another build for a friend :)

[S.A.S]

sorry about this but my friends asking for a new PC build for around £750 he is only going to use it for gaming, skype and web surfing. all he needs is the base unit and a keyboard and mouse. he has windows and a monitor. this is like my 4th build post in the last few weeks so sorry if im getting annoying.

 

[Sparx]

Pick your own keyboard, personally I don't think there are any nice budget gaming keyboards.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £167.99
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ FARCRY3, Nexuiz & Sleeping Dogs PC Games £155.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £108.98
1 x Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £81.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £66.66
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M High Performance 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020001-UK) £59.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £25.99
1 x Steelseries Ikari Optical Mouse (62000) £22.98
Total : £723.55 (includes shipping : FREE).

 

[honosuseri]

Pick your own keyboard, personally I don't think there are any nice budget gaming keyboards.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £167.99
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ FARCRY3, Nexuiz & Sleeping Dogs PC Games £155.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £108.98
1 x Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £81.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £66.66
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M High Performance 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020001-UK) £59.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £25.99
1 x Steelseries Ikari Optical Mouse (62000) £22.98
Total : £723.55 (includes shipping : FREE).

More expensive SLI\Xfire mobo but only a 550W PSU? :/

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7950 IceQ 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795Q3G2M) with FREE FARCRY3, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs & 20% off MOH Warfighter PC Games £227.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £66.66
1 x PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply - White £59.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - White/Blue £43.99
1 x Thermalright HR-02 Macho CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1156/LGA1155/LGA1366) £29.18
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £25.99
1 x Steelseries Ikari Optical Mouse (62000) £22.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
1 x OcUK Black Gaming Keyboard (5105GU) £10.99
Total : £749.75 (includes shipping : FREE).



He might want to add an SSD sometime down the line but that's what I would look at building

 

[cmndr_andi]

+1 for Sparx's build - very nice

edit: Hono's is also very nice with the higher-end GPU - though I would personally be tempted by the SSD.

You may want to consider the Logitech G500 mouse - since it is a really nice gaming mouse and is a pretty sweet deal at £35 right now.

Does he need speakers/mic/headset?

 

[Sparx]

More expensive SLI\Xfire mobo but only a 550W PSU? :/

And? 550W is plenty.. The Z77X-D3H is a nice board if he intends to overclock at any point. Although the Z77-D3H is still more than capable, to be fair I could've picked that to make it £29 lighter.

Hono's build is also good with the 7950. An SSD would be more beneficial, but it's best to spend the £££ now on the GPU and add an SSD later.

 

[Uncle Petey]

He might want to add an SSD sometime down the line but that's what I would look at building

I'd agree with that. Rather get the best GPU within budget now and stick an ssd later.

Wouldn't mind knowing what games he plays and what monitor resolution he's using.

 

[Sparx]

I've revised my build so it looks more appealing with a 7950. I've also kept a 60GB SSD in there. Adding a keyboard of yours/his choice will put it a touch over but it'll be worth it.

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7950 IceQ 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795Q3G2M) with FREE FARCRY3, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs & 20% off MOH Warfighter PC Games £227.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £66.66
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M High Performance 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020001-UK) £59.99
1 x Intel 330 Series 60GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £52.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £25.99
1 x Steelseries Ikari Optical Mouse (62000) £22.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £751.56 (includes shipping : FREE).

 

[Uncle Petey]

A fair compromise

In my experience, 60gb ssd's fill up very quickly. Squeeze another £20-30 out of him for a 120gb and he's laughing.

 

[honosuseri]

And? 550W is plenty.. The Z77X-D3H is a nice board if he intends to overclock at any point. Although the Z77-D3H is still more than capable, to be fair I could've picked that to make it £29 lighter.

Hono's build is also good with the 7950. An SSD would be more beneficial, but it's best to spend the £££ now on the GPU and add an SSD later.

And? 550W isn't enough to Xfire two 7850s and overclock them and the CPU. So why spend more on the mobo? Use the D3H and you have money for a heatsink to overclock, you were using the retail heatsink.

I did try to put a SSD in the spec but found it difficult to balance it with one in. I'd prefer the 7950 not just for the extra performance but the games bundle is better in my opinion. Minimum SSD i would buy is THIS one

I did include an afermarket heatsink as well, I'm not keen on the merc beta case if im honest, it's very basic. Shinobi really is the minimum I try to strive for in a gaming build

 

[S.A.S]

Thanks for the ideas guys the last one by sparx seems good i'll see if he would go a little more for the 120gb SSD. thanks

 

[Uncle Petey]

While you're there, tell him to cough up a nice round £800 to include a decently sized ssd and a good cooler

He can use a virtual keyboard for now lol.

 

[Sparx]

And? 550W isn't enough to Xfire two 7850s and overclock them and the CPU. So why spend more on the mobo? Use the D3H and you have money for a heatsink to overclock, you were using the retail heatsink.

I did try to put a SSD in the spec but found it difficult to balance it with one in. I'd prefer the 7950 not just for the extra performance but the games bundle is better in my opinion. Minimum SSD i would buy is THIS one

I did include an afermarket heatsink as well, I'm not keen on the merc beta case if im honest, it's very basic. Shinobi really is the minimum I try to strive for in a gaming build

When did he mention Crossfire? 550W is more capable than you think btw. No it won't do 2x 7850s and an overclocked CPU, but it'll happily handle a 7950 and an overclocked i5-3570K. But then he never mentioned he would be doing any of that, did he? He'll more likely overclock first, before he ever thinks of getting another GPU. I also already agreed with your logic on the mobo costs, why are you still going on about it you woman?! Haha.

 

[Uncle Petey]

The point is, you specced a board that's only real advantage is x-fire/sli capability with a psu that can't.

 

[tamzzy]

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7950 IceQ 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795Q3G2M) with FREE FARCRY3, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs & 20% off MOH Warfighter PC Games £227.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £167.99
1 x Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £81.98
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply - White £59.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 500GB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA050) £43.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £25.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £9.98
Total : £744.89 (includes shipping : FREE).



yes its lacking a heatsink, but its in budget, and as a next step upgrade, he can just get a decent heatsink and oc the hell outta the processor.
128gb ssd included xD

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7950 IceQ 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795Q3G2M) with FREE FARCRY3, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs & 20% off MOH Warfighter PC Games £227.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £167.99
1 x Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £81.98
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply - White £59.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 500GB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA050) £43.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £25.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £9.98
Total : £744.89 (includes shipping : FREE).


better case, but out of stock atm

 

[honosuseri]

Sparx it was you who said you don't like spending more unless it adds performance that's why I was confused that you "wasted" money on the X-D3H when the PSU couldn't hack Xfiring the 7850.

I was trying to inform the OP on why I balanced my build the way I did, it's not personal. Your last spec is much better but 60GB isn't going to last as petey has already said. My shogun 2 install is 20GB+ alone. I linked a good value sataIII SSD if the OP is interested.

EDIT

I see tam didn't see my link for the SSD either (sighs)

 

[Sparx]

Sparx it was you who said you don't like spending more unless it adds performance that's why I was confused that you "wasted" money on the X-D3H when the PSU couldn't hack Xfiring the 7850.

I was trying to inform the OP on why I balanced my build the way I did, it's not personal. Your last spec is much better but 60GB isn't going to last as petey has already said. My shogun 2 install is 20GB+ alone. I linked a good value sataIII SSD if the OP is interested.

True, but with a £750 budget, sometimes spending an extra £30 for a mobo that can OC and help add performance at a later date I was future-proofing.

Both specs are good. And the SSD would just be for his OS and main apps. I still have a 60GB OCZ Vertex 2E in my main PC for the OS which also has all my main apps like Office 2010, Photoshop CS5, Chrome, CCleaner, etc and I still have 15GB free.

But 120GB would be more comfortable to work with and he could fit a couple of games on there. Obviously he should tweak it and pick the parts depending on how he expects to use it.

 

[Uncle Petey]

As you said, the cheaper board will still be ok for oc'ing unless he wants to go nuts
My cheapo V-LX (pretty much the Asus equivalent) gets me to at least 4.5ghz with no probs, so I'd expect the same from the Gigabyte.

 

[honosuseri]

The D3H overclocks just fine and being cheaper than the X-D3H you can afford a heatsink to reach 4.4Ghz or maybe a little more. It would be wise to update it's firmware as it can be fussy with GPUs on the old BIOS, just an FYI

If Tam had used the Kingston SSD I linked he would have saved £10 to go towards a good value heatsink. It's all about balance.

 

[tamzzy]

I see tam didn't see my link for the SSD either (sighs)

the hyper x 3k? i saw it ;p i just dont know how reliable it is cuz the 3k uses the lower quality 3k p/e chips

 

[tamzzy]

The D3H overclocks just fine and being cheaper than the X-D3H you can afford a heatsink to reach 4.4Ghz or maybe a little more. It would be wise to update it's firmware as it can be fussy with GPUs on the old BIOS, just an FYI

If Tam had used the Kingston SSD I linked he would have saved £10 to go towards a good value heatsink. It's all about balance.

like this? lol

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7950 IceQ 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795Q3G2M) with FREE FARCRY3, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs & 20% off MOH Warfighter PC Games £227.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Kingston HyperX 3K SSD 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (SH103S3/120G) £71.99
1 x PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply - White £59.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 500GB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA050) £43.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £25.99
1 x Xigmatek Achilles II SD1284 CPU-Cooler - 120mm (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366 AMD AM2/AM3/FM1) £23.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
1 x Gigabyte KM6150 Keyboard and Mouse Set £9.98
Total : £758.87 (includes shipping : FREE).