Budget Gaming Spec

RabbiJacob · 12 Aug 2011 at 12:37

Hi all,

My macbook is getting a little sluggish and I'd like to build myself a new machine. This box will be for general usage and gaming.

I've already bagged a bargain i5-2500k for £147 in the MM.

I already have a keyboard/mouse and a monitor which is capable of 1680x1050. I also have an old aluminium Lian Li PC-60~ something case in the loft which I can restore.

Likely upgrades in future years could include a new full HD monitor/TV and an SSD.

How does this spec look?

YOUR BASKET
1 x XFX ATI Radeon HD 6870 Black Edition 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Dirt3 & Shogun 2 PC Games £134.99
1 x Asrock Z68 PRO3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £99.98
1 x BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W '80 Plus' Power Supply £45.98
1 x Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD502HJ) £32.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £23.99
1 x OcUK Value 300Mbps Wireless-N USB Adapter £8.99
Total : £346.92 (includes shipping : FREE).

Greavesy · 12 Aug 2011 at 12:41

Might want a bit more powerful psu so you have the option to crossfire the 6870 later?

RabbiJacob · 12 Aug 2011 at 13:02

Forgot to specify, I have a max of £350 left in the pot. Not quite enough for an sli\xfire motherboard & beefier psu. The question really is could I squeeze any more performance within budget.

Greavesy · 12 Aug 2011 at 13:05

Get the asrock gen3 z68 board.

masonkian · 12 Aug 2011 at 13:06

asrock are excellent value for money these days and great overclockers

Reaper 392 · 12 Aug 2011 at 13:12

Greavesy said:
Get the asrock gen3 z68 board.

with his budget that simply isnt an option.

heres a couple of money savers while not reducing performance:

Seagate Barracuda 500GB HDD £28.99

Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 £91.99
(has all the Z68 features unlike the cheaper gigabyte board)

RabbiJacob · 12 Aug 2011 at 15:52

Reaper 392 said:
heres a couple of money savers while not reducing performance:

Seagate Barracuda 500GB HDD £28.99

Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 £91.99
(has all the Z68 features unlike the cheaper gigabyte board)

Hard drive looks nice.

Not keen on the Gigabyte Z68 boards, I've used plenty of ASrock in the past and know they're a solid brand.

One question, how does the 6870 Black Edition compare performance/power/temperature wise with the MSI GTX 460 HAWK?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-099-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1830

I can't find any benchmarks for the non-standard cards

stulid · 12 Aug 2011 at 15:58

A stock speed 6870 is faster than a GTX460 - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=313

the XFX is overclocked and includes games, even a GTX560 is faster than a MSI GTX460 hawk.

Heres a XFX review of the same speed card with just a different cooler - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/40...gb_black_edition_video_card_review/index.html

masonkian · 12 Aug 2011 at 15:59

i would stay away from xfx

greyfox591 · 12 Aug 2011 at 17:02

can i ask why you have spec'd a wireless adapter?
is it for gaming or general use?

RabbiJacob · 12 Aug 2011 at 17:43

Thanks Stulid, really useful.

masonkian said:
i would stay away from xfx

What's wrong with XFX?

greyfox591 said:
can i ask why you have spec'd a wireless adapter?
is it for gaming or general use?

It's a temporary until I can route a cable to where the machine will be installed

greyfox591 · 12 Aug 2011 at 17:53

ahh fair enuf, i was just gunna say i wouldnt recomend wireless gaming as ive had some bad experiences playing fps wireless.