Gaming Build, need opinions

[patrykpatrick]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week (the closer the better)

Budget Range: £800, the less the better but I still want a good rig that will last me 2 years or so.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Photoshop and Music Creation

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: New Build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: novatech.co.uk, scan.co.uk, on the lesser parts like case and fans ebay.co.uk or amazon.co.uk

Location: City, State/Region, Country - we need to know where these parts are being assembled and whether there are good store-only deals available

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, GTX 670 or 660 ti, Nvidia

Overclocking: No, I would only consider an overclocked GPU but I'm not sure. Will it damage it and make it last less?

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution:1920x1080

Additional Comments:

Need a strong PC that will last me a few years in Gaming. Here's a rough list of games I want my PC to run at ultra/high and at minimum but would prefer not to, medium settings. Battlefield 3, Civ 5, Company of Heroes 2, GTA V, Skyrim, and more. I play a lot of strategy, first person shooters and open world games.

I'm stuck between the GTX 660 ti and GTX 670. I want to make it as cheap as possible while still running most games at high settings. Also do I need to get thermal paste? Here is a build I made.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/motherboards/intel1155z77chipset/z77a-g45.html
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/processors/intel3rdgencorei3,i5andi71155socket/bx80637i53570.html
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/memory-pc/ddr3-pc3-12800/1600mhz/cmz8gx3m1a1600c10.html
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/cxs500w-uk.html
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cases/cases/rc-430-kwn1.html
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/motherboards/intel1155z77chipset/z77a-g45.html
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/nvidiageforcegraphicscards/nvidiagtx670keplerseries/n670gtx-pm2d2gd5oc.html
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cooling/fans/100mmplus/4044951005796.html x2
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cooling/cm-rr-tx3e-22pk-r1.html

It comes up to about £850 which is too much. I would love to go down to £750 or even less.


And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My laptop sucks.

 

[g-unit1111]

For that budget you can definitely do better - especially if you're not going to overclock. The Hyper TX3 is no better than the stock fan and you don't need it, or the extra case fans if you're not going to overclock - instead invest that money in a better case than an Elite 430.

Try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£142.20 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£63.18 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.30 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.20 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (£299.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£62.54 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£67.10 @ Ebuyer)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£12.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £725.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-23 20:20 GMT+0000)

 

[butremor]

i5 3470 for cpu
CM 212 evo for cooler and there will be thermal paste with it
asrock h77m for mobo
dont see a link for hdd
gtx 670 would be a nice catch and would last you a long few solid years

 

[patrykpatrick]

Thanks, but I think I'd like a 1TB Hard Drive. You also forgot about Windows 8, but since it will come up to around £800 that will work great.

 

[Au_equus]

if you get an unOC'able CPU there's no need for an aftermarket heatsink. the stock heatsink will be fine and you can save £20 there.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks, but I think I'd like a 1TB Hard Drive. You also forgot about Windows 8, but since it will come up to around £800 that will work great.

Adjusted accordingly:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£142.20 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£63.18 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.30 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£57.59 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (£299.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.74 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£67.10 @ Ebuyer)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£12.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£67.99 @ Aria PC)
Total: £793.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-23 21:46 GMT+0000)

 

[patrykpatrick]

Very nice! Thanks so much. So I'm guessing Windows 7 would be the better choice?

 

[g-unit1111]

Very nice! Thanks so much. So I'm guessing Windows 7 would be the better choice?

I use both - I like Windows 7 far better than 8.

 

[patrykpatrick]

I found an OEM copy of Windows 7 on eBay for £40. Will this be the same as if I bought it from Aria?