New PC build for Skyrim?

[Viridian112]

1. Approximate Purchase Date: By mid-December, hopefully the sooner the better.
2. Budget Range: Roughly £850-ish. I could stretch to £1000 if needed, but I'd rather not.
3. System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming/surfing the internet/music/schoolwork
4. Parts Not Required:I have a mouse/mousepad, and I'll buy a monitor in addition to this.
5. Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Anywhere that ships to the UK.
6. Country: United Kingdom (Mainland England)
7. Parts Preferences: Intel i5 or higher processor, preferably NVIDIA cards (heard they're better for Skyrim)
8. Overclocking: None required.
9. SLI or Crossfire: Not required.
10. Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
11. Additional Comments: I'll be using this PC primarily for playing Skyrim (talk about dedication, eh?) and some light online FPS games. At the moment I can do the latter fine, but my GPU is six years old iirc and Skyrim is ridiculously slow even on the lowest settings. So I'd ideally like to be playing Skyrim on high settings @ 1920x1080 resolution, with minimal choppiness.



Worth noting as well that it's my first build? I've taken PC's apart before and I've watched a very in-depth guide on making a PC, I feel confident I can manage - it looks quite simple. However since it's my first build I'd like to keep the parts as simple as I can (e.g. no SSD or watercooling).


Any suggestions or criticisms of my build (or favourite game) are welcome. Thanks for reading.

 

[jmsellars1]

I play Skyrim on high settings with decent framerates on my build, the modern equivalent of which would be something like i3-3220/HD 7770. I'd step the CPU up to an i5 and the GPU up to something like the GTX 650Ti/660Ti and you should be set.

This would be my choice for you:

(Case and cooler are mainly for quietness, if you don't mind a bit of noise you don't really need the cooler and could get a flashier case if you want.)


Intel Core i5-3550
2x4GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600Mhz 1.5v
ASUS P8H77-V LE
MSI Power Edition GTX 660Ti
Crucial M4 128GB
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM
530W Be Quiet! Pure Power L8 Modular PSU
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
Antec P183

Total - £793 on www.aria.co.uk

Less than your total budget and includes all the bells and whistles like a more than adequate GPU, modular PSU, SSD and generally very quiet parts.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-Three-Hundred-Two-Tower/dp/B006TVQTHW/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349995676&sr=1-1 £50.13 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Antec Three Hundred Two Midi Tower Case - ATX, M-ATX, M-ITX, 2 x USB 3.0

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-HCG-520M-Current-Series-Modular/dp/B0079IFHGS/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349995699&sr=1-9 £67.41 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Antec HCG-520M High Current Gamer Series 520W Modular Power Supply

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Motherboard-Intelligent-Processors-CrossfireX/dp/B007RHVDKA/ref=sr_1_8?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349995521&sr=1-8 £70.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Asus P8B75-V Motherboard (Socket 1155, 32GB DDR3 Support, Intel B75 Express, ATX, PCI-E 3.0, USB 3.0, Dual Intelligent Processors 3, Quad GPU AMD CrossfireX Support)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-I5-3470-Processor-3-20GHZ-Socket/dp/B0083U94CO/ref=sr_1_33?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349995867&sr=1-33 £145.40 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Intel Core I5-3470 Processor (3.20GHZ, 6MB Cache, Socket 1155)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-Ballistix-BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU-DDR3-Memory/dp/B006YG94Y2/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349995652&sr=1-2 £28.50 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Crucial Ballistix BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU 8GB (4GB x2) DDR3 Memory Kit

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Multi-Writer/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349995917&sr=1-1 £15.26 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x Internal SATA DVD Multi Writer Black Bare

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-HD103SJ-internal-SATAII-7200RPM/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349996555&sr=1-2 £60.50 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1TB internal Hard Drive SATAII 32MB Cache 7200RPM – OEM

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Windows-software-intended-builders/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_sim_computers_6 £70.75 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 64-bit, English, 1 Pack, DSP OEI (PC) (This OEM software is intended for system builders only)

Total: £508.93 inc. VAT & delivery


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0099AOAP8/ref=s9_simh_bw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0DZMYB12YA30DFGR74Y0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=228922307&pf_rd_i=428655031 £194.54
MSI N660TF2GD5/OC NVIDIA GTX660 TF 1098MHz 6008MHz 2048MB 192-bit DDR5 DP HDMI DL-DVI-I DL-DVI-D TF/FAN PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD - (Components Video Graphics Cards)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008X3CMT8/ref=s9_simh_bw_p147_d0_i5?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0DZMYB12YA30DFGR74Y0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=228922307&pf_rd_i=428655031 £250.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
MSI GeForce GTX660Ti Nvidia Graphics Card (2GB, PCI-E 3.0 x16)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GeForce-GTX670-Nvidia-Graphics/dp/B008BX2CFY/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349996346&sr=1-9 £320.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
MSI GeForce GTX670 Nvidia Graphics Card (2GB, PCI-E 2.0 x16)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-128GB-SATA-6GBPS-Basic/dp/B007BBQPUA/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349996710&sr=1-1 £72.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Samsung 128GB 830 SSD SATA 6GBPS 2.5 inch Basic Kit

 

[Viridian112]

Wow, I got two replies in under a day. This is much faster than other forums I've used - thanks!

I must say, both of your replies are great. I'm not experienced in builds, but both of those look fantastic. I do a have a question about the CPU that "Why_Me" suggested however (you're about to see that I'm a complete novice).

For only £5 more, you could get THIS ----> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Generation-i5-3570K-3-40GHz-Technology/dp/B007RUZKK6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_1/277-0242636-5580703 , which I've been told is probably the best benchmark between value for money and performance.


If I substituted the CPU you suggested for the 3570K, would all the other components still be compatible?

If so, brilliant! I reckon I could probably get my entire PC including monitor bought and assembled for under £800 at that rate, which was basically something I never thought was achievable, I was fearing I'd have to stretch my budget past even the £1k mark.


So thank you both very much so far for your help, and any reply to my newbie question would be much appreciated!

 

[Why_Me]

Wow, I got two replies in under a day. This is much faster than other forums I've used - thanks!

I must say, both of your replies are great. I'm not experienced in builds, but both of those look fantastic. I do a have a question about the CPU that "Why_Me" suggested however (you're about to see that I'm a complete novice).

For only £5 more, you could get THIS ----> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Generation-i5-3570K-3-40GHz-Technology/dp/B007RUZKK6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_1/277-0242636-5580703 , which I've been told is probably the best benchmark between value for money and performance.


If I substituted the CPU you suggested for the 3570K, would all the other components still be compatible?

If so, brilliant! I reckon I could probably get my entire PC including monitor bought and assembled for under £800 at that rate, which was basically something I never thought was achievable, I was fearing I'd have to stretch my budget past even the £1k mark.


So thank you both very much so far for your help, and any reply to my newbie question would be much appreciated!

The 3570K is an unlocked cpu and it's only advantage is that it allows for over clocking. If you go with that cpu then you would want a board that allows for over clocking. This board down below would be one to consider.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-Z77-Motherboard-Socket-Intel/dp/B007P709Q6/ref=sr_1_43?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1350060025&sr=1-43 £77.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
ASRock Z77 Pro3 Motherboard (Socket 1155, Intel Z77, DDR3, S-ATA 600, ATX)


If and when you decide to over clock then add something like this cpu cooler afterwards but it's not needed until you decide to try over clocking that cpu.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-120mm/dp/B0068OI7T8/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1350060079&sr=1-2 £23.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (120mm)

 

[jmsellars1]

Yeah the i5-3570K is great but the only real benefit is that you can overclock.

As far as the GPU goes, I think a 2GB GTX 660Ti would be best. More than powerful enough with plenty of VRAM and leaves enough cash for a SSD.