Gaming Build - Any advice?

[Sw1sh]

Approximate Purchase Date: Mid-January

Budget Range: €1100ish

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Games and general use

Parts Not Required: Mouse/keyboard/monitor(i have an old 17" lcd,but i'll get a new one not too long after the pc)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: pixmania.ie/amazon.co.uk/there's also a german site i can get cheap stuff off,just dont have the website handy,but if you can show me any tips on these thats fine,ill look it up later....

Country: Ireland

Parts Preferences: http://i.imgur.com/NU50D.png
This is what i'm thinking,yes/no?

Overclocking: Yes. Have never done it before but ive researched the basics anyway,im not ******* around with a brand new pc until I know what i'm doing,so il be looking more into it.

SLI or Crossfire: Thinking of maybe getting a second card in another year or two,but for now no.

Monitor Resolution: Cant remember but its not too high,il be getting a HD one though when i get a new monitor.

Additional Comments: Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[striker410]

Hi! Welcome to the forums.

Ireland huh? Excellent.
You might also look into www.ebuyer.com and www.aria.co.uk They both have excellent prices. Not sure if they will ship to you though.
Let's get started!

Excellent build. It's quite brilliant. Here's my critique:
-Get the ASRock Extreme3 vs. the pro3. Costs only a bit more but gives you the option to add a second card which the Pro3 can't do.
-Grab a 120GB SSD. An OCZ Agility 3 is great.
-Get an 850w PSU. Not needed but it's nice to have overflow.
-The CPU cooler is overkill unless you're trying to overclock to 5GHz or something. A Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO is a much cheaper option that will still get the job done.

With that, you might try and squeeze a GTX 580 in there. I dunno though. The GTX 570 will still rock the house.

Oh, and don't forget Windows!

 

[redeemer]

Silverstone RV03
Corsair 650tx
8gb g.skill memory 1600
samsung spin point HDD 500-1000GB
Crucial m4 ssd for boot 64GB
i5 2500k
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 motherboard
6950 or 560ti

 

[inzone]

I like where your going with this build and there are some really nice parts in there that you should keep , the cpu , gpu , psu , hdd , ram and case.
But you could look at the Asrock Extreme 4 gen 3 board instead , and you may be able to find it a little cheaper somewhere else I used this listing as a sample;

http://www.ebuyer.com/288926-asrock-z68-extreme4-gen3-socket-1155-dvi-vga-hdmi-displayport-8-channel-z68-extreme4-gen3

The SSD could be a little higher capacity , maybe 90gb or 120gb;

http://www.ebuyer.com/280123-corsair-90gb-force-3-ssd-2-5-sata-iii-read-550mb-s-write-cssd-f90gb3-bk

http://www.ebuyer.com/273572-corsair-120gb-force-gt-ssd-2-5-sata-iii-6gb-s-read-555mb-s-cssd-f120gbgt-bk

Here are two that you could look at.

 

[Sw1sh]

Hi! Welcome to the forums.

Ireland huh? Excellent.
You might also look into www.ebuyer.com and www.aria.co.uk They both have excellent prices. Not sure if they will ship to you though.
Let's get started!

Excellent build. It's quite brilliant. Here's my critique:
-Get the ASRock Extreme3 vs. the pro3. Costs only a bit more but gives you the option to add a second card which the Pro3 can't do.
-Grab a 120GB SSD. An OCZ Agility 3 is great.
-Get an 850w PSU. Not needed but it's nice to have overflow.
-The CPU cooler is overkill unless you're trying to overclock to 5GHz or something. A Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO is a much cheaper option that will still get the job done.

With that, you might try and squeeze a GTX 580 in there. I dunno though. The GTX 570 will still rock the house.

Oh, and don't forget Windows!

Thanks, ive been a follower of Tomshardware for ages but never posted before.
Yeah il have to look into that extreme3 then,i probably wont get a new card for a year or two,but i just want the option to give it a boost when some big new games come out over the next couple years.
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+1155+Z68+%28B3%29/Asrock+Z68+Extreme3+Gen3+Intel+Z68+%28REV+B3%29+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard?productId=46883 is this the one?
I think ill stay with the 64GB ssd,its another €40ish euro for the 120 and im trying to keep the price down if possible. Il just use it for the OS and main games,then the HDD il use for the majority of storage.
Any recommendations on a cheap 850W psu?And would 850 still be enough if i was to get a second card?
Is it a bit dodgy going up to 5Ghz with the mobo?Ive heard 4.5 is the safest bet with OCing the 2500k,but the faster the better!
I have "obtained" a copy of windows 7 ulti already,so thats not something to count.

 

[Sw1sh]

Also,I've heard the Z68s have a lot of un-needed features for gaming,especially with integrated graphics.Would i be better off saving money with a P67 to put somewhere else?

 

[striker410]

That's the board.

Yup P67 is fine. This board I recommended has PCI-E 3.0 compatibility so you'll be pretty future proof. It's an all round good board.
While you don't need to be able to add a second card NOW, you don't want to have to change out the mobo, it's no fun. Planning for upgrade paths are key.

Well there's the other thing. If you want to OC a bunch you might grab a board with better heatsinks. The ASRock board is good it just doesn't lend itself to overclocking to really high levels. You are right that it's quite difficult to get to 5GHz. 4.5 is usually when the mobo peters out.
Go with this mobo: http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/ASUS+P8Z68-V%2FGEN3+Intel+Z68+%28REV+B3%29+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=47124
And this CPU cooler: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cooling/CPU+Coolers/Coolermaster+Hyper+212+EVO+Quiet+CPU+Cooler+?productId=47248 Should save you a chunk of change.
Here is an excellent PSU for around the same price: http://www.ebuyer.com/177664-xfx-850w-black-edition-modular-psu-13-5cm-fan-80plus-silver-certified-p1-850b-ukg9 Based on the M12D. Not bad.

Ah, I gotcha sir. A friend had a copy of win7 lying around? As long as you have one. That's all that counts.

 

[Sw1sh]

I think i might go with that motherboard so. I might look into a cheaper cooler then,but i wouldnt mind pulling the extra power out of the system and trying to get it close to 5Ghz.Its still something i have to look into so il decide when i find out more.

Regarding windows,yeah its something like that.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Sw1sh]

One other quick thing.....I know that the 7k GPU series is pretty close,would i be better off waiting for those to see how they turn out and what it does to prices for the 570/580 etc or is it still a bit awat?

 

[striker410]

Maybe, yeah. It's supposedly launching in January. That said don't count on it shipping in January. I wouldn't expect the price drops to hit until Q2 '12.
You could always check sites like ebay for people selling off their old parts (old being GTX 570's, 580's) to buy the 7000 series.

5GHz is a tough goal. Doesn't really offer anything above stock 2500k anyway, haha. The 2500k is so fast anything 3GHz+ will be alright. Overclocking chips like the 2500k about having fun and increasing your e-peen.

 

[Sw1sh]

Just looking at the Hyper212+ there on a website and it says its not compatible with 1155 socket,(well it lists compatibility and thats not there),is this true?

The german website i was talking about is http://www2.hardwareversand.de -seriously cheap prices.

 

[striker410]

Whaaa? Not compatible? If that's so, I should be in big trouble right now xD

Nah, it is compatible. I know FOR A FACT (i've used a 2500k and Hyper 212 together) that it works. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 Says so right in the title on Newegg.

 

[Sw1sh]

Hahaha,fair enough!I thought it was a bit wierd because i had seen it posted in other forums,just wanted to be sure!

I think i'm going to go with the Extreme3,stick with the 780W psu,and I might look at the hyper212+ to see if i can put more money in a bigger SSD.