Im building a gaming pc some advice

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Hello, Im on a budget and not very computer savy, I've looked into things and and have found several websites that allow you to compone your own PC. I settled for PCSPecialist.com
Im have made most choices, the most obvious ones, but now I'm not sure about other components.
What i want from this PC is to able to play games 'properly' without problems and to keep doing so for some time. I decided I'd prefer to buy a 3rd generation processor and take advantage of the ivy bridge, and to add a decent graphic card, however, Im not sure at all about graphic cards, ram memory and even less clouless about others. Ill list the components i've chosen and after my doubts about some, I'd be very gratefull if some1 could give me any insight at all, but pls speak simple :)

so im thinking:
i7 quad core 3770 (3.4 Ghz) 8mb cache (just £50 more than an i5 3570)
motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX
ram: 8gm either Samsung DUAL DDR3 1333 mhz OR Kignston Hyper X genesis dual DDR3 1600 mhz
graphic card: 2gb invidia getforce GTX 560 (on special offer)
1 TB 3.5 SATA-III 6GB HDD 7200 RPM 32 mb cache - or?
24X Dual layer DVD writer
power suply: 600 watt Quiet 80 plus quad rail PSU
proecessor cooling: SUPER QUIET 22dBA tripple copper etc..
SOUND CARD: standard OR?? Creative sound blaster audigy SE (£19)
NETWEORK FACILITIES: standar or?: GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E card (£16)

i then included a 70 pound monitor and this adds up to £ 958. Its already too much and Im trying to cut a little but as i said i dont have the understanding to decide. (BUT; i know 600w is too much for what i have but i'd rather have more and not have to add later)

-my first issue is the motherboard/sound card. There seem to be some gaming sound cards there (a good one for 20 pounds) but i also seem to understand that motherboards now are rather good at reproducing sound. Would i notice any difference when watching movies with my girl? is it worth spending £20 and if the answer is "maybe" would i be able to install one (is it easy i have no knowledge whatsoever on regards always had macs)

- the second issue is the RAM. I remember ram was important for gaming once. yet would the samsung 8gb be enuff for my gaming needs (or just barely?) and would i have to change (add) them soon? would the kignstone stick i propose be a much better? and does it really make much of a differnce with a gtx 560 as a gaphic card? would saving on these now oblige me to buy new and better ones in a couple of years, or.. would buying some slightly better ones keep working well for a little longer (you know as games become more requiring with the years)

- the hard diskwould getting high performance sata gief me better performance than the one i chose?

- network facilities: Im not really sure about this but they seem to improve the speed of a connection and thus fps, and as many games require a decent connection this might be worth it for 10 £? or can I avoid this? how much does it improve my connection?

- and lastly I understand the new graphic cards and the new IVY BRidge tech heats up less than old stuff?
DO i need a cooling system, or is the cooling system i put inusfficient or redundant?


well if you got this far thanks a lot, any advice which will help me lower the price a little would be great. cheers
 
Skip the netword card and soundcard for now. Be sure your board or gpu has an hdmi port. And list the brand of your ps. I know some brands here in the usa aren't the same as europe, but you still want some feedback on the most important part of your pc. If you don't overclock, the Intel heatsink will work fine; use smartfan in the bios to control the noise.
 
im a bit confused on the motherboard.
P8Z77-V LX: http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_LX/#specifications
and
P8Z77-M: http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77M/#specifications
are the 2 i can affrod

the later seems to have more compatibility (whatever it means)
but the V LX seems to have 3 "ports" as when i add the sound card it allows me to use it witht the 2gb nvdia GTX 560. If i use the M one it says i dont have enough entries or whatever they are cold.

but i cant find hdmi. what is hdmi?

what do you mean by the brand of ps? what is ps?
 
I'd suggest changing a few bits, it comes out cheaper too and you will have better gaming performance.

swap the i7 for an i5 3450, the i5 is plenty for gaming, 99% of the time it's the graphics card that is holding the system back.
keep the standard 1333 samsung RAM, the 1600 won't give you any noticable performance increase.
swap the 560 for a 7850, which is much better.
upgrade to the £89 monitor, the extra £20 is WELL worth it, trust me!
I'd also say upgrade the PSu to the Corsair 650W, Corsair are renowned for good quality pruducts and like the previous poster, £10 is worth knowing that the thing that supplies your expensive parts with power doesn't blow up and take everything with it.
there's no need for additional sound and network cards, you won't be able to tell any difference. The network card especially, it doesnt matter how fast your connection to the router is, it will still be travelling down the relatively slow 5-50Mb broadband. The on-board network on the motherboard will work at 1000Mb, so more than enough!
I chose the coolermaster sileo 500 case, just as a nice good quality case, what did you pick (for cost calculations)?
 


+1^
 
Drop the i7 get the I5 also only get 4 gb of ram and with all that money you saved upgrade to a amd 7850. the i7 will give you probably 0 performance increase in games same deal with the ram .
 
ok for starts thx o1die and jwk.

I have another question for starts. A friend says that home made PC are unstable and crash often (he bought 1 in 2002). Is this still the case? if so with my level of knowledge am I better of lets say buying alienware? i chekced it out and I can build a better computer for less money than the alienware made ones but.. will it be unstable?

specifically about jwk3's comments

- am i not better of with the i7 for just 50£ more? and for future too? wont games start using more hyperthreading (is that correct i just read a bit about this... 🙁 .. ) From what i understand i can change a graphic card in a couple of years, but can i change the processor?

- about the video card. The GTX 560 is on special offer and the 2gb 560 is just 10 or so £ more than the 1gb. The 2gb 7850 costs £50 more than the 2gb 560. Are you saying i should go for the extra 50£ for better perfromance or was it to spend less?

- about the monitor, are u saying that the 22' monitor is better than the 19 just for the size or is there something else to it? I figured i can buy a bigger and better monitor later on, but im really know very little about monitors, atm i think i want to save as much as possib on them.


well thx for answering and thx in advance for future answers thats all i got for now
 
i chose the 29£ case cos the 14£ was 2 small for the 2gb gtx 560
 
1. Sound card-pass on it. On board devices are very good these days
2. 8g of ram is perfect and there is little benefit to more. You can always add if you want. Get 1600 ram and 2x4g sticks.
3. A 1T HDD is large enough and might save a few coin. I prefer Samsung F3 Spinpoints.
4. Pass on and separate network cards. Again the on board devices are faster than the services provided my ISP's.
5. You do not list a case so choose one that provides good airflow for system cooling. Most graphics cards do dump heat into the inside environment so cast airflow is important.
6. I am a great fan of after market cpu coolers. OOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO or similar are good choices. Even if you do not O.C. they will keep the cpu cooler at a lower sound level that the stock one. However the stock cooler is adequate.
7. PSU choice is so very important. Antec, Seasonic, Corsair and other name brands are preferred. If you can add the name of the one you are looking at and the site where you can buy items, some feedback can be provided.
GL looks like a good system
 
ok for starts thx o1die and jwk.

I have another question for starts. A friend says that home made PC are unstable and crash often (he bought 1 in 2002). Is this still the case? if so with my level of knowledge am I better of lets say buying alienware? i chekced it out and I can build a better computer for less money than the alienware made ones but.. will it be unstable?

specifically about jwk3's comments

- am i not better of with the i7 for just 50£ more? and for future too? wont games start using more hyperthreading (is that correct i just read a bit about this... 🙁 .. ) From what i understand i can change a graphic card in a couple of years, but can i change the processor?

- about the video card. The GTX 560 is on special offer and the 2gb 560 is just 10 or so £ more than the 1gb. The 2gb 7850 costs £50 more than the 2gb 560. Are you saying i should go for the extra 50£ for better perfromance or was it to spend less?

- about the monitor, are u saying that the 22' monitor is better than the 19 just for the size or is there something else to it? I figured i can buy a bigger and better monitor later on, but im really know very little about monitors, atm i think i want to save as much as possib on them.


well thx for answering and thx in advance for future answers thats all i got for now
Click to expand...

processor wise: I see where you are coming from on this, but the performance shouldn't be that much difference in the future, but by then the rest of the PC will want replacing anyway!

video card: The £50 more I added to the video card budget will go much further than putting it on the CPU. although they both have 2GB, they are noticeably different in performance and the 7850 would produce playable performance for longer before having to upgrade the whole PC.

monitor: the 22" monitor has 2x the resolution/detail of the 19" one, and you will REALLY notice this when using the PC, for gaming and everyday use. the 22" will have much more room for multiple windows and more info to be displayed.

with regard to instability of the custom PCs, as long as you have decent components, for instance that Corsair power supply (PSU, or PS as another poster said) you shouldn't have any problems. Many people in these forums have built their own PCs and they have been totally stable, I think your friend must just be unlucky!
 
ok for the 10£ more i opted for the corsair 650w.
I already wanted corsair but wasn't sure of how imp. the power suply is. well thx guys:)

so the 7850 is better than the 560 i assume and by much? ill read the review on pcgamer of this month i saw they were reviewing it. so that 50£ is def worth the diff?

so everybody says to drop the i7 and go for the i5. Im stubborn and a bit slow, and i usually stick with my uneducated guesses, could you explain more in detail why the i7 wont be worth the difference so i can dismiss my north eastern italian stubborn genes with your savy comments?

bout the case, i oopted for the 29£ one is that bad for the airflow?
 
i chose the 29£ case cos the 14£ was 2 small for the 2gb gtx 560
Click to expand...

I'd really recommend getting a better case, as with a cheaper case (as well as getting a cheapy feeling PC) you won't get as much airflow to the components, and therefore they will need to spin the cooling fans faster to keep it cool, which is more noise. By getting a better case you are making it quieter and you have much nicer build quality.

the £49 Inwin mana-136 or the £65 coolermaster HAF 912 will be much better choices.
 
ok for the 10£ more i opted for the corsair 650w.
I already wanted corsair but wasn't sure of how imp. the power suply is. well thx guys:)

so the 7850 is better than the 560 i assume and by much? ill read the review on pcgamer of this month i saw they were reviewing it. so that 50£ is def worth the diff?

so everybody says to drop the i7 and go for the i5. Im stubborn and a bit slow, and i usually stick with my uneducated guesses, could you explain more in detail why the i7 wont be worth the difference so i can dismiss my north eastern italian stubborn genes with your savy comments?

bout the case, i oopted for the 29£ one is that bad for the airflow?
Click to expand...

Yep, the difference will be worth the extra £50 between the 560 and 7850 😉

with an i7, you always pay a hefty premium for that extra bit of performance, if it helps you maybe think of them as an i5.5 rather than i7. If you put this into cars, imagine the i5 as an Aston Martin, easily fast enough for you. The i7 is like a Buggatti veyron, and you are paying a HEFTY premium for the extra bit of performance.
 
so ive respekked to the advices provided on http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk
this is what i have now

-InWin MaNA 136 Black Gaming Case
-i5 3570 (3.4Ghz) 6mb cache
-ASUS P8z77-V LX
-ram: 8mg samsung 1333
-2gb amd radeon HD7850
-1 TB Sata-III
-corsair 650w enthusiast series TX650 V2-80 PLUS BRONZE
-super quiet 22dBaTRIPPLE COPPER HETAPIPE INTEL CPUCOOLER
- 22 widescreen monitor (£89)
- 1 x 2 meter DVI-D cable

total £949

damn i need to cut the price down a little or ill be eating bread and water for a bit..

anyways what about the website? pcspecialist do you guys think its reliable/good? any insight on how to chose a company?
 



i might live in the uk but im itlian to the core, id take a bugatti any day.. but i get your point cheers ><
 
DAamn can't edit to correct spelling.

Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks, this website is carving its place in my heart it is the second time I come here and you all have been very helpfull!. i rarely get so much out of my dentist. and as much as my girl is not interested in such things she did seem impressed when i mentioned your comments. so, yes thank you so very much! 😀 :bounce:
 
i read the article on the 7850, it advizes to wait for the 660. my first question is would it cost the same or will it be more expensive than the 7850?
 
if anyone is still reading i have a question about the 7850, it seems to me that is uses less wattage with a slightly increased performance to the 560, it also seems to use up less space, and generally heat up less. Does this mean i could afford a smaller casing or cut on the cooling system? thx
 
Hey there,

Don't cheap out on the case if you can help it. Having a decent case should pay dividends in cooling and noise and should also make matters easier if/when you upgrade in the future. The InWin should be the bare minimum; I use a Cooler Master CM690 II and it's great in every respect, although I doubt you'll be prepared to pay the 79 quid that site is asking for that case.

I wouldn't be so quick to drop an extra 50 on a 7850 over a 560 Ti. The 7850 is definitely the better card in every way, but it's not necessarily 50 pounds better. You should check out the 'Bench' section at Anandtech.com - you should be able to compare frame rates for the two cards there. Either way, DON'T go for a cheaper case or cooling system.
 


Just to clarify the OP was originally thinking of the 560 NON-Ti. I can see what you mean by adding £50 from a 560 Ti to a 7850,but £50 to jump from a 560 (non Ti) to a 7850 is worth it in my opinion, especially considering that a company will raise the price of the upgrade more than the unit price of the card, so you will be paying more than if you were to buy the parts yourself... if that last bit makes any sense.

and to masobranaleone, stick with the Inwin case, you don't want to have a tacky plastic case. I've been there before myself, and regretted it. the Inwin also has a USB3 port on the front, so when you get a USB3 hard drive or similar you can make use of the extra speed. It'll become useful in the future even if you don't have anything USB3 at the moment.
As for the 660 you mentioned earlier, it seems we still have months left to wait until they are released, and even then the stock will be hard to get. It doesn't seem worth it to wait up to 6 months to get a slightly better graphics card (maybe). Think about how much use the PC would get over 6 months!
 
£950 seem a lot to me, are they building it for you?

http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ConfigureSystem.asp?SystemID=1346 + a monitor would be good.

776 inc vat, + monitor. Maybe 900 in total. upgrade to 570 and you'll be in better shape for the future.

They also have some prebuilt gaming machines.

With regards to your friend and stability, I have only had instability on corporate machines with lazily installed windows, on custom machines i've had no trouble.

 
i
ntel Core i5 2500K Unlocked, S1155, Sandy Bridge, Quad, 3.3GHz, HD3000 IGP 850Mhz, 6MB Cache 95W Retail
FREE Anti-static wrist band offer
£139.15 £166.98
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/int [...] 95w-retail

Asus P8Z77-V LX, Intel Z77, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0 (x16), DVI-D/ HDMI/ D-Sub (VGA), ATX
£77.77 £93.32
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asu [...] sub-(vga)-

8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Jet Black, PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.50V
£32.80 £39.36
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb [...] 4-xmp-150v

Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Mid Tower Gaming Performance Case with USB 3.0, w/o PSU
£44.30 £53.16
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/cor [...] 30-w-o-psu

Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H40 High-performance CPU Cooler
£33.20 £39.84
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nda [...] cpu-cooler

650W PSU, Corsair Enthusiast Series 650TXV2UK, 85% Eff', 80 PLUS Bronze, SLI/CrossFire, EPS 12V, Quiet Fan, ATX v2.31
£56.65 £67.98
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650 [...] uiet-fan-a

Samsung SH-S222AB/BEBE 22x DVD±R, 12x DVD±R, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, SATA, Black, OEM
£10.98 £13.18
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/sam [...] -black-oem

1TB Seagate ST1000DM003 Barracuda 7200.14 SATA 6Gb/s 7200rpm 64mb Cache 8ms NCQ OEM
£56.98 £68.38
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb [...] ms-ncq-oem

2GB Palit GTX 670, 28nm, PCIe 3.0 (x16), 6008MHz GDDR5, GPU 915MHz, Boost 980MHz, Cores 1344, 2x DL DVI, DP, HDMI
£265.67 £318.80
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb [...] l-dvi-dp-h

Total£870.59
 
Uther +1, however for £5 less you can get the oem 3570k, or £5 for the retail version. opens up future options better IMO

And he needs a monitor and an copy of windows....

planning on 22" I believe so probably 1680x1050, a 570 would do at £120 chepaer which would leave room for windows and a monitor. The 570 is still overkill for that resolution, but would cope a little better with next gen games than a 560. I think the gpu needs adjusting, i'm not convinced about my 570 suggestion at this time.
 
Can I just remind everyone that the OP is thinking of getting a pre-built PC, rather than building it himself. From what I can see Uther's suggestion doesn't appear to have any build service included, correct me if I'm wrong though!

Monkey's idea looks good though.
 
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