New gaming build advice, how can I reduce costs?

[tombyrne94]

Approximate Purchase Date: 1-4 weeks

Budget Range: £400-600 GBP

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Want to play the latest games on decent settings, light video editing, coding/compiling software

Parts Not Required: Speakers, OS, DVD Burner

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: aria.co.uk or amazon.co.uk

Country: UK

Which of these two builds would you recommend? How could I change them to reduce costs? (I know I can remove the SSD from the AMD build...)(Please don't say downgrade to an i3 on the intel build as I have an i3 in my laptop currently and I want to feel like im getting an upgrade...)

AMD BUILD: https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/-sDEuLoLLo3UBmklFvrM3g,,

Intel BUILD:https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/Nq1iLvH42VQMXWjc2d-T-g,,

I just picked both graphics cards kind of randomly cause I know they are both alright, which is best? Would you recommend a different one?

 

[sosofm]

RAM : 8GB Corsair Vengeance Black LP (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3/Dual+Channel+1600MHz/8GB+Corsair+Vengeance+Black+LP+%282x4GB%29+DDR3+PC3-12800C9+1600MHz+1.5v+Dual+Channel+Kit+-+CML8GX3M2A1600C9+?productId=45511 £42.88
What you choosed is quad channel.

 

[AdrianPerry]

Intel is the better build, but since your looking at getting an i5-2500k, DO NOT get a h61 motherboard, you will NOT be able to over-clock the CPU.

You also only need a 500w PSU. Stick to brands such as Corsair, XFX, SeaSonic, Antec though.

 

[tombyrne94]

I'm not planning to overclock the CPU anytime soon, I just want it incase I do in the future or If I want to sell the CPU on in the future...

Would this setup be better? I changed the mobo but left the PSU because its as cheap as the 500w ones but gives me more room for upgrades...

https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/YPjZgPPkMnZVUpyoElemVg,,

 

[sosofm]

ASUS P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 (REV B3) https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+1155+Z68+%28B3%29/ASUS+P8Z68-V+LX+Intel+Z68+%28REV+B3%29+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=48445 £75.97

 

[Tavo_Nova]

those are good, just make sure your psu is great. try g.skill 8gb (2x4gb) ripjaws X 1600mhz CL9

 

[Why_Me]

For a single card set up then look at this board...

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/motherboards/intel1155z68chipsetmotherboards/z68pro3gen3.html £89.99 inc vat FREE DELIVERY
ASRock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) Motherboard

For a future dual card set up then take a look at this board...

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/motherboards/intel1155z68chipsetmotherboards/z68extreme3gen3.html £115.99 inc vat FREE DELIVERY
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) Motherboard

 

[tombyrne94]

If I was to go with an i3 build and then plan to upgrade in the future which of these mobos would you suggest?

https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/ASUS+P8Z68-V+LE+Intel+Z68+(REV+B3)+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=45527

https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+1155+Z68+(B3)/ASUS+P8Z68-V+LX+Intel+Z68+(REV+B3)+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=48445

Would they both support ivy bridge processors?

 

[geofelt]

For gaming, intel cpu of any kind is at least equal or better than almost any amd cpu at this moment.

Your revised intel build #2 is a good starting point
https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/YPjZgPPkMnZVUpyoElemVg,,

One real defect is the inclusion of a full ATX motherboard for a micro-atx case. It won't fit.
You want a Z68 based micro-atx motherboard like this one:
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/EVGA+Z68+SLI+Micro+Intel+Z68+%28REV+B3%29+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=46894
Any one will do; buy based on price or brand preference.

If your budget permits a 2500K, that is as good as it gets. Do not discount the value of the option to oc the cpu on a Z68 motherboard. With a simple single bios setting
you transform a 3.3 cpu into a 4.0 or 4.3 cpu. Preserve that option.

I think for gaming, the 550ti is a bit weak. See if you can't find a way to a GTX560ti or stronger. The graphics card is the real engine for gaming, and not so much as the cpu. A better balance of a weaker cpu and a stronger gpu would give you better gaming. The i3 in your laptop is a low power version, and not nearly as strong as a i3-2120. That said, I would stick with the 2500k. One can easier upgrade a graphics card later than a cpu.

Corsair PSU's are excellent. A GTX560ti needs only a 500w psu. You can save a bit on a Corsair 500CX:
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/650W+or+less/500W+Corsair+Builder+Series+500CX+V2+80PLUS+Power+Supply+?productId=42489

The ram you picked is fine. Don't chase faster speeds or fancy heat spreaders. Sandy bridge is insensitive to speed. A two stick(4gb each) gives you dual channel support. Not that it matters much.

Your first list link does not work for me. You reference a SSD in it.
Considering the current high prices of hard drives, might you consider using a small SSD instead of a hard drive for the os and a few games or apps to start with. 60gb would be ok, but 80 gb or more would be better. Later, you could add a hard drive for expansion when you need more room for less active files.

Do not go down the future sli/cf preparedness path. It will cost you more now for what may well be a bad upgrade in the future. Your 500W psu will handle a 7970 that is overkill for a single monitor.
If you ever need more graphics power, just sell your old card and replace it with a stronger one.

 

[tombyrne94]

It feels like I might as well just pay the extra £50 and get the i5, don't you think its worth it?

 

[geofelt]

It feels like I might as well just pay the extra £50 and get the i5, don't you think its worth it?

Worth is something that only you can decide.

Personally, I have not regretted paying more for the best.
I have often regretted buying something cheaper.

If you have the budget, buy the 2500K. I suspect that it may last you much longer than you think. Today, it will drive any sane graphics configuration to it's limit'

 

[tombyrne94]

Don't want to sound stupid but I've put together 4 different intel builds now and theres always something i'm not getting quite right.
Can anyone put together an i3 and an i5 build for me on aria for £600 or under?
I need a monitor with the build but I don't really need an OS, Optical Drive or a keyboard and mouse.

Thanks, TomByrne94

 

[sosofm]

Intel i3 2100 build

MOBO : ASUS P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 (REV B3)
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+1155+Z68+%28B3%29/ASUS+P8Z68-V+LX+Intel+Z68+%28REV+B3%29+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=48445
CPU : Intel Core i3-2100
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Intel+Core+i3-2100+3.10GHz+%28Sandybridge%29+Socket+LGA1155+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=43839
RAM : 8GB Mushkin Silverline (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR3/Dual+Channel+1333MHz/8GB+Mushkin+Silverline+%23996770+%282x4GB%29+DDR3+1333MHz+9-9-9-24+?productId=41882
PSU : 550W OCZ ZS Series 80PLUS Bronze
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/650W+or+less/550W+OCZ+ZS+Series+80PLUS+Bronze+Power+Supply+?productId=45457
HDD : 500GB Seagate Barracuda
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/500GB+Seagate+Barracuda+7200.12+3.5%22+SATA+III+Internal+Hard+Drive+%5BST500DM002%5D+?productId=46054
GPU : MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti OC 1024MB GDDR5
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/NVIDIA/NVIDIA+GTX+560ti/MSI+GeForce+GTX+560+Ti+OC+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=47973
CASE : BitFenix Merc Alpha Black
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/MIDI+Tower/BitFenix+Merc+Alpha+Black+Midi+Tower+Chassis+?productId=45928
MONITOR : 22" Acer S221HQLbd Widescreen Slim LED
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/22%22+Acer+S221HQLbd+Widescreen+Slim+LED+DVI-D+Monitor+?productId=48683
TOTAL : £599.47 with delivery taxes.

Intel i5 2500k build is the same is just changed the CPU with 2500k https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Intel+Core+i5-2500K+3.30GHz+%28Sandybridge%29+Socket+LGA1155+Unlocked+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=43216
and the video card with 6850 Asus HD 6850 DirectCU V2 https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Asus+HD+6850+DirectCU+V2+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=42291
TOTAL : £596.05
At this second build ill buy this 6870 https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/AMD/AMD+6870+Series/PowerColor+AMD+Radeon+HD+6870+1024MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=47806 for 20 pounds more.

 

[tombyrne94]

Thanks I've heard the mobo you just suggest is weak, any thoughts?

 

[tombyrne94]

Also, would you recommend getting a better graphics card with the i3 or an i5 with a worse graphics card?

 

[sosofm]

I had to stay in your budget.

 

[tombyrne94]

I understand that, thanks for all of your help. Would this mobo be better for only a little more? https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+1155+Z68+%28B3%29/Gigabyte+GA-Z68AP-D3+Intel+Z68+%28REV+B3%29+Socket+1155+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=45563

 

[sosofm]

Yes its better.Read some customers reviews about that Gigabyte board http://www.ebuyer.com/276562-gigabyte-ga-z68ap-d3-z68-socket-1155-8-channel-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-z68ap-d3

 

[tombyrne94]

Just heard that the Ivy Bridge processors have been delayed for around 4 months meaning I might order my new build this weekend.
This looks like its going to be my final build: https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/bTiJ1vJAA26hQ4osk0l7_A,,

Any more suggestions/advice to improve the build at a minimal cost increase or maybe even a reduction in cost? Is that PSU enough?

 

[sosofm]

Great build. The PSU is enough.

 

[geofelt]

Just heard that the Ivy Bridge processors have been delayed for around 4 months meaning I might order my new build this weekend.
This looks like its going to be my final build: https://www.aria.co.uk/WishList/bTiJ1vJAA26hQ4osk0l7_A,,

Any more suggestions/advice to improve the build at a minimal cost increase or maybe even a reduction in cost? Is that PSU enough?

Looks good to me.

I think the ivy bridge delay is primarily for some dual core mobile chips.
Regardless, your build is good and balanced. It preserves your option to upgrade to ivy bridge in the future.

The motherboard will come with two sata cables, so you do not need to order any extra for your two sata devices.