New build (new builder).

[SovOx]

Hi everyone,

First post here and first time build so excuse me if I say anything patently absurd

I'm after a low mid range spec. Spec wise, I'm happy with the 8GB, 3.5 GHz given the area that I work in. But also, i'd like to be be be able to play recent and upcoming games at a decent spec, I do need *everything* in this one order, as I'm building it entirely from scratch - so wireless, keyboard/monitor/controllers etc, but some of the components I'd feasibly like to be able to cannibalize for another build down the line, so I'd prefer to pay a premium if that gives longevity and also e.g. SLI compliance in the motherboard, GPU and Power SUpply Capacity. I'd like an SSD for sharper booting. GPU has to be nVidia (Linux compatability The spec below is literally just under £800, which is my budget. If at all I'd like to be able to squeeze in another monitor there, so any recommendations welcome!I did spent a lot of time researching an i5 2500K build but that had to be scrapped and I don't want to wait any longer

So if anyone can suggest any reasonable changes that keep it within spec and in budget that'll be great.

Thanks in advance for anyone who comments

Approximate Purchase Date: Immediate
Budget Range: £800
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Numerics/Multitasking
Parts Not Required: Non - everything required.
Parts Preferences: nVidia
Overclocking: Option/ease to be able to
SLI or Crossfire: SLI capable

Anyway - here's my potential build:


Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler
£17.01 £17.01

Samsung S223C 22x DVD+/-RW SATA Black - OEM

£12.49 £12.49

Novatech Standard Desktop
£9.35 £9.35

Novatech 54Mbps 802.11g Wireless LAN PCI Adapter

£8.32 £8.32

Novatech 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
£87.49 £87.49

Antec Three Hundred Case - Black - No Psu
£41.66 £41.66

G.Skill Ripjaw 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit
£66.64 £66.64

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB 32MB Cache Hard Drive SATA II 300MB/s 8.5ms 7200rpm - OEM

£35.82 £35.82

Corsair TX 650W ATX2.2 SLI Compliant Power Supply
£54.99 £54.99

AMD Quad Core Phenom II X4 970 125 Watt!! Black Edition 3.5GHz Socket AM3 - Retail
£114.15 £114.15

ASUS GeForce GTX 460 Direct CU 1GB DDR5 Dual DVI HDMI PCI Express - Retail

£125.99 £125.99

Asus 2 x USB 3.0 2 x SATA 6Gb/s PCIe x4 Controller Card
£24.99 £24.99

Asus M4N75TD nForce 750a (Socket AM3) Motherboard
£64.15 £64.15

 

[boiler1990]

Unfortunately, SLI hasn't worked (at the very least, well) on AM3 chipsets, so you either must go with the previous i5 generation or use AMD GPUs. The 1156 CPUs are still great and will game well for a while down the road.

Also, for gaming, you don't need the 8GB RAM; 4 will work very well, and if you ever need more, you can add another 4 later if needed.

If you do decide to go AMD, you'll get the best performance per dollar with the Phenom II X4 955. It's good and easy overclocker, and is also the same chip as the 965 and 975.

Why go out of your way to buy a USB3/SATA III PCI-Express card? Do you have any drives that are going to use it? Just wait until you are going to get one and spend the money then. There aren't enough devices out there that use it yet to require one.

I would try to get an Antec PSU or a better Corsair than the 650TX. The TX line is their less expensive line, but it comes at a sacrifice to their quality (probably OEMed by a different company). If you go Corsair, get the HX or AX series.

Depending on what you end up needing, I don't know if a SSD will fit comfortably in that budget.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm considerably cheaper and more efficient as well off EBuyer UK

655 quid

HD6K Barts: single/CF review
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/amds-radeon-6870-6850-renewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market/8