Is this a good £700 gaming PC?

[ben631]

CPU: Intel i3-2120 Sandybridge Core i3 Dual-Core Processor ? 3.30GHz, 3MB Cache, Socket 1155, 3 Year Warranty, Retail Boxed
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004FA8NXM/ref=asc_df_B004FA8NXM9476704?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B004FA8NXM

Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP Motherboard (Socket 1155, Intel H77, DDR3, S-ATA 600, ATX)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-H77-MVP-Motherboard-Socket/dp/B007NOYCZ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346449845&sr=8-1

Memory: G.Skill 8GBXL Main Memory DDR3 8 GB PC1600 CL9 Ram Kit 2x 4 GB
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004I763AW/ref=asc_df_B004I763AW9476704?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B004I763AW

Storage: Seagate ST500DM002 3.5 inch 500GB Hard Drive (Serial-ATA, 6Gb/s, 16Mb, 7200RPM)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005GOTMR2/ref=asc_df_B005GOTMR29476704?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B005GOTMR2

Video Card: SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON HD6850 1GB DDR5 PCI EXPRESS GAMING PC GRAPHICS VIDEO CARD
http://www.envizage.com/products/16401-sapphire-ati-radeon-hd6850-1gb-ddr5-pci-express-graphics-video-card.html (sorry for the obscure website, couldn't find it anywhere else!)

Case: Antec Three Hundred Midi Case
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0017Q8IAA/ref=asc_df_B0017Q8IAA9476704?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B0017Q8IAA

Power Supply: Corsair 430W V2 CX Series PSU
http://www.ebuyer.com/271798-corsair-430w-v2-cx-series-psu-cmpsu-430cxv2uk

Optical Drive:  Sony Optical DVD-ROM, DDU1681S-0B, SATA, OEM
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/sony-ddu1681s-0b-18x-dvd-rom-smart-x-sata-black-oem

Monitor: ViewSonic VX2336S-LED 23 inch Full HD Widescreen LED Backlit LCD Monitor VX2336S-LED http://www.cclonline.com/product/74029/VX2336S-LED/Monitors/ViewSonic-VX2336S-LED-23-inch-Full-HD-Widescreen-LED-Backlit-LCD-Monitor/MON0808/

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-but (SP1) GFC-02050
http://www.cclonline.com/product/55272/GFC-02050/Operating-Systems/Microsoft-Windows-7-Home-Premium-64-bit-SP1-/SFT0066/?siteID=8BacdVP0GFs-25VXkiDSbeInkl5qO6s0mw

Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard (UK Layout)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Sidewinder-X4-Keyboard-Layout/dp/B0037KLSS8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346537020&sr=8-1

Mouse: Logitech G400 Optical Gaming Mouse
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-G400-Optical-Gaming-Mouse/dp/B00573Y2RC/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1346537082&sr=1-1

Mouse Mat: SteelSeries Surface QcK (PC)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steel-Series-63004-SteelSeries-Surface/dp/B000UEZ36W/ref=pd_bxgy_computers_text_b

Total=£724.22

This build will be used predominantly for gaming and I hope it will play most games at max settings (not including the more demanding games Crysis etc.) Please feel free to comment if you feel you can improve the build (maybe a cheaper motherboard?), all help will be much appreciated My budget is £650 - £700 and I really cannot exceed that.

 

[mocchan]

Someone did some research This is a very modest build that I would feel comfortable getting myself, however, if you could invest a little more money, I feel a Radeon HD7850 would last you longer than the HD6850.

 

[ben631]

Thankyou! I could invest a little more money I guess, but are prices of the HD7850 expected to drop anytime soon?

 

[mocchan]

Thankyou! I could invest a little more money I guess, but are prices of the HD7850 expected to drop anytime soon?

Actually, AMD actually dropped price on their cards recently, so I'm not too sure if they'll get any lower You could try looking for some deals on their HD7850's via rebates, however.

 

[ben631]

Actually, AMD actually dropped price on their cards recently, so I'm not too sure if they'll get any lower You could try looking for some deals on their HD7850's via rebates, however.

Ok, thanks a lot for your help, it is much appreciated

 

[mocchan]

You're very welcome!

If there is anything else I can assist you with, please let me know and I'll be more than happy to help you out!

 

[ben631]

Not sure if I should swap out the i3-2120/ ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP for this:
AMD HDZ965FBGMBOX Phenom II X4 965 - 3.4 Ghz AM3 Black Edition CPU, Retail Packaged
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002SRQ214/ref=asc_df_B002SRQ2149476704?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B002SRQ214
+
Asus M5A97 Motherboard (Socket AM3+, 4800MT/s, DDR3, ATX, True USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s Support)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0053GR9QY/ref=asc_df_B0053GR9QY9476704?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B0053GR9QY

And is this the best HD7850 or is there a better brand for this particular model? Sapphire HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games
Sapphire HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games [11200-07-20G]
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-295-SP&campaign=pcm/googleshopping&pup_c=gs

 

[ben631]

Or I could drop the Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard/Logitech G400 Optical Gaming mouse and buy a cheap keyboard and mouse bundle. Then I would have some money left over to buy the i5 2310?

 

[ben631]

bump

 

[metal orient]

As a suggestion:

From aria.co.uk
ARIANET StealthX Black Midi Tower Gaming Case
8GB Mushkin Enhanced BlackLine Frostbyte #996995 (2x4GB) 1600 (PC3-12800) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM CAS 9-9-9-24 1.5V
500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive
MICROSOFT Windows Home Premium 7 SP1 64-bit EN 1pk - OEM [GFC-02050]
Sony Optical 24x DVD Writer, AD-5280S-0B, SATA, Black, OEM
Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM
GIGABYTE GA-H61MA-D3V GEN3 Intel H61 (REV B3) Socket 1155 DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard
ARIANET Radeon HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card + FREE DIRT SHOWDOWN GAME!
550W OCZ ZS Series 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply
23" Dell UltraSharp U2312HM Widescreen IPS Monitor - Black
Microsoft Wired Keyboard 600

from amazon.co.uk:
logitech g400 mouse
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00573Y2RC/ref=asc_df_B00573Y2RC9491445?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B00573Y2RC

Total price (P&P, VAT inc) £722.15

I've chosen to get a more powerful GPU and nicer screen, the trade off being a cheap case, cheap keyboard (You don't need a particularly fancy one really) and an older motherboard (but it's still got all the mod cons you'd want in a new board).

 

[mocchan]

Or I could drop the Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard/Logitech G400 Optical Gaming mouse and buy a cheap keyboard and mouse bundle. Then I would have some money left over to buy the i5 2310?

I wouldn't really recommend the i5-2310; it's still a very fast CPU, however, it will most likely be held back by its low clock speed. If you were going for the i5-2310, I would rather recommend a Phenom II X4 965.

 

[metal orient]

Nah, for gaming the i5 2310 has the phenom licked:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,review-32368.html

I would stay with an i3 though as the money is better put towards the graphics card.