advice on gaming pc build (noob alert)

First of all i would just like to say hi to everyone as im new here and new to the world of building computers.

I have been after a new pc for a while as my old computer died a horrible death a while ago and i've been using my grans laptop since (don't worry she doesn't even know how to switch it on).

I have done a little research and from what i can see overclockers.co.uk seems the best place to buy.

My pc needs will be purely for gaming and and with a big interest in keeping the majority of the components for aslong as posible without having to buy a complete system again

Anyway i have put together a list of bits which i think would suit me nicely and i would like your opinions bearing in mind i have no clue what i'm doing.

I have not included a sound card as i didn't even know where to start

If i have made a mistake or missed something out or if i could get something better for cheaper then please let me know

i look forward to your comments and becoming part of this forum.

Kind regards

Joe

One thing I would change is the SSD to the Crucial below:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-007-CR&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=910

Part from the above the spec looks good.

wow how were u able to read that list of items ..bah must be getting old as cant see em

Me neither but i see an i7 with an SSD for a gaming build.
Shoot me down if im wrong but i7 is not worth the extra dollar when it comes to games
i5/Phenom is where its at.
SSD is an amazing upgrade (apparently) but i like to look at it as a luxury rather than a necessity.
How big is the monitor you will be gaming on? And what resolution?

Hello and welcome to the forums mate.

Sounds like your budget is around £1000? if my eye sight isnt letting me down.
Agree with w1llyg that i5 will be more than suffice for gaming, and better to spend money on a better graphics card.

Also with SSD, it wont make a dramatic improvement to gaming, largely the improvements will be in OS loading and game loading times.

As for sound cards, most motherboards will have on board sound so unless you really have the need for it you may as well stick to onboard.

For a gaming rig i would go along the lines of an i5 system with a GTX 460.

Also depends on what resolution you will be gaming at.

P.S if you wait 3-6weeks the new ATi Cards will be out soon the 6000 series. Which are going to be pretty awesome
It will also push the price of the nvidia cards and old ati card dwn in price

hi,
I think SSD is a must as an improvement from buying a PC off the shelf, games load so much quicker . But you will want a higher capacity HDD for storage or games you play occasionally.
My son has that case, it made a nice tidy build.
My eyesight is struggling, but maybe you could save a bit on the mobo with a 1156 ?
The cooler should get you addicted to O/Cing too :0

Agree with swapping the SSD for the crucial. Gives very fast load times for games, difference is night and day.

As the others have said, an over clocked i5 is perfect for gaming. I nearly went for the i7 but happy with my decision to go i5

shadow_boxer said:

Agree with w1llyg that i5 will be more than suffice for gaming, and better to spend money on a better graphics card.

For a gaming rig i would go along the lines of an i5 system with a GTX 460.

Click to expand...

why did u say to drop to i5 and put extra into gpu
and then go on and spec him an i5 with the same gpu
he had for the i7 build a 460. surly you would then bump
him to a 470 atleast with the money saved.

@OP

if you have the money then go i7 because who knows wot
games r going to bring 18months down the line. they could
easy start to use more of the i7 power. at least u have a chance
of popping a hexcore in ur build in the future. you never know
things fall off the back of lorrys at times and u might get lucky.
better having an outside chance than no chance at all with an i5 build

im planning on keeping my GPU well uptodate and im worried about
the cpu to be the first bottleneck issue if i decide to crossfire or sli
2 highend cards. i read a review that a 1055T @4ghz and sli 480s couldnt keep up with an i7 and weaker gpu. so im doubting AMD now.
this may or may not be similar to an i5 18months down the line i dont no because i havent read into it yet.

in the end this is my opinion and ur the OP so its up to u

gl with build m8

Joe P said:

big interest in keeping the majority of the components for aslong as posible without having to buy a complete system again

Click to expand...

this also rules out the 460. a single 460 is over the hill
slightly so the only way is down from now. he would have
to sli them to make it worthwhile and thats gonna cost the
guts of 300 so he may aswell get a single 470 and sli that in the future.

@Jake
Can you send me a link to where an i7 beats an i5 with a weaker GPU...

EDIT
/1055t

w1llyg said:

@jake
Can you send me a link to where an i7 beats an i5 with a weaker GPU...

EDIT
/1055t

Click to expand...

part of conclusion...

Determined to fit a six-core processor into this month’s $2000 PC with no sacrifice in GPU muscle, we tried AMD’s Phenom II X6 1055T…and failed. Even at 4 GHz, the system couldn’t keep up with June’s Core i7 quad-core chip, a system that was also “handicapped” by its lower-priced graphics cards.

link

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-cpu-build-a-pc,2700.html

the june setup was an i7 930 and 470 sli.

this is my spec for you m8.

this is only the 2nd spec ive ever posted on this forum
because ive only been here about a month. so if you would
rather listen to more experienced members then by all means.

this build gives u a solid foundation and the potential to add rather than remove.

additions: SSD and further 470

wot you dont want to be removing in 18months: i5 and 460

u could spend around £25 extra and get urself a i7 950 but thats up to u.

the evga 470 was my choice because of the lifetime warranty
if you add another 470 a bit down the line wen they r even cheaper
that will take ther combined use potential "over" 3 years i would think,, and
most if not all of the other 470s only have 2 and 3 year warranty max

i think an 850W psu could handle 470SLi but i would like sum1
who knows ther power to confirm this for u.

i picked the case because it wot u picked in the orginal build.

in addition you didnt specify a budget and your original build total was around the same
as this build. so to me the chance of you adding to this looks good

gl

thanks for all the input people i wasn't expecting such a good response

sorry for the screen dump i didn't realise it was going to be that small and i didn't have time to fix it this morning

my budget is around the 1k mark give or take... i can alway spead the build over 2 months.

as for a sound card i would like a 7.1 card with a digital out so i can make use of my turtle beach x41 headset but i'm not too sure if these are available or what alternatives there are

until i can afford a decent spec monitor i will be using my tv as a monitor, its a 37" 1080p panasonic viera (cant remember the model)

also the thinking behind me going for an i7 rather than an i5 was purely to make the system last as long as possible

ok taking all of your comment into consideration i have altered my spec and potential lightened my wallet by another 100 notes

hopefully you can see this one...




WOO it worked

you should get a 930 to run as quick as the 950, saving a few £
I would go ati card the red matches the case !!!!
what monitor are u using ?

you should get a 930 to run as quick as the 950, saving a few £
I would go ati card the red matches the case !!!!

Joe P said:

until i can afford a decent spec monitor i will be using my tv as a monitor, its a 37" 1080p panasonic viera (cant remember the model)

Click to expand...

im looking long term i.e. 2-3 years of not spending much after the initial 1k

Joe P said:

im looking long term i.e. 2-3 years of not spending much after the initial 1k

Click to expand...

If its with the tv, are you thinking of using it as a HTPC too?

timciren said:

If its with the tv, are you thinking of using it as a HTPC too?

Click to expand...

HTPC? sorry