New High Spec Computer

Merachon · 27 Feb 2013 at 21:22

Hey guys,

I am about to start building my second computer, I am using it for general use, graphic design, games like Planetside 2, BF3, Arma 2 and any future games along those lines, I would like it to run at at least 60FPS at high and up settings on a 1920 1200 screen.

The components I have lined up right now are:
NZXT Phantom 410
Asus RoG Maximus 5 Formula
Intel Core i5-3570K @stock clock
Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz
EVGA GTX 670
OCZ 600w Modular PSU
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD
Seagate Barracuda 2TB
Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty PRO

Do you think that these components are up to standard for future proofing, though I will make minor upgrades along the way.

Finally, does anyone have any experience with BF3 and PlanetSide 2 among other games whilst running on Windows 8 / 8Pro, as I don't really want to go back to Windows 7 purely because of games.

Thanks for any help.

Merachon

Merachon · 27 Feb 2013 at 22:34

Sorry about not giving enough info:

Budget ~£1300
Graphics work: A-Level AutoCad, SolidWorks kinda stuff
Gaming: Regularly
Why RoG Mobo: Had great experience in the past with Asus motherboards, enjoy the shear amount of I/O potential with them
Why GTX 670: Regular gaming, Vsync 60FPS, high spec games, great value for money, and excellent performance whilst in Sli

I would prefer a modular PSU, and if possible a non-gigabyte mobo, had very bad experience with them in the past, so...

When I mean future proofing, I wish to get best bang for buck now, so that I will be content with the specs that I have for the rest of the year into the latter half of next year.
Is it really necessary for the 3820 for my purposes, as I understand it that for gaming and graphic design of my level (i.e., not that high) a 3570k will suffice.

Also, would you by chance know as to whether a Phantom 410 could support a Extended ATX mobo, as the size difference is minimal???

Merachon · 28 Feb 2013 at 08:10

Thanks for the input.

I already have versions of 64bit Windows 8 and 7, through the software4students scheme.

I love the look of that MSI board, especially the fact that there are a resounding superior number of USB 3.0 ports. Though, when compared to the Maximus V Formula, which one is better, as I can get a huge discount off of the motherboard through a separate website. I think the final decider will be if the eATX will fit in the Phantom 410 case, as I am certainly decided on that front.

RAM wise, would there be a visible difference in performance using that higher speed RAM and is there any point in getting the 16GB for my purposes.

On the 670 vs 7950 front, is there CURRENTLY a difference in performance due to drivers as I am extremely hesitant to go for the AMD card as I have heard a lot of bad things about the drivers

Thanks again

Merachon · 28 Feb 2013 at 08:18

Thanks. When you say board selected. Which one are you referring to.

Merachon · 28 Feb 2013 at 11:33

Ok guys, thanks for all the input.
The build I am going to go for I think will be:
NZXT Phantom 410
MSI MPOWER Z77
Intel Core i5-3570k
Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 Vapor-x -- or -- MSI Twin Frozr III Radeon HD 7950 (HELP ON THIS FRONT PLEASE)
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD*
Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD
OCZ ModXstream 600W PSU**
SoundBlaster Recon 3D Fatal1ty Champion
Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB 1866MHz
Samsung 24x DVD

I don't plan on overclocking the CPU, so probably won't get another CPU cooler until a bit later down the line.

*Because have had stunning experience with this in the past
**Due to the price and the modular capacity

Thanks for the input,

Merachon