Help with £400-600 Gaming build please

[d_turburville]

Hi all,
My current system is detailed here

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.86ghz Socket 775 FSB800 2MB Cache
M/B - Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
RAM - Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 6400C5 TwinX Dual Channel (TWIN2X2048-6400)
GPU - HIS HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 DVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Graphics Card
HDD - Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache
PSU - Ebuyer Extra Value Gold 600W 12cm Fan Silent PSU - PFC 20+4pin
HSF - Zalman CNPS7000B-Cu Ultra-Quiet CPU Cooler - Retail (HS-007-ZA)
Case - Antec Sonata Midi Tower in Piano Black
Monitor - Xerox XM3-22WB 22" Widescreen (1680 x 1050 WSXGA+) 5ms 1000:1 Black MultiMedia TFT Monitor

I am looking to upgrade to something that can play some of the later games a bit better. I will now follow the *How To Ask For New Build Advice* guide as helpfully posted on this forum.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Over the next month perhaps

BUDGET RANGE: (e.g.: 600-800) UK £400-600

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, speakers, OS, HDD, Graphics Card

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.ebuyer.co.uk, www.overclockers.co.uk (I have used both in the past but not too bothered.)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK

PARTS PREFERENCES: No real preference, just looking for performance and price

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I could probably do with a better screen but have no idea what is good for gaming atm.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would prefer a quiet PC

Many thanks for your help,
DT

 

[asteldian]

Asus P7P55D E Pro - £163.97
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gig [...] s-RAID-ATX

i5 750 - £158

Dual Layer DVD Drive - £13.88
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Sam [...] -Black-OEM

Case - £25.24
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Xcl [...] -Side-Fan!

Or if you want something extra sexy - HAF 922 - £76.35
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Coolermaster-HAF-922-Black-Mid-Tower-Case-with-20cm-Silent-Fan-w-o-PSU

XFX 650W PSU - £69.99
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/191826

G Skill Ripjaw RAM - £97.99
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/180490

Total: £529.07

Total: (with expensive case) £580.18


Depending on which you go with (there are plenty of cases you can pick in between those prices) you will have enough for a Cooler in case you Overclock. The motherboard is USB/SAT III and Crossfire capable so in future if you want to add a second 5770 you can (likely not needed until you get a 1920 x 1080 resolution screen)

 

[d_turburville]

Cheers Asteldian,
Is it worth it to goto 1920 x 1080 and get a new monitor in your opinion?
Also is that CPU good for overclocking then?
Thanks,
DT

 

[asteldian]

The i5 750 is an overclocking beast, I believe some get it to 4ghz stable.

1920 x 1080 is a nice resolution, but it is not important, just a nice to have some time in the future, if you are happy with your current resolution there is no reason to buy another monitor at all - if you were using a 1280 x 768 or something I would say get a new monitor, but yours is a good resolution.

Also, I know I gave www.scan.co.uk links despite your preference being ebuyer and overclockers, I just used scan as it is a site I tend to buy all my parts from (except RAM) so I am most familiar with it, but you can buy from anywhere you want.

The reason I went with a PSU more powerful than you need is because
a) It has a £15 discount so is a great buy for a good quality PSU
b) It gives plenty of room for you to Overclock your system and run two 5770s.
c) You can probably get away with using it if you build another computer in a few years time (assuming your next build was only using one card)

 

[d_turburville]

Cheers again Asteldian