Need advice on a build to last 6 years, on a budget.

[omer94]

hi guys, i want to build a system (a gaming rig) that will last for the next 6 years, although it doesnt have to stay completely update with games. at the moment i have a low starting budget, so i thought i could buy a good MOBO and PSU, and get the rest on budget so that every once in a while when i find some cash i can easily upgrade.
do you guys have any advice or recoommended parts for this.
alternatively i could just buy this

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/custom-i7-860-gaming-pc/81639152



Approximate Purchase Date: the next month preferably this week

Budget Range: (the budget to begin with is around 350-400 GBP

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (office work, surfing the net, gaming (FPS, driving and fifa games, aswell as strategies like total war)

Parts Not Required: keyboard, monitor and os

Preferred Website(s) for Parts:anything trustworthy that delivers to the UK

Country of Origin: england??


Overclocking: maybe in the future

SLI or Crossfire: maybe if needed

Monitor Resolution: 1600x1200

Additional Comments: doesnt need to look all that great though i want the parts to last me 6 years-ish
so we need lots of space for upgrades

 

[cadder]

I'm going to suggest a different strategy-
Even if you spent $2k on a top gaming rig, it would probably not last 6 years before needing upgrades. I would suggest that you build a lesser machine, maybe your current budget would barely do it, then in 3 or 4 years you can spend the rest on an upgrade.

 

[chesteracorgi]

My last build lasted me 9 years, but was out of date with gaming by year 3. It is still running, I gave it to my grandchildren, and they think it is great.

EASports FIFA is not overdemanding, but driving sims and total war are a different matter. You will probably need to update after 2 years if you want to keep current with the games.

I'd recommend that you start with a base budget and keep updating your rig as you can afford it. I'd go with good quality case, PSU & mobo and a lower end CPU. If it wouldn't bother you too much you can skip the graphics card for now and upgrade that when you can afford it.

The reaason for a quality case is that if you get a good one it will last through at least 3 builds. A well cooled case will keep your parts from burning out.

A good PSU us critical because the power supplied, if not well regulated, will fry your rig. I'd recommend at least a 500W quality brand like Corsair, Antec, Seaconic, OCZ, inter alia.

If you are going to buy a good processor now then go with the i5 2500K. It has the 3000 iGPU and thereby the best graphics of the Sandybridge processors. If you don't want to go that route then stick with the i3 2100 Sandybridge.

A good Z68 would allow you to use the graphics on the Sandybridge for now and buy a discrete GPU later. I think that ASRock is the current value/price champ and would recommend the Z68 Pro3. If you think that you will SLI or Xfire later then go with ASRocks Z68 Extreme4. You my choose other mobo OEMs if you have good experience with a particular brand.

 

[omer94]

thanks guys thats what i was planning, get a good mobo and psu and case now then keep upgrading when i get the money. or those motherboards you mentioned (z68) ok, will it last at least 4 years befor ei need to upgrade it?

and any comments on the linked rig?

 

[boiler1990]

Pass on that older rig. The new chips are MUCH faster than the previous generation, and the GTX 465 was beat in benchmarks by the cheaper GTX 460, which means it's a nearly obsolete card for games these days.

 

[omer94]

ive decided to go with your advice

can you evaluate these two offers?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Intel-Core-i5-Quad-Core-CPU-and-1155-Motherboard-Bundle-/270740469492?pt=UK_Motherboards_CPUs&hash=item3f0963b6f4#ht_2285wt_905

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GIGABYTE-MOTHERBOARD-BUNDLE-i5-2500k-3-3GHz-QUAD-CORE-/200598385032?pt=UK_Motherboards_CPUs&hash=item2eb4987188#ht_4278wt_905

 

[boiler1990]

The problem with those is that they're H61 boards. With the i5-2500K you want a P67 board, since that will allow you to overclock it 2-3 years down the road to increase the longevity of the build.

Or like Chesteracorgi mentioned, get a Z68 board, which allows you to OC AND use the integrated graphics on the CPU until you can purchase the dedicated GPU.

 

[omer94]

ok, got it, either a z68 or p67

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ASROCK-SOCKET-1155-Z68-PRO3-M-S-L-M-ATX-MOTHERBOARD-/220793796728?pt=UK_Motherboards_CPUs&hash=item336855f878#ht_1696wt_1139

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ASROCK-SOCKET-1155-P67-PRO-S-L-MOTHERBOARD-/220793797033?pt=UK_Motherboards_CPUs&hash=item336855f9a9#ht_1651wt_1139

will the built in graphics work with my dedicated gpu in a sort of sli thing?

processor :http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BX80623I52500K-Intel-Core-i5-2500K-Unlocked-Soc-1155-/390278668777?pt=UK_Motherboards_CPUs&hash=item5ade6be1e9#ht_977wt_989

 

[boiler1990]

I don't believe that it will; usually the onboard graphics is deactivated once a dedicated GPU is added to the system.

 

[omer94]

in that case i may not need that feature because ive got an old graphics card i can make do with

 

[Draneico]

I haven't seen much info for the on-board graphics from the ASRock boards, but they are good quality and should last for some time.

Given your duration, in addition to the items already mentioned (case, mobo, psu) connectivity for external storage could be your next biggest concern. It should be easy with the mobos already suggested, but just make sure you have enough ports for all your peripherals and a fast (enough) external hard drive.

And being from the middle of the US I have no clue on the right vendor for you

 

[Draneico]

I wanted to add (but its not letting me edit) that if you want to engage FPS games, they generally are the most demanding, you might have to go with a discrete card.

based on your OP though, I would try Z68 onboard first, but not be surprised if you have to add a GPU later for FPS gaming

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Might I make the suggestion, although current i7 chips may outperform AMD chips, I would consider a 9x series AMD board, faster quad or 6 core, and then the 460 or better as well. I say this because although the Intel chips may be better performing, AMD is soon to release their bulldozer line of chips. So far over the last few years, AMD has been very good about allowing upgradeability if you have a quality board.

Right now I've got an older Gigabyte SLI board, 4 gb of ddr2, and an older Athlon x2 5400+. I've finally gotten to the point where I want/can upgrade my chip, and will be probably be buying a quad of some sort next week. Keep in mind, my system was put together either in 2006 or 2007. But with a simple drop in, this old rig can go to being a midrange machine again for not much money. Given the op's duration and AMD's upgrade friendliness, I would consider the AMD route, hopefully they will continue this trend.

 

[omer94]

im so confused lol, too much to look into.
plus its my first ever build
i think i might go for the z68 for now though

 

[boiler1990]

Though AMD is much more upgradeable, you lose a lot of key features as you only upgrade you CPU (AM2 > AM2+ > AM3, etc.), and AMD is so far behind in the performance game that it is a waste of money to invest in an AMD system at this point.
Even the i3-2100 dual core stands up to the six-core X6 1100T in some games and applications.

 

[ps3hacker12]

great sites to look at for buying PC parts UK:

ebuyer.com (my personal favourite ;P)
aria.co.uk (great deals)
scan.co.uk (meh its ok)
dabs.co.uk (again meh its ok)
novatech.co.uk (usually have higher prices than the other sites)
overclockers.co.uk (dont really have any experience with overclockers.co.uk so cant say much )

and ebay.co.uk (i use ebay for ram and monitors mostly, otherthings such as motherbaords can be more expensive on ebay).

you could always go for an AMD rig with an AM3+ mobo, works out cheaper mobo and CPU wise.

 

[ps3hacker12]

heres a nice AM3+ rig for example:
MSI 870A-G54 AMD 870 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 PCI-Express ATX Motherboard:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/AMD+AM3%2B+Ready/MSI+870A-G54+AMD+870+%28Socket+AM3%2B%29+DDR3+PCI-Express+ATX+Motherboard+?productId=41131
phenom 955:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/AMD+Phenom+II/AMD+Phenom+II+X4+Quad+Core+955+Black+Edition+125W+C3+%28Socket+AM3%29+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=39930
XFX ATI 5830:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI/ATI+5800+Series/XFX+ATI+Radeon+HD+5830+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?operation=shoppingBasketAdd&productId=45041&context=
arianet vento case:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/MIDI+Tower/Arianet+VENTO+Series+TA-8H3+Black+Midi+Tower+Case+No+PSU+?productId=34863
500W OCZ StealthXStream 2 Power Supply
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/650W+or+less/500W+OCZ+StealthXStream+2+Power+Supply+?productId=40958
DVD-drive:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Blu-Ray+%2F+DVD+Drives/DVD-ROM+Reader/Samsung+SH-D163C%2FBEBE+SATA+16x+DVD-ROM+%28Black%29+-+OEM+?productId=44562
500gb seagate drive:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/SATA+%28Serial+ATA%29/500GB+to+1TB/500GB+Seagate+ST3500413AS+Barracuda+7200.12+Hard+Drive+-+HDD+?productId=44127
and ram 4gb 2x2gb 1333mhz £21 off ebay, can remember where but its there.

works out to £390, and that AM3+ board has 6xsataIII ports, 2xusb3 ports and has a second pci-e x16 (running at x4, but that should only lose you 2-3 FPS if you choose to crossfire, the first PCI-E x16 slot runs at x16 so 1 card should run at full speed).