My first mid-gaming build? Everything looking good?

[f2k8]

Hey there guys, I'm planning to build my first gaming computer in the coming weeks.
I've got a few parts decided, I just need to know if all of these parts will combine and make a nice PC.
I'm from the UK, so my budget is £500,at most £550, which is probably around $900 in the U.S.
So it's not the most expensive thing in the world.


CASE: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer (£60)
http://www.cclonline.com/product/64670/SGC-1000-KWN1/Cases/Cooler-Master-CM-Storm-Enforcer-Chassis-with-Side-Window-Black-/CAS0480/

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS M5A97 PRO (£80)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-M5A97-PRO-Motherboard-Socket/dp/B0053GR7GG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1333049299&sr=8-7


PROCESSOR: AMD FX-8120 3.1 GHz (£135)
http://www.ginger6.com/amd-phenom-ii-x4-965-am3-black-retail-p-33968.html


GPU: ASUS 1GB Radeon HD 6850 (£90)
http://bit.ly/HlRsf8


PSU: Antec Basic VP550P – 550W (£30)
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/antec-basiq-series-vp550p-atx-psu-550w-10934142-pdt.html


MEMORY (RAM):
G.Skill Ripjaw - 1 x 4GB (£20)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-Ripjaws-DDR3-PC12800-1600MHz/dp/B003XILBR2/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333049545&sr=1-6


HD: Seagate HD SATA - 2TB ST2000DL003 (£85)
http://www.cclonline.com/product/53890/ST2000DL003/Hard-Drives/Seagate-Barracuda-Green-SATA-6Gb/s-2TB-Hard-Drive/HDD1137/


That's about it, I've got an optical drive lying around, so I won't need to including that, I've also got a gaming keyboard and mouse.
All of that comes to just under £500.

Please, recommend me alternatives if they are cheaper and more powerful. I will always consider them, but may not change due to personal opinion.

As this is my first ever build, I'm trying to get everything perfect before I buy all the parts.
So that's why I want to know if these will all fit together, also, if there is any improvements that I can make for £50 extra.

Thank you for all your help.

 

[gary1]

Instead of a 8120, I would go with a i5-2400 or 2500.
Maybe a 6870 instead of a 6850?
I would get a better PSU.. Maybe Corsair or Seasonic
Get 2x4gb of RAM.

 

[f2k8]

Instead of a 8120, I would go with a i5-2400 or 2500.
Maybe a 6870 instead of a 6850?
I would get a better PSU.. Maybe Corsair or Seasonic
Get 2x4gb of RAM.

Thanks for the quick reply.
ALOT of my friends have recommended me the i5 2500, but alot of my other friends have said that the safe bet would be the 8120, as it's more future proof, and it can handle alot more things than the i5, not just gaming. I'm also going to be doing alot of Vegas Pro video editing, and some other things which will require rendering of some sort. So I'm still stuck between two minds with that.

The GPU, that's actually my other option, to get a 6870 instead which will cost around £20-30 more, but that's only if I don't have to get anything else.

I was skeptical about the PSU, but my friend has a gaming build with a 2GB 6990 I think, an he's had the PSU for just over year and it's done the job perfectly for him apparently. So I thought I would save money and go for it. In the UK, ANTEC is actually known as a good brand. But I'm still willing to change if people think it's terrible.

The reason why I'm not getting 8GB RAM just yet is because I'm trying to spend as little money as I can on the essentials. So in the near future, I can just take money out of the extra £50 and stick in another RAM, I think 4GB will be fine in the first few months.

Thanks, any extra advice?

 

[gary1]

Well, if you want the 8120, it is a good choice, its up to you. I would still get 8gb, 2x4gb they are pretty cheap now, and you can take advantage of the dual channel memory.

 

[f2k8]

Well, if you want the 8120, it is a good choice, its up to up. I would still get 8gb, 2x4gb they are pretty cheap now, and you can take advantage of the dual channel memory.

I may add that to the list if nothing else comes up.
One question, all of the stuff listed above, will they 'fit' together without any problems?

Oh, also, another big question.
I was just wondering if this build, and the motherboard, could handle crossfired 6850's. As in the future, most likely December, I'm planning to crossfire it.
I've already done the watt calculator thing, and it came up to just under 500W with crossfired 6850's.
So I was just wondering if it would all work together? Thanks.

 

[MMO Fan]

Hey there guys, I'm planning to build my first gaming computer in the coming weeks.
I've got a few parts decided, I just need to know if all of these parts will combine and make a nice PC.
I'm from the UK, so my budget is £500,at most £550, which is probably around $900 in the U.S.
So it's not the most expensive thing in the world.


CASE: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer (£60)
http://www.cclonline.com/product/64670/SGC-1000-KWN1/Cases/Cooler-Master-CM-Storm-Enforcer-Chassis-with-Side-Window-Black-/CAS0480/

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS M5A97 PRO (£80)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-M5A97-PRO-Motherboard-Socket/dp/B0053GR7GG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1333049299&sr=8-7


PROCESSOR: AMD FX-8120 3.1 GHz (£135)
http://www.ginger6.com/amd-phenom-ii-x4-965-am3-black-retail-p-33968.html


GPU: ASUS 1GB Radeon HD 6850 (£90)
http://bit.ly/HlRsf8


PSU: Antec Basic VP550P – 550W (£30)
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/antec-basiq-series-vp550p-atx-psu-550w-10934142-pdt.html


MEMORY (RAM):
G.Skill Ripjaw - 1 x 4GB (£20)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-Ripjaws-DDR3-PC12800-1600MHz/dp/B003XILBR2/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333049545&sr=1-6


HD: Seagate HD SATA - 2TB ST2000DL003 (£85)
http://www.cclonline.com/product/53890/ST2000DL003/Hard-Drives/Seagate-Barracuda-Green-SATA-6Gb/s-2TB-Hard-Drive/HDD1137/


That's about it, I've got an optical drive lying around, so I won't need to including that, I've also got a gaming keyboard and mouse.
All of that comes to just under £500.

Please, recommend me alternatives if they are cheaper and more powerful. I will always consider them, but may not change due to personal opinion.

As this is my first ever build, I'm trying to get everything perfect before I buy all the parts.
So that's why I want to know if these will all fit together, also, if there is any improvements that I can make for £50 extra.

Thank you for all your help.

I would highly recommend you to switch around some parts and fit an Radeon HD 7850 in your build it is much more powerful and efficient than the 6870 and it will allow you to really make the games look pretty while at the same time have better frame rates plus you can run it from a 500watt PSU. Edit that 550watt Antec Basiq for 30 Euro is a real good deal I would defiantly go with that one.

 

[f2k8]

I would highly recommend you to switch around some parts and fit an Radeon HD 7850 in your build it is much more powerful and efficient than the 6870 and it will allow you to really make the games look pretty while at the same time have better frame rates plus you can run it from a 500watt PSU. Edit that 550watt Antec Basiq for 30 Euro is a real good deal I would defiantly go with that one.

Thank you for your input.
But is it really worth it? It's twice as much as the ASUS 6850. Shouldn't I just crossfire two of those? (In the future), and for now, have the one card.
It can play games such as BF3 and Crysis 2 on maxed out graphics, 1080p with a quad core?

I'm not trying to sound smart, but just wondering what to do. The 7850 does look really impressive. The thing about that is, I might have to wait a while before building the PC, as it will hit £600. And as of right now, i really don't want to exceed £500.

Still not sure on what to do haha

 

[gary1]

In general, it is always advisable to get a mid-range card than crossfire two low end cards.

 

[f2k8]

BTW, back to my other question, will the motherboard and the whole set up be able to run crossfired 6850's? As it's a dual slot card?
I'm really new to the whole Crossfire and SLI thing haha

 

[f2k8]

Is there really a HUGE difference between a 6870 and a 7850?
Enough of a difference to spend £70 more? Because if there is, I may go for the 7850 instead.

By the way, are either of the cards that I just mentioned, 3D? Thanks once again guys, been great help so far!

 

[MMO Fan]

Thank you for your input.
But is it really worth it? It's twice as much as the ASUS 6850. Shouldn't I just crossfire two of those? (In the future), and for now, have the one card.
It can play games such as BF3 and Crysis 2 on maxed out graphics, 1080p with a quad core?

I'm not trying to sound smart, but just wondering what to do. The 7850 does look really impressive. The thing about that is, I might have to wait a while before building the PC, as it will hit £600. And as of right now, i really don't want to exceed £500.

Still not sure on what to do haha

The 6850 CF is a good deal but the thing is that the 7850 is SO SO efficient and has most of the performance of 6850 CF and the 7850 costs a bit less to boot. You can easily fit a 7850 into a 500 euro budget gaming build if you can sacrifice in a few areas and is what I would do for a pure gaming build. PS that mobo you picked out is a no go for CF/SLI

 

[f2k8]

The 6850 CF is a good deal but the thing is that the 7850 is SO SO efficient and has most of the performance of 6850 CF and the 7850 costs a bit less to boot. You can easily fit a 7850 into a 500 euro budget gaming build if you can sacrifice in a few areas and is what I would do for a pure gaming build.

Thanks for your input sir, ahh, I should have stated in the original post.. this PC isn't just a gaming PC, I would like to do many other things on it, not just gaming, and I also want it to last a long while (3-5 years). What I mean by that is, I want to not upgrade it for a long time once I crossfire the 6850's or 6870's. I'm guessing they would easily run any game, maxed out, for years to come, right?

 

[MMO Fan]

Thanks for your input sir, ahh, I should have stated in the original post.. this PC isn't just a gaming PC, I would like to do many other things on it, not just gaming, and I also want it to last a long while (3-5 years). What I mean by that is, I want to not upgrade it for a long time once I crossfire the 6850's or 6870's. I'm guessing they would easily run any game, maxed out, for years to come, right?

Ya the 6850 CF is a cheap and good performer but remember they will not be around for much longer so if you are not buying 2 at the same time then I would not bother plus remember that some games have some issues with CF/SLI so it will be hit or miss depending on the games you own.

 

[f2k8]

Ya the 6850 CF is a cheap and good performer but remember they will not be around for much longer so if you are not buying 2 at the same time then I would not bother plus remember that some games have some issues with CF/SLI so it will be hit or miss depending on the games you own.

Ahh, sure thing.
Guess I'm going to have to switch to the 6870's just to be safe, and maybe even the 7850 that you recommended earlier. Hmm..

Will the setup displayed in the original post be able to run crossfired 6870's? I'm just going to do a watt calculation right now as I've only done it for the 6850. Shouldn't change by much though.

 

[f2k8]

548W for the same set up as the one in the original post, but with two corssfired ASUS 6870's instead.
May need a 600W+ PSU just to be safe. I'll have to make that decision at the last minute I think.

 

[MMO Fan]

548W for the same set up as the one in the original post, but with two corssfired ASUS 6870's instead.
May need a 600W+ PSU just to be safe. I'll have to make that decision at the last minute I think.

That Mobo you picked is no good for CF so you will have to go with another one I recommend Msi they have great quality and cheap prices with good features. The 6870 have all the same CF scaling issues that the 6850s have I don't think it is a really big problem if you know how to get around them but that is why I recommend the 7850 plus you can CF that down the road.

 

[f2k8]

Ahh, of course.
Well, I'll have to give this a real thinking over the weekend.

Why is the mobo not compatible with CF? Which mobo's are compatible? What coding should I look for in the mobo's name?

Or maybe you could just recommend me some
Around the $160 mark if you're from America. Or £100 if you're from the UK.

 

[MMO Fan]

Ahh, of course.
Well, I'll have to give this a real thinking over the weekend.

Why is the mobo not compatible with CF? Which mobo's are compatible? What coding should I look for in the mobo's name?

Or maybe you could just recommend me some
Around the $160 mark if you're from America. Or £100 if you're from the UK.

Can you order from Newegg ?

 

[f2k8]

Can you order from Newegg ?

Sadly, I can't. I'm so jealous as well, I always go there to see how much cheaper things are, and it hurts me so much! haha
Like a X4 965 costs like $130 on Newegg, the cheapest I could find it on a UK site was £140! That's like.. $120 more than the Newegg price! lol

But if you give me a Newegg link, I'll just copy and paste the name and look for the mobo at a UK retailers site.

 

[MMO Fan]

Sadly, I can't. I'm so jealous as well, I always go there to see how much cheaper things are, and it hurts me so much! haha
Like a X4 965 costs like $130 on Newegg, the cheapest I could find it on a UK site was £140! That's like.. $120 more than the Newegg price! lol

But if you give me a Newegg link, I'll just copy and paste the name and look for the mobo at a UK retailers site.

Amazon.uk then it is and i will do a build from there for you I know all the best parts for price/performance ratio.

 

[f2k8]

Amazon.uk then it is and i will do a build from there for you I know all the best parts for price/performance ratio.

Thanks alot!
That would be great!!

 

[MMO Fan]

Hey there guys, I'm planning to build my first gaming computer in the coming weeks.
I've got a few parts decided, I just need to know if all of these parts will combine and make a nice PC.
I'm from the UK, so my budget is £500,at most £550, which is probably around $900 in the U.S.
So it's not the most expensive thing in the world.


CASE: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer (£60)
http://www.cclonline.com/product/64670/SGC-1000-KWN1/Cases/Cooler-Master-CM-Storm-Enforcer-Chassis-with-Side-Window-Black-/CAS0480/

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS M5A97 PRO (£80)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-M5A97-PRO-Motherboard-Socket/dp/B0053GR7GG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1333049299&sr=8-7


PROCESSOR: http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-HDZ965FBGMBOX-Phenom-II-965/dp/B002SRQ214/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333159336&sr=1-1


GPU: ASUS 1GB Radeon HD 6850 (£90)
http://bit.ly/HlRsf8


PSU: Antec http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-P1-450S-XXB9-PRO450W-Edition-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EIA/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333159570&sr=1-5


MEMORY (RAM):
G.Skill Ripjaw - 1 x 4GB (£20)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-Ripjaws-DDR3-PC12800-1600MHz/dp/B003XILBR2/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333049545&sr=1-6


HD: Seagate HD SATA - 2TB ST2000DL003 (£85)
http://www.cclonline.com/product/53890/ST2000DL003/Hard-Drives/Seagate-Barracuda-Green-SATA-6Gb/s-2TB-Hard-Drive/HDD1137/


That's about it, I've got an optical drive lying around, so I won't need to including that, I've also got a gaming keyboard and mouse.
All of that comes to just under £500.

Please, recommend me alternatives if they are cheaper and more powerful. I will always consider them, but may not change due to personal opinion.

As this is my first ever build, I'm trying to get everything perfect before I buy all the parts.
So that's why I want to know if these will all fit together, also, if there is any improvements that I can make for £50 extra.

Thank you for all your help.

CASE: http://www.amazon.co.uk/BitFenix-Shinobi-Midi-Tower-Chassis/dp/B004ULZA82/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1333156687&sr=1-3

MOTHERBOARD: http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-970-EXTREME3-Extreme3-Motherboard/dp/B005POPRG8/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333157536&sr=1-1

PROCESSOR: http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-HDZ965FBGMBOX-Phenom-II-965/dp/B002SRQ214/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333159336&sr=1-1

GPU: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11200-00-20G-HD7850-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B007JRGRPO/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333157845&sr=1-2
Or you could go with the Radeon HD 6850 in Crossfire for the same price as one 7850 but the 6850 will perform a bit better but remember it comes with some bugaboos and you would need to spend a bit more on a power supply when going with Crossfire. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11180-00-20R-HD6850-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B0048027IQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333159918&sr=1-1

PSU: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPSU-500CX-Builder-Series-Supply/dp/B0045Y1EJ8/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333158094&sr=1-9

RAM: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skill-Ripjaws-F3-10666CL9S-4GBRL-DDR3-1333MHz/dp/B003SLFBUC/ref=sr_1_7?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333158292&sr=1-7

HD: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-ST250DM000-250GB-Serial-ATA-7200RPM/dp/B005CT56XU/ref=sr_1_14?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333158622&sr=1-14

Total = €525

 

[seankoa]

This could be a build that would work well for you. I dont know how to convert to euros but it sit around $900 Us currency. And it leaves room for upgrading and can support crossfire if you plan on doing that.


Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103962 ($150)

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157267 ($190)

Graphics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121419 ($160)

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426 ($42)

Power: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371059 ($90)

HardDrive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822332066 ($75)

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 ($150)