx-80XR.html

Total cost with VAT and P&P: £407.76

 

[MJPreston]

Any reason to not go with an ivy bridge CPU?

Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz £168
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Intel+Core+i5-3570K+3.40GHz+%28Ivybridge%29+Socket+LGA1155+Processor+%2877W%29+-+Retail+?productId=49755

Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB £40
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory+-+RAM/DDR3/Dual+Channel+-+%281600MHz%29/Corsair+Vengeance+Low+Profile+8GB+%282x4GB%29+DDR3+PC3-12800C9+1600MHz+Dual+Channel+Kit+%28CML8GX3M2A1600C9%29+?productId=45511

Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl V2 £78
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Midi+Tower/Fractal+Design+Define+R3+Black+Pearl+V2+Midi+Tower+Soundproof+Chassis+w%2F+USB3.0+?productId=46520

You can get the Asrock Z77 Ex4 from Dabs.com for £112
http://www.dabs.com/products/asrock-z77-extreme-4-s1155-intel-z77-ddr3-atx-80XR.html

Total cost with VAT and P&P: £407.76

Thanks Metal, I was going for the i5 2500k due to its overclocking abilities?

The link about the Fractal is interesting though, whats different on the 'V2'?

 

[metal orient]

Just USB 3.0 included i think.

If you don't plan to overclock much Ivy will be the better bet in the long run as it's a faster chip, but a little warmer.

 

[MJPreston]

Just USB 3.0 included i think.

If you don't plan to overclock much Ivy will be the better bet in the long run as it's a faster chip, but a little warmer.

Cheers, I'll go for the 3570k, thanks for the advice.

As for the case, the V2 (Going by the product code) appears to be the same one on dabs, just aria are naming them all differently.. it's cheaper on dabs. So i'll stick with that one!

 

[metal orient]

Good catch, it is actually cheaper to buy it all from dabs, but the memory may come a bit slower.

 

[MJPreston]

Indeed, finding it hard to find a Asrock Extreme4 in stock.

Any real disadvantage to having the low profile ram over the regular? Cooling wise? I've read mixed opinions on it.

 

[metal orient]

No difference at all on DDR3, they're fine bare as long as you have decent airflow. You also get the advantage of less issue with aftermarket coolers