First PC gaming build, loads of questions, UK

Rayleigh Silvers

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Oct 27, 2013
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Hello everyone. As the title says this is my first pc build. I need to build this quickly as there is a 10% sale on ebay via paypal which ends 1st November.

[TL: DR]

  • 1. Is this a good build? What would you change? I'd pay slightly more for reliablity
    2. Which GPU to get? Is 7970 overkill for me? How good is Radeon with PhysX games? Also AMD mantle will be coming soon? A game changer?
    3.Will the 660 be outdated too quickly? What If I buy a really cheap one down the line and SLI?
    4. Is my motherboard ok? Does it have all the features I need?
    5. I will be overclocking but only to safe limits. Are my parts ok?
    6. I really want to spend as little as possible, where can I save money?
    7. Is buying used from ebay safe? Buying only from sellers with high feedback. Do I need to worry about lack of warranty?
    8. Will this build last for the duration of this console gen and outperform it? Or is this the worst time to build a PC? Is a significant jump in performance imminent?

This is the system I was planning to build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£161.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£23.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G43 Gaming ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£75.50 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: 2 x Kingston Hyper x 4GB (£36 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£73.89 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£55.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£74.65 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£48.58 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer (£12.74 @ Amazon UK)
Total: ~£565

I already have a 1080p screen and will buy other peripherals later.

Ebay currently have a 10% sale going on so I want to buy this build very quickly. I haven't decided on a GPU as I need your advice. The above build with a gtx 660 comes to £710. If I buy some of the parts from ebay (New CPU, Used GPU, New Mobo) I can bring the price down to £651

I'm planning on playing borderlands 2 on very high settings with physx on. I understand the game has some areas that slow down even the fastest cards but generally I want a silky smooth experience @ 60+ fps. Other games I'd like to play on high but don't mind turning down some settings. Also plan on Running Dolphin Emulator on Max settings.

My choices are

-New Gigabyte gtx 660 @ £130 from Amazon UK (used is same price)
-Used 660ti @ ~£140 eBay
-Used Gigabyte 7950 @ £160 from ebay with 2 years warranty left.
-Used Asus 670 @~£200
-Used 7970 @~£200 from ebay

Keep in mind I will be gaming @1080p max with only 1 monitor. I'm not a graphics whore so as long as the game looks significantly better than X1 or ps4 then I'll be happy. I will be getting xbox one and most of my gaming time will go to it so I don't want to spend more than I have to. Rather I want to save as much money as possible.

Edit I share a room so I would like this rig to be super quiet

Sorry for the long read. Been researching for ages and have been meaning to ask for quite a while. Thought I'd ask all my questions in one go rather than start several threads.

Thank you in Advanced
 

animal

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I'd strongly recommend that you avoid buying a "used" graphics card for two main reasons:
1. You don't know how "hard" it was run in the past
2. The only GPU manufacturer that has transferable warranty, that I'm aware of, is/was XFX (not sure how things work in the UK, I'm in USA)
 

navask01

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Sep 2, 2013
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Can't help you with everything there.Your build looks great.One thing is to get a beefier PSU for this performance rig. Try looking at the TX range from Corsair,if you do decide to stick with corsair. Else,see if seasonic is available to you. Well recommended PSUs from SS

There's always a risk of failure with electronics. I would say warranty for your most expensive component(GPU) would be important. Atleast your warranty on the GPU would save you from plonking down alot of money for a new GPU should the old one fail on you within the warranty period.
 

Effeectt

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Aug 16, 2013
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Got a good point about buying used GPU's. If its from a different country the voltages could be different which can kill your PC.
 

navask01

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Sep 2, 2013
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I apologize for the amateurish question but may i ask what voltage you are referring to? The voltage off the wall or what,exactly? New to PC building,learning stuff around here.
 

navask01

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Sep 2, 2013
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That's the thing i thought of,animal. Was pondering how that would affect the GPU as it is the PSU that handles that and the mobo that takes care of powering the parts.Unless there is another voltage that will affect the GPU? Not talking about overclocking voltages.
 

animal

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you are correct navask01, the psu converts the AC voltage into all of the DC voltages required by the computer hardware. The DC coming from the PSU to the motherboard is then converted by additional motherboard circuitry to the various motherboard parts/circuitry needs.
 
A very good list.
to answer your questions:
1. Gaming is largely dependent on the GPU. The 7970 is probably the strongest in your list, but it will want a stronger psu. You may not be able to detect the difference from the rest without a synthetic benchmark. The GTX670 is almost as strong, but a 500w psu may be pushing it.
I might pick the GTX660ti. It is newer tech which will run more quietly and take less power. 500w is ok.
If you can find a GTX760, at a similar price, that would be the best.
2. Your list and parts really are very good and balanced.
3. I have no problem with ebay sales from individual sellers with good feedback.
An individual seller does not need to make a profit.
Check completed auctions to see what the actual selling prices are so you can bid properly.
You will have the opportunity to return the item if it is not as advertised, or even for no reason within 14 days. Avoiid any no return or as is sales.
I often market my old parts this way to make room for the next best thing.
My buyers always get a good deal.
I would not worry about warranty too much. the discount you get from buying used will pay for a new unit long before the warranty runs out.
 

navask01

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Sep 2, 2013
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Thank you,animal. I got worried when that was mentioned. I just bought a GPU off amazon to be used in Singapore(240 VAC 60Hz).Had me going there for a moment.

Apologies to the OP for digressing

A 7970 isn't exactly overkill as you say you want your rig to last the upcoming console generation. For reference,the the PS4 has an equivalent of a 7870(nvidia's equivalent would the 660ti,i believe),and the PS4 is touted to have a better GPU than the Xbone.Heck,even a 7950 would give the upcoming consoles a firm kick in the behind in terms of graphics.
That 7970 would let you dial the eye candy all the way up for almost all games that are out now. I think this will also be the case after the next gen consoles become the then current gen consoles. Should you get unplayable framerates at all(which i highly doubt),then you could dial down the settings. The same applies to the 7950.It's just a matter of how sooner the 7950 becomes unplayable at 1080p with maxed out settings.
 

Rayleigh Silvers

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Oct 27, 2013
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How many watts would I need? Would the corsair CX600m @ £54 be enough for SLI 660/ti or a single 7970? I don't really know much about other companies, if you guys could suggest some good ones at cheaper prices I'd appreciate it.

I'm also open to other graphics cards other than the ones I listed. The 760 is too expensive in the UK. The cheapest one I could find was an MSI 760 with stock cooler for £170, which seems overpriced considering I can get a 7950 for the same price (albeit used). I need something that runs quiet though. I've read Gigabyte, MSI and ASUS are the best in this regard. Don't know anything about sapphire, zotac, HIS and XFX.
 
The stock blower cooler on a GTX760 is my preferred cooler. It sends the heat directly out the back of the case.
Other coolers are good in an open testbed, but in a case, they depend on great case airflow to get rid of the heat. That means higher rpm case fans and more noise.
As to performance, A GTX760 is in the same performance class as a 7950. You can't tell the difference without a synthetic benchmark.

Both cards can run on a 500w psu. I like to overprovision a bit, so the psu does not run at it's peak which need high psu fan speeds for cooling.
A CX600 is reasonable.
For other cards, here is a nice reference chart:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

The 3570K will run any graphics configuration well.
It is the graphics card that will determine your gaming performance.
Buy the strongest one your budget will permit.
 

Rayleigh Silvers

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Oct 27, 2013
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To be honest, it it wasn't for the dolphin emulator, I would have gone with the much cheaper FX-6300, but Dolphin needs an i5.

Also I've read that the stock blower makes a lot of noise when overclocking. The case I've chosen should have good air flow so it should be cool enough for the fans to run slower and quieter shouldn't it?



 
In my experience, the stock blower coolers are relatively quiet.
My take is to spend the extra premium charged for a fancy cooler that you can overclock higher on a better card in the first place.
Graphics card makers are wise to overclocking. They bin their chips and sell the better ones at higher prices. You probably get what you pay for.
I would just buy a factory superclocked version in the first place and not worry about it.

Your case looks good to me. I would not worry too much about cooling.
Remember that a cpu or gpu is built to tolerate heat. It will downclock or shut off to protect itself from damage.