New build - 750€ - Gaming

[Betoneira]

First of all, and since this is my first post here, hello everyone! Although i just registered in order to post this, i've been reading this foruns for a while now. I now come here in need of help. I've been researching on pc hardware for some time, since this will be my first build, and i think i am finally ready to take the next step on buying my computer. So here it goes.

PS: I live in Portugal, and i'll be buying from a portguese website. It shouldn't be a problem to find hardware in it as you can just use the search function with technical details.

Approximate Purchase Date: Early August, hopefully within 2 weeks.

Budget Range: 750€

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies.

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: This a new build entirely.

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.pixmania.pt

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Parts Preferences: Intel for the CPU

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Not entirely sure. I have a 19" Samsung TV, with hdmi input which i'll be using as a monitor. I believe it's resolution is 1366x768.

Additional Comments: I want to play some recent games such as Skyrim and Guild Wars 2. I'm on a "ultra max settings or unplayable" type of guy, but sure, i want things to look nice.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I have wanted to build a gaming desktop for some time now. I currently only have a small laptop which is good for college, but it isn't really any good for gaming.

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So here's build i'm looking at:

CPU Intel Core i5 3570 - 3,4 GHz - LGA1155 215€
http://www.pixmania.com/pt/pt/12570783/art/intel/core-i5-3570-3-4-ghz-cach.html?srcid=369
Motherboard ASUS P8H77-V LE - Socket 1155 - Chipset H77 - ATX 100€
http://www.pixmania.com/pt/pt/11913916/art/asus/p8h77-v-le-socket-1155-ch.html
RAM GEIL Memória PC Black Dragon 2 x 4 GB DDR3-1600 PC3-1280 42 €
http://www.pixmania.com/pt/pt/11947430/art/geil/memoria-pc-black-dragon-2.html
Graphics SAPPHIRE TECHNOLOGY Radeon HD 7770 129€
http://www.pixmania.com/pt/pt/11741925/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-7770-1-gb-gddr5.html
Hard Drive Seagate Disco rígido interno Barracuda 3,5" - 500 GB 69 €
http://www.pixmania.com/pt/pt/10628171/art/seagate/disco-rigido-interno-barr.html
SSD OCZ SSD interno Agility 3 Series - 120 GB 93€
http://www.pixmania.com/pt/pt/9974320/art/ocz/ssd-interno-agility-3-ser.html
Case Antec PC Case Three Hundred Black 55 €
http://www.pixmania.com/pt/pt/1447875/art/antec/caixa-pc-three-hundred-pr.html
Power Antec PC HCG 520-EC 520 W 56 €
http://www.pixmania.com/pt/pt/9864953/art/antec/fonte-de-alimentacao-para.html

TOTAL: 759€

I chose the i5 3570 as it's certainly the best gaming CPU for non overclocking. Since i also won't be using dual GPU i don't need a Z77 motherboard.

One place i could probably save 10€ is to get a 320 gb HDD instead of 500. I don't really need the extra 180gb, but the 320 seagate barracudas are currently unavailable on pixmania. When i actually buy the computer i'll probably check it again. Not that it's really important, just saying that since my stated budget is 750€

One thing i could change on this build would be to use the money from the SSD and buy a better GPU (560 ti maybe). But i think i prefer to buy the SSD right away and upgrade the GPU later, saving the hassle of having to format the hard drive in order to add an SSD later. Also as i said, i don't need to have everything on ultra max settings to have a good time, so i think the 7770 will do the trick, not to mention it's a newer card with a lower power consumption.

Thats about it! Thanks for reading and i await your opinions

 

[Chairman Ray]

I would advise to downgrade your cpu to i5-2320 and a z68 mobo. You can shave quite a bit off your expenses while barely taking a hit on performance.

 

[Betoneira]

I would advise to downgrade your cpu to i5-2320 and a z68 mobo. You can shave quite a bit off your expenses while barely taking a hit on performance.

Thanks for the input. However i just checked the prices for those items on the website i mentioned (considering a gigabyte mobo, which was the cheapest with a z68 chipset), and that would save me 30€. The next logical place to spend those 30€ would be the GPU, which would get me enough for a 6870.

For now a 2320 + z68 + 6870 might have an overall better performance, but i still prefer my original build, as my plan is to upgrade the GPU maybe 1 year from now. That way i'll have a better GPU than a 6870 while still having a CPU + mobo combo that is only 1 year old.

Of course in the end it's all a matter of personal preference.

 

[Betoneira]

Damn i'm now confused again.

I heard a phenom ii x4 965 + ASUS M5A97 - Socket AM3+ would only lose about 30% of a 3570's performance, while saving me 130€ (pixmania prices). With that i could get a 7850 instead of the 7770, which sounds pretty good. I was also told there are some upcoming AMD CPUs that also use an AM3+ socket, meaning i wouldn't have to change the motherboard in order to upgrade the CPU. What do you guys think?

I know i said i preferred intel for the CPU, but that isn't because i have anything against AMD, i've just never used one of their CPUs.