Another (sorry) which PC is best for me?

NovaInfuse

NovaInfuse

NovaInfuse

Associate
Joined
10 Mar 2010
Posts
6
I'm going to be buying a computer and want it to 1) last a while 2) be able to run high-demanding games.
The main games I want it to run "well" on are: Battlefield 3 (specs here: http://enterbf3.com/battlefield-3-minimum-requirements.php), Empire Total War, Shogan 2 Total War, Crysis 2, ArmA 2, Just Cause 2 and Bad Company 2.
Bold are priorities.

My budget is £1000-ish. I'm happy to go over, but by not much; which is why I'm deciding between the two:

Computer 1
-----------
Custom built from OCUK:

Case: Coolermaster CM690-II Advanced Case - Black
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz Quad Core Hyperthreading Processor
Cooler: Corsair Hydro H50-1 Watercooling Kit
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard **B3 REVISION**
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaw X 8GB 1600MHz C9 Memory Kit
Graphics Card: OcUK GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 2TB SATA 6Gb/s HDD
PSU: Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold 1000w Power Supply
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Total price: £1,300
Click to expand...

Two questions from this:
- Is the i7 worth it? Or can I just get an i5?
- Is the make of RAM a good one - "RipJaw"?

Computer 2
------------

Case: Coolermaster HAF X Case
PSU: Corsair TX 750W (Is this a bit low?)
CPU: Intel Core i7 (THIS IS OVERCLOCKED AT 4.60GHz)
Motherboard: Asus P8p67 Intel P67 PRO
Cooler: Corsair H50 CPU Cooler
RAM: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB)
Hard Drive: WD 500GB
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 550i
Click to expand...

Total Price: £1080

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-041-OP&groupid=43&catid=1961&subcat=
(No SLI, No SSD, OS: W7 Home)

There are three concerns:
1. It is specifically designed for Crysis 2? Is that a downside for the other games?
2. There is only 4gb of RAM - Is 6gb really needed over it?
3. I know next to nothing about overclocking, and this is overclocked. I've heard overclocking can cause some problems - or is at least the root to some problems.

Both are 3d, which is something I really want.

The reason that I'm doubting the first, is that it is quite a bit more expensive.

Any and all help is appreciated.
 
Last edited:
2600K will not benefit games. 2500 =2600 (more or less) as far as gaming is concerned. So if you want to save money then go for a 2500k. You will see no difference gaming. The 2600 will be lots better if you do a lot of video editing/encoding.

That ram is decent stuff. 4G is adequate for now.

Crysis specific? No it's not a downside for other games. I suspect they mean it was designed specifically to make sure it would play Crysis 2 [as well as other games too].

Have you considered building your own? It's cheaper and ensures all components are to your own specification.
 
The GPU in Computer 2 is rather low/mid end and will struggle with demanding games at a high resolution. The GTX 570 on the other hand will provide much better performance.

If I had to pick one to "run high-demanding games" it would be Computer 1.

Regarding your other questions:

1. You can't really design a system for a particular game. I would say it's just a marketing ploy and it won't be a disadvantage.

2. 4GB is plenty for pretty much anything you want to do.

3. Overclocking the 1155 socket CPUs is a breeze ( another reason to get Computer 1 ). The only problems you will run into is if you use very very silly settings or have poor cooling.
 
Thanks both of you, for the replies.

I sort of went to a middle ground option:

Case: Coolermaster CM690-II Advanced Case
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz
Cooler: Corsair Hydro H50-1
Motherboard: Gigabyte P67 A-UD3 Intel P67
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaw X 4GB 1600MHz C7
Graphics Card: OcUK GeForce 1280MB GDDR5
HardDrive: WD 1TB
PSU: Corsair TX 850w
Click to expand...

Is that sustainable?
 
If you want to drop a grand or more on a PC then I would recommend you include an SSD in addition to the "mechanical" hard-drive (such as the WD 1Tb).
Put your O/S and programs on the SSD and use the other drive for your data.
 
Tonester007 said:
If you want to drop a grand or more on a PC then I would recommend you include an SSD in addition to the "mechanical" hard-drive (such as the WD 1Tb).
Put your O/S and programs on the SSD and use the other drive for your data.
Click to expand...

Surely I would be adding money, as I'm adding additions to the purchase?

An SSD 120GB is £135 more and the HD is £12.50
 
Here's another "£1000 build" spec.

YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK Motherboard Bundle - Intel Core i5 2500K & Asus P8P67 Intel P67 Mainboard **B3 Revision** £263.99
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 480 "Special Edition" 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £224.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD C300 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1) £99.98
1 x Fractal Design Define XL Full Tower Case - Black Pearl ** SAME PRICE AS THE SMALLER R3 CASE ** £94.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £79.99
1 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM) £77.99
1 x Corsair TX 650W ATX SLi Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-650TXUK) £69.98
1 x Antec Kúhler H2O 620 CPU Watercooler (Socket Intel LGA 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AMD AM2 / AM3 / AM2+ / AM3+) £50.99
1 x Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £39.98
1 x Samsung SH-S223C/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £1,033.38 (includes shipping : £13.75).



Lots of variations really. The Antec Kuhler is not yet available but can be purchased at a later date while you stick to retail cooler and stock clocks (plenty fast already). Or replaced by a air cooler. The case can be cheaper (HAF 912, CM 680 II), but a good case is always welcome if you can afford it. The XL Define is full tower, has sound proofing, in the same range you have the Lancool PC-K62, but I just like to mix it up a bit.

The GTX 480, although not latest tech, is a bargain for the price. This one has some funky cooling, the reference design GTX 480 can be a bit noisy and hot.

650W is plenty for the rig, but may struggle with SLI, which is overkill with single display gaming anyway.

SSD for OS and applications. Makes using the computer for browsing and productivity real comfortable. Can add a couple games there. A SSD for gaming is overkill imo.

8GB because it's good value.
 
Last edited:
NovaInfuse said:
Surely I would be adding money, as I'm adding additions to the purchase?
An SSD 120GB is £135 more and the HD is £12.50
Click to expand...

Yes, but your initial specs varied from £1000 to £1300, so I assumed you could add a bit more. As OR has pointed out, you can get a £1000 build with a 64Gb SSD, which is enough for O/S and programs :)

NovaInfuse said:
Thanks for the above.
In regards to the GPU, which one is better?
GTX 560 TI
or
GTX 570?
Click to expand...

Comparison of those two cards here: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/330?vs=306
Cheers :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom