PC Build: Your thoughts please?

sesselpupser · Oct 21, 2011

Hello all,

Like someone else in this forum, I'm a lifelong Mac user who wants to do some modern gaming. So far I've been Boot Camping on my Pro, and while it's an awesome machine with the 4870 I've got, it's getting a bit weak and £377 for an AMD 5870 is too much, the workarounds are not of interest to me and I'd like to just have a separate machine for gaming so I can spare my Mac the strain.

So basically, I've perused a few websites for information and recommendations, and I was wondering if you guys could enlighten me on a few points. I understand that there are more ways to build a PC than there are to skin a rabbit, so I don't expect everyone to agree on my choices, but I'm hoping to see if there's anything glaringly obviously wrong with what I want to do.

My provisional parts list is as follows:

CPU: i5 2500K - £169.79
Motherboard: P8Z68-V Pro - £144.99
RAM: "G-Skill 8GBXL Ripjaws X for Intel Sandybridge Platforms DDR3 PC12800 1600MHz 8GB Kit" - £40.48
GPU: Nvidia GTX 560 Ti or 570 - £167.63/£264.99
Storage: Crucial C300 64GB and a 2TB drive I already have but hardly use (except for my Steam library) - £92.66
PSU: Antec High Current Pro HCP-750 - £140.50
Case: Fractal Design Define R3 (in black) - £75.53
DVD Drive: Some generic cheap thing that I'll probably only use to install Windows. - £11.08

Total cost from Amazon UK: £842.66 for the 560Ti, £940.02 for the 570.

My main questions are:
- Is the P8Z68-V Pro worth buying over the non-Pro version? It's not much more expensive, though.
- Would the PSU run this system with a GTX 580 instead of the 560Ti/570 with a comfortable amount of headroom?
--- Could you recommend good PSUs that would fit the 560Ti and 570 builds for less than £140 so I could adjust the budgets?
- I've heard the CPU comes with a heat sink, but will it be good enough for running at non-overclocked speeds?
- Can anyone recommend any shops in the UK for buying all the parts? As it is, I've just looked on Amazon. I don't know if I can be bothered with eBay.
- Will I need to buy mounting hardware, fans, cables and so on, or does the case/motherboard/whatever come with their own?
- I haven't found any particularly good recommendations for a keyboard and mouse, I don't want to spend much more than the budgets above, though... I guess maybe £80 for the KB&M, not £80 on one and £60 for the other. Any ideas?
- I'm not sure if I've missed anything else...

In short, I don't want an epic machine, I just want it to be pretty good at playing games. I'm particularly interested in it playing Battlefield 3 fully maxed, and I don't think that requires a massively expensive PC.

I'm inclined to spend the spare cash I have on the GPU, but maybe it would be better to restrict myself to a 560Ti (if it will suffice) and buy a better keyboard and mouse, I don't know. I do know that whatever KB&M I end up with will be better than what I have now, though!

I'd really appreciate your input, guys, I'm scared of registering on more hardcore PC gaming forums because I somehow doubt they'd be too welcoming of a thread like this... I'm apprehensive enough posting it here as it is!

Thanks in advance.

Sharky. · Oct 21, 2011

Nvidia recommends 600w+ for a 580, so you'd be fine. Everything should come with the required cables, but if you plan on overclocking I'd suggest getting an aftermarket CPU cooler (Intel's cooler is fine for stock speeds) and a couple of extra fans for your case. If you don't care much for having a uber awesome haXXor keyboard with light up buttons, ten mini-displays and a vending machine built in and a 580 is in your budget, then I would definitely go for the 580 and get a cheaper keyboard+mouse. Better performance > better kb+m.

I'm sure Casio/Terronium-12/Azuremen will stop by and correct as required 👍

sesselpupser · Oct 21, 2011

I was just looking at how I could reduce the price of the PSU, £140 sounds a bit high when the Corsair TX650 costs £75, but I'd prefer the extra overhead given that I've heard PSUs are more efficient when under less load, so a 750W PSU will be better than a 650W one at 600W.

Any chance you could point me to a vend-o-matic keyboard? I wouldn't mind a fresh beverage during long Battlefield sessions, you know? But yeah, the Logitech G18 (or whatever) seems like total overkill. Why would I need extra keys when nearly none of the games I play use all the keys on a standard keyboard (except for Arma II, which probably uses three full keyboards' worth of keys on movement speeds alone)? Doesn't seem worth the expense just to play one or two games that were actually designed exclusively for PC because console pads don't have enough buttons.

I would quite like a decent mouse, though, I've been using an Apple Magic Mouse for quite some time and it, to be polite, seriously, seriously sucks for gaming. I'd just like a mouse with three or four buttons, a scroll wheel (I saw a mouse with two scroll wheels once, why?) and high enough resolution so that I can snipe effectively without my aim jumping around the place in huge steps, and I can't really find one. I'm guessing I'll just build the PC first and use the £5 I have left to get a mouse from somewhere.

Thanks for your input!

bevo · Oct 21, 2011

neema_t
In short, I don't want an epic machine, I just want it to be pretty good at playing games. I'm particularly interested in it playing Battlefield 3 fully maxed, and I don't think that requires a massively expensive PC.

If you are set on playing BF3 fully maxed then you will not do it with that system at a decent resolution. I had a gtx570 for the beta, and could run it maxed at around 40-50 FPS. The BETA didn't have the maxed out settings or tesselation enabled. It had high settings, and they did look great but I guess the ultra settings were locked for the beta.

I went and sold the 570 I had and bought 2 other ones to run in sli. If you are getting a gtx 570 I would recommend the MSI twin Frozr III. I had a reference 570 and this card blows it away as far as how quite it is and how warm it gets.

If you are really dead set on running it maxed out. I would wait and see what people are saying it takes to max it out. I'm hoping that my 2 570s will do it, but people are saying something about them only having a gig of memory maybe not being enough. I'm pretty sure it will be, but no one will really know until the game comes out.

With that all said though, a single 570 might end up doing the job. Maybe they will have the game more optimized for the release. No one will really know until tuesday what it really takes to max out this game.

If you are building with maxing out BF3 as your goal, then wait a few days and you will know exactly what it takes. The ony thing I have heard a DEV say, is that 2 580s in sli will max it out. Something tells me that's overkill, but no one will know until it's released.

As far as a hardcore PC forum goes. Go ahead and don't be afraid to ask there. People are really helpful and love to talk computers, no matter how big of a newb you are. I just built my first PC in June and people there have been super helpful.

NissanSkylineN1 · Oct 21, 2011

What's your budget?

The non pro version is fine, really, depending on your needs. The GTX 580 is a HUGE improvement over the 560. However, it would be better to buy AMD, as it is the better bang for the buck. Something like a 6950, so you can either flash or OC it to 6970 specs. For non-overclocked settings, the stock cooler is fine, although I'd change the thermal paste, as did I (Matrix thermal paste). For OC'ing, I'd go with a Hyper 212. Your PSU good.

sesselpupser · Oct 21, 2011

bevo
If you are really dead set on running it maxed out. I would wait and see what people are saying it takes to max it out. I'm hoping that my 2 570s will do it, but people are saying something about them only having a gig of memory maybe not being enough. I'm pretty sure it will be, but no one will really know until the game comes out.

Yeah, this is pretty much how I feel about it, I won't be able to build the thing within a week from now so I will have to wait and see what can run it maxed out anyway. I suppose the important thing is that everything except the GPU is suitable and that it can support higher-end cards, but I don't think I want to go as far as SLI because that'll increase the cost of the PSU, it may introduce cooling issues and probably more noise, not to mention it'll be way beyond my probable budget! Also, I think I agree with you, two 580s seems like overkill. It's a good looking game, no doubt about that, but is it THAT good looking? I'm not sure.

NissanSkylineN1
What's your budget?

The non pro version is fine, really, depending on your needs. The GTX 580 is a HUGE improvement over the 560. However, it would be better to buy AMD, as it is the better bang for the buck. Something like a 6950, so you can either flash or OC it to 6970 specs. For non-overclocked settings, the stock cooler is fine, although I'd change the thermal paste, as did I (Matrix thermal paste). For OC'ing, I'd go with a Hyper 212. Your PSU good.

I'm really not sure what the budget is yet because I have to sell some stuff to afford it, but if I had to guess I'd say the budget is around £1,100... I'd quite like to fit a G25/G27 into that budget as well, though, but it's by no means necessary. There is always Christmas for that, though I do also need an oscilloscope at some point, so who knows? Bottom line, though, I'd be willing to spend £1,100 or thereabouts.

I think the difference in price between the Z68 Pro and non-Pro is something like £20, but I don't actually know what the difference is yet, I guess I'll look into that. I know AMD are better value for money, but it seems that developers prefer Nvidia, and it seems like if a new release is going to have incompatibility problems, it's almost always with AMD cards, like Rage for example (though I realise Nvidia users had problems too). I guess I'll use the time it takes for me to gather the funds to research the differences between the two, common consensus, other peoples' experiences and what have you, but right now I feel like I should go with Nvidia and just deal with the fact that I could get something just as good (hardware-wise) for less, but get worse support when it comes to software.

As for your other suggestions, thank you, I'm taking notes!

NissanSkylineN1 · Oct 21, 2011

I hope you know the ATI Rage cards are a decade old (I had one). Also, having video card problems are quite unlikely. Even if there are Nvidia special effects (like in Just Cause 2), they don't do much.

Also, why not get something fancier as your case? How about an Antec 900?

For your keyboard and mouse, you can always get those bundles that have the keyboard and mouse in it.

Also, I think the mouse with two wheels that you mentioned would be this:

Cyborg R.A.T. 9
http://cyborggaming.com/prod/rat9.htm

Pretty badass, considering the fact that it has a sniper button that lowers DPI.

Don't forget shipping and taxes too.

bevo · Oct 21, 2011

I have the R.A.T. 7. The 9 is just the wireless version of it. It is pretty awsome. It feels great in your hand, almost like it's not even there. It does have some issues though with the surface you have it on. I have to use a mouse pad with it, because it will not track on some black or dark grey surfaces. My mouse pad is black though and it works well on it. It also has to be picked up everyonce in awhile for some reason. Sometimes it will just stop, you pick it up and it's fine again.

The sniper button is pretty cool too. It's a little awkward to grab though. It needs to be a little farther back for me. It lets you set 4 different DPI settings though wnd you can switch on the fly between them with a little toggle type of switch right by the scroll wheel. I just use that instead of the sniper button. In battlefield, I set the highest setting really high so that when I get in a tank, I can spin and aim just as fast as I can on foot. That really comes in handy when you meet up with another tank.

I had to disable tho other scroll wheel. It's way to sensitive and hits buttons when you least expect it too. I kept having my keyboard go crazy and just start typing GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG everyonce in awhile. I would have to turn off the computer to get it to stop. I finally figured out that for some reason that sroll wheel had G mapped to it.

NissanSkylineN1 · Oct 21, 2011

bevo
In battlefield, I set the highest setting really high so that when I get in a tank, I can spin and aim just as fast as I can on foot. That really comes in handy when you meet up with another tank.

So THAT'S what DPI on-the-fly buttons are for!

12thgear · Oct 21, 2011

The RAT 7 and RAT 9 are pretty sweet. The Precision Aim button is pretty cool, and what I like is that you can define how much it reduces sensitivity, so it's totally customizable. It's a bit hard to reach, and I wish it required less pressure, so you're not death gripping the mouse when sniping. I find that the mouse is so smooth at high DPI that it's still good for sniping even if you don't take the time to squeeze the Precision Aim button. The only serious knock on the RAT series is the software. It's very powerful, but I do miss the ability to bind profiles to games so they load automatically. It's a manual process with the RATs.

sesselpupser · Oct 21, 2011

NissanSkylineN1
I hope you know the ATI Rage cards are a decade old (I had one). Also, having video card problems are quite unlikely. Even if there are Nvidia special effects (like in Just Cause 2), they don't do much.

Ha ha, sorry, maybe I should have been more specific! I meant Rage as in the game, when it came out just about everyone with AMD cards had problems with it and Nvidia users, while they still had problems, they weren't as terminal. I wasn't considering AMD before, but you've convinced me to check them out, thanks.

I'm on my phone at the moment but I'll reply properly when I can, thanks for the mouse suggestions, the variable DPI sounds like a great feature.

Seismica · Oct 21, 2011

neema_t
I'm on my phone at the moment but I'll reply properly when I can, thanks for the mouse suggestions, the variable DPI sounds like a great feature.

I bought a mouse the other week;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0017KLEIE/?tag=gtplanetuk-20

It's a very good mouse in my opinion. Adjustable dpi button up to 3200dpi, you can make different setting modes for particular games in the software that comes with it. Very comfortable and ergonomic, fits to the hand better than various Logitech mouses I have tried.

It's much better value for money than other mice in this price range. I would highly recommend it unless you want to spend £70+.

Or if you are a RBR fan, you could get this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0025KVA7A/?tag=gtplanetuk-20

When I was shopping around, I actually found this mouse minus the mousemat (Which is exactly the same as the other, but with a different cover) for £20. I didn't go for it myself because i'm a Mclaren fan

Amazon certainly isn't the cheapest place for accessories like this.

bevo · Oct 21, 2011

One other thing you could do for the mouse and keyboard, is sign up for the logitech news letter. A little while ago they were giving 50% coupons for 1 item in their store. I got my G510 keyboard for half price. I think it was 60$ or something like that with the coupon. The coupons were going out about a month ago, so it might be over with, but it's worth a try.

I really like that keyboard. The screen on it seems like it's kind of overkill until you have it. You can monitor all your temps, FPS, GPU speed, voltage, etc. and many other things with it. Some games also show stats displayed through it.

sesselpupser · Oct 21, 2011

NissanSkylineN1
Also, why not get something fancier as your case? How about an Antec 900?

Don't forget shipping and taxes too.

Thanks but no thanks, I love monolithic stuff so the Define R3 is perfect for me, as long as it's functionally a good case. It reminds me of the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey (one of my all-time favourite films), but at the same time I am secretly harbouring desires to make it look like HAL 9000 when I can work out where to get a nice lens from (it would have to be glass), the rest I can have laser cut from 1mm acrylic. I'm only half serious about this, of course...

And oh yeah, shipping and taxes, I've found everything I need on Amazon UK so I can probably get it all at once. Taxes are included, shipping could be free if I wanted, but I wonder if there's a better place to get everything in the UK, there would have to be a hefty discount on buying from the US (which, knowing how we get overcharged for everything, there probably is) to make it worth buying after the other fees involved.

bevo
I have the R.A.T. 7.

It lets you set 4 different DPI settings though wnd you can switch on the fly between them with a little toggle type of switch right by the scroll wheel.

12thgear
The RAT 7 and RAT 9 are pretty sweet. The Precision Aim button is pretty cool, and what I like is that you can define how much it reduces sensitivity, so it's totally customizable. ... I find that the mouse is so smooth at high DPI that it's still good for sniping even if you don't take the time to squeeze the Precision Aim button. The only serious knock on the RAT series is the software. It's very powerful, but I do miss the ability to bind profiles to games so they load automatically. It's a manual process with the RATs.

Sounds like a decent mouse, I'll definitely check that one out. I don't think I'll mind not having profiles for each game, given that the mouse I have now has a touch-sensitive scroll 'wheel' which is incredibly sensitive and impossible to actually use for gaming and only two buttons that you can't press at the same time. The resolution is so low that sniping in Bad Company 2 is difficult, I spend ages going from being too far left to too far right when lining up a shot so in the end I either get killed first or my target moves... Being able to adjust that on the fly sounds great.

Seismica
I bought a mouse the other week;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0017KLEIE/?tag=gtplanetuk-20

It's a very good mouse in my opinion. Adjustable dpi button up to 3200dpi, you can make different setting modes for particular games in the software that comes with it. Very comfortable and ergonomic, fits to the hand better than various Logitech mouses I have tried.

It's much better value for money than other mice in this price range. I would highly recommend it unless you want to spend £70+.

I'll check that one out too, but if it doesn't have a button to change the DPI as you play I might go for the other one. Value for money is important, though; I haven't even checked to see how much these mice cost yet!

I was a fan of RBR right up until the 'Wingate' incident last season where Seb destroyed his new front wing so they took the wing from Mark rather than giving him the old one. Also Seb is getting a bit dull, he's not as entertaining to watch as either of the McLaren boys... Also McLaren don't mind Lewis and Jenson actually racing one another, and they're fair to their drivers, so I'm a McLaren fan too!

Again, thank you all very much for the suggestions. I'm about to list my lenses on eBay, my budget depends entirely on them selling for what I think I can get for them!

Edit:

bevo
One other thing you could do for the mouse and keyboard, is sign up for the logitech news letter. A little while ago they were giving 50% coupons for 1 item in their store. I got my G510 keyboard for half price. I think it was 60$ or something like that with the coupon. The coupons were going out about a month ago, so it might be over with, but it's worth a try.

I really like that keyboard. The screen on it seems like it's kind of overkill until you have it. You can monitor all your temps, FPS, GPU speed, voltage, etc. and many other things with it. Some games also show stats displayed through it.

Interesting, I like Logitech stuff. I hope that offer applies (or applied, presuming there may be more like it) to the UK, but I'm more likely to use an offer like that to get a G27.

Edit again:
What do you guys think of the Logitech G400 mouse?

Seismica · Oct 21, 2011

neema_t
I'll check that one out too, but if it doesn't have a button to change the DPI as you play I might go for the other one. Value for money is important, though; I haven't even checked to see how much these mice cost yet!

It does

Ingame or not you can adjust the DPI in increments with the button on the top (Think it's 800-1600-2400-3200 or something like that). So you know which setting you are on, the scroll wheel changes colour, red being the highest and white being the lowest (I always keep it on the highest, even for sniping). The mouse is wired, but I prefer them to wireless ones as there is no need to charge them, that comes down to personal preference.

The can be had for £25-30 if you shop around. Similar Logitech mice come in at £35-40ish, but have a less ergonomic design in my opinion and the RAT 9 comes in at a whopping £100 (Though that was less a suggestion and more a pointing out of the second scroll wheel on it).

An alternative to the one I suggested would be this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002P0MIRG/?tag=gtplanetuk-20

Maximum dpi of 5700 and can be adjusted in increments of 200, so better than the one I posted in that respect.

I don't like the shape/styling myself, but then again I paid nearly a tenner not to have a Red Bull logo on mine so obviously aesthetics are important to me

neema_t
What do you guys think of the Logitech G400 mouse?

~~It's an optical mouse, i'd steer clear if you're using for gaming.~~

I personally like the feel of the GM-4800 in my hand better than the Logitech ones. But the G400 and G500 are both very capable gaming mice. I'd opt for the laser mouse rather than the optical mouse myself, but it's up to you. The G500 is probably the best of the 3 overall.

bevo · Oct 21, 2011

12thgear
The only serious knock on the RAT series is the software. It's very powerful, but I do miss the ability to bind profiles to games so they load automatically. It's a manual process with the RATs.

You can set up 3 different to switch between with the profile button though. It would be nice if it auto detected all games and made the switch for you, but I am usually switching between 2 or 3 games at a time anyway.

sesselpupser · Oct 21, 2011

Seismica
It does Ingame or not you can adjust the DPI in increments with the button on the top (Think it's 800-1600-2400-3200 or something like that). So you know which setting you are on, the scroll wheel changes colour, red being the highest and white being the lowest (I always keep it on the highest, even for sniping). The mouse is wired, but I prefer them to wireless ones as there is no need to charge them, that comes down to personal preference.

The can be had for £25-30 if you shop around. Similar Logitech mice come in at £35-40ish, but have a less ergonomic design in my opinion and the RAT 9 comes in at a whopping £100 (Though that was less a suggestion and more a pointing out of the second scroll wheel on it).

An alternative to the one I suggested would be this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002P0MIRG/?tag=gtplanetuk-20

Maximum dpi of 5700 and can be adjusted in increments of 200, so better than the one I posted in that respect.

I don't like the shape/styling myself, but then again I paid nearly a tenner not to have a Red Bull logo on mine so obviously aesthetics are important to me

~~It's an optical mouse, i'd steer clear if you're using for gaming.~~

I personally like the feel of the GM-4800 in my hand better than the Logitech ones. But the G400 and G500 are both very capable gaming mice. I'd opt for the laser mouse rather than the optical mouse myself, but it's up to you. The G500 is probably the best of the 3 overall.

Ok, I have to ask, why are optical mice not as good as lasers for gaming? I'll probably be using the mouse on a cutting mat, which is quite a lot like a mouse mat but it's green and has blue 1mm grid lines on it, and my current optical mouse has no problem tracking on it... If tracking is the issue?

Also I too prefer wired to wireless, the mouse I have needs new batteries every month. Given that I can't use my computer without a mouse, remembering to get batteries every now and then is an inconvenience, especially since I can't even remember what I did an hour ago. I should really invest in rechargeables, but after my sister nearly caused an electrical fire with some cheapo Li-ions, I'm not so enthusiastic.

Oh and thanks for clarifying the adjustable DPI thing, too.

NissanSkylineN1 · Oct 21, 2011

Because they are more precise, so when you are scoped in, you can shoot better. Also, you can pick up a R.A.T. 5 or a R.A.T. 3 if you want, its cheaper. I'd personally go either with a R.A.T. 5 or a Mouse/Keyboard combo if you are not willing to spend much $$$.

By the way, if you are still debating on GPUs, the new October best GPU for the $$ is out on Tom's Hardware:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-gaming-performance,3042.html

Car-less · Oct 21, 2011

neema_t
And oh yeah, shipping and taxes, I've found everything I need on Amazon UK so I can probably get it all at once. Taxes are included, shipping could be free if I wanted, but I wonder if there's a better place to get everything in the UK, there would have to be a hefty discount on buying from the US (which, knowing how we get overcharged for everything, there probably is) to make it worth buying after the other fees involved.

You could also try aria.co.uk and scan.co.uk - they often have bundle deals that could save you a bit. I'd avoid buying from overseas though as you may get hit with import duty/VAT, and warrant issues would be so much more hassle.

sesselpupser · Oct 21, 2011

NissanSkylineN1
Because they are more precise, so when you are scoped in, you can shoot better. Also, you can pick up a R.A.T. 5 or a R.A.T. 3 if you want, its cheaper. I'd personally go either with a R.A.T. 5 or a Mouse/Keyboard combo if you are not willing to spend much $$$.

By the way, if you are still debating on GPUs, the new October best GPU for the $$ is out on Tom's Hardware:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-gaming-performance,3042.html

Ah great, thanks for that link. To be honest with you, and I know this will sound shallow and whatever else, but the R.A.T. looks way too... Weird for me, I'd prefer something a bit more conventional and understated, mainly because I know if I buy a mouse that looks like an F-22 Raptor, the sound of my girlfriend laughing at me will drown out the sound of any game I might play. That is actually a genuine concern for me.

Edit: It seems like the GTX 580 is my best option according to whoever Tom is, too. I don't want to go with dual card setups or anything like that, not at first anyway.

Car-less
You could also try aria.co.uk and scan.co.uk - they often have bundle deals that could save you a bit. I'd avoid buying from overseas though as you may get hit with import duty/VAT, and warrant issues would be so much more hassle.

Awesome, I was hoping someone would suggest some alternatives to Amazon as I'm sure they're in no way the cheapest place to buy bits from, thank you for that. I have no intention of buying from overseas, either, as I've already found everything on Amazon, anything I can't find anywhere else (which seems unlikely as none of it is particularly exotic) I'll just get from there.

You guys have been (and will no doubt continue to be) a great help, thank you all so much. I feel like I should offer something in return; I know it's only small but I'd like to send you all GT5 gifts, let me know what you want and I'll see what I can do, I have every car that can be gifted so if you need anything just ask!

sesselpupser · Oct 22, 2011

Sorry to double post, but I didn't want these three questions to get lost in the previous post, so I hope that's ok...

First of all, I think I'm going to buy the G500 mouse, but I have no idea what keyboard to go for as I've read the G110 isn't great. Can anyone recommend anything for around £50-60 that is as good value for money as the G500, please?

Also, when I've built the PC, how do I get it actually working? I presume I'll need to make changes to the BIOS (whatever that is) to accomodate the various parts I'll have, is that right? To put it another way, can someone be so kind as to roughly outline the process between having the PC all put together and installing Windows 7 on it?

Finally, does anyone know if all these parts are compatible? I think the motherboard and GPU are both made by ASUS (is that bad?), the RAM is G.skill and the chip is, of course, Intel. Where can I find compatibility information? Can I get just any SATA DVD drive and have it working with no effort? I'll only use it once to install the OS (all my games are on Steam and Origin) so I want it to be as cheap as possible, I've seen some for £8-11 on Amazon so I'm just wondering if I could use those.

Thanks again, guys!

Sharky. · Oct 22, 2011

neema_t
To put it another way, can someone be so kind as to roughly outline the process between having the PC all put together and installing Windows 7 on it?

Plug everything into motherboard, turn on, install Windows. It really is that simple.

neema_t
Finally, does anyone know if all these parts are compatible?

Yup, your parts are fine. The only things that are likely to ever be incompatible are the CPU and motherboard, but Z68 mobos are designed for Sandy Bridge CPUs so no issues there.

neema_t
Can I get just any SATA DVD drive and have it working with no effort?

Yes

sesselpupser · Oct 22, 2011

Sharky.
Plug everything into motherboard, turn on, install Windows. It really is that simple.

Awesome,

Sharky.
Yup, your parts are fine. The only things that are likely to ever be incompatible are the CPU and motherboard, but Z68 mobos are designed for Sandy Bridge CPUs so no issues there.

awesome,

Sharky.
Yes

awesome, thank you. I think I've finalised the parts list now, it goes like this:

i5 2500K
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
8GB G.skill RipjawsX (2x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 PCIe
MSI GTX 580 (I have heard it crashes on some games (like Crysis, which is one I've started but not finished yet), but this can be easily remedied with some configuration software, I was going to get the ASUS version for £6 less, but the MSI comes with Arkham City for free...)
Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl
Antec HCP-750
Crucial M4 64GB SSD
(The 2TB 7200rpm exFAT drive I already have my Steam library on)
Logitech G500
LiteOn 22x DVD-RW OEM drive.

I've managed to get the overall budget down by a grand total of £4.77 by buying some parts from Aria and others from Amazon. I could reduce it by £0.06 if I got the case from Amazon, but there's a 1-2 month wait so I don't think it's worth it (please note: extreme sarcasm).

I chose the Z68 Pro because it's not a lot more than the non-Pro version, I swapped the Crucial C300 SSD for the M4 because I read that the M4 is a bit faster, and while I found cheaper DVD drives on Amazon, I figured the £3 difference between a DVD-ROM and DVD-RW drive was worth it in case I want to make DVD backups of my games, but that's not very likely. Still, nice to have the option.

So, does anyone have anything to add? Oh yeah, I'm probably just going to use the keyboard I already have, it's fine for gaming, or I should say will be fine once I have a mouse that has enough buttons and a usable scroll wheel. I don't have enough room on my desk for two anyway.

ROAD_DOGG33J · Oct 22, 2011

Sharky.
Plug everything into motherboard, turn on, install Windows. It really is that simple.

Basically. Sometimes you have to change the boot order in the BIOS to get the DVD drive to boot first then after the installation change it back to HDD. RAM settings could also be off but most likely not.

bevo · Oct 22, 2011

My RAM settings were off on my build. It had my 1600 running at 1066. I had to change my BLCK up and lower my multiplier to get it to be able to go to 1603. It also had my timings at 9-9-9-24 instead of 8-8-8-24.

NissanSkylineN1 · Oct 22, 2011

Get a 6870 Crossfire. Trust me, it will not let you down, and you will NOT have any bugs. Save some money.

Did you take a look at the best GPU for the money link I posted?

Saidur_Ali · Oct 22, 2011

I would personally get something lower end for now, something like the 560 Ti as really 40nm graphics cards have been out for so long that it makes no sense to spend big on something that will be largely outdated in a few months time. The Sandy Bridge motherboard you chose should have a bios upgrade made available to support Ivy Bridge CPUs, and if you do that upgrade sometime next year, you should get a big performance boost for not much more money if you sell your 2500K. You should not lose much on this, just won't get the new motherboard which will have more native stuff onboard like USB3.0 as standard.

Anyway this is just a warning as you will lose quite a bit of money in a few months time getting the 580 now.

NissanSkylineN1 · Oct 22, 2011

saidur_ali
Anyway this is just a warning as you will lose quite a bit of money in a few months time getting the 580 now.

That's actually a good point. Look. The 6990 won't be able to play BF3 at max settings at 1080P+ at more than 60 FPS , no doubt. Neither will the 590 GTX. So, when you consider this for other games in the future, your GTX 580 will be like a 6790 right now.Get a 6770 for now, and buy a good 7990 (I still don't understand why they will do a 7 series, since there already has been a 7 series in ATI's lineup before like the 7000,7200, and the 7500).

However, with the CPU, its really just the matter of overclocking to match the Ivy Bridge CPUs, since it is the same architecture, just with faster clock speeds thanks to the new transistor design.

Saidur_Ali · Oct 22, 2011

NissanSkylineN1
That's actually a good point. Look. The 6990 won't be able to play BF3 at max settings at 1080P+ at more than 60 FPS , no doubt. Neither will the 590 GTX. So, when you consider this for other games in the future, your GTX 580 will be like a 6790 right now.Get a 6770 for now, and buy a good 7990 (I still don't understand why they will do a 7 series, since there already has been a 7 series in ATI's lineup before like the 7000,7200, and the 7500).

However, with the CPU, its really just the matter of overclocking to match the Ivy Bridge CPUs, since it is the same architecture, just with faster clock speeds thanks to the new transistor design.

Ivy Bridge is 22nm vs 32nm Sandy Bridge. A low end quad core Ivy Bridge will top the fastest Sandy Bridge quad core processor quite easily and it will be cheaper to buy too. Overclocking an Ivy Bridge will just make that performance gap bigger plus it will run cooler. About a 40% performance boost at Stock in a low end quad Ivy Bridge CPU over the 2500K is worth upgrading for I would say and lower temperatures. Probably set you back £50 maximum if you sell the 2500K after Ivy Bridge CPUs are released.

Getting the system up to date with a 22nm CPU and 28nm GPU would last the OP a good couple of years before anything major comes out I would say. The current system OP is buying will be out of date come March next year by a good margin but could be upgraded to be in date for a good few years for not much extra.

NissanSkylineN1 · Oct 22, 2011

saidur_ali
Ivy Bridge is 22nm vs 32nm Sandy Bridge. A low end quad core Ivy Bridge will top the fastest Sandy Bridge quad core processor quite easily and it will be cheaper to buy too. Overclocking an Ivy Bridge will just make that performance gap bigger plus it will run cooler. About a 40% performance boost at Stock in a low end quad Ivy Bridge CPU over the 2500K is worth upgrading for I would say and lower temperatures. Probably set you back £50 maximum if you sell the 2500K after Ivy Bridge CPUs are released.

No. Their pricing will be the same. The 3500K will be the same price as the 2500k. Also, the only difference between the Sandy Bridge CPUs and Ivy Bridge CPUS will be higher clock speeds. That is all. It is a part of the "Tick-Tock" roadmap Intel uses. The architecture will be identical. The only difference will be the clock speeds, the speedstep clock speeds and the Turbo Boost clock speeds, as well as a higher overclocking overhead. Why? Because hte Tri-gate transistor design allows a more stable switch of electricity flow in the transistors, thus allowing higher clock speeds. And now that clock speed doesn't not make as much of a difference as it used to, the 2500K is a good buy. Once the architecture changes, then the 2500K will fall down from it's throne, and become a regular processor, but not low end, as being low end will take a number of years (I predict 5). Also, the i5's full potential has not even been met with today's software.

PC Build: Your thoughts please?

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