£800 Gaming PC for Uni

[RCjet]

Community,

I am going to University in September and i would like a new Gaming orientated PC for when i go. I do not often boot my PC (only for updates) so the SSD cashing does not appeal. I may go SLI in the future when the chosen 560Ti starts to strain. Finally, in the future i may use 2 monitors however the second would not be for gaming.


Approximate Purchase Date: Before the end of the week

Budget Range: ~£800

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Internet, Office tasks

Parts Not Required: mouse, speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: novatech or ebuyer

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Parts Preferences: Nvidia because of superior driver support.

Overclocking: Yes but not often

SLI or Crossfire: In the future yes but not now

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080


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Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K - £159.98


Motherboard: Asrock Z68 EXTREME4 - £140.45


Memory: G-Skill 8Gb 1600MHz - £64.63


Hard Disk: Samsung Spin Point 1Tb - £40.98


Optical Drive: LiteOn 24x DVD+/-RW - £15.98


Graphics: MSI GTX 560Ti TWIN FROZR - £191.94


Power Supply: XFX Pro 750W - £71.86


Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium - £68.15


HeatSink: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus - £18.98


I have not yet chosen a case yet so i would like to know your opinions on them (maybe Zalman Z9 )

I have also not chosen a monitor (would like 1080P at ~24") or a keyboard (nothing too expensive)

I welcome any feedback on my build and thanks for reading

 

[mjmjpfaff]

looks good except you dont need a z68 board just the p67 version

 

[RCjet]

doesn't the Z68 version allow use of the integrated HD 3000 graphics?

 

[RCjet]

I think ive changed my mind with the GPU, might go with the Radeon 6950 (don't know which make to choose tho). Opinions please

As for a case i like the Antec 900 but that might be a little overkill as i don't want to spend too much there.

for a monitor this Samsung looks pretty good but not too sure what to be looking for in one...

 

[Voozy]

For my £650 gaming pcthat im going to be making on the week end i am using this :

GPU: £185 - Gigabyte HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI Dual DP Out PCI-E Graphics Card
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/251205

Case: £54 - Coolermaster HAF 912 Plus Case
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/239757


The graphics card is long length wise but i have been told that the case has enough room for the card.

 

[RCjet]

Thanks Voozy that's a much better GPU imo (can't update my first post :/)

as for the case i'm not a fan of the collermaster's in general.

looking at other builds im wondering if this gigabyte mobo is better than the Asrock in my first post.

 

[CasualNinja]

anybody?

 

[CasualNinja]

wrong thread... sorry

 

[mjmjpfaff]

doesn't the Z68 version allow use of the integrated HD 3000 graphics?

why would you want to use the integrated graphics when the discrete is far bettet?

 

[RCjet]

well i was actually wondering if on the Z68 boards, the integrated and the dedicated graphics could both work at the same time, kind of like SLI/CrossfireX?

 

[metal orient]

No i don't believe they do. The discrete card will just power down when you don't use it.

Why is it you only want to use ebuyer and novatech?

I would wouldn't buy the OEM windows 7, but if you know what you're buying that's fine.

 

[ps3hacker12]

yeah but z68 since it lets you use Lucid Virtu technology, which switches beetween the dedicated and integrated depending on use. eg when gaming it will go to the dedicated, when web browsing it will switch to integrated, this is a great way of saving energy, heat (less heat in your casing) and the life of your GPU.

 

[metal orient]

Decided to see if i could get it a little cheaper using Aria,scan and ebuyer:

CPU Intel Core i5-2500K
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/Intel+Core+I5+%281155%29/Intel+Core+i5-2500K+3.30GHz+%28Sandybridge%29+Socket+LGA1155+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=43216

GPU XFX 6950
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/XFX+ATI+Radeon+6950+2048MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=44532

DVDRW Liteon
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Blu-Ray+%2F+DVD+Drives/DVD%C2%B1RW+Dual+Layer+Writers/Lite+On+DVD+Writer%2C+IHAS124%2C+SATA%2C+Black%2C+OEM+24x+Speed+?productId=40154

PSU,RAM,OS and MB were as cheap as i could find (same as you used).

Came to £775, if you got an MSI GTX560Ti you could knock off £20 (from Aria).

If you plan to include a case and monitor in you £800 budget you'll need to use less powerful components.

 

[metal orient]

Whoops double post