building first freshie :D

bibbidibob · 23 Mar 2012 at 08:32

Okay, so i was on these forums a month or 2 ago asking about a graphics card due to wanting to play games and low on budget. Now due to promotions at work etc. i can now afford to go up a bit, so i decided, why not build a full fresh one.

Still sticking to a bit of a budget, i compiled a list, but before i start investing, i wanted a 2nd opinion from people who most likely know more than me about it. (AKA i dont want to spend £160 on my processor to find it trash etc.)

Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3
Processor: Intel Sandybridge i5-2500K Unlocked Core i5 Quad-Core
Case: Antec 900
Graphics card: EVGA Nvidia GTX550Ti 1GB 192-Bit
Hard drive: Samsung SpinPoint F4 HD322GJ 320 GB
Memory chips: 2x Corsair CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 XMS3 8GB
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series Modular TX850M 850 W

I'm mainly after an opinion if something is better for that price range and if something seems too weak and of course let me know if i've missed something out. The main one is i read that some components might not be compatible, so if there are components incompatible, please let me know.
Also, managed to get a windows 7 32+64 bit ultimate operating system which ill be using for this lot.

shadow_boxer · 23 Mar 2012 at 08:43

What's your budget and what will the system be used for? Do you have a sata DVD-RW or hard drive you can reuse?

bibbidibob · 23 Mar 2012 at 08:47

Well the budget, I'd say im aiming to keep each component to about £120, the processor is doable but pushing it, lets say 100-150 per component, and dvd RW i can easily get, hard drive i was debating if 320 GB would be enough.

Best description on its use i'd say a budget gaming machine, but one i can build and keep upgrading as time goes on instead of getting a full new one as it gets outdated.

I might not do any more replies till later today, work calls, i will be reading though.)

IvanDobskey · 23 Mar 2012 at 09:06

Well you dont need an 850w psu unless you are using two high end vid cards. Id spend a bit less on the psu and get a 650w or something, then get a better video card as the 550 isnt great.

Get the 560ti and a 650w corsair, far better balance.

FNGsam · 23 Mar 2012 at 10:22

Your probably best to give an overall budget and then spend more or less depending on preferences.

As a gaming build you will spend more on the GPU for instance and spending 150 on a case is a little bit over the top as well

shadow_boxer · 23 Mar 2012 at 10:55

FNGsam said:
Your probably best to give an overall budget and then spend more or less depending on preferences.

As a gaming build you will spend more on the GPU for instance and spending 150 on a case is a little bit over the top as well

Completely agree. You've got some pretty high end components in there which if gaming is your priority you'd be better off swapping out and getting a better video card.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x OcUK GeForce GTX 560Ti 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £159.95
1 x Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-GEN3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £122.98
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £69.98
1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £54.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £39.95
1 x Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £21.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
Total : £669.80 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Reuse your existing 320GB hard drive for the time being if it is SATA. If you need more storage add a 2TB drive such as this.

yasen78 · 23 Mar 2012 at 10:59

+ 1 for the system above. You did not mention what kind of monitor you use? What is its resolution? But GTX550Ti is not worthy for a gaming rig, better go with GTX560Ti.

shadow_boxer · 23 Mar 2012 at 11:03

If you want to spend a bit more on the GPU then consider a 2GB 6950, although last gen, it is only £179.99 (pre-order price) and will future proof your system just that little bit more with the extra VRAM. If your happy to buy second hand then you can get them for as little as £120-130 and a 6970 for around £150! Great value for money.

GiantMidget · 23 Mar 2012 at 11:17

You could even switch out some of your components, to go for an AMD build, i have found their components much better value for money than Intel. And yeah i think a 6950 would be a good choice, they are last gen but are still a beastly card, and can pretty much run any game out at the moment on top graphics with no lag.

Double07 · 10 Apr 2012 at 19:38

GiantMidget said:
You could even switch out some of your components, to go for an AMD build,

You could but you would not be right in the head

If he was talking about being able to afford an i5 build to begin with there was plenty of room to tinker with the over specced parts as previously mentioned (PSU, case) and upgrade the GPU whilst maintaining the 2500k which is just so much value in terms of bang for pound (sorry refuse to use 'buck'!)