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New build help!

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  • Gaming
  • Power Supplies
  • New Build
  • Motherboards
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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June 2, 2013 4:15:24 AM

Hi there.
This is my first time building a computer and some helpful advice is needed! I am building a mid end gaming PC to hopefully play my games off steam at around mid settings and I need some help getting there.

These are the components I have chosen so far and I am wondering which motherboard would be the best to purchase (I have no idea but I heard crossfire tech is good!) along with the appropriate power supply unit. If you could link me products off the same website (aria.co.uk) it would be grateful.

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Inte...

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/XFX+...

two 4gb DDR3 sticks

Would this be compatable and what do you suggest?

Thanks, Tom.

More about : build

a b 4 Gaming
a b V Motherboard
June 2, 2013 4:23:29 AM

tomdm134 said:
Hi there.
This is my first time building a computer and some helpful advice is needed! I am building a mid end gaming PC to hopefully play my games off steam at around mid settings and I need some help getting there.

These are the components I have chosen so far and I am wondering which motherboard would be the best to purchase (I have no idea but I heard crossfire tech is good!) along with the appropriate power supply unit. If you could link me products off the same website (aria.co.uk) it would be grateful.

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Inte...

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/XFX+...

two 4gb DDR3 sticks

Would this be compatable and what do you suggest?

Thanks, Tom.


Much as I love AMD, I must with a heavy heart report than CrossFire is generally the opposite of good. Rather, it is, in fact, broken. CrossFired GPUs often perform little better than a single GPU, in addition to the standard eccentricities of multi-GPU setups.

To address the rest of this, what is your budget, when will you be purchasing, and is gaming the only planned use? We will be able to advise you much better with this information.
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June 2, 2013 4:25:08 AM

I suggest getting the i5 4570 for 15£ for being more future proof and better performance. Runs cooler, too. As for motherboard and Power supply, it depends on your budget, and whether you have the desire to add another VGA for a SLI/CF setup later or not.

i5 4570 : http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Processors/In...

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June 2, 2013 4:34:47 AM

Thanks for the replies so far.
My budget is around £600 (flexible) for the whole build and i'm very new to this so i'm unsure which parts are the best for the price. The only use for the PC will be gaming as I have another desktop for everyday use.
What other GPU would you suggest if that is the case and thank you for the suggestion on the CPU I will look into it!

Thanks for the help so far,
Tom.
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a b 4 Gaming
a b V Motherboard
June 2, 2013 4:37:33 AM

tomdm134 said:
Thanks for the replies so far.
My budget is around £600 (flexible) for the whole build and i'm very new to this so i'm unsure which parts are the best for the price. The only use for the PC will be gaming as I have another desktop for everyday use.
What other GPU would you suggest if that is the case and thank you for the suggestion on the CPU I will look into it!

Thanks for the help so far,
Tom.


Do you require peripherals and an OS? Or just the physical components? Also, I'm having a slight bit of trouble parsing your question, but if I'm reading it right, GPU means Graphics Processing Unit, i.e. graphics card. CrossFire is taking two-to-four AMD GPUs and, essentially, wiring them together for increased power. However, it has many glitches, and should generally be avoided when possible.

Edit: Wait, you have another computer? Why not just pour the money into upgrades for that computer, rather than having to buy another case, power supply, RAM kit, etc?

Edit 2: Okay, I think I've grokked your GPU comment. That GPU isn't a bad choice, I just wouldn't advise using it in a CrossFire. That said, more efficient options may exist. Also, how vital is it that we use Aria?
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June 2, 2013 4:43:05 AM

I already have all the peripherals and a valid OS so the budget is for the build only. If avoiding CF is the way to go, do you suggest purchasing a motherboard with no CF compatibility and sticking with the graphics card previously suggested or purchasing a completely separate one?

I'm off to university later on this year and my other computer is staying at home whilst I am moving away so i'm looking for a unit to play my games on and taking a low end laptop for my work.

Thanks,
Tom.
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a b 4 Gaming
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June 2, 2013 4:47:29 AM

tomdm134 said:
I already have all the peripherals and a valid OS so the budget is for the build only. If avoiding CF is the way to go, do you suggest purchasing a motherboard with no CF compatibility and sticking with the graphics card previously suggested or purchasing a completely separate one?

I'm off to university later on this year and my other computer is staying at home whilst I am moving away so i'm looking for a unit to play my games on and taking a low end laptop for my work.

Thanks,
Tom.


No need to dodge CrossFire compatibility, though I wouldn't make it a purchasing factor. That particular GPU is from a fairly bad brand, so I would recommend looking for a different one. However, I should point out at this point that a new generation of Intel CPUs (Haswell) has just been/is just about to be released, and motherboards are not presently on the market (though they will be soon). As a result, any build I offer or suggestions I make will become outdated in short order. You may wish to come back in a few days, once the dust has settled.

Edit: All that said, this would be my pitch, using presently available parts:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£69.03 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£41.77 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£46.79 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£229.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£35.15 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£52.52 @ Dabs)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£4.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £624.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-02 12:55 BST+0100)

Sorry for going over budget. If needed, you can cut the graphics card down to a Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT (the XT is important, by the way), which is nearly as powerful but slightly lower cost.
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June 2, 2013 5:01:34 AM

That is fantastic - thank you for the help it has done wonders!

Tom.
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June 2, 2013 5:06:40 AM

tomdm134 said:
That is fantastic - thank you for the help it has done wonders!

Tom.


My pleasure. I recommend waiting, however (unless there are any short-term sales in there that I didn't notice), as Haswell is literally 1-2 days out, and will give a bit more bang for buck. Heck, I could post an update to this thread once we have more info on the new CPUs and motherboards.
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June 2, 2013 5:57:51 AM

I'm currently revising for my exams therefore I would not be purchasing anything for 2-3 weeks anyway, i'm just getting everything ready.
An update would be fantastic!

Thanks for the help,
Tom.
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a b 4 Gaming
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June 2, 2013 3:13:34 PM

tomdm134 said:
I'm currently revising for my exams therefore I would not be purchasing anything for 2-3 weeks anyway, i'm just getting everything ready.
An update would be fantastic!

Thanks for the help,
Tom.


As of now, the new mobos are available at online retailers. I could suggest a build now, though I would prefer to wait for reviews and comparisons. Would this be acceptable to you?
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June 5, 2013 8:29:54 AM

Hi - Sorry I haven't responded sooner I have been very busy with exams this week.
Over the past week I have acquired some parts (in good nick) off a family friend who was selling his kit for £200 which seems like a cracking deal! I was just wondering PSU you would suggest along with CPU cooling as i'm still only going to stick with 8gb RAM. Thanks for the help, the parts I have acquired are listed below:

CPU - AMD FX-8150 Black Edition
GPU - XFX 7970 Black Edition
Motherboard - ASUS Crosshair V Formula

Thanks,
Tom.
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a b 4 Gaming
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June 5, 2013 2:58:10 PM

tomdm134 said:
Hi - Sorry I haven't responded sooner I have been very busy with exams this week.
Over the past week I have acquired some parts (in good nick) off a family friend who was selling his kit for £200 which seems like a cracking deal! I was just wondering PSU you would suggest along with CPU cooling as i'm still only going to stick with 8gb RAM. Thanks for the help, the parts I have acquired are listed below:

CPU - AMD FX-8150 Black Edition
GPU - XFX 7970 Black Edition
Motherboard - ASUS Crosshair V Formula

Thanks,
Tom.


Relative to what it cost new, that's quite a deal, though I wouldn't recommend those parts at full price. That's an older AMD CPU, and a 7970 known for poor cooling. That said, for 200 pounds, it's a steal.

I would recommend the XFX Core Edition 550w (http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550s...) and the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-coole...).
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