Gaming PC Spec Advice

[djjavo]

Hi guys, I'm new to this PC building and I'm wanting to build a gaming machine. I've done some light research and this is the list I have come up with.

Please could you advise me as I am not 100% sure of everything. E.g with compatibility etc.

PC List:

- Gigabyte X58 G1 Guerilla Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard
- Intel Core i7 960 3.20Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail
- Corsair Vengeance 12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit
- Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6870 Vapour-X 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
- Antec High Current Gamer 900W Quad Rail '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM
- Cooler Master Storm Scout Gaming Case - Black
- Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM

One question about the ram. I think the processor accepts 800/1066MHz Ram and this is 1600MHz but does it automatically underclock. Otherwise, please tell me if this will work.

Looking forward to some friendly advice. Many thanks.

 

[CinderzFTW]

lmao! bit old tech ain't it!

The X58 1366 cpu's/tech is old now... you can save money and get more power for your money by going sandy bridge!

i5-2500k
4gb 1600mhz corsair vengeance
Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68

All you need.

The Guerilla is a great board, my mate has one, but not worth £200 plus!

Get SANDY BRIDGE!

 

[95thrifles]

As above
And use the money saved to get a better gfx card
May as well go for 8 gig of RAM though, given its so cheap

 

[CinderzFTW]

As above
And use the money saved to get a better gfx card

Indeed.

The 6870 is a good card, I am getting one to replace my HD5770 and to go along side my overclocked Athlon X4 640 @ 3.4ghz and 4gb 1333mhz memory!

With the extra money, get a GTX560Ti XD!!!

 

[mickyflinn]

Psu is overkill The 750w should do the trick and go with the 2500k

Antec High Current Gamer 750W Quad Rail '80 Plus Bronze'

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-149-AN

 

[CinderzFTW]

Psu is overkill The 750w should do the trick and defo go with 2500k

Antec High Current Gamer 750W Quad Rail '80 Plus Bronze'

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-149-AN

+1

 

[jpod]

Okay here is the spec you suggested added up in the cart:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7 960 3.20Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail £224.99
1 x Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6870 Vapour-X 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £167.99
1 x Gigabyte X58 G1 Guerilla Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard - Gaming Series £137.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DL002) £109.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 900W Quad Rail '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £107.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance 12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit (CMZ12GX3M3A1600C9) £79.99
1 x Cooler Master Storm Scout Gaming Case - Black £69.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £933.91 (includes shipping : £12.50).




So lets see if we can pimp that spec, I am assuming that you have:

A mouse
A keyboard
An OS

Here goes:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 580 OC Special Edition 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £383.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £163.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT064M4SSD2) £85.99
1 x Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Black Pearl £84.98
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x XFX 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £81.98
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML4GX3M2A1600C9) £23.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £972.40 (includes shipping : £13.75).



In the future you can add some HDD when the prices return to normal and another 4GB if you want.

 

[CinderzFTW]

Okay here is the spec you suggested added up in the cart:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7 960 3.20Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail £224.99
1 x Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6870 Vapour-X 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £167.99
1 x Gigabyte X58 G1 Guerilla Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard - Gaming Series £137.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DL002) £109.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 900W Quad Rail '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £107.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance 12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit (CMZ12GX3M3A1600C9) £79.99
1 x Cooler Master Storm Scout Gaming Case - Black £69.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £933.91 (includes shipping : £12.50).




So lets see if we can pimp that spec, I am assuming that you have:

A mouse
A keyboard
An OS

Here goes:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 580 OC Special Edition 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £383.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £163.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT064M4SSD2) £85.99
1 x Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Black Pearl £84.98
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x XFX 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £81.98
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML4GX3M2A1600C9) £23.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £972.40 (includes shipping : £13.75).



In the future you can add some HDD when the prices return to normal and another 4GB if you want.

I totally agree with the above i5 rig!

Much faster for newer tech!

GET IT!

 

[jpod]

Cheers Cinderz!

 

[95thrifles]

Agree looks good, though Id personally change the case, Fractals into'd well but theres been worrying reports on quality since, could look at a Corsair Carbide or Coolermaster HAF series depending on personal taste

Also as stated earlier, you may as well get 8 gig of RAM, its SO cheap

 

[beejjacobs]

Okay here is the spec you suggested added up in the cart:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7 960 3.20Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail £224.99
1 x Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6870 Vapour-X 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £167.99
1 x Gigabyte X58 G1 Guerilla Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard - Gaming Series £137.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DL002) £109.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 900W Quad Rail '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £107.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance 12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit (CMZ12GX3M3A1600C9) £79.99
1 x Cooler Master Storm Scout Gaming Case - Black £69.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £933.91 (includes shipping : £12.50).




So lets see if we can pimp that spec, I am assuming that you have:

A mouse
A keyboard
An OS

Here goes:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 580 OC Special Edition 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £383.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £163.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT064M4SSD2) £85.99
1 x Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Black Pearl £84.98
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x XFX 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £81.98
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML4GX3M2A1600C9) £23.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £972.40 (includes shipping : £13.75).



In the future you can add some HDD when the prices return to normal and another 4GB if you want.

Personally I'd get 8GB of RAM now (instead of the cooler if you have to, for gaming it doesn't need an overclock). A£900+ rig without 8GB of RAM at current prices is silly IMO. Other than that, a much better build.

 

[djjavo]

Hi thanks for the brilliant feedback, I really appreciate it.

I really like the sound of your recommended build, but I have a few questions if that's ok.

1. Is the PSU good enough if I wanted to increase the RAM and add a 2nd GFX card (SLI).

2. Would a 2nd GTX 580 improve performance much, or is it a waste of money?

3. Sorry if I'm asking again, but do I have to do anything with the 1600MHz RAM to meet the processors 1066/1333MHz or does it do that automatically for you?

4. So as the i5 is newer tech than the i7, is it overall a better processor?

Thanks once again for your help, I really appreciate it. Sorry for the newbie questions!

 

[95thrifles]

1) Yes for RAM, no for SLi'd 580s, youd need a quality 850W if not 1000W to be safe, that one is good, and fine for single card, but wouldnt cope with 2nd

2) Yes it would, but I wouldnt bother, a single 580 will be able to handle everything you throw at it now, by the time it cant youd be as well selling up & getting new card vs going SLi

3) Unsure, depends on mobo

4) Yes, i7 is same as an i5, just with hyper threading, which when it comes to gaming means next to nothing, plus yes the newer socket has improvements performance wise over the older one

 

[jpod]

Few questions if that's ok

Yep - I am a rookie but fire away and some Pro's will be along to moderate.

1. Is the PSU good enough if I wanted to increase the RAM and add a 2nd GFX card (SLI).
Increasing the RAM is insignificant in terms of PSU wattage
For SLI GTX 570's you would need about 850W, 900W, have a google

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=PSU+for+SLI+GTX570

Hehe

2. Would a 2nd GTX 580 improve performance much, or is it a waste of money?
It would improve performance and waste money at the same time. Single GTX580 is less of a headache, less heat and noise. An alternative for more sensible cash would be SLI GTX 570.

3. Sorry if I'm asking again, but do I have to do anything with the 1600MHz RAM to meet the processors 1066/1333MHz or does it do that automatically for you?
Don't think so for i5 2500k the 1600MHz is fine (faster memory makes little difference).

4. So as the i5 is newer tech than the i7, is it overall a better processor?
If you plan to run NASA, launch a rocket or make the sequel to AVATAR in your bedroom get the i7, for everything else buy i5.

If you rip lots of DVD and do lots of video editing get i7.

Gaming = i5, not newer tech they are part of the same series.

Think for each component try to match it for the job and eek every last drop of performance for your cash out of it. You can't hang a cupboard where there ain't no wall.

Cheers pod

 

[joem1983]

I think a second 580 would be overkill for 1 screen. One would be great but tbh If it were my money I'd be getting a 570. Runs everything on one monitor fine.

750 should just cope for sli 580s. But i'd be after some more for some more headroom.

RAM will work fine.

 

[Rexton]

IMO, spending £400 on a 580 is usually overkill as it is, without even taking into account the fact that 7xxx series is just around the corner. If you absolutely must buy now then a 560ti 448/570 should be fine.

 

[fowler002]

jpod think by i5 being newer tech than i7 think he's refering to the old i7(9xx series) rather than the i2600k/i2700k.

as rexton said now is not the best time to be spending so much on a graphics card with the new cards just weeks away now.

Okay here is the spec you suggested added up in the cart:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7 960 3.20Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail £224.99
1 x Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6870 Vapour-X 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £167.99
1 x Gigabyte X58 G1 Guerilla Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 Motherboard - Gaming Series £137.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DL002) £109.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 900W Quad Rail '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £107.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance 12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit (CMZ12GX3M3A1600C9) £79.99
1 x Cooler Master Storm Scout Gaming Case - Black £69.98
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £933.91 (includes shipping : £12.50).




So lets see if we can pimp that spec, I am assuming that you have:

A mouse
A keyboard
An OS

Here goes:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 580 OC Special Edition 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £383.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £163.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT064M4SSD2) £85.99
1 x Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Black Pearl £84.98
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x XFX 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £81.98
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML4GX3M2A1600C9) £23.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £972.40 (includes shipping : £13.75).



In the future you can add some HDD when the prices return to normal and another 4GB if you want.

if you go with the case the op chose then you can get the http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-166-CM for £40 with the £20 off voucher code for buying a cm case and the psu

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18347004

by dropping the 580 down to a 560ti/6870/6950 you can use the money saved on the 128gb version of the ssd(£155) and the seagate baracuda 500gb(£68) if don't already have an old sata hard disk you can reuse.

ocuk really seem to be messing around with the cpu price as just the other day it was £160 for the oem and £170 for the retail now they've pushed the retail price up by £10 again.

if you do want option of sli/xfire then you will need to change the motherboard and go for 700w+ psu.

 

[djjavo]

Thanks for the feedback again guys. I'll take in mind the suggested basket. As you said new GFX cards are coming out soon - I guess it would be probably a good idea to wait a bit.

Cheers, Javo

 

[djjavo]

Sorry to bring this topic up again guys, but I have just had a change in finances. I can now only afford £800-£850 but would like the computer to have the potential to upgrade certain parts to make it better when I have the funds in the future (GFX cards, RAM, HDD etc.). Would it be possible to do a new spec for me?

Thanks

 

[95thrifles]

This is good spec, if you have an old HDD you can use, or you can wait to add a new one, it only has a small SSD, alternatively if you need a new HDD now, just drop the SSD and swap in the traditional HDD


YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 560Ti OC Twin FrozR II 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £199.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £129.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT064M4SSD2) £82.99
1 x OCZ ZS Series 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £72.98
1 x BitFenix Shinobi Gaming Case - Black £44.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AB/RSMS 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black/Silver/Biege) - Retail £19.99
Total : £795.90 (includes shipping : £12.50).



Has good mobo and PSU to allow for future upgrades