Build check please

[Audigex]

Hi guys

Just looking for a quick check over this build for a mate - any incompatibilities/problems or cheaper/same price better options. I'm at the budget limit so I can't go more expensive (other than a couple of quid), but I don't mind going for one cheaper component to make another more expensive.

Usage is mainly gaming, but general quick performance too. He's not into insane framerates or perfect graphics, nor video encoding etc. Rome 2: Total War is the game to bear in mind - I'd like it to run as well on Rome 2 as possible.

I'd rather keep quad core if possible, but if it would give a significantly better gaming experience then I'm open to dropping to a faster dual core and spending the difference on the graphics card. The CPU needs to be able to keep up for a few years though - he'd be happier replacing the graphics card than the CPU+Motherboard.
Any suggestions?

 

[LukieBoy007]

1. Ivybridge CPU on a Sandybridge chipset. You would want to be looking at a Z77 really, but the monitor does take up a lot of the budget.
2. I'd recommend a secondhand GTX 460 or HD 6850 over the 7750. Look here and you can see the difference.
3. You can get better RAM for the price.

This is what I'd go with:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus VS228H 22" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £107.99
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £89.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £72.98
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £46.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £36.98
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38GM1600HC11DC01) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
1 x Tenda W311MI Wireless USB Network Interface Card – Nano Dongle – 150 Mbps £6.49
Total : £465.82 (includes shipping : £17.85).



And then look around for a GTX 460 or similar. The case is currently out of stock but provides more features than the BitFenix case.
Hope this helps

EDIT:
Or an i5 option:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3330 3.00GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £139.99
1 x Asus VS228H 22" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £107.99
1 x MSI B75MA-P45 Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £53.99
1 x **B Grade** Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-252-SE) £40
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £36.98
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38GM1600HC11DC01) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
1 x Tenda W311MI Wireless USB Network Interface Card – Nano Dongle – 150 Mbps £6.49
Total : £491.33 (includes shipping : £19.10).

 

[Audigex]

Thanks - I hadn't spotted the ivybridge vs sandybridge thing (They're compatible but may need firmware updates etc? Not something he'll want to be messing about with). I'm guessing that a higher clock dual core is better for MOST games (although not all) than a lower speed quad? It was true last time I built a PC, but I wasn't sure what the state of the nation was now. Either way, £50 for quad can probably be better spent on a better GPU, or to bring it down to the £500 he originally wanted to spend.

Conveniently I've got a 460 lying around doing nothing, I didn't realise it was still better than a low-mid range current gen so it didn't occur to me. I'll give him the option of the new one or my old one for the same price, and he can decide whether the warranty is more important than the extra speed.

I'll keep an eye on the case, but he'll probably be ordering in the next day or so, so may have to just use the one I posted above.

Thanks again. I'll mention the quad core and GPU to him, and give him a couple of options

 

[honosuseri]

I see lukie is stealing my advice, saved me typing it out Thing is the 460 in that benchmark is at 675mhz, my 460 is OC'd to 850-900Mhz so it well and truly stomps over the 7770. We see 6850/460s go for ~£50 2nd hand on the MM

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Asus VS228H 22" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £107.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £72.98
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £51.98
1 x XFX Pro 450W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £43.99
1 x NZXT Source 210 Elite Midi Tower Case - Black £39.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £546.90 (includes shipping : FREE).



That's what I would shoot for, if you can give him or do him a good deal on the 460 GPU he is laughing

 

[LukieBoy007]

Your welcome hono

It's perfect that you have an old 460 around. Definitely a better option than a 7750/7770.

 

[honosuseri]

Your welcome hono

It's perfect that you have an old 460 around. Definitely a better option than a 7750/7770.

Always point out the clock speeds in the benchmarks though bud as not everyone sees that. We don't know what 460 he has, if I was buying one 2nd hand I'd want the 1GB version and avoid the 768Mb and the SE versions.

The 460 also adds CUDA support and as the OP has owned one he knows it can be OC'd quite nicey too. I look forward to seeing what these guys settle on

 

[LukieBoy007]

Always point out the clock speeds in the benchmarks though bud as not everyone sees that. We don't know what 460 he has, if I was buying one 2nd hand I'd want the 1GB version and avoid the 768Mb and the SE versions.

The 460 also adds CUDA support and as the OP has owned one he knows it can be OC'd quite nicey too. I look forward to seeing what these guys settle on

Ok thanks for that

 

[Audigex]

We don't know what 460 he has, if I was buying one 2nd hand I'd want the 1GB version and avoid the 768Mb and the SE versions.

Yes we do it's in my sig and is the 768mb version which puts it pretty much on a par with the 7770 as far as I know
"Asus GTX 460 768mb"

He's going to go for a new 7770 1GB instead. CUDA isn't much use to him and he'd rather have a new card since there's not as significant a difference. If it turns out the i3 is stunted on Company of Heroes or Rome 2, he can sell the i3 and get an i5 later, and I think the GPU should do what he wants it to do. Thanks again

 

[honosuseri]

Yes we do it's in my sig and is the 768mb version which puts it pretty much on a par with the 7770 as far as I know
"Asus GTX 460 768mb"

He's going to go for a new 7770 1GB instead. CUDA isn't much use to him and he'd rather have a new card since there's not as significant a difference. If it turns out the i3 is stunted on Company of Heroes or Rome 2, he can sell the i3 and get an i5 later, and I think the GPU should do what he wants it to do. Thanks again

Don't get cocky fella, you said it was lying around not in your rig or sig

Total war is going to want a good CPU, it's much more ambitious than the previous total war titles. I'd want the i5K now with the 460 and change the GPU later, which is also far easier to do as well.

The 7750/7770 is a waste of money, the 7850 is £150ish but it comes with games and has double the performance. If people can't afford the 7850 I always, always suggest looking for a 2nd hand 6850 or 460 (1GB preferably) as it's better value for money.

 

[zakblood]

and you will need it for rome2 as well, as all the latest total war series need a good high end spec to run nice, unless you want tiny battles with some stuff set to high, go any where near ultra on a decent res and your fps will drop to crawl.

rome2 will be new rig for most, if they want the best out of it, i've just upgraded, just waiting for the game to come out now to test it with.

keep the 4 core but get the best gpu you can afford as with rome 2 you will need it