My first ever desktop PC

[sVOID]

Hi all,
I'm extremely new to the PC scene as I have just made my first computer. I have had a crappy netbook in the past but it was obviously just for surfing the net. Anyway I decided to build my own 'proper' machine. It is not a top spec system by any means but I didn't want to go crazy for my very first computer so I limited myself to £700. It would be great to have some feedback on what people think of it, is it capable? What I could do to improve it etc.
Spec is as follows;
CPU: Core i5 3570K changed the speed to 4.3Ghz
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Loki
Operating System: Windows 8 (64-bit)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX2
RAM: 8GB Corsair 1600mhz Vengeance
Hard drive: Western Digital 1Tb,
Graphics card: XFX HD 7870
Case: Corsair Carbide 500R White
PSU: Corsair VS650
OS: Windows 8 64bit
2 additional Corsair top exhaust fans to hopefully keep things cool.
Also I have bought Crysis 3 to try gaming if anyone has a similar spec machine could you let me know what settings you have to get the best visuals/performance. I look forward to your responses,
Thanks.
Dave.

 

[scragnoff]

Hi sVoid!

You must really like Windows 8, because you mentioned it twice!

Your build is excellent. I just have some suggestions.

If you can afford it, I suggest getting the 212 Evo as the CPU cooler. It performs more efficiently.

There's a video on youtube that shows the game using the HD 7870, although it's a Sapphire OC version. With 1080p resolutions, Crysis 3 settings at Very High, 8x AA, with V-Sync of, it can run at average fps of 33.6 with a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 99.
Here's the link.

I'd also suggest going for an SSD if you can stretch your budget even further. Although it does not directly speed up frame rates, it dramatically cuts down your load times.

 

[sVOID]

Do you think the hybrid water heatsinks are any good? I think I prefer the idea of air coolers in that they are cheaper!
But yes I will definitely upgrade my cooler when I save up some more cash. The reasons I went for the Loki were to make sure it fit with the ram and cost.
With the SSD can I just copy my windows install over to it or will I have to reinstall everything if I did upgrade to one?
Thanks for the link looks like it is for the most part playable I will have to see if I can get similar results.

 

[scragnoff]

The 212 Evo is an air cooler, and it performs very efficiently on a price/performance ratio.

Since you're going for a new motherboard, you are going to have to reinstall your Windows.

 

[sVOID]

I won't be changing my motherboard as this is a built from scratch with all above components. If I were to get an SSD it would just be added to my current hardware. I won't be upgrading my motherboard for a long while. That being the case would simply adding an SSD allow me just to straight copy my windows install over to said drive?

 

[scragnoff]

Ah, I misunderstood. My apologies.

Yes, you would be able to move your Windows from the HDD over to the SSD. It's not a straight copy method, as it involves creating an image of your system disk and duplicating it over to the SSD. But you won't have to reinstall your OS or your other programs. Just be sure that the SSD has enough storage capacity.

 

[sVOID]

Sorry to bother you again but do you know where I can find info on how to do this for future reference? I have a program called acronis that creates images for back up but I don't really understand what you mean. I apologize for my ignorance to this kind of thing computers are quite new to me.

 

[scragnoff]

Don't apologize for not knowing! We all start from not knowing, and it is because we want to learn that we begin to be enlightened.

Here's a great article by Lifehacker explaining how to migrate from an HDD to an SSD without reinstalling Windows. Link

 

[sVOID]

Thanks a lot for all your help and feedback it has been much more than I expected to get from my post. It has definitely given me some things to save for to upgrade. Again many thanks..

 

[scragnoff]

You're welcome!

Good luck and have fun with your build!