First Gaming Build - Help!

Kahnum · 25 Sep 2011 at 14:54

Hi, I'm looking to build my first real gaming rig and just wanted to get some feedback from the professionals out there. The list below is what I'm going to purchase but I need help as I don't know if all the parts are compatible with each other.

Components:

HIS ATI Radeon HD 6870 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 980 Black Edition "140W Edition" 3.70GHz (Socket AM3)
Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower Case with USB3.0 - Black
XFX 750W Black Edition Modular Power Supply
Gigabyte 970A-UD3 AMD 970A (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050)
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD1002FAEX)
G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM)
LG GH22NS70 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM

Thanks, Kahnum.

Kahnum · 25 Sep 2011 at 16:38

Just a little bump!

honosuseri · 25 Sep 2011 at 16:51

If you wait someone right now is spec'ing an i5 build for you with the i5 2500K and a Z series mobo

Even if you wanted to go AMD to upgrade the bulldozer later it would make more sense to get the 955BE as it can be overclocked to 980 spec for less!

You can get the OS and HDD in a bundle deal, saves you around £10. That WD black drive is overpriced really. I would have gone with the seagate barracuda (7200rpm).

Personally I think you should wait. The BF3 beta will be out soon (days really). Then people can post how well their rigs run it. BF3 will support hyperthreading which is an i7 feature, we just dont know yet if it's worth the extra outlay on the CPU.

Surveyor · 25 Sep 2011 at 16:51

I'll just say one thing.

Sandy Bridge.

IvanDobskey · 25 Sep 2011 at 16:56

Yep, base it round an i5 2500K with a Z68 chipset motherboard and you're laughing

Kahnum · 25 Sep 2011 at 18:23

Thanks for your help guys, really appreciate it.

Arnor · 25 Sep 2011 at 18:35

Hi,

If you are planning to stick with your current AMD processor I would advise you change your memory to a different one. RipjawsX are specifically build to work with P67 chipsets and there are a lot of people reporting compatibility issues with AMD systems.

The guys who posted above me are right. If you dont want to wait get a I5-2500K, you cant go wrong with this chip. Otherwise, if you want a AMD chip I would advise you to wait for the Bulldozer release and see how it handles on benchmarks (on paper looks reaaaaaally promising).

Kahnum · 25 Sep 2011 at 20:48

What do you guys think is the best I can get for £800?

olivier renault · 25 Sep 2011 at 22:02

right now?

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS ATI Radeon HD 6950 IceQ X Turbo 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE Dirt3 & Deus Ex PC Games £209.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail with FREE TrackMania 2 Canyon PC Game £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £99.98
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Bundle - Home Premium 64 Bit £68.40
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £47.99
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £64.98
1 x Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £44.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G) £26.99
1 x LG GH22NS70 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £765.79 (includes shipping : £13.75).

With some room for improvements (case, motherboard, GTX 570, memory...).

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS ATI Radeon HD 6950 IceQ X Turbo 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE Dirt3 & Deus Ex PC Games £209.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail with FREE TrackMania 2 Canyon PC Game £167.99
1 x Asus P8P67 PRO Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard ** B3 REVISION ** £122.98
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Bundle - Home Premium 64 Bit £68.40
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £47.99
1 x Antec TruePower New Modular 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £64.98
1 x Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £44.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B) £43.99
1 x LG GH22NS70 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £805.79 (includes shipping : £13.75).

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560Ti OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with FREE Batman: Arkham City PC game** £185.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail with FREE TrackMania 2 Canyon PC Game £167.99
1 x Asus P8P67 PRO Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard ** B3 REVISION ** £122.98
1 x Lepa B-Series 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply £74.98
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Bundle - Home Premium 64 Bit £68.40
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £32.99
1 x Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £44.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B) £43.99
1 x Thermalright MUX-120 Black CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1156/LGA1155/LGA1366) £26.99
1 x LG GH22NS70 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £803.77 (includes shipping : £13.75).

mickyflinn · 25 Sep 2011 at 22:08

+1 for olivier renault build

Add Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler £25.99 inc VAT

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-001-GD

olivier renault · 25 Sep 2011 at 22:16

Done couple of builds

I like the MUX-120 for the price. Maybe marginally better than the Gelid (from what I read, it's a revamped Ultra 120 with a quiet fan).

All builds with optional 6950 Xfire / 560ti SLI.

olivier renault · 25 Sep 2011 at 22:23

Keep in mind Bulldozer, if you are willing to wait.

mickyflinn · 25 Sep 2011 at 23:16

olivier renault said:
Done couple of builds I like the MUX-120 for the price. Maybe marginally better than the Gelid (from what I read, it's a revamped Ultra 120 with a quiet fan).

Looks good, especially for a quiet pc.