Second Time Builder - First Time Custom - Component Help!

[FoxwoodForgemoor]

Hi there,

I am getting into gaming and sadly my computer cannot handle anything I throw at it. So therefore, I am looking into a custom build/gaming rig not just for playing games but also for studying.

I know that I should do the Copy+Paste thing that FinneousPJ said, so therefore here it is:

Approximate Purchase Date: December, Christmas time when I hop parts will be of a good deal for the season.

Budget Range: £500, Possibly £600

System Usage from Most to Least Important:

Games
Media (After Effect's, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Editing and VFX)
Web Surfing
Homework/Coursework

Are you buying a monitor: No - however the monitor I have is a VGA - what's better: DVI, VGA or HDMI?

Parts to Upgrade: A whole new computer! But possibly the PCIe Networking Card which is built for gaming.

Do you need to buy OS: Nope, got an install disk a friend did not want.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.overclockers.co.uk

Location: United Kingdom

Parts Preferences:
From my friend on the forums AntOwnsOkay and from others an Intel Ivybridge is my preference but I shall leave it to you - the experts. Is it like the AMD 4170 where it's 4.2ghz but rubbish performance?

My case will be A Bitfenix Shinobi German Edition Windowed from OCUK, if you found a good one, fire away.

And I would like a Corsair PSU, Fans and Memory.

Oh, and a good graphics card. Must be able to play all Source Engine games at a good rate, Sleeping Dogs at an okay rate, and League Of Legends at a modest rate.

May you please make the MOBO somthing like a Z77 so I can overclock.

Oh and I want water cooling so bad as I am OCing that baby to a good multiplier.

Overclocking: Yes - Water Cooling!

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe - depends on what you guys say.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1024x1280 native but i run most games on the rubbish computer at 1024x768.

Additional Comments: Nothing much, any questions, please reply and will be happy to help.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My computer will not play any games anymore unless the graphics are bad and I cant see anything! This is a big build which shall last me a long time even if it cant play stuff in the future like say, Crysis 4.

Thanks, sorry for the long article, and I thank you in reading. This will help me a lot.

Foxwood

 

[malbluff]

Firstly, the i5-3570K is probably the best, overclockable, processor you can use, and no, it's nothing like the 4170.
The problem is your budget. You can't fit in overclocking, liquid cooling, and a powerful graphics card, in £600.
I put together a basic design, to suit your stated requirements (less budget)

CPU: i5-3570K aprox £170
Cooler: Corsair H100 aprox £80
Mobo: Corsair P8Z77-M aprox £84
RAM: Corsair Vengeance CML 8GB(2x4GB) aprox £32
HDD: 500GB Seagate Barracuda aprox £40
Case: Bitfenix Shinobi Ger aprox £50
PSU: Corsair CX500 aprox £45
Opt DR: Lite-On DVD/CD aprox £20
GPU: GTX660 aprox £180

You will see that comes to around £700. You could cut around £50 by using a decent budget air cooler. You could save about £85, by using a HD7770 graphics card, which would give decent performance, at your resolution, although nothing like the nVidia GTX660, and would be a "bit light", if you should upgrade monitor.

 

[AntOwnsOkay]

Yes i agree with malbluff
There is no way you can get all that in.

I originally started with a budget of 600 pounds and have had to go up to 700 and may have to go even more.

 

[FoxwoodForgemoor]

Firstly, the i5-3570K is probably the best, overclockable, processor you can use, and no, it's nothing like the 4170.
The problem is your budget. You can't fit in overclocking, liquid cooling, and a powerful graphics card, in £600.
I put together a basic design, to suit your stated requirements (less budget)

CPU: i5-3570K aprox £170
Cooler: Corsair H100 aprox £80
Mobo: Corsair P8Z77-M aprox £84
RAM: Corsair Vengeance CML 8GB(2x4GB) aprox £32
HDD: 500GB Seagate Barracuda aprox £40
Case: Bitfenix Shinobi Ger aprox £50
PSU: Corsair CX500 aprox £45
Opt DR: Lite-On DVD/CD aprox £20
GPU: GTX660 aprox £180

You will see that comes to around £700. You could cut around £50 by using a decent budget air cooler. You could save about £85, by using a HD7770 graphics card, which would give decent performance, at your resolution, although nothing like the nVidia GTX660, and would be a "bit light", if you should upgrade monitor.

Dear Malbluff,

Thanks for the Reply. I was considering a 3570K, and you are right about the 4170, I looked at a YouTube video and this person did a whole rig-ma-rol by just using a stock cooler, and doing 3DMark11 with a 550ti. Got a pretty bad score from his Point-Of-View.

I know for a fact that the H100 will not fit in a Shinobi as there is a gap on the top cooling which will not fit the H100 radiator. I was thinking about a H60 or H80 at the back as I will have a lot of air intake with it sitting on a desk vertically.

However, do you think Corsair mobo's are good? In my PC from a Donor which I am scrapping he gave me an old ASrock Fatality - a gaming mobo for the Core2Duo socket.

I was thinking about an ASrock but do you think Corsair would be good and just a random question; have you ever worked with a Corsair mobo or do you just think that is a good make to go for - with me thinking its only good for memory.

But anyway, I may be able to go to £700. But I am aiming to get it to £600 so I can buy games but that is a secondary priority.

Thank you for your reply and your's sincerely,

Foxwood

 

[FoxwoodForgemoor]

Hi there,

I am getting into gaming and sadly my computer cannot handle anything I throw at it. So therefore, I am looking into a custom build/gaming rig not just for playing games but also for studying.

I know that I should do the Copy+Paste thing that FinneousPJ said, so therefore here it is:

Approximate Purchase Date: December, Christmas time when I hop parts will be of a good deal for the season.

Budget Range: £500, Possibly £600

System Usage from Most to Least Important:

Games
Media (After Effect's, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Editing and VFX)
Web Surfing
Homework/Coursework

Are you buying a monitor: No - however the monitor I have is a VGA - what's better: DVI, VGA or HDMI?

Parts to Upgrade: A whole new computer! But possibly the PCIe Networking Card which is built for gaming.

Do you need to buy OS: Nope, got an install disk a friend did not want.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.overclockers.co.uk

Location: United Kingdom

Parts Preferences:
From my friend on the forums AntOwnsOkay and from others an Intel Ivybridge is my preference but I shall leave it to you - the experts. Is it like the AMD 4170 where it's 4.2ghz but rubbish performance?

My case will be A Bitfenix Shinobi German Edition Windowed from OCUK, if you found a good one, fire away.

And I would like a Corsair PSU, Fans and Memory.

Oh, and a good graphics card. Must be able to play all Source Engine games at a good rate, Sleeping Dogs at an okay rate, and League Of Legends at a modest rate.

May you please make the MOBO somthing like a Z77 so I can overclock.

Oh and I want water cooling so bad as I am OCing that baby to a good multiplier.

Overclocking: Yes - Water Cooling!

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe - depends on what you guys say.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1024x1280 native but i run most games on the rubbish computer at 1024x768.

Additional Comments: Nothing much, any questions, please reply and will be happy to help.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My computer will not play any games anymore unless the graphics are bad and I cant see anything! This is a big build which shall last me a long time even if it cant play stuff in the future like say, Crysis 4.

Thanks, sorry for the long article, and I thank you in reading. This will help me a lot.

Foxwood

EDIT: I now have less time to order parts and components and I should be ordering late October - early November. So that roughly gives me 4-5 weeks to finalise money, budget, plans and the computer of course. My build was £600 without a graphics card, so I am hoping to reduce that. But of course, It can't be for gaming unless you put money in the pot. So thanks malbluff for your advice. But please, I really need help!

 

[malbluff]

Dear Malbluff,

Thanks for the Reply. I was considering a 3570K, and you are right about the 4170, I looked at a YouTube video and this person did a whole rig-ma-rol by just using a stock cooler, and doing 3DMark11 with a 550ti. Got a pretty bad score from his Point-Of-View.

I know for a fact that the H100 will not fit in a Shinobi as there is a gap on the top cooling which will not fit the H100 radiator. I was thinking about a H60 or H80 at the back as I will have a lot of air intake with it sitting on a desk vertically.

However, do you think Corsair mobo's are good? In my PC from a Donor which I am scrapping he gave me an old ASrock Fatality - a gaming mobo for the Core2Duo socket.

I was thinking about an ASrock but do you think Corsair would be good and just a random question; have you ever worked with a Corsair mobo or do you just think that is a good make to go for - with me thinking its only good for memory.

But anyway, I may be able to go to £700. But I am aiming to get it to £600 so I can buy games but that is a secondary priority.

Thank you for your reply and your's sincerely,

Foxwood

I apologise for being half asleep, when I did my earlier response, that mobo should have read ASUS, not Corsair. Don't know where I dreamed that up from. Any of the Asus P8Z77 range will be fine, provided you are not looking to have more than one graphics card. ASRock also do decent mobos, like the Extreme 4, but for less sophisticated mobos, I would prefer to pay slightly more, for Asus quality.
With liquid cooling, if you can't fit a H100 in, you are honestly better off, with a good air cooler. The Corsair H60 has fairly feeble performance, for decent overclock, and the H80, if you have it with push/pull fans, and spacers, takes up so much room, and is also very noisey.
If you NEED to cut costs, I would say the best way, was to forget overclocking, go with a locked i5, stock cooler, and H77 mobo. That will lose you a lot less, in gaming performance, than using a cheaper graphics card. That way, you could get to your £600, or very close to it. You do get Borderlands 2, free, with some of the GTX660's.

 

[AntOwnsOkay]

You do get Borderlands 2, free, with some of the GTX660's.

Malbluff i have looked into it you only get Borderlands 2 free if you pay for the more expensive GTX 660TI

 

[AntOwnsOkay]

You do get Borderlands 2, free, with some of the GTX660's.

Malbluff i have looked into it you only get Borderlands 2 free if you pay for the more expensive GTX 660TI

 

[FoxwoodForgemoor]

Hi, and thanks for the reply.

Any of the Asus P8Z77 range will be fine, provided you are not looking to have more than one graphics card.

Well, I wasn't thinking about having 2 graphics cards at the start - This computer will last me about 3 years. Look's good for a Mobo.

With liquid cooling, if you can't fit a H100 in, you are honestly better off, with a good air cooler. The Corsair H60 has fairly feeble performance, for decent overclock, and the H80, if you have it with push/pull fans, and spacers, takes up so much room, and is also very noisey.

What do you think would be a good air cooler? Also, I read the down draft coolers post and they look good - however the article said it was a dying breed of cooler - which leads to another point - What Kind, Make and what's suitable for an overclock?

If you NEED to cut costs, I would say the best way, was to forget overclocking, go with a locked i5, stock cooler, and H77 mobo. That will lose you a lot less, in gaming performance, than using a cheaper graphics card. That way, you could get to your £600, or very close to it. You do get Borderlands 2, free, with some of the GTX660's.

And finally - what kind of gaming performance are we talking about losing here? If we are talking 5 frames gone I would be fine - as long if the frame rate is over 30fps - I am good with that. But a locked i5 looks good. But 2 Questions about locked chips:

◙ Can you ever Unlock them. I have seen people unlock AMD Sempron's and I am wondering if you can do it with a locked i5.

◙ My friend has a Dell Studio XPS with an i5 inside. Do Dell and OEM'S lock the chip so you cannot overclock?

Thanks,

Foxwood

 

[malbluff]

You do get Borderlands 2, free, with some of the GTX660's.

Malbluff i have looked into it you only get Borderlands 2 free if you pay for the more expensive GTX 660TI

When the 660's first came out, I'm reasonably sure SOME included Borderlands 2, from some manufacturers/suppliers. That may have been "introductory only". I notice a lot of the 660Ti's no longer have it, when they virtually all did, when 660Ti was new, so you may well be correct, short of searching loads of sites, to be sure.

 

[malbluff]

Hi, and thanks for the reply.

Any of the Asus P8Z77 range will be fine, provided you are not looking to have more than one graphics card.

Well, I wasn't thinking about having 2 graphics cards at the start - This computer will last me about 3 years. Look's good for a Mobo.

With liquid cooling, if you can't fit a H100 in, you are honestly better off, with a good air cooler. The Corsair H60 has fairly feeble performance, for decent overclock, and the H80, if you have it with push/pull fans, and spacers, takes up so much room, and is also very noisey.

What do you think would be a good air cooler? Also, I read the down draft coolers post and they look good - however the article said it was a dying breed of cooler - which leads to another point - What Kind, Make and what's suitable for an overclock?

If you NEED to cut costs, I would say the best way, was to forget overclocking, go with a locked i5, stock cooler, and H77 mobo. That will lose you a lot less, in gaming performance, than using a cheaper graphics card. That way, you could get to your £600, or very close to it. You do get Borderlands 2, free, with some of the GTX660's.

And finally - what kind of gaming performance are we talking about losing here? If we are talking 5 frames gone I would be fine - as long if the frame rate is over 30fps - I am good with that. But a locked i5 looks good. But 2 Questions about locked chips:

◙ Can you ever Unlock them. I have seen people unlock AMD Sempron's and I am wondering if you can do it with a locked i5.

◙ My friend has a Dell Studio XPS with an i5 inside. Do Dell and OEM'S lock the chip so you cannot overclock?

Thanks,

Foxwood

As to air coolers. The Coolermaster Hyper 212Evo is a decent, budget one, suitable for modest overclocks. The Noctua NH-D14 is a popular, powerful one, but it's a bit of a monster. In very general terms, you could equate the 212Evo with a H60 liquid cooler, and the Noctua with the H80.
With regard to mobos. If you are only going to want ONE graphic card (nVidia or Radeon), any of the H77's are suitable. If you are going (eventually) TWO nVidia cards, you need Z77 mobo. If you are going (eventually) to have TWO Radeon cards, whilst most H77 mobos will let you do that, only the more expensive ones have FULL support, with PCle lanes at x8.
Whilst it's theoretically possible to "adjust" locked processors, for what little you can achieve, it's not worth losing the warranty. For most games, processor performance is MUCH less significant, than GPU performance. Many PC manufacturers will provide systems, with either locked, or unlocked processors, in desktop models.