Hey all, first thread here 
So I am looking for a new gaming machine, my current is some 8 years old and getting no more easier to use. Your advice regarding performance, reliability and compatibility would be much appreciated please.
My current monitor is a single Asus capable of 1920x1080 @ 75hz via HDMI, but I am looking to be able to run games at 2560x1440 with ultra/maxed out settings and possible dual monitor setup. I would also like to overclock this machine for tweaking fun and to get more out of it, but the room it sits in is very warm and gets dusty.
Overclockers have provided me with an idea base model to use:
- "Titan 8900i Plasma MK II" Intel Core i5 3570K 3.40GHz @ 4.50GHz DDR3 Ivybridge Gaming PC
It ticks most of the boxes and bridges the gap nicely between CPU performance and cost. However, I dislike the case, unsure about the graphics card, and considering a water cooling option as I dislike heatsinks.
So...
Cases:
- Cooler Master HAF-X Gaming Tower RC-942 - (initially my first choice due to HAF)
- CM Storm Trooper (Windowed) - (black suits my current components and seemed like a small HAF-X upgrade)
- CM Storm Stryker - (white might be a nice change if I can find some purple lighting)
They'll take anything I can throw inside of them, have good cooling options and positive reviews. Requires some dust filters and probably overkill, ideas on a post card but aesthetics rule here
Cooling:
- Corsair H80i / H100i - (seem to be the leaders of the pack)
- Intel Liquid Cooling Solution - (not much in the way of reviews, but intel backed)
- XSPC RS-360 - (double the price, but still on the budget end so worried on reliability)
I am going to assume the H80i is probably more than sufficient and relative to the budget, with the H100i giving that peace of mind, but suggestions are always appreciated.
Motherboard:
- Asus z77 Sabertooth (thermal armour) - (ok, full of gimmicks and looks good in the above cases, but is it overkill)
I've read a lot of positive things about this board when it comes to overclocking CPU's and memory. As I am looking to do both, would this be the right option, or are there better, cheaper alternatives?
Graphics:
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 Windforce 3x OC 4096mb - (price replacement)
- EVGA GeForce GTX770 Superclock ACX 2048mb - (cheaper)
- EVGA GeForce 670 FTW 2048mb (or signature model) - (much cheaper, spare funds for other parts)
Would the far cheaper 670 be suitable for my requirements, with the option of a cheap future SLI upgrade, or do the features of the 770 justify the price?
Your thoughts, advice, input, and compatibility woes all very much appreciated please!
Thank you all
So I am looking for a new gaming machine, my current is some 8 years old and getting no more easier to use. Your advice regarding performance, reliability and compatibility would be much appreciated please.
My current monitor is a single Asus capable of 1920x1080 @ 75hz via HDMI, but I am looking to be able to run games at 2560x1440 with ultra/maxed out settings and possible dual monitor setup. I would also like to overclock this machine for tweaking fun and to get more out of it, but the room it sits in is very warm and gets dusty.
Overclockers have provided me with an idea base model to use:
- "Titan 8900i Plasma MK II" Intel Core i5 3570K 3.40GHz @ 4.50GHz DDR3 Ivybridge Gaming PC
It ticks most of the boxes and bridges the gap nicely between CPU performance and cost. However, I dislike the case, unsure about the graphics card, and considering a water cooling option as I dislike heatsinks.
So...
Cases:
- Cooler Master HAF-X Gaming Tower RC-942 - (initially my first choice due to HAF)
- CM Storm Trooper (Windowed) - (black suits my current components and seemed like a small HAF-X upgrade)
- CM Storm Stryker - (white might be a nice change if I can find some purple lighting)
They'll take anything I can throw inside of them, have good cooling options and positive reviews. Requires some dust filters and probably overkill, ideas on a post card but aesthetics rule here
Cooling:
- Corsair H80i / H100i - (seem to be the leaders of the pack)
- Intel Liquid Cooling Solution - (not much in the way of reviews, but intel backed)
- XSPC RS-360 - (double the price, but still on the budget end so worried on reliability)
I am going to assume the H80i is probably more than sufficient and relative to the budget, with the H100i giving that peace of mind, but suggestions are always appreciated.
Motherboard:
- Asus z77 Sabertooth (thermal armour) - (ok, full of gimmicks and looks good in the above cases, but is it overkill)
I've read a lot of positive things about this board when it comes to overclocking CPU's and memory. As I am looking to do both, would this be the right option, or are there better, cheaper alternatives?
Graphics:
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 Windforce 3x OC 4096mb - (price replacement)
- EVGA GeForce GTX770 Superclock ACX 2048mb - (cheaper)
- EVGA GeForce 670 FTW 2048mb (or signature model) - (much cheaper, spare funds for other parts)
Would the far cheaper 670 be suitable for my requirements, with the option of a cheap future SLI upgrade, or do the features of the 770 justify the price?
Your thoughts, advice, input, and compatibility woes all very much appreciated please!
Thank you all
