New pc gaming, advice plz.

[louagn18o3]

Hello all
I have planed to build a new gaming pc for few month now, read some reviews, and constructed a list. So, before I actually buy all the parts, I just want to let some ones actually know what they are doing have a check on my build. Any advice is welcome. :biggrin:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Generally gaming, no specific game, mostly single player games, shooting, RPG, occasionally dota 2, adobe PS, AI, MS office.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
about 600£ with out SSD 750£ with SSD.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
I live in the U.K.

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
well, amazon uk, ebay, ebuyer, etc

5. IF YOU have a brand preference.
Not really.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
1080p monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, maybe HD4870, and bought a ASUS p8z77-v already will arrive in mid January. 2tb HDD. Optical DVD drive.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
No OC, not a tech boy, just want a stable gaming pc.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1080p, higher resolution monitors if price goes down in few years, but not currently.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Mid January 2013

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
Got windows 7 pro 64.

Build list so far:
CPU: I5 3570 / K ~165£ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007RUZKK6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
MOBO: ASUS P8Z77-V ( Bought ) 105£
GPU: HD7870 not sure which brand to get.
RAM: 8G as long as not bad, cheaper the better.
PSU:Corsair Builder Series CX 600/500 ~55£
SSD : Samsung 840 Series 250GB 140£ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009LI7C9Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE some reviews say should stay away from the non pro ones, I am not sure
Case : NZXT Phantom 410 ~80£
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110959580391?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


Originally I wanted a HD7870, but saw some reviews about black screen with sapphire, and other brand are either not good or not cheap, like gigabyte. http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/sea...,amount-max=2014/sortFilter=3_1/display-list/ This is the site i got my eyes on for GPU, seems cheaper than others. So I defiantly need some advice about it. I prefer a quiet card, so I may get a after market cooler if the GPU fan is too loud, Gelid Solutions Icy Vision Rev.2 http://quietpc.co.uk/gel-icy-vision ~33£

And I went ahead for the asus p8z77-v, because it was an one time offer, 99+5£ ship, about 30£ cheaper.

CPU, I don't think I will self OC any thing, 3570 would do, but it is like £4 cheaper than the 3570k, so why not..

Case: I am not sure, again, I prefer a quiet PC, but also worried about over heating any powerful GPU. Not sure about the NZXT Phantom 410. No need to be a fancy case like this BTW.

And a GPU question. Is it possible to hook up my old HD4870 with the new GPU? Is it still called crossfire? Normally, I just use a single card, but since the motherboard is big enough... Would it increase performance?

SSD : It is not the priority, not sure it would do that much difference, but if not too expensive, ye y not?

Generally, I want a quiet PC, but stable and not over heating while gaming. I am not a hardcore graphical maniac , so as long as 1080p mid to high setting gaming can last 4,5 years, it is fine for me. My old pc p5ql pro, E8500, 4g ram, HD4870, works fine with most of my games at 1080, as long as not too high setting, but it would be very lagy with the witcher 2, that made me think I need a new pc.

I know it sounds picky, but guys, please give me some advices. Thank you, and Merry Christmas. ()

 

[DominionSeraph]

I'd go with the 7850. They overclock to 7870 speeds and they're near 40£ cheaper.
http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-am...rce=td&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_content=TB00

You can't crossfire a 4870 with a newer card.

Might want to look at the Source 210:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt-source-210-white-mid-tower-gaming-case-with-120mm-fan-w-o-psu

 

[mfenn]

I'd go with the 7850. They overclock to 7870 speeds and they're near 40£ cheaper.
http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-am...rce=td&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_content=TB00

You can't crossfire a 4870 with a newer card.

Might want to look at the Source 210:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt-source-210-white-mid-tower-gaming-case-with-120mm-fan-w-o-psu

:thumbsup: Both good suggestions, but the OP actually has the budget for more GPU than a 7850. GPUs and CPUs are just not as hot as they used to be, even at the very high end. As for the SSD, I would definitely avoid the 840 until we are sure that they have the firmware issues sorted out.

i5 3470 £145
Existing mobo £105
Corsair DDR3 1600 8GB £35
7950 3GB £220
Crucial m4 256GB £155
Existing HDD £0
Existing ODD £0
XFX Core 550W £49
Source 210 £31
Total: £740

 

[riversend]

mfenn has another nice build there, that should do the trick for you. As far as your question about the SSD, you have the budget for it and should not save it for a later purchase. It will significantly improve your boot speeds among other things, and that 256GB module can hold quite a few of your programs, which means you will have a quieter pc since HDDs are not spinning up much. I assure you that once you start using it you will not want to go without it.

 

[louagn18o3]

7950 3GB £220

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/12838275/art/amd/radeon-hd-7950-oem-3-gb-g.html Do you think this is worth to buy?

 

[lehtv]

That price is pretty hard to beat. But reference cards are noisier at load and don't maintain so good temperatures with overclocking. Another problem is only 1 year of warranty. I would pay another 10% or so for an extra year of warranty alone, or 15% for two extra years.

This is the card that I own and am very happy with it, overclocks to 1100mhz on stock volts and keeps the noise relatively low wiht 75C GPU and VRM temps: www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/12844795/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-7950-boost-3-gb.html

However, you can get an MSI Twin Frozr card for only £223 from Scan which is definitely a better place to buy than Pixmania: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-...dr5-gpu-800mhz-1792-cores-dvi-hdmi-mini-dport. This is just as good as Sapphire, perhaps even better

 

[louagn18o3]

However, you can get an MSI Twin Frozr card for only £223 from Scan which is definitely a better place to buy than Pixmania: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-m...dmi-mini-dport. This is just as good as Sapphire, perhaps even better

Seems good, thanks. and any suggestions on a quiet pc case? Not too expensive of course.

 

[lehtv]

Corsair 200R is pretty quiet in its stock configuration. Almost any case can be made quiet by choosing the right fans or downvolting them to the desired rotation speed. There are more advanced cases like Corsair 550D and Fractal Design Define R4 that have noise insulation that also quiets the internal components effectively and have a front door to muffle the noise of the intake fans. But I think you'll be fine with the 200R. If needed you can add a few more fans and downvolt them with a front panel fan controller, for example.

 

[mfenn]

That price is pretty hard to beat. But reference cards are noisier at load and don't maintain so good temperatures with overclocking. Another problem is only 1 year of warranty. I would pay another 10% or so for an extra year of warranty alone, or 15% for two extra years.

This is the card that I own and am very happy with it, overclocks to 1100mhz on stock volts and keeps the noise relatively low wiht 75C GPU and VRM temps: www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/12844795/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-7950-boost-3-gb.html

However, you can get an MSI Twin Frozr card for only £223 from Scan which is definitely a better place to buy than Pixmania: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-...dr5-gpu-800mhz-1792-cores-dvi-hdmi-mini-dport. This is just as good as Sapphire, perhaps even better

Not bad for only 10 quid more.

 

[louagn18o3]

Just an update, got my pc parts, except RAM is not arrived yet
I5-3570k, asus p8z77-v, msi 7950 twin frozr, xfx pro 550w, storm enforcer, sansum 840 250g. Still waiting for 8g cossair RAM, can't wait to assemble everything!!!

Thank you every one for the help!

And I started a new thread for new monitor recommendation, please help me again.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2294574