Gaming PC Build + Questions

[Matt1155]

Hi guys. after a fair amount of help from some of you, I've finally come up with a build:

Mobo GA-H81M-D2V
CPU Intel i5 4570
RAM 8Gb of RAM 1333Mhz
GPU GTX 770
PSU Corsair CS 650W

I have a couple of questions, along with wondering whether this is ok...

1. I'm planning on using this for top game settings in 1080p, will Windows 8 provide noticeably better performance than Windows 7?

2. What case would you guys recommend? I was looking at either the Zalman Z3 plus or the Zalman Z11 plus, but I noticed that some go up to around £300 pricewise which is huge!

3. I hear that SSD's are far faster, but I'm sure I can't store everything I need (my current PC has 800Gb used!) Is there any way other than having an external hard drive to have an SSD and have a lot of memory?

4. Finally, I was wondering whether I should go for any extra cooling in the PC?

Cheers folks.

 

[woltej1]

I'd use a b85 chipset board over a h81.

also, 1600mhz RAM.

For a case, coolermaster, corsair, fractal design and nzxt all make good cases. I personally would go for a corsair.

For a SSD, you can get a 120 or 240ish GB one and keep your HDD. Then install the OS and your games on the SSD while keeping everything else on the HDD.

 

[ajpad]

Very good gaming rig!

1) Your question to number one is Windows 7. Windows 7 is optimized for gaming while windows 8 is not yet compatible with games, hardware, etc... Not only is that true, but you can possibly receive lower performance. So most definitely go with windows 7.

2) I would not spend that much on a case! A high quality case will allow you to have more than enough storage, good cable management, and an excellent cooling system. I would suggest that you buy the Corsair 400r. It is $95.00, and will offer to you all of the things that I said a case should have.

3) At the moment yes and no. No, because if you were to purchase SSDs I am assuming that you would need a lot of storage. SSD are overly expensive, but offer very little space. If you were to get SSD that has a lot of storage be prepared to spend a thousand or so dollars. And yes SSD are far faster than a regular HDD! However, drawbacks of an ssd include life span of the drive is usually less than 12 years, and way too over priced. Me personally I would stay with a regular HDD. But ill leave that choice to you.

4) As far as cooling what do you mean? More cooling for the overall computer, or any specific parts that you want to cool such as the cpu, and maybe the graphics card. You may have heard of water cooling, which is always an option this will sometimes allow you to get very good cooling temps. However, this is usually very risky, difficult, and may not work. I wouldn't spend the extra money on extra cooling if you have a good case that has good fans already installed, and you have a decent HSF you should be fine!

I hope you can end up with the gaming computer that you are wanting! Please feel free to ask me any questions or state any concerns!
- Andrew

 

[Dblkk]

Number 1, windows 8 offers full compatabilty with every gaming service, boots way faster and is more responsive than 7. Is newer and will recieve microsoft support for longer. And with new windows updates you can boot right to desktop and stay there, no longer needing the 'metro' at all.

Number 2, as long as you get a decent mid size case you'll be fine. I wouldnt cheap out to much on a case as thats what holds all your valubles plus the only thing you look at other than the monitor. If you get a good decent mid size you'll have better airflow, and easier time installing your components and can hold more components.

Number 3. yes ssd are by far the way to go. Offer 5x the speed of a hhd, and just get a 128gb or a 256gb and instal windows and a few programs and games you use often, then use a mechanical for all your massive storage needs. Right now i have 2 256gb ssd in raid and get about 950 mbps write/read speeds and windows loads in 10 seconds. Then i have 3 3tb hhd mechanicals for all my storage needs. SSD speeds are typically around 500 mbps read write, while mechanicals usually get 100-120mbps. Plus prices have come down cheap now, you can get a good ssd 128gb for $60's or a 256gb for $100's. Its the number one thing you can add and see a performance difference in almost everything.

Number 4, ties right into number 2. If you get a good case you'll get good airflow. Im guessing your using a fan on you cpu which cools that down, but all other components such as motherboard, ram, harddrives, and graphics cards all need cooling to. If you can have at least one fan in the front of case sucking air in, one fan in back of case blowing air out, and either fan on top or side blowing air in you'll be fine.

On another note, i also agree with the mobo upgrade and extremely agree with the ram being 1600. Gaming especially, utilizes ram alot and the faster the ram you have the faster the game will load and smoother the frames wiil be. It wont add to frames per second, but it will smooth them and also: average fps is what people usually use to benchmark, but the more important one is minimal frames per second. If yo average 60 and get 45 minimal and 75 max thats good But if you average 60 again, but your geting 15-20 fps on lows, thats really choppy and will ruin your experience.

 

[Matt1155]

Thanks guys, all much appreciated