New gaming system

mart1985 · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:18

Hi guys. I am looking to buy and build (with help) a new gaming system in the next few weeks. I have decided on a few components but my computing knowledge is limited and I am struggling to see why I should pick one component over another.

The components I have chosen/am looking at are:

Cases
CM Storm Stryker
Cooler Master HAF X
NZXT Phantom Enthusiast USB3.0 White
NZXT Switch 810 Special Edition White

Processor
i5 3570k

Motherboard
Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 DDR3
Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77

Memory-12/16GB
PSU-some 850w model
SSD-120/128GB model
Internal hard drive-1-2TB
OS-windows 7 pro
Graphics card-some form of 7950 2/3GB
Monitor-either 24" Dell Ultrasharp or a 27" monitor in the £300-350 region
Optical drive-not decided
Mouse/Keyboard-not decided

I have not decided on an extra cooling yet but I will only want to aircool for the moment and will oc so I want my system as cool as possible.

I am looking to spend up to £1,500 (maybe a bit more if something sexy is available).

Sorry for such a long post but I am struggling to spec this myself and would appreciate any advice people can give

Mei · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:23

if ur looking at a haf we might have diff ideas on wots sexy^^

mart1985 · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:25

Ha, I agree it is not the best looking (which is why I am leaning towards one of the NZXTs) but it seems to be pretty darn good for air cooling!

tamzzy · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:29

YOUR BASKET
1 x Sapphire HD 7950 Vapor-X OC 3072MB PCI-Express Graphics Card (11196-09-40G) with FREE Sleeping Dogs PC Game £257.99
1 x Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24" Widescreen LED Monitor - Midnight Grey £239.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £163.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £112.99
1 x Fractal Design Define R4 Midi Tower Case - Titanium Grey £99.98
1 x XFX 750W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £96.98
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC128N/EU) £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x LiteOn IHES112-115 Internal 12x SATA Blu-ray Bulk Combo - Black £61.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £59.99
1 x Logitech G110 Illuminated Gaming Keyboard (920-002241) £39.98
1 x Creative T3130 2.1 Speaker System (51MF0395AA003) £34.99
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 612S CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/1156/1155/775/AM3/AM2+/AM2) £32.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £23.99
1 x Steelseries Ikari Optical Mouse (62000) £19.98
Total : £1,446.46 (includes shipping : £22.20).

granted the define r4 doesnt have as good air flow as some of the other cases you listed, but its sure 10000x quieter, and with decent air flow too
added speakers (dont know if you need)
16gb is overkill for gaming, 8gb is fine
win 7 home is sufficient unless you're looking to use more than 16gb ram

mart1985 · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:35

Thanks for the list tamzzy.

Why would you choose the 24" Dell over a 27"?

Could I not buy quieter fans/coolers etc to keep it quieter? I have no experience of these cases so have no idea how loud is loud! It won't be in my bedroom and I usually have music/dvds on so noise should not really be an issue for me anyway.

Thanks for the speakers, I forgot about them!

I was told I only needed 8GB of RAM but as its so cheap more cannot hurt can it?

tamzzy · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:40

mart1985 said:
Why would you choose the 24" Dell over a 27"?

pixel guarantee, its a case of peace of mind
"Warranty: 3 Years On-Site (Dell Premium Guarantee - You will receive a replacement UltraSharp monitor should even one bright defective pixel appear on the screen)"

mart1985 said:
Could I not buy quieter fans/coolers etc to keep it quieter? I have no experience of these cases so have no idea how loud is loud! It won't be in my bedroom and I usually have music/dvds on so noise should not really be an issue for me anyway.

the define has soundproofing on the sidepanels roof and front that the other cases dont

mart1985 said:
I was told I only needed 8GB of RAM but as its so cheap more cannot hurt can it?

its about double the price, you could if you wanted i guess. wont see any benefits though

mart1985 · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:45

I already have a 22" Dell which I will run in tandem. Will use that for the net whilst the new monitor for gaming. Does that have any impact on the kit I need?

Case wise, I am a bit of a magpie so like the flasher cases. I also looked at the Bitfenix Colossus but I read the cooling is not great in it.

Mei · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:45

i like 27inch screens too
but then im told i look angry when i squint

depends what games you play if you want ips or not

mart1985 · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:49

Does the 27" make text really small?

I have no idea really! I haven't had a chance to play games the past few years but I like strategy and FPS games.

Mei · 6 Oct 2012 at 20:59

not at 1900 it doesnt

fps games u srsly cant go ips, big disadvantage
rts and stuff its fine and looks nice

mart1985 · 6 Oct 2012 at 21:02

Do you have a 27" monitor then?

Mei · 6 Oct 2012 at 21:19

hehe yeh im a sucker and got the 144hz one for gaming

i also have another beside it for irc/mumble/twitch/forums, that one can be ips

u have 2 screens already u said?

mart1985 · 6 Oct 2012 at 21:26

I have an old 22" Dell (can't remember the type but its like 6yrs old) and I will buy a new one for gaming.

I am keen on a 27" but if too expensive I am happy to go with the 24" Dell Ultrasharp.

Mei · 6 Oct 2012 at 21:57

its in ur budget i think, just depends what u want
this the one i use for gaming,
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-040-AS

if u wanted 24 you could go benq

mart1985 · 6 Oct 2012 at 22:04

I don't really know much about 3D gaming, which that monitor supports. Is it worth buying the components for that?

I do like the look of that actually and seems to have a good refresh rate?

Mei · 6 Oct 2012 at 22:16

lol yeh refresh rate and pixel response is what you want for fast moving games
its why you will see lans decked out with the benqs
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-051-BQ

i personally dont like the look of them(too gamer for me) and i like 27inch more but its regarded as a good screen

3d u will need to go nvidia, but i dont care about 3d

mart1985 · 7 Oct 2012 at 09:59

Thanks for the advice Mei.

I am tempted to go for the 27" one you have as its only £80 more.

Mei · 7 Oct 2012 at 11:35

yeh they both good gaming screens tho
higher hz gives me less headaches too

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus VG278HE 27" TRUE 144Hz 3D Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £399.95
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 Windforce 3X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £349.99
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD256BW) £209.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £163.99
1 x MSI Z77 MPower Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £139.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply - White £53.99
1 x GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £23.99
1 x Steelseries Kinzu V2 3200 DPI Rubberised Black Gaming Mouse (62022) £17.99
1 x Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
Total : £1,473.85 (includes shipping : £12.50).

doesnt include case/cooler as i duno wot u like so i went over (i always go over)
but it has a 670 and a expensive ssd so you could save 150 there if you wanted still go 7950 and cheaper ssd, just means no 3d, tho imo 3d is pretty sucky and not worth the price of the 3d vision kit^^

thats a rly nice gaming system, id use it

mart1985 · 7 Oct 2012 at 13:55

Thanks for the basket Mei.

I think I will only get a 120/128GB SSD so I can save a bit there. I was looking at a 800/850w PSU. Is that overkill?

Is the GTX 670 better than a 7950 3 GB version?

I do like the look of that list though!

tamzzy · 7 Oct 2012 at 14:22

YOUR BASKET
1 x Iiyama ProLite G2773HS 120Hz 27" Widescreen LED 1MS Monitor - Black £319.99
1 x Sapphire HD 7950 Vapor-X OC 3072MB PCI-Express Graphics Card (11196-09-40G) with FREE Sleeping Dogs PC Game £257.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £163.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £112.99
1 x XFX 750W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply £96.98
1 x Silverstone Raven 3 Full Tower Windowed Case - Black/Gold (SST-RV03B-W USB 3.0) £94.99
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC128N/EU) £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £83.99
1 x LiteOn IHES112-115 Internal 12x SATA Blu-ray Bulk Combo - Black £61.99
1 x Toshiba (7K1000.D) 1TB SATA 6GB/s 32MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA100) £59.99
1 x Logitech G110 Illuminated Gaming Keyboard (920-002241) £39.98
1 x Creative T3130 2.1 Speaker System (51MF0395AA003) £34.99
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 612S CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/1156/1155/775/AM3/AM2+/AM2) £32.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £23.99
1 x Steelseries Ikari Optical Mouse (62000) £19.98
Total : £1,527.89 (includes shipping : £27.55).