Gaming PC for about 300-400 Pounds

[K1ash3r]

My budget is about 300-400 pounds
I want to build a computer that will be able to run Empire total war cleanly on medium settings and crysis, simply I want the best gaming PC for 300-400pounds.

I need:
1.Motherboard
2.Processor
3.RAM
4.Graphic Card
5.Power supply

Possibly new case and cooling system depending on the rest.

 

[Helloworld_98]

AMD 720 x3
Biostar TA790GX
ATi 4770
PCP&C 610w (so you can add another 4770 later)
OCZ blade 1066mhz low voltage.

that maxes out your £400 budget but it will play games fairly well and that ram will OC to 1200mhz with a 0.05v boost.

 

[K1ash3r]

Thanks for the post I might actully get what you recommended but I got a quick question when u say "add another 4770 later" u mean having 2 the same graphic cards? Im a bit of a noob

 

[emyyhh]

Yeah he means having 2 of the same card. 2 cards = roughly double graphics performance, although this depends on the game. For ATI cards (like the 4770) its called crossfire, for nVidia cards its called SLI.

Helloworld98's build is about as good as you'll get for £400, i'd definately go for it. You say your a noob, but with a couple of weeks reading you'll be able to get the 2.8Ghz AMD 720x3 operating at about 3.6Ghz which gives a huge performance boost.

 

[K1ash3r]

Yeah he means having 2 of the same card. 2 cards = roughly double graphics performance, although this depends on the game. For ATI cards (like the 4770) its called crossfire, for nVidia cards its called SLI.

Helloworld98's build is about as good as you'll get for £400, i'd definately go for it. You say your a noob, but with a couple of weeks reading you'll be able to get the 2.8Ghz AMD 720x3 operating at about 3.6Ghz which gives a huge performance boost.

thanks for the explonation by I got one guestion, what do u mean when you say boosting your clockspeed from 2.8ghz to 3.6ghz and im not sure what u mean by 'reading'.

 

[K1ash3r]

and i forgot to ask are the (2) ATi 4770s included in 400pounds OR 400pounds+ Second ATi 4770

 

[AKM880]

I'm thinking he means overclocking the CPU, which is practically changing the default CPU clock speed to a faster one. The 720 X3 runs at 2.8GHz, but you can "overclock" it to a higher clock speed, for example 3.xx GHz which might give a peformance boost in some applications or games.

 

[emyyhh]

Boosting a processors clockspeed is called overclocking. So by making a 2.8Ghz chip run at 3.6Ghz, you have 'overclocked' it by 800Mhz.

People overclock to gain extra performance from chips. This can be done on a cheap(er) chip to yield £800-processor performance, or on expensive chips to set benchmark records. Many people on Toms hardware overclock, including myself.

For instance, I have a lowly dual core e5200 (2.5Ghz - £60), but it easily runs at 3.33Ghz, which is the speed of the much more expensive e8600 (3.33Ghz - £210), giving me a saving of £150. Likewise, with an i7 920 processor i have (2.66Ghz - £250) I overclocked that to 3.2Ghz, which is the same speed as the £800 i7 965.

Clearly overclocking is an attractive propect, but it isnt without risks - hence me telling you to read about for a bit before you try it, although an 800Mhz overclock on a Phenom 720 is easy.

With regard to the 4770, only one is included in the £400 price. The 4770 is a good card and will handle most games very well. You have to realise £400 is not a lot to spend on a pc, especially one used for gaming. Helloworld98 has done a good job on picking quality parts so you'll be getting a pc worth much, much more than £400 if you where to buy it on the highstreet.

 

[K1ash3r]

Boosting a processors clockspeed is called overclocking. So by making a 2.8Ghz chip run at 3.6Ghz, you have 'overclocked' it by 800Mhz.

People overclock to gain extra performance from chips. This can be done on a cheap(er) chip to yield £800-processor performance, or on expensive chips to set benchmark records. Many people on Toms hardware overclock, including myself.

For instance, I have a lowly dual core e5200 (2.5Ghz - £60), but it easily runs at 3.33Ghz, which is the speed of the much more expensive e8600 (3.33Ghz - £210), giving me a saving of £150. Likewise, with an i7 920 processor i have (2.66Ghz - £250) I overclocked that to 3.2Ghz, which is the same speed as the £800 i7 965.

Clearly overclocking is an attractive propect, but it isnt without risks - hence me telling you to read about for a bit before you try it, although an 800Mhz overclock on a Phenom 720 is easy.

With regard to the 4770, only one is included in the £400 price. The 4770 is a good card and will handle most games very well. You have to realise £400 is not a lot to spend on a pc, especially one used for gaming. Helloworld98 has done a good job on picking quality parts so you'll be getting a pc worth much, much more than £400 if you where to buy it on the highstreet.

Thanks I feel much more confident now, as you said I will read about overclocking.

 

[K1ash3r]

I was thinkinh wouldnt it be better to get a dual core and a better graphics card?

 

[K1ash3r]

I was thinkinh wouldnt it be better to get a dual core and a better graphics card?

 

[emyyhh]

I was thinkinh wouldnt it be better to get a dual core and a better graphics card?

An AMD dual core would be cheaper than a tri or quad core, but not nearly as good a chip. Processor speed does not solely depend on the Mhz or Ghz rating, the internal structure of the processor, called the 'architecture' also has a big say in the overall speed of the chip.

For instance, an old Pentium D 960, a dual core chip running at 3.6Ghz sounds pretty meaty on paper. However, put it up against a newer core 2 duo chip (dual core also) and the core 2 will leave it in the dust, despite having a much lower clock rating. This is because the architecture of the chip is different, and much more efficient at processing commands.

In order to buy an AMD dual core processor, you would need to get one from the Athlon X2 range, which has now been superseded by the Phenom 2 range of processors. The Phenom 2 offers a much more efficent architecture than the Athlon series, and so despite costing more, is a much better purchase. The chip helloworld_98 suggested was a chip from the Phenom 2 range.

If you wanted to go Intel, then you'd have to settle with a dual core. Intels dual core chips are fantastic though, and speed-wise, when overclocked give even the best AMD chips a run for their money. One such setup could be:

Biostar TPower I45 ~ £100
Intel E7400 ~ £83
Corsair XMS2 (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 ~ £37
PC power and Cooling 610W PSU ~ £68
XFX ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB ~ £115

This build brings you to £403, but that was using google to quickly find prices, the 4870 was found at overclockers.co.uk, and is a very good price for such a good card. The E7400 will overclock very well on the Biostar motherboard, and Corsair RAM is renowned for being good quality.

Choosing between each setup is up to you, they are both very good value for money.

 

[K1ash3r]

An AMD dual core would be cheaper than a tri or quad core, but not nearly as good a chip. Processor speed does not solely depend on the Mhz or Ghz rating, the internal structure of the processor, called the 'architecture' also has a big say in the overall speed of the chip.

For instance, an old Pentium D 960, a dual core chip running at 3.6Ghz sounds pretty meaty on paper. However, put it up against a newer core 2 duo chip (dual core also) and the core 2 will leave it in the dust, despite having a much lower clock rating. This is because the architecture of the chip is different, and much more efficient at processing commands.

In order to buy an AMD dual core processor, you would need to get one from the Athlon X2 range, which has now been superseded by the Phenom 2 range of processors. The Phenom 2 offers a much more efficent architecture than the Athlon series, and so despite costing more, is a much better purchase. The chip helloworld_98 suggested was a chip from the Phenom 2 range.

If you wanted to go Intel, then you'd have to settle with a dual core. Intels dual core chips are fantastic though, and speed-wise, when overclocked give even the best AMD chips a run for their money. One such setup could be:

Biostar TPower I45 ~ £100
Intel E7400 ~ £83
Corsair XMS2 (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 ~ £37
PC power and Cooling 610W PSU ~ £68
XFX ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB ~ £115

This build brings you to £403, but that was using google to quickly find prices, the 4870 was found at overclockers.co.uk, and is a very good price for such a good card. The E7400 will overclock very well on the Biostar motherboard, and Corsair RAM is renowned for being good quality.

Choosing between each setup is up to you, they are both very good value for money.

Which build would you say is better for current and future gaming for example Empire total war, Far Cry 2, Crysis, Fallout3, Dead Space, GTA 4, Bioshock, CODWAW and im not sure but isnt it better to crossfire 4770s than getting a 4870 and future games will run on multi cores.

 

[Helloworld_98]

current games will already run well on a multi GPU setup.

and the 720 BE would be more future resistant because it has the extra core, and for now the AV will just run off the spare core unless you have one of those fancy NPU cards.

 

[K1ash3r]

current games will already run well on a multi GPU setup.

and the 720 BE would be more future resistant because it has the extra core, and for now the AV will just run off the spare core unless you have one of those fancy NPU cards.

So which build would you use and whats a AV and NPU

 

[K1ash3r]

current games will already run well on a multi GPU setup.

and the 720 BE would be more future resistant because it has the extra core, and for now the AV will just run off the spare core unless you have one of those fancy NPU cards.

So which build would you use and whats a AV and NPU

 

[emyyhh]

Which build would you say is better for current and future gaming for example Empire total war, Far Cry 2, Crysis, Fallout3, Dead Space, GTA 4, Bioshock, CODWAW and im not sure but isnt it better to crossfire 4770s than getting a 4870 and future games will run on multi cores.

Both builds will be capable of running all modern games at varying graphics settings. The only games that will tax the 4870 are crysis, empire TW, GTA 4 (more CPU bound though) and possibly Far Cry 2. You dont mention your monitor resolution, but at 1600x1050 all games will be playable.

In terms of future proofing the system, i think its a tough call. Niether chip is high-end, but both are very capable. The Intel chip will overclock higher, whilst the AMD chip has the advantage of an extra core, which will come in handy should you multitask a lot, or video encode.

Crossfired 4770's will outperform a single 4870, but your original budget does not stretch enough for 2 4770's. I have no idea of what money you will have available in the future, and so can only advise on what you have said. If your gaming resolution is lower than 1600x1050 i'd go the 4870 route. If higher, then the 4770 route, and add another at a later date. I only say this due to the extra vRAM you'll have from 2 cards. If you can see yourself having more cash in the next 6 months or so, then the price of the 4870 will fall furthur still, enabling a nice crossfire setup. To make a worthwhile upgrade from 2 x 4770's, you'd need to replace both cards, rather than one from the 4870, which will last you fine for 6 months assuming your not gaming on a 22'' + monitor. The Biostar can also accept Intels quad-core chips should you wish to upgrade at a later date.

You have to remember that you are wanting a high-end gaming setup for £400, which simply doesnt happen. An i7 motherboard can cost in excess of £300 on its own, so unless you can afford to spend pretty much double your budget, then you are at the mercy of the fast-paced pc world. Both suggested setups represent the very best you'll get for £400, and both setups will run the latest games, and, with some cheap(ish) upgrades, will continue to do so for the next year or so.

I'd go the Intel route, get the 4870, and in 6 months time upgrade the CPU to a quad, which will be cheap by then, and either crossfire another 4870 (if low res) or sell it and buy a new card (58xx series or GTX 3xx series) if you game at a high resolution, or can't live without AA in games.

 

[K1ash3r]

Both builds will be capable of running all modern games at varying graphics settings. The only games that will tax the 4870 are crysis, empire TW, GTA 4 (more CPU bound though) and possibly Far Cry 2. You dont mention your monitor resolution, but at 1600x1050 all games will be playable.

In terms of future proofing the system, i think its a tough call. Niether chip is high-end, but both are very capable. The Intel chip will overclock higher, whilst the AMD chip has the advantage of an extra core, which will come in handy should you multitask a lot, or video encode.

Crossfired 4770's will outperform a single 4870, but your original budget does not stretch enough for 2 4770's. I have no idea of what money you will have available in the future, and so can only advise on what you have said. If your gaming resolution is lower than 1600x1050 i'd go the 4870 route. If higher, then the 4770 route, and add another at a later date. I only say this due to the extra vRAM you'll have from 2 cards. If you can see yourself having more cash in the next 6 months or so, then the price of the 4870 will fall furthur still, enabling a nice crossfire setup. To make a worthwhile upgrade from 2 x 4770's, you'd need to replace both cards, rather than one from the 4870, which will last you fine for 6 months assuming your not gaming on a 22'' + monitor. The Biostar can also accept Intels quad-core chips should you wish to upgrade at a later date.

You have to remember that you are wanting a high-end gaming setup for £400, which simply doesnt happen. An i7 motherboard can cost in excess of £300 on its own, so unless you can afford to spend pretty much double your budget, then you are at the mercy of the fast-paced pc world. Both suggested setups represent the very best you'll get for £400, and both setups will run the latest games, and, with some cheap(ish) upgrades, will continue to do so for the next year or so.

I'd go the Intel route, get the 4870, and in 6 months time upgrade the CPU to a quad, which will be cheap by then, and either crossfire another 4870 (if low res) or sell it and buy a new card (58xx series or GTX 3xx series) if you game at a high resolution, or can't live without AA in games.

I was thinking and as you said

I might take the Intel route you suggested get the 4870, upgrade CPU to guad in 6 months and either corssfire 4870 or buy a new card

OR I was thinking if I raise my budget a bit go the Intel route as well but instead of getting 4870 now i could get 2 4770s NOW or perhaps ONE graphics card better than 4870. I dont know if that makes much sense as I will be planning on upgrading my GPU later on. and I have 19" monitor by the way.

and about the CPU as I am not experience with overclocking and have never done it i was thinking about Some other Intel dual core over the E7400, and if I do overclock the E7400 will there be a problem upgrading to quad and will the motherboard you suggested be compatible with the quad core

 

[emyyhh]

I was thinking and as you said

I might take the Intel route you suggested get the 4870, upgrade CPU to guad in 6 months and either corssfire 4870 or buy a new card

OR I was thinking if I raise my budget a bit go the Intel route as well but instead of getting 4870 now i could get 2 4770s NOW or perhaps ONE graphics card better than 4870. I dont know if that makes much sense as I will be planning on upgrading my GPU later on. and I have 19" monitor by the way.

and about the CPU as I am not experience with overclocking and have never done it i was thinking about Some other Intel dual core over the E7400, and if I do overclock the E7400 will there be a problem upgrading to quad and will the motherboard you suggested be compatible with the quad core

If you have a bit of extra cash then i'd get a 1Gb 4870 rather than 2 x 4770's. My resoning is because your monitor has a resuoltion of 1280x1024, which isnt enough to fully tax crossfired 4770's, and both card setups will be fine for gaming at the resolution. The extra 512Mb on the 1Gb 4870 will mean you can crank up the AA without sacrificing too many frames. My 9800GX2 is simply 2 8800GTS 512Mb cards joined together. It games really well, but its not too fond of AA in new games. If I had a single GTX285 though it'd fare much better despite the total ram being the same.

The 1Gb 4870 is only about £20 more than the 512mb version i suggested. If you have more cash still then you could go for an E8400 (£150). Dont bother with the E7500 because despite it having a higher stock clockspeed than the E7400, they'll overclock to pretty much the same speed. You could also look at the cheaper core 2 quads (Q8x00), although they wont overclock as well as the duals, and unless your running a crazy GPU setup (SLI 285's) then they get the same frame rates as the quads. The quads may be more future proof though. The Biostar motherboard will accept quads and overclocking will have no effect on compatibility. Overclocking an E7400 to 3.2Ghz is really easy, and will be more than enough for even the newset games at your resolution.

If you are planning on overclocking then a decent 3rd party cooler is a must. The Artic cooling freezer 7 pro is very good (£20), as is the Thermalright Ultra (£35). That would be the best use of any spare cash you have. When looking for coolers remember that the CPU socket is LGA775 (for Intel core 2 duals and quads). A new and fast hard drive, like the Samsung Spinpoint F1 will also bring a nice performance boost to your pc.

 

[K1ash3r]

If you have a bit of extra cash then i'd get a 1Gb 4870 rather than 2 x 4770's. My resoning is because your monitor has a resuoltion of 1280x1024, which isnt enough to fully tax crossfired 4770's, and both card setups will be fine for gaming at the resolution. The extra 512Mb on the 1Gb 4870 will mean you can crank up the AA without sacrificing too many frames. My 9800GX2 is simply 2 8800GTS 512Mb cards joined together. It games really well, but its not too fond of AA in new games. If I had a single GTX285 though it'd fare much better despite the total ram being the same.

The 1Gb 4870 is only about £20 more than the 512mb version i suggested. If you have more cash still then you could go for an E8400 (£150). Dont bother with the E7500 because despite it having a higher stock clockspeed than the E7400, they'll overclock to pretty much the same speed. You could also look at the cheaper core 2 quads (Q8x00), although they wont overclock as well as the duals, and unless your running a crazy GPU setup (SLI 285's) then they get the same frame rates as the quads. The quads may be more future proof though. The Biostar motherboard will accept quads and overclocking will have no effect on compatibility. Overclocking an E7400 to 3.2Ghz is really easy, and will be more than enough for even the newset games at your resolution.

If you are planning on overclocking then a decent 3rd party cooler is a must. The Artic cooling freezer 7 pro is very good (£20), as is the Thermalright Ultra (£35). That would be the best use of any spare cash you have. When looking for coolers remember that the CPU socket is LGA775 (for Intel core 2 duals and quads). A new and fast hard drive, like the Samsung Spinpoint F1 will also bring a nice performance boost to your pc.

Thanks so from what Iv learned this is what Ill do

Intel Dual Core E7400 (Since you say its very easy to overlock and Id rather get this thatn E8400 as I will be upgrading to Quad later)
Biostar TPower I45 ( Since its east to overclock with and compatoble with Quad as i will be upgrading later and wont have to buy new Moteherboard)
Corsair XMS2 (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 ( Because you say its good qualit =])
ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB (If I crossfire this one or getter better single graphic card, do you think I will have to make any changes to my 19" monitor)
PC power and Cooling 610W PSU ( Is this too much unless Ill be crossfire or getting better graphics card)
+ Artic cooling freezer 7 pro OR Thermalright Ultra because of overclocking

and which brand do you recommend for the 1GB 4870 keeping the price in mind?

and finally whats the cheapest case i can get with the 'see through glass thing on the side that lights up' that will fit all of this.

Do you think this is as good as it can get?

 

[K1ash3r]

Quick Edit: and what brand PSU. thanks

 

[Why_Me]

My budget is about 300-400 pounds
I want to build a computer that will be able to run Empire total war cleanly on medium settings and crysis, simply I want the best gaming PC for 300-400pounds.

I need:
1.Motherboard
2.Processor
3.RAM
4.Graphic Card
5.Power supply

Possibly new case and cooling system depending on the rest.

Lose the case and monitor in this build and it's right about in your price range.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854 £46.99 inc vat
Antec 300 Three Hundred Black Case - No PSU

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135159 £45.00 inc vat
OCZ Stealth Xtream 500W PSU - 1x PCI-E 6/8pin, 2x SATA 12cm Fan

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-125-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1344 £67.99 inc VAT
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3 Intel P43 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164298 £92.99 inc vat Free Delivery
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.8GHz Socket 775 1066FSB 3MB L2 Cache OEM Processor

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/105994 £16.35 inc vat
Arctic Cooling AC-FRZ-7P Freezer 7 Pro Socket 775 Processor Cooler

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164355 £109.99 inc vat Free Delivery
PNY GTS250 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI HDTV Out PhysX and Cuda ready PCI-E Graphics

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130429 £37.49 inc vat
Corsair 4GB Kit (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 Memory Kit CL5 1.9V

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124735 £37.60inc vat
Western Digital WD3200AAKS 320GB SATAII 16MB Cache 7200 RPM - OEM

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/151999 £15.99 inc vat
LG GH22NS40 22X SATA DVD±RW/DL/RAM Black Bare Drive - OEM

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149940 £80.49 inc vat Free Delivery
Acer V193WAB 19" TFT Monitor 1440x900 2000:1 300cd/m2 5ms VGA Black 3 Years

Total: £550.88 inc vat

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx?ITPID=mscomsc <---Save your money (o/s), and dl the 64 bit version of Windows 7

 

[K1ash3r]

If you have a bit of extra cash then i'd get a 1Gb 4870 rather than 2 x 4770's. My resoning is because your monitor has a resuoltion of 1280x1024, which isnt enough to fully tax crossfired 4770's, and both card setups will be fine for gaming at the resolution. The extra 512Mb on the 1Gb 4870 will mean you can crank up the AA without sacrificing too many frames. My 9800GX2 is simply 2 8800GTS 512Mb cards joined together. It games really well, but its not too fond of AA in new games. If I had a single GTX285 though it'd fare much better despite the total ram being the same.

The 1Gb 4870 is only about £20 more than the 512mb version i suggested. If you have more cash still then you could go for an E8400 (£150). Dont bother with the E7500 because despite it having a higher stock clockspeed than the E7400, they'll overclock to pretty much the same speed. You could also look at the cheaper core 2 quads (Q8x00), although they wont overclock as well as the duals, and unless your running a crazy GPU setup (SLI 285's) then they get the same frame rates as the quads. The quads may be more future proof though. The Biostar motherboard will accept quads and overclocking will have no effect on compatibility. Overclocking an E7400 to 3.2Ghz is really easy, and will be more than enough for even the newset games at your resolution.

If you are planning on overclocking then a decent 3rd party cooler is a must. The Artic cooling freezer 7 pro is very good (£20), as is the Thermalright Ultra (£35). That would be the best use of any spare cash you have. When looking for coolers remember that the CPU socket is LGA775 (for Intel core 2 duals and quads). A new and fast hard drive, like the Samsung Spinpoint F1 will also bring a nice performance boost to your pc.

Thanks so from what Iv learned this is what Ill do

Intel Dual Core E7400 (Since you say its very easy to overlock and Id rather get this thatn E8400 as I will be upgrading to Quad later)
Biostar TPower I45 ( Since its east to overclock with and compatoble with Quad as i will be upgrading later and wont have to buy new Moteherboard)
Corsair XMS2 (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 ( Because you say its good qualit =])
ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB (If I crossfire this one or getter better single graphic card, do you think I will have to make any changes to my 19" monitor and which options better)
PC power and Cooling 610W PSU ( Is this too much unless Ill be crossfire or getting better graphics card)
+ Artic cooling freezer 7 pro OR Thermalright Ultra because of overclocking

and which brand do you recommend for the 1GB 4870 and PSU keeping the price in mind?

and finally whats the cheapest case i can get with the 'see through glass thing on the side that lights up' that will fit all of this.

Do you think this is as good as it can get?

You have recommend me a Hard drive ( I also have 600gb external HD will it make any diff if I play games from internal or external hardrive?) but i wanna ask you what optical drive would you recommend it dosent have to Write just Read as I have a laptop for that and overall I wont be using it toomuch cause Ill be playing games without CDs

Some more questions:
2x 4770 512MB VS 1x 4870 1gb VS 2x 4870 512mb

Now im getting 4870 1gb will it be better to crossfire or get a completly new graphics card in the future

 

[emyyhh]

Thanks so from what Iv learned this is what Ill do

Intel Dual Core E7400 (Since you say its very easy to overlock and Id rather get this thatn E8400 as I will be upgrading to Quad later)
Biostar TPower I45 ( Since its east to overclock with and compatoble with Quad as i will be upgrading later and wont have to buy new Moteherboard)
Corsair XMS2 (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 ( Because you say its good qualit =])
ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB (If I crossfire this one or getter better single graphic card, do you think I will have to make any changes to my 19" monitor)
PC power and Cooling 610W PSU ( Is this too much unless Ill be crossfire or getting better graphics card)
+ Artic cooling freezer 7 pro OR Thermalright Ultra because of overclocking

and which brand do you recommend for the 1GB 4870 keeping the price in mind?

and finally whats the cheapest case i can get with the 'see through glass thing on the side that lights up' that will fit all of this.

Do you think this is as good as it can get?

That all sounds good.

For the 4870, the card I suggested was made by XFX, and was listed because of its low price. IMO it doesnt matter too much what brand you buy, just go with whatever one offers what you want. The XFX one was cheap and factory overclocked, meaning it will peform slightly better than normal ones, and still come with a full warranty. Factory overclocked cards tend to be selected from better quality parts as well.

The PSU brand is 'PC power and Cooling' - thats the name of the company. 610W is enough to support sli or crossfire as long as you dont stick 2+ monster cards in it.

I wouldn't bother crossfiring the 4870. Its a really good card, and at the resolution you play will not be heavily stressed for a while yet. If you get another, then i'd also get a larger screen - 20''+. Although higher resolutions place increasingly large workloads on graphics cards.

Case-wise, the cheapest one i can find (that ive heard of) is the NZXT Lexa, which i imagine will stretch your budget a lot. I also dont know how good that case is, so i'd read some reviews before getting it. The best cheap case i can think of is the Antec 300 (£48), which may not have the see-through side panel, but does offer excellent air cooling. Thats the one i'd go for. If you can afford to spend £80, the the antec 900 has a clear side panel, and is an excellent case. Cathodes to light the inside can be bought for less than £10 from virtually all online pc stores.

For not far off £400, i think thats as good as its going to get.

 

[K1ash3r]

That all sounds good.

For the 4870, the card I suggested was made by XFX, and was listed because of its low price. IMO it doesnt matter too much what brand you buy, just go with whatever one offers what you want. The XFX one was cheap and factory overclocked, meaning it will peform slightly better than normal ones, and still come with a full warranty. Factory overclocked cards tend to be selected from better quality parts as well.

The PSU brand is 'PC power and Cooling' - thats the name of the company. 610W is enough to support sli or crossfire as long as you dont stick 2+ monster cards in it.

I wouldn't bother crossfiring the 4870. Its a really good card, and at the resolution you play will not be heavily stressed for a while yet. If you get another, then i'd also get a larger screen - 20''+. Although higher resolutions place increasingly large workloads on graphics cards.

Case-wise, the cheapest one i can find (that ive heard of) is the NZXT Lexa, which i imagine will stretch your budget a lot. I also dont know how good that case is, so i'd read some reviews before getting it. The best cheap case i can think of is the Antec 300 (£48), which may not have the see-through side panel, but does offer excellent air cooling. Thats the one i'd go for. If you can afford to spend £80, the the antec 900 has a clear side panel, and is an excellent case. Cathodes to light the inside can be bought for less than £10 from virtually all online pc stores.

For not far off £400, i think thats as good as its going to get.

Thanks for that

You have recommend me a Hard drive ( I also have 600gb external HD will it make any diff if I play games from internal or external hardrive?) but i wanna ask you what optical drive would you recommend it dosent have to Write just Read as I have a laptop for that and overall I wont be using it toomuch cause Ill be playing games without CDs

and I was jsut wondering is 2x 4770 512mb better than 1x 4870 1gb

and like you said when i upgrade ill sell 4870 1gb and get better and possibly crossfire than in future.