$1120/£700 budget for gaming PC

[TokyoNight]

Hi guys,

Just another guy here who needs some help building a PC. I built one myself a few years ago although I've forgotten much about what I need to do.

I'll be using this PC for heavy gaming primarily. I won't be using many resource-heavy programs except for maybe FRAPs.

I'll need a gaming keyboard, which BuildaPC doesn't seem to feature in their keyboard section, although I have plenty left over for one. I already have a mouse, pad and monitor.

Looking at overclocking options.

Not sure whether to get Windows 8 - or even where I can buy it, I can't find it on Microsoft's website except for the upgrade version. If I do get Windows 8, what do people think of this article which talks about the problems the 7950 has been having? http://techreport.com/review/24022/does-the-radeon-hd-7950-stumble-in-windows-8%5D%28linky%29

This is just what I've picked which looked nice, admittedly, from a quick glance on the BuildaPC website. Any cc is welcome!

PS, some guy recommended I switch the 965/7950 with an i5/660ti, any opinion on this?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£67.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS7000C-Cu Ball Bearing CPU Cooler (£17.86 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£56.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.54 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£199.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Inwin Fanqua ATX Mid Tower Case (£50.38 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£71.58 @ Scan.co.uk)
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) (£69.83 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £626.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-18 12:33 GMT+0000)

Approximate Purchase Date: End of Jan
Budget Range: $1120/£700 after shipping
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, the rest
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: The most common sites in the UK
Overclocking: Yes
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

 

[AMD Radeon]

keep i5 and 7950, no need to OC as i5 is able to handle any GPU without bottleneck

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£130.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£45.30 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.54 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£199.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Inwin Fanqua ATX Mid Tower Case (£50.38 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£71.58 @ Scan.co.uk)
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) (£69.83 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £660.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-18 13:23 GMT+0000)

 

[TokyoNight]

keep i5 and 7950, no need to OC as i5 is able to handle any GPU without bottleneck

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£130.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£45.30 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.54 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£199.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Inwin Fanqua ATX Mid Tower Case (£50.38 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£71.58 @ Scan.co.uk)
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) (£69.83 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £660.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-18 13:23 GMT+0000)

Hi, thanks for the reply - I'm assuming a cooler won't be necessary then?

Also, I got this warning message "MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard and Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor are not compatible." Can you recommend another MB?

Edit: Nevermind just saw you changed the MB.

 

[TokyoNight]

Delete

 

[mikerockett]

Hi, thanks for the reply - I'm assuming a cooler won't be necessary then?

Also, I got this warning message "MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard and Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor are not compatible." Can you recommend another MB?

That's because the mobo you selected is for AMD. If you use the mobo AMD Radeon selected it is compatible.

AMD radeon has a good build although i would suggest you get the i5 3470 and a different case. The case is purely subjective though, you get something that you like.

 

[TokyoNight]

That's because the mobo you selected is for AMD. If you use the mobo AMD Radeon selected it is compatible.

AMD radeon has a good build although i would suggest you get the i5 3470 and a different case. The case is purely subjective though, you get something that you like.

Hi,

Yeah I've changed the case after reading some reviews of its poor cable management. Are there any distant advantages of getting the 3470 over the 3350P?

How's this so far(with or without the cooler)?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£130.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS7000C-Cu Ball Bearing CPU Cooler (£17.86 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£45.30 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.54 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£199.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£71.58 @ Scan.co.uk)
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) (£69.83 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £672.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-18 13:52 GMT+0000)

 

[mikerockett]

Hi,

Yeah I've changed the case after reading some reviews of its poor cable management. Are there any distant advantages of getting the 3470 over the 3350P?

How's this so far(with or without the cooler)?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£130.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS7000C-Cu Ball Bearing CPU Cooler (£17.86 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£45.30 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.54 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£199.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£71.58 @ Scan.co.uk)
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) (£69.83 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £672.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-18 13:52 GMT+0000)

There's not a vast amount between the two CPU's but there's not much cost difference ~£10.

As you haven't chosen a CPU that is unlocked you don't need an after market cooler as the stock cooler will do you just fine.

 

[TokyoNight]

There's not a vast amount between the two CPU's but there's not much cost difference ~£10.

As you haven't chosen a CPU that is unlocked you don't need an after market cooler as the stock cooler will do you just fine.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/yemB
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/yemB/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/yemB/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£142.20 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£45.30 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.54 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£199.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£71.58 @ Scan.co.uk)
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) (£69.83 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £666.17
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-18 14:10 GMT+0000)

Also, If I do get Windows 8, should I be concerned about this article which talks about the problems the 7950 has been having with W8? http://techreport.com/review/24022/does-the-radeon-hd-7950-stumble-in-windows-8

 

[AMD Radeon]

hey i just saw that cooler and i am sorry to say this : that cooler is worst than stock fan from intel. some years ago i loved its design and decided to buy, fortunately i read some reviews and i choose tower style cooler

if you want better cooler, get 212 evo

edit : aaaah finally you get rid the zalman hsf

 

[mikerockett]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/yemB
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/yemB/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/yemB/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£142.20 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£45.30 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£35.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.54 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£199.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£71.58 @ Scan.co.uk)
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) (£69.83 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £666.17
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-18 14:10 GMT+0000)

Also, If I do get Windows 8, should I be concerned about this article which talks about the problems the 7950 has been having with W8? http://techreport.com/review/24022/does-the-radeon-hd-7950-stumble-in-windows-8

Not gonna lie, i didn't read the article. If there is an issue then they're not gonna sit on there ass with it, there'll be a fix short enough if there hasn't been one already. The build looks solid.