Is this build worth the price? Any suggestions on what I could/should change?

RickyRunNGun · 10 Nov 2012 at 15:57

CPU: Intel 3rd Generation Core i5-3570K CPU (4 x 3.40GHz, Ivy Bridge, Socket 1155, 6Mb L3 Cache, Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0)

CPU Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (120mm)

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX Motherboard (Socket 1155, 32GB DDR3 Support, ATX, Intel Z77 Express, USB 3.0, CrossFireX Support, Dual Intelligent Processors 3) - £85.60

PSU: OCZ OCZ600MXSP-UK ModXStream Pro 600W ATX Power Supply - £57.60

GPU: Asus GeForce GTX660 TI-DC2OG-2GD5 Nvidia Graphics Card (2GB, GDDR5, HDMI, DVI-I, DVI-D, Display Port, OpenGL 4.2, DirectX 11, Borderlands 2 Included, PCI-Express 3.0)

RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C#8203;9 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit

HDD: Seagate ST31000524AS 3.5 inch Barracuda 1TB GB 7200rpm SATA Drive with 32MB Buffer

Case: Aerocool Strike-X GT Toolless Mid Tower Gaming Case with Red LED Fans -

Totals up to around £750 - £800

This is a build for gaming, and want to be able to play games like FC3, BF3 etc. on high settings

stulid · 10 Nov 2012 at 16:01

Hi and welcome.

That build looks a bit expensive.

I have taken some of the parts and improved on things for you,

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7950 Twin Frozr III OC V2 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with SIX FREE PC GAMES £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £159.95
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £81.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £69.95
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M High Performance 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020001-UK) £59.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - Black £49.99
1 x Xigmatek Achilles II SD1284 CPU-Cooler - 120mm (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366 AMD AM2/AM3/FM1) £23.98
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38GM1600HC11DC01) £19.99
Total : £720.82 (includes shipping : £12.50).

• Do you need a SATA DVD drive?

You could easily add an SSD to the spec and still come under £800,

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7950 Twin Frozr III OC V2 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with SIX FREE PC GAMES £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £159.95
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £81.98
1 x Intel 520 Series 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) £59.99
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M High Performance 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020001-UK) £59.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - Black £49.99
1 x Xigmatek Achilles II SD1284 CPU-Cooler - 120mm (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366 AMD AM2/AM3/FM1) £23.98
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38GM1600HC11DC01) £19.99
Total : £790.85 (includes shipping : £12.50).

• Some of these deals (the GFX card+SSD) are on offer currently till Monday.

RickyRunNGun · 10 Nov 2012 at 16:10

Oh that looks much better and more affordable than what I had put together, Although the case looks a tad bland, any suggestions on other cases?

I don't ever use my DVD drive so was just going to cheap out on it and get one for £15

Is a SSD really necessary?

stulid · 10 Nov 2012 at 16:16

An SSD is very very fast compared to a mechanical HDD, it makes the PC more responsive/nippy etc.

Install the OS and games etc onto it and use the HDD as a separate storage drive for whatever else.

Heres some more case,

YOUR BASKET
1 x Silverstone Precision PS06 USB 3.0 Midi Tower Case - Black (SST-PS06B-A USB 3.0) £69.98
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Case - Black £64.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - OcUK Edition £49.99
1 x NZXT Tempest 410 Midi Tower - Black £49.99
1 x Akasa Blade Windowed Midi Tower Case - Black/Blue £49.99
1 x BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - White/Blue £43.99
Total : £368.42 (includes shipping : £32.90).

Uncle Petey · 10 Nov 2012 at 16:21

I'll add one more to the list. I think it's a bargain.
Basically a Shinobi with better airflow and features.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Xigmatek Midgard II Gaming Tower Case - Black £51.98
Total : £63.08 (includes shipping : £9.25).

RickyRunNGun · 10 Nov 2012 at 16:26

I don't know, does the speed increase justify the price? I don't have a SSD in my current system and the boot speed doesn't really bother me

stulid · 10 Nov 2012 at 16:32

It's one of those things that needs to be experienced.

You can always add one later.

Gav_881 · 10 Nov 2012 at 20:39

RickyRunNGun said:
I don't know, does the speed increase justify the price? I don't have a SSD in my current system and the boot speed doesn't really bother me

Need is a strong word but if you play games like fallout that have a load screen every 5 mins you notice the difference. I use steam mover to keep my current games on the SSD and the rest on the mech, if i go into fallout with it on the mech drive i end up going mental with the 10-15 seconds loading every time i go into a building vs less than a half second on the ssd.

I wouldn't go back but wouldn't have known better if i had not tried it myself.

dexter27 · 11 Nov 2012 at 02:04

No matter what you do on pc, you WILL notice the difference between mechanical drive and ssd.