Help with new gaming rig

[laskaqwerty]

Hi all,

My laptops just kicked the bucket so I'm going to invest in a proper rig now I've got the space for it.

Will primarily be used for gaming and I want it to be reasonably future proof; happy to spend about £1500 (don't mind sneaking a bit over though) all in (including monitor et cetera) and this is what I was thinking:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 motherboard (Or potentially Asus P9X79 PRO?)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32gb (4 x 8gb) DDR3-1866 Memory 240 pinn (is Kingston HyperX or GSkill Ripjaw much better?)
Storage: Segate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Drive
SSD: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120gb 2.5" Solid State Disk
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card (although I do like the look of this and it's only £80 more http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-palit-gtx-680-jetstream-28nm-pcie-30-6008mhz-gddr5-gpu-1006mhz-boost-1058mhz-cores-1536-2-x-dl-d thoughts?)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: NZXT HALE 90 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD writer
Monitor: Asus VE248H 24" monitor
Keyboard: Steelseries 6Gv2 / Das Keyboard
Mouse: Cooler Master SGM-2001-BLON1 Wired Optical Mouse

These are the parts on a pcpartpicker list http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/pcU5 [Note the keyboard is a placeholder as it's ~same price as a SteelSeries]

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, any improvements very welcome!

Really I want the absolute best I can get, don't want to have to buy another one in a year or two, and want the best cooling/power supply et cetera so it doesn't just melt 2 weeks after buying!

Will be purchasing this end of December/Start of January (after a couple more paydays!) so if there's anything being released in near future feel free to add that to suggestions!

Thanks in advance!

 

[g-unit1111]

I completely understand wanting the best - but that RAM is *WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY* overkill for a gaming rig. 1866 is useless, and the tall heat sinks on the Vengeance will not make installing a D14 easy. I'd also get a different SSD - I'm in the minority when I say I really hate Intel SSDs. That PSU is a good choice, I also think the peripherals are kind of overkill.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£169.20 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£56.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£152.33 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.67 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: A-Data XPG SX900 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£164.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (£304.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case (£134.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£79.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£14.99 @ Novatech)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) (£71.55 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1203.27
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-25 01:08 GMT+0000)

The difference gives you plenty of room for a nice monitor and whatever peripherals you want. The case I picked is one of the best available right now. The SSD I picked won an editor's choice here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/240gb-256gb-ssd-review,3313.html

 

[cutebeans]

I would go with whatever G-unit does.

Although, I would disagree with the A-DATA SSD. Intel is so confident that their SSDs are great that they gave it a 5 year warranty.

 

[Deemo13]

I would go with whatever G-unit does.

Pretty much the answer to most questions on this forum.

 

[cutebeans]

O_O!

 

[g-unit1111]

I would go with whatever G-unit does.

Although, I would disagree with the A-DATA SSD. Intel is so confident that their SSDs are great that they gave it a 5 year warranty.

I had an Intel SSD and had nothing but problems with it. I now use a Samsung 830 and have had zero issues with it. I generally pick recommendations based on Tom's editor's choices and a variety of other sources. The SSD I picked won an editor's choice here so it has to be good.

Pretty much the answer to most questions on this forum.

To quote the movie Clerks: "I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule." :lol:

 

[laskaqwerty]

I completely understand wanting the best - but that RAM is *WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY* overkill for a gaming rig. 1866 is useless, and the tall heat sinks on the Vengeance will not make installing a D14 easy. I'd also get a different SSD - I'm in the minority when I say I really hate Intel SSDs. That PSU is a good choice, I also think the peripherals are kind of overkill.

• 
  
  The difference gives you plenty of room for a nice monitor and whatever peripherals you want. The case I picked is one of the best available right now. The SSD I picked won an editor's choice here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/240gb-256gb-ssd-review,3313.html

• 
  
  Thank you so much for your help! Amazing!
  
  Okay so changed a couple of things, I would prefer 8gb sticks as that allows me to expand in future but I couldn't find 8gb sticks of Ares so is Corsair Vengeance Low Profile just as good? Also as it's so cheap is it worth snapping up an extra 16gb, will 32gb do any harm? I know that DDR2 prices went up dramatically after being low for a long time, so if DDR3 does the same (which I assume it will) will I then wish I'd just spend the extra 60 quid. If 32gb will never be useful I'll just go for 16gb though!
  
  Also for a little bit more money is it worth getting a 680 card? Also for a little bit more again is it worth getting a 4gb card.. also which is the best 2gb 680 to get and similarly for the 4gb? EVGA have fantastic customer service I've read but if Gigabyte is better overall then I will get one of theirs. I'd rather pay that extra £100 now if there is a marked increase in performance from 670 to 680 and similarly from 680 2gb to 680 4gb!
  
  Also I changed the case to black just because I prefer black cases! Here is the list as it stands, the RAM and GPU are the only two things to be finalised.
  
  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
  
  CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£169.20 @ Amazon UK)
  CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£56.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
  Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£152.33 @ Amazon UK)
  Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
  Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.67 @ Ebuyer)
  Storage: A-Data XPG SX900 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£164.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
  Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card (£382.80 @ Scan.co.uk)
  Case: NZXT Switch 810 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case (£134.36 @ Scan.co.uk)
  Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£79.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk) Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£14.99 @ Novatech)
  Total: £1268.88 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-25 10:02 GMT+0000)
  
  (I removed the win7 as I already have a disc!)
  
  Thanks again everyone!
  
  Also what's the best monitor for < £350 in your guys opinion? The Dell U2412M seems cheap and also got an editors choice on CNet http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/dell-ultrasharp-u2412m/4505-3174_7-35002356.html thoughts? Also approved on Toms Hardware in the 24" round up!

 

[cutebeans]

Thank you so much for your help! Amazing!

Okay so changed a couple of things, I would prefer 8gb sticks as that allows me to expand in future but I couldn't find 8gb sticks of Ares so is Corsair Vengeance Low Profile just as good? Also as it's so cheap is it worth snapping up an extra 16gb, will 32gb do any harm? I know that DDR2 prices went up dramatically after being low for a long time, so if DDR3 does the same (which I assume it will) will I then wish I'd just spend the extra 60 quid. If 32gb will never be useful I'll just go for 16gb though!

Also for a little bit more money is it worth getting a 680 card? Also for a little bit more again is it worth getting a 4gb card.. also which is the best 2gb 680 to get and similarly for the 4gb? EVGA have fantastic customer service I've read but if Gigabyte is better overall then I will get one of theirs. I'd rather pay that extra £100 now if there is a marked increase in performance from 670 to 680 and similarly from 680 2gb to 680 4gb!

Also I changed the case to black just because I prefer black cases! Here is the list as it stands, the RAM and GPU are the only two things to be finalised.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£169.20 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£56.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£152.33 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.67 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: A-Data XPG SX900 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£164.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card (£382.80 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case (£134.36 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£79.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk) Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£14.99 @ Novatech)
Total: £1268.88 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-25 10:02 GMT+0000)

(I removed the win7 as I already have a disc!)

Thanks again everyone!

Also what's the best monitor for < £350 in your guys opinion? The Dell U2412M seems cheap and also got an editors choice on CNet http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/dell-ultrasharp-u2412m/4505-3174_7-35002356.html thoughts? Also approved on Toms Hardware in the 24" round up!

Get the Dell. It's pretty much all the rave.

Don't get the 680. You spend 100 quid more over the 670 for more or less 5% gains which isn't really worth.

4gb is actually the standard for gaming. 8gb is already SUPER FUTUREPROOF. 16gb is just wasting money.

Love the case btw.

 

[laskaqwerty]

Get the Dell. It's pretty much all the rave.

Don't get the 680. You spend 100 quid more over the 670 for more or less 5% gains which isn't really worth.

4gb is actually the standard for gaming. 8gb is already SUPER FUTUREPROOF. 16gb is just wasting money.

Love the case btw.

Thanks for that! I think I'll stick with 16gb just so I will never have to worry about not having enough RAM incase I want to use any super memory intensive programs, it's only about £20 more anyway!

I've put in this MSI power edition overclocked 670 which seems to be the best one from what I've read, but does anyone know better? http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/part/msi-video-card-n670pe2gd5oc

Also is it worth spending a little extra to get a GOLD certified PSU? Like this one http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/part/nzxt-power-supply-hale90750m

 

[g-unit1111]

Thank you so much for your help! Amazing!

Okay so changed a couple of things, I would prefer 8gb sticks as that allows me to expand in future but I couldn't find 8gb sticks of Ares so is Corsair Vengeance Low Profile just as good? Also as it's so cheap is it worth snapping up an extra 16gb, will 32gb do any harm? I know that DDR2 prices went up dramatically after being low for a long time, so if DDR3 does the same (which I assume it will) will I then wish I'd just spend the extra 60 quid. If 32gb will never be useful I'll just go for 16gb though!

Also for a little bit more money is it worth getting a 680 card? Also for a little bit more again is it worth getting a 4gb card.. also which is the best 2gb 680 to get and similarly for the 4gb? EVGA have fantastic customer service I've read but if Gigabyte is better overall then I will get one of theirs. I'd rather pay that extra £100 now if there is a marked increase in performance from 670 to 680 and similarly from 680 2gb to 680 4gb!

Corsair Vengeance RAM is good - make absolutely sure that you get the low profile version.

The 680 isn't really worth it - you pay a huge premium for not a lot of extra performance gain. EVGA has excellent customer service but their problem lies in that they don't deviate from reference designs all that much - especially with the cooling. The Gigabyte Windforce has one of the best coolers you can get. I hear good things about the MSI Twin FROZR but I'm definitely not the biggest fan of MSI around here.

 

[laskaqwerty]

Corsair Vengeance RAM is good - make absolutely sure that you get the low profile version.

The 680 isn't really worth it - you pay a huge premium for not a lot of extra performance gain. EVGA has excellent customer service but their problem lies in that they don't deviate from reference designs all that much - especially with the cooling. The Gigabyte Windforce has one of the best coolers you can get. I hear good things about the MSI Twin FROZR but I'm definitely not the biggest fan of MSI around here.

In that case I think this is about final:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£169.20 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£56.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£152.33 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.67 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: A-Data XPG SX900 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£164.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (£299.60 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case (£134.36 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£79.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£14.99 @ Novatech)
Monitor: Dell U2412M 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£215.46 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1401.14 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-25 19:23 GMT+0000)

http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/pqcW

Is it worth upgrading the PSU to a gold certified version? If so which is best? (The link above?)

Other than the obvious mouse/keyboard/operating system is there anything else I'll need to buy especially to build this? Thermal paste? Anti-static bands? Et cetera.

 

[laskaqwerty]

Also do people think it's worth a waiting for the January sales to get this, I was going to buy I'm not sure what sort of discounts you get on computers parts if any at all!

Sorry for the double post too!

 

[cutebeans]

I would just wait for Christmas Sales to get those parts if you can.

 

[laskaqwerty]

I would just wait for Christmas Sales to get those parts if you can.

Then that is what I shall do! Is there anything on the spec list you'd recommend i change? What's your opinion on bronze vs gold certified PSUs?

 

[cutebeans]

You shouldn't really take those seriously into account.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus

The PC Power&Cooling is pretty good.

I wouldn't change anything although if any cheaper but still good quality products do come out then I would make revisions.

 

[laskaqwerty]

Is it worth going for a 7970 over a 670 after the recent driver updates? Or is it much of a muchness?

 

[g-unit1111]

Is it worth going for a 7970 over a 670 after the recent driver updates? Or is it much of a muchness?

The recent driver updates actually put the 7970 way ahead of the GTX 670.

 

[Deemo13]

Is it worth going for a 7970 over a 670 after the recent driver updates? Or is it much of a muchness?

The recent drivers put it way way ahead of the 670 in terms of gaming as well as other stuffs.

 

[laskaqwerty]

Which would be the best 7970 to go for? I'm thinking either this gigabyte version with windforce cooler version: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-gigabyte-radeon-hd-7970-overclocked-5500mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1000mhz-2048-cores-dvi-i-hdmi-2x-mdp-

or this one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-msi-radeon-hd-7970-lightning-5600mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1070mhz-2048-cores-4x-mdp-2x-dvi-plus-free-g

or alternatively perhaps http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-sapphire-radeon-hd-7970-vapor-x-ghz-edition-6000mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1000mhz-2048-cores-dp-2x-dvi-

Which one of these 3 are best? Or is there an even better 7970?

 

[g-unit1111]

Which would be the best 7970 to go for? I'm thinking either this gigabyte version with windforce cooler version: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-gigabyte-radeon-hd-7970-overclocked-5500mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1000mhz-2048-cores-dvi-i-hdmi-2x-mdp-

or this one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-msi-radeon-hd-7970-lightning-5600mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1070mhz-2048-cores-4x-mdp-2x-dvi-plus-free-g

or alternatively perhaps http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-sapphire-radeon-hd-7970-vapor-x-ghz-edition-6000mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1000mhz-2048-cores-dp-2x-dvi-

Which one of these 3 are best? Or is there an even better 7970?

I'd go with the Vapor X myself. Sapphire makes great cards.

 

[laskaqwerty]

I'd go with the Vapor X myself. Sapphire makes great cards.

Should I go for:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-297-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=

or

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-303-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=

 

[heizenbrg]

that looks like a good setup, just finished my rig, nh-d14 i5357k and the gigabyte geforce 670. I think choosing between the 7970 and the 670 was a trade-off. I got the new asus vg278he 144hz monitor that supports nvidia 3d vision, so I had to go with nvidia. keep in mind that amd's hd3d is not as good as nvidia's. G'skill sniper series ram work well with the noctua. Otherwise seems like a good build.

 

[laskaqwerty]

What's your opinion on sapphire vapor x vs msi lightning?

 

[heizenbrg]

What's your opinion on sapphire vapor x vs msi lightning?

If you're only running one monitor, unless it's one of those 1440p super high res monitors, the 7970 is a bit of an overkill, with 3gb of ram. Hell, even the 670 I bought is an overkill for what I have. But if you're really set on it, get the lightning ( vapor x seems to be discontinued on newegg and is also hard to get) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127670
you get 3 free games, the new hitman, medal of honor,etc, which seems pretty dope.

 

[laskaqwerty]

Do you reckon it would be worth snapping this up while it's £50 quid off? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-181-MS Will this really get any cheaper in the January sales?

Bear in mind this is a boosted version hence why it's slightly more originally!