First build for christmas time

craigyroberts · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:17

Hello I will be building my first computer at Christmas time and would like same views on the components. I'm not a heavy gamer but will be playing modern warfare 3, battlefield 3 etc. I won't be overclocking but would like the option to in the future when i learn more and when i need to upgrade. Also would like opinions on whether to get a ssd for my os and how big to get it. My budget is approx £600-£700.

This is what i've shortlisted at the moment, be free to give all opinions and other ideas.

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-360-IN
ASUS 1155 P8Z68-V PRO http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-457-AS
Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-221-CM
Sapphire HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-252-SP
OCZ 600W ModXStream Pro Power Supply http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-031-OC
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-082-SA
Corsair Vengeance Blue 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-303-CS
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM http://http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-127-MS
Samsung SH-S222AB/RSMS 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black/Silver/Biege) - Retail http://http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-126-SA

Thanks for looking and I welcome your comments.

Cheers,
Craig

RJC · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:20

Welcome to the forum

Spec looks good, best bet is to to as nearer the time as price and components change / update.

Tibbz2 · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:31

High five for Christmas build.

numatic.nathan · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:38

Wait till nearer the time, things change a lot and Christmas is still a fair way off.

craigyroberts · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:39

Ok cheers, but would there be any big changes needed.
Size of memory, ssd for os?

Xelene · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:39

RAM / SSD prices are supposedly on their way up but it can be a pain in the arse to RMA them if you've had them sitting in a box untested for a month or more.

I've got a bunch of bits sat at home for a new build, which should end up around £700. These prices are ex VAT:

OcUK GeForce GTX 560 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with FREE Batman: Arkham City PC game** £106.66
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £33.32
Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive £64.99
Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD20EARX) £53.32
Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £87.48

£414 spent (with VAT) so far. A case, CPU, PSU should tip that up to £700ish.

I'm trying out the Intel SSD caching, not sure how it will work out so may just end up using the SSD for top games or so. For a seperate SSD boot drive i'd want 128GB. I went with the GTX560 as OC were bundling a game I don't own and want with it, whereas the ATI had a game I owned (but still good).

Tibbz2 · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:41

I hope prices don't go up too much...

I will only be able to afford a low budget, and i will get nothing for my money if they rise too much more

Xelene · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:56

Tibbz2 said:
I hope prices don't go up too much...

I will only be able to afford a low budget, and i will get nothing for my money if they rise too much more

We're mostly at the mercy of the $ vs £ exchange rate. If you want to cut corners, i'd suggest dropping the SSD and maybe upping the graphics. You can save a bit on the motherboard compared to me as i'm paying some premium for MATX. OS these days, get 64bit and RAM is cheap enough to go 8GB.

craigyroberts · 30 Sep 2011 at 21:04

Sounds good to me. Will look into the 8gb ram.