Advice for a new mini power house

[Idleman]

This is what you would be looking at, xfire capablemATX mobo and an i5 to OC.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £99.95
1 x Silverstone Grandia GD05 Desktop HTPC Case - Black (SST-GD05B USB3.0) £79.99
1 x XFX Pro Series 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £74.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £39.95
1 x **B Grade** Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-252-SE) £30
Total : £518.96 (includes shipping : £11.75).



Sorry, should have said at least 750W for xfire 7950.

YOUR BASKET
1 x XFX Pro Series 750W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £84.98
Total : £95.48 (includes shipping : £8.75).

 

[RetroFan]

This is what you would be looking at, xfire capablemATX mobo and an i5 to OC.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £99.95
1 x Silverstone Grandia GD05 Desktop HTPC Case - Black (SST-GD05B USB3.0) £79.99
1 x XFX Pro Series 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £74.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £39.95
1 x **B Grade** Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-252-SE) £30
Total : £518.96 (includes shipping : £11.75).



Sorry, should have said at least 750W for xfire 7950.

YOUR BASKET
1 x XFX Pro Series 750W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £84.98
Total : £95.48 (includes shipping : £8.75).

This thread and your time is worth it's weight in gold to me right now!
Thank you... If I could add rep or give internets or something I would

You have helped me so much!

Ok,
So in this case, I think the system you built here is perfect!
It's over budget, but it's upgradable!
I can use 2 cards, get a few years of console ports out of it with some over clocking and I'll stick in 2x 3GB HD7950's for all my gaming needs.

I just want to move away from consoles, over to pc gaming but with the ease of console gaming and the small foot print.

The above spec could pretty much solve that for a few years to come!

Honesty bro, I can't stress enough just how much your knowledge has helped me over the last few days! You should get commission!

Well,
I think this, plus a new wheel and pedals too and I'm going to have me some fun

So,
Before I go...
Just to be sure...
With the spec above.

Will this all fit inside the case? (when I add 2 7950)
Will I need anything else other than what's listed above?
Will this spec be left in the dark in comparison to a ps4? (not looking for people to fight over this, what I mean is... If raceclub for example, came out on PC, would this spec run it at least as good as a console) or is my spec going to look like a spectrum in 2 years, in comparison to consoles?

Do over lockers offer. "we will build it service"
Do I need a sound card? Will adding one gain me more fps or can I just bitstream DD/DTS via my HDMI at no cost to the CPU/GPU?

And finally,
If you were limited to this space, and the restrictions on placement, noise etc that I am... is this what YOU would build?

Knowing what you know about all these parts and from your experience, going etc... What would you do differently (if anything) if you had to build this for a living room, in this particular PC Tower/Case.. Would you personally do it (anything) any differently?

I value your opinion and just want to know I'm not burning money in any wrong ways...

Thanks again for everything

 

[Idleman]

First thing and I should have asked this earlier, will there be enough air circulating in the cabinet where i will be housed?

Will this all fit inside the case? (when I add 2 7950)

Yes, provided the card(s) is(are) no longer than 11"

Will I need anything else other than what's listed above?

If you plan to OC the Cpu, then a low profile cooler would be recommended. Although you can do this at a later date when funds permit.

Will this spec be left in the dark in comparison to a ps4? (not looking for people to fight over this, what I mean is... If raceclub for example, came out on PC, would this spec run it at least as good as a console) or is my spec going to look like a spectrum in 2 years, in comparison to consoles?

This I can`t answer, as I know absolutely nothing about Raceclub or about how the new generation of consoles will compare.

Do I need a sound card? Will adding one gain me more fps or can I just bitstream DD/DTS via my HDMI at no cost to the CPU/GPU?

I would just see how it goes to start. But if you feel or need a sound card, you can always do so. I personally have never used one, as my speakers are good enough for me, using the onboard sound.

If you were limited to this space, and the restrictions on placement, noise etc that I am... is this what YOU would build?

If there were no other alternative and having a tower is definitely out of the question, then YES. But as I mentioned earlier, Ventilation is very important. If the back of your cabinet is open you will be all right. Just ensure there is sufficient room around the case for air to circulate.

 

[RetroFan]

Hey,

Not sure how long the cards are, but I'm guessing they should be less than 11" as they are just the default oem speck.

Space/room is a serious commodity, the rear of the cabinet is 90% closed (sealed wood with a small gap) but the front is 100% open. Heat will mot likely be an issue for me hence a HTPC style build. The cabinet is apx 6.5" tall and 15" wide and deep. So it will have a small surrounding but I'm hoping it's enough :-/

A tower is impossible no way I could have that in the front room

I ment driveclub not raceclub :blush: but as long as I can play 1080p 60fps for a few years, I'll be happy. Rumour has it ps4 is aiming for 1080p 30...

Thanks again bro,
You've cleared up loads of questions, I can't stress enough how much I appreciate that!
I think I'm going to go for this build you have made, I'll double check all measurements etc and then hopefully I'll be able to build the dam thing

 

[Idleman]

Just double check measurements of the components will fit in the case, especially Gpu and Psu. Even nip round to a local PC shop a, take your tape measure and see for yourself, better safe than sorry. Silverstone also make Psus that will fit but are a little more expensive. Shop around, there are some bargains to be had and money to save.
If you get stuck or need any other advice, drop me a note via trust.
Well good luck.

 

[RetroFan]

Will do,
Thanks again